Be It Till You See It

In this rejuvenating episode, host Lesley Logan welcomes back double board-certified aesthetic nurse specialist Rachel Varga to uncover the truth behind popular skincare trends and everyday habits. Drawing from her extensive clinical experience with rejuvenation procedures since 2011, Rachel reveals why expensive beauty tools might be a waste of money and how simple, affordable biohacking practices can entirely transform a daily routine. Tune in to learn how to turn basic skincare into a profound act of self-love and parasympathetic nervous system healing!

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In this episode you will learn about:

• Self-care rituals that actively regulate your parasympathetic nervous system.
• Why hydration and salt intake are crucial for morning adrenal support.
• How your fingertips provide better lymphatic drainage than expensive tools.
• Why dermal rolling at home beats expensive in-clinic microneedling treatments.
• Keeping your jaw relaxed to prevent unwanted lower facial aging.

Episode References/Links:

• The School of Radiance Website - https://theschoolofradiance.com
• The School of Radiance Podcast - https://theschoolofradiance.com/podcast
• Discount Code: Use LesleyLogan15 for discounts on a one-on-one session with Rachel Varga.
• Rachel Varga Instagram - https://instagram.com/rachelvargaofficial
• Rachel Varga Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/RachelVargaOfficial
• Rachel Varga on YouTube - https://beitpod.com/schoolofradianceyoutube
• Breathe by James Nestor - https://www.mrjamesnestor.com/breathe
• Osea Exfoliant Salt Scrub - https://oseamalibu.com

Guest Bio:

Rachel Varga, BSN, RN, CANS, is a Double Board Certified Aesthetic Nurse Specialist. Since 2011, Rachel has been offering medical aesthetic rejuvenation in the specialty of Oculoplastics and is known for providing a natural and healthy-looking transformation and educating through her show "The School of Radiance" podcast. She has performed over 20,000 rejuvenation procedures and is also a trainer for other practitioners on rejuvenation procedures including medical grade skin care, laser skin rejuvenation, injectables including neuromodulators and dermal fillers, and slowing aging in general. Rachel is passionate about delivering the highest standard of care, with a focus on what the patient’s specific rejuvenation goals are, and a tailored approach to suit their needs, values, and lifestyle. She has published multiple research articles on rejuvenation protocols for the eyelids, jawline, and overall skin health transformation. Rachel is known for her gentle touch, natural-looking results, and making her patients feel comfortable, and at ease with her caring bedside manner that originated in pediatric nursing before beginning her career in medical aesthetics in 2011. She will guide you in creating your customized rejuvenation plan and skincare routine to achieve your goals through one-on-one sessions, expert 7-week seasonal skincare tutorials, and year-long membership for the deeper layers of being beautifully radiant at TheSchoolofRadiance.com. Rachel Varga is one of the first to blend Western approaches to skin care and rejuvenation, functional insights, and biohacking optimization strategies. By blending the best of these worlds and observing what her most radiant patients are doing she will also help guide you on your path to healthy skin and vibrancy for many years.

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Resources:

• Watch the Be It Till You See It podcast on YouTube! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCq08HES7xLMvVa3Fy5DR8-g
• Lesley Logan website https://lesleylogan.co/
• Be It Till You See It Podcast https://lesleylogan.co/podcast/
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Episode Transcript:

Rachel Varga 0:00  

Because at the end of the day, that state itself that you're consciously stepping into, when you step into your bathroom, where you do your self-care, it's setting that intention and setting that stage. That's what your self-love time really is doing is it's giving you that opportunity to dip into that parasympathetic nervous system, rest and recover and regenerative state.

Lesley Logan 0:26  

Welcome to the Be It Till You See It podcast where we talk about taking messy action, knowing that perfect is boring. I'm Lesley Logan, Pilates instructor and fitness business coach. I've trained thousands of people around the world and the number one thing I see stopping people from achieving anything is self-doubt. My friends, action brings clarity and it's the antidote to fear. Each week, my guest will bring bold, executable, intrinsic and targeted steps that you can use to put yourself first and Be It Till You See It. It's a practice, not a perfect. Let's get started. 

Lesley Logan 1:12  

Hello, Be It babe. Well, I've got someone back. She's fabulous, she's amazing. You loved her first episode. I loved it so much. We got off and I was like, oh my god, I have to talk to her about so much more. So obviously, this is going to just have to be a theme we do. But Rachel Varga is back from The School of Radiance, her amazing podcast, I've been on it. So if you want to, you want to hear me over there and check it out, you should. We're actually going to talk about all the things that we need to be doing to take care of our skin, ourselves. Are the are the tools are being advertised to even worth the time. So lots of scientific words we use, but she also explains all of them. So I promise you, it's great. And we talked about gua sha, facial yoga, derma planing, derma rolling, like, what? What should we be doing? What's a waste of our money and time? You're gonna be mind blown. I'm so mind blown. I just, you just saved me two things from the store, so I'm freaking excited about it, and you can work with her. So check this episode out. You might have a notepad out as anyone you want to listen to, and I hope it, I hope you see how you know, there's things we can be doing every day that are self-care, self-love and helping us be it till we see it. 

Lesley Logan 2:21  

All right, Be It babe. She's back. Love the first episode, we got so much out of it, but we want to get tactical. We don't want to waste our time. We're good at healthy habits, and Rachel Varga is here to make sure that we are doing all the right things to take care of ourselves. Because, I don't know if we talked about in the first episode, but did we talk about how, like self-care is an act of self-love, like it's self-love when you care for yourself, right?

Rachel Varga 2:46  

It's critical. We need to tend to our inner garden and sanctuary first and foremost, before we give back to others so that we can from the most present place, which is love. 

Lesley Logan 2:58  

Well, Rachel Varga, just in case anyone hasn't listened to your last episode, we'll link it in the show notes. But can you tell everyone a little bit, you know, remind them who you are and why you rock at all the things we're about to talk about.

Rachel Varga 3:10  

Oh, thanks, Lesley, and I'm thrilled to be here again where we're going to get into some practical tips. So a little bit about myself. I am a what you would consider a double board certified aesthetic nurse specialist since 2011. What does that mean? Well, as a traditionally trained aesthetic nurse, I've performed thousands of rejuvenation procedures on patients over the years, from peels to lasers to injectables, assisting with surgery, teach other docs and nurses on these techniques, right? Research papers, obviously have The School of Radiance Podcast that you've been on, Lesley. However, after being in that world for so long, and then incorporating biohacking and longevity practices and truly amplifying the home care practices that actually make a huge difference long term, and then maybe sprinkling in some of the in-clinic things, it's just made the world of difference for me. And that's really what I'm all about, is helping you both look and feel your best. And if I can do it, you can do it too.

Rachel Varga 3:59  

Yes, that's what we want. Because sometimes it's like, oh my god. Is this even impossible? Like, can I even attain these things? Do you have to be an expert at it? So I appreciate that you make things accessible and easy for us. Okay, so let's talk about it. You know, most of the women listening to this show are like me. We're over 40. We're trying to, we, you know, some of us were raised in the 80s, and like no one, everyone liked a tan baby back then. So we're all we learned in our 20s. Oops, we got to wear sunscreen. Gotta do all the things. But what are some practical tips in our self-care, in our bathrooms and taking care of ourselves that we that we should be thinking about? I'm thinking like, should I? Is gua sha anything thing? Is that gonna do anything for me? I'm thinking like, you know that kind of stuff, like, what are your favorite tools that maybe are underrated, and we should be thinking about?

Rachel Varga 5:01  

100%. let's start with setting the stage for am and pm rituals. I don't say morning, because why do we want to mourn the morning right the start to the day? This is like, beautiful, rise and shine, babes. So it really starts with hydration. The skin, bottom line, we need to be drinking about two to two and a half liters water a day. Make sure there's some salt in there to support those adrenals. Hello, life in our 40s, if we're not for full, those adrenals are going to get taxed just with life stuff that happens. So your am and pm routine, we're going to get into the practical facial wash off skin care. But what this actually can do that's really potent is allow you to drop in for five to 15 minutes, however long it takes you to get ready, into your parasympathetic nervous system state. And I would say that this is actually one of the most important things for us as women to dip into as often as possible. That's actually going to slow our aging. Get that cortisol down. Get that adrenaline down. Get that sympathetic state nervous system state down and regulated into the parasympathetic, because at the end of the day, that state itself that you're consciously stepping into when you step into your bathroom, where you do your self-care, it's setting that intention and setting that stage. So I didn't want to bypass or skim over bu that's what your self-love time really is doing is it's giving you that opportunity to dip into that parasympathetic nervous system, rest and recover and regenerative state. That's what we're doing with our skincare right? 

Lesley Logan 6:59  

I'm sorry, you blew my mind. You're like, okay, the first thing is going to be the water. I mean, like, yes, yes. But you know, like, I don't I think that no one was expecting that to be the first thing. We're like, okay, hydration, yes, which moisturizer? And you're like, water. I do think we we miss it, and then the salt, the part, component of it. Because I do think people are like, oh, my god, I would be bloated, like, I remember, you know, everyone's like, I have a photo I'm in the fitness world. I have a photo shoot. No salt. And it's like, yeah, but like, I've had blood tests gone where, like, a guy's like, you could eat a salt, like, like, your body needs more salt.

Rachel Varga 7:35  

Most of us do, and especially if we're here. I mean, I'm in my late 30s. I'm not 40 yet, but I'm feeling those shifts. I'm feeling that need for that softness and that additional salt intake with the hydration to support the adrenals, because I know that there's things that are going to be happening, coming up with perimenopause and menopause and all that. So I don't want to downplay that, and it's also just a really good practice to focus on your hydration before you reach for that coffee to nourish the body. It's going to be great for brain support as well. So now getting into the nitty gritty side of the skin care things. I'm a huge fan of taking a shower or taking a bath in the AM, it's really great for me. I train a ton, whether that's Pilates or yoga, weightlifting. I do a big mix of a lot of different things. I need that warmth. I need that relaxation in the AM, sometimes we can wake up just like a little bit stiff, especially when we are training quite a bit. Fascia relaxed, relax that nervous system, and you'll actually get a better face wash and exfoliation, we'll talk about for the body. But I do like to suggest doing cleanse. I have a great cleanser on my skin shop, and then follow that up with a scrub, and you'll get a better face wash with that fresh running water, as opposed to over the sink. You might have some residual cleanser left over, and then you have water fade on your vanity.

Lesley Logan 9:12  

I one of my facialists, she made these amazing things where that it was a towel on your hands, and I went all the way up, like, imagine, like, leg warmers for your arms when it was, like, a towel so you could, like, wash your hands, wash your face, with these on, and then the water would catch but then I had to put them on every day, and I'm like, this is too much. I prefer to be in the shower. I have my face wash in the shower. It just, you are correct. I hate when I get up. I'm like, oh, there's a bunch all around my eyes. Awesome.

Rachel Varga 9:39  

I think it's just more efficient. Because I don't know about you all, but I brush my teeth in the bathroom, in the shower, too. So, do my face cleanse, do my face scrub, because that regular exfoliation is actually, it's a huge myth that people think, oh, if I read sensitive, dry skin, I don't want to scrub. You do want to gently exfoliate so that your products and serums can be better absorbed in the skin. You don't have this build up of the stratum corneum, which are like stacked corn flakes. Brush your teeth in there too. Get that heat on the body, get the body kind of relaxed, waking up a little bit, and then, if you are brave enough, doing about a 20 to 32nd blast of cold is really helpful for toning that vagus nerve, maybe even humming in the shower. Not enough women are doing this, and I see a lot of women struggling in that sympathetic, dominant nervous system state. So all of these little things just that you start to weave into your daily practices are not only going to help your skin look better, but are going to be supportive of the brain and the nervous system health, which thus is going to make you a little bit more powerful in that mind-body connection when you go into your workouts too.

Lesley Logan 10:55  

Oh my gosh. Love this. What a fun shower routine like I'm really I think this is great. I, humming. What an interesting so do you hum with the cold, or instead of the cold, or after the cold, when do you hum?

Rachel Varga 11:08  

It's actually a great distraction technique when you're getting that cold exposure. And I mean, I don't love cold exposure. I much prefer heat, but we do want to balance that heat and cold yin yang. We live in a world of duality. So if humming can, I think it's kind of stacking your vagus nerve toning with the humming. So like a hum or boo, those are good to do while you're getting through the motion of that 20 to 32nd cold shock which, which is good for you. And these are just little things that can be woven into your routines that are just going to make it a little bit next level. 

Lesley Logan 11:50  

Yeah, okay, I love this, and it's true. I also had heard like, don't exfoliate your face too much. But I got a really amazing gentle, gentle exfoliation, that face wash that I really loved, and it my face left feeling moisturized afterwards. I think I was the youngest when I was using that every single day, so I clearly have to get back on that.

Rachel Varga 12:11  

I should actually send you. I don't know why I haven't sent you this already, but just like a whole skin routine of cleanser, scrub, I have a really great tightening eye serum, C60 serum, copper peptide, moisturizer, sunscreen, like you're going to be set that's a really solid basic routine. And when you're in the shower, another thing to stack in this moment for you, when you're rinsing your body off. By the way, I wrote a research paper about a year and a half ago, titled Oxidative Stress Status and Its Impacts on Skin Aging. What does that mean? Why is it important? Well, it's really inflammation that ages us, and where do those environmental toxins come from? Air, water, lighting, electromagnetics, eating the wrong foods, yeast, fungi, mold, heavy metals and parasites. And when I was researching air, when heavy metals in the air land on the skin, they actually tell your keratinocyte stem cells to die faster. So this concept of cleanliness is next to godliness, or rinsing off the energy of the day has another layer to it that you might not have thought about just literally rinsing off debris in the air that might have landed on you while you were sleeping or going throughout your daily life. To get that skin clean like you don't have to scrub down your entire body. But I what I will say is a really good scrub to do in the bath or the shower, is actually Epsom salts. So you're getting that simultaneous absorption of magnesium. Really good. 

Lesley Logan 13:53  

This. So should I do this in the in the nighttime shower, the pm shower, because it's magnesium will help me sleep, is that a better (inaudible).

Rachel Varga 14:00  

Yeah, I'm a huge fan of either soaking in a magnesium I mean, I consume magnesium as well, and last last night, I actually did like probably 40 sprays of magnesium all over my body. But exfoliating with an Epsom salt, like salt with a bit of avocado oil is such a great hack, especially if you are in high altitude or desert climates, for the full body, it's really cheap, but you're just getting this absorption of the magnesium. So it depends what you're doing that day.

Lesley Logan 14:33  

I love this because it's I really love a float tank, like I'm obsessed with them. I think they're really great. They're so good for my usually, when I would go to a coaching event to be coached, I would float the night before, and then at the next morning, before I fly out, I'd float again. Because just like you know, that's a lot of over ones, a lot of information, a lot of stuff for the body. And I just slept so good. I felt so good. I felt so connected. But here in Vegas, there's none near me, so this feels like kind of the in between the best of both worlds. And for the people worried about the water, they just want to like, I know my peeps are wanting to take care of the environment. I know in Las Vegas, 98% of all shower, sink water is actually getting repurposed and reused. It is actually getting cycled, cleaned and put back out there. Vegas is actually doing amazing things with re reusing water. So don't worry. Don't worry, like, check where you are, what they're doing to make sure that we're maintaining water sources. But like, you don't have to sacrifice yourself as what I was my point is, there's probably a great service happening around you, too.

Rachel Varga 15:34  

Yeah, and I do live on a small island, Vancouver Island, so our water is pretty good here. However, there's things that get added to the water to purify it, and like pharmaceuticals that enter the water supply too. So I am a huge fan of drinking filtered water and also showering with filtered water. And I have a shower head recommendation, actually on my bio hacking page that you could just easily install, too, 

Lesley Logan 15:59  

We just did that this year, because it is, it's hard water here, and I could tell, and we got, oh my gosh, it changed everything. And now my poor guests, I've got to do one for them, you know, you got to do it. So these are little things that we don't think about, you know, like you don't think about the water that's coming on your skin. And you could be doing all these amazing things, and then you could be reversing it a little bit with the water.

Rachel Varga 16:21  

Yeah, and people, people always ask me, like, oh, you know about skincare and rejuvenation? And it's like, yes, those are all important. But it's these little nuanced layers that are either going to relax your nervous system, help tone your nervous system or support it from a nutrient or mineral perspective. So really good, dialed in rejuvenation. Skincare routine is not only going to be just what you put on your skin, it's literally actually how you completely move through life. And one other thing I want to talk about is just using that Epsom salt. Like, just pick up some Epsom salt from your local pharmacy or chemist that doesn't have anything else added to it, and just put, like, grab some of that salt. And I like to put that avocado oil all over my body, like in the bathroom, shower, and then just use that. It's, it's better in the shower, so that you don't have the avocado oil like in your tub, yeah, and then just grab handfuls of that salt and go over the body. So it's similar to say dry brushing. Dry brushing isn't something that I'm really on board with. The main benefits of dry brushing is actually for micro circulation, lymph and the nervous system, but a magnesium scrub, I think, is going to be accomplishing something similar. While you're simultaneously hydrating with that avocado oil, exfoliating with the Epsom salt, magnesium flakes, and you're absorbing some of that magnesium. So I just think it's a little bit more efficient.

Lesley Logan 17:59  

Well, yeah, because I mean, like, you know, I have a dry brush, and I have used it for, like, the circulation, like, type of a thing, but because it's so dry here, it actually is not pleasant for me, like, as except for, like, when I'm in a place, it's like, more like, lay a little more humid. It feels nice. Here, I'm like, okay, we're just dry on dry. So I like what you're saying. I do think my housekeeper and Brad are gonna start to wonder why the kitchen is now in the bathroom, but I'm all in also, can we just, like, shout out to like, how affordable this thing is? Because I think sometimes we start to think about, like, taking care of our skin. All of a sudden everything is like, $75 $1,000 and so this is avocado oil. Is not the cheapest oil, but, like, it's also not like my Osea exfoliant salt scrub is like, 60 bucks in last month. This is gonna an Epsom salt bag is huge. And then the I think that I can make this last longer. I love this.

Rachel Varga 18:52  

Yeah, I've seen lots of scrubs on the market over the years, including, like, coffee grounds scrubs that is a mess, okay?

Lesley Logan 18:59  

I know. I don't think I need, coffee grounds get ever, it's like glitter. No, no. 

Rachel Varga 19:04  

Yeah, yeah, the Epsom salts. I mean, do that have some in the tub. Take a bath with it to finish things off. But yeah, you're gonna want to clean out your tub afterwards. I just found that the avocado oil worked a little bit better than olive oil, not to mention, a lot of olive oils are like and avocado oils are mixtures. So you do want that single source oil. Yeah for sure. So when it comes to what I've seen in the marketplace, in the medical aesthetics world, for products for the body, they're just really expensive skincare in a larger bottle. 

Lesley Logan 19:41  

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Rachel Varga 19:44  

Yeah, that gets too expensive. But when it comes to doing our skincare on our face, neck, chest and hands, this is when I recommend getting into some more sophisticated formulations, simply because the skin on the face, neck, chest, hands is more high real estate area, and also the arms, depending on if you're in a climate that's warm all the time, like you are, Lesley, you want to be cleansing, exfoliating, feeding, nourishing and protecting that skin all the time, and just getting in that habit. So when I'm in the bath or the shower, I'm doing my cleanser. Face, neck, side of the neck, upper back, entire chest area. Follow that up with the scrub. I have a really great, actually magnesium facial scrub. You don't want to use the Epsom salts on the face, because those the grit is pretty big and it's also jagged, so it's okay for the body, but for the more delicate areas of the face, neck and chest, we want to be using more of like a spherical particle to buff and polish somewhat more delicate skin, so we don't get micro tears and things like that. So I did just want to delineate not using that what you're doing for the body on the more delicate areas and the all the products that I'm mentioning are on my skin shop too, by the way, I source at the best and also make products. And then after you've fully rinsed that all off, you want to actually go straight into your skincare and your skin hydration routine. And I remember, I have a sister who's six years older than me, and for all of us here around this age group, do you remember the Cosmopolitan magazine?

Lesley Logan 21:26  

Oh, yes, are you kidding? I was a subscriber. Had to hide it, but I would loved it. 

Rachel Varga 21:30  

Absolutely. And I remember coming across an interview with Halle Berry, and one of the tips that she shared was, as soon as she gets out of the bath or the shower, she gets right into her hydration routine. And that's really wise, because when you are applying your skin care without fully towel drying your face, neck and chest area, and there's still some of that humidity, like sure go over your hairline, a little bit to the eyes, maybe underneath the jawline, but going right into your skincare routine while the skin is still humid, you'll actually be able to use less product and have more of that product slip easier and be ever be able to cover more areas. So go right after the bath, shower, go right into, say, your eye serum or eye cream, and then follow that up with an antioxidant serum. I love C60. I've created an incredible C60 formula. You can also look at hyaluronic acid or copper peptide serums, for example, follow that up with your moisturizer and your sunscreen. The nuance here is literally every time you are this is going to save you a lot of time and money, because we're going to talk about gua sha lymphatic drainage here. You don't need a gua sha stone. You don't need a gua sha roller. You got your hands. I mean, I got like, mega gym hands here, lifting those weights proofs in the pudding. But what's cool about our fingertips is not a machine. It's called the bio well, and when we put our fingers in this little box, it can actually measure the photons coming off of our fingertips. This is called purely on photography. It gets six we literally, we have little lightning bolts coming off of our fingers that you can't see.

Lesley Logan 23:24  

What? That's crazy. And so we can put these back in to our body, is what you're saying? So instead of using a stone, we can be using our own hands. So now you've already saved us 60 bucks on a stone. Brad, don't listen to that. We have two stones. We will still use them.

Rachel Varga 23:44  

I mean, with a lot of those gua sha tools and jade rollers, where are they being made? Right? They're being made overseas and some four year old probably made it.

Lesley Logan 23:57  

I really hope not from one company, but yes, it's true. But I think, like, I think we think, oh, it's this great stone. This is jade. This is rose quartz. Rose quartz can be healing, but I have seen you can use your fingers, as long as your hands are, clean them up, and then you have moisturizer on your hands and your face. And then you can do it. It's actually, there's something, I'm sure this is why the photons on the fingertips is going to come into play. There's something really calming and nurturing about it, because it's not a stone on the body, it's you on your own body, like it's like you getting to know your own faith. Like there's just different things you're going to feel and you're going to find. 

Rachel Varga 24:35  

Yeah, 100%. So if we're using a hard tool, like a gua sha tool, we kind of miss the engagement to feel what our lymph nodes are up to. And that's the whole point of facial gua sha and lymphatic drainage is to open up these lymph nodes. So say, for example, you're opening up your nodes first above your clavicles. And I have a whole tutorial on like how to really do it, but we have our nodes here. So if you palpate above your collarbone, you might feel like a couple of sore spots. And when you dig in a little bit more and you kind of get to that, oh, okay, I can feel it. That's actually, again, really good for vagus toning, vagus lymph toning.

Lesley Logan 25:24  

And what should it feel like? Like, because I can feel like, I can feel like muscles, and then I can feel some like soft spots. Like, is it should it feel like juicy? Should it feel?

Rachel Varga 25:35  

You'll feel like a point of discomfort. And that's actually really good for helping to tone the vagus nerve and just a little bit of gentle pressure here, it's going to squish the lymph in the nodes above your clavicle. Because whatever we do to for lymphatic drainage on the face and the neck, it has to flow out. So we actually need to first open up these clovicular lymph nodes, and then with our fingers we are applying our products at the same time. So when you're cleansing, when you're doing your eye cream, when you're doing your serums, your moisturizer, your sunscreen, you're always going over these lymph nodes going underneath the jaw line and and the sort of pattern I like to do is start with the nodes when you're cleansing, and then when you follow up with every other step, like your serums, your eye cream, your moisturizer, your sunscreen. We're doing these sweeping motions so circular around the eyes, kind of going in a little bit with firmer pressure on the side of the nose, sweeping laterally, and then also in front of your ears, here we have a big cluster of nodes too, and they'll feel like a little bit tender, but you want to make sure you're opening that up. 

Lesley Logan 26:56  

Because if you're not, if you're listening to this, you can watch it on the YouTube, because she's doing it with what you're supposed to do. Yeah.

Rachel Varga 27:01  

And then one of the things that a lot of women really struggle with is tight (inaudible), from clenching from the more embodied and in tune you are with your body, the more self-mastery you have around what you're doing with your face when you're focusing on a task when you're communicating, and a lot of us will furrow the brows or clench the jaw or purse the lips, so when you have a greater awareness of your body, you're not going to do these things as much, which are going to contribute to say, lines on the brows, lines on the upper lip, but the masseter is we want to make sure that these pretty big muscle groups are given some love, so that all of this lymph can drain out.

Lesley Logan 27:51  

So it feels like, correct me, if I'm wrong, you just basically were saved us some time, because when we are applying our moisturizer, we can be doing the gua sha techniques with our own hands, and then we're also getting to know what's going on with our own body on that day. And we're getting to, like, really check in with ourselves. So thank you, because that's what a great, what a because it's like, I want to be doing all the right things. I definitely want to, like, if I'm puffy or what's going about. Like, also, like, I want to have that habit and to have to not have to have the excuse to have the tool, and I could be doing it myself. What a nice freedom thing, but also a great way to get to know yourself and get to know what you need.

Rachel Varga 28:33  

Yeah, and you're doing it when you're doing your am and pm skincare routine. So it's not like this additional 15, 20 minute thing that you're doing because it's cute for Instagram. Instead, take that time and do dermal rolling at home instead. So that's not using a jade roller with a stone that's actually using a tool that has little needles on it. Not all dermal rollers are created equally. I use and offer some that have been manufactured since the 90s, then you want to follow that up with appropriate products afterwards to get that collagen and elastin stimulated to help reduce that pigmentation. So it's just a better use of time and energy from using a jade roller to a couple nights a week doing the dermal rolling instead for more collagen.

Lesley Logan 29:21  

Oh, okay, so I'm clearly going to the shop and I'm doing some stuff. Is dermal rolling different than I'm going to sound like an idiot, is dermal rolling different than dermal blading? Derma blading? Do you know? I mean, okay, and should we be doing that? 

