April 10, 2025 • 41 mins
In this episode of the H.E.A.L. Her Podcast, I sit down with Marlie Cohen—certified pre and postnatal fitness trainer, content creator, and founder of Bounce Forward Co.—as she gets real about her journey through motherhood, movement, and mental wellness. We explore the beauty and challenges of evolving identity, the power of showing up for yourself, and how grace can live beside grit.
Marlie opens up about transitioning from corporate life to entrepreneurship, healing after loss, and how she empowers women to find strength beyond the scale. If you’ve ever felt unseen in your role as a mother, or overwhelmed trying to balance wellness with life’s demands, this episode is your reminder that you are allowed to bounce back differently—stronger, softer, and more whole.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Makini Smith (00:00):
I'm Makini Smith. After going through a
divorce, my sister passing away, experiencing narcissistic
abuse and some significant health scares, I
realized through sharing my story that I
wasn't alone in my suffering. Suffering, subjective
distress generated by the experience of being
out of balance, in a deep dive
to holistically heal mind, body and soul
(00:22):
is where I discovered peace, clarity and
connection. It is impossible to be truly
wise without some real life hardship and
we cannot develop post traumatic wisdom without
making it through and most importantly, through
it together. Social connection builds resilience and
resilience helps create post traumatic wisdom. And
(00:45):
that wisdom leads to hope. Hope for
you and others, witnessing and participating in
your healing and hope for your community.
A healthy community is a healing community
and a healing community is full of
hope because it has seen its own
people weather, survive and thrive. Have you
(01:22):
ever faced struggles that made you question
your strength? In A Walk on My
Stilettos how to get through the Struggle
With Grace, I share my personal journey
through adversity, teen motherhood, divorce and loss,
showing you how to navigate life's toughest
seasons with grace. This book isn't just
my story, it's your roadmap to resilience.
(01:44):
So grab your copy today and start
walking in your own power. It's available
on Amazon, it's available on mckinneysmith.com or
any other major online bookstore. Today's guest
is Marley Cohen. She is a dedicated
mother of two, certified pre and postnatal
(02:05):
fitness trainer and the founder of Bounce
Forward Co, an at home workout app
designed to help busy moms prioritize their
health. Through her platform, she offers an
on demand workout group coaching and supportive
community encouraging women to embrace the changes
(02:25):
that come with motherhood while staying active
and strong. Beyond fitness, Marley is a
content creator and wellness advocate, sharing her
day to day life, parenting journey and
wellness tips with a growing global community.
Her authentic approach has led to partnerships
with major brands like Amazon, Google and
(02:46):
Dyson, further further solidifying her impact to
the health and lifestyle space. Through her
work, Marlee continues to inspire women to
move forward, prioritize self care and to
find balance in motherhood and beyond. So
please welcome to the show, Marley Cohen.
Marlie Cohen (03:06):
Thank you.
Makini Smith (03:08):
Thank you so much for agreeing to
come on and share your story and
your expertise with us. I truly, truly
appreciate you.
Marlie Cohen (03:15):
Thank you for having me. I'm so
honored.
Makini Smith (03:18):
I love, you know, getting to know
people on a deeper level. You know
sometimes you see people on on social
media and you know, you see the
highlight reel or you see, you know,
their Business or all those things. But
part of what I love about the
podcast is getting to know people on
a deeper level, getting to know people
behind the scenes, getting to really understand
(03:39):
your why, your passion, and helping other
people to see that no matter where
you are in life, no matter how
successful someone may feel that someone else
is, that we're all human. You know,
we all have human experiences. We have
adversities that we go through. We have
all have our healing journey that we
are on. So I'm excited to dive
in and to learn more about yours.
Marlie Cohen (04:01):
Let's do it.
Makini Smith (04:03):
Okay, so I like to start with
an icebreaker question. And, you know, as
kids, we have these vivid imaginations of
who or what we want to be
when we grow up and. And society
or culture, or sometimes our family starts
to limit our beliefs and tell us
to be more realistic. So I would
love to know who or what you
(04:24):
wanted to be when you were a
little girl.
Marlie Cohen (04:26):
Oh, my God. I wanted to be
a Spice Girl.
Makini Smith (04:30):
I love it.
Marlie Cohen (04:31):
Or a pop star or something. Some
performer. But the problem was there was
a real lack of talent and all
fronts, so that was never gonna happen.
But if you could succeed or be
really famous just on passion alone and
interests, and I probably could have been
a. But that's about it.
Makini Smith (04:53):
I love it. I love it. Okay,
so I guess share with us your
journey of how you got to where
you are today. Give us the. The
cold notes version. Yeah.
Marlie Cohen (05:03):
Okay. So today I have a health
and fitness app for busy moms called
Bounce Forward. But if you were to
tell me, even probably 10 years ago,
that I was doing anything in fitness,
I would have been like, what are
you talking about? Because I was not
an athletic person growing up. I was,
you know, picked last for gym class.
I hated gym class. But I danced.
(05:23):
And again, back to the performing and
talent, I wasn't very good. I just
really liked it. And I could pick
up choreography here and there, but I
wasn't actually good. I'll look back and
God bless my parents. They were so
supportive, you know, for going along with
it, because I was pretty terrible. But
I really loved it. And that was
sort of the extent of my athleticism.
(05:46):
I was never a runner. I played
zero sports, never set foot in a
gym. I just, you know, danced recreationally
for many, many years. So when I
found myself in my early 20s in
an office job where I really sat
all day, that was sort of the
extent of, like, how much my body
was moving on my commute to work
(06:06):
and sitting in an office. And I
Couldn't even walk up the stairs without
being out of breath. And the only
time I would take the stairs if
there's an emergency, right, like if the
elevator wasn't working. So there was no
fitness in my life whatsoever. So to
be telling you that I have a
fitness app here today still even kind
of telling you now feels really funny
and strange because there is such a
(06:27):
disconnect to even my younger adult life.
And I'm in my late 30s now.
So I guess that's how I found
health and fitness was by being in
a corporate job, sitting at my desk
all day or sitting in a car.
I worked in real estate, so I
was either driving to showings or on
commutes to showings or sitting at a
desk. And I found fitness through some
(06:48):
light googling of like how to get
in shape because I'm feeling like crap,
like I'm out for dinner every night,
I'm drinking, I'm putting on weight, I'm
feeling not how a vibrant young 20
year old should feel. And I ended
up joining the gym in my office
building at work. And group fitness completely
changed my life. I absolutely fell in
love with it. And I think it's
(07:09):
honestly because that's where that performance piece
kind of came into play. I was
doing fitness to music and to the
beat in front of people or with
people. And I think it really brought
me back to that childhood passion.
Makini Smith (07:22):
I love it, I love it. I.
So when you said that, like, you
know, sitting at your desk or, you
know, walking up the stairs, all of
that, like I think about now, for
myself, for example, like understanding that, you
know, healthy, healthy motion equals healthy emotion.
And when we're not moving and we're
(07:43):
not, you know, physically active, what that
does to us, mentally, emotionally and physically.
And I also came from the real
estate career. I was selling real estate
full time for like six years before
I got into personal development. So I
understand, you know, the complete difference in
mindset, I guess. Okay, so you realize
(08:04):
that you weren't as active as you
would have liked to be for your
young age and you, you know, started
working out. But what, I guess what
inspired you to even, you know, become
a trainer?
Marlie Cohen (08:17):
Exactly. Okay, yeah. So that was when
I realized I actually found a passion.
Even though to me I was like,
am I even allowed to think of
this as a passion? I'm not athletic.
I didn't grow up playing sports. I
think you hear most personal trainers and
their stories of they were really, you
know, they were athletes growing up. And
for me, that there, that Wasn't that
piece there? This was brand new to
(08:37):
me altogether. But I just knew that
my favorite moments of my day were
the 5am class I was taking or
the 7pm class I was taking after
work. And I was pretty much miserable
the rest of the day. Those were
the only things that were lighting me
up and bringing me joy. So I
was really like, how do I. How
do I do this? And, you know,
in a career, even though it felt
completely impossible, and this was at a
(09:00):
point where social media was just up
and coming, I was like, from the
Facebook generation, right? I didn't even have
an iPhone for a long time. And
when I got Instagram, it was on
my ipod. So not to age myself
anymore, but. So I started all these
blogs about sort of my fitness journey.
Like, what I'm. The classes I'm taking,
and maybe giving some reviews, and then
(09:21):
I would delete them. So I'm like,
this is embarrassing. If, God forbid, anyone
found out about this. How humiliating. So
I started a Tumblr, a blog. I
would post, delete, post, delete. And then
one day I was like, let me
try this Instagram thing. Maybe there's something
here. And I didn't show my face.
And I had a completely different account.
My account today is called Kale and
Crunches, but it was called Nike's By
(09:42):
Night. And my. I think he was
still my boyfriend at the time, my
husband, but I think we were just
dating at the time. I told him
about it, and he's like, you know,
I love your account, I love your
enthusiasm, but you really shouldn't use Nike
in your name because, you know, what
if one day this actually becomes something?
