Tough Cookie Talks

I have this half baked theory that training from a diet culture mindset is making us feel "old". In so many ways. But mostly the idea that of COURSE you're gonna feel like you're "too old" to do certain things if you've been beating yourself into the ground for years. I have to imagine that years of over-training and not eating to support that can wreck your body in a worse way than age can. And w...

I always talk about how my podcast exists so I can share all the cool people I know with you, and today's guest holds a special place in my journey. As many of you know, I recently had a baby. . .ok he's pretty much a toddler now. But I don't know what I would have done without Jessie's expertise and online community during my pregnancy and postpartum. Truly, she helped me keep my sanity and build...

Today's solo episode was brought to you by my anxiety and overwhelm. LOL. But seriously. A few weeks ago I was on the verge of a meltdown and couldn't put my finger on why. When I decided to dig a little deeper, I realized that there were actually really good reasons as to why I felt this way. We could all stand to be a bit more curious about ourselves. Especially when it comes to questions like:...

This episode with my friend Kaitlin Brazil started out as a conversation in the Instagram DM's, and quickly turned into "THE PEOPLE NEED TO KNOW". I've known Kaitlin for years, and she always has a beautiful way of bringing me back to seeing the humanity in people. Especially people on the internet who piss me off. Our DM convo started with a few of us going off about people who promote an al...

Today I am thrilled to bring the one and only Allison Tenney on the podcast! She was one of the first likeminded fitness professionals I connected with online back when my online business was nothing more than a blog and a vision. In 2019 I attended a live event (called Ignited Womxn's Summit at the time) she hosted in Seattle that literally ignited me into the work I'm doing today! When I think o...

A few weeks ago I became obsessed with the idea of getting long, claw shaped fake nails. Fun colors? Ombre? Glitter? Pointy AF? Yes please! I was feeling pretty fired up about the world and decided I wanted my nails to express the way I felt on the inside. Mostly love and light and a little go fuck yourself. LOL.  I don't normally get my nails done so I took to my Instagram stories to ask wha...

This is probably the most interesting podcast episode & conversation I've recorded to date. I originally met Kate through Body Positive Fitness Alliance, and I remember being impressed not only by her speaking skills, but also how well researched she was when it came to talking about all things related to diet culture. I was sold on her story once I listened to her TED Talk about the connectio...

So many personal trainers (and people who think they are) act like this fitness thing is SO easy. That anyone who doesn’t meet their definition of “in good shape” is lazy or undisciplined. They lead us to believe that if we all just work out like they do and eat like they do that we’ll all have 6 pack abs and perfect butts and a thigh gap? I don’t even know what body parts are trendy anymore. I do...

This week we're talking to one of my very best friends, Dr. Paula Freedman. If you ever hear me talking about the conversations I have with "my one friend who is a HAES aligned therapist", this is her! I'm SO pumped to let you into our world, because this convo basically a recorded version of what it's like to be eavesdropping on our conversation during a night out. Our convos can go all over the...

It seems like a lot of people I know (myself included) have had to take a break from working out recently. I know I'm not alone right? Maybe you’ve been sick? Or you're just dealing with the weight of the damn WORLD? Chances are you’re also concerned about how this whole situation has affected your body and your fitness? Whether you’ve gained weight, lost muscle & strength, or just feel out of...

This week I have a very important and very timely guest on the podcast! Simone Samuels is here to share all her knowledge about cultivating anti-racism in your fitness community and why this matters. I originally met Simone through Body Positive Fitness Alliance, and now she's on their board of directors and has created an online course for them as well!  Simone Samuels is multi-passiona...

How can I talk about fitness after Roe v. Wade being overturned? I can't. Not today. But being that diet culture and what just happened here are two different flavors of the same shit sandwich, I do wanna take the time to talk about some parallels. Before we get into any of this, I need to make one thing perfectly clear. I don't actually know WTF I'm doing here. I'm learning right along with you....

On today's episode I have a very special guest! Jenn Radke whose podcast I was actually on last year! If you aren't already aware, there was a bit of a situation that went down a few months ago that led me to reconsider some of the books I was recommending to my clients and followers. And so when I was searching for new books related to concepts like Health At Every Size, I knew that Jenn was the...

