Tough Cookie Talks

Today I am sharing some much needed life & career updates! On this episode we talk about: The journey I've been on as an online business owner for the past (10!) years. What I thought I wanted vs. what I got--and how it actually felt to accomplish many of my goals. How the online fitness business space has changed over the years and why I low key hate social media and selling fitness onlin...

Dr. Jen Hosler is back today, because after regularly recording me mini podcast episodes in Voxer when we were working together, I knew there was even more good stuff she needed to share with you all. She has graciously listened to me whine for months about why my body needs special exercises, special shoes, special sleep, and special vitamins to get through my days without pain while other people...

Today I'm back with short solo episode about how incredibly bored I am with my workouts lately. You too? Let's talk about it. On this episode we talk about: How strength training is sometimes just boring and repetitive. Asking why you "don't wanna" and working around the arbitrary rules keeping you stuck. Classes--they can be both awesome and annoying all at once. Trying new...

Fan favorite guest Ashantis Jones is back today with the most random episode ever! Give it a listen if you wanna feel like you're out for coffee with your besties laughing your ass off so you don't cry. Ashantis Jones (she/they) is a weight-inclusive Licensed Therapist, Mental Health Coach, NASM Certified Personal Trainer, Group Fitness Instructor, and Educator. She supports individuals se...

Today I'm back with an unhinged pep talk/rant about the onslaught of skinny everywhere. Listen up if you're feeling this too. On this episode we talk about: How we are being gaslit into believing that Demi Moore's arms are "toned" and Hillary Duff is the new face of "body positivity". How "strong not skinny" still isn't it--and why our "body posit...

My good friend Christina Montalvo is back and today we're talking all about the absolute fuckery of motherhood. On this episode we talk about: My floral wallpaper (again) and our obsession with color. How we love our children but often hate the role of "mom". How you can be with a "good man" and they can still be woefully inadequate in terms of parenting support because the bar is so low. The ridi...

Today I'm back and I'm talking about something that doesn't usually get a lot of air time on my podcast: dance! I hope you'll stick around even if you think it doesn't apply to you (it's all just different flavors of the same shit sandwich, really). On this episode we talk about: Why I'm excited to talk about dance right now and how it might apply to you even if you&#39...

My favorite podcast episodes are the ones where I read a really great book and then get to pick the brain of the person who wrote it. Today I am talking to Anna Rollins--the author of Famished: On Food, Sex, and Growing Up as a Good Girl (out December 9, 2025 from Eerdmans). Her groundbreaking debut memoir examines therhyming scripts of diet culture and evangelical purity culture, both of which di...

It's been a few weeks and now I'm back. I've truly felt like I have nothing to say about fitness or the other usual topics due to the continued ridiculous news. I've also felt like I have nothing to add to the conversation about said ridiculous news because every time I form a coherent thought about something, there is a new flavor of fuckery needing commentary. On this episode we...

This episode is a replay--in light of upcoming No Kings Rallies on Saturday 3/28, I wanted to bring back a conversation I had with my friend and fellow Indivisible member Ishaan Srivastava. While the dates and details I mention in the intro and outro are correct and current, the ones within the episode are from last fall. Everything else is still very much relevant! We are here because when I foun...

Today's episode is brought to you by antifa wine moms. LOL. But seriously, today's guest and I met this year thanks to Instragram, but quickly realized that we were both doing a lot of similar work in our local community. When I heard about the work she's done to advocate for better policy around things like mental health, addiction recovery, and even mammogram coverage, I knew I neede...

Today's episode almost didn't happen. Then I remembered that much like a workout, a 15 minute podcast episode still counts and is better than nothing. And also sometimes I have good ideas that don't get shared often enough. So here we are! On this episode we talk about: How I almost didn't record it, but then I remembered my own advice. Why "no excuses" is lazy coaching,...