And he was the beautiful person that
had foresight and could see and manifest
(10:03):
what this was going to become well,
before I could. But I was just
posting simple, you know, this is my
workout. This is my oatmeal bowl. Here
are my feet, here's my treadmill. Like,
you did not know it was me.
This is embarrassing. I cannot. I cannot
tell anyone. And the idea was it
was like corporate by day, fitness by
night. And it felt like I was
pursuing this, like, alter ego. And it
(10:24):
was a side. It wasn't even a
side hustle. It was just a side
passion project at the time. And it
started to garner followers and attention. And
the more I shared my face and
my story and myself, and then stories
came to be, which was new and
exciting. I could go on stories and
talk about it. It started to gain
traction and following. And so basically, for
(10:44):
two years, while I was Working in
real estate. I was posting on this
account that was gaining followers, gaining attention,
and then gaining brand deals. And I
thought, huh, maybe there's something here. So
I gave myself a year. I said,
I'm going to get certified, I'm going
to teach, I'm going to build up
a clientele, and I'm going to do
this in a year from now. And
I gave myself that year to get
(11:04):
all my docs in a row, get
my certifications. I would teach, been before
class, after class, see some personal trainers
on the side. Sorry, before work, after
work, see some train clients on the
side. And then within that year, I
built up the confidence and what felt
like enough financial stability to say, like,
let's just dive all in and see
where this goes. And that was almost
10 years ago.
Makini Smith (11:25):
Wow. Wow. Well, congrats to you. I
mean, there's a couple of things that
you said there that I loved because
I know, you know, a lot of
the listeners, you know, they, they heavily
relate to hearing parts of the guest
or myself that they feel like if
you are someone who is successful or
(11:46):
doing well that you wouldn't normally have.
So I'm an introvert. So when, you
know, people think about starting Instagram accounts
and going viral and doing all the
things, they're like, oh, I don't want
to show my face, I don't wanna
tell my story. But you started growing
without even having to show your face
and all that. So I love hearing
that. And I think that, you know,
the listeners, they can definitely take away
(12:08):
from that, where you can still, I
guess, have some sense of privacy and
still be able to. To do what
you want to do.
Marlie Cohen (12:18):
Yeah, absolutely. I think now there's a
lot more interest in the faceless accounts
they're calling it, or even for me,
I, I mean, we'll get there, but
I transitioned a lot of my content
into the motherhood piece when I had
my children. And then over the last
years, I actually stopped showing them. So
I sort of brought back that and
reeled in a little bit more privacy.
(12:39):
Once they no longer looked like infants
and you could actually become recognizable, I
started to pull back from there. So
it's never, you know, it's never. You
can always start without showing your face.
You can always, you can decide and
you can control how much you want
to give and how much you want
to pull back. It's always in control.
Makini Smith (12:55):
I love that. Okay, so let's talk
about motherhood. You know, how has becoming
a mother, I guess, shaped your approach
to fitness and wellness?
Marlie Cohen (13:05):
Well, I love what you said earlier
about the motion is also mental, the
mental health piece, because that's a really
big part of, like, pregnancy and fitness
and how those two work together is
that a lot of it is out
of your control. You could be put
on bed rest. It could be not
safe for you to exercise. And exercise
also becomes this thing that isn't necessarily
only about you anymore. And when I
(13:28):
became pregnant, that was the first time
where I really felt like fitness wasn't
necessarily about my body image anymore or
about an aesthetic. It was really, for
the first time, about that health piece.
And as much as I loved, like,
the music and the passion and the
teaching and the performing, it was also
really exciting to see physical changes and
for people to be interested in those
and your body image be, you know,
(13:49):
a big part of the Instagram part.
I mean, it's some, you know, you
have. It is what it is, right?
So that was the first time in
my life where my body. It wasn't
exercising, wasn't about my physical health as
it was as much as my mental
health. And then postpartum was really when
I had to make that connection because
(14:09):
I fell into a very deep depression
and anxiety with my first child postpartum.
And that was just a whole other
layer to being online and being in
fitness.
Makini Smith (14:21):
Okay, so. So let's dive into that,
because I have three children. I have
a grandchild and another grandchild on the
way. So having experienced different levels of
postpartum after each of the kids and
watching my daughter go through that, you
know, with her daughter, Share with us
how your postpartum experience, I guess, was
(14:44):
different for each of your children. If
it was, it was.
Marlie Cohen (14:47):
And my first postpartum experience completely changed
my life, because I think for many
women and many parents, the first time
in their life where they can't just,
like, study and learn to be good
at something is when you have a
baby, right? You can't just read a
book or hire someone or take a
course, and your baby will sleep the
night. Right? Like, it just doesn't work
that way. So everything is sort of
(15:08):
out of your control. And it's a
real lesson in giving up control. And
when I brought my daughter home from
the hospital, I felt really prepared because
I was an aunt and I had
friends with kids, and I felt like
I did all the homework, and I
was like, I got this, and I
absolutely did not have it. And I
brought home healthy baby with so much
(15:29):
support, so much privilege, and more than
anyone could ask for. And I went
into an instant panic attack that first
night that I was home because I
had intrusive thoughts that were terrifying that
I had never knew was a thing.
I thought that something was wrong with
me. I completely spiraled so fast. And
basically for about the first two months,
(15:50):
I was in like, this dark hole
of terror and fear. Scared to leave
my house, scared to do anything, always
just constant fear and anxiety. And it
was. It changed my life because at
the time I was also online and
it was. This was the days of
(16:10):
the perfect Pinterest curated feeds. And I.
There was nothing perfect or curated in
my life. Everything just was like gray
and dark and scary. And I decided
that I was either going to just
shut down Instagram, shut down my business,
or I was going to show up
as authentically as possible and share what
I was actually going, going on with
my life, because I could not lie
(16:32):
and I could not pretend. And I
chose the latter and I chose to
show up. And it sort of just
opened up this whole other new piece
to my account, my business, my community
of women who were just wanted the
real and I wanted the real. And
the more I shared, the more I
felt validated in what I was going
through. I felt less alone. And I
have really just. My content has been
(16:53):
that way with that realness piece ever
since because it's impossible to function there.
Who has time to make anything anyway?
But really, that was like, that is
the underlying theme of all of my
content, whether it's fitness or motherhood, is
about, like, our values are different, our
life is different, everything is different, and
we need support and we, we work
(17:13):
in seasons and our life is always
going to be in seasons. And I
really just try and like, post from
there and share from there.
Makini Smith (17:19):
I love that you've even shared that
part of your story for so many
reasons. Like, I strongly believe in authenticity
and I feel like, you know, I.
I guess when I started in social
media, probably around the same time as
you, when everything had to be perfect,
I feel like that not only did
it hurt a lot of people in
many different ways, mentally, emotionally, financially, but
(17:42):
I feel like it, it forced people
to put on these masks and it
was almost like they had to play
with, like, multiple personalities. Right? So I
strongly believe in authenticity and people being
able to be themselves on and offline,
being the same person. I feel like
the more that we are our authentic
(18:02):
selves, the more that we attract people
that are like us and repel those
that are not. And in you being
authentic about your experiences and your journey,
not only were you Helping other women
who probably felt shame and guilt and
that they had no voice, you know,
that social proofing, it helped them also
feel validated. You know, we build communities
(18:25):
sometimes in our, in our struggles when
we share what we're experiencing and how
we're going through it. And sometimes, you
know, I know my mother and grandmother
didn't speak about certain things. You know,
we're. We're now living in an age
where, yeah, we have access to a
lot more information, but there are a
lot of things that weren't spoken about.
So you think something is wrong with
(18:45):
you when you're experiencing certain things. So
I, I think there's a huge beauty
in what you did with sharing the
authenticity of your postpartum experience, because I'm
sure that saved many lives, including your
own.
Marlie Cohen (18:59):
It did. And it's funny you said
that, because I remember going through it
and the things I would share. And
my mom, you know, I love her
and she's so amazing. She's so supportive,
but social media is new and different
for that generation. She said, do you
have to share everything? Like, come on,
you know, I'm like, actually, yes, I
do. This is life or death.
Makini Smith (19:18):
Yes. Like, okay, so, you know, you
talked about experiencing, you know, the fear
and the anxiety and the intrusive thoughts.
Were there any other, I guess, big
surprises or struggles that you faced during
your postpartum journey?
Marlie Cohen (19:34):
Absolutely. I mean, especially coming from the
fitness world and being an 80s baby.
Like, all I knew about postpartum culture
was bounce back culture. Like, how fast
did this celebrity leave the hospital and
zip up their jeans? And I had
no idea I was going to look
pregnant for months after. I had no
idea that was a thing. I was.
What? I didn't recognize my body. I
(19:55):
was like, how am I supposed to
show up online as a trainer? And,
you know, I have new stretch marks
and loose skin and cellular. Like, I
looked completely different. So there was that
whole piece that I had to reconcile,
and that's essentially where my app was
born. Bounce forward. Because I was like,
screw the bounce back. You know, I'm
not going. Not only am I not
(20:17):
going back in time into my old
genes, but my values are different. Everything
is different in my life. I don't
have the same amount of time. I
don't have the same amount of interests.