This episode is meant to serve as a bit of a primer for an upcoming guest episode that I recorded about books I'm recommending other than Health At Every Size. More on that in a bit. While this might feel like a no-brainer for some of my listeners, I know plenty of you are newer to some of the concepts I talk about around her. So let's lay the groundwork for why I'm reconsidering my use of the wor...

This week I'm talking to none other than Holly Myers! If you're on Instagram, you might know her as the barbell pistol squatting queen, and half of the strength coaching duo @liftwithhollyandarryn. I originally met her through having done the same kettlebell certification (more on that in the episode) and later became a part of her online barbell program Funfetti Squat Club. Holly is an ambitious,...

This short but sweet episode was inspired by a question a friend asked me at dinner the other night. She was telling me about how she had started doing some group fitness classes with weights, and wanted to know if I thought it would be a good way to help her get stronger. Sometimes I give the impression that I think don't like group fitness classes, and that's absolutely NOT the case. And also, t...

Today's guest is one that I've been wanting to share for a LONG time. My friend and fellow anti-diet culture personal trainer Jen Borruso is sharing all the dirt on what it was actually like for her to be involved in a very diet culture-y MLM (hint, it rhymes with peach hotty ;). At the time, Jen lost a TON of weight and showcased that online in an attempt to sell shakes and workouts and recruit p...

I've been wanting to record an episode on "joyful movement" for awhile now, and I decided that this week would be a good week to share my unconventional ideas about it. Are you surprised I have those? LOL. Full disclaimer, I say the "F" word a LOT on this one. In fact, I go off the rails a bit about my very pro-choice views on abortion rights. Sorry not sorry. The recent Supreme Court leak filled...

Today's episode is a guest interview with my good friend and physical therapist, Dr. Melissa Cioffi! Truthfully, people like Dr. Mel, as I call her, are half the reason I decided to start a podcast. I wanted to share the expertise of providers like her who do things that are not in my own scope of practice as a personal trainer, but still very much relate to what we do in the gym. Dr. Mel is the p...

Oooof. This episode was inspired by the way I think a LOT of us are feeling lately. On the verge of burnout. Literally everyone I talk to lately seems to be overworked, overstressed, tired, unmotivated, and uninspired. Last week I was feeling overwhelmed and took a moment to pause by cancelling all of my in-person clients in favor of taking the morning to sit at a coffee shop alone. On of my clien...

If you like my podcast, you can thank today's guest: Christina Montalvo! She was truly a big influence in encouraging me to get it off the ground. Christina is a strength and conditioning coach liberating active women from diets, ellipticals, and rigid fitness rules. In addition to being a peer and good friend of mine in the fitness industry, she also happens to be my business coach. I wanted to b...

Short answer: No.  Long answer: When it comes to fitness, an "anti-diet" or "weight neutral" or "body positive" approach does not necessarily mean "too easy". But I get how you might get that impression.  On this podcast we're gonna talk about:  Why I don't fully identify with any of these labels as a personal trainer.  The reason why you DO see a lot of body positive/weight in...

When an online fitness program isn’t a good fit for you, it’s no fun for anyone. You’re not gonna get anywhere as a client, and your coach will probably be equally frustrated worrying that you’re not enjoying it either. There are A LOT of online fitness programs to choose from. And it can be easy to latch on to the first one you see because it seems like it might be good enough. But the last thing...

We spend far too much time following arbitrary rules that don't apply to our lives and goals. Many of us do this with fitness. And I have definitely been doing this as an online business owner. Another flavor of the same shit sandwich, as I would say. So I decided not to release this week's episode on Tuesday like I usually do on purpose. To prove a point: that sometimes we can break the rules and...

Today is my first EVER guest interview on the podcast! And who better to bring on but one of my first ever personal training clients--or at least one of the first people who ever decided they wanted to work with me specifically because of my unconventional approach to fitness. Grab a cup of coffee (and your headphones LOL) and join Steph and I we reminisce about our journey working together on a m...