#MomCrushMonday Series: Meet Leah Keller, Founder of Every Mother

1.) You are the creator of EMbody Program, an online fitness system designed to support women in all stages of motherhood. What sets it apart from other fitness programs?

  • Every Mother is the only program clinically proven to resolve diastasis recti.
  • Our program is an attainable routine for busy moms: 10-15 mins of proven, high quality, express workouts empower moms to squeeze in fitness into their busy days and deliver measurable results.
  • Curated fitness paths tailored to an individual’s fitness journey take the guesswork out of working out.
  • Expert guidance and events on core and pelvic health fitness and a hands on customer service team that members can rely on for any questions/advice.
  • Messaging-based app interface fosters an inspiring and engaging community of moms that support and cheer each other on.
  • Accessible price point ensures the program is within reach for most mothers.

2.) How did you develop it? When did you realize it was ready to go to market?

The Every Mother Program grew out of my private training practice in New York City. During this practice, I engaged in a deep investigation of published research and applied it with my clients. The first incarnation of Every Mother was a box-set of DVDs called The Dia Method. Clients had been asking me to make videos for years, and then finally what pushed me over the edge was an invitation by a large company to feature my expertise in pre/postnatal fitness through their platform. That outreach emboldened me to go for it. I had always wanted to empower ALL women with the knowledge and practical tools to take control of their own health and wellbeing–and creating videos presented a way to make my work not only accessible but also affordable to a much broader audience than I could reach in my private practice. 

Shortly after launching The Dia Method (now called the EMbody Method), I gave birth to my first child: Rosalie. That experience, while wonderful and empowering, was also one of the toughest experiences of my life. As I looked into Rosalie’s sweet newborn face, my heart bursting with love, I thought about the likelihood of her going through childbirth as a mother someday. I wanted to give her all the education and preparation that I had brought to that experience–and nothing less. I felt a passion to ensure that every baby girl who would someday become a mom would have the opportunity to enter pregnancy and childbirth with as much education and physical preparation as I had. That heartfelt determination strengthened me to weather the challenges that certainly did come, and it gave me the courage and tenacity to hold on until the best possible partner, Allison Rapaport, reached out to help bring our shared mission to fruition on a broader scale with Every Mother.

The Embody Program
Leah Keller

3.) You help so many women through this program. What do you think the biggest improvement has been in their lives? 

I empower and equip women with evidence-based exercises that tap into their natural resilience to heal themselves from abdominal separation (diastasis recti) and related symptoms, such as low back pain and urinary incontinence, and I also educate them on how to avoid re-injury and move better to support optimal core health and function. This has a tremendous impact on quality of life–everything from feeling better physically to feeling better emotionally. Healing is within reach, and I help them find their way.

4.) How do you balance your personal and personal life? Do you have any tips for other mothers?

Oh my, balance was elusive even before the pandemic. And since that rocked our world, I feel the only balance I attain is through perpetually teetering out of balance in one way and then the other. My biggest advice here is to be gracious with yourself. It’s a lesson I need to learn over and over again. 

5.) What is your favorite song lyric? Why?

“When you’re too in love to let it go,

But if you never try, you’ll never know

Just what you’re worth”

– Chris Martin, Coldplay, “Fix You”

It came into my life just when I needed it, and it helped me realize I had to take a leap in my personal life that felt terrifying to me. I took that leap, and I’m forever grateful I did.


Leah and her daughter

Leah Keller is a certified personal trainer and the creator of EMbody Program (formerly The Dia Method), an online fitness system designed to support women in all stages of motherhood. Endorsed by medical and birth professionals worldwide, Leah’s EMbody Program empowers women to exercise safely during pregnancy, labor with confidence, and restore core strength and total body fitness after birth – no matter how long it’s been. Over the last two decades, Leah has helped thousands of women — ranging from first time mothers  to 80 year old grandmothers — resolve their diastasis recti.  

The EMbody Program grew out of Leah’s private training practice in New York City in 2013  when the approach was medically validated by a pilot study led by researchers at Weill Cornell Medical School. Within 12 weeks, all 63 women in the study achieved full resolution of their diastasis recti. 

Leah is now collaborating with researchers at Hospital for Special Surgery, Weill Cornell, and Harvard Medical School to conduct a prospective clinical trial to gather additional data on the health benefits of the EMbody core strengthening program. 

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