Episodes
May 11, 2026
The Art of Failing Fast with Anne Marton
In today’s episode, Anne Marton joins us for an honest conversation about the mental side of fitness, fat loss, and aging as women. We talk about the toxic messaging so many women grew up with around body image, dieting, and shrinking themselves, and how those beliefs often follow us into motherhood, perimenopause, and midlife. Anne shares how her background in psychology shaped her coaching approach, why mindset work matters just as much as macros, and why so many women struggle to trust themse...
May 4, 2026
You Didn’t Ruin Your Progress: Real Talk on Deficits, Stress Eating & Diet Myths with Brooke Madigan
In today’s episode, Brooke Madigan and I sat down with our coffee (and Diet Coke) and answered your most honest, real-life nutrition and fitness questions. From zero sugar soda vs. zero sugar syrup to stress eating, cheat days, protein struggles, and the truth about 72-hour fasts - we’re diving into what actually matters versus what the internet just makes loud. We also opened up about our own experiences in our 2023 calorie deficits, learning to release arbitrary timelines, building habits bef...
April 27, 2026
The Truth about Alcohol & Your Goals with Danny Matranga
In today’s episode, we sit down with coach and educator Danny Matranga to talk about what actually moves the needle in health, fat loss, and long-term wellness. We dig into his origin story - from small-town athlete to gym owner - and how his experiences shaped the way he coaches today. This conversation goes beyond macros and workouts and into the often-overlooked drivers of health like community, emotional well-being, and the power of simply showing up for people. We also have an honest, evid...
April 20, 2026
Bad Body Image Day, PMS Cravings, & Night Snacking (Your Real Life Situations Part 3)
In today’s episode, we’re diving into something that so many of us experience but don’t always catch in real time - how life stress quietly bleeds into body image, which then bleeds into our decision-making. We share some very real moments from our own weeks where everything felt like it was piling on, and we had to very intentionally adjust our lenses. We move beyond that into nighttime snacking even when you’re not hungry, PMS cravings, fatigue, and navigating injuries that keep interrupting ...
April 13, 2026
The Beauty of Boredom in Fitness with Candace Smith
In today’s episode, Women’s Strength and Nutrition Coach Candace Smith joins us to share her own relatable fitness journey, and to discuss how shifting from exclusively cardio based activities and fitness classes to intentional strength training will transform your fitness routine and body, and give you long-lasting results. Candace emphasizes the importance of mindset, nutrition, and intelligent training techniques to help women achieve their goals, and emphasizes the importance of performance ...
April 6, 2026
HUNGER, Trigger Foods, Life Stressors (Your Real Life Situations Part 2)
In today’s episode, we dig into some of the most common (and frustrating) barriers people face in their health and fitness journey: the idea of balance. We share why “balance” is often an unrealistic expectation - and how shifting toward intentional harmony can completely change the game. We talk through real-life scenarios, from busy work seasons to motherhood chaos, and how to stay consistent without falling into the all-or-nothing trap. We also unpack emotional eating, food relationships, an...
March 30, 2026
Understanding GLP-1s & Obesity Beyond the Headlines with Summer the Dietitian
In today’s episode, we’re joined by registered dietitian nutritionist and obesity specialist Summer Kessel to have an honest, nuanced conversation about GLP-1 medications, weight management, and the biology behind food noise. Summer brings both professional expertise and lived experience as someone who has struggled with weight most of her life and now uses a GLP-1 medication herself. We talk about the difference between diet culture narratives and the actual medical use of these medications for...
March 23, 2026
Work Events, Happy Hour, Picky Partner, Cooking for Family (Your Real Life Situations Part 1)
In today’s episode, we pulled your real-life roadblocks straight from Instagram and got to work. From getting sick on repeat, to chaotic schedules, required work lunches, picky partners, and full-on life overwhelm, we walked through what’s actually getting in your way and how to navigate it without burning everything down every time life gets hard. Because the truth is, these aren’t rare struggles… they’re the norm. This conversation is less about perfect plans and more about realistic executio...
