Episodes

Today, Susan Niebergall, Chief Executive Unicorn of the Syatt Fitness Inner Circle, joins us on the show! Susan shares her story from gym rat and yo-yo dieter with Jenny Craig in the 80s and 90s to finding a sustainable, fulfilling path in fitness. We discuss the dangerous and wildly unhelpful fallacies of “it’s just genetics” or “I just don’t have the genetics,” and the phenomenon of “eat more to lose weight.” We chat about the impact of tracking nutritional intake and its importance for weigh...

Today, we talk all about the magic macronutrient, protein. We discuss the importance of a protein-rich diet and its role in habit building, satiety, muscle growth, and “toning.” We talk about a few common reasons people struggle to eat enough protein, and share some simple ways to integrate more protein into your meals We also talk about Team BFF’s 28 Day Shred challenge - ongoing at the time of this recording – which is built to help participants begin building consistent habits and self-confi...

Today, our guest Chase Smith, online personal trainer, nutrition and mindset coach! By addressing the root causes and developing sustainable fat loss plans, he helps others transform their lives just as he transformed his own. In today’s episode, we dive into the significant differences between overeating, binge eating, and binge eating disorder, shedding light on the confusion and misconceptions that commonly surround these terms. We discuss how the identities of being a “binge eater” or an “o...

Ocean Trail (Iris’s 1:1 trainer) is deeply passionate about guiding individuals towards realizing their fitness goals. Known for her unique approach to being 'Sustainably Jacked,' she assists clients in developing a physique they're proud of, while deepening their trust in their fitness journey. Ocean excels at fostering personal growth in her clients and continually holds them accountable, challenging self-limiting beliefs and helping overcome obstacles. In this episode, Ocean and Iris discuss...

In today’s episode, we share insights and practical tips on maintaining adherence in a calorie deficit. Making consistency easier! We stress the importance of consistency and offer ideas to help listeners stay on track. We discuss the importance of meal planning and routine (even on the weekend), we highlight the challenges and responsibilities that come with being in a calorie deficit, and stress the need for integrity and commitment to achieve desired results. We emphasize the individual natur...

Matt Van Der Laar is an online strength and nutrition coach who helps lifelong dieters conquer all-or-nothing thinking so they can sustainably lose fat without giving up their favorite foods. Matt joins us today, and shares how a family member’s health emergency brought him into the coaching world. We chat about what the phrase “diet culture” means to us, exploring the dichotomy between the extremes of diet culture and the "no fat loss" stance, advocating for a balanced, mindful approach to die...

Can you put on pounds of muscle in a calorie deficit? Should you smash your scale with a sledgehammer? Meri joins us today to share her story of how an expensive pair of pants changed her life forever, and led her to lose and maintain a weight loss of over 100 lbs. We dive into the nuance of two common responses we see on social media threads when people say: “I’ve been in a calorie deficit for months, but I’ve gained weight.” We discuss the misconception that weight gain in a calorie deficit ...

How do you know if your goals are good goals? Are your goals reasonable and achievable for you as an individual? Do they fit your lifestyle? When do you adjust? Today, we dive deep into the influence of the content we consume, its potential impact on our personal goals, and the importance of self-interview and honesty in setting and achieving goals. We discuss the need for objectivity, self-accountability, setting goals in a non-emotional space, how vital it is to reevaluate and adjust goals wh...

Val Lusvardi, IFBB Bikini Pro, joins us today to talk about finding your people. It’s so important (and helpful) to surround yourself with people who will both cheer you on wholeheartedly, and give you tough love when needed… so how do you do that? We also talk about being vulnerable, having realistic expectations when it comes to muscle building – how long does it actually take, why trial and error isn’t to be feared, how enjoyable is it to get and stay shredded? We chat about “feeling fluffy...

· Why is protein and fiber so important for weight loss / fat loss? · Tips for someone struggling to get back into fitness? · Is Pre-workout or Post-workout nutrition more important? · Are there ever times when you don’t track or just say “fuck it” for a few days with your nutrition? · Is it true that you can’t gain muscle in a calorie deficit? · Why am I hungrier on rest days? · What are some causes of muscle soreness? · Any tips on handling social events when there aren’t a lot of healt...

What makes an exercise effective for hypertrophy? Kelly Mack joins us today to walk us through the criteria needed for an exercise to be effective for building muscle. We also talk about periodizing strength, conditioning, and hypertrophy mesocycles. We talk about combo exercises (not to be confused with compound exercises) and why they’re not the right choice for getting toned, lifting straps, and rep ranges, how cardio plays a role in building muscle. We talk about comparing ourselves to othe...

Today, we’re answering listener questions! · Are greens supplements worth it? · How to increase maintenance calories? · I went off track with my nutrition for 3 days and I’m scared to weigh myself. Have I ruined my progress? · When you bulked, how many calories over maintenance were you, and are you going to bulk again? · Cheat meals turn into cheat days, especially when I’m stressed. · How to stop emotional eating? · How to get enough protein? I try to pay attention, but it seems like I’...

