OYS - Own Your Shift

If you're new to Own Your Shift, welcome. And if you've been here since the beginning, thank you for being part of this journey. As the podcast has continued to grow, I realized many listeners may know my opinions on hormones, fitness, mindset, leadership, and personal growth… but may not know the story behind why I do this work in the first place. In this episode, I'm reintroducing myself and sha...

What if the reason you're exhausted isn't because you're doing too much... but because nobody ever taught you how to regulate your nervous system? In this episode of Own Your Shift, I'm joined by Spencer Delisle, President of the Art of Living Foundation Canada, executive coach, global meditation teacher, former cancer and cardiology researcher, and performance coach to executives, elite athletes,...

Have you ever started a fitness journey only to realize that the hardest part isn't the workouts or meal prep... it's navigating your career? If you're a leader, executive, entrepreneur, sales professional, or someone whose job involves client dinners, networking events, travel, conferences, and after-work drinks, getting healthier can create challenges nobody warns you about. In this episode of O...

Are you hiding your expertise from the world? In this episode of Own Your Shift , I sit down with entrepreneur, speaker, and Instagram expert Sue B. Zimmerman to talk about visibility, reinvention, confidence, and why it's never too late to build something meaningful. Sue has launched multiple successful businesses, built a million-dollar company in her twenties, and now helps entrepreneurs and pr...

What if the real benefit of exercise has nothing to do with losing weight, building muscle, or looking better in the mirror? In this episode of Own Your Shift , Virginia explores why strength training, routines, and simple daily disciplines become so powerful during life's most difficult seasons. When everything around you feels uncertain—your career, relationships, finances, health, or future—it'...

So many high-achieving women over 40 feel exhausted, disconnected, emotionally flat, anxious, or stuck in survival mode and immediately assume it's "just hormones." But what if the deeper issue is nervous system dysregulation? In this episode of Own Your Shift, I sit down with Dr. Julie Merriman to discuss the connection between chronic stress, perfectionism, overachievement, burnout, hormones, an...

Somewhere along the way, many of us were taught that wasting food is bad… So instead, we learned to waste our bodies." I want to discuss one of the most normalized  unhealthy habits  that almost nobody questions: Finishing your food when your body is already done. Not because you're hungry. Not because you need it. Not because it serves you. But because it's there. And if you grew up hearing thing...

Today I sit down with to talk about burnout, addiction, reinvention, confidence, and what it really takes to rebuild your life when everything looks "fine" on the outside… but doesn't feel right on the inside. We talk about: • Why so many women feel lost in midlife • The hidden cost of people pleasing • Sobriety, self-worth & starting over • How to stop numbing and start living • Rebuilding confid...

People will tell you promotions are only about intelligence, experience, and networking. And yes… those things matter. But there's another truth nobody likes saying out loud: The way you look, carry yourself, and show up physically changes how the world responds to you. Not because abs magically make you smarter. But because getting strong changes your confidence, your discipline, your energy, you...

Everyone wants to be the visionary. The motivator. The one on stage, inspiring people. But here's the truth… The best leaders? They're just as good at fixing broken systems… as they are at inspiring people to believe in something bigger. And more importantly… They're trusted. Because real leadership isn't just about big ideas. It's about what James March called— Plumbing… and Poetry. But what he d...

Have you ever achieved something you once desperately wanted… only to feel nothing when you got it? That promotion. That body. That relationship. That house. Because sometimes the problem isn't that you're failing… it's that you're succeeding at things that were never meant for you. Some people spend 20 years climbing a mountain… only to realize it belonged to someone else. Today, we're talking ab...

Let me ask you something… Would you take financial advice from someone who's broke? Would you hire a business coach whose business is failing? So then why… Do people get uncomfortable when we ask: "Should a personal trainer actually look fit?" Welcome back to Own Your Shift. the podcast where we talk about strength, mindset, leadership, and becoming the strongest version of yourself… while living...

Most people don't lose in life because they lack talent. They lose because of how they think. Two people can have the same opportunities… the same resources… the same starting point… And one builds a life they're proud of while the other stays stuck, frustrated, and constantly starting over. The difference? Mindset. Today we're getting into how winners think… the difference between scarcity and ab...