March 16, 2026
Discipline Without Abuse: Real Strength, Food Freedom, and Self-Trust with Coach Frizzle
In today’s episode, the one and only Coach Frizzle of Fitness, Rusty Meier, joins us for a conversation that goes way beyond sets, reps, and macros. We talked about what it really means to pursue health without turning discipline into punishment, how to build a better relationship with food, and why giving yourself real grace might be the most powerful habit you can develop. Rusty shares her personal journey from struggling with binge eating and body image to rediscovering movement in a way tha...
March 9, 2026
Will Lifting Make Me Bulky? Is Sugar Addictive?
In today’s episode, we tackle and dissect common fears and misconceptions around chemicals, sugar addiction, strength training for women, and genetics. As always, we aim to clear up some noise from social media and provide grounded and evidence-based perspectives on these hot topics. We break down the misconception that all chemicals are harmful, highlighting how many essential compounds and modern agricultural advancements, such as GMOs and pesticides, have significantly benefited our food sup...
March 2, 2026
Navigating Injury and Setbacks (Physical and Mental) with The Gym Nurse
In today’s episode, we sat down with Shannon Collins (aka The Gym Nurse) for an unfiltered conversation about injury, ego, seasonal slumps, and what it actually looks like to play the long game in fitness. Shannon shares her ongoing two-year battle with shoulder impingement, the frustration of chronic pain, and the mental shift from chasing progress to prioritizing recovery. For someone whose identity and career are rooted in strength training, this season has required humility, patience, and a ...
Feb. 23, 2026
Q&A: Fat Loss and Fitness - RPE/RIR, TDEE Explained (& More)
In today’s episode, we talk through some of the most common (and most misunderstood) questions we hear around training, nutrition, and recovery - especially when performance goals like half marathon training are on the table. We dig into how to balance running with strength training, why recovery and fueling matter more than people think, and why trying to chase fat loss during intense training is usually a losing game. We also zoom out and get practical: separating movement from weight loss, u...
Feb. 16, 2026
Food Isn’t the Problem: Understanding Emotional and Physiological Scarcity with Stefanie Michele
In today’s episode, we sat down with Stefanie Michele for a deeply honest, compassionate conversation about binge eating, body image, nervous system regulation, and what it really means to heal from the inside out. Stefanie shares her personal journey through 25 years of disordered eating - restriction, bingeing, orthorexia, bulimia, and anorexia - and how she found true recovery at 40. Her story alone is a powerful reminder that healing is possible, even when it feels unimaginable. We go far b...
Feb. 9, 2026
Making It Through the Winter Blahs Without Letting It All Go
We’re heading into February - that stretch of winter where the novelty of the New Year has worn off, it’s still cold and dark, and motivation can feel… thin. In today’s episode, we talk honestly about the winter blahs, why they’re completely normal, and why feeling apathetic or “off” doesn’t mean you’re broken or falling behind. We normalize the slump and remind ourselves that losing steam doesn’t equal losing progress. Together, we dig into practical, sustainable ways to work with this season ...
Feb. 2, 2026
Becoming the Healthier You Requires Sacrifice… and It’s Worth It with Val Lusvardi, IFBB Pro
In today’s selects episode, Val Lusvardi joins us as we dive into the crucial aspects of fitness and nutrition, emphasizing the importance of dedication, discipline, and the power of habit formation. Val, a mom, wife, coach, and bikini pro athlete, shares her insights on the significance of sticking to her training schedule, and we move beyond training to include the broader scope of self-care, boundary setting, and the mental aspect of maintaining a healthy lifestyle. We discuss the importance...
Jan. 26, 2026
Q&A: Postpartum Depression, Training in Pregnancy, & More
In today’s episode, we’re diving into a deeply personal and highly requested topic in today’s episode: strength training and pregnancy - what actually changed for Iris, what didn’t, and why so much of what we hear about prenatal fitness is flat-out wrong. We get honest about fatigue, nausea, modifying lifts as the bump grows, why resistance training is not only safe but incredibly beneficial, and how mindset plays a huge role in staying active through every trimester. We also move into a raw an...
