Leah Van Dale
Appearances
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
It's so hurtful. And the fact that I went above and beyond and tried to go back. It's not like I was like, oh, I'm fine with it. I'll just sit at home and collect my paycheck and screw you guys. I tried to go back. And for example, my husband, years ago, he had gotten several concussions. He had to retire. They let him figure out another path. Let him try commentary.
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
And he completely excelled at that. He's incredible. He's like one of, if not the best commentator WWE has. He's incredible. There's another guy a couple years ago, Big E. He's a friend of mine. He broke his neck, unfortunately, in the ring. But he was given the opportunity to have another avenue to succeed. Why wasn't I afforded that same opportunity?
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
That's what I keep asking myself because I feel like I have a lot to offer. I have a fan base. I represent the company well. Why wasn't I given an opportunity somewhere else when I've showed interest and shown that I wanted to contribute in any way that I could? And they didn't give me that opportunity, and I just... Is it because I'm a woman?
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
And I don't want to keep saying these things, but I just feel like it is 2025, but we still have a long way to go with equality. I think the women there are extremely underpaid compared to the men, and that's just a fact. Everyone there knows it. The women working there know it, and they maybe can't say it because they're working. So let me say it.
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
I'm going to say it and speak up for them because it's important. And there's just some work to do, I feel like.
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
Yeah, I was in, um, so basically it was right around the same time, two years ago, it was elimination chamber. Um, and I, I mean, I killed it in that match. I was like, super annoying.
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
And I was just like in that match, like playing games with everyone and just being annoying and obnoxious. And actually I was supposed to, I was factored into WrestleMania that year. I was supposed to be in a tag team with Chelsea Green. We were going in to, it was like, I think like a four-way and she was supposed to be my tag team partner or I was supposed to be her tag team partner.
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
And then unfortunately, or not unfortunately, circumstances changed and I got pregnant and I wasn't able to participate. But I was supposed to be in WrestleMania that year. So... I was in all the programs and I felt bad. The girl that replaced me, it was like my picture in all the programs and not her.
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
Sometimes. Yeah. I mean, like they acknowledge it for sure. And, um, leading up to our wedding, we had like a big storyline where it was like, I was in a tag team. I was actually a tag team champion with, um, Zelina Vega. And like our entire storyline was like me just worrying so much about our wedding and not worrying about WrestleMania.
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
And like my husband, I'm like making out on TV and like, it was just so over the top and ridiculous, but it was fun.
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
And then, I mean, even now, like I could have done backstage interview. Like it doesn't even need to be about me. Let me just contribute. Cause like you're saying when you're paying somebody and they're not able to do their job, like, okay, let's find something else. And. It just would have been, like, if there was some communication, like, hey, we know you're injured. You can't wrestle right now.
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
Like, why don't you come back in a few months or, like, when you feel better, like, let's reopen or revisit the conversation. But, like, I wasn't even given a conversation. It was just, like, boom, we're not renewing your contract. And, like, you have 10 days or 12 days to, like... figure out how to make money and like support my family.
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
I was just like, I was so shocked that I didn't even really know what was happening. And again, we're at this comedy show where like in the concessions and I'm like on the side, just trying to like, what is happening? What? Like, I was so confused by all of it. It was the last thing on my mind that something like that would happen. And I was just like, how is this happening?
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
I thought my contract was frozen because I can't wrestle. I'm not able to wrestle. And basically what came back to with legal was at any point WWE can change their mind. So they can decide to extend your contract based off of when you're injured or they can not extend it. And they, in my case, for whatever reason, decided not to extend it. I don't know why. There's no rhyme or reason.
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
I mean, it doesn't change it at all. Listen, I'm not sitting here. I don't want to be speaking poorly about WWE. I had such a great experience there. I loved working there. It was 12 years of my life. I met my best friends. I met my husband there. I traveled the world and created the best fan base. And The crew, everyone, like everyone top to bottom. I just loved working there.
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
And that doesn't change. Like my husband loves this business. He loves wrestling. Like this is what he always wanted to do. And he's living his dream. And I fully support that. And it doesn't change it at all. Like we still talk about it. We still talk about storylines or whatever's happening on TV. And my girlfriend's like...
