CHALK TALK

In this week’s episode, we’re discussing a hot topic - the difference between strength training and pilates. This seems to be a common point of discussion on social media and I think it’s really important to understand that social media lacks context (and there are professionals doing people a disservice by sharing blanket statements, but that’s another story …) I have been strength training for a...

In this week’s episode, we talked about the importance of being organized. Now, I know at first glance this might seem kind of boring, but being organized is truly what allows you to be present, prepared, and ready to tackle whatever it is that lays ahead in your day, week, month, or year.  Whether you are an athlete in sport preparing for the demands of an upcoming season, an athlete in life jugg...

In this week’s episode, we’re discussing the importance of strength training for our aging athletes/ populations. I truly believe that strength training is a sustainable movement practice that can allow an individual to live a healthy, thriving, and active life for their entire lives. Strength training isn’t just for athletes in sport or younger demographics - we’re seeing more individuals above t...

In this week’s episode, I wanted to share with you some thoughts and insights I have as an entrepreneur and human being in the current world about financial wellness. This is one of those topics that at first, doesn’t seem to be all that connected to coaching, programming, etc., but it has everything to do with how we approach our lifestyle and contributes to our overall wellness in a multitude of...

In this week’s episode, we’re discussing the different pillars of a “healthy lifestyle”, and it’s not a one-size-fits-all. Living a healthy lifestyle is going to look different to each individual depending on what your priorities are.  We discuss the different elements that make up your daily/weekly/monthly/yearly lifestyle like your training/movement, nutrition, rest/recovery, and joy. These diff...

In this week’s episode, we discuss the importance of strength training for runners. Whether you are an avid marathon athlete, or a recreational runner, strength training plays a key role in helping you feel your best when you hit the pavement and how you recover between runs.  Having worked with so many athletes in the past, ranging from a wide variety of sports, you start to pick up on different...

In this week’s episode, we discuss the beauty of girls and women in SPORT. On Wednesday February 5th, it was National Girls + Women in Sports Day and I definitely believe that that is a day worth celebrating.  I’ve talked about my journey as an athlete in past episodes, but I wanted to share specifically about what sport taught me and brought me as a young girl and what it continues to bring me in...

In this week’s episode, we dive into two analogies that I love to use when thinking about both writing a program and following one.  Analogy 01 is for my athletes in sport and athletes in life, and how following a program (and having a coach) is like using a GPS to get to a destination you’ve always wanted to go to, but have had trouble on route in the past. Even with some familiarity of the path...

In this week’s episode, we discuss the importance of the environment we work, relax, play, sleep, and exist in. It’s important to recognize the types of environments that make us feel inspired, productive, and excited, and the ones that make us feel the opposite way.  Environment is more than just the physical space around us, it’s also about the people we’re surrounded by and the “energy”. Energy...

In this week’s episode, we dive into the 3 Big C’s of Coaching - Connection, Communication, and Cueing. These are all themes I heavily focus on in the School of TRAINING2XL because I really do think they create the biggest impact when working with different individuals.  As with most Chalk Talk discussions, although I’m speaking from the lens of a strength & conditioning coach, I also apply it...

In this week’s episode I share a quote that my mom and dad used to say to me and my brothers when we were growing up playing a multitude of sports, “You have 24-hours to mourn a loss or celebrate a victory”.  After reading an article in the December issue of Women’s Health about whether or not athleticism was genetic or not, one of the quotes from one of the Olympic athletes that were interviewed...

In today's episode, we are diving into some tools and strategies that I use to reflect on the previous year and prepare for the coming year. This time of year can always feel a little chaotic and daunting (especially on social media), so I wanted to share some things that I use to set myself up for what’s to come.  We cover the three pillars of REFLECT, PREPARE, and VISUALIZATION where I share a c...

In today's episode, we are discussing something a little different. I always try to focus on staying in my lane, educating, and adding value to this wild world of ours, and truthfully, I try my best to keep my opinions of some of the things I see to myself. But as an individual who has spent a lot of time, money, and energy on my education, certifications, and experience, I want to share about the...