Rachel Varga 29:36  

Great question, I get this all the time. So, dermal planing. 

Lesley Logan 29:42  

Oh, planing, yes. 

Rachel Varga 29:43  

Yes, that got really popular. I'm trained in it, but I never bothered to do it because it's just glorified shaving the face. I gotta do a really funny confession here. Okay, you could pay somebody $300 to $400 to take a scalpel. Put some fancy powder on your face, and then take that scalpel and shave your face off your facial skin. Right? Off facial skin? Well, you're removing some skin, but it's it's great for the peach fuzz, right? And then your skincare and your makeup just goes on flawlessly after that. Shaving the face is huge to have a flawless, dewy look, especially in when it's sunny and warm out, and we want that glassiness to the skin, right? So you could pay somebody three to $300 to $400 to shave your face for you, or you could just do it yourself. 

Lesley Logan 30:33  

So you don't have to get like a derma you could just do a regular razor, like a good one, but a regular one. Okay. How come? Okay. Well, these ads are really pissing me off, because they make it seem like you do a special thing. Well, thanks, thanks for that. Thank you for that. I know I do see the ones where they're all the powder and I'm like, I feel like I can see my peach buzz, like, I'm it's there. Like, I don't need to have powder on to know where the peach buzz is.

Rachel Varga 30:56  

So ridiculous when I see these ads, because what the heck is in that powder? Like, is it talc? And people are putting this powder on because it looks kind of interesting, but they're inhaling it. And I pretty much guarantee that that product has not been tested or approved for inhalation and engagement interaction with the respiratory tract, just saying. 

Lesley Logan 31:22  

Yeah, okay, well, that's great. So derma, derma blading, derma, derma rolling. 

Rachel Varga 31:27  

Derma planing. 

Lesley Logan 31:29  

And it's not the same as derma rolling. 

Rachel Varga 31:31  

Exactly, yeah, and then we have micro blading, which is semi permanent brow makeup or powder brow. So dermal rolling, otherwise known as, say, microneedling, can be done in two ways. In the clinic, there's like a pen type of tool that's done in the clinic, and then you can have PRP or exosomes or other products applied afterwards, those are, again, about $400 to $600 a treatment. It's recommended every month, and usually a package of six. Now you could do that, which would be the equivalent of, say, biohacking once a month, or living healthy once a month and going to somebody to tell you what to do, or do it for you once a month. That doesn't make a ton of sense, does it?

Lesley Logan 32:23  

Right. No, it's like, it's like, doing your workout one time a month. So I got it, yeah. 

Rachel Varga 32:26  

Going to a personal trainer once a month and not doing anything really in between, except for maybe stretching. So if you were to say, consider doing dermal rolling or microneedling at home with the right tool, with the right technique, with the right products to stabilize your skin beforehand, with that cleanser, moisturizer, sunscreen, scrub and then what to apply afterwards, you're getting that collagen induction two to five nights a week. You're keeping those collagen enzymes activated constantly in this state of cell renewal. To me, that just makes a lot more sense. And not to mention the rollers are, like 150 bucks, if you were to and they're gonna, the ones that I have are like a two year product as well, like they last about two years, they'll just kind of dull, like a razor, more economical weeks, makes way more sense to me.

Lesley Logan 33:18  

And you can use it on the face, can use it on the neck? Wonderful. Okay, we can come back to that topic, but face yoga, worth the time? Is it a thing, like, is it a thing? Do I be making faces in front of the mirror to get my muscle?

Rachel Varga 33:38  

You're asking all the right questions, Lesley, I'm super proud of you. You know, I go on Instagram, and because I'm in the skin space, my page is @RachelVargaOfficial, by the way, and so I get to see all these ads that you are all seeing too, because I'm interested in skin and health and anti aging wellness and all that biohacking stuff too. And I see these ads this, like, before on one side of the face, and then after, of, like, instantly lifted.

Lesley Logan 34:12  

Oh, I just got that one where she's like, watch me lift my face. And she took this thing and, like, her face is up, and I'm like, You look like you just had a stroke. What did you just do on the other side of your face? Like, what just happened? I don't think that's supposed to happen.

Rachel Varga 34:25  

The funny thing with that is they never show both sides of the face before they do that demonstration, so that person could very likely have some pre existing facial asymmetries that with some good marketing and product placement. Oh my gosh. Look at these before and after results comparing both sides, that person might constantly be sleeping on this side, on their left side, and also the driving side, that brow could just be naturally lower in another place. So the other side, the right side that maybe they don't sleep on, they don't have as much sun damage, and just the way that their facial musculature is could naturally be a couple millimeters higher. So I always have a bit of a laugh when I see those.

Lesley Logan 35:14  

Oh my gosh. Okay, so well, I appreciate that you're seeing the same ads as me, because, like, after this conversation, I'm gonna get more of them. My phone is right here, listening away. So, okay, so, but so face yoga, we can save our time, or it's worth doing?

Rachel Varga 35:29  

I'm a huge fan of yoga for the body, and while you're doing your your yoga for the body, you're keeping your face relaxed, right? You're you're having an awareness. You're maybe doing a hard pose, or a hard Pilates routine, like you're really there, you're really present, you're giving it your all, and you're doing it, and you're clenching your jaw, or you're biting down and bearing down, or you're bringing your brows together and like focus. In those states, this is just nervous system mastery, this is full body awareness, mind-body connection, what you're doing with your face, you actually want to keep your face as relaxed as possible, because that's directly tied to beauty. That's why I mentioned the nervous system state. The more relaxed you are in that parasympathetic state, the more beautiful you are going to be perceived as because a sign of nervous system regulation, signs of health and vitality, that's actually what's attractive, even if you have signs of aging, right? It's the way that you carry yourself, it's the way that you present yourself. It's the how present you are. The facial yoga, in a nutshell, never been a huge fan of it. And again, I've seen these before and after images of people who promote these things, and I take one look at them, there's especially this one more mature oriental woman who does it, and before she just had a really wide jaw. And to me, when I see that, I see face lift, I see lower jaw surgery as very likely a possibility of happening. So I kind of take that into consideration that I really don't think that having that face shape shift be that significant is from doing facial yoga exercises. Now that being said, there are some really good things that we can do with our face, which is to not go through life with your mouth open. If we go through life with our mouth open, we actually can, and we mouth breathe, or we do that while we sleep, you're going to have crummy sleep. And actually you're you can experience we see this when we look at long term mouth breathers, they have this lower mandible jaw recession. And I think that's also related to some of the scaling muscles and some of the soft connective tissue, the fascia. When the mouth is open, it can get tight. Something's tight here that's resulting in that back shift of the mandible. So I'm here to say that go through life with your with your lips together. 

Lesley Logan 38:34  

Yeah. Well, you know, I read that in the book Breathe from James Nestor, like we are changing our faces, like by being by mouth breathing. It's like changing the way that your cheeks are shaped, and the way your your cheeks rest on your face, and that all that stuff, you know, you're it's a really interesting thing. We used to say, like, your ears just keep in. Nose keep growing. But actually, like, the bones of your face can change your whole life, depending on, like, how you're breathing. So I believe that. Well, I love that. So that makes me happy. Okay, puffy eyes. Do I need to be taking my things out of the freezer? And is that going to help me every single morning? It should be my spoons.

Rachel Varga 39:10  

I love this so much. Definitely. We'll talk about that, because that's actually the area that the eyes and eye aging is, it's an area of specialty I've been involved in since 2011 in the field as an aesthetic nurse in ocular plastics, ophthalmology, and my first research paper was actually on eye aging and rejuvenation algorithms. So this is actually totally related, because when it comes to in-clinic rejuvenation, we've all heard of neuromodulators. We've heard of the brand name Botox, right? What does that do? Well, it's injected in specific areas to relax the communication from the nerve to the muscle, and that can create a lifting effect between the brows, so it reduces the ability to furrow the brows. It can allow, I wrote a paper on micro droplet technique around the eyes to give a non surgical eyelid lift, to relax this circular muscle around the eyes. It's like a sphincter. When we scrunch or when we smile, it brings the brow down and we get the lines in the corners of the eyes, which we call the crow's feet, simply by the mechanism of the muscle fibers being like a circle around the eyes. So when you're doing your eye cream and facial cleansing, to actually do a circular motion around the eyes to keep those muscle fibers oriented in that circular direction helps with methodic flow, too, and even around the mouth, it's a circular muscle group. That's why we get those perpendicular, vertical lip lines, which women experience a little bit more than men do. Side sleeping is going to do that, drinking from straws as well as going to contribute to that. So here we have neuromuscular and neuromodular treatments like Botox came on the market in the 90s, and now there's lots of different versions of that that work similarly. There's a cleaner version of it, which is the one that I prefer to use instead, but they relax the message of the nerve to the muscle, and they do a great job at refining the skin, giving a little bit of like a glassier look to the skin. And the funny thing is, I wrote a drawing rejuvenation paper too, with the jowls, the jowl, if you were to pinch your jowl, and then kind of move back a little bit. You can kind of tell there's, like, there's something underneath the skin where the jowl is, it's a little thicker.

Lesley Logan 41:48  

Yeah, like I can feel like this, like it's, I would have thought it was like a muscle, like, this feels thick. This is a yeah, yeah, yeah.

Rachel Varga 41:55  

This is the DAO muscle. So when we're doing this type of motion, like, we respond to something, we flex our neck, or we're bearing down, and our teeth are together, our lips are apart, and we flex the neck, activate that muscle. So actually, chewing gum will age your jawline faster.

Lesley Logan 42:19  

Thank God I quit doing that in 2003 I'm so proud of myself.

Rachel Varga 42:25  

It's also super like uncouth. If you're well put together and you're going through life with chewing gum, it's not like a great look. 

Lesley Logan 42:37  

I also just want to say, and I don't want to get sidetracked about what you're telling, but I just want to say all my Pilates people who are listening you always ask me, like, how do we breathe in Pilates, and should we do the (inaudible) mouth exhale out through the mouth, right there she was doing this weird thing with her like, like her doing tension in her cheeks. That's why I don't let people breathe out their mouth. They have to do in and out their nose, because it keeps the jaw soft. It keeps the neck soft, because we are going to crawl up. And people are might overuse their neck, but when they do that, that breathing, I can't handle that progressive because it creates tension in the neck, tension in the jaw. And now I can just say it also is going to age you. So I'm so grateful for having another reason why you shouldn't do it. 

Rachel Varga 43:18  

I'm your firsthand, I'm and your intuition on that is right? Because you're seeing people do that. You're seeing these muscles pop out and it's like, oh, that doesn't look very good. It's like we're seeing more shadows and things we don't want to see, say, from where the jowl goes down to underneath the jaw bone and into the neck. We have these muscles in the neck called the platysma bands, and then we get these horizontal necklace lines to the neck. We call it tech neck. We're looking at our phone. Everybody gets them pretty common, even in the teens, but the jowl muscle connects to the platysma bands. So when I flex my neck, you'll see the platysma bands pop out and that shadowing? We don't really want a lot of shadows on the skin. We want smooth looking skin, like we want to soften the crow's feet and and have a sharper, defined jaw line. So when we chew and we do facial yoga exercises, we are working out jowl muscle, talking, singing, things like that. So exactly what you're saying of keeping that jaw line and the neck relaxed. It's also going to be really good to do that self massage on the neck to release those scalenes, because with stress, we can have tight shoulders. We want to go through life with our heart open, with our heart relaxed, not compressed inwards, which is going to impact our beauty, because we have poor posture, and then also get these platysma bands really tight. So we do want to have this awareness of actually keeping our face and our neck and our shoulders relaxed. So again, nervous system and mastery does help you be more beautiful and being embodied with what is going on with your body. Where are you carrying your tension? And you need to let it go. So that's getting into the deeper emotional intelligence side of things, but the Pilates and stretching absolutely critical for keeping this fascia limber and lubricated and softened. So that's structurally why we don't want to be doing facial yoga, because these muscles say to the jowls get worked out all the time. Anyways, it's just your life, neuromodulators, off label into the jaw line. Here. I wrote a paper on it, it's why I talk about it. When you don't work out a muscle, it shrinks. When we work out a muscle it gets bigger. So we can actually shrink that.

Lesley Logan 45:54  

Okay, so, and that's like, that goes to the nerve. You can do things for the puffy eyes or for the gels, what you're saying with that's a little extra thing that's coming in for treatments with the neuromodulators, not you're talking about not a botox necessarily, but the cleaner one.

Rachel Varga 46:10  

Yeah, yeah. And I'm happy to discuss that more in like a one on one session, because not everything is great for everybody, especially if there's some autoimmune stuff going on, high levels of inflammation. Rejuvenation is not for everybody, but there is one other muscle group I want to talk about in the lower face area, and that's the chin. We can also carry tension in the chin, and when we pout out our lower lip, we can see the appearance of more dimples to the chin. So like that orange peel chin, we think it's pores, large pores, but it's actually just that constant contraction of chin muscle that can lead to that textural change over time as we age. So again, just having that awareness, lips together, jaw relaxed. Nose breathing, we have our nasal cavities, which have little hairs and hydrate and provide humidity to the air before it enters our lungs. So nose breathing is way better than mouth breathing. Mouth breathing terrible for your oral microbiome, too.

Lesley Logan 47:21  

Cool stuff. Okay, this conversation, so fun. I feel like, if like you got not if you're like, I don't wanna buy anything, ladies, if you could just keep your face relaxed and enjoy a nice shower where you wash your face, I think with your ear like you could think that's a lot right there. But I also just feel like, very empowered in, like, all the different things we can do, for anti aging, but also for in for self-care that doesn't require going to do things like, there's like, options that we have, and we have the tools are at our fingertips.

Rachel Varga 47:57  

Literally. 

Lesley Logan 47:57  

Literally.

Rachel Varga 47:58  

What this is, is this just adding intentional layers to all that you do something in life that could seem really simple. There's a complexity to it that's like the beauty of life. I don't want to miss what you asked about puffy eyes, because that's the number one question I get, is, Rachel, what do I do about these dark under eye circles or eye bags, and the area around the eyes, it's about as thin as an eggshell, and it's the first area of the face to show signs of aging. And what I don't want you all to do is go get tear trough filler, because I just started to see huge issues after that. It was it got really popular in 2017.

Lesley Logan 48:41  

People are filling their eyes? 

Rachel Varga 48:43  

Yeah, it got very popular around that time, and because I come from oculoplastics, when people had lymphatic drainage from hyaluronic acid filler in the lower eyelid, guess where they guess who they would call up, they'd called me to fix it. So I wrote a paper of, okay, what can we do to rejuvenate the eyes that isn't going to give like random puffiness or lymphatic drainage a month later, nine months later, nine years later. I don't do any tear trough fillers for my clients. It's not worth the risk, because there's other things we can do instead. So your skin care, focusing on collagen through dermal rolling, maybe some lasers, relaxing the muscles around the eyes and even to the side of the nose here. So when I scrunch my nose, say, if I'm smiling, we have a (inaudible) muscles picks up the mid face. It can contribute to the lower eyelid bunching and those horizontal eyelid lines. So again, another muscle group that can be softened and just have an awareness of so when you react, you're not, you know, snarling, that's going to contribute to contraction and stretching a lower eyelid skin, but it's really thickening up that skin is going to be helpful. Maybe some filler into the cheeks to support the lower eyelid content. And also surgery, sometimes surgery is just going to be what's going to move any little fat pockets in the lower eyelid.

Lesley Logan 50:14  

That's what I had. I had a doctor say he's like, your situation is a fat pocket and I have to remove it. And I was like, I don't want to believe that. I want to believe that I have an allergy. I could just figure out what the allergy is. It'll just go away. But I think here we are 20 years later, and it's still there. So I think it's, I think it's probably just a little fat pocket, but that's a.

Rachel Varga 50:36  

Yeah just little fat pads is better than having, you know, hollow looking eyes. 

Lesley Logan 50:40  

Oh yeah. 

Rachel Varga 50:41  

Right? So that's a surgical situation. It's thicken up that skin, maybe reorient some of the fat that's in the lower eyelid area, and continued skin care and sunscreen is helpful.

Lesley Logan 50:54  

Yeah, as always, so many great tips. I just really feel like, I mean, clearly, you're so knowledgeable, but also you're pragmatic. And it's like, what here like, we've heard tips from that it still range from having to go in house, but also, like, in your own house, like, what are the things you can be doing? And like, if you can even just start with relaxing your face, like, relax your nervous system, ladies, we got to do it. We can't let you go without your Be It Action Items. So we're gonna take a brief break and come back. Find out where people can find you, follow you, get your amazing tools, biohacking tips and more.

Lesley Logan 51:29  

All right, Rachel, remind us where you hang out. Remind us where like your store is all that good stuff.

Rachel Varga 51:35  

Absolutely. On Instagram, @RachelVargaOfficial, I share lots of things to keep you inspired for both looking and feeling your best. And then theschoolofradiance.com is where you can listen to the podcast, where you can shop my skincare products that I've created or have sourced that are fantastic. And you can also book a 90 minute one-on-one with me, where I give you the roadmap of what to do at home and in the clinic, and also my seasonal skin tutorials, where I take you into my restroom and show you exactly how to maximize your basic all the way to advanced layers of really optimizing your skin and rejuvenation routines and even what rejuvenation options are great to do that season. 

Lesley Logan 52:24  

Love it, love, love, love it. I'm going to stock those because, you know, the seasons around here, we've got two, really, but, but when I go, when I travel the world, I enter all the other seasons. So, okay, bold, executable, intrinsic or targeted steps to for people to take, to be it till they see it. What do you have for us? 

Rachel Varga 52:42  

Ooh, look at your beautification routine as self-love, because you are worth it. You have one body. Care for that body as best you can by making good decisions. Weave in the skin care, weave in the biohacking. I also have a free 30 minute biohacking for the skin video at the schoolofradiance.com, too.

Lesley Logan 53:07  

Yeah, I think, I mean, like we said at the very beginning, I I'm also reading an amazing book about, like, just like, the more you have so much self-love, like your life is just better because you don't burn out. You have, you have amazing boundaries because you don't break them for somebody else, because you love yourself so much that you keep all the boundaries that you have so, and you guys, we'll have these links in the show notes, but you can use Lesley Logan 15 for discounts on the one-on-one. So definitely use that. And my name is L-E-S-L-E-Y guys, but I just think that like when I started this podcast about being it till you see it, I thought, like, okay, action-oriented things we can do. And one of the greatest things we can do is love ourselves. And part of that is like that, caring for ourselves, like that, that time in the morning, that time at night. So I love where you started this podcast is that am and pm rituals. I am totally doing the Epsom salt with the avocado oil like that is starting tomorrow. Like, just because we were just talking about before we hit record guys, I just came from an amazing Korean spa. It's my favorite spa in L.A. and it's, I've gone to many of them, but this is one of the best. And I just love how my skin feels. Because if you are hydrating well, when you take that dead skin off, you're moisturized, like it's all there, like you're taking your body knows how to do it. So, so this just sounds like it's gonna do all the most amazing things for me. So thank you for being you, Rachel. Thank you for your amazing tips. Of course, send in all your amazingness to Rachel. Send it to us. Tell us what your takeaways are, share this with a friend who needs to hear it. And then, you know, maybe we'll have to come back and talk about more things, because we're gonna get more ads on junk that we are supposed to buy. And there's probably a biohack for that. So Rachel, thank you for being our in-house biohacking supporter. And everyone else, until next time, Be It Till You See It. 

Lesley Logan 54:50  

That's all I got for this episode of the Be It Till You See It Podcast. One thing that would help both myself and future listeners is for you to rate the show and leave a review and follow or subscribe for free wherever you listen to your podcast. Also, make sure to introduce yourself over at the Be It Pod on Instagram. I would love to know more about you. Share this episode with whoever you think needs to hear it. Help us and others Be It Till You See It. Have an awesome day. Be It Till You See It is a production of The Bloom Podcast Network. If you want to leave us a message or a question that we might read on another episode, you can text us at +1-310-905-5534 or send a DM on Instagram @BeItPod.

Brad Crowell 55:31  

It's written, filmed, and recorded by your host, Lesley Logan, and me, Brad Crowell.

Lesley Logan 55:38  

It is transcribed, produced and edited by the epic team at Disenyo.co.

Brad Crowell 55:42  

Our theme music is by Ali at Apex Production Music and our branding by designer and artist, Gianfranco Cioffi.

Lesley Logan 55:49  

Special thanks to Melissa Solomon for creating our visuals.

Brad Crowell 55:52  

Also to Angelina Herico for adding all of our content to our website. And finally to Meridith Root for keeping us all on point and on time.

This first Fuck Yeah Friday episode of March centers on the idea that permission doesn’t come from the outside—it comes from you. Lesley highlights the legacy of Alice Milliat, who created opportunities for women in sports by building an alternative system when institutions refused to change. She then shares community wins and her own personal health milestones, reinforcing that progress, self-care, and courage often show up in everyday actions.

If you have any questions about this episode or want to get some of the resources we mentioned, head over to LesleyLogan.co/podcast https://lesleylogan.co/podcast/. If you have any comments or questions about the Be It pod shoot us a message at [email protected] mailto:[email protected].

And as always, if you’re enjoying the show please share it with someone who you think would enjoy it as well. It is your continued support that will help us continue to help others. Thank you so much! Never miss another show by subscribing at LesleyLogan.co/subscribe https://lesleylogan.co/podcast/#follow-subscribe-free.

In this episode you will learn about:

• How one woman organized women’s games without waiting for Olympic inclusion.
• Reclaiming mental focus by taking a week-long break from Instagram.
• Celebrating listener wins: movement, better sleep, and mastering new skills.
• Conquering the challenges of medical appointments as radical self-care.

Episode References/Links:

• Alice Milliat - https://beitpod.com/alicemilliat
• Submit your wins or questions - https://beitpod.com/questions

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Episode Transcript:

Lesley Logan 0:00  

It's Fuck Yeah. Friday. 

Brad Crowell 0:03  

Fuck yeah. 

Lesley Logan 0:04  

Welcome to the Be It Till You See It podcast where we talk about taking messy action, knowing that perfect is boring. I'm Lesley Logan, Pilates instructor and fitness business coach. I've trained thousands of people around the world and the number one thing I see stopping people from achieving anything is self-doubt. My friends, action brings clarity and it's the antidote to fear. Each week, my guest will bring bold, executable, intrinsic and targeted steps that you can use to put yourself first and Be It Till You See It. It's a practice, not a perfect. Let's get started.

Lesley Logan 0:44  

Hi, Be It babe. Hello, happy FYF, our first one on March. Are you ready? Are you in it? This year is just it's going by. There's a lot going on, so much I could say, but we're gonna start with some something that was inspiring and cool, that that I found on the internet. So this is from herstory_feminism. Did you know women's athletics entered the Olympics because one woman forced the issue by building her own games. Meet Alice Milliat. In the earliest 20th century, women were largely banned from competitive athletics, yes, we know, but the Olympic Committee claimed running, jumping and throwing were dangerous for women's bodies, too strenuous, too unfeminine, too much. So women were excluded, officially and unapologetically. Alice Milliat was a French sports administrator who refused to accept that answer. She believed women were not fragile. They were restricted, and if institutions wouldn't change, she would go around them. In 1921 Alice Milliat founded the Federation Sportive Feminine Internationale. I didn't say that with a French accent, I am sorry. Then she did something radical. She organized the Women's World Games, international competitions where women ran, jumped through and competed at elite level in front of crowds of tens of thousands, no permission required. The games were a success. They drew athletes, spectators and press attention, and suddenly the Olympics had a problem. Women's Sports was thriving without them. Under pressure, the IOC agreed to include women's athletics in the 1928 Olympic games, but only a limited number of events, and only after years of resistance. Once women were absorbed into the Olympic system. Alice Milliat was quietly pushed out. The Women's World Games were discontinued. Her organization dissolved. Her name faded from official history. The institution kept the change. The woman who forced it disappeared. Of course. Alice Milliat didn't ask for inclusion. She built an alternative so strong it made exclusion impossible. Women didn't enter the Olympics because attitude softened. The injured because a woman proved the ban was unnecessary. History remembers the institution. It forgets a disruption that forced it to change. So I am just obsessed and with like, I just think that's so cool. What a badass. It's so hard to do something scary and new like that. But she didn't ask for permission. Just did it. And I think, like, isn't that being it till we see it? We don't actually need permission from anyone to do what it is that we want to do. Make sure you just get to do it. So I just want to say, if there's something that you're waiting for someone to deem you worthy of doing, I wouldn't. I would just go do it. And it's really scary. I get it. We're working on something right now that may or may not happen when it when I it's for sure happening, I will definitely shout it out and let you know. But part of me is like, oh, my god, is this the right time? Who are we to do this? We don't have, like, like, we could do it, but like, you know, so just know that, like, you need it all from you. The permission comes from you. 

Lesley Logan 3:29  

All right, we're getting, this is my first FYF that I'm recording, I think, this year. And I'm, I'm just definitely, like, getting back into the swing of things. So if you are, you're like, wow, she sounds a little disorganized. I am just a little bit. Okay, so this is the fyfs where, this is where I actually share your wins. And you guys posted a ton of wins when I asked a few weeks back, so I'm going to read a few of them for you. So I do your wins. I do my wins. And really, we're just here to have a short time together where we go, whoa. Look at all the badasses that (inaudible) like women, you guys are so amazing. I know we have a few good men who listen. Thanks so much. But I'm really but I'm really so proud of how we can constantly find wins in all the muck, right? So this is from Yasmin. She said my biggest win is one week without Instagram to focus on other things. Yasmin, the time I'm recording this like I have to tell you right now, I actually haven't posted in days. I've just been kind of reposting from Profitable Pilates and Be It Till You See It, be it till I see it. And I'm like, why don't we call it Be It Till We See It. It's a group effort. And I am loving it because I have to have focus on other things, like it's being the beast is annoying, and so I'm so happy for you. What that is such a huge win, by the way, because it's kind of addictive. All right. Rachel from Seattle, rach.sos.vib, she wrote, I skied, taught fantastic classes and learned how to use earphones to record with Zoom for eLevate. You know what? Huge wins. You went out, took a break when skiing. You know, you had some fantastic classes that you you taught, like, way to pat yourself on the back. I love that. And then you learned how to use some earphones to record it. You know what? We all have to be beginners again. There's always something to be a beginner and like, it's so good for our brains to do that. So, way to go. All right, one more win from you guys. This is from anniecaminpilates. My wins, being present with my kiddos, getting decent sleep, getting outside for movement and fresh air despite crazy winter weather. You know what? Let me just say, huge win. If you can do all of that with kiddos and crazy winter weather, you're you're kicking ass. So you see how wins can be like something like so simple, I just didn't do Instagram for a week. Like, I am on a mission for more women to see that they are winning at things. They're winning at life because the world is trying to tell us that we're not, and they're doing that because if we banded together, we'd kick some ass, we'd run the world. We'd harness the sun's energy. That's what my yoga teacher said this morning, and I couldn't agree more. 