I don't. I'm a different person. And
I. I had to just lean into
the fact that motherhood changed me for
good instead of just resist it.
Makini Smith (20:33):
Yeah, Yeah, I. I love that. I
love all of it, especially because I
feel like culture has a tendency to
have these quote unquote norms that are
harmful for us. Whether it be, you
know, cultural norms, whether it be, you
know, religious norms, all these things that
are considered normal that are actually harmful.
(20:56):
And I know when I had my,
my first daughter, I was young, very
young. So I'm going to say the
bounce back and the pressure of bounce
back was very real. But I love
seeing now the culture of embracing what
a woman's body looks like in its
real, raw form, without being edited, without
(21:19):
shapewear, without all of the additional extra
things that I'm gonna say. The culture
and patriarchy and all these things make
us feel like we have to do.
Marlie Cohen (21:32):
There was one reel I posted a
couple years ago where I just pulled
down my high waisted pants and just
shared like what my stomach still looks
like. As someone who technically have lost
all the baby weight, but my body
is no longer the same. You can't
go back in time. I can't change
what my skin did and you know,
it was. I don't love to post
content like that just because I try
(21:52):
and make my approach to health and
fitness just less about the body and
what it looks like. But of course
a piece of content like that is
what it's going to go with the
most. And. But someone actually stopped me
on the streets near after a school
drop off that year and was like,
you made me feel so seen. And
to me, I'm looking at her and
I'm like, she's like tiny little human,
way shorter than me and she looked
like. I would never assume that she,
(22:14):
her tummy looked like that and she's
like, you made me feel so seen.
And I just really appreciated that because
under those high waisted leggings, let me
tell you.
Makini Smith (22:25):
I get it, I get it. So,
okay. There are many new moms that
are struggling with energy and motivation. What
advice would you give to those who
want to prioritize movement but feel exhausted?
Marlie Cohen (22:41):
I would say that you need to
first and foremost respect the season of
life that you're in. So for example,
if you're seeing me on Instagram and
I'm waking up at five in the
morning and I'm getting a workout in
before my kids, I normally will post
it with a disclaimer being like, my
kids slept last night disclaimer. So just
(23:03):
even giving yourself that radical acceptance of
my workout is going to look very
different than it used to pre kids.
It might be five minutes, it might
be 10 minutes. I'm probably not going
to sweat. I'M probably going to be
still in my pajamas from the day,
but that doesn't mean it doesn't count.
And I think the best thing you
can do is give yourself permission to
(23:25):
have it look different and still count.
And just little by little, it all
adds up.
Makini Smith (23:31):
I love that. I love that. How,
how did you balance the emotional ups
and downs of your postpartum recovery while
still running your business?
Marlie Cohen (23:41):
Oh my gosh. I balanced it by
just like we talked about, showing up
authentically and talking about it and writing
about it. I did a lot of
blog posts back then when blogging was
still a thing. It was very cathartic.
And then I just tried to always
give context to what I was doing.
If I was going to a workout
(24:02):
class, I would let my following know,
like, who's watching the baby? It was
little things like that that always kind
of made me as a consumer of
you or be anxious like, well, where's
the baby? How are you doing this?
Just as a first time mom to
understand how someone's actually doing anything, I
felt like if I gave the bigger
picture of what anything looked like, whether
it was like a nanny or an
in law or someone looking after, that
(24:24):
made me feel like I could share
more because it just felt again, authentic.
Not to overuse that word, but it
felt like it was almost helpful to
sort of explain like how, how are
you going back to work when you
don't get in that leap? How are
you actually doing anything? Just Instead of
just a one photo or a 15
second video, I always would just sort
of add extra context. Yeah, and there's
(24:44):
always more nuance and layers to everything.
Makini Smith (24:46):
Absolutely. Life is full of layers. I
actually just posted something about that on,
on social. But anyway. Okay, so was
there a specific moment in your postpartum
journey that I guess changed your perspective
on motherhood and self care?
Marlie Cohen (25:03):
A specific moment? Yeah, actually there was.
I remember my mother in law came
to watch my baby of mine. I
just had one and then the second
one was Covid, so there was none
of this. And I went to a
spin class and I remember being in
that spin class and just crying. It
was like the dark lights, the music
was playing. I was on that bike
(25:24):
and all the emotions started coming and
I think it was really layered. It
was, it was like, wow, look where
we are. Because definitely never thought I'd
be sitting on a spin bike again
after pushing a baby out. Like there
was, you know, I couldn't even sit.
Then there was the whole wow, like
you left your kid alone, you're taking
care of yourself. You're putting yourself first.
Then there was the whole like, you
(25:44):
only have 45 minutes cause you gotta
get home and nurse and like, you
better make this count. So it was
all these little layers of wow, my
time is so different. I have to
be so much more efficient. This workout
isn't just for me. It's about so
many more things. It's about that you
permission to put yourself first, about getting
your strength back so you have the
energy to care for your kid. No,
(26:05):
there was. So, yeah, I think that
moment really stands out to me.
Makini Smith (26:09):
Love it. I feel like when we
talk about success, or I guess what
accolades are important to us, I think
for every individual person there's a different
definition. Right. Success to me could mean
something different than it means to you.
So how has your definition of success
(26:30):
evolved since becoming a mom?
Marlie Cohen (26:33):
My definition of success is about freedom
now it's about freedom and flexibility and
what drives me the most, to work
hard and to just keep showing up
and just the ups and downs of
entrepreneurship is to be able to be
at my kids dance a thon that's
happening this Thursday or host them a
(26:55):
Valentine's Day party on their PD day.
Like it's. It's moments that having a
flexible schedule to be there for them,
that is 100% my driving force.
Makini Smith (27:04):
Love it. Love it. Okay, if you
could go back and give your younger
self one piece of advice before starting
this journey, what would it be?
Marlie Cohen (27:16):
Don't delete that first blog. Just go
for it. I could have started. I
mean, I started early, but I could
have started years earlier and just. Yeah,
I would say, oh my gosh. You
know, I think about how, listen, it's.
There's never. There's enough space for everyone
in this world. But I'm. Sometimes you
think like, oh, if you just kept
(27:37):
going those first few posts and things
like that.
Makini Smith (27:41):
I love it. Okay, if. If you
could describe your last five years in
one sentence, what would it be?
Marlie Cohen (27:56):
In one sentence? My last five years?
I'll tell you the. Honestly, the first
thing that came to mind is sleepless
nights. Like, I feel like I haven't
slept in five years. I have horrible
sleepers. My kids are older now. They're
three and five. But they're like. I
mean, older but not babies anymore. But
they're. That's. I guess that's not really
the answer you're looking for. But that's
the person that came to my head.
Makini Smith (28:17):
No, that's honest. Completely honest. Okay, so
if there's a mom out there who
can completely relate to the sleepless nights
and feels like she has no time
for self care. Where would you advise
that they start?
Marlie Cohen (28:34):
10 minutes. Just give yourself 10 minutes.
I really, truly believe everyone can find
10 minutes make it work. Whether it
means putting yourself, your kid, in front
of a TV or a screen for
10 minutes, whether it means asking someone
for help, most likely if you're watching
or listening to this, you probably do
have those 10 minutes in your day.
And I do say that as someone
(28:57):
you know, with, you know, a busy
life, a busy schedule, I know what
it's like to feel like 10 minutes
is impossible. But then sometimes I'll be
like, oh, I was just scrolling for
10. You know, be really open and
honest with how you're using your time.
If you can start there and then
build up and you don't have to
change and you don't need to take
10 minutes. Doesn't need to be part
of choosing the workout or changing into
an outfit or anything like in what
(29:17):
you're wearing right now. Can you do
some squats? Can you hold a plank?
Can you do some push ups on
the back of your couch?
Makini Smith (29:23):
Mm, that's good. That's good. What is,
I guess, one fitness myth that you
wish more postpartum moms would stop believing.
Marlie Cohen (29:36):
Oh, this is such a good question.
That they can't lift heavy ever again.
Because if you have more than one
kid, you'll know that your kid is
not going to get any lighter. You're
probably going to be picking them up
again. And listen, I'm all about proper
recovery, 100% rest, rebuild that core strength,
(29:59):
do all the inner work, the pelvic
floor work that you need to do,
100%. But you will be able to
lift again. You'll get, it'll get stronger
again. And your body is not ruined,
it's not broken. You just need a
little bit of rehab, a little bit
of TLC down there, a little rest
and recovery and you can get even
stronger to from before you started.
Makini Smith (30:18):
I love it. Okay. What kind of
legacy do you hope to leave for
your children and the women in your
community?
Marlie Cohen (30:25):
Oh my God, that question makes me
emotional. Just. I hope to leave then
a community of women who appreciate their
bodies and their life for them and
that leaving a legacy of women who
choose to prioritize themselves and put themselves
first. There's so much shame and guilt
(30:47):
around working out as a parent, taking
time for yourself. I still struggle with
that. I still will. If we're on
a family vacation and I want to
go to the gym, and my husband's
with the two kids will have a
whole dialogue in my head about, well,
I'll take them the rest of the
afternoon, so then it's fair. And then
I'll do this, so then it's fair.
