September Mama 2026 | Estefania Santana: Rebuilding Strength, Reclaiming Identity, and Coaching Moms Back to Themselves

Mom of the Month | Series No. 6

Every month, here at Espresso Mamitis, we crown a new Mom of the Month — a woman who deserves to be honored, celebrated, and seen. Because we are not here to feature perfection. We are here to celebrate the messy, the cooking-dinner-with-one-hand, the reheated-coffee-three-times, present mom. This series exists to put a spotlight on real motherhood — the kind that doesn't make it to the highlight reel but absolutely deserves to.

This month, that crown belongs to Estefania Santana — or how we like to call her, Estef, the queen Mom of the Month, our September Mama.

I have to be honest with you, Mamitis — this one is personal for me. The moment I started following Estef's journey, I knew she needed to be part of this family. Here is a woman who is Latina, a mom of two, a wife, and she built not one but two things from the ground up — REBUILD Studio, a strength and functional training space in Toronto, and Aktivuswear, her own activewear brand — all while still being the mom who packs the lunches and answers the DMs with a baby beside her.

As a fellow Latina, I am so proud to introduce her to you. There is something so full-circle about watching another Latina mujer stand up and say, "I am going to help other moms feel like themselves again — mentally and physically" — and then actually build the space to do it. Because let's be real, Mamitis, it is so easy to disappear inside motherhood. We give and give and give, and somewhere along the way we forget that we are allowed to take up space too. Estefania is out there reminding women, in person, in a real studio, in Toronto, that they do not have to choose between being a good mom and being a strong, whole version of themselves. And she is doing all of it while still showing up, present, at home. That is not small. That is admirable. That is exactly why she is our September Mama.

So welcome, Estef, to the Espresso Mamitis family. We are beyond grateful you said yes to this. Pull up your chair, refill your cup (reheated or not, we don't judge here ), and let's get to know the woman behind REBUILD and Aktivuswear.

(And a quick note — Estef asked us to make sure you also know where to find her studio in person: you can find REBUILD Studio on Instagram at @rebuildstudio.to. Go say hi!)

Who She Is — In Her Own Words

We always start here, because this is where the real woman shows up — not the titles, not the handles, just her.

"I'm Estefania, Estef to most people. I'm Colombian, I live in Toronto, I'm a wife, a mom of two, a coach, a founder, and honestly, a woman who is still figuring things out as she goes.

I'm ambitious and I love building things, but motherhood has also made me softer. It has taught me that strength isn't always about pushing harder. Sometimes strength is asking for help, slowing down, starting over, or showing up when you don't feel 100%.

Fitness has always been important to me, but after becoming a mom, it became something much deeper. It became the way I came back to myself. Now I get to help other women do the same through REBUILD, while also building Aktivuswear and raising my family.

And behind all the business titles, I'm still just Estef — the mom packing bags, answering DMs with a baby beside me, reheating the same coffee three times, dreaming really big and trying to create a life my kids can be proud of."

Reheating the same coffee three times. Estef, welcome to the club — we have a whole chapter reserved for you. 

But can we just sit with this for a second: strength isn't always about pushing harder. From a fitness coach, of all people, that line hits different. Because so many of us think strength means grinding through, never stopping, never asking. Estef is telling us the opposite from day one of this interview, and I already love her for it.

A Real Tuesday in Estef's Life

We ask every mom this — because the "unfiltered version" is always the good stuff.

"Chaotic.  There is definitely no glamorous 'CEO morning routine.'

My days usually start early because the hours before everyone needs something from me are precious. If I can get a workout in, I do. Training is one of the few moments of my day that is completely mine.

Then mom mode starts. Kids, breakfast, getting everyone ready, making sure nobody is missing anything while probably answering a client message at the same time.

From there I'm switching hats constantly. I'm still working part-time outside of my businesses, coaching clients, programming workouts, answering leads for REBUILD, checking bookings, creating content, working on Aktivuswear, checking inventory, planning launches and thinking about a million ideas that I probably don't have time for. 

