Confessions of a Group X Instructor

What if the biggest thing holding you back isn't your talent, your circumstances, or your opportunities... but your personality? It's a tough question—and one most of us would rather avoid. In this episode of Confessions of a Group X Instructor , Ellen explores what to do if your personality is the problem. Do people experience you as encouraging or intimidating? Confident or arrogant? Pas...

In this episode, Ellen sits down with Nicole for an honest, balanced, and empowering conversation about GLP-1 medications and the growing role they’re playing in modern health and wellness. Together, they unpack: What GLP-1 medications actually are and how they work in the bodyWhy these drugs are creating hope for people who have struggled with weight loss, metabolic dysfunction, inflammation, and...

In this episode, Ellen shares the real behind-the-scenes journey of opening the WARRIOR Group Fitness Studio — from vision and branding to construction, founding memberships, community-building, and finally opening the doors. This conversation dives into what it truly takes to bring a fitness vision to life while balancing leadership, creativity, business strategy, and resilience. Thank you so muc...

Episode 97: Get What You Want — How to Break Free From What Holds You Back (with Janice Jaicks) Why do so many people never achieve the things they say they want? In this honest and insightful conversation, I sit down with Janice Jaiks, owner of Fitness Fest, to explore what really keeps people stuck—and what it actually takes to move forward. We talk about the gap between intention and action, th...

Episode 96: The Last Class — Leaving After Two Decades After 20 years, I taught my final class at the DAC. This episode is raw, unscripted, and deeply personal. I share what it actually felt like to walk into that room knowing it was the last time. The weight of the moment. The memories in the walls. The people. The version of myself that grew up there. I also talk openly about what happened behin...

🎙️ #95 with special guest Cassie Mazie We live in a culture obsessed with optimization—biohacking, productivity, and constantly doing more. In this episode, we explore when the pursuit of self-optimization shifts from supportive to harmful, and Cassie talks about how pushing harder isn’t always the answer. We also unpack what self-kindness truly means and how it differs from the version of “self-c...

Pelvic floor health is one of the most overlooked — and most essential — pieces of whole-body wellness. In this episode #94, we’re breaking the silence, removing the shame, and empowering instructors and everyday movers with knowledge they should have learned years ago . Paige shares practical education, compassionate insight, and actionable tools to help you better understand the pelvic floor, cu...

In this episode #93, we explore what it truly takes to design, host, and lead a retreat that changes people from the inside out. Sabrina shares the heart and history behind Camp Be Here Now , the wisdom she’s gained as a retreat creator, and the magic that keeps her coming back year after year. We open the conversation by exploring Sabrina’s personal definition of a retreat: what it represents, wh...

In Episode 92, Ellende Werd sits down with the Nicole Printon for an honest, empowering, and deeply informative conversation about perimenopause—a transition nearly every woman experiences, yet few feel prepared for. Nicole opens up about her personal journey, the science behind the symptoms, and the lifestyle shifts that help women thrive during this season of change. Nicole and Ellen share about...

In today’s heartfelt conversation, Ellen sits down with Betsy Tanenbaum, the chef, creative heart, and author behind ROOT DOWN, RISE UP . Together, they share how they met, how Betsy fell in love with cooking, and why this cookbook is about so much more than recipes — it’s about healing, intuition, nourishment, and coming back to yourself. You’ll hear how the book came to life, the stories behind...

In this episode #89 of Confessions of a GroupX Instructor , Ellen pulls back the curtain on her very first WARRIOR retreat with 23 women in paradise, and the emotional rollercoaster of battling Meta over hacked and restricted accounts. Ellen shares the scoop on both—plus a handful of random life and business updates you didn’t know you needed. Lot’s of studios and gyms will be closed and we know f...

In this solo episode, #88, Ellen gets real about something that happens far too often in the fitness industry — instructors “borrowing” or flat-out stealing programming from other brands, formats, or creators. If you’ve ever seen a class that felt a little too familiar , or had your own work copied and renamed, this one’s for you. Ellen breaks down what’s really going on, why it matters, and how t...

If you haven’t listened to Part 1: How I Got Hacked , pause right here and go back to that episode first—it sets the stage for everything we’re diving into today. In this follow-up, I’m sharing the next chapter of the story: how I recovered my accounts after 54 weeks of frustration, dead ends, and persistence. From learning what not to do, to finally finding the steps that worked, I’ll walk you th...