Lesley Logan 5:38  

All right, so let me tell you my win. So here's where, while we're talking, I have actually had my annual visit with my lady doctor. I scheduled my MRI for my breast visits, and I met with a psychiatrist about my ADHD, and I met with a breast doctor about my high risk. So I am just saying, like, just saying, like, wow, it's March 6, and I've done all the important doctor's appointments I need to do this year, and I just, I'm so proud of myself. I call that a win, especially for someone who hates making phone calls, like I really do. And then the MRI was not easy. I actually had to drive there because, like, scheduling over the phone is just a disaster with doctor's offices these days. In the year of our Lord 2026 with all the AI in the world, you got to go in person if you want to get an appointment that actually can be kept, because, if you remember, last year, they rescheduled it multiple times because it kept getting scheduled during someone's lunch. How does that happen? How does it happen? Lunches should be blocked out. So anyways, my win is like we got them all done, and it's only March. I've got a plan for this year. I'm really excited. I'll share more about my ADHD journey as I have information for you, but just freaking stoked. 

Lesley Logan 6:42  

So now let's give you a mantra and send you on your amazing way. Every act of self-care is a step toward my best self. What a fun mantra to draw on this day. Every act of self-care is a step toward my best self. Yes, every act of self-care is a step toward my best self. I mean, every act of self-care is a step toward being it till you see it, babe. All right, you know what to do. Send this to a friend who needs to hear it. Go, send your wins into the beitpod.com/questions you can send your questions there as well. And then, you know, share this episode with a friend. I already said that. So why don't you share this episode with a friend? Then, you know, go Be It Till You See It. Go, have a good day. Thanks so much. Bye. 

Lesley Logan 7:19  

That's all I got for this episode of the Be It Till You See It Podcast. One thing that would help both myself and future listeners is for you to rate the show and leave a review and follow or subscribe for free wherever you listen to your podcast. Also, make sure to introduce yourself over at the Be It Pod on Instagram. I would love to know more about you. Share this episode with whoever you think needs to hear it. Help us and others Be It Till You See It. Have an awesome day. Be It Till You See It is a production of The Bloom Podcast Network. If you want to leave us a message or a question that we might read on another episode, you can text us at +1-310-905-5534 or send a DM on Instagram @BeItPod.

Brad Crowell 8:03  

It's written, filmed, and recorded by your host, Lesley Logan, and me, Brad Crowell.

Lesley Logan 8:08  

It is transcribed, produced and edited by the epic team at Disenyo.co.

Brad Crowell 8:12  

Our theme music is by Ali at Apex Production Music and our branding by designer and artist, Gianfranco Cioffi.

Lesley Logan 8:19  

Special thanks to Melissa Solomon for creating our visuals.

Brad Crowell 8:23  

Also to Angelina Herico for adding all of our content to our website. And finally to Meridith Root for keeping us all on point and on time.

In this recap episode, guest co-host Clare Solly joins Lesley Logan to unpack one of the most uncomfortable topics for women: money. They revisit Tess Waresmith’s powerful reminder that money is just a tool, and good people should not be afraid to build wealth if they want to create real impact. From talking openly with friends about finances to knowing exactly where your money is going, this conversation makes financial independence feel less intimidating and far more actionable. If you’ve been avoiding your numbers, this is your nudge to start.

If you have any questions about this episode or want to get some of the resources we mentioned, head over to LesleyLogan.co/podcast https://lesleylogan.co/podcast/. If you have any comments or questions about the Be It pod shoot us a message at [email protected] mailto:[email protected].

And as always, if you’re enjoying the show please share it with someone who you think would enjoy it as well. It is your continued support that will help us continue to help others. Thank you so much! Never miss another show by subscribing at LesleyLogan.co/subscribe https://lesleylogan.co/podcast/#follow-subscribe-free.

In this episode you will learn about:

• The importance of good people actively seeking wealth for causes.
• Overcoming the fear of discussing money openly with your friends. 
• Tracking where your money goes to gain true financial independence. 
• Separating short-term cash savings from long-term market investments. 
• Finding trusted financial help and utilizing free educational resources. 

Episode References/Links:

• Poland Contrology Pilates Conference - xxll.co/poland 
• Vintage Friends & Contrology Brussels - xxll.co/brussels 
• Pilates On Tour® London - https://xxll.co/pot 
• OPC Spring Training - https://opc.me/events 
• Wealth With Tess – https://wealthwithtess.com/savvy
• Wealth with Tess Substack - https://wealthwithtess.substack.com/
• Ep 352: Tess Waresmith - https://beitpod.com/tesswaresmith
• Clare Solly Website - https://www.claresolly.com/
• Ep 19: Clare Solly - https://beitpod.com/ep19
• Rocket Money - https://www.rocketmoney.com
• Acorns - https://www.acorns.com
• Submit your wins or questions - https://beitpod.com/questions

If you enjoyed this episode, make sure and give us a five star rating and leave us a review on iTunes, Podcast Addict, Podchaser or Castbox. https://lovethepodcast.com/BITYSI

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Be in the know with all the workshops at OPC https://workshops.onlinepilatesclasses.com/lp-workshop-waitlist

Be It Till You See It Podcast Survey https://pod.lesleylogan.co/be-it-podcasts-survey

Be a part of Lesley’s Pilates Mentorship https://lesleylogan.co/elevate/

FREE Ditching Busy Webinar https://ditchingbusy.com/

Resources:

• Watch the Be It Till You See It podcast on YouTube! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCq08HES7xLMvVa3Fy5DR8-g
• Lesley Logan website https://lesleylogan.co/
• Be It Till You See It Podcast https://lesleylogan.co/podcast/
• Online Pilates Classes by Lesley Logan https://onlinepilatesclasses.com/
• Online Pilates Classes by Lesley Logan on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjogqXLnfyhS5VlU4rdzlnQ
• Profitable Pilates https://profitablepilates.com/about/

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Episode Transcript:

Clare Solly 0:00  

We should be in control of our money because nobody else cares. 

Lesley Logan 0:04  

Welcome to the Be It Till You See It podcast where we talk about taking messy action, knowing that perfect is boring. I'm Lesley Logan, Pilates instructor and fitness business coach. I've trained thousands of people around the world and the number one thing I see stopping people from achieving anything is self-doubt. My friends, action brings clarity and it's the antidote to fear. Each week, my guest will bring bold, executable, intrinsic and targeted steps that you can use to put yourself first and Be It Till You See It. It's a practice, not a perfect. Let's get started. 

Lesley Logan 0:43  

All right. Welcome back to the Be It Till You See It interview recap where my co-host, Clare Solly, is joining us today to dig into the money-savvy convo I have with Tess Waresmith in our last episode. If you haven't yet listened to that one, you missed out. You missed the fuck out. I'm just gonna say it right now. She's amazing. We had her back. We're having Clare back. Clare, just in case people don't remember you being part of the recaps, like, a year and a half ago, and from your amazing episode. Who are you? What do you rock at?

Clare Solly 1:10  

I am Clare Solly, I feel like I rock at being me right now.

Lesley Logan 1:14  

That's the best answer no one ever gives that.

Clare Solly 1:16  

You know, I feel it's funny. I feel like I'm like, I have nothing super exciting, like, like, publicly going on, but I've got a lot of, like, internal stuff happening. I rock, just being a general cheerleader for anybody I come across and feeling free to talk about money widely. So I'm actually, like, this podcast, or this, this episode really got me excited. So I'm excited to be here and talk about it. And I'm, bonus, I'm here in Vegas with you recording in like, I'm across the desk from you.

Lesley Logan 1:43  

I know it's really fun. That's why she's got Brad's lovely, masculine background. That's true. So, you guys, Clare is here, you're visiting, and we have these recaps to do, because I was in Sacramento on Tuesday, and I was like, hey, I have to do a little bit of work. Do you want to work with me? And that is the, like, just the testament to her, and also, like, my amazing skills, (inaudible) to work alongside me, but.

Clare Solly 2:07  

It was a total arm twist. I'm like, not gonna lie. I was like, walking in through the door. Like, can I see the studio? 

Lesley Logan 2:13  

Well, but also, like, but the divine timing of these two episodes that we're recording together, this one and next week. Because, like, there are topics I think that you'd actually really be interested in, not that Brad wouldn't be interested in the money one, he absolutely wants, he loves Tess, but also the skincare one. 

Clare Solly 2:27  

I mean, two more perfect episodes for me. There were not so. 

Lesley Logan 2:31  

Yeah, I agree. Well, today, you guys, is March 5th, 2026, and it's Name Tag Day. So on the first Thursday in March, which is on March 5th this year, duh. You guessed it, wearing name tags. On this day people become more human and pay more attention to the people who pass by them or who they pass by every day, with over 7 billion people in the world, it can be easy to feel alone and small. Name Tag Day allows everyone to be in the spotlight a little. On Name Tag Day, you're not a nameless Joe passing by in the neighborhood. Instead, when you pass by, everyone knows your name and connects with you, which is the whole aim of Name Tag Day. So Clare, are you gonna wear a name tag today? 

Clare Solly 3:07  

I love this. I actually, absolutely will. I feel like I'm horrible at names. I feel like that's my like, negative superpower. I try really hard to remember people's names. And I mean, in our society, you like, tell people your name once when you introduce yourself to them, and then you don't know it again. I've called people by the wrong name so many times. But the tricky thing is, like, where do you wear your name tag? 

Lesley Logan 3:27  

Oh, I love where do you wear it? 

Clare Solly 3:29  

I like to wear mine, like, down on my hip. I mean, I'm like, a giant so my hip is, like, everyone's eyeline, but I feel like it messes up, like, unless you have, like, a really cute one, like the Hello, my name is, sticker, like, messes up. Like, your your top hat, it gets in your hair.

Lesley Logan 3:43  

So many top, oh, my hair is all over. It just peels it right off. And then also, like, depending on the material of your top, ladies, I mean, so I kind of wish that like this, maybe I should have a name tag that's magnet, and I can just put it any like, you know what I mean, so it's one I can use every year. But I am someone who is like, oh, I'm gonna put it down my hip. But then when you, if you're sitting for the meeting, you know, like that's a problem. So I ended up putting it on my bag as if that's helpful. And it's not because it's now that I think about it. So I probably am the reason why this name tag digs is because I'm really good at remembering faces of people. I can remember like when we worked together on retail. I can remember what people bought, I can remember when we saw them last. I remember who they bought the gift for, and I cannot remember their name, like, it takes a few times. And so I I'm very aware of this. And people like, it's a choice. And I'm like, I don't think you understand that like, the fact that I can remember everything you said to me, like, I'll say people, I'm like, oh, I remember you, but I don't remember your name. And they're like, oh, it's this one. Like, we met two years ago at this thing. I'm like, oh, that's right, it was in DC, you had so and so with you, and they look at me like I'm a crazy person, because I can remember the details of the event, but not your name. So maybe this is my day. 

Clare Solly 4:47  

Maybe it's your day. 

Lesley Logan 4:48  

Yeah, so it's not too late, if you're listening to this in the evening, go put your name tag on before you go to the bar. Why not, you know? 

Clare Solly 4:52  

Why not. 

Lesley Logan 4:53  

All right, so you guys, we are days away from going to Poland, so we'll be in Poland for a few days. I guess it's like the 20, 20th of the 22nd so you should come with Karen Frischmann, and I don't know when I'm coming back, as I was talking to my friend Clare, like I'm really aiming to travel, like I combine the travels and it might be like 2028 so xxll.co/poland that I'm gonna go to, technically, I'll be in Bruges, but we've been saying Brussels. So, you know, same country, just a difference, but it's at Els Studio. Pilatels we with Karen Frischmann, Els and my friend Ignacio. We all study with Jay Grimes together. That one's almost sold out. It's xxll.co/brussels but yes, we'll be in Bruges, and then after a second honeymoon in France, Brad and I will be at POT London. That is almost sold out, and at the time that this episode is dropping, you can still get the 10% off that ends like literally next week. So xxll.co/pot, at the time we're recording, I have a few spots left in my Sunday workshop, and just because London is different than Poland, doesn't mean that I'll get there any sooner. So you're gonna want to go. And then when we come back, we have spring training. So if you are Pi-curious, Pilates curious, or you're advanced practitioner who's just struggling with some exercises, you're going to want to be in that week long training. You want to go to opc.me/events is where you want to go, because that is where we are having a lot of fun. And if you're on the events list and you get you'll never miss the early bird. You'll miss you'll get all the bonuses. So go there. 

Lesley Logan 6:18  

Okay, before we get into this recap, Clare, you're taking over the questions the next two weeks. So what do you want to ask me?

Clare Solly 6:24  

I am. So, you know, I noticed that we're at 650 episodes like, wow, how did that happen? That's not the question, sorry. And that was too easy. But since this is the Be It Pod, what is your next big Be It item, Lesley? 

Lesley Logan 6:40  

Oh my God, there's a few I can't tell you guys just yet, or kind of like they're not public yet. But what I'll tell you that is public, and you'll actually experience on the show, I am being it till I see it as a solo podcast. 

Clare Solly 6:52  

Oh. 

Lesley Logan 6:53  

So don't worry, the interviews are not going away. I just want to reduce how many we have. We did a habit series, which was a longer series, and it was combined with guest episode. And then I did a week about burnout, and then a week about self-love. The self love one was the week of Valentine's Day. I think that's appropriate. And so I want your topics that you want me to nerd out about. You guys, you can go to beitpod.com/questions, and just so topics for Lesley to talk about. And so basically, like, I want to take a topic and then do two episodes on it, so Tuesday, Thursday. So we're not going to change your cadence of when your episodes come, but I feel like you couldn't have, like, I would have been too stressed out to do a solo episode ever when we first started the pod, and now that we're 600 something episodes in, and I do all these FYFs, I'm like, I think I'm ready to, like, take on maybe one one week or two weeks a month, of just like, owning the podcast myself and giving you the information from my perspective and and hopefully holding space for topics you want to know about. And that's a little scary for me, because I won't be able to let someone else's light shine and then, like, bounce off of them. I have to, like, shine it myself. 

Clare Solly 7:59  

I just kind of want to reiterate what you're saying, because I think it's really, really important for all your listeners, especially this is the Be It Pod, and it's something you and I have talked about incessantly in our lives. So you've done 650 episodes, five, I want to say it's like been five and a half years, almost six years, that you've been doing this, and you're just now ready to start out on your own. So everybody who's listening. You don't have to take that long, but you also can take that long. And then just want to reiterate, too. If you have a question, text us at 1-310-905-5534, or submit it at beitpod.com/questions.

Lesley Logan 8:36  

That's what, I want your topics. I want your questions, I want your wins. They all go in the same place. I know that's weird, because it's just questions. But like, maybe the questions will inspire a podcast series. But I just, I know, I think I was probably ready sooner than before. But like, it's a big deal to change the how you run your show. Like, it means I have to, like, tell everyone on the team what I want to do, and then they have to, like, adjust everything. And like, you know, it used to be a little like tugboat that I was doing this business, and now it's kind of more like a yacht, and I have to, like, it's harder to turn a yacht around. 

Clare Solly 9:04  

It's harder to turn a yacht around. 

Lesley Logan 9:06  

It's not a cruise ship. We're not that big yet, but it is a you have to be a little bit more cautious about how you turn. There's little tug boats out there. All right.

Clare Solly 9:18  

Well, should we talk about Tess Waresmith now? 

Lesley Logan 9:20  

I think we should. Tess is an accredited financial counselor, trademark, and the founder of Wealth with Tess, a platform dedicated to financial education for women, she teaches an approachable investing and money fundamentals that support independence and long term security. Tess's work centers on helping women build enough financial stability, to have options later in life, including the ability to step back from work and retire with confidence.

Lesley Logan 9:49  

I really am so glad she's in my life. I we've had her on the pod before, and I was just like obsessed with her. I've done her course actually, and I just think that like, we need more women like her talking about money, because she does it in such an honest way. And she's vocal about what's going on in our world and how it's affecting, like, your money, not rich people's money. And we've been, like, kind of conditioned. I think that, like, rich people know what to do when they get money. And so she said on the pod that I really love she's like, money is a tool. It's not either good or bad or evil, it's just a tool. And she really made the argument that, like, good people should actively seek to acquire more money because they make a bigger impact and donate to causes that you care about. I couldn't agree more, because, like, look, there's a lot going on, and we're like, what's my $20 going to do? But you know, if you have money that you are able to, like, have extra of, you're more likely to give it to local causes that inspire you based on your own life experiences. Maybe you donate to a local cause, like, we donate to the SPCA because I want to adopt all the rescue dogs, and I cannot, and they're here, and my money goes farther with them here. You know, there's people right now who are needing, like, rent help or health care support, and like, if you have an extra $100 you can give it to people and so I think we should, those of us who have a heart actually should be the ones with the money. 

Clare Solly 11:06  

I agree. I agree. And I think to, sort of to, like, piggyback onto that thought, too, giving money, you have to decide if you want to see it in action or not. Like you you give locally because you want to see it in action. But some people want their money to go farther, and they don't need to see it in action. So figure out what you care about. I love that.

Lesley Logan 11:23  

What a great point, Clare, because I do think that sometimes we go, oh my god, what are people going to think that I'm not giving to like the environment or like the home, like, there I had someone on early in the podcast who talked about, like, if you can take what you care about and you can give to that, whether it's time or money, you will see change. And if someone else cares about something different, and they focus on that, I think we, as especially as women, feel this pressure that we have to, like, care about all the cares. And, and you should have some empathy for all the cares, but also you'll you're you'll exhaust yourself and your mind, and then you'll be too busy to actually like, go and acquire the wealth that gives you the independence and freedom to choose how you spend your money and who gets that money. And I do think that, like, we'd be in a different place right now if more people had some independence be due to finances. I think some people don't leave terrible jobs because of money, and that means bosses can be abusive and they can't, you know, there's just different things that if we if the. 

Clare Solly 12:21  

I was one of them. 

Lesley Logan 12:22  

Yes, oh my gosh, yes. I know. So, like, I don't know. I just, I really, but I think we need to continue to remind ourselves that money is a tool. 

Clare Solly 12:31  

Yeah, well, in my podcast with you, way, way, way back when, I'm sure your team will put it in the show notes, I want to say it's episode 19, single, double digits, baby. I was early on, but I was the woowoo side of this. Like money is energy, and it is a measure on the energy you as a human put into something that your company gives back to you so you can use, you know, because we're not in the days of of goats trading, you know, the goat that you farm for the milk that I need. So go back and listen to that podcast, everybody. That's your homework. But one thing I loved, and actually, I kind of want to, I have two things. I'm gonna I'm gonna take it. I love that she said, we're afraid as women, especially, to talk with our friends about money, and I think we need to like because we are afraid of money, because we've been trained to be afraid of money and not spending it or spending it when we have it, and then, you know, so we as women kind of are trained to go between feast and famine, because we don't talk about what people have. And bonus, we're all so used to the Instagram version of everybody, so like, I, you know, I'm jealous of like and like, you're one of my best friends. And I tell you, I'm like, I'm jealous of your lifestyle, and you're like, girl, you were seeing the tip of the iceberg. And but like, well, and then we'll talk about things, and we'll talk about a minute, and it's sometimes not directly bank account related, but we'll talk about things like you just mentioned you found this great person you've been wanting, and you, you know, you bargain chopped for it because you wanted this purse and. 

Lesley Logan 14:04  

Yeah. I wanted this purse. It's not cheap. And I was like, well, I don't want to spend that much, but I want to, I want to buy it. So I'm just gonna wait and be patient. And I think, like, I do think I had, I have had friends who are like, because they care. They're like, well, how much was it? I'm like, I'll tell you, because if you want this bag, you should know, don't pay more than I paid. You can get it.

Clare Solly 14:23  

Yeah, yeah. And it's all like, what we value versus how much we have and, and I think one thing too, that she said was, like, don't overspend what you make. And I think that, you know, I think there's a little bit of gappage in there, but if you're really trying to control yourself, like, yeah, make sure that you can, you can pay close to what your credit cards are. 

Lesley Logan 14:42  

Well and there's so many tools now, like, there's and I think that are different than what we had when we were growing up, which was just like a piece of paper and a budget, you know, like a checkbook. Do you remember, doing the checkbook and doing the math. And I think that, like, you know, it's true, especially because in our lifetimes, our moms finally had permission to get their own bank account, their own loans, you know, and their own credit cards. I'm like, that's crazy, that in our lifetimes. So it's, it's, it's clear that the education about that. But I, if people ask me, you know, about different things, like, I'm very honest, like, you know, we got, you didn't know I had a new car, and it's a car that I've wanted for over 10 years. And I literally said, you know, like, this is a write off.

Clare Solly 15:22  

And I totally thought you borrowed a car from a friend. When you picked me at the airport, I was like, how did you borrow your dream car from a friend? That's amazing.

Lesley Logan 15:29  

Yeah, well, I mean, like, because I don't, like, I don't put a ton of of the stuff on the internet, because people will make up a different story about it. And, like, I but I am really honest with in our coaching business, we'll tell people like, this is why you should set your business up this way, because these things are write offs, and you'll get these kinds of things. And, like, the reality is the rich got richer because they know how the loopholes are right. And like, am I a fan of, like, a flat tax for everybody so there's no write offs, but yeah, because I think the world of Pilates is a better place, and there will still be someone who finds a loophole for it. But like, I actually do want my tax dollars to work for the people that do have less. Like, I actually want to be like, yeah, this my tax money goes to the health care and the housing and the education of the people coming because, like, like, it's this funny joke that I'm very much stuck on. But like, I don't, I don't have children, so who is going to take care of me when I am older, right? Like. 

Clare Solly 16:17  

You now is going to take care of you when you're older, right? 

Lesley Logan 16:19  

Yeah, right. So like, you know, I need to have money for that. And I also want people who are not me to be educated in a way that they could support me when I'm in need. I don't want someone who, you know what I mean. So I think, like, I wish more people thought like that. I do think that anyone listening to this podcast does care about how others are, and so, you know, yes, it's voting, and yes, it's all these different things. But also, until the government actually works for the people, we women are more likely to spend our money in our communities and support other people. And so we need to understand how the game is played and use it. And maybe it means, like, figuring out, you know, maybe it's using, like, something like a Rocket Money to figure out where your money is going. I don't know. They don't sponsor the show, but if someone knows them, I'll take a commercial ad from them, I'll take that money and I'll give it to the SPCA. But like, I think if you don't know where your money is going yet, that's the first place to start, you know.

Clare Solly 17:14  

Yeah and to, like, to start the conversation. This kind of goes into my second point, or my second you know, love it Be It item from this. I think, like, one of the conversation starters that you can have with your friends, it's easier than, hey, Lesley, how much do you make annually? Because, like, that's also a touchy subject, and sometimes we don't want to share that, but maybe start talking about the economy and the stock market being different things, and talk to your friends about, like, what they're interested in and if they invest, and how they invest, because she mentioned a whole bunch of things, 401(K), Roth IRA, a regular IRAM. She also said the thing about investing for her, her niece, you can do that for yourself. You can throw $100 in a Rocket Money account, an Acorns account, just a regular savings account, a CD like start talking to your friends about how they make their money work for them. And if they're not, like, find a buddy. And like, start going down and share things. Like Lesley and I, we shuttle things back and forth to each other all the time about, like, business and how to invest and things like that. And like, it's not mind blowing, earth shattering, and sometimes it's a reiteration, but we do talk about money, and I'm so glad I have you to be able to talk about money openly. It's so great.

Lesley Logan 18:29  

Well, I agree same. I mean, like, the thing is, you who told me, because, like, I work for Equinox, and they told me, in my benefits package, there's a 401(K), right? And there's a program, and they did, like, some sort of matching up to some amount of money. And my male trainer was like, Do you are you doing the 401(K)? And I was like, Oh no, I don't really know what to do. And he's like, you just say you want it, like, and they'll just take the money out. And like, I didn't know. No female around me had told me to do it. And I'm not saying that they're at fault. Like, I could have done the research. But like, sometimes we all have so much going on, and so like, making sure that our friends know these things, or at least your colleagues, like, hey, yeah, did you hear that they're doing a match on the 401? K, I upped my like, announce that. Because everyone wins, by the way, everyone wins whenever, when you're, when, when that happens. And retirement does affect us all. Like, it's just going to if you're, if your family members don't, aren't set up for retirement, it's going to negatively affect you in some way. Either they're gonna need more from you, or they're gonna be working forever and you're gonna have less time with them. So I think that's important. So that happened, and then, because I have friends and clients like my business of just teaching people who obviously people have private session Pilates, they have a little bit more money, I let them talk about what they were doing when they were talking about investing, or they're talking about their stocks are down, I would go tell me like, tell me more how that works. Like, I just got curious, and I learned from them. I learned how one of my friends borrowed money from her parents, and she did it the right way so that she'd like pay a loan back, and then she was able to use that in her taxes to write some stuff off. Like, you, people will share with you, but sometimes we're not asking the questions. We just hear them talk about, oh, I'm, I'm, I'm buying this house, or, like, I got, like, I had a friend who was like, Oh yeah, I'm doing, I'm doing a remodel. And I was like, oh, that must be, like, I didn't, like, how long did you save up money for that? Right? She's like, Oh, I did this HELOC. And I was like, Oh, my God, what's a HELOC, right? I don't know these things. I'm a first time homeowner. I don't know anything. What I know is everything fucking is on, on us to fix. But guess what? It's not because we had the AC go down and because our neighbors mentioned something they had, we had checked the right box when it came to our homeowner's insurance. When our AC broke, that motor's $3,000 and Brad was able to do X, Y and Z with the homeowner insurance. And guess what? It's and so we would have been out $3,000 that we didn't need to be. And I think this is where, like talking with your friends, talking with your neighbors, asking what they're doing, if they don't want to tell you, you'll find out. Their body language will shift. They'll get really weird, and then you'll know interesting they don't want to talk about that. I don't have to have a judgment towards it, but I'll find someone else. Yeah, no, I agree. Women, let's talk about money more. 