And we need to just get rid
(31:08):
of that guilt and just know that,
like, we're allowed to prioritize ourselves. We're
allowed to show up for ourselves, to
give ourselves some self care. And I
hope that as I share and more
women continue to share this, they won't
feel that same guilt and burden when
they become moms.
Makini Smith (31:25):
That is great advice. I'm thinking now,
and I'm like, I wish I had
that advice when I was younger. I
remember when my kids were younger and
I guess two were still in elementary
school and one was just in high
school, and I had become a single
mom. And the biggest guilt I had
(31:47):
was in prioritizing self care. And it
took me years to get comfortable and
that. You know, I even talked about
it in my first book. But it
was like the years that it took
for me to get to that space
of not feeling guilty for doing something
other than stuff for the kids. Like,
I couldn't relax sitting and getting my
nails done. It would make me anxious
because it'd be like, well, I could
(32:07):
be, you know, making a lunch for
them or prepping dinner or all of
the things. So I think that's great
advice.
Marlie Cohen (32:14):
Do you find that yours is gone?
Like, I still feel those feelings and
thoughts. Like, it's still a work in
progress for me, I think.
Makini Smith (32:21):
Well, my. My kids are grown now.
My eldest is 27, and my youngest
is turning 19 next week. So the
guilt is gone.
Marlie Cohen (32:28):
Yeah, yeah. So it goes away.
Makini Smith (32:31):
The guilt is gone. But there are
still those moments now where I'm like,
you know, if I'm doing something, I'm
like, oh, I could be spending this
time with my granddaughter. So, yeah, it
shifts, I guess.
Marlie Cohen (32:42):
Yeah, right? Yeah, it's hard. I know
I. I try and teach it and
I preach it, but I still definitely
struggle with it every day where I'm
like, oh, it could be. I could
be doing this, or I could be
more pro. You know, it's so hard.
But I really hope that by showing
them that we're doing it, I always
like, mommy's gonna exercise. And it makes
mommy feel so good. It gives mommy
(33:03):
so much energy. She feels so much
better that they're gonna grow up and
not have that same level of guilt.
Makini Smith (33:09):
Yes. I love it. I love it.
Okay. Well, what would you say is
your superpower?
Marlie Cohen (33:16):
I'd like to think it's multitasking, but
it's definitely not. I feel like I'm
a horrible multitasking even though I do
it because I'm a woman and that's
what we do. I think my superpower
is at least as a coach, making
women feel like they do deserve more
and to empower them to, you know,
(33:36):
really try to put themselves first into,
take, take their self care to the
next level.
Makini Smith (33:43):
What, what is your self aside from
working out? Like, what does your self
care routine look like?
Marlie Cohen (33:49):
Oh, it's really nothing. Yeah, it's a
walk.
Makini Smith (33:55):
It's.
Marlie Cohen (33:56):
I'm like a personal development junkie. So
I'll. I love a podcast while I'm
cooking or meal prepping or really hot
shower at the end of the night
once the kids are sleeping, I'll like
burn my skin with a shower. I
don't really have, you know, like do
a ton of fancy things or time
for that yet, but I will get
that time back soon.
Makini Smith (34:18):
Okay, so what, what inspires you the
most about what you do say?
Marlie Cohen (34:24):
My community of moms that are inside
my membership and just hearing their personal
stories and their messages and then, you
know, my kids will say something here
and there about this morning. My little
mom was like, daddy, let's exercise. You
know, like little moments with the kids.
Makini Smith (34:38):
For sure.
Marlie Cohen (34:38):
Yeah.
Makini Smith (34:39):
Love it, love it. Okay, so before
we go to the final segment of
the show, I would love if you
can tell the listeners where they can
stay connected with you, where they can
learn more from you and about you,
where they can download the app. Sure.
Marlie Cohen (34:52):
Okay, so as you heard, the name
now is Kale and crunches on Instagram,
so everything is there. Our membership is
bounceforward co.com or @bounceforward co on Instagram.
It's an on demand of really short
at home workouts for busy women. We
have programs for core rehab, anything from
(35:13):
core rehab to, you know, 30 minute
strength. So you don't need to be
a mom to be a member. It's
really just for anyone who needs a
quick, efficient at home workouts.
Makini Smith (35:21):
Love it, love it. I will have
all of the links for them too
connect with you in the details section
so they don't have to search too
far for the final segment of the
show. It's kind of like a rapid
fire. You can answer one word, you
can answer one sentence. But I also,
I don't like to be put into
a box. I'm claustrophobic. So if you
(35:42):
Feel the need to expand, you're more
than welcome to do so.
Marlie Cohen (35:45):
Okay, I'll do my best.
Makini Smith (35:47):
Okay. Name a book that has changed
or greatly impacted your life.
Marlie Cohen (35:52):
Principles of Success by Jack Canfield. I
think it's just called the Principles of
Success. Yeah.
Makini Smith (35:57):
Okay. Name one of the most worthwhile
investments that you've ever made and that
could be of money, time, energy.
Marlie Cohen (36:07):
Right now. My walking pad.
Makini Smith (36:11):
Okay. What new belief, behavior, or habit
has improved your life in the last
five years?
Marlie Cohen (36:23):
This is a really good question. Belief,
behavior, or habit has improved my life
in the last five years. Oh, my
gosh. No, no, no, no, no, no.
Let's think of something. I don't know
if this sort of like a mantra
or a mantra, however you say it.
I don't know if it fits into
any of those categories, but I just
keep telling myself, like, just keep putting
the reps in. Keep putting the reps
(36:45):
in. Like, day by day, just one
day at a time. It's sort of,
I guess, one day at a time
is this belief. Because especially in the
thick of motherhood or all the different
seasons, you know, in your life, it's
just constantly changing. And I find if
I just look too far ahead or
get too focused on the future, then
I get overwhelmed and feel like there's
no point in anything.
Makini Smith (37:04):
Yes.
Marlie Cohen (37:05):
So one day at a time and
sort of just trying to stay in
my own lane and think that way
has been helpful.
Makini Smith (37:09):
Yes. I love it. I love that.
Because we don't realize how, like, when
we are so hyper focused too far
ahead or on the future, that creates
anxiety. Right. So, yeah, it's about staying
in the present. I love that. Okay,
so when you feel overwhelmed, unfocused, or
uninspired, what do you typically do?
Marlie Cohen (37:28):
Outdoor walk. Always. Although I'm in Toronto
right now, and it's minus a million
and it's so cold. So maybe I'll
go in my walking pad. But a
good walk.
Makini Smith (37:41):
Okay. How has motherhood changed you?
Marlie Cohen (37:46):
It has shown me the bigger picture
in life and made me realize it's
not just about me and it's not
just about my children, but it is
legacy, community, and just the power of
women.
Makini Smith (38:00):
Love it. Love it. Okay, what has
been the greatest gift that you've ever
given yourself?
Marlie Cohen (38:08):
The chance to leave my job and
start my business and pursue that career.
Makini Smith (38:14):
Love it. Betting on yourself. Love it.
Marlie Cohen (38:16):
Yeah, betting on myself.
Makini Smith (38:19):
All right, when and where are you
the happiest?
Marlie Cohen (38:22):
Oh, somewhere warmer than right now, but
with my family. Anywhere Bedtime. Like, bedtime.
Not actually bedtime I would say in
the mornings. Bedtime is stressful right now.
And I am not my happiest at
bedtime mornings. Like in the mornings when
the girls come in the bed and
it's like just our family and we're
loving and all like snuggly and fun.
Those little moments like that. It's so
(38:43):
cliche, but it's true. I'm one of
those annoying people. It's not annoying. On
vacation in Mexico where it's warm and
not in this polar vortex we're living
in with a palm tree family. With
a palm tree.
Makini Smith (38:58):
Listen, I totally understand. Okay, last but
not least, what do you wish women
would do more of?
Marlie Cohen (39:07):
Put themselves first.
Makini Smith (39:10):
And on that note, wow. Thank you
so much, Marlee. Thank you for sharing
your story and your expertise with us.
I do not take your time lightly.
You know, I know that there are
a lot of women that are listening,
that are new moms, that have or
even old moms, you know, that. That
needed to hear what you shared today
and it helped them feel more seen,
(39:31):
heard and understood. So thank you.
Marlie Cohen (39:33):
Thank you so much. I appreciate it.
Makini Smith (39:35):
That's a wrap for today's episode. If
you are looking for inspiration on overcoming
challenges with grace, check out A Walk
in My Stilettos, how to get through
the Struggle with Grace, authored by me.
My personal journey is your roadmap to
resilience. You can find the book available
(39:56):
on most major book retailers, Amazon and
McKinney smith.com to all of my healers
out there, thank you for tuning in.
Because of you, we continue to rank
globally in the top 1.5% of podcasts
out there, and there are over 3
million. So if today's episode resonated with
(40:16):
you, please subscribe, rate the show, and
leave us a review on Apple Podcast.
Let us know about any takeaways you
received from Marlee, any aha moments, any
gems that she left you with. Now,
I want you to think of one
person who could benefit from today's episode.