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
Natty and Bailey they're like my two best friends I talk to them every day and I'm not gonna like not support them or you know what I mean I feel like you know I just that was my life for so long and now it's not but it doesn't change anything does it feel bittersweet though that all of your people are still there it does but I also feel like this is the path that I'm meant to be on right now I feel like I'm a huge believer in like everything happening for a reason right so if this wasn't happening right now like
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
it's going to lead me to a different path. And as much as I wanted to prove not only to myself, to my son, to my coworkers, to my female fan base, like you can have a baby and like still kick ass and still go back to work. Like that's what I really wanted to do. And unfortunately I'm not able to do that anymore, but.
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
I'm going to pivot and like, this is the next chapter of my life and whatever's meant to happen will happen. And I feel like something amazing is going to come from this. I don't know what it is right now. It's all still so fresh, but I'm excited. I'm excited to see what's next for Leah.
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
Like for so long, it's like, Oh, Carmela and it's like, no, I can now fully be Leah and like do what I want to do. And I don't know what that is. It's like, what do I like to do? I don't know. Like this is all I did for so long. But I think it's time. It's like time to figure out what's next. Well, you could definitely write a book.
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
So Snatch is a platform that I created for women. I had a miscarriage, two miscarriages actually, before I got pregnant with my son. And I didn't know anyone that had a miscarriage. And I was like, what is happening? Like, why is this happening to me? I had an ectopic pregnancy, which is so dangerous.
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
Um, for those who don't know, it's like when the baby is like growing in your, uh, fallopian tube and it can like burst. A lot of women bleed to death and die when this happens. So I decided to talk about it because I felt like if it was happening to me, there was like such, I felt such shame and.
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
I was alone during this time and I was like, I'm just going to share this and let other women know like, Hey, if this is happening to you, you're not alone. You didn't do anything wrong. And so when I did that, I just felt like it opened the floodgates for this conversation. So like my girlfriends who had had miscarriages had never even told anyone.
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
They're like, Oh my God, you're making me feel better about the one I had. And I'm like, Oh my God, like, why wouldn't you talk about this?
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
you shouldn't feel ashamed. So then when I got pregnant with my son, I was like, okay, there's something here. We need to get these conversations going. And that's why I created Snatch, which is the most ridiculous name. And people are like, do you know what that means? I'm like, obviously I know what Snatch means, right?
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
But that's the whole point, to get people talking and to be bold in your face. Let's talk about it. Let's have the conversations that... you know, women aren't having like, let's, I'm going to try to facilitate that. And so it's basically like a private forum where women can go and chat with each other and ask questions.
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
I have a lot of guest speakers and experts on different topics, whether it's like fertility and IVF or postpartum depression or, um, Just like topics that you don't, I feel like women are so uninformed on, um, until you become a mom, as I'm sure you know, you don't, it's like, you don't know what you don't know.
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
And then when it's happened, you're like, Oh my God, how come nobody told me about this? Or why didn't I know about that? Yeah. And so that's what snatch is all about.
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
I signed in 2013, which is wild. And we're in 20, that's, 12 years is a long time. Yes, I was a baby. I just was 25, I think, when I first signed.
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
And like, it's crazy that the community it's created and that's just more than anything. What I wanted to do is create a community. And like to this yesterday, one of this girl that I, from where I grew up, messaged me because she thinks she's having an ectopic pregnancy. And she's like, tell me about this.
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
And I'm like, oh my God, like, thank God you're at least like reaching out to me because what if I never created this? What if you didn't know about this? Like, how would you even know to ask questions or go to your doctor and find out what's going on? So I just think it's so important to have these conversations as women.
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
I mean, he is, I'm going to go off on him, but he's just incredible. Like even when all of this stuff went down a couple of weeks ago, he was sitting, cause I was sitting there like doubting myself. Like what, what if this is the end of my career? Like, what am I doing with my life? What do I have to offer? And he was like, like shaking. He's like, babe, what do you mean?