And then I come home and I'm Mom again.

Some Tuesdays feel incredibly productive. Other Tuesdays I finish the day wondering what I actually accomplished.

But I've learned that building a business with children doesn't always look organized. Sometimes progress happens in 20-minute windows."

Sometimes progress happens in 20-minute windows. Mamitis, write that down. However small your win was today — a load of laundry, one client email, five minutes of movement — it counts. Estef is coaching a fitness studio and two businesses and two kids in 20-minute windows, and she still calls that progress. So can you.

Her Daily Fuel

"Espresso Mamitis makes me think of exactly what motherhood feels like: coffee, love, exhaustion, community and moms somehow still getting things done. 

My daily fuel is definitely coffee, but movement is probably the bigger one.

Even if I only have 30 or 40 minutes, training changes my entire mood. It reminds me that before I'm a coach, a business owner, a wife or someone responsible for everyone else, I'm still me.

And honestly, sometimes my fuel is just those quiet few minutes before the house wakes up. Coffee in my hand, nobody asking me anything yet, thinking about what I want to accomplish that day.

Those moments are small, but they reset me."

I'm still me. Four words, entire sermon. Hold onto that one, mama — whatever your version of "30 or 40 minutes that's completely yours" looks like, protect it fiercely.

Latina Roots & Who She Is

This part of the interview made me sit up a little straighter, Mamitis — because this is exactly the energy I hoped to bring into this community when I started Espresso Mamitis.

"It means a lot to me because representation matters.

I grew up Colombian, and our culture is full of warmth, family, music, food, strong women and a lot of resilience. I bring that energy naturally into everything I create.

I also want Latina women — especially moms — to see that taking care of themselves is not selfish.

For so many women, motherhood becomes this idea that everyone else comes first. Your children, your partner, your house, your responsibilities…and somewhere along the way, you disappear from your own priority list.

I want to challenge that.

You can love your family deeply and still want to feel strong, confident and beautiful. You can be an amazing mother and still have goals that belong only to you.

I want the women who walk into my studio to feel that they don't have to choose between motherhood and themselves."

You don't have to choose between motherhood and themselves. I need every mom reading this to reread that line one more time. As a Venezuelan mama myself, I felt this one in my chest. This is exactly what representation looks like — a Latina woman, unapologetically, telling other Latina women: you are allowed to still be you.

The Journey Back to Her Body: Estef's Approach as a Coach

"The first thing I want to understand is her story.

Not just, 'How much weight do you want to lose?'

How was your pregnancy? How was your delivery? How are you sleeping? Are you breastfeeding? How are you eating? How are you feeling in your body? What scares you about exercising again? What do you miss about yourself?

Because postpartum is not just physical.

Then we rebuild progressively. We look at core strength, breathing, stability, mobility and how her body responds to movement. From there we gradually bring strength training back in.

Nutrition is also about creating something she can actually live with. I don't believe a mom needs another extreme plan making her life harder. We focus on protein, balanced meals, sustainable portions, hydration and habits that support her goals.

But the biggest transformation is usually mental.

At the beginning she might tell me, 'I want my old body back.' And eventually I want her saying, 'I want to see how strong this body can become.'

That change is everything."

This right here is exactly why REBUILD is not just another gym. Estef is not coaching bodies — she's coaching women back to themselves, one honest question at a time. What do you miss about yourself? Mamitis, when was the last time someone asked you that?

Passing Down Her Roots

"Family, definitely.

I want my children to grow up knowing that family is something you show up for.

I also want them connected to their Colombian roots — the language, the music, the food, the loud family moments, all of it.

And I want to pass down resilience and work ethic, but with balance.

I want them to see their parents work hard and build something from nothing, but I also want them to understand that success means very little if you have no time to enjoy the people you built it for.

Most importantly, I want my children to grow up believing that they can create a life instead of simply accepting the life that is handed to them."