Share this with them. Someone out there
(40:38):
needs Marley's testimony. Screenshot this episode and
you can tag us on Instagram. You
can tag marleyaleandcrunches. That's K a L
e underscore A n d underscore K
r u m c h e s.
(41:00):
And you can tag myself@Hereal McKinney Smith.
And let's keep this conversation going. A
healthy community is a healing community, and
a healing community is full of hope.
So let's continue to heal her.
I'm Makini Smith. After going through a
divorce, my sister passing away, experiencing narcissistic
abuse and some significant health scares, I
realized through sharing my story that I
wasn't alone in my suffering. Suffering, subjective
distress generated by the experience of being
out of balance, in a deep dive
to holistically heal mind, body and soul
(00:22):
is where I discovered peace, clarity and
connection. It is impossible to be truly
wise without some real life hardship and
we cannot develop post traumatic wisdom without
making it through and most importantly, through
it together. Social connection builds resilience and
resilience helps create post traumatic wisdom. And
(00:45):
that wisdom leads to hope. Hope for
you and others, witnessing and participating in
your healing and hope for your community.
A healthy community is a healing community
and a healing community is full of
hope because it has seen its own
people weather, survive and thrive. Have you
(01:22):
ever faced struggles that made you question
your strength? In A Walk on My
Stilettos how to get through the Struggle
With Grace, I share my personal journey
through adversity, teen motherhood, divorce and loss,
showing you how to navigate life's toughest
seasons with grace. This book isn't just
my story, it's your roadmap to resilience.
(01:44):
So grab your copy today and start
walking in your own power. It's available
on Amazon, it's available on mckinneysmith.com or
any other major online bookstore. Today's guest
is Marley Cohen. She is a dedicated
mother of two, certified pre and postnatal
(02:05):
fitness trainer and the founder of Bounce
Forward Co, an at home workout app
designed to help busy moms prioritize their
health. Through her platform, she offers an
on demand workout group coaching and supportive
community encouraging women to embrace the changes
(02:25):
that come with motherhood while staying active
and strong. Beyond fitness, Marley is a
content creator and wellness advocate, sharing her
day to day life, parenting journey and
wellness tips with a growing global community.
Her authentic approach has led to partnerships
with major brands like Amazon, Google and
(02:46):
Dyson, further further solidifying her impact to
the health and lifestyle space. Through her
work, Marlee continues to inspire women to
move forward, prioritize self care and to
find balance in motherhood and beyond. So
please welcome to the show, Marley Cohen.
Marlie Cohen (03:06):
Thank you.
Makini Smith (03:08):
Thank you so much for agreeing to
come on and share your story and
your expertise with us. I truly, truly
appreciate you.
Marlie Cohen (03:15):
Thank you for having me. I'm so
honored.
Makini Smith (03:18):
I love, you know, getting to know
people on a deeper level. You know
sometimes you see people on on social
media and you know, you see the
highlight reel or you see, you know,
their Business or all those things. But
part of what I love about the
podcast is getting to know people on
a deeper level, getting to know people
behind the scenes, getting to really understand
(03:39):
your why, your passion, and helping other
people to see that no matter where
you are in life, no matter how
successful someone may feel that someone else
is, that we're all human. You know,
we all have human experiences. We have
adversities that we go through. We have
all have our healing journey that we
are on. So I'm excited to dive
in and to learn more about yours.
Marlie Cohen (04:01):
Let's do it.
Makini Smith (04:03):
Okay, so I like to start with
an icebreaker question. And, you know, as
kids, we have these vivid imaginations of
who or what we want to be
when we grow up and. And society
or culture, or sometimes our family starts
to limit our beliefs and tell us
to be more realistic. So I would
love to know who or what you
(04:24):
wanted to be when you were a
little girl.
Marlie Cohen (04:26):
Oh, my God. I wanted to be
a Spice Girl.
Makini Smith (04:30):
I love it.
Marlie Cohen (04:31):
Or a pop star or something. Some
performer. But the problem was there was
a real lack of talent and all
fronts, so that was never gonna happen.
But if you could succeed or be
really famous just on passion alone and
interests, and I probably could have been
a. But that's about it.
Makini Smith (04:53):
I love it. I love it. Okay,
so I guess share with us your
journey of how you got to where
you are today. Give us the. The
cold notes version. Yeah.
Marlie Cohen (05:03):
Okay. So today I have a health
and fitness app for busy moms called
Bounce Forward. But if you were to
tell me, even probably 10 years ago,
that I was doing anything in fitness,
I would have been like, what are
you talking about? Because I was not
an athletic person growing up. I was,
you know, picked last for gym class.
I hated gym class. But I danced.
(05:23):
And again, back to the performing and
talent, I wasn't very good. I just
really liked it. And I could pick
up choreography here and there, but I
wasn't actually good. I'll look back and
God bless my parents. They were so
supportive, you know, for going along with
it, because I was pretty terrible. But
I really loved it. And that was
sort of the extent of my athleticism.
(05:46):
I was never a runner. I played
zero sports, never set foot in a
gym. I just, you know, danced recreationally
for many, many years. So when I
found myself in my early 20s in
an office job where I really sat
all day, that was sort of the
extent of, like, how much my body
was moving on my commute to work
(06:06):
and sitting in an office. And I
Couldn't even walk up the stairs without
being out of breath. And the only
time I would take the stairs if
there's an emergency, right, like if the
elevator wasn't working. So there was no
fitness in my life whatsoever. So to
be telling you that I have a
fitness app here today still even kind
of telling you now feels really funny
and strange because there is such a
(06:27):
disconnect to even my younger adult life.
And I'm in my late 30s now.
So I guess that's how I found
health and fitness was by being in
a corporate job, sitting at my desk
all day or sitting in a car.
I worked in real estate, so I
was either driving to showings or on
commutes to showings or sitting at a
desk. And I found fitness through some
(06:48):
light googling of like how to get
in shape because I'm feeling like crap,
like I'm out for dinner every night,
I'm drinking, I'm putting on weight, I'm
feeling not how a vibrant young 20
year old should feel. And I ended
up joining the gym in my office
building at work. And group fitness completely
changed my life. I absolutely fell in
love with it. And I think it's
(07:09):
honestly because that's where that performance piece
kind of came into play. I was
doing fitness to music and to the
beat in front of people or with
people. And I think it really brought
me back to that childhood passion.
Makini Smith (07:22):
I love it, I love it. I.
So when you said that, like, you
know, sitting at your desk or, you
know, walking up the stairs, all of
that, like I think about now, for
myself, for example, like understanding that, you
know, healthy, healthy motion equals healthy emotion.
And when we're not moving and we're
(07:43):
not, you know, physically active, what that
does to us, mentally, emotionally and physically.
And I also came from the real
estate career. I was selling real estate
full time for like six years before
I got into personal development. So I
understand, you know, the complete difference in
mindset, I guess. Okay, so you realize
(08:04):
that you weren't as active as you
would have liked to be for your
young age and you, you know, started
working out. But what, I guess what
inspired you to even, you know, become
a trainer?
Marlie Cohen (08:17):
Exactly. Okay, yeah. So that was when
I realized I actually found a passion.
Even though to me I was like,
am I even allowed to think of
this as a passion? I'm not athletic.
I didn't grow up playing sports. I
think you hear most personal trainers and
their stories of they were really, you
know, they were athletes growing up. And
for me, that there, that Wasn't that
piece there? This was brand new to
(08:37):
me altogether. But I just knew that
my favorite moments of my day were
the 5am class I was taking or
the 7pm class I was taking after
work. And I was pretty much miserable
the rest of the day. Those were
the only things that were lighting me
up and bringing me joy. So I
was really like, how do I. How
do I do this? And, you know,
in a career, even though it felt
completely impossible, and this was at a
(09:00):
point where social media was just up
and coming, I was like, from the
Facebook generation, right? I didn't even have
an iPhone for a long time. And
when I got Instagram, it was on
my ipod. So not to age myself
anymore, but. So I started all these
blogs about sort of my fitness journey.
Like, what I'm. The classes I'm taking,
and maybe giving some reviews, and then
(09:21):
I would delete them. So I'm like,
this is embarrassing. If, God forbid, anyone
found out about this. How humiliating. So
I started a Tumblr, a blog. I
would post, delete, post, delete. And then
one day I was like, let me
try this Instagram thing. Maybe there's something
here. And I didn't show my face.
And I had a completely different account.
My account today is called Kale and
Crunches, but it was called Nike's By
(09:42):
Night. And my. I think he was
still my boyfriend at the time, my
husband, but I think we were just
dating at the time. I told him
about it, and he's like, you know,
I love your account, I love your
enthusiasm, but you really shouldn't use Nike
in your name because, you know, what
if one day this actually becomes something?
And he was the beautiful person that
had foresight and could see and manifest
(10:03):
what this was going to become well,
before I could. But I was just
posting simple, you know, this is my
workout. This is my oatmeal bowl. Here
are my feet, here's my treadmill. Like,
you did not know it was me.