Clare Solly 20:58  

Let's talk about money more. Okay, all right, so let's talk about those Be It Action Items. What bold, executable, intrinsic or targeted action items can we take away from your convo in preparing or weathering volatility, stock market crashes and building substantial wealth? She advised, money invested in the stock market should be funds you do not need for the next three to five years. It's your fund money, guys. Organize finances by their intended timeline and purpose. Clearly separate short term needs, cash savings from long term goals and keep more money in cash, such as high yield savings account during the uncertain times. This serves two purposes. It provides a safety net to cover expenses without being forced to sell investments, and it prevents emotional and panic-driven decisions. I mean, I have, like, a rule of thumb, because I live in New York City, I have two months of rent saved up, because you never know what's gonna happen.

Lesley Logan 21:52  

No, I think that that's wise. And thanks for sharing what you're doing. I think, like, you know, Tess was honestly on the pod. She's like, yeah, I'm having, I have, I actually have more cash on hand now. Yeah, it's a little more uncertain right now. And when we were recording this, we're like, it'll be interesting to see when this comes out. Like, what's going on. And I, I asked her, like, I DM-ed her, I said, Hey, your episodes coming out in March. Like, is there anything you want to add? And she's like, I really stand by. Like, the things that I said, and, and, and she and so one of the things that she said in the Be It Action Items is just like, no one cares about your money more than you do. 

Clare Solly 22:20  

No one cares. 

Lesley Logan 22:21  

No one cares about your money more than you do. So if you care about your money, she actually said to go, like, go, I want you to go with the show notes. She has a free guide, and it's been 20 minutes reading it. It takes 20 minutes, and just pick one next action step. Like, honestly, I think we overwhelm ourselves by all the different things that there is to do, the CDs, the 401(K)s. But like, if you start with like, one thing. And for those of you who are employed, like, is there a 401(K)? Are you maxing out it? I know that they've made changes to, like, how much you can max out. So are you maxing out to the new changes? You know, I believe everyone should just have an accountant, because these tax laws are so freaking ridiculous, and your accountant needs to know what your goals are. So you might need to sit down. Maybe your next action step is like, what are my money goals? Like, you know, I'm 43 so my goals now are different than my goals when I was 33 right? So what does that look like? Are they understanding? You know, Brad and I've been very vocal, like, we talked to our accountants all the time. When we bought went to buy our car. We were very specific about, like, Okay, if we buy it this week versus the next week, because it's at the end of the year versus the beginning of the year. Like, what are the risks and losses and pros and cons, and I think that that's important stuff. So obviously, we work for ourselves versus being employed. And, you know what? With chatGPT, you could literally ask it, hey, this is who I am, this is how much I make. This is what's going on. Like, what do you think? Like, I mean, obviously I would, I would research anything it says. But like, there's tools right now to take action so you can be educated one step at a time, you know?

Clare Solly 23:40  

Yeah, and to kind of piggyback on that. You guys didn't talk about this, but one thing that came to mind when you were talking is, if your gut is saying one thing, and your accountant or your investment person is telling you another, go get a second opinion. Just like a doctor, it's okay to get a second opinion. If you're not feeling like something might be off, like, in it, you don't have to invest with somebody to go do that. Just go, like, call somebody up and say, Hey, I got this advice. They may or may not be like, be able to help you. And so you try to, have to try a second, second opinion, but.

Lesley Logan 24:09  

You might, and also you should, because if they're like, if your gut is going, hmm, they seem a little shady, then move on. Like, listen to your gut with that. And in fact, Tess's first episode with us really talks about, like, finding those wealth people, or how to do it yourself. So it just depends on, like, you know, what your capabilities are. I will say, like, Brad and I do have someone that we trust helping us, because maybe it'll be different now that we're like, have help with the ADHD, but it just felt like a little bit more than we could take on in this particular moment. But they're very clear, very communicative. We checked with, you know, Tess's fees and all that stuff, so we're making sure that we're making sure that we're not getting screwed over like but so there's just different help out there. And you can also go to Tess as a certain a Substack that is free. 

Clare Solly 24:49  

Really? 

Lesley Logan 24:50  

Yes, it's free. 

Clare Solly 24:51  

Oh I'm signing up. 

Lesley Logan 24:52  

I know I know. Me too, because I like her honesty about everything. I like her attitude. I like she her, you guys, when she teaches you how to actually manage your own accounts, you can literally just do it like I'm just, I have just have a problem with, like, starting new things sometimes, and this is one of them. Obviously, therapy will help, but, and next year could be different, but where I am today, but you can do it like it's, I will. I watched it, I was like, I can do this right now. And I actually opened up my own high yield savings account without Brad did myself. Like, I'm so excited, because that money is what's taking us on our second honeymoon, his and mine. Like, we that was the goal of this particular account that we opened. But she's such good information. You're gonna go to wealthwithtess.substack.com and you can grab it for free. So I (inaudible).

Clare Solly 25:36  

And Tess is gonna be super proud of you. Like, that's amazing. 

Lesley Logan 25:39  

I know. 

Clare Solly 25:40  

Like, I mean, because we should, again, back to what we first said. We should be in control of our money, because nobody else cares.

Lesley Logan 25:46  

Yeah, I mean, that's very true. And so anyways, if we can live with anything, it's go take one piece of action on educating yourself about your money that Tess has for you. It's all free out there. And then there's ways to invest if you want to know more. I'm Lesley Logan. 

Clare Solly 25:58  

And I'm Clare Solly. 

Lesley Logan 26:00  

Thanks for joining us today. I hope you had fun with Claire and I if you miss Brad, he'll be back in a couple weeks. Don't worry, he's not going anywhere. But we are so grateful for you, and I can't think of a better episode to share with a friend than our money episodes with Tess and Clare. So you can listen to the woo one. You can listen to the legit one. You can listen to this update. Not that yours is not legit, but I guess how should I say it. You can listen to the dry one. What is it? What's the opposite of woo, like. 

Clare Solly 26:26  

Grounded in fact. I don't know.

Lesley Logan 26:29  

Grounded. I don't know. It's not I, I think that like everything in moderation, including moderation, yeah. So well listen to both of them, and then go take some action steps that work for you. And until next time, Be It Till You See It. 

Clare Solly 26:39  

Go do your homework. 

Lesley Logan 26:40  

Do it. 

Lesley Logan 26:42  

That's all I got for this episode of the Be It Till You See It Podcast. One thing that would help both myself and future listeners is for you to rate the show and leave a review and follow or subscribe for free wherever you listen to your podcast. Also, make sure to introduce yourself over at the Be It Pod on Instagram. I would love to know more about you. Share this episode with whoever you think needs to hear it. Help us and others Be It Till You See It. Have an awesome day. Be It Till You See It is a production of The Bloom Podcast Network. If you want to leave us a message or a question that we might read on another episode, you can text us at +1-310-905-5534 or send a DM on Instagram @BeItPod.

Brad Crowell 27:24  

It's written, filmed, and recorded by your host, Lesley Logan, and me, Brad Crowell.

Lesley Logan 27:29  

It is transcribed, produced and edited by the epic team at Disenyo.co.

Brad Crowell 27:33  

Our theme music is by Ali at Apex Production Music and our branding by designer and artist, Gianfranco Cioffi.

Lesley Logan 27:40  

Special thanks to Melissa Solomon for creating our visuals.

Brad Crowell 27:44  

Also to Angelina Herico for adding all of our content to our website. And finally to Meridith Root for keeping us all on point and on time.

Clare Solly 27:57  

All right, so let's talk about, no, wait, we have to pause.

Money feels volatile. The headlines feel dramatic. And for many women, investing still feels intimidating. In this powerful conversation, accredited financial counselor and investor Tess Waresmith returns to cut through the noise. She unpacks the truth about market crashes, why the economy and the stock market are not the same thing, and the simple compound interest math that can turn a small monthly contribution into a million-dollar legacy. This episode offers grounded perspective and practical next steps to help you move from fear to financial clarity.

If you have any questions about this episode or want to get some of the resources we mentioned, head over to LesleyLogan.co/podcast https://lesleylogan.co/podcast/. If you have any comments or questions about the Be It pod shoot us a message at [email protected] mailto:[email protected].

And as always, if you’re enjoying the show please share it with someone who you think would enjoy it as well. It is your continued support that will help us continue to help others. Thank you so much! Never miss another show by subscribing at LesleyLogan.co/subscribe https://lesleylogan.co/podcast/#follow-subscribe-free.

In this episode you will learn about:

• The importance of financial independence for women.
• How to prepare your finances for an inevitable market crash.
• The "bucket strategy" for organizing short-term vs. long-term funds.
• Comparing the 2000 dot-com bubble to today’s AI trends.
• Why learning to invest takes weeks, not a finance degree.

Episode References/Links:

• Wealth With Tess – https://wealthwithtess.com/savvy
• Free Financial Independence Mini-Course - https://www.moneyconfidentclub.com/3daysfi
• Tess Waresmith Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/wealthwithtess
• 1929: Inside the Greatest Crash in Wall Street History by Andrew Ross Sorkin - https://a.co/d/0h4yDFDv

Guest Bio:

Tess is an Accredited Financial Counselor® and the founder of Wealth with Tess, a financial education platform and community, that helps millennial women build wealth using simple investing strategies. Her mission is to help women gain agency over their money so they can retire comfortably and have options to live life on their terms. After losing thousands by working with the wrong financial advisor in her early 20s (a fiduciary by the way), Tess rewrote her financial story. She immersed herself in the world of personal finance and wealth building, and by 35, she went from a net worth of $0 to $1 million, all as a single woman. Today, Tess is a sought-after financial expert, featured by Forbes, CNBC and Business Insider. Her free investing workshops have drawn thousands of attendees, and hundreds of women have transformed their financial futures through her straightforward and supportive learning programs. Her approachable, no-jargon investing tips inspire a growing community on Instagram at @wealthwithtess. Whether you're short on time or new to investing, Tess is proof that you don’t need Wall Street-level expertise to build wealth, you just need to decide it matters and get some judgement free education.

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Resources:

• Watch the Be It Till You See It podcast on YouTube! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCq08HES7xLMvVa3Fy5DR8-g
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Episode Transcript:

Tess Waresmith 0:00  

Money is not good, bad, evil. It is just a tool. Are there billionaires that are assholes, of course, but that doesn't mean that money is a bad thing. We should all be working to acquire it, because if we have more flexibility, independence and freedom, we're going to be better for the people around us. We're going to make a better impact.

Lesley Logan 0:17  

Welcome to the Be It Till You See It podcast where we talk about taking messy action, knowing that perfect is boring. I'm Lesley Logan, Pilates instructor and fitness business coach. I've trained thousands of people around the world and the number one thing I see stopping people from achieving anything is self-doubt. My friends, action brings clarity and it's the antidote to fear. Each week, my guest will bring bold, executable, intrinsic and targeted steps that you can use to put yourself first and Be It Till You See It. It's a practice, not a perfect. Let's get started. 

Lesley Logan 0:56  

All right, Be It babe, we are gonna talk about the financial times. Don't turn this away. I know you wanna go, la, la, la, la, la, when we talk about money, and I think I said that the last time we had the amazing Tess Waresmith on. But I really want, I want you to know that like after talking with her and hearing her voice and hearing her perspective on all the uncertainty when it comes to money, when it comes to the stock market, when it comes to the economy, she always helps me put it all in the most amazing perspective. And I want that for you as well. And I also want you to have all the things that you want to have. And if you're like, oh Les, I'm good, we also talk about that too. We also talk about what like if you are good, why it's so important for you to have this information and to know what to do with it. So, here's Tess Waresmith. 

Lesley Logan 1:42  

All right, Be It babe, I am thrilled to have this guest back, because, to be honest, I just love hearing her speak. I actually there's very few people online that I am like absolutely 100% have to watch everything they post, because I learned so much. I learned so much from her, and I wanted to have her back so we can learn some more, because the financial investment is always uncertain, but it feels more uncertain now than it ever did before. So Tess Waresmith, welcome back. Will you tell everyone who you are and what you rock at?

Tess Waresmith 2:08  

Thank you. Thank you for having me back. I am an accredited financial counselor, an investor, and I would say more colloquially, I am an advocate for women and people having more money so that they can do what they want, when they want, with who they want, and eventually retire comfortably and have the flexibility, yeah, to do whatever you want with your life. That is my goal. 

Lesley Logan 2:28  

Yeah. Well, I mean, I think we're on the same path in different ways. Like, I don't know money the way you know money, but I'm like, I want women to have, like, I want them to be a priority in their life, so that they have a body that will take them everywhere they want to go. Because, you know, so I and for a lot that may require is like having financial independence and abilities to do things that can care for themselves, they advocate for themselves. And so money does, people can hate it or love it, but it does make the world go round. It is this energy that we need to understand. So, you know, we've had you on the pod before, so you guys, we'll definitely link in the show notes, and you will learn so much. But you know, as we record this, I'll say what when we're recording this, because I think it's helpful. We just got out of the longest shutdown, the crazy times we're recording November, so it's probably come out in 2026 in the beginning. But like, people are scared. I think people are freaking out. Like I coach businesses all the time, and where my predictions are is that the group fitness aspect of things is being affected, because that's the amount of those are the people whose paychecks are being affected, those people whose the cost of groceries going up, it affects their luxury spending, which I don't think fitness should be luxury, but their luxury spending on fitness is changing. And so I'm seeing these changes. Can we talk like, where do you want to start, Tess? Should we talk with, like, what is like is always uncertain, and it just and we're like, we're making it up that it's more uncertain today?

Tess Waresmith 3:50  

It's a great question. I mean, I want to, like, double tap on one thing you said, where before we even, like, get into this conversation. If, when Lesley said, if money is, like, good or bad? Like, money is a tool. It's not either. And so if you are somebody that's like, oh, I hear this a lot from women, they're like, oh, I don't need to make that much money or, like, I don't want to have too much because it's bad, or I feel greedy. If you're that person, we probably need you to have more money so that you can make a bigger impact, donate to causes you care about. You're probably a good person, if you're thinking about it that way. So I need you to just park that and rewrite a new story that's money is not good, bad, evil. It is just a tool. Are there billionaires that are assholes, of course, but that doesn't mean that money is a bad thing. We should all be working to acquire it, because if we have more flexibility, independence and freedom, we're going to be better for the people around us. We're going to make a better impact. If you're an asshole, you're going to be with money or without. So I just want to, like, start there, because I think, I think that is such a useful excuse to be like, I'm not going to focus on my money. I like, don't need more and just like, the reality is, like, if you're saying that I probably need you to have more. Yeah, know what I mean, because.

Tess Waresmith 5:04  

You're gonna do better things with it, like, I couldn't agree more. Like, I was listening to a business guy, a coach doing not a business coach. He's like, an actual, like, life coach type of thing. And he was finding how people are like, oh, I'm good. Like, I don't, I don't want to. I feel like if me wanting more is bad when other people have so little. And he's like, right, but you playing small is never going to give them anything. Right? So, like that to your point, like, if you're the, if you're the woman, listen, is going, like, I'm really good. Like, I don't need more. We need you to have more, because you will give it to the right people. You will spend it at the right businesses. You're not the ass hole. So, we need that. Yeah, I agree.

Tess Waresmith 5:41  

Yeah, yeah. So I've been thinking about that a lot more and more, especially as we roll into this economy where we have so much information and so much access and visual representations of under resourced people, and we're seeing that all the time. So it's easy to feel like, you know, well, I'm doing better than this person, and this isn't something I should focus on. The other thing that people don't realize is, if you learn more of the basics, you get to impact the people around you, and not all of them are doing well, either, like I have some really close friends that I've grown up with that are in much better financial positions, that came from nothing, that grew up in really bad homes and with no money, parents in jail. They're doing better because I am a money nerd, and I force them to talk about this stuff, and so, like, I think that it's just important to remember that this is like a fundamental unfortunately in this country, are the rights to like, food and housing is not guaranteed. We need money for those things. So if you have more than you need, great, give it to somebody that doesn't. So yeah, I could go on and on about that.

Lesley Logan 6:44  

Yeah, yeah. I know it's like, I think, like, it's really interesting, right? I just saw someone post because, again, we're recordimg in November. Somebody posted like, should you be doing, like, Black Friday, Cyber Monday sales? And as a Pilates business coach, I tell Pilates studios all the time, don't fucking do it. You have a service-based business. You don't have the margins to do the discounts that stores have, so you can't copy what stores are doing, and the big stores put those margins in. So guess what? When it's 40% off, it's because when it was full price, you're paying more than they needed you to pay. They have, it's built in, right? As a small business owner, do I do it? Yes. Why? Because I have a product that I can do it on, I have digital products I can do it on, and I'm only doing it this one time a year. While y'all want to have a discount, that's what people want. So like, I'm like, here's the game. I can acquire new customers with it. I can reward my loyal customers who've been with me a long time with these things. But I don't have to participate in this game. But we are currently, right now, recording in the States, in the United States, where housing and medical care and all these things are not guaranteed. And so you do need to have an awareness of how to make money and how to invest money so you can have those luxuries. So going to who what you're an expert at, and talking about these things like, I think people who have a lack of understanding of how money works and investment works, this is when they start to freak out. You know, like we all know, that as soon as they start to see that these big people are pulling their shares out of this, or pulling their shares of this, all of a sudden people start to freak out and pull their shares, and we become a very predictive death spiral. So what should we know? What should we be paying attention to if we are investing? Should we should we not invest right now? Like, what's the?

Tess Waresmith 8:24  

Yeah, yeah, all great questions and very real and honest questions. So I appreciate that. So I want to start with the fact that the economy and the stock market are not the same thing. It's easy to feel like they are, because we hear so much about the stock market, it's a super exciting piece of information and news for the media to to constantly bring up. And so a lot of times we see these things like, are we in an AI bubble? Are we going to have a recession? Is the stock market going to collapse? Or the stock market is collapsing when it goes down one day, or crashing or whatever. And so I think it's important to remember that those are two different things. The economy right now. There's a lot of issues in the economy. There's a there's a lot of data. Like, just to, like, nerd out for a second, and I'll make this like, as non jargony as possible. So stay with us. So, so first of all, there's, there's things called leading and lagging indicators in the economy, and leading indicators are typically things that are going to influence what the stock market might do in the future. And then there's lagging indicators that kind of show what the business cycle is doing in the past. And all of this to say is that there's so many factors that influence the stock market, and right now, we're in a place where we are getting bombarded with information that is favorable for the stock market and not favorable for the stock market all at the same time. So let me give you some examples. AI obviously has massive potential. It's driving incredible returns in 2025 so right now, when we're recording this this year, the returns on AI investment in the stock market have been outstanding. And if you are invest, even if you're investing in just something like a US stock market fund that holds a bunch of stocks in the US or some of you might know what the S&P 500 is, which is the top 500 US, largest stocks that are publicly traded if you're investing in the US stock market, you're investing in AI right now, and you've probably benefited from that, whether you know it or not, if you have a 401K or an IRA, let me tell you this, it should be up. Also, if it's not, shoot me a message, please. So that's one piece of the economy. At the same time, consumer sentiment isn't great. Healthcare costs are going up. Things are more expensive. We have not solved our inflation problem. A ton of layoffs are happening. We're adding jobs in some sectors, removing them from others. So it's important to remember that while all of those economic factors are going to influence the stock market, they are not the stock market. They are two different things. So that's the first thing I want to say. The second thing I want to say is that the stock market, I'll be very interested to see what happens when this podcast episode is released, to be honest. Because right now, we are in a place where the stock market has gone up over the last three years, significantly. 2024 '25 phenomenal years. However, we have a very hard time predicting what's going to happen in the stock market and how long the stock market will continue to go up before it eventually comes down. I'm telling you right now, it will for sure come down at some point to a lower place than we are at now. The stock market never goes up indefinitely. And so for those of you that are really nervous about investing, you're hearing, hearing and seeing all this news that we're like, we're in a bubble. There's going to be a stock market crash, doom and gloom, like maybe zombies or solar flares, like whatever dramatic things they can add to this conversation about investing, it's important to remember that the stock market actually goes in cycles. So it goes up pretty regularly, it hits a peak, it contracts, and then it hits a floor. And that cycle happens over and over and over again. And so we all get really surprised when we start focusing on our money and paying attention to investing, or even just start to get a little bit more nervous about retirement if we're in our 40s, and we're approaching that and we're realizing, oh, we should have paid more attention to this. All of a sudden, when we start to see this news, we go, oh my gosh, like the stock market's going to crash. The stock market has crashed a lot over the last 100 years. We see a correction and a correction is when the stock market comes down by roughly 10% the word correction comes from the prices of stocks actually like coming down being corrected. So we see that like every three to four years, it's very, very common. So one of the things that I can tell you and your listeners is that we should not be worried about a crash. We should expect one. It's part of the price of entry. If you want to build wealth, just like if you become a business owner, you learn a lot about yourself. It's a crash course in personal development. You have, like, ugly cry days, and then your best revenue day, like, three months later. And then everything you build crashes like and over and over. You're in this cycle of building, three steps forward, two steps back. That's business, right? Stock market's going to be the same thing. So what I highly suggest is, whenever you see news, if there's any kind of emotional or sensational twinge to it, that is your one, that should be a signal to you that that's probably clickbait. Yes, first of all, the news wants to write stock market crash, because you're going to click on that, because you're going to be like, Oh God, that sounds scary. So what I love to do, as an accredited financial counselor and an investor, and I will share a lot more about this through Instagram and upcoming YouTube videos, is that we need to understand that the stock market goes in cycles, and this is expected, and the more we can learn and understand the history of that, it's going to make us more confident in how we're investing. And so I'll give you an example for any of our listeners that are lived in 2008 right? The 2008 financial crisis. If you don't know, the stock market dropped like 50% it was abysmal, super bad. People lost a lot. But when people say they lost everything, they didn't lose their money in the stock market, if they didn't sell what they were invested in, if they were invested in 2008 when the stock market crashed and they waited five years, their money would have returned to the same amount it was at, and then over the next 10 years, would have ended up growing significantly and tripling in value like crazy. So the point of all this is there's two things we need to understand. The economy and the stock market are not the same thing. It's going to go in cycles. And if we're investing for the long term, we have 10, 20, 30 years to weather these cycles. It's going to happen. The more we can educate ourselves, the more we can stay calm during these moments.

Lesley Logan 15:13  

Okay, first of all, you just somehow always know how to, like, calm me down and make me, like, not nervous. Like, I feel like the I'm like, okay, great. So I'll just give I'll just find some more money to put in there. But also, like, I feel, I'm not gonna lie, I feel like I've never heard someone explain that the economy and the stock market are not the same thing. Like, I'm sure you've said it to me and I like, but there I'm hearing it for the first time, and it's like, well, that explains why, when the stock market was great and the economy, people were like, people aren't feeling the economy was great, and so people are confusing the two. And also I want to highlight that I do remember 2008 I actually became a very successful Pilates instructor during the time that people were canceling cable because I was selling something people wanted to invest like they wanted to invest in themselves. They wanted to take some time. They wanted they were thinking how they're putting their dollars. And so it doesn't they don't always had to be bad when they do figure itself out, and you are right, if people are in it for the long haul, then you're going to weather this. And I think it's hard, because the only people who talk about money around us are typically uncles and granddads and like other men, and they make it sound negative all the time, and we aren't always educated in what that looks like. And so then it's like, oh, it's really bad. But we have, there's a lot of cycles in life that we get more confident in, don't we remember? Like, we all remember our first time we got our female cycle. That was really scary, that was a lot. Then there was years of figuring it out, and then you become an adult, and sometimes you're still surprised it comes. 

Tess Waresmith 16:38  

Tha't ssuch a good comparison.

Lesley Logan 16:38  

Like, it's right, yeah, but we have, like, it's this thing, and like, we have to dread it, and then it comes, and then all of a sudden, we got all the good hormones because it came, and then it's like, this great time. And so it's like, we live in cycles all the time, and if we know when to like you, the one difference is that, unfortunately, the stock market isn't on a 20-day day or 32-day cycle, I mean if it's good, but we don't know when it's going to happen. We know it is going to happen. So I love the way that you addressed that you say that it's like, okay, so then what's the attitude we want to have when it comes? How? What are we what? What is? What are some things that we can, like, plan for when that happens, so that we can not listen to the noise and the clickbait and be in fear and instead make proactive decisions? And so I guess my question is to you, like, when the stock market crashes, what is your process?

