In the latest episode of the “Create Your Kindspace” podcast, Caroline Laurenson speaks with pelvic health specialist Rosie Davie about her inspiring career journey. From working with professional rugby teams to becoming one of the busiest pelvic floor physiotherapists on Scotland’s West Coast, Rosie shares how her passion for women’s health led her to build a thriving private practice. Rosie reflects on the depth of her role, the challenges she’s overcome, and her mission to make pelvic health education and care more accessible for women at every stage of life.

From Sports Physio to Pelvic Health Specialist

Rosie initially envisioned a career as a sports physiotherapist, combining her role in the NHS with part-time work for semi-professional rugby teams. However, the intense schedules and demands of professional sports proved incompatible with the balanced life she wanted. When the opportunity arose to cover maternity leave in a pelvic health role, Rosie made the leap to specialise in this often-overlooked area of care.

“And I was so keen and everyone was like, Why do you want to do that? Because it’s a taboo. Even at university, none of us get taught about the pelvic floor.”

Rosie’s decision to branch out into private practice was driven by growing demand from her patients, many of whom were eager to book sessions outside the NHS. Although she initially hesitated to start a business, her practice quickly grew.

“I’ve always had this itch where I want to do more, I want to learn more, I want to experience more.”

While still working full-time in the NHS, Rosie found herself juggling multiple roles—teaching, running clinics, and covering rugby games on weekends. Eventually, something had to give.

“And from there, I just slowly reduced my hours in the NHS and I always thought, I just can’t do this full-time as a business. I won’t be that popular, I won’t be that busy. This is a luxury people to pay for. And I can’t believe where I’m at now. I’m probably the most popular.. the busiest Pelvic floor physio in the West Coast of Scotland.”

Simplifying Pelvic Floor Health for Women

Rosie wants to make pelvic health simple and stress-free, removing stigma and guilt. She understands the pressures women face and strives to make care accessible and practical—not just another task on their to-do lists.

“And I think as females, I tend to see barriers being a big thing to why pelvic health isn’t so good. So I like to try and make it as easy as possible so people can influence their own pelvic health, practically and actually enjoyable rather than being, oh, no, I haven’t done that and added on the guilt trap.”

She works to help women feel empowered and take charge of their wellbeing.

“I just like to bust as many myths as possible and try and get females feeling as confident as possible.”

Many women don’t understand their pelvic anatomy, which can hinder effective care. Rosie believes education is key, so women can advocate for their health and communicate confidently with healthcare professionals.

“Females should know exactly where they’re sore or be able to locate and talk to a healthcare professional and be able to actually say the words of her anatomy so she can get the best care and treatment.”

Addressing the Gender Health Gap

Rosie is a passionate advocate for closing the gender health gap, highlighting the lack of research and understanding around female bodies.

“I think the health gap, the gender health gap is absolutely massive.”

She points out that until recently, medical studies largely excluded women, resulting in treatments based on male physiology, which ignores the complexities of female hormones.

“And as females, we are a bit more complex in the fact that our hormones change every week, and then they change as we age. So it’s been a long time that we actually haven’t been included in research, and that’s caused a bit of a mis association between treating us like men when our bodies don’t react the same way as men.”

Systemic problems, like long gynecology waiting lists, also create barriers to timely care, leaving women feeling unheard.

“It has been proven by research that a woman might take a few visits to her GP to get the right outcome, whereas if a male was to present, that they would get an outcome done that day. They get referred a lot more easily. But then if we also look at the recent report of gynecology waiting lists, what is it? It could fill eight times Wembley, currently, the waiting lists of females waiting for gynecology appointments.”

This gap leaves women vulnerable to both anxiety and exploitative marketing.

“I think at a time that our mental health is really highly anxious, we’re an extremely big group to market to as well. So people market products to us because we’re vulnerable and because they know the waiting times are so big and because the gender health gap is so large.”

Supporting Women’s Bodies Through Change

Rosie is working to address the impact of pregnancy on women’s bodies, particularly the confusion and overdiagnosis around conditions like diastasis recti, which is a normal occurrence during pregnancy. She reassures patients about what’s typical, what can be treated later, and what doesn’t require undue stress.

“But we like to over-diagnose sometimes and then make females, especially, very fearful of their bodies, where actually we know it’s not a weakness, it’s not an injury as such. But then there’s lots of miscommunication, and then people get told not to exercise and not to lift the baby and not to do heavy lifting and watch their posture and watch how they’re standing. And it’s like females don’t need any added stress at a time that life is already quite hectic, especially with a newborn baby.”

Rosie calls for more proactive antenatal education, so women are better prepared for the physical and emotional changes that come with pregnancy and postpartum recovery.

“I don’t think your body’s really talked about in any way of how a pregnancy will change your body and what scope of difference might you have after a pregnancy. And that’s where the issues are, and that’s why I wish there was more proactivity in it, because if women knew more before it happened, we could be like, oh, this is okay.”

She also stresses the emotional toll of postnatal trauma, urging better support for women during this critical time.