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
Like, this is not the end all be all. Like you have so much to offer. And like, I'm so grateful for him in times like that. He's so supportive, and he's so supportive with Snatch. He's the best. I'm going to cry. I just love him so, so much. I'm so grateful for him.
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
Such a great question because I don't know. I never in my life imagined I would end up in WWE. I was a dancer my whole life. I cheered in the NFL and then the NBA. And then it just kind of snowballed. My dad was a wrestler in the early 90s. So I was around it. I grew up watching it. But I never thought I would do it. And then this opportunity came. I had an agent for dance.
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
This is so fresh. Yeah. I haven't even been out of my contract for, it's been a week now. So it's, it's all very fresh. It's crazy. And do you think they, they could change their mind? Right. But I, why would you want to be somewhere that doesn't want you? It's like when you're in a relationship and someone's trying to break up with you and you're like, no, don't leave me. I promise.
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
It's like, no, you're not wanted in that relationship anymore. See you later. That's not for me. And I truly feel like that door is closed. I'm not saying forever. It's not like Carmelo may never make another appearance. I think that would be great to eventually put my Jordans back on and moonwalk back out there and be in front of the fans. I think someday it will.
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
But right now, it's just not for me. Right now, it's like... universe's way of telling me there's something else for you. And I'm excited for that.
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
aware of it yeah right and that's kind of why I wanted to have this conversation today I feel like I've been so transparent about my journey with my miscarriages and my pregnancy and my postpartum journey it's like I want to be open and honest about this and again I'm not sitting here trying to disparage WWE but I want to be real and honest because it's 2025
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
And this opportunity came to have a tryout with WWE. And I was like... whatever, let's give it a shot. And I tried out and I made it. And then the rest is just kind of history. And you've won so many titles over the years and become a fan favorite, truly. I mean, it's crazy. I never, I thought like, I mean, I never had any experience. I didn't, wrestle before I got to WWE.
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
And we still have a long way to go for women and moms and pregnancy and health and all of it. I feel like this conversation needs to be had because, I mean, shit, I had a baby and now I'm not working anymore. And that sucks. That's just the reality of the situation. I feel like I'm being punished because I had a baby. And I wouldn't change a damn thing. I'm obsessed with myself. This is my life.
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
And so I would do it a million times over again. But it's just the reality of the situation.
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
Communication, for sure. There needs to be more communication. And there needs to be something that's put in place for moms in this workspace. And what that looks like, I don't know. But I feel like as an athlete, we should be able to... have children and still have a career. It should be possible. And there are other women who have done it in WWE. There's been a few, not a lot.
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
But I think me sharing this, hopefully for any other woman who's in that locker room right now contemplating having a baby but still wants their career, You just got to be careful because you just don't know.
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
Yeah. And I would agree. And that's too bad. And again, there are other women who have had babies and gone back, but they also didn't get injured. And I did get injured during childbirth. And that is unfortunate, but it is the reality and it happens. And I just feel like people don't talk about, again, they don't talk about these things. Like we don't realize you can get hurt giving birth.
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
And while knock on wood, it's, I'm going to be okay. And I'm recovering. Um, it's still very real and it's what happened. Um, and that's again, why I feel like hurt that there's no other avenue for me or no other path. Like, no, we only want you as a wrestler and you can be as a wrestler. So you're no good to us, you know?
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
I was in labor for so long. I was like give me this damn epidural and After I had my son I was like this weird like tingling numbing feeling in my right leg and foot and they're like oh it's probably just from the epidural it's gonna wear off and And then I got up, because you have to go to the bathroom after you have your... And I'm like, couldn't... I, like, fell over.
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
I couldn't... And I was like, oh, my God, this is not okay. And then a few days go by, and then I'm getting discharged from the hospital. And they said, okay, just... So I said, hey, listen, like, my leg doesn't feel normal. I can barely walk to the bathroom. And they're like, just give it, like I said, a few weeks. And then weeks went by, nothing. And...
