
Embracing Change: Finding Stability Through Movement
04/21/25 • 29 min
Change is the only constant in our lives, yet we instinctively resist it. Whether facing health challenges, career shifts, or global disruptions, change often throws us off balance—but what if we could transform this resistance into resilience?
This deeply personal exploration unpacks how our nervous systems and brains are simultaneously hardwired for patterns while possessing remarkable adaptability through neuroplasticity. Drawing on insights from resilience expert Brad Stulberg, neuroscientist Norman Doidge, and mindfulness pioneer Daniel Siegel, we discover how "rugged flexibility" allows us to stay rooted in core values while adapting to changing circumstances.
Using movement as both metaphor and practice, we explore how physical training teaches us valuable lessons about adaptation—the delicate balance of stress and recovery that builds strength, the importance of mindful awareness, and the power of community support in navigating change.
This episode reveals how disorder isn't something to fear but rather the necessary catalyst for growth and evolution. By accepting where we are, staying present through discomfort, practicing patience, and leaning on our communities, we can navigate change with grace and emerge stronger on the other side—perhaps not returning to our old selves but becoming more resilient, compassionate, and connected versions of ourselves.
Some resources used in the creation of this podcast:
Brad Stulberg, Masters of Change: How To Excel When Everything is Changing, Including You, New York, NY, HarperOne.
Brad Stulberg, The Practice of Groundedness; A Transformative Path to Success That Feeds - Not Crushes - Your Soul, 2021, New York, NY, Penguin Random House
Daniel J. Siegel, M.D., The Mindful Therapist: A Clinician's Guide to Mindsight and Neural Integration, 2010, New York, NY, W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.
Daniel J. Siegel, M.D., Mindsight: The New Science of Personal Transformation, 2011, New York, NY, Bantam Books
Norman Doidge, M.D., The Brain That Changes Itself: Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain Science, 2007, New York, NY, Penguin Books Ltd.
Hans Selye, M.D, Ph.D, D.Sc, F.R.S.C, Stress and the General Adaptation Syndrome, 1950, British Medical Journal.
Heart of Motion Podcast host Susannah Steers is a Pilates & Integrated Movement Specialist and owner of Moving Spirit Pilates in North Vancouver, BC. She is passionate about movement, about connections and about life.
Through movement teaching, speaking, and facilitating workshops, she supports people in creating movement practices that promote fitness from the inside out. She loves building community, and participating in multi-disciplinary collaborations.
Along with her friend and colleague Gillian McCormick, Susannah also co-hosts The Small Conversations for a Better World podcast – an interview based podcast dedicated to promoting the kind of conversations about health that can spark positive change in individuals, families, communities and across the globe.
Social Media Links:
Moving Spirit Pilates Instagram
Moving Spirit Pilates Facebook
Susannah Steers Instagram
Change is the only constant in our lives, yet we instinctively resist it. Whether facing health challenges, career shifts, or global disruptions, change often throws us off balance—but what if we could transform this resistance into resilience?
This deeply personal exploration unpacks how our nervous systems and brains are simultaneously hardwired for patterns while possessing remarkable adaptability through neuroplasticity. Drawing on insights from resilience expert Brad Stulberg, neuroscientist Norman Doidge, and mindfulness pioneer Daniel Siegel, we discover how "rugged flexibility" allows us to stay rooted in core values while adapting to changing circumstances.
Using movement as both metaphor and practice, we explore how physical training teaches us valuable lessons about adaptation—the delicate balance of stress and recovery that builds strength, the importance of mindful awareness, and the power of community support in navigating change.
This episode reveals how disorder isn't something to fear but rather the necessary catalyst for growth and evolution. By accepting where we are, staying present through discomfort, practicing patience, and leaning on our communities, we can navigate change with grace and emerge stronger on the other side—perhaps not returning to our old selves but becoming more resilient, compassionate, and connected versions of ourselves.
Some resources used in the creation of this podcast:
Brad Stulberg, Masters of Change: How To Excel When Everything is Changing, Including You, New York, NY, HarperOne.
Brad Stulberg, The Practice of Groundedness; A Transformative Path to Success That Feeds - Not Crushes - Your Soul, 2021, New York, NY, Penguin Random House
Daniel J. Siegel, M.D., The Mindful Therapist: A Clinician's Guide to Mindsight and Neural Integration, 2010, New York, NY, W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.