In today's episode, we discuss the importance of the warm-up. I’m sure this is not new information for anyone listening to this, but it’s important to reiterate how beneficial it is to warm-up before a strength training session. We discussed the RAMP principle and how you can go about programming a warm-up for yourself or someone you work with, as well as the benefits to warm-up sets and when they...

In today's episode, we discuss the importance of the order at which you perform exercises in a singular training session. Whether you are a coach/trainer/practitioner writing and prescribing a program to someone, or you are on the receiving end of the program, it’s important to understand how the sequence of events will directly impact the stimulus applied on the body. I like to use the GAS TANK a...

In today's episode, I want to share a little more about my entrepreneurial journey with TRAINING2XL in the last 9 years. TRAINING2XL officially turns 9 today (November 28th), and I will be the first to admit that I’m not great at celebrating the small wins along the way. That said, when the anniversary of my business baby rolls around, I have tried to be more intentional about celebrating the jour...

The Holiday Advent Calendar is one of my favourite seasonal projects with TRAINING2XL. TRAINING2XL turns 9 on November 28th, and the Advent Calendar has been running for just as long. What started on a whim and a random idea as I was running one day on the treadmill, has turned into a seasonal favourite of the T2XL community with over 100 people joining in on the fun each year.  Not only is this f...

In this week’s CHALK TALK, we are finally tackling the topic of COMMUNICATION. This is one of the key pillars of TRAINING2XL, and a skill I believe is incredibly important in the field of strength and conditioning, and just being a human in general. Communication is often referred to as a “soft skill”, but it is not soft to be an effective communicator, in fact, it’s very necessary if you want to...

In this week’s CHALK TALK, I wanted to share a little bit more about the journey I’ve been on to discover and take ownership of my personal style, and what that means as a strength & conditioning coach.  I know that style/ clothing doesn’t necessarily relate to strength & conditioning, but communication is one of the TRAINING2XL principles and part of communication is nonverbal communicati...

In this week’s CHALK TALK, we discuss the secret sauce to achieving any goal in life … consistency (how’s that for click-bait👀). In so many aspects of life, we strive for convenience and the path of least resistance when trying to achieve our goals, and although we most likely know that it’s about doing the simple things, doing them well, and doing them often, we still try to find an easy route....

The School of TRAINING2XL is the education sector of my business that I feel so passionately about. I’ve shared about it on different platforms (Instagram, Linkedin, Newsletters, etc), but I wanted to utilize this podcast to really dive into WHY I’m so passionate about educating others.  The School of TRAINING2XL is the home of practical and applicable continuing education for strength & condi...

In this week’s CHALK TALK, we discuss building out a training schedule that is conducive to your goals and lifestyle.  Knowing how many strength training sessions to incorporate into your week, along with other activities and commitments can feel overwhelming, so I wanted to share some insight as to how you could go about balancing things out over the course of your week.  Please remember that the...

In this week’s CHALK TALK, we discuss the importance of working with different populations, demographics, and people.  In almost every industry you hear people stress the importance of “finding your niche”, and there are a lot of reasons why this can be important, however, I actually think working with different individuals with different training ages and experiences can be very beneficial for co...

In this week’s CHALK TALK, we discuss the feeling of Imposter Syndrome, what it means, when it shows up, and strategies to navigate new opportunities.  I think this is a very common feeling amongst high-achieving individuals (and just humans in general). The feeling of inadequacy, or feeling like you’re lacking a skill that is necessary for the environment you’re in. This can make new experiences...

In this week’s CHALK TALK, we discuss the journey from being an athlete in sport to an athlete in life, which for most (retired) competitive athletes was and is a difficult transition to go through. In this episode, I take you through some ups and downs of my journey through sport and share some key learnings that I often reflect back on. Sport is such a beautiful thing and I am SO grateful that I...