This is embarrassing. I cannot. I cannot
tell anyone. And the idea was it
was like corporate by day, fitness by
night. And it felt like I was
pursuing this, like, alter ego. And it
(10:24):
was a side. It wasn't even a
side hustle. It was just a side
passion project at the time. And it
started to garner followers and attention. And
the more I shared my face and
my story and myself, and then stories
came to be, which was new and
exciting. I could go on stories and
talk about it. It started to gain
traction and following. And so basically, for
(10:44):
two years, while I was Working in
real estate. I was posting on this
account that was gaining followers, gaining attention,
and then gaining brand deals. And I
thought, huh, maybe there's something here. So
I gave myself a year. I said,
I'm going to get certified, I'm going
to teach, I'm going to build up
a clientele, and I'm going to do
this in a year from now. And
I gave myself that year to get
(11:04):
all my docs in a row, get
my certifications. I would teach, been before
class, after class, see some personal trainers
on the side. Sorry, before work, after
work, see some train clients on the
side. And then within that year, I
built up the confidence and what felt
like enough financial stability to say, like,
let's just dive all in and see
where this goes. And that was almost
10 years ago.
Makini Smith (11:25):
Wow. Wow. Well, congrats to you. I
mean, there's a couple of things that
you said there that I loved because
I know, you know, a lot of
the listeners, you know, they, they heavily
relate to hearing parts of the guest
or myself that they feel like if
you are someone who is successful or
(11:46):
doing well that you wouldn't normally have.
So I'm an introvert. So when, you
know, people think about starting Instagram accounts
and going viral and doing all the
things, they're like, oh, I don't want
to show my face, I don't wanna
tell my story. But you started growing
without even having to show your face
and all that. So I love hearing
that. And I think that, you know,
the listeners, they can definitely take away
(12:08):
from that, where you can still, I
guess, have some sense of privacy and
still be able to. To do what
you want to do.
Marlie Cohen (12:18):
Yeah, absolutely. I think now there's a
lot more interest in the faceless accounts
they're calling it, or even for me,
I, I mean, we'll get there, but
I transitioned a lot of my content
into the motherhood piece when I had
my children. And then over the last
years, I actually stopped showing them. So
I sort of brought back that and
reeled in a little bit more privacy.
(12:39):
Once they no longer looked like infants
and you could actually become recognizable, I
started to pull back from there. So
it's never, you know, it's never. You
can always start without showing your face.
You can always, you can decide and
you can control how much you want
to give and how much you want
to pull back. It's always in control.
Makini Smith (12:55):
I love that. Okay, so let's talk
about motherhood. You know, how has becoming
a mother, I guess, shaped your approach
to fitness and wellness?
Marlie Cohen (13:05):
Well, I love what you said earlier
about the motion is also mental, the
mental health piece, because that's a really
big part of, like, pregnancy and fitness
and how those two work together is
that a lot of it is out
of your control. You could be put
on bed rest. It could be not
safe for you to exercise. And exercise
also becomes this thing that isn't necessarily
only about you anymore. And when I
(13:28):
became pregnant, that was the first time
where I really felt like fitness wasn't
necessarily about my body image anymore or
about an aesthetic. It was really, for
the first time, about that health piece.
And as much as I loved, like,
the music and the passion and the
teaching and the performing, it was also
really exciting to see physical changes and
for people to be interested in those
and your body image be, you know,
(13:49):
a big part of the Instagram part.
I mean, it's some, you know, you
have. It is what it is, right?
So that was the first time in
my life where my body. It wasn't
exercising, wasn't about my physical health as
it was as much as my mental
health. And then postpartum was really when
I had to make that connection because
(14:09):
I fell into a very deep depression
and anxiety with my first child postpartum.
And that was just a whole other
layer to being online and being in
fitness.
Makini Smith (14:21):
Okay, so. So let's dive into that,
because I have three children. I have
a grandchild and another grandchild on the
way. So having experienced different levels of
postpartum after each of the kids and
watching my daughter go through that, you
know, with her daughter, Share with us
how your postpartum experience, I guess, was
(14:44):
different for each of your children. If
it was, it was.
Marlie Cohen (14:47):
And my first postpartum experience completely changed
my life, because I think for many
women and many parents, the first time
in their life where they can't just,
like, study and learn to be good
at something is when you have a
baby, right? You can't just read a
book or hire someone or take a
course, and your baby will sleep the
night. Right? Like, it just doesn't work
that way. So everything is sort of
(15:08):
out of your control. And it's a
real lesson in giving up control. And
when I brought my daughter home from
the hospital, I felt really prepared because
I was an aunt and I had
friends with kids, and I felt like
I did all the homework, and I
was like, I got this, and I
absolutely did not have it. And I
brought home healthy baby with so much
(15:29):
support, so much privilege, and more than
anyone could ask for. And I went
into an instant panic attack that first
night that I was home because I
had intrusive thoughts that were terrifying that
I had never knew was a thing.
I thought that something was wrong with
me. I completely spiraled so fast. And
basically for about the first two months,
(15:50):
I was in like, this dark hole
of terror and fear. Scared to leave
my house, scared to do anything, always
just constant fear and anxiety. And it
was. It changed my life because at
the time I was also online and
it was. This was the days of
(16:10):
the perfect Pinterest curated feeds. And I.
There was nothing perfect or curated in
my life. Everything just was like gray
and dark and scary. And I decided
that I was either going to just
shut down Instagram, shut down my business,
or I was going to show up
as authentically as possible and share what
I was actually going, going on with
my life, because I could not lie
(16:32):
and I could not pretend. And I
chose the latter and I chose to
show up. And it sort of just
opened up this whole other new piece
to my account, my business, my community
of women who were just wanted the
real and I wanted the real. And
the more I shared, the more I
felt validated in what I was going
through. I felt less alone. And I
have really just. My content has been
(16:53):
that way with that realness piece ever
since because it's impossible to function there.
Who has time to make anything anyway?
But really, that was like, that is
the underlying theme of all of my
content, whether it's fitness or motherhood, is
about, like, our values are different, our
life is different, everything is different, and
we need support and we, we work
(17:13):
in seasons and our life is always
going to be in seasons. And I
really just try and like, post from
there and share from there.
Makini Smith (17:19):
I love that you've even shared that
part of your story for so many
reasons. Like, I strongly believe in authenticity
and I feel like, you know, I.
I guess when I started in social
media, probably around the same time as
you, when everything had to be perfect,
I feel like that not only did
it hurt a lot of people in
many different ways, mentally, emotionally, financially, but
(17:42):
I feel like it, it forced people
to put on these masks and it
was almost like they had to play
with, like, multiple personalities. Right? So I
strongly believe in authenticity and people being
able to be themselves on and offline,
being the same person. I feel like
the more that we are our authentic
(18:02):
selves, the more that we attract people
that are like us and repel those
that are not. And in you being
authentic about your experiences and your journey,
not only were you Helping other women
who probably felt shame and guilt and
that they had no voice, you know,
that social proofing, it helped them also
feel validated. You know, we build communities
(18:25):
sometimes in our, in our struggles when
we share what we're experiencing and how
we're going through it. And sometimes, you
know, I know my mother and grandmother
didn't speak about certain things. You know,
we're. We're now living in an age
where, yeah, we have access to a
lot more information, but there are a
lot of things that weren't spoken about.
So you think something is wrong with
(18:45):
you when you're experiencing certain things. So
I, I think there's a huge beauty
in what you did with sharing the
authenticity of your postpartum experience, because I'm
sure that saved many lives, including your
own.
Marlie Cohen (18:59):
It did. And it's funny you said
that, because I remember going through it
and the things I would share. And
my mom, you know, I love her
and she's so amazing. She's so supportive,
but social media is new and different
for that generation. She said, do you
have to share everything? Like, come on,
you know, I'm like, actually, yes, I
do. This is life or death.
Makini Smith (19:18):
Yes. Like, okay, so, you know, you
talked about experiencing, you know, the fear
and the anxiety and the intrusive thoughts.
Were there any other, I guess, big
surprises or struggles that you faced during
your postpartum journey?
Marlie Cohen (19:34):
Absolutely. I mean, especially coming from the
fitness world and being an 80s baby.
Like, all I knew about postpartum culture
was bounce back culture. Like, how fast
did this celebrity leave the hospital and
zip up their jeans? And I had
no idea I was going to look
pregnant for months after. I had no
idea that was a thing. I was.
What? I didn't recognize my body. I
(19:55):
was like, how am I supposed to
show up online as a trainer? And,
you know, I have new stretch marks
and loose skin and cellular. Like, I
looked completely different. So there was that
whole piece that I had to reconcile,
and that's essentially where my app was
born. Bounce forward. Because I was like,
screw the bounce back. You know, I'm
not going. Not only am I not
(20:17):
going back in time into my old
genes, but my values are different. Everything
is different in my life. I don't
have the same amount of time. I
don't have the same amount of interests.
I don't. I'm a different person. And
I. I had to just lean into
the fact that motherhood changed me for
good instead of just resist it.
Makini Smith (20:33):
Yeah, Yeah, I. I love that. I
love all of it, especially because I
feel like culture has a tendency to
have these quote unquote norms that are
harmful for us. Whether it be, you
know, cultural norms, whether it be, you
know, religious norms, all these things that
are considered normal that are actually harmful.