Daniel J. Siegel, M.D., Mindsight: The New Science of Personal Transformation, 2011, New York, NY, Bantam Books
Norman Doidge, M.D., The Brain That Changes Itself: Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain Science, 2007, New York, NY, Penguin Books Ltd.
Hans Selye, M.D, Ph.D, D.Sc, F.R.S.C, Stress and the General Adaptation Syndrome, 1950, British Medical Journal.
Heart of Motion Podcast host Susannah Steers is a Pilates & Integrated Movement Specialist and owner of Moving Spirit Pilates in North Vancouver, BC. She is passionate about movement, about connections and about life.
Through movement teaching, speaking, and facilitating workshops, she supports people in creating movement practices that promote fitness from the inside out. She loves building community, and participating in multi-disciplinary collaborations.
Along with her friend and colleague Gillian McCormick, Susannah also co-hosts The Small Conversations for a Better World podcast – an interview based podcast dedicated to promoting the kind of conversations about health that can spark positive change in individuals, families, communities and across the globe.
Social Media Links:
Moving Spirit Pilates Instagram
Moving Spirit Pilates Facebook
Susannah Steers Instagram
Previous Episode

Finding Freedom Through Movement with Allison Birt
Discover the transformative power of mindful movement with movement educator Allison Birt as she shares her journey from ballet to Pilates teacher and Franklin Method practitioner.
What happens when we shift our focus from punishing workouts to pleasurable movement? Allison reveals how our relationship with our bodies can fundamentally change when we approach movement with curiosity rather than judgment. "Movement is supposed to feel good. That is our birthright," she reminds us, challenging fitness industry norms that glorify exhaustion and pain.
The conversation explores the rich lineage of Pilates, tracing its evolution through first-generation teachers who brought their unique perspectives to Joseph Pilates' original work. Allison's training with Ron Fletcher (who infused Martha Graham dance techniques) and Kathy Grant (who emphasized creativity and improvisation) illustrates how these influences shape modern practice.
Allison shares an example of the Franklin Method's dynamic neurocognitive imagery. Through a simple shoulder exercise, listeners experience firsthand how changing the words we use – from "stiff, tense shoulders" to "slidey, glidey, smooth shoulders" – can instantly transform physical sensation. This powerful technique shows how we can literally "change our bodies by changing our minds," offering a pathway to greater agency and embodiment.
Ready to experience the difference mindful movement can make? Join Allison and Susannah for their upcoming workshops and discover how turning toward your body with kindness might be the most powerful practice of all.
About Allison Birt:
After a series of injuries prompted her to re-consider a career in dance, Allison transformed her passion for movement as art into a passion for movement as medicine. In 2001 she began learning to teach Pilates from Dianne Miller, honing her skills at the Vancouver Pilates Centre until 2016. She now enjoys teaching at Moving Spirit, a North Vancouver Pilates studio, with owner Susannah Steers.
A perennial student, Allison has been fortunate to learn from and study the repertoire of multiple first-generation Pilates teachers including Ron Fletcher, Kathleen Stanford Grant, and Mary Bowen, who each imparted their own unique perspective on the Pilates method.
In 2011 Allison became a Franklin Method Educator, which transformed her approach to movement education. Now one of a handful of Level 4Franklin Method educators worldwide, Allison is adept at combining mental imagery techniques with embodied anatomy to create lasting positive change in the mind and body.
Heart of Motion Podcast host Susannah Steers is a Pilates & Integrated Movement Specialist and owner of Moving Spirit Pilates in North Vancouver, BC. She is passionate about movement, about connections and about life.
Through movement teaching, speaking, and facilitating workshops, she supports people in creating movement practices that promote fitness from the inside out. She loves building community, and participating in multi-disciplinary collaborations.
Along with her friend and colleague Gillian McCormick, Susannah also co-hosts The Small Conversations for a Better World podcast – an interview based podcast dedicated to promoting the kind of conversations about health that can spark positive change in individuals, families, communities and across the globe.
Social Media Links:
Moving Spirit Pilates Instagram
Moving Spirit Pilates Facebook
Susannah Steers Instagram
Heart of Motion - Embracing Change: Finding Stability Through Movement
Transcript
Welcome to the Heart of Motion podcast . I'm Susanna Steers and I'll be your host as we explore the heart , soul and science of movement as a pathway to more active , vibrant and connected living . Nothing happens until something moves , so let's get started .
Susannah SteersWay back in 500 BC , greek philosopher Heraclitus suggested that the
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