They can create a life instead of simply accepting the one handed to them. That's generational healing, right there, in one sentence.

The Real Story of Becoming a Coach Mom

The moment it clicked:

"Becoming a mom myself.

After my both pregnancies, I had gained around 55 pounds each. And even though I knew fitness, even though I knew what to do, experiencing postpartum myself made me understand women differently.

Your body changes. Your schedule changes. Your sleep changes. Your priorities change.

You look in the mirror and sometimes you don't completely recognize the woman looking back at you.

I started rebuilding slowly. And what surprised me was that I wasn't just getting physically stronger. Every workout made me feel a little bit more like myself again.

That's when it clicked for me.

I realized there were probably thousands of women feeling exactly the same way — wanting to take care of themselves but feeling guilty, overwhelmed or unsure where to begin.

And I thought: this is who I want to help."

There it is. REBUILD didn't come from a business plan — it came from a mirror, a postpartum body she didn't recognize, and the decision to come back to herself one workout at a time.

Inside REBUILD Studio:

"REBUILD STUDIO is exactly what I wish more moms had access to.

It's a strength and functional training studio in Toronto, but I never wanted it to feel intimidating or like a place where you have to already be fit to belong.

You can be a beginner. You can be postpartum. You can bring your baby. You can come after years of not exercising.

You are still welcome.

Our classes are intentionally smaller because I want people to actually be coached — we want to know your name, know your goals and notice when something doesn't look right.

But more than anything, we want women to walk through the door and feel relief. Like, 'Okay. These people understand my life.'

There's music, there's energy, there are kids sometimes, there's laughter and there are people getting stronger together.

REBUILD is not about walking into the room as the strongest person. It's about walking out stronger than you came in."

You can bring your baby. You are still welcome. I have chills, Mamitis. This is the kind of space so many of us wish existed when we were trying to find our way back to our bodies with a baby on our hip.

When she almost gave up:

"There have been more than one.

Opening a studio while having a baby, raising another child, working, coaching and trying to build another business sounds exciting when you put it in one sentence. Living it is very different.

There have been nights when I've looked at the numbers, looked at everything that still needs to be done and thought, 'What did we get ourselves into?'

You put money, energy and so much of yourself into something before you have any guarantee that people will show up. And when you're also a mom, failure feels heavier because your decisions don't only affect you anymore.

What keeps me going is remembering why we started. I didn't build REBUILD just because I wanted to own a gym. I wanted to build the space I felt was missing.

And then a woman walks in nervous, starts training with us, gets stronger, brings her child, makes a friend, starts believing in herself again… and I remember. That's why."

And I remember. That's why. That is the sentence every founder-mom needed to read today.

Aktivuswear — Building Something of Her Own

"Aktivuswear came from the idea that movement is part of who we are.

You don't have to be an athlete. You can be a mom going to the gym, walking your kids to school, running errands, building a business, going for a coffee or squeezing a workout between responsibilities.

You're still moving.

I wanted Aktivuswear to feel functional but feminine — pieces you feel good training in but also pieces that make you feel ready for the day when you leave the gym.

When a woman puts it on, I want her to feel confident. Not because clothing changes who she is, but because sometimes putting on something you love gives you that little extra energy to show up."

And then this — one of my favorite answers in the entire interview:

"Postpartum can create such a complicated relationship with clothing. Suddenly things fit differently. Your body feels unfamiliar. Maybe you're between sizes. Maybe you're uncomfortable with areas you never thought about before.

I've lived that.

So I never want Aktivuswear to communicate, 'Wear this when your body is ready.' Your body is already worthy of good clothes.

You don't have to lose ten pounds first. You don't have to get your abs back first.

Buy the leggings. Wear the cute set. Go train.

Confidence doesn't have to be the reward at the end of the journey. It can be part of the journey."

Your body is already worthy of good clothes. Buy the leggings, mama. You don't have to wait.