Tess Waresmith 17:27  

Yeah, yeah. So a lot of it is about preparation. And again, the first the acknowledgement, like we talked about, that's going to happen, knowing that we can say, okay, what do we want our finances to look like, to weather this storm, and there's some very specific things we can do to get ahead of this. So the first thing I would say is that if you are investing in the stock market, that should be money that you don't need, I'm going to say, depending on your risk tolerance the next three to five years. So now might be a good time, because there is so much uncertainty, politically, socially, financially, economically, like, yeah, it's a crazy time. I mean, it's always kind of a crazy time. I think now with social media, we probably get bombarded with it more than we used to. But I will say that, like that is an important thing to remember. Is, like, one of the things I love to tell people, people ask me what they should do with their money, and I always flip that around, and I want to say, what do you want your money to do for you? So let's say a crash is coming. What we want is to make sure we have enough money in the interim while the market is being crappy. So that means having maybe a little bit more of a buffer in savings, maybe adding to your high yield savings account. In the same breath, the money that you're investing in a retirement account like an IRA or a 401(K), you have to remember you're probably not going to touch that money for another 10, 20, 30 years, depending how old you are listening to this, those accounts don't even let you withdraw until you're 59 and a half without penalty, with the exception of Roth contributions, which are have already been taxed. We can come back to that if you have questions on that. But essentially, for the most part, just to like, simplify this, your retirement accounts are meant to be for retirement. So if you have money invested in those accounts, and we have a stock market crash in 2026 it doesn't actually affect your day to day life at all, because you're not going to be using that money in the next immediate future. And even if, even if you are retiring next year, that sucks. It's, it's a bummer, right? That sucks if that happens, and I really hope it doesn't happen to any of you. But even that said, in your first year of retirement, are you going to drain your entire 401(K) and IRA to live? Probably not. You're going to take a portion of that. And if you are prepared, you already have your next few years expenses. Right in savings. So one of the big misses, and like very simple financial organization, is thinking about your money in buckets. What do you need in the short term? What do you need in the long term? And then there's like a little bit of a middle gray area, like maybe you want to buy a house in five to 10 years. Should you invest that money in, like a flexible investing account, like a regular brokerage account? Maybe. It depends on your risk tolerance. You know that likelihood of the stock market being up after five years is roughly 90% based on historical data, so pretty good odds. Is it guaranteed? No. So I think that that's the way we've got to think about it is like, what's the intention for our money? And I'll tell you right now. Lesley, like I for sure, have more money in cash right now. I have a couple of rental properties. I need to make sure I can cover those expenses. The other reason I have that is I so I don't do any dumb shit and take my money out of my investing accounts, because I don't need it. Because even as somebody that is very well educated on the economy, on the stock market, an accredited financial counselor. These things are always going to still be emotional and psychological. So that's the first thing is, like, make sure you have some savings. The second piece of this is understand how your money is invested in the first place, and so learning the basics of investing and making sure that you are investing in a bunch of different stocks and different geographies is really, really valuable. It's called diversification, aka putting your eggs in different baskets. And you can learn about this in hours, making sure that your money is not just all invested in Nvidia or Meta if you're picking one stock, putting all your money in it, I think that's a terrible investing strategy. You could become really wealthy, or you could lose a lot. That's actually Lesley, how you lose everything is when you put all your eggs in one basket. So the other important thing to remember is when we diversify appropriately and invest in US stocks and international stocks. The whole point of that is to create a portfolio that can weather these dramatic downturns. So I think it's like two things. It's like making sure we have our money in the right places to weather the storm, and then our money is invested, understanding how that's diversified across different stuff, so that when one sector collapses, or if there is an AI bubble, not all your money is in AI, so you have different stuff. And thankfully, there's easy ways to do that.

Lesley Logan 22:30  

Yeah, I think, I think that these are all good reminders. And I also love that, like, the vulnerability of like, yes, even you an expert, there's emotions, because with social media, there's these crazy titles on things that are meant to get you riled up and freaking out, and then you do something stupid when, if you were sane and rational, you would go, hold on. Wait a minute. What? So we're recording this in November, and I said to Brad (inaudible) at the gym, I said, oh, that Peter Thiel guy, like dropped all of his stock, and Tesla and a bit, and Nvidia what is that? And he and I, and I was like, do you think he's like, trying to fuck with things, like, right (inaudible) he's not getting enough attention. But at any rate, like, Brad goes, oh, well that. I hope people don't read too much into that, because that could really scare some people to do some stupid stuff. And it's like you start to realize, like, oh, like, when you could just get yourself away from the title and get yourself away from some things, you can go start to see as a bigger picture. You take a deep breath and you can do these things. I do. I do think that a lot of people, even you know, just in the way that I coach people in their Pilates business, I see them doing drastic changes because they're they're reacting, as opposed to giving themselves a runway that allows them to take a deep breath and figure out, like, what's the next best thing to do.

Tess Waresmith 23:44  

Yeah, such a good example that Brad brought up. I saw that exact article, and actually three people messaged me about that, which is so funny that you bring that up. I have another great example of this. And there was an author, Andrew Sorkin, who wrote a book on the dot-com bubble when the internet started, and there were all these internet companies popping up all over the place. And then, of course, there was a stock market crash right after that, because there are all these companies that weren't set up for success in the long term in the era of the internet. And so he was drawing some similarities, and all these news publications said, author of dot-com bubble book says we're in the same situation that we were in in 2000 and that's not really exactly what he said. He said there were some similarities, but I can tell you about some differences. So first of all, in the dot-com bubble, the Internet was new, there weren't companies that were huge and integrated into this new technology in the way we are now, and so some of the biggest investment in AI is Meta, Google, like Microsoft, these companies that are so big and so profitable and so established, even if AI just like stopped being a thing tomorrow, they're not going anywhere. So it's a totally different economic business landscape than it was in 2000. Sure, there are some similarities. There was internet hype. Now there's AI hype. Yeah, you could draw them, but a lot of the AI investment is in these mega companies that are so well-resourced that it's very unlikely that we'll see, like an entire bubble and all these there will, for sure, be AI companies that don't do well, but it's a totally different situation in a lot of ways. So that's a good example of, like, how things can be skewed to scare people.

Lesley Logan 25:36  

Yeah, and I think I love you brought that up because I remember one of the one of my old business coaches, he had mentioned something was probably, it was a podcast, probably during the pandemic when we were all kind of worried. But it might have been a little after, to be honest. So I'm not going to get the dates correct on this, but he mentioned, you know, people are worried about a recession right now. And let me, let me, it must have been two years into the pandemic, because I'm now thinking, remember, I was driving to Vegas, but he said, let's just look at what the recession was in 2008 and when we knew we're in a recession, and actually how quickly we actually started to get out of it. And so, like, the, it's about the and you can correct me if I'm wrong, Tess, but it's like, you have two quarters in a row where things are declining, and then it's like, okay, the economy is retracting, and this is going on. By the time we were actually going up, it had been like another quarter was a little bit but like, things started to turn around. Now, it took a long time for people to feel that turning around, of course, he said. But the other thing we have to know is today, people's incomes are a bit more diversified as well. Not everyone is working for the same big companies. A lot of people have their own businesses. We have people who have a bit more ability to, Oh, this isn't making any money over here. I can make money over here. Not to say that we are, we all can't be hurt by this. But something that I remind myself of is like I am at the time of of 2008 I was only teaching people private one on one sessions in-person today where I'm at I have in-person stuff. I've got retreat stuff. I've got this online thing over here. Now can things retract? Absolutely, but one of those things might actually be more in demand, and I can lean more over there. And so I do think that we can take some emotions out of it and start to go we are all in a different place than we were, because we've learned from different things, and maybe we have to just start to keep in mind, like, what the people writing the headlines want us to do, which is react and have emotion because they because they have to sell ads so they can stay alive. 

Tess Waresmith 27:34  

Yeah, totally. It's, that is a fantastic point and really important to remember, especially for business owners. And then the other thing I would say is, like controlling what we can control, like you just gave us a great example of what we can control. We can control our businesses. We can create new streams of revenue. You know, I love this quote that's like, there's never a lack of resources, only a lack of resource for people like the amount of like free information on the internet that you can find to help you create stuff, make money. It's out there. The other thing we can control is making sure that during these times we're not going into debt. So just making sure you're not spending more than you make that is a super simple tip to survive any kind of recession or stock market crash. And then the other thing I'll say is to look at it as, and this is harder, because it's counterintuitive, but as a massive opportunity. There are a lot of people that became very wealthy after 2008 because they saw the stock market crash and they went, Well, shit, this whole thing is on sale. I am going to invest as much as I possibly can, and as the market recovered, they saw phenomenal returns over the next five years or so. So that's another reason why this education and conversations like this are so valuable, is because, yes, it happens, yes it sucks, it doesn't feel good, but it's also a massive opportunity, if we understand that this goes in cycles, so just another, another way to frame it that's hopefully a little helpful.

Lesley Logan 29:05  

Yeah, I know that's like, I mean, that's the thing that I don't think enough people understand, because no one talks about it, right? No one talks about, like, after the Great Depression, who got really, really rich from that, and how they did it. No one talks about how after the dot-com even then there was, like, there was different people do benefit, and we do swing back up. And I think we tend to, maybe it's because of how our brains are wired. We look at, we look for the negative, and then we we live in fear, and then we do things based off fear, as opposed to, like, getting on top of the mountain and having a bigger perspective and understanding, like, what is going on and what, what, you said it the best, what can we control? And we can't control. I we can't we cannot control the stock market, unfortunately. We don't have that power yet, maybe, but we can control, like, how we prepare ourselves. And I think that's really, I think that's really key. So you talked about the different buckets you talked about, so preparing ourselves. As it would be as just to reiterate it, just make sure I heard them all, you know, not spending more than we have, so easy, making sure we have a bit more cash on hand, not just to weather any storms, but also sounds like so we can, like, take part of the garage sale that's gonna happen and then diversifying what we are invested in, so it's not all in one area and things like that. I guess I would also say, like, what would your wish be for every woman listening about their level of educating themselves on investments and money? Like, is this something they have to do weekly, daily? Can they do a crash course? Like, how much should they be thinking about this? Because I'm sure they're also thinking, okay, guys, on top of this, I have to think, you know, because, there is a lot going on. There's there's the worry that they have about the people down the street who aren't making enough. There's the the political stuff that's going on. There's a lot that they have to educate themselves on. Like, how much should they be thinking about this?

Tess Waresmith 30:52  

Yeah, it's such a great question. I'm gonna say it's less than you think once you get a basic education. So I would say the level of information that you should have about investing and the stock market and retirement accounts is roughly the same as getting your driver's license and learning the rules of the road and how to stop at stoplights, please, hopefully you're doing that, and how to put gas in your car, right? Like, like basics, right? Like, when you learn to drive, at first it was hard. You had to practice a little bit, but then you have it, and it's not going anywhere. That is the level of understanding that you have to have about finances in the stock market. So some things you should know are all the things we talk about, your personal cash flow, how money comes in and out of your life, what accounts you can use to build wealth. There's accounts that help you save on taxes, like 401(K)s and IRAs and ones that are just flexible regular accounts, both are great for different reasons. And then you should also know the basics of how to choose investments inside those accounts. And the type of investments that I think everyone should understand the basics of are not the kind of things that you have to go in and tweak every single week. In fact, the best type of investing is investing in funds that hold hundreds or thousands of stocks so these are usually index funds or index ETFs, exchange traded funds. This is just jargon for investments that hold a bunch of different stocks at once. And if you can learn that, and you can learn how to select ones that represent the market, the average return of the market over time is roughly 10% so even if you invest in the most simple way, and you just buy a fund that holds all the stocks that are publicly traded, you could, based on historical data, get the average return of the market at 10% that is like the minimum. That's what you have to learn. And that takes, like, weeks, not months, years, not a finance PhD. It takes you deciding that this matters and deciding that you want to retire comfortably, you want to have the flexibility to pivot, start a new business, do whatever you want, travel to Bali, Cambodia, whatever, like, that's why this matters. It's investing doesn't matter because of investing. It matters because of all those other awesome things you get to do with your life. So I would say, if you dedicated, like, and don't tell me you don't have enough time because you do like, like, half an hour on a Saturday morning, if you like, pick something and you watch some YouTube videos on it, it could change your life in like two or three months. So that's like, high level. I think people think it's going to be way harder than it actually is to learn the basics. And then once you've set up your system where you have money coming in from your business or job, some of that money might go to debt. Some of it goes to your savings some of it goes to your investing accounts. Guess what? All of that can be automated. You can just have an automatic transfer to your Roth IRA that goes directly into a simple fund that holds a bunch of stocks. You can automatically pay off your debt. You can automatically add a little bit more to your high yield savings accounts. Once you set up that system, the maintenance is negligible. There are accounts that I have not touched in over a year, and they're doing fine. Is there a point, at some point when you build more wealth that you might want to talk to somebody get some strategy for sure, of course, but if you understand the basics of what I just explained, which, again, takes weeks, not months, hours, not years. Once you learn the basics, then what you can do is find the right kind of help that's not going to screw you over with a bunch of hidden fees. You understand how the system works, so you can get help that's effective and not hemorrhaging money from your investing accounts, which is a very common problem I see all the time. So that's what I would say. I would say it's less hard than you think, reading two books and taking a course, setting aside time to watch some YouTube videos like being diligent in that way can honestly change your life so much faster than you think. The hardest part is deciding that this matters and then making a commitment to learn. That's the hardest part, actually, learning, it's not that hard.

Lesley Logan 35:03  

Oh, I love that so much. Okay, something that you do that I want to highlight real quick before, I mean, we could talk forever, but you are aunt. I'm an aunt. You do something epic for your niece, correct? 

Tess Waresmith 35:13  

Yes. 

Lesley Logan 35:14  

Can we, like, should we? Can we talk a little about, like, setting things up for, like, the shares? 

Tess Waresmith 35:19  

Sure. Yeah, yeah. So one of the great math I'm going to say the best mathematical equation on the planet is compound interest, right? So that's why we're investing, because we invest a little bit, it grows and then we get that same return on that money, and then it just continues to grow and grow, right? That's the snowball effect of investing. That's why we're doing it. So if you start investing when somebody's young, or investing for a kid when they're young, the amount of money it takes to completely change their life is so much smaller than you think. So my niece was born this year, so she's zero. I'm not a parent. That's how you know I'm not a parent. I just said zero. 

Lesley Logan 36:04  

It's all right, you didn't say it. So that's good. But yes, I know it's true. And then they talk in months for a long time, and I'm like, you know, we got to get to a year, and then I would be great. 

Tess Waresmith 36:14  

Yeah. So let's say I already told you the average return of the stock market is 10% if I invest for my niece, little little Frida, not it. Little Frida like 100 bucks a month until she's 18, she will have roughly $54,000 given the average return of the stock market. Nothing like crazy, just the average return of the stock market. So that's pretty good, right? But what we don't remember is what happens after that, like, if she just leaves that account alone. So let's say I contribute $100 until she's 18 into an account. It could be a tax advantaged account. There are education accounts, but let's just say it's like a regular investing account, and I contribute that amount, and she's got $54,000 by the time she's 18. What I'm going to tell little Frida is girl just like, leave it there, make your own money, do whatever you want and leave it there for 30 years. Because if you do that, she's going to have roughly a million dollars in 30 years. And I contributed roughly, I don't know, whatever 100 like, month for. 

Lesley Logan 37:21  

I would just say about $18,000 but maybe a little more, because it's 12, there's 12 months in a year. 

Tess Waresmith 37:24  

Yeah, yeah, not a lot. The whole point is not a lot. 

Lesley Logan 37:27  

Yeah, yeah.

Tess Waresmith 37:28  

So that's like, that's insane to imagine, right? $100 for 18, $100 a month for 18 years, and then it just sits that $54,000 just sits for 30 years. 

Lesley Logan 37:39  

No added money. 

Tess Waresmith 37:40  

She's, no added money. She's a guaranteed millionaire. I don't even have to support her in retirement. I already did. So so like that is, that is the power of compound interest. And I will say also, I'm glad she brought that up, because if you need a motivator to learn this, and you're a parent or you have nieces, this has to be your motivator. Because even if you're not in a place where you can invest $100 a month for your kid. No shame in that. What is so much more valuable than doing what I just told you is learning the basics for yourself, learning how to put on your own mask first, before assisting others so that you can teach your own little Frida the basics of what I just taught you, because if they learn how to do it, and they're contributing 50 bucks a month, 100 bucks a month, they're also going to be a millionaire in retirement. 

Tess Waresmith 38:03  

Yeah, yeah. Love you so much. Okay, we're going to take a brief break and then find out how people can work with you, because I'm sure that's where they're at. They're like, I don't need a random YouTube person. I need you. 

Tess Waresmith 38:18  

Sounds good. 

Lesley Logan 38:18  

All right, Tess, where do you hang out? Where can they stalk you in the best way? Because you're gonna teach them all the ways and where and do you have courses? Do you have anything that they can work with you on? 

Tess Waresmith 38:48  

Yes, absolutely. So I hang out on Instagram a lot @wealthwithtess is my Instagram handle, so follow me there. I also think if this conversation was helpful, I highly recommend that you grab my free investing guide. It has a ton of information of what we just talked about today, and it's going to help you, step by step, start thinking through this process of how to organize your money and start investing. And there's some great examples in there. So that is free, and that's at wealthwithtess.com/savvy S-A-V-V-Y wealthwithtess.com/savvy there's a free investing guide there. Honestly, I'd start there. That's a great place to get information. And then I'm always offering free workshops and opportunities to learn, and I share those so once you download that, you'll get on my email list. And I share information weekly and try to help you stay calm during the AI bubble madness that we're in. 

Lesley Logan 39:39  

I feel so calm, you're like a cortisol little like control objection. You you know the drill. We have the bold, executable, intrinsic, targeted steps people can take to Be It Till They See It. What do you have to add to the amazing advice you've already given us?

Tess Waresmith 39:53  

I might have said this last time, but I'm gonna say it again. No one cares about your money more than you do. They just don't. So if you care about your money. What you're going to do after this is you're going to go into the show notes, download that free guide and spend 20 minutes reading it, and you're then you're going to pick a next step. That's what you got to do. You got to take action. You can't just listen to people talk about money. You got to do something with what you're learning. 

Lesley Logan 40:13  

Yeah, I love that so much, because I do think people like, okay, check, thought about my money, right? And also like, then take an action that goes along with it. You're epic. I love you so much. I can't wait. We'll have to just make this, like, figure out a way to, like, an annual wealth with Tess, tell us how we're doing. Tell us what's up. You guys, what are you going to do with these tips in your life? Wealth with Tess, wants to know. I want to know so and also share this with all your friends. Because I actually do think when the biggest, this is a little tangent side story, but years ago, when I lived in LA those was so many emails were hacked, and what a lot of female actresses learned is they're making very little money compared to their male counterparts. And one of the things that came out of that is, well, women don't talk about how much they make enough. They don't talk about money enough. And I do think that if our friendships could go deeper into those ways. And it's not a flashy thing. It's an actual thing that allows us to educate ourselves of how much we can make in different areas. There would be less of a wealth gap. There would be more information, because we just don't know how much people are making at different places. And so make this be the start of the conversation about money with your friends, so you can have deeper, wealthier relationships. And until next time, Be It Till You See It. 

Lesley Logan 41:22  

That's all I got for this episode of the Be It Till You See It Podcast. One thing that would help both myself and future listeners is for you to rate the show and leave a review and follow or subscribe for free wherever you listen to your podcast. Also, make sure to introduce yourself over at the Be It Pod on Instagram. I would love to know more about you. Share this episode with whoever you think needs to hear it. Help us and others Be It Till You See It. Have an awesome day. Be It Till You See It is a production of The Bloom Podcast Network. If you want to leave us a message or a question that we might read on another episode, you can text us at +1-310-905-5534 or send a DM on Instagram @BeItPod.

Brad Crowell 42:05  

It's written, filmed, and recorded by your host, Lesley Logan, and me, Brad Crowell.

Lesley Logan 42:10  

It is transcribed, produced and edited by the epic team at Disenyo.co.

Brad Crowell 42:14  

Our theme music is by Ali at Apex Production Music and our branding by designer and artist, Gianfranco Cioffi.

Lesley Logan 42:21  

Special thanks to Melissa Solomon for creating our visuals.

Brad Crowell 42:24  

Also to Angelina Herico for adding all of our content to our website. And finally to Meridith Root for keeping us all on point and on time.

Lesley Logan challenges the way menopause is often framed, reminding listeners that it was never meant to be a decline. She reflects on how history rewrote the role of powerful women and why that still matters today, with 1.2 billion women entering menopause worldwide. She also celebrates a listener win rooted in community building and shares why creating space in your schedule is essential to staying present and avoiding burnout. This episode is a reminder to advocate for your health and trust the wisdom you already carry.

If you have any questions about this episode or want to get some of the resources we mentioned, head over to LesleyLogan.co/podcast. If you have any comments or questions about the Be It pod shoot us a message at [email protected] .

And as always, if you’re enjoying the show please share it with someone who you think would enjoy it as well. It is your continued support that will help us continue to help others. Thank you so much! Never miss another show by subscribing at LesleyLogan.co/subscribe.

In this episode you will learn about:

• Reclaiming menopause as a spiritual rising rather than a decline.
• How historical narratives were used to silence powerful older women.
• Why advocating for your health matters during menopause.
• Creating community and overcoming scheduling conflicts.
• Creating space supports the person you are becoming.

Episode References/Links:

• Womb Wisdom with Shavita - https://beitpod.com/wombwisdom
• She Caused a Riot by Hannah Jewell – https://a.co/d/aznJTHo
• Ep. 637 Burnout Episode Special 1 - https://beitpod.com/ep637
• Ep. 638 Burnout Episode Special 2 - https://beitpod.com/ep638
• Ep. 640 Self-Love Episode Special 1 - https://beitpod.com/ep640
• Ep. 644 Self-Love Episode Special 2 - https://beitpod.com/ep644
• Submit your wins or questions - https://beitpod.com/questions

If you have any questions about this episode or want to get some of the resources we mentioned, head over to LesleyLogan.co/podcast https://lesleylogan.co/podcast/. If you have any comments or questions about the Be It pod shoot us a message at [email protected] mailto:[email protected].

And as always, if you’re enjoying the show please share it with someone who you think would enjoy it as well. It is your continued support that will help us continue to help others. Thank you so much! Never miss another show by subscribing at LesleyLogan.co/subscribe https://lesleylogan.co/podcast/#follow-subscribe-free.

If you enjoyed this episode, make sure and give us a five star rating and leave us a review on iTunes, Podcast Addict, Podchaser or Castbox. https://lovethepodcast.com/BITYSI

DEALS! DEALS! DEALS! DEALS! https://onlinepilatesclasses.com/memberships/perks/#equipment

Check out all our Preferred Vendors & Special Deals from Clair Sparrow, Sensate, Lyfefuel BeeKeeper’s Naturals, Sauna Space, HigherDose, AG1 and ToeSox https://onlinepilatesclasses.com/memberships/perks/#equipment

Be in the know with all the workshops at OPC https://workshops.onlinepilatesclasses.com/lp-workshop-waitlist

Be It Till You See It Podcast Survey https://pod.lesleylogan.co/be-it-podcasts-survey

Be a part of Lesley’s Pilates Mentorship https://lesleylogan.co/elevate/

FREE Ditching Busy Webinar https://ditchingbusy.com/

Resources:

• Watch the Be It Till You See It podcast on YouTube! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCq08HES7xLMvVa3Fy5DR8-g
• Lesley Logan website https://lesleylogan.co/
• Be It Till You See It Podcast https://lesleylogan.co/podcast/
• Online Pilates Classes by Lesley Logan https://onlinepilatesclasses.com/
• Online Pilates Classes by Lesley Logan on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjogqXLnfyhS5VlU4rdzlnQ
• Profitable Pilates https://profitablepilates.com/about/

Follow Us on Social Media:

• Instagram https://www.instagram.com/lesley.logan/
• The Be It Till You See It Podcast YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCq08HES7xLMvVa3Fy5DR8-g
• Facebook https://www.facebook.com/llogan.pilates
• LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/lesley-logan/
• The OPC YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@OnlinePilatesClasses

Episode Transcript:

Lesley Logan 0:00  

It's Fuck Yeah Friday. 

Lesley Logan 0:01  

Fuck yeah.

Lesley Logan 0:02  

Get ready for some wins. Welcome to the Be It Till You See It podcast where we talk about taking messy action, knowing that perfect is boring. I'm Lesley Logan, Pilates instructor and fitness business coach. I've trained thousands of people around the world and the number one thing I see stopping people from achieving anything is self-doubt. My friends, action brings clarity and it's the antidote to fear. Each week, my guest will bring bold, executable, intrinsic and targeted steps that you can use to put yourself first and Be It Till You See It. It's a practice, not a perfect. Let's get started. 

Lesley Logan 0:48  

Hello, Be It babe. How are you? Oh my gosh, we're here end of the month. What a way that could be a celebration. You made it. You didn't give up. You're listening to this podcast, which is a win for me, so as a win for you. No seriously, but thank you for being here. Thank you for listening to the Be It Pod all these years. Oh, my goodness. I really hope this, this serves you, it would, and if it does, please tell me in a review that'd be so great. Send your wins in to the beitpod.com/questions also send your questions in that you would like Brad and I to you know, answer for you and support you. It could be anything. 

Lesley Logan 1:23  

So this blew my mind. Made me pissed off and but like, in a fired up way, and I think, like, that's what we need to be. I know we have a few good men who listen to this podcast. Hello. Thank you so much. But, and you are part of this as well. We actually need to take this all back. And so this inspiration came from womb_wisdom_with_shavita, and it's a carousel post, and she was like, menopause wasn't a decline, it was colonized. So before patriarchy, the menopausal woman was the Oracle. She was the healer, she was the memory keeper, the voice of the village, she held the kind of wisdom you cannot buy, silence or control. So they feared her. When the witch hunts began they weren't just killing women, they were erasing the power of menopause itself. A woman who no longer bleeds cannot be controlled. She doesn't fear pregnancy, she doesn't fear judgment, she doesn't bend to the rules of a world she already sees through. She becomes dangerous to the system, so they burned her, they silenced her, they rewrote her story, and in that smoke, they replaced the Oracle with the diagnoses. Menopause became decline, drying up, the end, a medical problem instead of a spiritual rising. And this was no accident. The system knew, if they get to the women, they get to the womb. If they get to the womb, they silence the elders. If they silence the elders, the children will forget. When the children forget, the whole world becomes easy to control, and this is how they shape generations of women to fear aging, fear institution, fear their own power. This is how the world forgot the truth of the Oracle years. But the turning has begun. 1.2 billion women are now entering menopause, 1.2 billion. And the same threshold they try to destroy it. This is a planetary shift, 1.2 billion voices rising. 1.2 billion nervous system waking up, 1.2 billion wombs remembering the system doesn't stand a chance. The only question now is, will we use the voices women were burned for? Or will we stay silent? We already know the answer. So I am really obsessed with this, because I do, look, obviously, as you go through menopause, there's all these different symptoms that happen through your body, and I think it's so important that you educate yourself before as much as you can, and then during, and advocate for yourself, because there are tools that are out there to support you through this. And as we know, as I know from the women who are older than me, who've gone through it like it is beautiful on the other side. So we got to go through this. But also, what are we going through it for? And if it is not to make sure that the people younger than us do not understand, like if it's not to make sure the people younger than us understand how freaking powerful they are, and all the options that are out there, then, you know, what is the point? So there's another book that this post reminds me of. It's called, She Caused A Riot. And I'm so sorry I don't have the author's name on top of my head. She Caused A Riot. So interesting because I was reading the book, and I was, like a lot of women leaders, like, thousands of years ago, what's going on, like in the, you know, all these different times, BC, and it's all these women leaders, and also there's none, none. And it just was like, oh, it's because they changed the history, you know, and so we can take it back, and I think we need to do and so being it until you see it doesn't have to be that you become like some sort of political figure in your world, but it can be that you become, maybe you're the voice in your community that's reminding women of how powerful they are, and reminding the men around us that like the patriarch, isn't good for them either. It's not good for anybody, right? So you know, when people have to fall into a role, it's not good. So anyways, all right, that's your inspiration for that today. 