(20:56):
And I know when I had my,
my first daughter, I was young, very
young. So I'm going to say the
bounce back and the pressure of bounce
back was very real. But I love
seeing now the culture of embracing what
a woman's body looks like in its
real, raw form, without being edited, without
(21:19):
shapewear, without all of the additional extra
things that I'm gonna say. The culture
and patriarchy and all these things make
us feel like we have to do.
Marlie Cohen (21:32):
There was one reel I posted a
couple years ago where I just pulled
down my high waisted pants and just
shared like what my stomach still looks
like. As someone who technically have lost
all the baby weight, but my body
is no longer the same. You can't
go back in time. I can't change
what my skin did and you know,
it was. I don't love to post
content like that just because I try
(21:52):
and make my approach to health and
fitness just less about the body and
what it looks like. But of course
a piece of content like that is
what it's going to go with the
most. And. But someone actually stopped me
on the streets near after a school
drop off that year and was like,
you made me feel so seen. And
to me, I'm looking at her and
I'm like, she's like tiny little human,
way shorter than me and she looked
like. I would never assume that she,
(22:14):
her tummy looked like that and she's
like, you made me feel so seen.
And I just really appreciated that because
under those high waisted leggings, let me
tell you.
Makini Smith (22:25):
I get it, I get it. So,
okay. There are many new moms that
are struggling with energy and motivation. What
advice would you give to those who
want to prioritize movement but feel exhausted?
Marlie Cohen (22:41):
I would say that you need to
first and foremost respect the season of
life that you're in. So for example,
if you're seeing me on Instagram and
I'm waking up at five in the
morning and I'm getting a workout in
before my kids, I normally will post
it with a disclaimer being like, my
kids slept last night disclaimer. So just
(23:03):
even giving yourself that radical acceptance of
my workout is going to look very
different than it used to pre kids.
It might be five minutes, it might
be 10 minutes. I'm probably not going
to sweat. I'M probably going to be
still in my pajamas from the day,
but that doesn't mean it doesn't count.
And I think the best thing you
can do is give yourself permission to
(23:25):
have it look different and still count.
And just little by little, it all
adds up.
Makini Smith (23:31):
I love that. I love that. How,
how did you balance the emotional ups
and downs of your postpartum recovery while
still running your business?
Marlie Cohen (23:41):
Oh my gosh. I balanced it by
just like we talked about, showing up
authentically and talking about it and writing
about it. I did a lot of
blog posts back then when blogging was
still a thing. It was very cathartic.
And then I just tried to always
give context to what I was doing.
If I was going to a workout
(24:02):
class, I would let my following know,
like, who's watching the baby? It was
little things like that that always kind
of made me as a consumer of
you or be anxious like, well, where's
the baby? How are you doing this?
Just as a first time mom to
understand how someone's actually doing anything, I
felt like if I gave the bigger
picture of what anything looked like, whether
it was like a nanny or an
in law or someone looking after, that
(24:24):
made me feel like I could share
more because it just felt again, authentic.
Not to overuse that word, but it
felt like it was almost helpful to
sort of explain like how, how are
you going back to work when you
don't get in that leap? How are
you actually doing anything? Just Instead of
just a one photo or a 15
second video, I always would just sort
of add extra context. Yeah, and there's
(24:44):
always more nuance and layers to everything.
Makini Smith (24:46):
Absolutely. Life is full of layers. I
actually just posted something about that on,
on social. But anyway. Okay, so was
there a specific moment in your postpartum
journey that I guess changed your perspective
on motherhood and self care?
Marlie Cohen (25:03):
A specific moment? Yeah, actually there was.
I remember my mother in law came
to watch my baby of mine. I
just had one and then the second
one was Covid, so there was none
of this. And I went to a
spin class and I remember being in
that spin class and just crying. It
was like the dark lights, the music
was playing. I was on that bike
(25:24):
and all the emotions started coming and
I think it was really layered. It
was, it was like, wow, look where
we are. Because definitely never thought I'd
be sitting on a spin bike again
after pushing a baby out. Like there
was, you know, I couldn't even sit.
Then there was the whole wow, like
you left your kid alone, you're taking
care of yourself. You're putting yourself first.
Then there was the whole like, you
(25:44):
only have 45 minutes cause you gotta
get home and nurse and like, you
better make this count. So it was
all these little layers of wow, my
time is so different. I have to
be so much more efficient. This workout
isn't just for me. It's about so
many more things. It's about that you
permission to put yourself first, about getting
your strength back so you have the
energy to care for your kid. No,
(26:05):
there was. So, yeah, I think that
moment really stands out to me.
Makini Smith (26:09):
Love it. I feel like when we
talk about success, or I guess what
accolades are important to us, I think
for every individual person there's a different
definition. Right. Success to me could mean
something different than it means to you.
So how has your definition of success
(26:30):
evolved since becoming a mom?
Marlie Cohen (26:33):
My definition of success is about freedom
now it's about freedom and flexibility and
what drives me the most, to work
hard and to just keep showing up
and just the ups and downs of
entrepreneurship is to be able to be
at my kids dance a thon that's
happening this Thursday or host them a
(26:55):
Valentine's Day party on their PD day.
Like it's. It's moments that having a
flexible schedule to be there for them,
that is 100% my driving force.
Makini Smith (27:04):
Love it. Love it. Okay, if you
could go back and give your younger
self one piece of advice before starting
this journey, what would it be?
Marlie Cohen (27:16):
Don't delete that first blog. Just go
for it. I could have started. I
mean, I started early, but I could
have started years earlier and just. Yeah,
I would say, oh my gosh. You
know, I think about how, listen, it's.
There's never. There's enough space for everyone
in this world. But I'm. Sometimes you
think like, oh, if you just kept
(27:37):
going those first few posts and things
like that.
Makini Smith (27:41):
I love it. Okay, if. If you
could describe your last five years in
one sentence, what would it be?
Marlie Cohen (27:56):
In one sentence? My last five years?
I'll tell you the. Honestly, the first
thing that came to mind is sleepless
nights. Like, I feel like I haven't
slept in five years. I have horrible
sleepers. My kids are older now. They're
three and five. But they're like. I
mean, older but not babies anymore. But
they're. That's. I guess that's not really
the answer you're looking for. But that's
the person that came to my head.
Makini Smith (28:17):
No, that's honest. Completely honest. Okay, so
if there's a mom out there who
can completely relate to the sleepless nights
and feels like she has no time
for self care. Where would you advise
that they start?
Marlie Cohen (28:34):
10 minutes. Just give yourself 10 minutes.
I really, truly believe everyone can find
10 minutes make it work. Whether it
means putting yourself, your kid, in front
of a TV or a screen for
10 minutes, whether it means asking someone
for help, most likely if you're watching
or listening to this, you probably do
have those 10 minutes in your day.
And I do say that as someone
(28:57):
you know, with, you know, a busy
life, a busy schedule, I know what
it's like to feel like 10 minutes
is impossible. But then sometimes I'll be
like, oh, I was just scrolling for
10. You know, be really open and
honest with how you're using your time.
If you can start there and then
build up and you don't have to
change and you don't need to take
10 minutes. Doesn't need to be part
of choosing the workout or changing into
an outfit or anything like in what
(29:17):
you're wearing right now. Can you do
some squats? Can you hold a plank?
Can you do some push ups on
the back of your couch?
Makini Smith (29:23):
Mm, that's good. That's good. What is,
I guess, one fitness myth that you
wish more postpartum moms would stop believing.
Marlie Cohen (29:36):
Oh, this is such a good question.
That they can't lift heavy ever again.
Because if you have more than one
kid, you'll know that your kid is
not going to get any lighter. You're
probably going to be picking them up
again. And listen, I'm all about proper
recovery, 100% rest, rebuild that core strength,
(29:59):
do all the inner work, the pelvic
floor work that you need to do,
100%. But you will be able to
lift again. You'll get, it'll get stronger
again. And your body is not ruined,
it's not broken. You just need a
little bit of rehab, a little bit
of TLC down there, a little rest
and recovery and you can get even
stronger to from before you started.
Makini Smith (30:18):
I love it. Okay. What kind of
legacy do you hope to leave for
your children and the women in your
community?
Marlie Cohen (30:25):
Oh my God, that question makes me
emotional. Just. I hope to leave then
a community of women who appreciate their
bodies and their life for them and
that leaving a legacy of women who
choose to prioritize themselves and put themselves
first. There's so much shame and guilt
(30:47):
around working out as a parent, taking
time for yourself. I still struggle with
that. I still will. If we're on
a family vacation and I want to
go to the gym, and my husband's
with the two kids will have a
whole dialogue in my head about, well,
I'll take them the rest of the
afternoon, so then it's fair. And then
I'll do this, so then it's fair.
And we need to just get rid
(31:08):
of that guilt and just know that,
like, we're allowed to prioritize ourselves. We're
allowed to show up for ourselves, to
give ourselves some self care. And I
hope that as I share and more
women continue to share this, they won't
feel that same guilt and burden when
they become moms.
