Megan Gallagher of Elkins Park recently celebrated the one-year anniversary of Mosaic Strength Collective in Glenside.
A Bucks County native and mother of two boys aged five and 12, Gallagher launched the training space in response to what she perceives as a lack of representation and support in the medical system for the diverse experiences of pregnancy through menopause.
“I had a traumatic C-section delivery with my second child and a complex, long recovery. It took me about two years to recover versus the standard six weeks we’re told to ‘bounce back’,” she told Glenside Local. “I decided at that point to focus my fitness training on shifting the narrative on how we treat the pregnancy and postpartum experience through treating it like a marathon, which if you think about it, the labor experience is. We’re training you for life.”
For Gallagher, women should train for pregnancy “the same way you’d train for a marathon.”
“We want better birth outcomes and more supported recoveries. We want you to be able to navigate the ride of perimenopause with not only peer support but focused training that makes you strong, capable and competent,” she said. “We want you to have an active, independent senior experience. The best feedback I get is everything folks can do outside the gym, like carrying all their grocery bags at once, or racing their child and winning. Or running a 5K or taking up hobbies like sports or gardening or hiking without pain. It’s powerful to witness and I feel very lucky to do my job”
Mosaic Strength Collective welcomes all strength and fitness levels. Small group classes are usually 45 minutes long and offer resistance training fundamentals through modalities such as kettle bells and yoga. Personal training options exist as well, but for Gallagher, the chance to spend time with others is what keeps clients coming back for more.
“There’s a real need for people to connect in real life. Our gym offers friendships and relationships outside of the gym,” Gallagher said. “I love that for everybody. I think we all need more opportunities to get together. I think a lot of people are looking for a fitness space to feel seen. Gyms can be intimidating and exclusive. I have always wanted to create the opposite. And I think we’re doing it.”
Look for menopause-centered personal training to begin this summer, as well as a host of workshops, outdoor classes, and community activism through our free Monthly Walking Club, nonprofit partnerships, and local advocacy.
For more on Mosaic Strength Collective, located at 2278 Mt Carmel Avenue (Abington Township), you can visit their website and Instagram page.
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Photos: Megan Gallagher