Lesley Logan 5:06  

Now let's go to your wins that you sent in. This one is from MelissaYNagai. I'm running a mat class. She's she's from Canada. She sells OPC flash cards in Canada. She's also an Agency OPC member. I was running mat class this weekend where my for my teacher trainees to observe, and it filled up in a day, actually over filling as I made a mistake on my schedule, but we will make it work. I decided to run a monthly session for teachers. I'm calling it core connections for Pilates teachers. It's open to six people, and I have four signed up, plus several others are interested. But timing doesn't work. Humongous. First of all, way to create community, Melissa, it's not easy, and when you first start it like the timing never works for people. People say they want things, and then it's like the timing never works. You've quickly find out, like there's no time that it will work, but eventually they make it work because they want to be near what you're creating. So just keep going with that. I'm so stoked for you. And I love when we make a mistake and it overfills and we go, oh, actually, I could do it with six people. I could do with five. Sometimes these mistakes are like these little, happy, magical accidents. So way to go, to put yourself out there. Way to just continue to show up each and every day for you and the people that you believe in the impact you want to make on this world. It's inspiring. And thank you for sharing with us. 

Lesley Logan 6:19  

All right. My win. So my win is, I've had this one before, I'm sharing it again, because I'm constantly, like, proud of what we do. So each and every year I decide, like, okay, I need more time here. I need more space here. I need to be more ahead here. And then I've told you guys, like, sometimes you realize, like, one of the examples is in November of 2024 I got sick, and so then I got behind for November in early 2025 so my illness in November caused a domino effect of things not being done on time in early 2025 and there was a scramble. So then, you know, obviously, my assistant and I went to the drawing board. How can we even get more ahead? So in case something happens, we're not rushing. Of course, in November of 2025, I was still, still getting everything done, just right before we left, and that's okay, like things happen. In fact, what I'm recording right now is a re record, so I would actually have a little bit more time today, but this is a re record, because mercury retrograde. That being said, I got better at noticing how much more time I wanted to have on certain projects so they weren't rushed. And I can sit here today and celebrate that I got to be super present for multiple visitors in February. Multiple. My slingshot bestie, a podcast guest, slash we coached for a really long time. We've had so many people coming through these doors in February, it almost felt like I should take another month off. And because of how far ahead we got ourselves for the beginning of 2026 last year in 2025, I was able to be present. And I just want to say, like, if you are feeling overwhelmed, near burnout. One, take some breaks. You need to and you need to figure out what fills your cup. Listen to the burnout episodes. Listen to our self love episodes, listen to our habit episodes. Two, two, very important. You may have to get behind to get ahead, but I highly recommend that you figure out a way to create more space in your life and not be so to the wire on things, and that is as an ADHD person who loves to procrastinate like lives off it like says, I used to be proud of the papers I would write the night before. Yes, I wrote a 48-page paper the two days before it was due, and I got a B plus. And he said I would have gotten an A had I written it three days before, because I probably would have time to read it. That all being said, at some point you have to give yourself space, just you're not running on that adrenaline all the time. And so my win is that I have, each and every year, created more and more space for the following year for the person I'm going to become. And I'm continuing to look at how I'm doing that this year for next year already, even though it's February. So there's my win. 

Lesley Logan 9:03  

All right, your mantra for the week. Oh, this is a good one. I take care of my body. I take care of my body. I take care of my body. I take care of my body. Of course you do, babe. Let's go take care of that body and have an amazing day. Be It Till You See It. 

Lesley Logan 9:21  

That's all I got for this episode of the Be It Till You See It Podcast. One thing that would help both myself and future listeners is for you to rate the show and leave a review and follow or subscribe for free wherever you listen to your podcast. Also, make sure to introduce yourself over at the Be It Pod on Instagram. I would love to know more about you. Share this episode with whoever you think needs to hear it. Help us and others Be It Till You See It. Have an awesome day. Be It Till You See It is a production of The Bloom Podcast Network. If you want to leave us a message or a question that we might read on another episode, you can text us at +1-310-905-5534 or send a DM on Instagram @BeItPod.

Brad Crowell 10:03  

It's written, filmed, and recorded by your host, Lesley Logan, and me, Brad Crowell.

Lesley Logan 10:08  

It is transcribed, produced and edited by the epic team at Disenyo.co.

Brad Crowell 10:12  

Our theme music is by Ali at Apex Production Music and our branding by designer and artist, Gianfranco Cioffi.

Lesley Logan 10:19  

Special thanks to Melissa Solomon for creating our visuals.

Brad Crowell 10:23  

Also to Angelina Herico for adding all of our content to our website. And finally to Meridith Root for keeping us all on point and on time.

Lesley Logan and Brad Crowell unpack insights from Brad Walsh, founder of the Empowerography Podcast. In this recap, they reflect on the transformative power of boudoir photography and how seeing yourself in a new light can change how you think, feel, and show up. This conversation digs into resilience, authenticity, and why sharing your story might be the very thing that helps someone else keep going.

If you have any questions about this episode or want to get some of the resources we mentioned, head over to LesleyLogan.co/podcast https://lesleylogan.co/podcast/. If you have any comments or questions about the Be It pod shoot us a message at [email protected] mailto:[email protected].

And as always, if you’re enjoying the show please share it with someone who you think would enjoy it as well. It is your continued support that will help us continue to help others. Thank you so much! Never miss another show by subscribing at LesleyLogan.co/subscribe https://lesleylogan.co/podcast/#follow-subscribe-free.

In this episode you will learn about:

• Boudoir photography helps women see themselves differently.
• Why resilience is the courage to keep rising.
• The importance of sharing experiences to inspire others.
• Why true authenticity requires dropping the mask of perfection.
• How trusting your path frees you from fear of missing out.

Episode References/Links:

• Agency MINI Waitlist - https://prfit.biz/mini
• Poland Contrology Pilates Conference - xxll.co/poland
• Vintage Friends & Contrology Brussels - xxll.co/brussels
• Pilates On Tour® London - https://xxll.co/pot
• OPC Spring Training - How to Get Overhead - https://opc.me/events
• Empowerography Podcast - https://empowerographypodcast.com
• Empowerography Podcast Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/empowerographypodcast
• Brad Walsh LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradwalsh70
• Brad Walsh Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/brad.walsh.56
• Empowerography Live Conference 2026 - https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1D7QAc3hFx

If you enjoyed this episode, make sure and give us a five star rating and leave us a review on iTunes, Podcast Addict, Podchaser or Castbox. https://lovethepodcast.com/BITYSI

DEALS! DEALS! DEALS! DEALS! https://onlinepilatesclasses.com/memberships/perks/#equipment

Check out all our Preferred Vendors & Special Deals from Clair Sparrow, Sensate, Lyfefuel BeeKeeper’s Naturals, Sauna Space, HigherDose, AG1 and ToeSox https://onlinepilatesclasses.com/memberships/perks/#equipment

Be in the know with all the workshops at OPC https://workshops.onlinepilatesclasses.com/lp-workshop-waitlist

Be It Till You See It Podcast Survey https://pod.lesleylogan.co/be-it-podcasts-survey

Be a part of Lesley’s Pilates Mentorship https://lesleylogan.co/elevate/

FREE Ditching Busy Webinar https://ditchingbusy.com/

Resources:

• Watch the Be It Till You See It podcast on YouTube! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCq08HES7xLMvVa3Fy5DR8-g
• Lesley Logan website https://lesleylogan.co/
• Be It Till You See It Podcast https://lesleylogan.co/podcast/
• Online Pilates Classes by Lesley Logan https://onlinepilatesclasses.com/
• Online Pilates Classes by Lesley Logan on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjogqXLnfyhS5VlU4rdzlnQ
• Profitable Pilates https://profitablepilates.com/about/

Follow Us on Social Media:

• Instagram https://www.instagram.com/lesley.logan/
• The Be It Till You See It Podcast YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCq08HES7xLMvVa3Fy5DR8-g
• Facebook https://www.facebook.com/llogan.pilates
• LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/lesley-logan/
• The OPC YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@OnlinePilatesClasses

Episode Transcript:

Lesley Logan 0:00  

He said when they see who they truly are and how they're captured, they leave a completely different woman. And there's not enough words, he said, to encapsulate the power in that as a photographer. 

Lesley Logan 0:09  

Welcome to the Be It Till You See It podcast where we talk about taking messy action, knowing that perfect is boring. I'm Lesley Logan, Pilates instructor and fitness business coach. I've trained thousands of people around the world and the number one thing I see stopping people from achieving anything is self-doubt. My friends, action brings clarity and it's the antidote to fear. Each week, my guest will bring bold, executable, intrinsic and targeted steps that you can use to put yourself first and Be It Till You See It. It's a practice, not a perfect. Let's get started.

Lesley Logan 0:53  

Welcome back to the Be It Till You See It interview recap where my co-host in life, Brad, and I are going to dig into the powerful convo I have with another Brad. Brad Walsh. 

Brad Crowell 0:55  

Another Brad. 

Lesley Logan 0:55  

In our last episode. If you haven't yet listened to that interview, then actually listen to this one. You should go back and listen that one. It's pretty good. I liked it. 

Brad Crowell 1:05  

That's a great interview. It was, I'm not gonna lie you, you spoke my thoughts out loud. 

Lesley Logan 1:10  

I did? 

Brad Crowell 1:11  

Yes. Like. 

Lesley Logan 1:12  

Did I say that I have to say Brad's thoughts? 

Brad Crowell 1:14  

No, but two. There's another comment I can't remember. It'll come back to me. But you know when, when I heard you introduce Brad Walsh as someone who is entirely devoted to platforming and empowering women, I was like, a man is doing that? Okay, okay. I was like, I guess, I guess I'm I didn't even know. I was dubious and a little curious and then encouraged and excited at by the end. So, yes, it's great.

Lesley Logan 1:45  

Turns out you can be really successful if you platform women. Turns out. 

Brad Crowell 1:50  

How about that? 

Lesley Logan 1:51  

Yeah, it turns out there's, there's things like, there's like, good things that happen when you do that.

Brad Crowell 1:55  

You did mention that you had similar thoughts to him, and I was laughing, because I was like, okay, I'm not alone. 

Lesley Logan 1:59  

Yeah. I'm intrigued. Well, we'll get into that in just a second. But first today is February 26th 2026 and it's Black Lives Matter Day. Black Lives Matter Day is celebrated annually on February 26th in remembrance of Trayvon Martin, an African American teen who was killed by a white American out of hatred. The acquittal of the killer, George Zimmerman, from the murder charge and is roaming free, caused a wave of widespread anger, which led to nationwide campaigns centered around fairness and justice for black people. Black Lives Matter is a chant against systemic racial discrimination which has shaped and increased the risk of violence towards black people. Join in the movement to end discrimination, declare equality for all.

Brad Crowell 2:39  

Yeah. So one of the things that I wanted to address is we're obviously not black. However, we have heard a lot of people who are not black say, well, what about white people? Or what about other, you know, people as well? Shouldn't we be focusing on them as much as we are focusing on black people? And ultimately, I would say Black Lives Matter does not say other lives don't matter. But what Black Lives Matter is saying is that there is a historical, documented like systematic approach against that has not given the same opportunities in our society, in our in the United States of America, to black people, whereas it has favored, white people. 

Lesley Logan 3:37  

Oh one thing and I heard that I heard this in 2020 and I'll share it here. It doesn't mean you didn't have to swim uphill, it just meant that you had a paddle, it just means that, like, you could have had a hard life but there, the research is there, even if your family came here like mine did in the 1912 all this stuff, the research is, is, is very much there, the status are there that because after slavery, we didn't, we did not treat black people the same as white people, the wealth that their families could pass down, which whether or not you got any money, because I didn't either whether doesn't matter. It doesn't mean that you that there was less opportunity for their generations of families to have options. And there's actually a black family, a guy who was able to buy slaves, the black man who was able to buy his family as slaves. And so then when when slavery ended, there was this whole, basically reparations for the slave owners. And so he was given money for the slaves that he lost, and you can see his family and the generations that came from his family, and how different their lives were compared to other black people and so especially as we're watching this right now where brown people are being targeted in an insane way, black and brown people, but we're seeing a lot of it with brown people because of ICE. I'm just gonna say who it is, because of that. The reality is, is because.

Brad Crowell 5:02  

Because of ICE directed it by, you know, Stephen Miller and our president.

Lesley Logan 5:06  

And our president and his vice president, we're gonna add in there. Because some people think if we just got rid of Trump at life would be better. No, you'll still have a shit sandwich. So the reality is, because we've never had Black Lives Matter, we are all being affected. All every other color is going to have a hard time. And by the way, white people, you are too, your life is not going to get easier because they got rid of some brown people, or they only pull over black people. You're this is a community.

Brad Crowell 5:32  

But I want to go back to this. I agree with the things that you're saying, but I want to go back to this by saying let white lives matter too. We're actually sidestepping the issue. And that's the problem. The problem is not that white lives don't matter. That's not what we're saying, and that's not what you know, that's not what, when someone says Black Lives Matter, they're not saying white lives don't matter too. But what they but when we say white lives matter too, we're we're just derailing the conversation away from the fact that there has been systemic oppression of people in our society for 400 years, right?

Lesley Logan 6:05  

And also, by the way, if you vote for the people of color who are different than you, you benefit too. By the way, if you've not, I'm not saying vote for people of color. I'm saying if you vote for the people who will represent the people of the least of these, you will benefit. You'll benefit in so many different ways.

Brad Crowell 6:20  

But here's the thing, that, yes, that you will absolutely benefit when there is, like, cultural and systemic racism against a particular group, it almost empowers violence towards that group, and that is where the that's where everyone got really, really frustrated with this murderer who was literally set free, you know, and, and I couldn't agree more, you know, it's, it's, it's wrong.

Lesley Logan 6:50  

It's just fucked up. I mean, to be honest, the whole thing that he stood on, that law that he stood on, is stupid, and it's in several different states, and people and like kids have been killed since then because they knocked on the wrong door. A black kid last year knocked on the wrong door looking to pick up his brothers, and they shot him because he's a black kid at their door. Like, what the, I'm sorry, that is infuriating. And we, we are not done. And I think, like, we got past 2020. 

Brad Crowell 7:18  

It's like a mix of fear and racism and the fact that they're ever like. 

Lesley Logan 7:21  

But they're, I won't even give them warrant over fear they're fucked up. Like, come on, I'm sorry.

Brad Crowell 7:26  

Like their bread fear is like, spued into their life.

Lesley Logan 7:31  

Right, I guess. But also like, we live in a world where you can curate your own algorithm and and these people are not taking the time to even, like, think about somebody else's experience at all, just their own, and they're so self-centered, and then they vote for people who lie to them and use them and use fear to use them. And now look where we're at. People are dying, and they're like, but my life still sucks. Yeah, it does. You voted for people who made sure it fucking sucked. And I am just like, the guns are the fucking problem. And then we have to. We voted we got rid of Trump the first time. We're like, oh, good. All this stuff is better. No, it's not. The Democrats didn't work fucking fast enough. And now we're here in this place of shit where black people still don't have the rights that white people do, and now brown people are being attacked in crazy ways. And by the way, like, if you're so concerned with, like, immigrants and crime. Like last year, immigrants killed three people, and ISIS killed 33 people from the stats that I just looked at. So like, I just think that, like, there's things that we could be taking into perspective, and it requires us to be more considerate of people who look different than us, and also fighting for their rights, because it will help yours. Anyways, end of rant. And by the way, that's a long conversation that we were like trying to get out. So if we like, that's something a little weird forgiveness, because we're all growing. We're all learning. You get amped up. 

Lesley Logan 8:50  

So anyways, I want to get into what's going on. We just wrapped up Agency Mini last week, and so you missed it. 

Brad Crowell 9:02  

Congratulations, it's over. 

Lesley Logan 8:57  

Congratulations. You can't get on the waitlist, but you can get on the waitlist for the next one. We will do one more this year, prfit.biz/mini prfit.biz/mini that's profit without the O and it is for Pilates instructors and studio owners who work for themselves or want to so highly recommend it. Now we're getting up and we're gearing. We're gearing. We're gearing up and getting ready because we will be gone for an entire month in Europe. Brad and I, we're not taking Bayon on this trip. On this trip, and so we'll be first in Poland at the Controlology Conference to Contrology Pilates Conference in Wroclaw with Karen Frischmann, xxll.co/poland you can come from anywhere to go to that. Karen and I speak in English, and it will be translated into Polish. So if you can do either of those languages, that conference is for you. And then after that, Brad, Karen and I are going to go to the Contrology. We're going to Brussels to Pilatels like Vintage Pilates and friends. Ignacio is going to be there. El is the owner. She's going to be there. The four of us are gonna be teaching workshops and classes. It's gonna be a long, fun filled days. I promise these are something you don't wanna miss. Els really throws a party with these xxll.co/brussels, and I guess we're gonna be like in Bruges. So that's really cool. Don't quote me. It's all on the site. Just go there. 

Brad Crowell 9:02  

Sounds fun. 

Lesley Logan 9:02  

We have a lot of eLevate and other people that we know are going to that one. So it's gonna be a really fun party. And then after our second honeymoon, which your recommendations for things to do between Brussels and Paris that get us to London are welcomed, because we're going to take that train. I think, hopefully we can. That's the plan. We clearly haven't looked up anything. I just heard you can go from Paris to London, so that's what we're going to do. But you can join us at POT London. My Saturday workshop is filled, but there is a few spots left in the Sunday workshop that I'm teaching, but you should come to any of the workshops, because there's some excellent presenters at the POT in London, xxll.co/pot. By the way, that link will take you to all the POTs that Balanced Body is doing right now. Right now the only one on that schedule that I'm going to be at is POT London. We will have a booth at a couple others, but if you want to take workshop from me in Europe, you've got three weekend options, and that is it for at least a year, maybe two. So check it out xxll.co/pot, and then we come home, we're gonna get ready for spring training. 

Brad Crowell 11:16  

Yeah, really looking forward to it. This year we're gonna change it up. 

Lesley Logan 11:19  

How to get overhead. 

Brad Crowell 11:20  

How to get overhead. So last year's spring training was so fun. We had people join us from all over the world. We had teachers join us from all over the globe, all the OPC teachers, and it was a big party. And we were digging into, well, each year we're digging into a different topic. So this year's topic is how to get overhead. And I know we kind of said this last week on the pod. But you don't have to be able to get overhead right to come learn. 

Lesley Logan 11:46  

I don't like that. It's not have to get overhead, it's a how to. It's really finding your own version of overhead exercises. It's really just, you're here to find your own and that's what Pilates is making your own personal practice practice. It's called Contrology, the study of control. Not controlled.

Brad Crowell 12:02  

Yeah, not controlled. So come join us. Go to opc.me/events opc.me/events to grab a spot on the waitlist so that you're gonna be the first one to know when we do that in May. Before we get into this great interview with Brad, let's dig into this question. So on YouTube, @wanderlustonwheels asks, I would love to see recommendations for us perimenopausal ladies on the Cadillac. I am also hyper mobile, so I can't really do any mat work without fabricating and crunching my joints and pinching my nerves. I always end up with neck cranks that keep me from sleeping when I do mat work. So this is like multiple things rolled up into one. 

Lesley Logan 12:45  

Yeah, I'm gonna keep it tight, because I appreciate your question about perimenopausal exercises on the Cadillac. And unfortunately, the way that Pilates has been changed, in some ways, is that people think I need to know this type of exercise for this piece of equipment, but really it's a system. And actually all Pilates is available to any perimenopausal woman on any piece of equipment. So what's cool about Pilates is it actually is a low cortisol producing workout, or it should be. And if yours is not, then you're probably not doing Pilates. It's a mind body connective work, and you're not moving super slow or super fast. There's some moments with zest and there's some moment with rhythm. But in in all honesty, most Pilates exercise classes session should actually be low cortisol producing really great for building strength and for getting that mind body connection, which will bring down that cortisol levels. And you should be able to sleep really, really well. So I'm not gonna say which exercises are great for perimenopause, because they all are, but depends on which ones your body needs right now. And that actually has nothing. That has very little to do with perimenopause, and more to do with like, what's going on with your body, the fact that you're hyper mobile, you didn't mention that you have EDS. So if you had EDS, this was a it's a different story, and you should definitely be working. You should really make sure to find an EDS teacher near you, trained teacher near you or online. Because the fact that when you do mat work your nerves are pinched and you have neck cranks makes me actually nervous that you're not doing actual Pilates exercises, and somebody is using the popularity of Pilates to entice you in, because if you're doing Pilates from your center on the mat as a hyper mobile person, the worst case scenario you're going to have is that it's easy. I'm a hyper mobile body, and so it would just feel easy to me because I was just locking my joints out and over stretching things and kind of hanging off of things. But the fact that you're actually having pinched nerves and neck cranks tells me that there's some sort of pressure that's being pulled to you in these exercises.

Brad Crowell 14:46  

Well, I think, I think, like, okay, so also hypermobile here. And did you know in like, super intense yoga for like, a long time before moving to Vegas and so now I do yoga differently, but before it was like, you know, 3, 4, 5 days a week doing yoga. And I definitely understand the idea of, like, crunching joints and pinching nerves, or I don't understand fabricating. That doesn't mean anything to me. But, you know, just because you can force your body into a shape doesn't mean you're doing it correctly. 

Lesley Logan 15:18  

Well and also, I think that, like, something that you had to learn was that not every cue is for you. And I think sometimes in a class we hear them say something, so we do it in a hyper mobile people, we can keep going like, our end range isn't there, whereas a tighter person would be like, get stuck on something.

Brad Crowell 15:35  

I mean, look, I you know, I could put my head, my foot behind my head on the first day of class, the very first day, like, and they were like, your yoga practice is amazing. I was like, I'm brand new. What are you talking about? Right? So.

Lesley Logan 15:46  

And that teacher should have been like, oh, even though you can do that, you should not do that, because you don't know what you're doing.

Brad Crowell 15:51  

Right. You don't know how to engage your muscles, to protect your body. And that's what, to me, that's what it sounds like here, when you have crunching joints or pinching nerves, like in Pilates, we talk about the five spine shapes. And the spine shape that that you should focus on as a hyper mobile body is tall.

Lesley Logan 16:07  

Yeah, look at you, Brad. 

Brad Crowell 16:09  

Oh yeah. 

Lesley Logan 16:10  

Look at you. So so @wanderlustonwheels, like, here's the thing, if you were an OPC member and I was you sent in a video of you doing a couple of the mat exercises, just a couple reps, I don't want you to hurt anything, I could actually see what's going on. Without being able to see it just based off what I'm reading, it sounds to me that the person who's teaching the class is not teaching your body. They are teaching a class, and that is hard because it's more accessible for you to go to a class or to watch a YouTube video, but not everything is going to be for you. And so actually learning how to move from your center is going to be key, and that might mean investing in some time or some money to get either an OBC membership or a studio near you, where a teacher can actually look at you and go, oh, that's too high. Oh, that's too much. Or here are these exercises, because the mat work, like I said, as a hypermobile, it should just feel easy, and the fact you're getting hurt, really, like alarm bells are going off for me. 

Brad Crowell 17:03  

There's a second thing I wanted to say on this, and I'm not a physical therapist, but also being a hypermobile body, the best thing that has that I've done for my body in the past five years is lifting weights.

Lesley Logan 17:16  

Well and, for perimenopausal women, you should be so people who actually do Pilates say I should lift weights. It's not an or it's an and I do both. I lift heavy weights and I do Pilates.

Brad Crowell 17:27  

Because, because the strength, here's here's where this has been weird for me, because I am, like, super competitive, the guy who wants to be the guy who can, you know, bend over backwards and and, like, you know, touch my toes backwards. I want to be that guy, because if they can do it, so can I. That's how my mentality has always been, and I could do a lot more flexibility things, maybe not properly, but with my hypermobility before I started becoming more strong, but with the strength added, which, you know, has been like, a process over multiple years. My body hurts way less, way less. I can still jack myself up, and I can still be like, oh man, I'm in my lower back right now. I can feel it, you know. But because my, because I've been like, my shoulders don't hurt anymore. They used to. My knees are hurting less they, you know, my back especially has been hurting less, and then, you know, I haven't had neck issues the way that you're describing them. But like, you know, if you strengthen your neck, imagine.