“And with maternity reports coming out these days, then it’s a shining a light on some of the trauma, the post-birth trauma, PTSD diagnosis, postnatal depression rates that I’ll see in clinic, which is really so sad.”

Menopause and the Unspoken Struggles

Rosie highlights the often overlooked challenges of perimenopause, a stage when women are often dealing with multiple life pressures—caring for ageing parents, managing teenage children, and balancing demanding careers—while their hormones begin to decline.

“And then no one ever assesses anything to do with our minds, our ability to cope with all of that, when our hormones are starting to decline at a rate which are not supporting our life, which then causes problems of stress, anxiety, leaving jobs, being unable to cope with the work demand, bladder’s causing havoc, being unable to have a sexual relationship with your partner. Then feeling like you’re failing in some way and going mental, like you just said, when actually a lot of it could be helped by just having someone sit there and talk you through all these things and ask you all these things.”

She emphasises the lack of menopause education in medical training, which leads to unnecessary tests and misdiagnoses.

“Actually, menopause is not really a subject in which it’s taught to doctors. Then we have a huge problem there because I’ve had women who have terrible migraine start in their 40s, sending them for brain scans, sending them for tests, really increasing their anxiety. And actually, a lot of it is to do with estrogen and menopause and perimenopause. And actually, if we knew more or if we were better educated around that subject, we could treat that patient a lot quicker, a lot more with reassurance.”

A Holistic Approach to Pelvic Health

Rosie’s clinic stands out for its holistic approach to pelvic health. She believes physiotherapy should empower patients to drive their own change rather than dictating their care.

“Physio should be supportive, it shouldn’t be demanding, and it shouldn’t be that I’m the ruler over your body. I should facilitate your own change to happen.”

Rosie goes beyond pelvic floor exercises to evaluate every aspect of a patient’s health and lifestyle. This comprehensive evaluation allows for personalised treatment plans.

“A lot of it’s looking at your full system, like how’s your hormones, screening you for perimenopause, screening your mental health screening you for any sexual dysfunction that you have, any bowel dysfunction, your nutrition, your eating habits, your stress habits, your movement habits, everything. And then it’s making a plan, individual plan.”

Rosie believes that early intervention is key, to equip women with the tools for long-term pelvic health. By addressing issues early, women are better prepared for the changes of later life.

“I like women to get in early. I like women to get a checkup as soon as they possibly can, in their 40s or 30s if that’s the right time for them. And then they have those skillsets and the knowledge to take them into their ’60s and ‘70s.”

While recognising the privilege of private physiotherapy, Rosie strives to offer practical advice and small steps that lead to significant improvements, even for those who can only afford occasional sessions. Her goal is to help patients build long-term habits for better health as they age.

“Sometimes, though, what I like is if someone can afford one appointment I like to try and give them little nuggets away to try and think about, okay, in six months’ time, if you add this in, and then in a year’s time, aim for this. If you carry these things on, you’ll come off and on, depending on what life is throwing at you, but you need to get back on track again. And then by the time they’re 60, they’re actually healthier as a person.”

Expanding Reach and Prioritising Self-Care

Managing a busy clinic, long waiting lists and the emotional strain of patient care can be overwhelming. Despite these challenges, Rosie stays committed to offering personalised care, even as it takes a personal toll.

“My husband likes to remind me that I only have one body and one mind and one space for so many people. I like to try and treat everyone.”

As her practice grows, Rosie has begun to scale her business while staying true to her mission of offering evidence-based care. She’s focused on creating online resources, aimed at providing women with the knowledge and tools to manage their pelvic health, especially in underserved, rural areas.

“So all of these things are areas that I want to be able for people to access, financially cost-effective, easy to listen to. It’s not overwhelming, it’s small bite-size information videos. You can come back to it whenever you want. You can listen in your headphones like a podcast. So the online platform will have options for all women to be able to learn.”

Despite these ambitions, Rosie is also mindful of the importance of personal wellbeing. She plans to slow down in 2025, focusing on steady progress and launching projects when she’s truly ready. The year ahead will be about balance, moving forward at a sustainable pace without overburdening herself.

“I think this year it did get to the stage where I was struggling to fit those things in because of how much I had on my plate. So I’ve seen what life’s like without fitting our own oil in. And then soon that oil begins to burn out. So I think that’s a really important aspect moving into 2025 that I’m really going to focus on. And sometimes it’s just breathing, just sitting there and just taking these massive big breaths and like phew, sighing everything out.”

Final Thoughts and Resources

Rosie’s journey highlights the power of empathy and a holistic approach to women’s health. By addressing physical, emotional, and lifestyle factors, she’s breaking stigmas and helping women to take control of their wellbeing. Her personalised care and accessible resources are transforming pelvic health into something that’s approachable and achievable for women across Scotland and beyond.

• Visit Rosie’s website: https://rosiedaviephysiotherapy.com/
• Follow Rosie on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rosiedaviepelvichealth/
• Access Rosie’s Pelvic Health Resources: https://rosiedavie.teachable.com/p/aboutrosie
• Listen to the full episode: https://createyourkindspace.com/pelvic-health-myth-busting-with-rosie-davie/