Makini Smith (31:25):
That is great advice. I'm thinking now,
and I'm like, I wish I had
that advice when I was younger. I
remember when my kids were younger and
I guess two were still in elementary
school and one was just in high
school, and I had become a single
mom. And the biggest guilt I had
(31:47):
was in prioritizing self care. And it
took me years to get comfortable and
that. You know, I even talked about
it in my first book. But it
was like the years that it took
for me to get to that space
of not feeling guilty for doing something
other than stuff for the kids. Like,
I couldn't relax sitting and getting my
nails done. It would make me anxious
because it'd be like, well, I could
(32:07):
be, you know, making a lunch for
them or prepping dinner or all of
the things. So I think that's great
advice.
Marlie Cohen (32:14):
Do you find that yours is gone?
Like, I still feel those feelings and
thoughts. Like, it's still a work in
progress for me, I think.
Makini Smith (32:21):
Well, my. My kids are grown now.
My eldest is 27, and my youngest
is turning 19 next week. So the
guilt is gone.
Marlie Cohen (32:28):
Yeah, yeah. So it goes away.
Makini Smith (32:31):
The guilt is gone. But there are
still those moments now where I'm like,
you know, if I'm doing something, I'm
like, oh, I could be spending this
time with my granddaughter. So, yeah, it
shifts, I guess.
Marlie Cohen (32:42):
Yeah, right? Yeah, it's hard. I know
I. I try and teach it and
I preach it, but I still definitely
struggle with it every day where I'm
like, oh, it could be. I could
be doing this, or I could be
more pro. You know, it's so hard.
But I really hope that by showing
them that we're doing it, I always
like, mommy's gonna exercise. And it makes
mommy feel so good. It gives mommy
(33:03):
so much energy. She feels so much
better that they're gonna grow up and
not have that same level of guilt.
Makini Smith (33:09):
Yes. I love it. I love it.
Okay. Well, what would you say is
your superpower?
Marlie Cohen (33:16):
I'd like to think it's multitasking, but
it's definitely not. I feel like I'm
a horrible multitasking even though I do
it because I'm a woman and that's
what we do. I think my superpower
is at least as a coach, making
women feel like they do deserve more
and to empower them to, you know,
(33:36):
really try to put themselves first into,
take, take their self care to the
next level.
Makini Smith (33:43):
What, what is your self aside from
working out? Like, what does your self
care routine look like?
Marlie Cohen (33:49):
Oh, it's really nothing. Yeah, it's a
walk.
Makini Smith (33:55):
It's.
Marlie Cohen (33:56):
I'm like a personal development junkie. So
I'll. I love a podcast while I'm
cooking or meal prepping or really hot
shower at the end of the night
once the kids are sleeping, I'll like
burn my skin with a shower. I
don't really have, you know, like do
a ton of fancy things or time
for that yet, but I will get
that time back soon.
Makini Smith (34:18):
Okay, so what, what inspires you the
most about what you do say?
Marlie Cohen (34:24):
My community of moms that are inside
my membership and just hearing their personal
stories and their messages and then, you
know, my kids will say something here
and there about this morning. My little
mom was like, daddy, let's exercise. You
know, like little moments with the kids.
Makini Smith (34:38):
For sure.
Marlie Cohen (34:38):
Yeah.
Makini Smith (34:39):
Love it, love it. Okay, so before
we go to the final segment of
the show, I would love if you
can tell the listeners where they can
stay connected with you, where they can
learn more from you and about you,
where they can download the app. Sure.
Marlie Cohen (34:52):
Okay, so as you heard, the name
now is Kale and crunches on Instagram,
so everything is there. Our membership is
bounceforward co.com or @bounceforward co on Instagram.
It's an on demand of really short
at home workouts for busy women. We
have programs for core rehab, anything from
(35:13):
core rehab to, you know, 30 minute
strength. So you don't need to be
a mom to be a member. It's
really just for anyone who needs a
quick, efficient at home workouts.
Makini Smith (35:21):
Love it, love it. I will have
all of the links for them too
connect with you in the details section
so they don't have to search too
far for the final segment of the
show. It's kind of like a rapid
fire. You can answer one word, you
can answer one sentence. But I also,
I don't like to be put into
a box. I'm claustrophobic. So if you
(35:42):
Feel the need to expand, you're more
than welcome to do so.
Marlie Cohen (35:45):
Okay, I'll do my best.
Makini Smith (35:47):
Okay. Name a book that has changed
or greatly impacted your life.
Marlie Cohen (35:52):
Principles of Success by Jack Canfield. I
think it's just called the Principles of
Success. Yeah.
Makini Smith (35:57):
Okay. Name one of the most worthwhile
investments that you've ever made and that
could be of money, time, energy.
Marlie Cohen (36:07):
Right now. My walking pad.
Makini Smith (36:11):
Okay. What new belief, behavior, or habit
has improved your life in the last
five years?
Marlie Cohen (36:23):
This is a really good question. Belief,
behavior, or habit has improved my life
in the last five years. Oh, my
gosh. No, no, no, no, no, no.
Let's think of something. I don't know
if this sort of like a mantra
or a mantra, however you say it.
I don't know if it fits into
any of those categories, but I just
keep telling myself, like, just keep putting
the reps in. Keep putting the reps
(36:45):
in. Like, day by day, just one
day at a time. It's sort of,
I guess, one day at a time
is this belief. Because especially in the
thick of motherhood or all the different
seasons, you know, in your life, it's
just constantly changing. And I find if
I just look too far ahead or
get too focused on the future, then
I get overwhelmed and feel like there's
no point in anything.
Makini Smith (37:04):
Yes.
Marlie Cohen (37:05):
So one day at a time and
sort of just trying to stay in
my own lane and think that way
has been helpful.
Makini Smith (37:09):
Yes. I love it. I love that.
Because we don't realize how, like, when
we are so hyper focused too far
ahead or on the future, that creates
anxiety. Right. So, yeah, it's about staying
in the present. I love that. Okay,
so when you feel overwhelmed, unfocused, or
uninspired, what do you typically do?
Marlie Cohen (37:28):
Outdoor walk. Always. Although I'm in Toronto
right now, and it's minus a million
and it's so cold. So maybe I'll
go in my walking pad. But a
good walk.
Makini Smith (37:41):
Okay. How has motherhood changed you?
Marlie Cohen (37:46):
It has shown me the bigger picture
in life and made me realize it's
not just about me and it's not
just about my children, but it is
legacy, community, and just the power of
women.
Makini Smith (38:00):
Love it. Love it. Okay, what has
been the greatest gift that you've ever
given yourself?
Marlie Cohen (38:08):
The chance to leave my job and
start my business and pursue that career.
Makini Smith (38:14):
Love it. Betting on yourself. Love it.
Marlie Cohen (38:16):
Yeah, betting on myself.
Makini Smith (38:19):
All right, when and where are you
the happiest?
Marlie Cohen (38:22):
Oh, somewhere warmer than right now, but
with my family. Anywhere Bedtime. Like, bedtime.
Not actually bedtime I would say in
the mornings. Bedtime is stressful right now.
And I am not my happiest at
bedtime mornings. Like in the mornings when
the girls come in the bed and
it's like just our family and we're
loving and all like snuggly and fun.
Those little moments like that. It's so
(38:43):
cliche, but it's true. I'm one of
those annoying people. It's not annoying. On
vacation in Mexico where it's warm and
not in this polar vortex we're living
in with a palm tree family. With
a palm tree.
Makini Smith (38:58):
Listen, I totally understand. Okay, last but
not least, what do you wish women
would do more of?
Marlie Cohen (39:07):
Put themselves first.
Makini Smith (39:10):
And on that note, wow. Thank you
so much, Marlee. Thank you for sharing
your story and your expertise with us.
I do not take your time lightly.
You know, I know that there are
a lot of women that are listening,
that are new moms, that have or
even old moms, you know, that. That
needed to hear what you shared today
and it helped them feel more seen,
(39:31):
heard and understood. So thank you.
Marlie Cohen (39:33):
Thank you so much. I appreciate it.
Makini Smith (39:35):
That's a wrap for today's episode. If
you are looking for inspiration on overcoming
challenges with grace, check out A Walk
in My Stilettos, how to get through
the Struggle with Grace, authored by me.
My personal journey is your roadmap to
resilience. You can find the book available
(39:56):
on most major book retailers, Amazon and
McKinney smith.com to all of my healers
out there, thank you for tuning in.
Because of you, we continue to rank
globally in the top 1.5% of podcasts
out there, and there are over 3
million. So if today's episode resonated with
(40:16):
you, please subscribe, rate the show, and
leave us a review on Apple Podcast.
Let us know about any takeaways you
received from Marlee, any aha moments, any
gems that she left you with. Now,
I want you to think of one
person who could benefit from today's episode.
Share this with them. Someone out there
(40:38):
needs Marley's testimony. Screenshot this episode and
you can tag us on Instagram. You
can tag marleyaleandcrunches. That's K a L
e underscore A n d underscore K
r u m c h e s.
(41:00):
And you can tag myself@Hereal McKinney Smith.
And let's keep this conversation going. A
healthy community is a healing community, and
a healing community is full of hope.
So let's continue to heal her.
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