On the hardest part of building it as a mom:

"Time. Absolutely time.

There are so many ideas in my head and not enough hours to execute all of them. Being a mom also means your schedule can completely change because someone didn't sleep, someone is sick or someone simply needs you.

You learn very quickly that entrepreneurship and motherhood both require flexibility.

What has surprised me the most is how much I enjoy building. Seeing an idea become a product, seeing someone wear it, seeing them tag Aktivuswear — that still feels surreal.

There is something really special about knowing something existed only in your head at one point and now another woman is wearing it."

Struggles & Softness

This is the part of the interview I read slowest, Mamitis. Because Estef gave us her full, unfiltered truth here — and we do not take that lightly.

On the myth of balance:

"That sometimes there is no balance.

People talk about balance like every part of your life should get equal attention every day. That has not been my experience.

Some days my babies get more of me and work waits. Some days my businesses need more of me and I feel guilty that I wasn't as present at home.

Some weeks I train four times. Another week I'm proud if I move twice.

I've stopped trying to make every day perfectly balanced. Instead, I look at the bigger picture.

Am I showing up for my children? Am I still showing up for myself? Am I moving my goals forward? Then we're okay."

On burnout — and being honest that she is still working through it:

"Absolutely.

I think one of my biggest tendencies is believing I can just fit one more thing into the day. One more client. One more email. One more reel. One more order. One more task.

And eventually your body reminds you that you're human.

What I'm still learning is that productivity is not the same thing as worth. I don't have to earn rest.

Now I try to recognize the signs earlier. Sometimes coming back to myself looks like training. Sometimes it's going out with my family. Sometimes it's putting the phone away. And sometimes it's simply admitting, 'I cannot do everything today.'

That sentence used to feel like failure. Still struggling with this."

Estef, thank you for that last line. Still struggling with this. We are not here to pretend anyone has it all figured out — not even the coach who helps other women rebuild. That honesty is a gift to every mama reading this who feels like she's the only one still working through it.

On the guilt she carries:

"The guilt of wondering if I'm doing too much.

I love my businesses. I love coaching. I love creating. But of course there are moments when I wonder, 'Should I be spending this time with my kids instead?'

And then I remind myself of something. My children are not only watching a busy mother. They're watching a woman build. They're watching their mom have goals, take care of her body, create something, fail sometimes and try again. And I think there is value in that too.

So to another mama carrying that guilt: taking care of yourself does not take something away from your children. A fulfilled mother has something beautiful to give them too."

A fulfilled mother has something beautiful to give them too. Print that. Tape it somewhere. You'll need it on the hard days.

Her Message to Every Mom

To the mom who feels like she's lost herself:

"You are still there. Maybe you don't recognize your body right now. Maybe you don't have the same energy. Maybe the things that used to feel easy suddenly feel impossible. But you are still in there.

And you don't have to completely change your life tomorrow. Start ridiculously small. Go for a 15-minute walk. Drink your water. Add protein to breakfast. Do three exercises while your baby plays beside you. Book one class. Start with one promise to yourself and keep it.

Because every time you show up for yourself, you start rebuilding trust with yourself again.

You don't need your old self back. There is a new version of you waiting to be built."

The myth she wants to bust:

"That postpartum fitness is about 'bouncing back.' I hate that expression. Back to what?

You grew a human inside you. Your body went through something extraordinary. The goal shouldn't be punishment for changing.

The goal should be rebuilding. And rebuilding doesn't mean you can never train hard again. Moms can become incredibly strong. But there is a process. Recover. Reconnect with your core. Build stability. Build strength. Progress gradually.

And please stop measuring postpartum success only by the scale. A smaller body is not automatically a stronger body. Strong is a feeling too."

On learning she couldn't do it alone:

"Motherhood taught me that very quickly. And building businesses reinforced it.

I have my husband, Julio, beside me. We parent together, we build together, and we support each other when one person has more on their plate.