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
And I feel like so blessed that in just a short period of time, I made it to the top. I became champion. I made history and got to be a part of this huge women's evolution. And it was such a pivotal time for women in WWE. And I'm so grateful that I got to be a part of that.
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
It got to the point where I was at my six week checkup and it still wasn't better. They were like, okay, we'll give it eight to 10 weeks. And I'm just like, this feels weird. It just felt off. Like this isn't right. And now I'm at like almost three months and I'm going to see the chiropractor, my acupuncturist. I'm like trying to do whatever I can in the meantime.
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
And finally I had to go to my primary care and not my OB. I was like, I don't know what's going on. So she sent me to get an MRI. And then basically because of years of wrestling, I have like crazy, like slip discs and things in my back. So they just attributed that to my foot. So then they were treating my foot as though it was coming from my back.
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
It was like the L4, L5. And I don't even know where the epidural, like. Of course, anesthesiologists, they were not taking my medicine. No, no, no. It was not us. And I was like, okay. It was just like I kept getting the runaround from everyone. And the way they were treating my nerve damage in my leg was as if it was coming from my back.
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
So then I was going through physical therapy for months and it wasn't getting better. And then finally, they sent me to a spine specialist. And the spine specialist was like, no, that's not coming from your back. That's coming from your leg. So it was just like this huge runaround where I just feel like everyone was giving me Like pointing the finger at somebody else.
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
And finally, when I saw the spine specialist, and again, I didn't get to see her until September. I had my son in November. I didn't get to see her until the following September because of the runaround. And then I wanted to see someone good. So then, of course, it takes like months to get in. And finally, when she sent me for an MRI and realized like it's not from my back, it's coming.
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
I had to get an EMG, all this nerve testing. And come to find out it was from the back of my knee from pushing. So is that a lawsuit to the hospital then? No. It's just it happens.
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
So you're better than me. I just feel like at the end of the day, I just don't want to deal with all of the bullshit. I just want to get better.
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
Yes, that's it. I just wanted to get better. And having a son and, like, I'm an athlete. Like, to not be able to, like, run and work out the way I want to and, like, jump. Like, I can get by. Everyday life, normal life, fine. It's not a big deal. I'm wearing boots with heels. It's okay. But, like, to get back into, like, full, like, what I've always done, I can't right now. And that sucks.
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
I mean, like I said, my everyday life is normal. It's just like to get back into that hardcore training regimen and doing things the way I would like to do them, I just can't. Um, but I can play with the kids and dance and do stupid silly talks and things like that. Okay. Um, but it's just like getting back into like that crazy training that I would love to be able to do.
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
To get your cardio up. Like, there's nothing that can prepare you for cardio in the wrestling ring. Like, you can sprint. You can do, like, condition. Like, nothing prepares you other than getting in that ring and, like, running the ropes. Like, there's so many different conditioning drills that you would do. I'd have to be down there for at least, like, I say down there.
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
So, I would have to be there for, like... well over a month, like really getting my, like, and you can be aesthetically look great, but cardio wise, you have to get it up.
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
It got to the point where it was like no longer a big deal that the women were doing all of these things. It was just like the norm. Part of it. And that's what we wanted. And it's just such an awesome, awesome feeling.
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
You have to like, well, within like, I mean, Carmela, she's like a bad bitch.
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
Yeah, I feel like I try to do Pilates. That's kind of like my go-to. It makes me feel good. It makes me feel strong. And, I mean, running after a 15-month-old, that'll keep you in shape.
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
I mean, never say never. I feel like, again, I want to support my husband, support my friends.
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
I would say make sure that you have thick skin if that's what you want to do because it's a lot. And you're going to take a lot of crap and being in the public eye. I know even sitting here right now, people are going to have something to say about this. And I'm just speaking my truth, but people are going to be having something to say.
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
And that's just the nature of that business, entertainment in general. You're not going to make everyone happy. shit.
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
Yeah, of course. Oh, look at her just sitting at home, getting pregnant, like staying pregnant and making money. And it's like, Listen, I'm a woman. I want to have children and I would like to also have a career. And I think that's fair. And I'm, I'm now 37 at the time I was 35, like time wasn't on my side. I didn't want to wait until my contract was up again.