Lesley Logan 18:31  

Well, that's the thing that people, especially while we're doing that, going back to that spring training with overhead, I ask you, like, what they're nervous about and everyone's afraid of their neck. And I'm like, one, you should be on your neck. And two, your neck should be strong. Most people, like, are so afraid of hurting their neck that they're not actually strengthening their neck anymore, and their necks getting weaker. And so guess what? It's actually gonna you're gonna hurt it just sitting around. So I, I really, like, I feel for people because, like, what if? So what if @wanderlustonwheels, like, can't go to any place, right? What if she, like, doesn't have money or the time, and she like, I get that it's about listening to your body. And really true, like, sometimes you have to film yourself, because if you're looking at someone do something, and then you're trying to make yourself look like them. But then when you actually film yourself, you go, oh, wow, look at how hyperextended or look where my chin is like that could help you or if you can invest in even just some privates, going hey, I need to know these foundational exercises for my body. I need to know these foundational weight training exercises for my body. I'm hyper mobile, then you can I truly believe you can do Pilates on your own once you have those foundations. And that's I wouldn't have created OPC if I didn't think so, and you can train on your own. That's why gyms exist. So at any rate, like also, I just really wonder if the person teaching that mat class is actually teaching real mat Pilates or doing lots of extra reps or something. They might be doing Pilates exercises, but doing a ton of reps, or doing it too fast, or adding heavier weights. I say, like, what? I was like, oh, I want lightweights for a class, right? And I showed up and they're like, the lightest one's worth five pounds each. And I'm like, that's not Pilates. That like that should be in a gym, because Pilates is a one pound weight. So like, sometimes, you know, people want to fill the burn and so, and then studios lean towards that, because that's what I think, is there gonna be money, and what we're not doing is educating people, you know? (inaudible)

Brad Crowell 20:12  

Thanks for writing in that question. There's a lot there, but, but. 

Lesley Logan 20:17  

We have a great workshop on OPC that Mindy Westfall did about Pilates for hypermobility, so I highly recommend taking a look at that.

Brad Crowell 20:24  

Yeah, that's a great point and and sorry for interrupting you there. But yes, if you have a question, we want to hear it, so text us 310-905-5534, or you can submit it through beitpod.com/questions beitpod.com/questions where you can leave either a win or a question. So send us some wins, people, we want to celebrate with you. Stick around. We'll be right back. We're going to talk about Brad Walsh. 

Brad Crowell 20:49  

All right, let's talk about Brad Walsh. Brad is the host and founder of the Empower Podcast, a Toronto based platform dedicated to amplifying women's stories and strengthening their voices. A lifelong photographer. He discovered his passion in high school, and later transitioned from a 12 and a half year career as corporate audiovisual technician to full time photography, eventually specializing in boudoir work that helps women see their own strength and beauty. His commitment to women's empowerment is rooted in the example set by his mother and grandmother, whose courage shaped the values behind his work today. 

Lesley Logan 21:23  

Yeah, and some cool women in his life. And we've had one photographer on before, and so I was, I was excited to talk a little bit about boudoir photography with him, because I grew up where a lot of women changed their bodies because of what they thought men would like, and then him being a male boudoir photographer who's like, literally loving everybody as it is and showing them how beautiful they are in their own bodies with these photos. And then then they can see how beautiful they are in those photos. It's fucking cool. I think it's great. Thanks, Brad, for not being a dick, you know, like there are some good men out there. 

Brad Crowell 21:56  

If you haven't listened to his episode just yet, his you know, he shared his story a little bit. His dad left, or his mom left his dad, who was, you know, off cheating on her, basically, when he was 10, and they went through it like they were broke. They got an apartment. Mom slept on the couch, because he also has a brother, and he said, you know, her strength and courage to stand back up after 15 years of marriage and say, I'm done with this abuse. She left with nothing but the clothes on her back. And, you know, and then when she got a job because she needed to, after being out of the workforce for over a decade, grandma helped in, you know, stepped in to help. So, you know, very inspirational story there. And also, like, definitely lays the foundation for why he would be encouraging, you know, women and empowering women. So I appreciated hearing a little bit of that. But what are the what is one of the things that he talked about that you really loved?

Lesley Logan 22:54  

Well, he said, the gift of her seeing herself for the first time a light she's not used to seeing herself in. He said, like, it's so powerful to be able to give that to another human being and.

Brad Crowell 23:03  

You're specifically talking about his photography, yeah, boudoir photography.

Lesley Logan 23:06  

Yeah. He said when they see who they truly are and how they're captured, they leave a completely different woman. And there's not enough words, he said, to encapsulate the power in that as a photographer. I mean, I.

Brad Crowell 23:19  

His conviction, like, was, was so. 

Lesley Logan 23:21  

Oh yeah, you have to hear it. 

Brad Crowell 23:22  

Yeah, it was. It was very compelling. Because he's like, I don't, I don't have the words to say how much that has impacted me. 

Lesley Logan 23:28  

Yeah. Well, I think, like, first of all, ladies, if you're like, I hate being on camera. I don't have (inaudible) you're the one who fucking needs to have your picture taken. Because, like, I was like, oh my God, we have a photo shoot tomorrow, and I love our photographer, and I love our makeup artist, and so I'm like, it's, I know it's going to be a great time, and it's a long day, like we talked about Brooks Tyler's book last week, and it's like, to be on an eight-hour shoot, you you have to have stamina, endurance, and I really think Adderall would have helped, like, just, just to stay focused right for that many hours. But when you see the photos at the end of the day, you're like, oh my God, I'm fucking stunning. And then you like, wake up the next day without hair and makeup, like, I'm fucking stunning. Like, it just keeps going. So, like, I highly recommend doing it, because it does change how you think about yourself. And when you change how you think about yourself, you change how you act, you change how you act, you change how you be it till you see it. I mean, there's no other way to say it. So what did you love?

Brad Crowell 24:25  

So I really dug when he was talking about resilience, right? And it stemmed from a conversation about being tired of the word resilient. You know, like, I've been told so many times you're so resilient. Well, I don't want to be resilient anymore. Why do I have to keep being resilient?

Lesley Logan 24:37  

My friends are like, you're the most resilient person, I know I'm like, over it pretty done.

Brad Crowell 24:42  

And he took a step back and paused, and he's like, well, this is how I see what resilience is. It's, it's courage and inner strength, specifically, when you you keep getting back up after being knocked down time after time, right? And he said, he said it's really important that women be resilient so they can share their experience, and inspire other women by being vulnerable, by sharing their experience. It's a permission slip for others. It shows them what is possible, right? And I thought that's totally relevant and important. And he said, while it can certainly be tiring, it serves a greater purpose, right? And it makes your efforts bigger than just you. You know, it makes your efforts towards whatever it is that you're working on. When you share those things and you continue to get back up, you know, you're giving permission for others to keep going on their journey, which we don't know what exactly what it is, but there's clearly going to be something relatable. He said, even if you're only influencing one person, right? It's worth it. He said, think about that impact, and how you know that you can have and how you can help. Maybe, you know, maybe by sharing your story, your struggles, it will prevent someone from having to go through something similar that you experience, because you know you're sharing how you got through it. So, I mean, that's honestly, like half the reason we do this podcast is hearing, you know, how did they get from A to B? How are they being it till they see, how they get to where they are today and, you know, it's inspirational. I hope you found it as well.

Lesley Logan 26:08  

I did. I really did. And I couldn't agree more. I mean, like, you're, you know, it's not a podcast I used to listen to before I was ever like when the first they just ended their first season, which is like, more like an ending of a show. I think they call the end of a season one, because they could always come back. But it was like 968, episodes. And I know. And I was just like, interesting. I wonder what it'd be like, like, well, how do you, how do you think about ending it? I read, like, their statement, which is, like, everything that we did worked, and like, look, we've inspired people. And I was like, there must have been a point where they, like, thought it wasn't adding anymore, you know, and but, and every time I'm like, is this podcast like helping anybody out? And then we go on tour, and someone's like, I loved this. And I'm like, well, fuck, we got to keep going because it's fucking hard work podcasting. But I know every stupid bro makes it look like it's the easiest thing you ever did in your life. This is a fucking hard thing that we do every week.

Brad Crowell 27:00  

Yeah, we're surrounded by a whole team to set us up to be able to even do this.

Lesley Logan 27:03  

Yes, and you just get to, like, vent or rant or like, I don't know what the fuck they think they're doing, but like, you actually have to, like, have structure and, like, think about these things and think about the people you're platforming. You know, I know that dickhead CEO podcast is like, I'm not platforming these people. I'm having a conversation. No, you're fucking platforming them, right? So, like, sometimes I'm like, oh, do I should I be platforming this person? Because I want to change lives for the better, right? So, and it's difficult because you're like, how do I know this person? How am I going to there's so many things to think about, but I do agree. It's like, if you can change one's person's life with it, like, then it's worth doing, worth all the effort. 

Brad Crowell 27:33  

Yeah, well, stick around. We'll be right back. We're going to dig into those Be It Action Items that we got from your conversation with Brad Walsh. 

Brad Crowell 27:42  

All right, welcome back. So finally, let's talk about those Be It Action Items. What bold, executable, intrinsic or targeted action items can we take away from your conversation with Brad Walsh? He said, you just have to be authentic. Don't try to be something that you're not. And the two of you went back and forth about we need to take back the word authentic, it's overused and overplayed, but there's still something to it. You know? He said, look, when we only show the happy, shiny, beautiful part of the thing that we went through, we're not being honest, and that's not being authentic, because there was definitely some shit we had to go through to get there too, right? And so I think it's fair to say that you can still be selective about all of the shit. You don't have to share everything. We're not airing our dirty laundry, but it's important to show that there's a struggle as well, and that that like contributes to that authenticity. It makes it actually authentic, right? So drill down, you know, be selective, but take that mask off and actually like, be genuine. So what about you?

Lesley Logan 28:42  

Oh, well, you know, I love this his father's wisdom, who said, what's meant for you will never go by you. And the mantra that I say, which means the same thing, is, like, what is for you will not pass you, or you will not pass you. And I think that that's a really important thing, because it's really easy to, like, hang on to something because we're afraid that something else won't come along. But like, if it's meant for you, will not go by you. And it's something that, like, as our career has taken off, as our business continues to grow, I have to say no to a lot of things, and that means worrying. Oh my god, am I letting something go? Am I saying no to something that could have, like, changed the trajectory? And it's like, I have to trust that what is meant for me will never go by you. What is for me will not pass me. So I hope that gives you something to think about, because it's not going to be all fucking rainbows and glitter, especially right now. Like, it's really hard right now. And I want to recognize every single one of you are listening like, you open up the news and it's fucked, and then you have to go to work and go, how are you? Well, all things considered, not shitty, but, like, it's hard, especially especially as people who have empathy and feelings and and caring. And so you have to keep getting up, doing the best you can. If you live somewhere where you can call someone who represents you and yell at them for what they need to step up, do that, it's part of a great day, and then keep going because if you can affect one person's life to make it better, it does matter. I love that. 

Brad Crowell 30:04  

Yeah, me too. 

Lesley Logan 30:04  

I'm Lesley Logan.

Brad Crowell 30:06  

Well, before we do that, we just wanted to shout out. Brad has an upcoming conference that's called Empowerography. It's a live conference for 2026 It is Friday, April 24th, through Sunday, April 26th, and I'm pretty sure it's a virtual. 

Lesley Logan 30:21  

It's virtual so you can go. 

Brad Crowell 30:22  

So you can find tickets and information about it on Facebook. Search for Empowerography. That's E-M power ography. You know, Empowerography Live Conference. Just search for Brad Walsh. 

Lesley Logan 30:33  

We'll put the link in the show notes as well. That might be easier. Okay, go do that. And I'm Lesley Logan. 

Brad Crowell 30:38  

And I'm Brad Crowell. 

Lesley Logan 30:39  

Thanks so much for listening. Thanks for being you. Thanks for calling your congressman and your senators and laying on the peppy if you're American and if you are European or somewhere from anywhere else you there's ways to lay on our shit too. So you can, you can help make change in this world. I believe it. I believe you and you. And if you don't want to do any of that, then leave me a review, please. Thanks so much. Until next time, Be It Till You See It.

Brad Crowell 31:01  

Bye for now. 

Lesley Logan 31:03  

That's all I got for this episode of the Be It Till You See It Podcast. One thing that would help both myself and future listeners is for you to rate the show and leave a review and follow or subscribe for free wherever you listen to your podcast. Also, make sure to introduce yourself over at the Be It Pod on Instagram. I would love to know more about you. Share this episode with whoever you think needs to hear it. Help us and others Be It Till You See It. Have an awesome day. Be It Till You See It is a production of The Bloom Podcast Network. If you want to leave us a message or a question that we might read on another episode, you can text us at +1-310-905-5534 or send a DM on Instagram @BeItPod.

Brad Crowell 31:45  

It's written, filmed, and recorded by your host, Lesley Logan, and me, Brad Crowell.

Lesley Logan 31:50  

It is transcribed, produced and edited by the epic team at Disenyo.co.

Brad Crowell 31:54  

Our theme music is by Ali at Apex Production Music and our branding by designer and artist, Gianfranco Cioffi.

Lesley Logan 32:01  

Special thanks to Melissa Solomon for creating our visuals.

Brad Crowell 32:04  

Also to Angelina Herico for adding all of our content to our website. And finally to Meridith Root for keeping us all on point and on time.

Lesley Logan sits down with Brad Walsh, photographer and host of the Empowerography Podcast, to explore what it really means to be seen. Brad shares how his journey from corporate work into storytelling and photography led him to amplifying women’s voices—and why resilience isn’t just about getting back up, but about creating a path for someone else to follow. They talk about authenticity, body image, and the shift from a “me first” mindset to leading with service. This conversation is a grounded reminder that sharing your story can create impact—often in ways you don’t expect.

If you have any questions about this episode or want to get some of the resources we mentioned, head over to LesleyLogan.co/podcast https://lesleylogan.co/podcast/. If you have any comments or questions about the Be It pod shoot us a message at [email protected] mailto:[email protected].

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In this episode you will learn about:

• How his photography helped women see themselves in a new light.
• Using resilience as a permission slip for other women’s strength.
• Realizing every body is beautiful regardless of the package.
• Shifting from a “me first” mindset toward service-driven work.
• Letting go of comparison by owning what makes your work unique.

Episode References/Links:

• Empowerography Podcast - https://empowerographypodcast.com
• Empowerography Podcast Email - https://[email protected]
• Empowerography Podcast Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/empowerographypodcast
• Brad Walsh LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradwalsh70/
• Brad Walsh Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/brad.walsh.56/
• Empowerography Live Conference 2026 - https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1D7QAc3hFx

Guest Bio:

Brad Walsh is a podcast host/producer, photographer, a published #1 International Best-Selling Author and an International Speaker and who found himself wanting to inspire others during the pandemic. He birthed the idea of EMPOWEROGRAPHY, a Top 1.5% Globally Rated Podcast, a platform that highlights strong, inspirational, dynamic women who share their stories of success, triumph, resiliency and transformation. He had no idea that what started as a simple concept would take on a life of its own. He is excited to share this platform with you and continue to EMPOWER, ELEVATE and EDUCATE by amplifying the voices of women all over the world. He is so excited to share this platform with you and continue to EMPOWER, ELEVATE and EDUCATE by amplifying the voices of women all over the world.

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Episode Transcript:

Brad Walsh 0:00  

It is un-fucking-believable. It is so powerful to be able to give that to another human being. And that's the most beautiful part for me as the photographer to be able to do that and show a woman who she truly, truly is.

Lesley Logan 0:17  

Welcome to the Be It Till You See It podcast where we talk about taking messy action, knowing that perfect is boring. I'm Lesley Logan, Pilates instructor and fitness business coach. I've trained thousands of people around the world and the number one thing I see stopping people from achieving anything is self-doubt. My friends, action brings clarity and it's the antidote to fear. Each week, my guest will bring bold, executable, intrinsic and targeted steps that you can use to put yourself first and Be It Till You See It. It's a practice, not a perfect. Let's get started. 

Lesley Logan 1:00  

All right, Be It babe. This is a fabulous conversation you're about to hear. I'm so excited. I really enjoyed being on this person's podcast. They had the most amazing questions for me, and I was like, this person is very unique. I need to share their story on my podcast. And I was excited about it when I asked them. And now that I've interviewed them. I'm even more stoked about it. So you're in for a ride. You're in for a great conversation. I hope you feel like you're, you know, you're at coffee with us and chiming in. And I hope that this also inspires you to be it till you see it in a bigger, badder ass way, because you're amazing. That's not even a word, but I'm making it one. So here is Brad Walsh of the Empowerography Podcast and let us know what you think. 

Lesley Logan 1:47  

Hey, Be It babe. Okay, we're gonna have a really fun conversation, because I already have had a wonderful conversation with our guest today, and after having those over on his amazing podcast, I had to have Brad Walsh, our guest today, over here on the Be It Till You See It podcast. So Brad, will you tell everyone who you are and what you rock at? 

Brad Walsh 2:04  

Yes. Well, first of all, I'd like to say thank you so much for having me and bringing me on board on your platform. I'm excited to be here and share with your listeners a bit about me and what I do. So I am based in Toronto, Canada. My name is Brad Walsh. I am the host and founder of the Empowerography Podcast platform, which was created to help elevate and amplify the voices of women through sharing their stories. I also host women's empowerment conference online every year. We did our fifth one this year, and that's that's my thing. I love holding space and sharing, sharing the stage and shining a light on women to share their stories.

Lesley Logan 2:40  

So cool. Five, that's amazing. Congratulations. The first few are so hard. And then you get to five, and you're like, whoa, I'll keep doing this.

Brad Walsh 2:51  

Yeah, well, next year, actually, we're doing it live and in person here in Toronto.

Lesley Logan 2:55  

Oh, my God, that is amazing. In person is so powerful. Okay, but have you always been a storyteller? Like, have you always been like an event producer? Like, tell us the journey.

Brad Walsh 3:07  

No, the event producing is new because of Empowerography. Well, new. Five years new, I guess. The storytelling, yes, in a way, because I'm a photographer, so I tell stories visually through capturing images, through capturing moments in time. So yeah, storytelling has always been a part of the journey. My photography, that's my first love, my first passion. That's where everything started for me. I took a photography class in high school, and from the first moment I stepped into that class and into the dark room, it was first love. I fell in love with the art form, and I've been in a love affair with photography ever since. So it's been 35 years there around so, yeah, it's been an amazing journey. There's just something so magical about being able to capture an image in camera and then to develop the film yourself and to see an image come to life on a piece of paper is such a magical and beautiful process. I there's not enough words to describe the beauty in that. So that's where my journey began. I worked in corporate for 12 and a half years as an audio visual tech at one of the big four accounting firms.

Lesley Logan 4:22  

Like you know, I would never have thought that an accounting firm needed an audio visual tech.

Brad Walsh 4:27  

Oh, yeah, absolutely. Oh for sure, video conferencing, webcasting, meetings, off site events, yeah, absolutely, there's, yeah, there's a huge need for it, absolutely.

Lesley Logan 4:39  

Oh, well, that's so cool. I mean, least you got to experience the corporate side of things.

Brad Walsh 4:43  

Yeah, well, it was, it was for the first six years I loved it. The last six and a half were just terrible. I hated going to work. I didn't like my boss. I didn't love the work anymore. I fell out of love with it because I was constantly thinking about my photography, all the while, while I was working full time as an audio visual tech, I was running my photography business part time, but at that time, I was only creating I was creating art. I wasn't photographing people. I had no interest whatsoever in photographing people. That wasn't my thing. It was more architecture, landscapes, urban exploration, although that shifted a little bit for me during my corporate career, because I ended up getting, to put it politely, tasked with the responsibility at my corporate job, with doing the corporate headshots. Yeah, but I fell in love with photographing people.

Lesley Logan 5:36  

You're like, oh, you do photos? You can photograph a building, you can photograph a face.

Brad Walsh 5:41  

Yes, of course. And hey, why not? We've got this guy on staff. He could do this. We could save ourselves thousands upon thousands of dollars by having him do it for free. We don't have to pay him, because we're already paying him a salary. So I mean, that's where I fell in love with photographing people. I loved having that one on one time and that connection that you would get when you when a person sat in front of your lens, it just it created a connection there. And so through that, I a few, a few years after that, after my falling in love with photographing people, I was connected through a mutual friend to a boudoir photographer who was based in Florida, and I fell in love with her work and the mission and the message behind that genre of photography, with what you can help women accomplish in terms of body acceptance, self-love, self-confidence. And I ended up mentoring with her for six months. And when I was done my mentorship, it was just one of those light bulb moments. I just knew that that's what I've got to do with my photography business, when I make the jump, and that's where, that's really where my journey into the whole women's empowerment world started, is through the boudoir photography.

Lesley Logan 6:49  

Okay, this is so cool. I had no idea. So we had, yes, we had a boudoir photographer on earlier, and y'all are probably hearing this in 2026 so earlier in 2025, and I couldn't agree more. Like I, definitely, so back when I lived in LA, I had a girlfriend who wanted to work on boudoir photography, like, can you just, like, be my practice person? I was like, okay, like, whatever. But then you see the photos of yourself, and you're like, I had no idea the eye was so beautiful and like, that looks so amazing. Because, like, you know, first of all, most of all, most of us see ourselves in the lighting of our own homes, which is not always up to par. And you know, mirrors are interesting how they're not consistent. So like, you don't realize, like, the beauty that you have or the power that you have, and until someone does that. And yet, so many people are afraid of doing that, or think that they wouldn't be good enough for that. So I love this. So this is how you got into telling women's stories. And okay, but was it easy to switch? Was it did you have like this? Because I actually am sorry. I'm getting really excited right now. Okay, I'm halfway through my coffee this morning, guys, we are alive. So I love your journey, because it sounds like so many people. It's like I did this, and I kind of fell in love with it, and then I went to corporate, and then I was fine, and then I got bored, and then there was this other thing I was doing. And so I love this, because it's a journey that we all go on. But then to make the big switch to doing something you're really passionate about, there's still so much fear there.

Brad Walsh 8:13  

Oh, absolutely. I mean, with just back to the photography for a second, that gift that I am able to give a woman of her seeing herself for the very first time, like truly who she is. It is un-fucking-believable. It is so powerful to be able to give that to another human being. And that's the most beautiful part for me as the photographer, to be able to do that and show a woman who she truly, truly is. Because, as you said, you don't think about yourself. A lot of the women don't think about themselves that way. But then when they see the images, and they see who they truly are and how they're captured, it's inner and outer beauty, and it is so magical, the transformation that takes place in a 90 minute session with me is unbelievable. She walks in one woman, she leaves a completely different woman. And that is what it's about, is being able to show a woman herself in a brand new light, or a different light, a light that she's not used to seeing herself in, or a light that she's never seen herself in. That process. It's, it's, honestly, there aren't enough words to encapsulate the power in that. For me as a photographer, it is so beautiful.

Lesley Logan 9:31  

Yeah, because you're like, we wrote in something like a, like, a storyteller doula, but like, you are like, like, an empowering me, empowering women doula, you're like, and now go off and, like, impact the world, because it's why I do this show. It's probably why you do your your photography. It's like, I'm really good at what I do, and I love what I do, but my bubble of influence is this. It's whatever it can be, and if I can then influence another woman to be it until she sees it and does something that's so incredibly impactful. Her bubble of influence. And so all of a sudden, like, in my world, the way I envision this, it's like we get all these bubbles, and it's, like it can cover the whole world then, right? Because it's not about one person, it's about all the people feeling their power.

Brad Walsh 10:14  

That's right? And so with the photography, I got to a point I was probably about two years into my business full time, and I started to feel like I love this. This is amazing. What a beautiful gift this is that I get to do this, and I get paid to do this, but I want to reach more people. I want to have a bigger impact. I want my bubble to grow. And so I thought, Why don't I take the purpose, the mission, the values of the work I do as a photographer, and turn that into or transplant that into a podcast where I focus the platform solely on women. At the time and even now, I don't know of any other platform in the world out there that has a man as a host who solely, 100% focuses on amplifying and elevating the voices of women.

Lesley Logan 10:57  

Not gonna lie, Brad, when I saw what you're doing, I was like, what an interesting dude. I wonder why he does it.

Brad Walsh 11:02  

I so I thought, Well, I'm gonna give this to I had no experience interview. I had no idea how to interview someone. No clue. I just thought, you know what, fuck it. I'll figure it out. I'm just gonna jump in. So I reached out to seven or eight friends of mine, women who I had met through my photography journey, and I explained what my idea was for the platform, and of course, it was in its infancy back then, but I shared with them and asked them if they would help me get it off the ground by letting me interview them. They all said, yes. I did the interviews, I created the content, and at that same time, my photography business started to pick up traction. I was getting more inquiries, more booking. So I thought, Okay, I have to, I have to shift all of my energy, my focus, to the business. That's why I left corporate. I shut down the and shelved the podcast, focused on the business. And then, of course, we hit March of 2020. Screwed my business. I couldn't be photographing women. So I thought, Okay, well, you got two choices here. You can go through door number one and sit around and commiserate and complain about what's going on with over half the world. Or you could go through door number two and and see this as a gift that we've all been given and use it to put something good out into the world. We could use that right now. So I reignited the podcast, and here we are, five and a half years later, and it's been an absolutely incredible journey. I have interviewed some of the most beautiful, powerful, inspirational, resilient, courageous women. You being one of them, Lesley, and I mean, it has just been such an incredible journey. It has opened so many doors for me. I and at the foundation of it all is my mom, my grandmother. They are the the inspiration for it. My mom left my biological father when I was 10, he was running around on her having an affair. Back in those days, of course, women stayed home to raise the children while the husband was the one working. So when I look back on that, the fact that she had the strength and the courage to stand up after 15 years of marriage and say, No more. I don't have to put up with this shit. I'm taking my boys and we're leaving, and we left with nothing but the clothes on our back. We moved into a one bedroom apartment. Mom slept on a couch. My brother and I shared a bedroom, and she had to get a job after being out of work for 10 years, because she sacrificed to stay home and raise us and so when she was at work, my grandmother would step in. So for me, those two women are my heart and my soul. I wouldn't be the man I am today without them. And then, of course, all of the women that I've had the honor and pleasure of sitting down with and sharing in their stories, they have all contributed to who I am today because of their stories, because of the lessons and the insights I've I've received from all of these women I take inspiration from every single woman I interview, so they have all had a hand in creating who I am today.