You don't have a motivation problem. You have a clarity problem. I see this ALL the time… Women: → eating less → working out more → doing "a bit of everything" …and getting nowhere. Because: 👉 Strength training ≠ hypertrophy 👉 Weight loss ≠ body recomposition 👉 Eating less ≠ eating right If your training and nutrition don't match your goal… You will spin your wheels. So ask yourself: What am I...

Let me ask you something… If the busiest people in the world — the ones running billion-dollar companies, leading thousands of employees, making high-stakes decisions every single day… …are still making time to train… What's your excuse? Studies show: 76% of executives exercise daily 485 out of 500 Fortune 500 CEOs work out multiple times per week That's not a coincidence. That's strategy. Because...

There's an old story about a man digging for gold. He digs and digs and digs. He puts in the effort. He sweats. He gets tired. He gets frustrated. And eventually he decides, "There's no gold here." So he quits. Then someone else comes along, starts digging in the exact same spot, and within minutes… strikes gold. Welcome back to Own Your Shift — the podcast where we talk about strength, mindset, l...

You wake up motivated. Coffee. Maybe a workout. You tell yourself, "Today I'm going to be good." Then Life happens. Meetings. Emails. Deadlines. Kids. Activites. You forget to eat. Or you "unconsciously" grab that cookie or doughnut from the lunch room... And by 8:30pm? You're standing in your kitchen fist deep in a bag of cookies or chips wondering... "Why do I have no willpower at night?" Let me...

Let's call it what it is. The "skinny" movement making a comeback isn't empowerment... it's regression. And if we're not careful, it's going to age women faster, weaken them, and quietly steal their independence… all while being packaged as "health." I'm not here to shame bodies. I am here to protect women. Because losing muscle? That's not cosmetic. That's biological. And it comes with a cost. So...

We're Back! after a bit of a pause, the Own Your Shift Podcast is back on regular weekly drops! Today we are going to talk about something I hear all the time from high-performing women. "I don't want to come off as intimidating." "I think I need to be a bit softer." "I should probably be more approachable." And every time I hear that, I think the same thing: Who told you your authority was a prob...

Welcome back to Own Your Shift , the podcast where we talk about growth, mindset, and becoming the strongest version of yourself … while still living a life that includes balance, indulgence, and fun. Because living your best life should never mean restriction or guilt. Today we are going to discuss the holiday guilt trap and how to not just survive the holidays but thrive!!

  Let's talk about confidence. Not the loud, flashy kind, but the quiet, steady kind that lets you walk into a room and know you belong there. Because here's the truth: Most women I know… successful, smart, strong, capable women, still question themselves. They wonder if they're good enough. If they're qualified enough. If they should speak up, take the lead, or go for that next step. And it's not...

Hey there, and welcome back to "Own Your Shift" The space where we get real about navigating your 40s and beyond with humor, honesty, and a whole lot of self-awareness. I'm your host, Virginia Bain, mom, wife, corporate leader, and fitness expert and I'm here to help you own the shifts that come with becoming your best self, inside and out. You know, one of the hardest things about growth, isn't a...

Nutrition is noisy. Everywhere you look, there's a new diet, a new 'hack,' or a new food you're apparently supposed to eat every day. And honestly? Most of it's overwhelming. Today I want to cut through the noise and share the simple nutrition rules that I actually live by… rules that keep me strong, lean, energized, and sane. And let me be clear, I am not about complicated diets or rules that no...

As the year winds down, a lot of people start to coast. They think, 'I'll just wait until January to get serious.' But here's the truth: the way you finish this year sets the tone for how you start the next one. Do you want to roll into the new year dragging your feet… or sprint into it with momentum already behind you. with 3 months left in the year, Today's episode is about closing the year stro...

Life feels heavy right now, doesn't it? Work, family, responsibilities… the world in general can feel overwhelming. But here's the thing: when the weight of life feels crushing, sometimes the best medicine is to pick up an actual weight and move it today I want to talk about why lifting heavy in the gym can be one of the most powerful tools for your mental health… especially when the world feels h...