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
I had trouble getting pregnant in the first place. So I didn't want to risk like not being able to have, wait till my contract's up when I'm 37 and then try. Like I just, I was scared. I wanted to make sure that I would be able to be a mom. Right. And I think that's fair. I feel like you can be an athlete. You can still be a mom. You can you can do it all. You don't have to fit into one box.
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
And I just think, you know, people are going to have something to say no matter what. No matter what. This is my life and my son is very real.
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
Okay. And not like a turn. It was like a great, um, great experience. I mean, I was so excited to, I always wanted to be a mom and I got pregnant and yeah, I was just so excited and everything was
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
It is. And that's what I was saying. Like my husband, his job hasn't changed. He's going to work every week and he has five or four kids. I'm like, wait, how many does he have? I'm getting out of control. I have three step kids and my son. So it's like to have four kids and he still has a job and he's working. And again, very grateful for that. Of course.
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
But it's just, yeah, nothing about his life has changed. And it's just the reality. That's the world we're in. And again, you think like you've come so far as a society and Um, but it's 2025 and these things are still happening. And I just wish, I wish more for women in general and moms and especially athletes. I feel like it's, you shouldn't have to choose one. Like, why can't you have both?
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
but again you know what and it's it's it is what it is like this is the journey I'm on right now and again it's not it's not talking shit on WWE this is just what happened and again I want to be open and honest about it because I feel like it's my duty I've been honest about this entire process and I want to be open and honest for other women in the future um but this is the path I'm on and like it's not for me right now it's something else is coming and it's like I'm feeling it it's
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
coming my way. I'm like putting it out there. Something good is coming my way. And again, I'm excited for it. Like, why would you want to be somewhere that doesn't want you?
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
Going according to plan and then I had my baby and I mean literally the best thing that ever happened to me my entire life I'm still in love with this little boy And unfortunately when I had my son I got an injury when I was giving birth I was in labor for like what felt like a year and
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
No, that was never an option for me because I feel like it's so important to speak up on this. As a mom, I have two stepdaughters. I have a platform where I have a lot of female followers and female fans from over the years. I need to speak up on this because if I don't, It's going to happen again, maybe not in WWE, but maybe somewhere else.
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
And if this can help one company or one woman like fight for herself or her career, then I'm so proud of that. I think it's so important to speak openly like other women. We need a champion for each other and rally around each other. And I feel like if I didn't speak up, then I was getting so many questions like, why aren't you resigning? Why didn't you go back? You just want to be a mom.
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
Like what? And first of all, there's nothing wrong with just being a mom. Yeah, absolutely. And number two, that wasn't the truth. Like I felt like I needed to address this once and for all and to say like, it wasn't up to me. This isn't my choice. Like this is what they decided and it's the truth. And there's never any harm in speaking your truth.
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
I went into the hospital on a Monday night and I didn't have until Wednesday afternoon and I was pushing for like three hours and having my legs up and my leg nerve behind my knee was compressed for so long that I got what's called deep fibular nerve damage. So I couldn't really walk the muscles that control the top of my foot were so damaged I couldn't walk for like weeks after having my son.
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
I'm so grateful that I got to be a part of that for 12 years. I traveled all over the world. Any country you can imagine, I've been there with our fans. And I feel so blessed that I got to do that for so long.
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
She had a baby under contract. Is she still under? She's not anymore. Yeah.
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
Okay. And then Nikki and Nikki and Brie were not with WWE when they had their kids. Got it. Um, and then there's Alexa bliss. She actually just returned. She had a baby two weeks after I did, and she just came back a few weeks ago. So is that hard to watch? Yeah, it was at first. But when she came back, I didn't know that I wasn't ever returning.
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
So when I was watching her, I was just like, I texted her right away. I was like, oh my God, that was because she came back. She got such a great reaction. And like the fans were so excited to see her. And I was like, hell yeah. I'm like, you show them like you can be gone for however long and come back. And the crowd is still going to be like, they were erupting for her.