Today, Kim Schlag joins us to talk about how lifting weights for the first time in her forties changed her life forever, and how she came to coach women aged 40+ to unravel the diet nonsense they’ve believed for decades. We talk about Kim’s philosophy around the phrase “fitness meets you where you are,” how she learned to enjoy vegetables for the first time in her forties, stepping outside our comfort zones, and how slightly shifting our identity without overhauling everything can help us reach ...

Timelines. Losing X lbs by X date. Fitting into the dress by X date. We’ve all been there. But is it really serving you? Today, we discuss the arbitrary timelines we give ourselves, and Iris shares a current experience in working through this very thing. “People say ‘I want to look in my dress, I want to look good in a bikini.’ What if you already do? What if you don’t have to wait to give yourself permission to feel great and look great until you hit this number on the scale or hit this aesth...

Lindsay Parker (LiftingLindsay) is a nutrition and hypertrophy coach, specializing in biomechanics, exercise execution, program design, and mindset. She shares how her own weight loss journey sparked her interest and contagious passion for muscle building and biomechanics, because, like many, when she did lose weight… she didn’t look anything like she hoped or wanted. Lindsay joins us to talk about her experience with intense back pain, starting where you are, pushing outside comfort zones and ...

What is maintenance? Why does the scale go up in maintenance? What are normal maintenance fluctuations? Why is maintenance harder than a cut? How do you know you’re lifting heavy enough to build muscle in maintenance? How long do I have to stay in maintenance before another cut? How can I increase my maintenance calories? Can I track progress in maintenance without the scale? Do I have to reverse diet or can I jump right into maintenance? And more… “One thing I don’t think people reall...

Today we talk to Joanne Zabatta, Average Joanne Fitness! She always wanted muscle, but no matter what she did, it didn’t come. Then, she realized that she was just simply doing it wrong. We talk about how Joanne grew from a fad dieting cardio bunny to the fed, fueled, strong woman she is today. We talk about her extensive experience with the Tracy Anderson Method, and how meeting Anderson in real life was the tipping point that led Joanne to change everything… away from the Tiny Pink Dumbbells a...

Besides fat loss, there are several symptoms of being in a calorie deficit that many people don’t know. So today, we’re talking in depth about all of them, how a sustained deficit can seriously affect your sleep quality, sex drive, emotions, and energy, and how we can approach these goals with respect for ourselves and our bodies. We also talk about how we are a partner with our body on any transformation journey, and how treating our body like the enemy is only detrimental to our success. We t...

Today we have the honor of speaking with Dr. Josh Smith, a psychologist who specializes in chronic illness, pain, relationships, boundaries, and communication. Josh joins us today to talk about the personal and emotional that goes into being fit and healthy, because we believe that mental health, self-care, and managing your energy is a huge and essential part of being fit and healthy. We believe that health is a whole-body experience – mind, body, spirit – self-care included. Self-care is the t...

Today, we talk the bastard child of the fitness conversation… rest and recovery (and maintenance). It’s difficult. We’ve been conditioned to believe we have to be going going going going all the time in order to “be successful” or reach our goals, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Rest and recovery is essential for progression in the gym, adherence to nutritional balance, mental health, and LIFE. We chat in depth about de-load weeks, some ways to structure them, why it’s important to...

Nick Anderson is an online Nutrition and Strength Coach, with a specialty in powerlifting. He has a no-bullshit approach to nutrition and fitness as he guides people in building long-term, sustainable approaches to health and fitness. Because as we know, sustainable results require sustainable approaches. Today, our good friend Nick joins us to chat about the empowerment all three of us have found in lifting heavy weights, his latest powerlifting meet experience, how confidence in the gym can t...

Today, we talk about all things accountability. What actually is it? What does it mean? How can we keep ourselves accountable and take responsibility without trying to bully ourselves into change? Because we all know that doesn’t work. We walk you through a grounding technique to help you literally get out of your head for a few seconds if you’re upset or in a swirl about something, so you can then make an informed, assertive decision that will both align with your goals and make you proud. We...

Beth Wilkas Feraco is an online Nutrition and Strength Coach, helping chronic yo-yo dieters break free from the all-or-nothing mindset. Beth is an ex-drinker, now 7 years sober. She’s a nutrition and fitness educator on social media, and has her own badass team of coaches, Brooke included. Beth is also our very good friend, and our guest today! Alcohol is a tough subject. It brings up shit for a lot of people. But the truth is, a lot of people drink too much, to cope with pain and to avoid diff...

Your fitness journey is not going to be sunshine and rainbows and puppies all the time. And right now, we’re feeling that. We’re in a slump. It’s ok to allow yourself these moments! No one is dialed in and enthusiastic all the time. But you can’t stay there forever. Today, we talk through the action steps we’re taking to get ourselves out of our respective slumps, and giving you some suggestions and helpful action steps to get you out of yours… like rearranging your pantry to support your goa...