Jan. 19, 2026
An honest chat about GLP1-s and Microdosing with Beth Feraco
In today’s episode, Beth Feraco joins us again for an honest, unfiltered conversation about rapid weight loss, hair loss, and the very real consequences we’re seeing from extreme calorie deficits, GLP-1 misuse, and the explosion of unregulated microdosing. What started as a hairstylist’s concern turned into a much bigger discussion about under-fueling, nutrient deficiencies, muscle and bone loss, and the cultural pressure to be thin at all costs. We break down what peptides actually are, the cr...
Jan. 12, 2026
How to Execute a Successful, Kickass Fat Loss Phase
In today’s episode, we go deep into the real foundations of fat loss, muscle retention, and sustainable health - the stuff that actually works long-term, not the Internet quick fixes that make you miserable. We break down what a moderate, respectful calorie deficit actually looks like, why most people are eating far too little to see progress, and how to calculate a simple, sane starting point you can trust. We dig into the messy mindset stuff too - the catastrophizing, the “I blew it so screw i...
Jan. 5, 2026
Peaceful Striving with Heather Adams
In today’s episode, Heather Adams, Strength and Nutrition coach and mom of 6, joins us to share her own fitness journey, from a shy, timid kid who was afraid to try anything new… to playing tackle football and qualifying to run the Boston Marathon and becoming a personal trainer and dedicated coach who is helping women achieve “peaceful striving” in their health, nutrition, and fitness goals. We chat all about the importance of approaching life with curiosity and kindness instead of frustration...
Dec. 29, 2025
Thank you, and Happy New Year!
In today’s quickie, we sit down to wrap up the year with full hearts and a whole lot of gratitude. We talk about what this podcast has meant to us - how it’s become one of our favorite parts of the week, a place where we get to share honest conversations about health, fitness, motherhood, coaching, mindset, and everything in between. Your stories, your support, and the way you share how these episodes impact your life genuinely keep us going. We also look ahead to 2025 with excitement. At the e...
Dec. 22, 2025
"I didn't lose 120 lbs to hate myself again" with Melissa Ostash
In today’s episode, Melissa Ostash joins us to dig deep into something so many women quietly wrestle with: comparison, self-trust, emotional eating, body image, and that “mean girl voice” in our heads that never seems to fully go away. We talk about the power of autonomy - truly listening to your body, honoring when something “clicks,” and allowing yourself to be content instead of endlessly chasing smaller, tighter, leaner. We also explore what happens when social media becomes a distorted mir...
Dec. 15, 2025
Q&A: Supporting Those on GLP-1s, 30 Minute Workouts, Fat Loss Without Tracking, & More!
In today’s episode, we’re answering your questions on GLP-1 medications, strength training, fat loss without tracking, habits, and how to navigate this wild wellness landscape without losing your mind (or your muscle). We dig into what smart, sustainable strength training looks like if you’re on a GLP-1, how to protect your muscle mass and your heart, and why progressive overload and consistency still matter more than any “quick fix.” We also share how to support loved ones who are considering ...
Dec. 8, 2025
Fasting, Autophagy, and Inflammation: What Women Really Need to Know
In today’s episode, I’m literally on the walking pad with a baby in the wrap while Amy’s in her office and surprise guest Beth is joining us from the car - because this is real life and we always make it work. We dove into a topic that’s been popping up nonstop in our communities lately: intermittent fasting, autophagy, inflammation, and all the fear-based protocols targeting women, especially menopausal and perimenopausal women. This conversation is part science, part mindset, and part “please ...
Dec. 1, 2025
Letting Go, Leaning In, and Moving Forward with Coach Bri
In today’s episode, we explore what it really looks like to rebuild your identity when the version of you that once felt solid starts to crumble. From childhood athletics to college rowing to navigating an exercise-driven eating disorder, Bri shows us why identity isn’t fixed - it’s shaped, stretched, broken, rebuilt, and reclaimed over and over again. Instead of asking “Who am I without achievement?” we shift the focus to intuition, communication, boundaries, and choosing the next best step eve...