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
And I was so happy for her. And I was like, I can't wait to do that. I love this.
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
I think moving forward as moms, I feel like I would like more support backstage for these moms. Because even if I were to go back, I would have had to leave my son at home with my mom and travel for two days and then come back home. Yeah.
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
Something put in place where women are able to bring their kids to work and have them be there and, like, be in a safe space and not have to worry about, like, putting them in a hotel with, you know, a nanny or something. Right. Like, make it, because this isn't a normal job. This isn't, like, going to, like, bringing your baby to the desk every day at work.
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
This is, like, we have to travel all over the world. So some sort of more support for the moms backstage. in a perfect world, not having to choose, not having to choose career or mom.
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
I mean, so many women, I mean, not so many women, but a handful of women, um, have gotten pregnant while under contract. And basically, um, they freeze your contract while you're pregnant. They pay you, which is so incredible. Like they don't have to pay you when you're pregnant. And they paid me and they've paid every woman that's been pregnant before under contract. And I'm so grateful for that.
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
Especially, and that's what I'm saying that the circumstances are a little different as an athlete because you're traveling so much, you're on the road, you're in stadiums, you're, it's just a different atmosphere. And there just needs to be more balance, I think, between work and mom and being able to do both.
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
Right. And not only was I having all of these thoughts and the mental load, like you're saying, was crazy, and dealing with postpartum in and of itself is just like... A nightmare. Men will never understand. And again, not like they can, but it's just they'll never get it.
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
But on top of it, having to feel like I was trying to get myself back into the best shape I possibly could because I wanted to... I didn't want to be like, oh, I had a baby and then my body changed and I can't go back and be Carmela and do things the way I wanted to do them. So on top of all of it, it's like trying to... get in the gym and try to make it while dealing with an injury.
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
But like, what if they call me and want to bring me back for something? I need to make sure I'm ready. I can't just like show up and not have to look like I just had a baby, even though I just had a baby, you know, it's like this crazy thing.
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
mindset that you have to be in to like and like you shouldn't have to look like you didn't have a baby well that's what societies are so incredible that they do what they do and yeah like you're saying like society it's like the snapback culture is just like a bounce back or whatever they call it like why do you need to bounce back or snap back like you just had a baby give yourself grace and time
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
But, like, the whole time, I'm like, oh, my gosh, now I have to make sure I'm, like, getting back in shape and dieting and this and that. And it's, like, breastfeeding and not sleeping. Like, it's just so much that, again, my husband didn't have to think about that. No. He's just eating his pizza and drinking his beer and living his best life. And I'm over here, like, milking myself.
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
I will say, I did offer to work when I was pregnant. I was like, please, I know I can't wrestle, but let me, let me go on the road, I'll do backstage interviews, I'll do kickoff shows, I'll do panels, let me contribute. Because I didn't want them to think I'm just cool with sitting at home and getting paid and not working. But they were like, no, just stay at home, it's fine.
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
So my husband has 50-50 custody. So we would get his kids Friday through Monday, or it just depended on the week, whether we had a pay-per-view or whatever that happened, whatever that looked like. So we would travel together, then come home, get the kids. And then it's like full on, like right into like parent mode.
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
As if we weren't just wherever we were last night. It's just funny. But now I just feel like I've been in such mom mode for so long. I don't even know. Say I did my makeup and got a spray tan. I'm like, who is she? I don't recognize her. I'm not used to it. So it's just funny to not be in that mode for so long.
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
I feel like, I mean, perfect world. I would love to get, I love being in front of the camera. I love like being over the top, a little annoying, obnoxious. So like it worked well for Carmel. I don't know how well it'll work for Leah, but we will see about that. I just, I think maybe like getting to some hosting space or, um, I mean, dream job.
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
three hours just give me three hours I think that would be cool if you did Broadway that would be like dream job like no I can see it I love like that when I was a kid my I'd go to the Rockettes all the time yeah the holidays and I would sit there Radio City and like in the bathroom when I tell my mom like someday I'm gonna be here well I mean it's not completely out of the question I mean I would die to do Trisha Paytas has done it Jojo Joanna Levesque she did Broadway you could do
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
And being a mom. Like, truly, I feel so grateful because... This, at the end of the day, has been the greatest blessing, not going back to WWE, because I have been part of my son's life every day for the last 15 months. And you can't get that time back. No. And so I wouldn't change it for anything. I've been able to be there for him every step of the way and watch him grow up.