In episode #86 of Confessions of a GroupX Instructor , Ellen sits down with Liz Filippone, a corrective exercise specialist who’s passionate about helping people move better, feel better, and perform better. Together, they unpack what “corrective exercise” really means and why understanding it can transform the way you teach, train, and even live in your own body. We start with Liz's’s story—w...

Ever wonder why some people barely glisten while others look like they ran through a sprinkler after one workout? In this episode, no. 85, Ellen breaks down the science of sweat — what it is, why it happens, and why some bodies just produce more than others. You’ll learn how eccrine glands (your body’s natural cooling system) differ from apocrine glands (the ones behind body odor), what causes hyp...

In this episode of Confessions of a GroupX Instructor , I share a very personal and devastating experience: my Facebook account was hacked and wrongfully disabled. Overnight, I lost access to my personal profile, business Pages, and linked Instagram accounts — the digital home of my international fitness business. You’ll hear: How the hack happened, even with two-factor authentication enabled What...

Today we’re taking a quick but valuable dive into one of the tools that makes or breaks a group fitness class: the microphone. As instructors, our voices are everything—we cue, motivate, and connect through sound. That’s why choosing the right mic matters so much. In this episode (#83) , I’ll share: 🎤 My personal favorite mic for teaching and why it stands out from the rest ⚡ The key features th...

In this eye-opening episode, we unpack the history, politics, and science (or lack thereof) behind the original USDA Food Guide Pyramid. Once considered the gold standard for nutrition, this now-controversial chart may have done more harm than good. From the overemphasis on refined carbs to the demonization of fats, we explore how misguided guidelines influenced generations of eating habits—and wh...

Getting older is a privilege—but let’s be real, it’s not always easy. In this candid conversation, Ellen de Werd dives into the complex feelings around aging, self-image, and the desire to keep looking her best. From embracing laugh lines as life’s souvenirs to wrestling with the temptation (or decision) to get Botox, we unpack the push and pull between self-acceptance and self-enhancement. Whethe...

What happens when people who’ve never taught a class—or even taken one—start calling the shots in your group fitness department? In this candid and fiery episode, Ellen de Werd dives into the disconnect between club owners and the world of GroupX. From misguided scheduling decisions to underestimating the role of instructors, we expose what goes wrong when leadership lacks firsthand experience in...

In this solo episode, Ellen de Werd reflects on the whirlwind of the IDEA World Convention—from the high-energy WARRIOR sessions and unexpected conversations to the deeper takeaways that are fueling what’s next. Get a behind-the-scenes look at what went down in Sacramento, including what it felt like to NOT win the Group Fitness Instructor of the Year Award again. Whether you were at IDEA or follo...

I got interviewed on My Own Show 🎙️ Episode 78: Behind the Magic of CON⭐️CON with Diva & Ellen Theme: Vision, Vulnerability, and the Power of Community In this heartfelt episode, Ellen and Diva sit down to reflect on the birth, the beauty, and the behind-the-scenes truth of CON⭐️CON—WARRIOR’s first-ever instructor conference. 💫 From Idea to Reality Ellen shares when the idea first sparked—a...

🎙️ Episode 77: Leveraging ChatGPT for Your Fitness Business with Dr. Ted Vickey In this forward-thinking conversation, fitness tech expert Dr. Ted Vickey joins us to break down how artificial intelligence—especially ChatGPT—is transforming the way fitness professionals run their businesses. From writing class descriptions and social media posts to automating client communication and reducing burno...

🎙️ Part 2 : Money Mindset for Yoga Teachers & Fitness Instructors Kate Lombardo, director at YOGARENEW, is baaaaack to talk about worth, pricing, and abundance in a service-oriented career. In this episode, we explore the delicate balance between purpose and prosperity. Many yoga teachers and fitness professionals enter the industry to help others—but struggle when it comes to pricing their se...

Kate Lombardo‘s influence as a yoga instructor + wellness business strategist spans the globe, touching tens of thousands of students internationally. For almost a decade, Kate has been teaching and leading training programs through her award-winning yoga studios before expanding virtually through YogaRenew. She answers to many titles--  Yoga Director, CEO, CMO, Speaker, Leader, Writer, Podcaster...