Dr. Mel is back and this time we're not talking about our usual fitness and physical therapy stuff. We're talking shit about the Epstein files. Or more specifically, how we're coming to terms with the fact that the beauty standards pushed on us as teenagers were created by literal pedophiles. Dr. Melissa Cioffi is a physical therapist, women’s fitness coach, and owner of New Quest Phys...

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Today's episode is inspired by a post I saw on Instagram last weekend where someone was asking if having a weight loss goal made them fatphobic. The comments section was interesting because a lot of people seemed very confused about what that word even means. I was tempted to write a novel in response, but them I remembered that I have a podcast. So I decided to turn my comment into c...

It's the second week in February and I know why your New Year's goals (or resolutions or intentions or whatever) didn't stick. It's the same reason they usually don't, and if you're more of a "New Year Same Me" kind of person, maybe you've known this all along. On this episode we talk about: The mind blowing realization I had when I realized that my goals for the New Year have been the same (and l...

Today my good friend and former podcast guest Liz Brinkmoeller is back from her year off the internet! Or rather her year off Instagram and most other forms of social media. This is something that I and many other people I know have contemplated in the past few years, so I'm excited for her to share her experience with all of us. Liz Brinkmoeller has been a trainer/fitness instructor since 2014. S...

We are officially BACK for season 4 and I am feeling ever emboldened to keep running my mouth while I still can. On this episode we talk about: My origin story and how we got here. How some people still don't know what diet culture is but need to. Bringing things full circle for the new people who are already "political" but need to upgrade their approach to fitness to reflect those...

I am so thrilled to be able to share this conversation with Tia Levings with you today because if you don't know her and her work, you need to! Tia Levings is the New York Times Bestselling author of A Well-Trained Wife, her memoir of escape from Christian Patriarchy. She writes about the realities of religious trauma and the Trad wife life, decoding the fundamentalist influences in our news a...

This week we are diving deep into the world of eating disorders and recovery, and much like all of the work I do here, Mallary Tenore Tarpley is here to help us embrace the gray area between being sick and fully recovered. She's here to normalize living in the in between place when you're trying to heal, and share some things that you may not have known about eating disorders. This topic i...

I can't seem to let go of the need to talk about the current social and political climate, the rise of fascism and authoritarianism, and how it relates to fitness, wellness, diet culture, and everything I do here. I wanted to approach this topic from a historical lens, so I knew that Jen Borruso was the person I needed to talk to. We've known each other for years professionally, but as a f...

Lunges. Probably one of the most hated exercises, second only to burpees. I have solutions for you! On this episode we talk about: Common reasons people hate lunges. Solutions, workarounds, and swaps based on each. Why there is no one right way to lunge. The importance of understanding why you are doing certain exercises. What I teach my clients so that they can make swaps without me. How to apply...

This episode is a bit of a crossover episode--a sneak peek at something I shared with my clients on my private podcast (yes I have one of those for my clients!) the other day. Today I'm letting you in on the habits and qualities of my most successful clients. On this episode we talk about: Defining "success". What does this even mean for each of us? The value of being resourceful and scrappy. Why...

Today's podcast is brought to you by listeners like you! Or at least the conversations I've had with you in response to last weeks episode with Vinny Welsby. Apparently weight loss drugs are a popular topic and you all have a lot of your own thoughts and opinions about them. After dedicating a whole episode to talking about the research behind medications like Ozempic and Wegovy, I'm b...

Vinny Welsby is here today, and I could not think of anyone better to talk to about weight loss drugs with. They have done a really deep dive into research and know these GLP-1 meds inside and out. We all deserve to go into big medical decisions armed with all the information and we're so glad to be able to share what we know with you today! Vinny Welsby (they/them) is a fat activist and diver...

Erin Lingle is here this week to teach us how to manage our stress better. I don't know about you, but I always laugh at the suggestion of lowering my stress levels. Ummm hello! I am the mom of a 4 year old. I live in America! What I appreciate most about Erin is her incredible sense of humor and her very realistic approach to handling the inevitable stress that's gonna come our way. Erin...