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
And at the end of the day, I can always get a job, but you can't always be there to watch your kids grow up.
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
I would be honest with him. I would tell him the truth and that because I became a mom and like, hopefully at that point in time, we will have progressed as a society and things will be different. Um, and I think that he would be proud of me for speaking up on it and like not being small and just speaking my truth. I think he would be proud of it.
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
So I was like, fine, okay. So I did. I stayed at home. And yeah, they were really cool about it. And then usually what's happened in the past with women who've been pregnant under contract, they have their baby, they recover. I mean, as you know, every postpartum journey is so different. And I don't want to speak on anyone else's recovery.
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
Yes. My Instagram handle just changed, so I'm so not used to this. It's theleavandale, which is wild. It was Carmilla for so long. Yeah, and snatch.co. And then you can follow Snatch on Instagram at snatch4her. Thank you so much for calling on Barely Famous. Thank you.
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
Mine was obviously a lot more difficult because of the nerve damage with my foot. But I was like, I let them know. I think the day that I had my son, I told the head of medical, by the way, I just want to let you know this is what happened. This is what's going on. And I think for women, like women's health in general is just so undervalued. I don't know the word, like overlooked.
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
Like people don't talk about these things. And so when I had the nerve damage, they were just like, it'll just resolve in like four to six weeks. It'll be fine. So then it's like... Your doctor said that?
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
It'll be fine. It'll just take a little bit of time. I'm like, okay. Now like months and months are going by and it's not getting better. And so then I'm going for all these tests, seeing these specialists. And I've been in touch with WWE the entire way, like telling them what was going on and everything like that. And then...
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
I mean, I guess fast forward until a few weeks ago, and then I got a call saying that my contract was up in 10 days. And basically what happened was, usually when you're injured, your contract is like on a pause.
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
So they take however long that the contract is paused, whether it's during pregnancy, postpartum, or just a regular old injury that you get in the ring, your contract is paused for a certain amount of time. And then when you go back to work, however long it was paused for, they just kind of tack on to the end of your contract. Okay, fair enough. Right.
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
And that's just kind of the impression that I was under. And then come to find out the way it worked out was my contract was paused for seven weeks after I had my son and then reinstated. So basically... Seven weeks postpartum, my contract's reinstated, and I didn't know. Nobody told me that I only had seven weeks off after my son and that they were gonna reinstate it.
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
And then, yeah, I guess fast forwarded to it, because I basically had a year left on my contract when I got pregnant. So then when it was reinstated January 1st, 2024 is when they decided for whatever reason, they just like pick that date and that's the date that it got reinstated. So then January to the following February, which is where we're at now, it's expired. And that was that.
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
So basically when I got pregnant, they sent me a letter and they said that like they gave me X amount of days off on my contract for being pregnant and then seven weeks postpartum. So basically they anticipated how long it would take me to recover postpartum. And I'm assuming they give this number to all the women who get pregnant, right? Okay. But they said in this letter, like no matter what,
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
when you return to wrestling, these dates will all change. So basically it's just kind of like a placeholder date and number and period of time that you have off. But when you return to wrestle, that's the date that we're actually going to take. And that contract would be frozen for that amount of time that you were out. Okay.
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
So like, say I was out for 300 days and they're like, okay, we're going to freeze your contract for 300 days. Um, or we're going to freeze your contract for whatever amount of time. But I was out for 300 days. They would, once I came back, they would add that 300 days back onto my contract. If that made Yes, no, that makes perfect sense.
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
And so that was just the impression I was under that's how it's worked for other women in the past And that's how it's worked if you're injured or anything And again, every woman is so different like some girls have been out for six months postpartum Some girls have been out for 14 months postpartum five months eight months.