I've also learned the importance of community, coaches, family and simply letting people help.

I used to think being capable meant doing everything myself. Now I think being capable also means knowing what you shouldn't be doing alone."

Wins & Wonder

A win she wants to celebrate out loud:

"Opening REBUILD.

I think sometimes I move on to the next goal so quickly that I forget to acknowledge what we actually accomplished. We took an idea and created a real space. Women are walking through those doors now. There are moms bringing their babies. There are people getting stronger. There is music playing, classes happening, friendships forming.

That existed in my imagination before it existed in real life. I'm really proud of that.

And personally, rebuilding my own strength after my second baby while navigating everything else has been another quiet win I'm incredibly proud of."

The joy that caught her off guard:

"Watching my children together. There is something about seeing your oldest love your baby that hits you in a way you can't prepare for.

There are these tiny moments, where everyone is home and I look at them and think: 'Wow. This is my family.'

Motherhood can be exhausting, loud and overwhelming. And then suddenly there is this little moment that makes all of it feel unbelievably worth it."

What she does well that no one claps for:

"I think I create experiences for my kids. I'm always thinking about how they feel, what they'll remember and how we can make ordinary things special.

And I think I'm really good at showing them affection. They will never have to wonder if their mom loves them. Even in the chaos, even on the days when I'm stressed or working too much, I hope they always feel that.

And I'm proud that they are growing up seeing a strong woman who loves them deeply but also refuses to disappear inside motherhood."

A strong woman who refuses to disappear inside motherhood. Estef, that's not just what you do for your kids — that's what you're doing for every woman who walks through REBUILD too.

Closing With Love

Her most honest advice for the mom terrified to start:

"Stop waiting until you're confident. Confidence comes after you start.

And stop making the goal so big that you're afraid to begin. You do not need five workouts a week. Start with two. You don't need the perfect meal plan. Make your next meal better. You don't need to lose 30 pounds. You need to decide what you can do today.

And if you stop for a week? Come back. If life gets crazy? Come back. If you miss a workout? Come back.

Consistency is not never falling off. Consistency is becoming really good at coming back."

Consistency is becoming really good at coming back. Mamitis, I don't think I've ever heard it said better than that.

What she wants every mom to walk away feeling:

"I want her to feel possibility. Not pressure. I don't want another woman looking at my life and thinking, 'She can do it all and I can't.' Because I absolutely cannot do it all.

I want her to think: 'If she can start imperfectly, maybe I can too.'

You don't need to become someone else. You don't need to wait for your children to grow up. You don't need the perfect body, schedule or circumstances. You are allowed to build something for yourself right now. And you are absolutely allowed to take up space in your own life again."

Where to Find and Support Estefania

📍 REBUILD Studio: @rebuildstudio.to on Instagram — small-group strength and functional training, mom-friendly classes, semi-private and one-on-one coaching, and their 6-Week Transformation Program. Learn more at rebuildstudiofitness.com.

📍 Aktivuswear: @aktivuswear — activewear made for women who move, train, work, mother, build and live.

And if you're ever in Toronto, stop by — Estef says there's always coffee. 

And Finally — If Motherhood Were a Coffee Drink…

We always end here, and Estef did not disappoint.

"A strong café con leche. 

Definitely caffeinated, warm, comforting. Some mornings beautifully made. Other mornings reheated three times before I actually get to drink it.

But still strong. And still going."

Reheated three times, still strong, still going. Estefania Santana, that is exactly you. That will always be you.

Muchas gracias, Estef — for opening your studio doors, your story, your heart to this community. For reminding every mom reading this that she is allowed to take up space again. For proving that a woman can be soft and strong, exhausted and still building, a present mom and a founder with big dreams — all at the same time.

That crown looks so good on you, Reina. 👑☕

Did her story resonate with you? Drop a comment below or share this with a first-time mom who needs to read it today. And if you missed our previous Mom of the Month features, head over to espressomamitis.com to catch up — the village is waiting.