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
It's just of course everyone's recovery is different sure so it's like they can put an exact timeline on when you're gonna return and Um, but I just was like completely shocked that they had only given me seven weeks and then reinstated my contract. But didn't tell you when they didn't tell me. Yeah.
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
So at the point that you hit the seven week mark postpartum, no one said, Hey, we're going to reinstate your contract. So you didn't go back to work. I didn't go back to work. I also was completely, I mean, you can barely ride a bike seven weeks postpartum.
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
Like even if I was completely healthy and didn't have the nerve damage in my foot, there's no way I was returning seven weeks postpartum. I mean, you get cleared to work out and do regular things at six weeks.
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
And that's why I was also confused because in the letter I was sent, it said like these dates and everything will change based off of your like medical condition. So like I have a medical condition and like I'm assuming they put that in there for any pregnant woman because you just don't know what will happen. Right.
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
um so i just was i was completely shocked like i had no idea and then i got a phone call a few weeks ago just saying like hey we just want to let you know your contract's up in 12 days and we're not renewing it and i was like first of all my husband and i were walking into a nikki glazier comedy show like i'm like we're in line to get a beer and we're like so excited to go watch the stand up like the last thing on my mind is thinking about
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
getting a call about my job, and I just was... I was completely blindsided. And I was just like, wait a minute, what? Like, I thought my contract was frozen because I'm injured. I had no idea, because usually when you're injured, your contract's frozen. Right. And it just... It was... It hurt, like it really hurt.
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
I was really upset and disappointed because I just felt like they knew about my injury and I also was doing everything in my power to heal and get better. That same day that I got a phone call, I was at my spine specialist and my neurologist getting different tests and results and chatting about options and doing everything I can to, I mean my foot is getting better, it's just not 100% yet.
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
So I just was like, why am I going through all this trouble to try to get better and try to get back to throwing if that wasn't the ultimate goal at the end? And the kicker is I actually offered to go back to work last summer.
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
Exactly. I called them. I was maybe seven or eight months postpartum and I reached out to like the head of the head of everything. And I was like, Hey, I don't know. I wasn't even sure if he was aware that I had nerve damage, but I kind of laid everything out for him. And I was like, I can't wrestle, but I'd love to contribute anyway. Ken, here's my pitch.
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
I had an idea of like working with this tag team and being a manager. Carmela is like a huge personality. And like, I love like talking on the microphone. So like, let me help another team out in the meantime, even though I can't wrestle, but let me just contribute. And like, he loved the idea. He put me in touch with the head of creative and like, let's get it going.
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
And I can't wait to see you is the, what he told me literally point blank. And I was like, okay, cool. And then I was in touch with creative. They got medical clearance from my doctor, like my personal doctor saying, yes, she can travel. She just can't wrestle. Cool. And then like radio silence. I haven't heard from anyone. That was like the end of July.
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
I was in the middle of collaborating with them on this. And then I haven't heard anything from anyone. So everyone just ghosted? Ghosted. Ghosted. Completely ghosted. And it just, it hurts because I feel like I have always been a company girl. I've always done whatever it is they wanted me to do. I feel like I always represent the company in a professional way and do what's asked of me.
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
I've never gone off script or done anything where I was like, ooh, shoot, maybe I shouldn't have done that. I always do everything that's asked of me. And it just feels like a shitty way to end a 12-year career. career with the company. Like that, this is how it ended.
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
It just, it sucks. I feel like is it because I'm a woman is it because I had a baby and well it is because I had a baby like point blank I when I even spoke with like they wouldn't give me any answers on the phone either I was like well why like what what's happening they're like this is just what we're going with right now I'm like They don't even think they said that.
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
He was just like, I'll put you in touch with legal. And I'm like legal. Like, I don't, I just want to know like why this is happening.
Barely Famous
Leah Van Dale: Speaking Her Truth
And that's also what bothers me. It doesn't bother me that he's still with the company. I'm so glad he has a job. I'm so glad he's still there, right? But he still has a job. We had a kid and he has a job, but I don't. Like, how is that fair? You know what I mean? It's wild.