Lesley Logan 13:47  

Brad, I couldn't agree more. Like I feel that in being able to interview people, even people who I don't really always agree with, I'm like, wow, that's an interesting way to be it until you see it. I probably wouldn't do it. But like, even in doing even in doing that, like, your ability to empathize and see people's whole people, because, like, we, we live in a world where people want to go that person did a bad thing, so they're a bad person. This person did a good thing, so they're a good person. And people are so complicated. They're so complicated. And when you know, growing up, you would hear about like, women who left or divorced people. And of course, the woman always gets the shade like because they're divorced, the divorce (inaudible) and knowing what I know now about when she could get a credit card, when she could get a bank loan, when she you're like, whoa, every single one of those women is the biggest badass I have ever heard of, because that would have been the hardest thing to do, like, because they're though the world was against them, and so like what strength and foresight and like to make sure that you guys saw something different. I, I am in the mood of like reading and re listening to women's stories from the past that have been painted in one way, and hearing the full capacity of it, you're like, oh, actually, you know that's that person is is stronger than we thought, or better than we thought, or cooler than we thought.

Brad Walsh 15:07  

Yeah. And I mean, then you add into the mix, if they've got children, they have to do what they have to do to help those kids. But to your point about hearing the full story, this makes me think of something I just discovered recently is the Salem witch trials, and what bullshit that was and what the real truth is, holy shit.

Lesley Logan 15:30  

You guys. We are. We are. I might have got chills. I got chills. We are recording this on Halloween. But like, I actually am in love with the acronym of WITCH, which is, like, woman in total control of herself. Like I am, like, obsessed with the song, I'm obsessed with the acronym, but you're correct, like the Salem witch trials, and also just the witch trials in general, which is just like, oh, she is a healer. She had power, or her husband's dead, and she has got money.

Brad Walsh 15:53  

She has real estate, yes, exactly. 

Lesley Logan 15:53  

And they're just killing these women. 

Brad Walsh 15:57  

I could not believe it when I went down that rabbit hole, I thought, Holy, fuck the amount of lies that we have been told about that and how women have been painted in such a horrible light, which is totally false, totally bullshit. 

Lesley Logan 16:11  

In fact, you know what? Y'all I'm not saying that this is the most accurate statement, but I think if you've ever heard a historical woman being painted as this horrible person, I would just assume that there's probably a 180 story on that, like. 

Brad Walsh 16:26  

Mary Magdalene? 

Lesley Logan 16:27  

Okay, you read my mind. Because, like, you know, you're like, Oh, she's this poor sex worker home girl was fucking rich. She was she was absolutely bankrolling those dudes.

Brad Walsh 16:39  

It's crazy. The shit I have learned is unbelievable.

Lesley Logan 16:43  

Like, do you ever okay? Do you ever wonder, like, Is my whole life a lie? Like, was my whole like, my whole life was a lie? And sometimes I'm like, and so I have been reading there's, um, there's an Instagram channel that his name is for, like, I'm not remembering this moment, but she, like, talks about these, like, women in history that, like, we've just, like, erased, didn't listen to and I'm just like, made myself go every day I'm gonna read one, because it just makes me realize, Wow, we are stronger than we've ever been told we are. And in fact, like all these stories of history and people like, I think it's like these little digs to make sure women feel, Oh, I can't do it. Oh, bad things happen, right? 

Brad Walsh 17:23  

Yep, it's horrible. 

Lesley Logan 17:25  

Okay. The like, you've been platforming women, you've brought up the word resilience, and I, I'm someone who, like, everyone is like, Lesley, you're so resilient. And then what? Some days I just want to go fucking tired of being resilient. I just would, like to.

Brad Walsh 17:39  

I just spoke with someone the other day, and that's exactly what they said. I don't want to be fucking resilient. I'm so tired of that word.

Lesley Logan 17:47  

Like, I like, I like, I'm like, you know those, like, those punching bags where you hit them and they come back up again. I'm like, I just don't, I don't know if I should get back up or stayed. I don't know anymore. Like, just leave me. Let me be over here. Yeah, I guess, like, since you've interviewed so many women, you told so many stories, why should we want to stay resilient?

Brad Walsh 18:10  

Because it because I think that staying resilient by doing that you're giving a permission slip to other women. Because I think I see resilience as courage and inner strength being getting back up that eighth time after being knocked down seven times. That's what resilience is to me. And so when I think, when women do that, it's a permission slip for others, it shows other women what's possible. So yeah, I think, as much as you don't you hate the word, and I understand. I get it. I totally understand. But think about the other women that you are inspiring by doing that. And yes, of course, and there's nothing wrong with getting tired of hearing it. And maybe, maybe you don't have to get up every single time. But I think that by doing so it you are inspiring other women and showing you are proof of what's possible, in my opinion.

Lesley Logan 19:00  

Yeah, you're right. I mean, I'll keep getting back up, but I do, I.

Brad Walsh 19:05  

Somehow I can't see you staying down anyway. 

Lesley Logan 19:07  

I don't even think I would know how to, but I, but I also, I also want to highlight that you said, like, it inspires others to actually maybe step outside and get outside, and I think, like, I think that's also why women have to tell their story, and I also think that's why your platform has to exist for women to tell their story, to have a platform if they don't have one, you know, because, like, so the other day, you don't know this, Brad, but I'll just tell you. So the other day, I got a comment on my YouTube channel, and it was like, Oh, I've loved your videos for so long, but you've been gaining weight, and it was better before.

Brad Walsh 19:48  

It was better. The content was better before you gained weight.

Lesley Logan 19:50  

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Because yeah. So I and first of all, they had they so they wrote in Spanish. Which is fine. Like, that's their language. No problem. There's Google Translate. So I see this, like, common in Spanish, and I know enough Spanish to, like, pick up. And I was like, that's not saying what it what it says. So I put it through, no, it said exactly what I thought it said. And then, of course, a couple of my subscribers on YouTube, like, they defended it in the best way that they could, which is, is fine, the person then doubled down. So even if we thought, like, maybe it's a cultural thing, like, look, we have, we have a place in Cambodia, and they will ask you, like, point blank, like, why don't you have kids? Why are you bigger? Why are you looking so old? And it's not here. We would take that as, like, what an asshole. There, it's like, if you're heavier or you don't work, you must be rich. Like, so, like, you know what I mean? Like, it's a different and that's a whole different thing, right? Like, to have weight on your bones is sign of money, where, here we're, like, a sign of wealth is, like, can you just be as skinny as possible, right? And then also, like, look like a child forever. So anyways, so they doubled down on it. So we are clear that it's not a cultural thing. This is their opinion. So I, you know.

Brad Walsh 21:02  

And this was a man, I'm assuming. 

Lesley Logan 21:04  

Yes and I couldn't tell from the handle, until when I called them out and I said, Hey, like, I really hope that when your body changes and it will, that you have space and grace for yourself and others in your life that you love. Because I am, for the record, since you've called it out, 40 pounds heavier than the one I started this channel, and I am stronger and I'm healthier, and I have more longevity, and I will not tolerate fat phobic comments on this channel. Thank you so much, right? And then the person, like, didn't apologize, but was like, Oh, I didn't mean to offend you, which is like, Okay. And then they signed off, and it was a man. And I was like, fucking why the fuck, why is it always a man? Why? But then you know what, here's the thing, I will I will clarify. I've had many women say some nasty things too. So, so I, so I went to the point of the story is, I went on my Instagram account and I shared the story, and I said, you know, like, I am saying this for the women who actually do have to walk into a room that people question. Like, I still go, I'm like, thin passing, right? Like, if we're going to talk about, like, like, I can walk into room and no one's going, Oh, is she? Can she do the exercise? Like, you know, like, what is she doing here? Like, I that doesn't happen to me, but there are women who are in bigger bodies that that happens to and so I just, you know, shared like, this is wrong. Like, bodies do not, size of bodies does not determine if they're a good teacher, a good a good athlete. None of this stuff. The every comment was positive. Every comment was thanking me for sharing, because they felt so seen and so to your point, the resilience of like, I'm gonna get up, I'm I mean, like, if I could punch a bag, that's what I would have done. I'm not a violent person, everyone, but I do think you should punch a bag you know.

Brad Walsh 22:46  

Yeah or scream into a pillow, whatever it is you got to do,

Lesley Logan 22:49  

Yes, yes. And so I shared it, and we're talking a 500 comments of women, that is, it was overwhelming. How many people like we're saying, this is what I or like they'll say, like, thank you for saying this. Or some of them are saying, this is what I'm afraid of. And I had to say, like, this is why you have to post, because people don't see that real bodies are out there. They're all the only people who feel like they can post are these 20 somethings. And nothing wrong with the 20 somethings. If you're listening, like, enjoy the metabolism you have while you have it like, have the best time. But we do have to, if we have a story, tell it so that we can inspire other people, yeah.

Brad Walsh 23:28  

Yeah, for sure. And that, you know what this is, something I love about being a photographer too, is I got to photograph all types of bodies, and every body is beautiful. I don't give a shit what anyone says. Everyone's body is beautiful. It's just a different package that we're looking at that's all and I love that you had the courage to post about it and share it. Because again, and this is exactly what I was saying by you sharing, look at all the comments you got. Look at all the women that stepped up and said, thank you. This is exactly why women need to, not need to. I shouldn't say that. This is why women should be resilient and share and be vulnerable. And I know it's not easy sometimes to be vulnerable, to share your your inner stuff. Think of the impact you can have and who you can help. And that's why storytelling is so very, incredibly poor, important because, and I don't care, I've heard many times I don't have a story. Who's going to want to listen to my story. I guarantee you, as I sit here right now, if you share your story, it will impact one person's life, I guarantee it. And that's all that we're here to do, is have impact. So share your story, as scary as it might be, you can you can edit it. You can decide what parts you want to share. I'm not saying you have to go and share every single detail of your story, but share your story because you will inspire someone else, and maybe by you sharing your story and your struggles, whatever it is, maybe you will help prevent someone from having to go through a similar thing by sharing your story, because you're sharing how you got through it. 

Lesley Logan 24:14  

Yeah. Oh, you. Oh, I love this, okay. I also love the idea like sharing your story even impacts one person. Because, like, if we just, like, who knows? Like, maybe, maybe women are 50% of the population, right? Like, let's just make it even, if you share one, if you share your story and impact one person, you can impact the whole other half of the world. You can impact even just the women around but you can impact, I do think that sometimes we get frustrated with with men sometimes, and it's like, Well, did any women in their life ever tell like, did any woman in their life ever tell them like, hey, don't say that thing that actually you know about others, or here's hey, when you said that, here's a story, like, here's my story, how like that might change it and and that takes courage and conviction. It's not always easy. Some family members suck. So maybe it's maybe it's a co worker, maybe it's a neighbor, but I do think it is important that even if we impact one person, we are changing the world and how it sees everybody.

Brad Walsh 25:56  

For sure, because that will also ripple out to the person that the people that surround that one person. So you are, in effect, impacting more than one person, because yes, you've impacted that one person directly, but indirectly, you've you've impacted the people around her, because it will uplift her and shift her way of thinking. It'll shift her mindset. It'll help her, which then, in turn, helps everyone else around her, because it lifts her up. 

Lesley Logan 26:21  

Okay. So we've been saying that we should, you know, consider sharing a story of ourselves. We, you know, edit how we want. Where do you like? Where do you get started? What makes a good story? Like we got perfectionist listening. They're gonna want to know some action steps.

Brad Walsh 26:36  

Yeah, just, just be authentic. Don't bullshit. Don't try and be something you're not. Just be genuine. Tell your story shit. Figure out, drill it down to what you want to share. First, figure out to what part of your story you want to share, and then just share it with authenticity. Just be who you are. Don't put on some facade. Don't put on a mask. Take the masks off and share who you genuinely are. Because I think when you are genuine, when you are authentic, and I know authentic, everyone uses that word, but it's true when you're authentically who you are that resonates with people. People want to see the mess. People want to know that you're human if you're portraying this perfect person that's gone through, you know, with no struggles, no hassles, no, come on, be who you truly are. Share your struggles, but again, you could be selective in what you share. Just be messy, because we are all perfectly imperfect, and it's okay. I think people will resonate with that more when you're authentic and you're genuine, it just it resonates for people, I think.

Lesley Logan 27:39  

I think so. And I know, like, people have really ruined the word authentic. We got to bring it back, because it's such a good word. I really, and I I think, like, you know, I think some people go, Well, you know, Lesley, Brad, I don't have like, a tragic story. Like, I think people because all the stories they hear is like, somebody like, survived, like, falling off a cliff, and then they turned into, like, some TED Talk speaker, and it's like, hold on, like, you know, like it can, like your story is so it, it will make someone else feel so seen. Like it doesn't have to be that you serve you're the lone survivor of a car accident. You can, you know, you can actually have.

Brad Walsh 28:17  

No, your story matters. 

Lesley Logan 28:18  

Your story matters. You're correct. It could be that you struggled in school, and then you like, led you to like doing art, and it made you realize, like, you know, art tells I think, that we all are harder on ourselves than we need to be.

Brad Walsh 28:30  

Oh yes, we are own worst critics, our own biggest hurdles. We are terrible to ourselves terrible. And something someone said to me quite a while back, is when, when I, because I went through I negative talk. Of course, we all do at some point here and there. And I had someone say, Would you speak that way to your best friend? Would you speak that way to your mother? No, of course you wouldn't. So why are you doing it to you the most important person in your life? You. Stop, stop the shit. You don't deserve it. You're amazing. You're incredible. Every single person has a beautiful light within them. It's just a matter of finding it and then shining it. But surround yourself with the right people. Find your like and heart minded people to surround yourself with. Community is everything, absolutely everything. Community, connection, it's community is relationships are currency. You need them. We all need them, but share your story. It's so important.

Lesley Logan 29:35  

So I get like, what comes up for me on that is like, one, I love that you said we are the most important person our own lives. Like, holy moly. Like, I've never heard it so succinctly, and it's just like, Duh I am if I don't feed myself and sleep and like, I'm the most important person. Yes, of course. And so love that. So you know maybe you can share from your own personal experience, or maybe from. Any of the women's stories you've heard. Like, when you are trying to be more yourself, authentic, share your story. Sometimes your community doesn't exactly like cheer cheer for you. Like, sometimes your community puts those little doubts in your head because of their own fears, of their own shit, and it requires us to, like, find either new community or or or new things to say to ourselves. Like, did you have to go through that when you were making a big transition from, like, corporate to being a photographer or being a podcaster?

Brad Walsh 30:27  

Like, how did you handle that? So there were a few things when I first, before I was when I decided I was going to make the jump, I had so many people saying to me, are you crazy? There's so many photographers out there, how, like, why would you even do that? It's so you have a you have a good paying job, you have benefit, like, but I'm not happy. So why am I going to stay in something? I'm miserable. So many people stay stuck in that position because it's comfortable, because it's easy, because I have benefits, but they don't want to be there. It's not on their heart. So why you think about the fact that we spend so many years of our lives working? Why the fuck do you want to be miserable every day? Find and you know, you hear the excuse, well, I can't, because I can't. I need money for this. I need money for that. I've got better Okay, great. Those are, those are your reasons. That's your reasoning. Find what you love, start doing it part time, until you can build something up enough that you can do that. I know you know, working a full time job and then pursuing this, but I guarantee you, if you find your purpose, your passion, something that lights you up, that just has creates such a fire in your belly, it will change everything for you. I say it's, for me, it was like winning the lottery twice. Once, because I found my purpose, second, because it impacts people. That's what we're all here for. So when I first left, yeah, I dealt with imposter syndrome. Who the fuck am I to do this? Why would anyone want to work with me, all the things, comparisonitis, I would sit there and, well, why is this person, this photographer, so far ahead of me when I'm here? And I thought I would be here, but all of these things and around that piece of it, I thought, well, when I So, the first thing I did was get a mentor. It was the first thing. He helped me get to the point where that comparisonitis and the imposter syndrome. Well, the imposter syndrome was still there a bit, but the comparisonitis stuff he helped me realize that my only competition is me, as long as I can look back at for me as a photographer and see that my work has grown, my work has improved, that's the only competition now, I don't give a shit what that person's doing as a photographer. It doesn't matter. It has no bearing on me. Because first of all, to compare, comparing someone that's at their five year and I'm at my two year, that's like comparing apples to oranges. You cannot compare the two. It's pointless, right? Secondly, no one has, again, speaking about the photography, no one has my eye. No one sees images the way I see them. No one provides the client experience that I can, because no one else is me. That's part of your superpower. That's part of your gift is nobody else on this planet can do what you do the way you do it, I'm saying. Yes, anyone. I mean, look. 

Lesley Logan 33:31  

I love it. I tell people this. I tell people all the time, you are the only person who can do what you do the way that you do it doesn't matter what industry you're in doesn't matter what your dream is. Even if two people are baking an apple pie from the same recipe, it's going to taste different because of what they put into it, what the energy they put into it. Yeah.

Brad Walsh 33:50  

Give, give three photographers the same image to shoot the same thing to shoot, all three images, I guarantee you will be different in some way, shape or form, because we don't have the same eyes. We don't see things the same way. And so through that mentor helping me with that, I also I had a me first kind of attitude, too. When I first jumped into photography, like I would, I was starting to go in with, go into brands, companies, and say, you know, wanting to collaborate with them. And I was going and say, well, what, what can you do for me? Like, how can we work together? What am I going to get out of this? And my mentor said to me, said that, Brad, I'm You're going nowhere fast. You have to shift that mindset and go into these companies and say, How can I be of service to you? What can I do to help your brand? It will come back to you if you go in with a mindset of service. It's a fucking game changer, I promise you. It will change everything but the comparisonitis, the the imposter syndrome, the nerves, the fears, all of that thing, all of those things. I, the comparison, I just no more. I don't deal with that anymore. I'm done. I've got my tools. And this is the thing is, get a mentor. Watch videos on YouTube. YouTube University. It's a great place, talk to people who are in your industry. Talk to people that are further along in their journey. They have the experience and the wisdom. Ask questions, it can only lead you up. It's it's so helpful. Just trust in yourself, believe in yourself. And I know it's easy to say, but I'm telling you, it will change everything once you start to believe in yourself, don't worry about competition. I'm telling you, it doesn't matter what business you're running, what company. There is no such thing as competition. Competition comes from lack. You are unique. 

Lesley Logan 35:53  

Yeah, I couldn't agree more. We coach a lot of Pilates studios and like, they'll be like, oh, so and so is going with this many classes, and they have this many performers, and I should have the same and I'm like, what are you talking about? You don't even know if they're successful. They look successful because they made it look pretty. We don't know that could be a way that their family is writing off the business and having a loss. It might be purposely there to lose money. And I say that because I had a friend whose whole existence for her business was to bring the couple's money down because their tax bracket was really high. So like, if I was comparing myself to her, who looks like she has it all together, I could have driven my business into the ground. Like, you have to, look, market research is real, do the thing, but then also, like you have to do it for you, and the impact you want to make and the service want to be. I love this so much. And I also couldn't agree more, like getting a mentor is like it was, and this might be a terrible joke, but for those who I went to public school, I was homeschooled, I went to private school. So I can say this, from this experience, I feel like when you get a mentor, it's like taking your your business, or your idea or your passion, and putting it in a little bit of a private school, putting in a little bit of a because you get extra attention, you have smaller class sizes, you you get someone who's really invested in you. And I'm not saying, like, public school teachers, you're amazing. Thank you for all the work you do, but, like, it just takes your thing to the next level, or you can still do all the things for free, but you've got to make sure that you're going, okay, my YouTube University, I this, I It's like I paid for this. I like invest in that to make sure that I'm applying those things I'm learning. Yeah.

Brad Walsh 37:31  

Comparison is the thief of joy. Do not compare yourself, because no one else is you. And listen, when I first jumped well before I actually jumped into photography full time, I was doing free shoots. Sometimes that's what you have to do, and that's okay. There's nothing wrong with that. I did the free shoot so I could enhance and hone my lighting skills. Because I had never worked with artificial light before. I'd always worked with natural light. I had to learn how to pose women properly. With boudoir if you don't know what you're doing with lighting and posing, forget it. You're fucked. That's it. It's over.

Lesley Logan 37:54  

Yeah, the opposite effect could happen. 

Brad Walsh 38:03  

Yes, so I was doing free shoots for friends to hone my skills and to learn. That's how you learn. And I know people say, well, I don't have the money for a mentor, and there's nothing wrong with that. But what you can do is trade services, maybe, find someone you could trade services, what you can provide for them, and do it in trade. There's nothing wrong with that either. I'm hearing a lot more people talk about doing things in trade. There's nothing wrong with that. 

Lesley Logan 38:33  

Yep, yeah. And especially, like, I think that it's easier to put a wall up than open a door, you know, and I think, like, if you don't have the money, and I've been there, y'all, I have been homeless. I've had, like, credit cards, max to the brim, student loans, all the things. And today there is a podcast for everything you want to do, and that person is giving you, I promise you, they're giving away all the stuff they coach on for free in the wrong order. So if you have you either have money or you have time, and so what you could do is take that free stuff, figure out the right order through experimentation, and not compare comparison, and you will get to where you can actually take the money and invest it so it will work out for you, but you have to believe in yourself. And I think that's really the hard thing is that so many people are hope, looking for other people to believe in them first. And this is where I don't know how to like, truly help everyone I want to help. It's like, how do we get them to believe in themselves enough to take the first step? Because they really are amazing, you know? And they're just, they don't know it, you know?

Brad Walsh 39:39  

You just have to support them. You just have and you have, it's conversations like you and I are having right now and then taking the time to sit with someone and talk to them and find out hey, why you feel if it's a friend or someone you want to help, why are you feeling this way? How can we help you get to the next level? What can we do to support you? How can we get you there? Because everyone has the ability within them. Every single person on this planet is capable of doing anything, anything, anything in the world that they want to do is possible, you just have to. It starts here with us. We are the foundation for all of it, you have to do the inner work. 

Lesley Logan 40:17  

Oh, you are so, I could talk to you forever. I really hope this is an episode people like, like, I hope they're as fired up as I am from this, because it really there's, there's so much possibility out there. We're gonna take a brief break and then find out how people can find you, follow you, work with you and your Be It Action Items. 

Lesley Logan 40:39  

All right, Brad, where do you hang out? You said Toronto. But where do you hang out online? How can people hear more of your amazing tips and these brilliant stories?

Brad Walsh 40:43  

Instagram, at Empowerography Podcast, my website, empowerographypodcast.com, and Facebook, those, those are the three places I'm on LinkedIn. I'm starting to build up a profile and following on LinkedIn as well. But those are the three main is Instagram, Facebook and my website.

Lesley Logan 41:03  

Yeah, yeah, no, I'm with you. I with you on the LinkedIn, like, oh my God, if you've been listening podcast for the over 600 episodes, where you guys, I still haven't gone. And honestly, here's where I'm at. I'm just gonna have someone do it for me. I I just, like, I'm not a corporate person, so I don't get half the stuff that it's doing. And I just, I just want to do other things. So that will be my 2026, 2027 goal is to just find someone just rock that LinkedIn for me, but, but I do love my I love my platforms I'm on, so y'all go check them out. Follow, check out the podcast. I mean, if you want to hear resilient stories from amazing women, like, what a great way to fill your cup each week, especially if your community isn't doing that for you. Like, you can start with just hearing a story on a podcast. Okay, Brad, you've actually given us some great tips, but we like them at the end, bold, executable, intrinsic or targeted steps people can take to be it till they see it. What do you have for us?

Brad Walsh 41:56  

Something that my father always said is what's meant for you will never go by you. So if you don't get that thing that you are hoping for, and don't worry, it wasn't meant for you, and something bigger is around the corner, I promise you, just be patient. Wait for it. It will happen. The universe always has your back. It will never, ever let you down. So like I said, if you're not, if you don't get that TED talk, or you don't get that job you wanted, you don't get that client you wanted to work with, it's okay. It wasn't meant to be something else. I promise you, bigger is coming around the corner for you. So be patient and wait for it. It will happen.

Lesley Logan 42:35  

I think there's such a good like mantra to have, like, written somewhere, like, start your day with it, end your day with it. Like, because I have to say to myself too, like, what is for me will not pass me. Like, what is for me will not pass me. Because you do get doors, like, you're like, Oh, I'm excited about that. Someone asked you to do something. You're like, Yes, I'm in. And they go, Oh, we're going a different direction. You're like, Oh, it feels so deflating. And then you're like, but you have to remember that like, there's another reason why that space is open in your calendar, in your life. Yeah, yeah.

Brad Walsh 43:05  

That's right. I just sent an email off to invite a guest that I really wanted to have on the show. And they came back and they said, sorry, her calendar is full, so no. And I just thought, Okay, well, this I wasn't meant to interview her now, and no means next opportunity.

Lesley Logan 43:22  

Yeah, at least you got an email back. That's great. Sometimes people just don't even say no. And so you're like, should I bug him again? Like, that's a door open for later on going, like, in the new year, like, Hey, how's that calendar? Like we can we have the whole 12 months where we want to put it? 

Brad Walsh 43:37  

That's right, that's right. 

Lesley Logan 43:39  

Brad, thank you. What a great, well, for me on a Friday, interviewing you, what a great way to like end my week. I feel so fired up. For those of you who listen to us on a Tuesday, thank you for listening to the Be It Till You See It podcast. We are so excited to have you. Please make sure you share your favorite takeaways with Brad at Empowerography on Instagram or Facebook, or you can check out their website and listen to their podcast and share this with a woman who needs to hear it. You know, like, even that can be the helpful thing you can say to your friend, like, hey, you've been feeling stuck. 

Brad Walsh 44:10  

He you should check this out. 

Lesley Logan 44:11  

Check this out. Like, sometimes that's the thing that helps people get out of being stuck or being in a rut or feeling like they're not seen. So thank you for sharing it. Until next time, Be It Till You See It. 

Lesley Logan 44:21  

That's all I got for this episode of the Be It Till You See It Podcast. One thing that would help both myself and future listeners is for you to rate the show and leave a review and follow or subscribe for free wherever you listen to your podcast. Also, make sure to introduce yourself over at the Be It Pod on Instagram. I would love to know more about you. Share this episode with whoever you think needs to hear it. Help us and others Be It Till You See It. Have an awesome day. Be It Till You See It is a production of The Bloom Podcast Network. If you want to leave us a message or a question that we might read on another episode, you can text us at +1-310-905-5534 or send a DM on Instagram @BeItPod.

Brad Crowell 45:04  

It's written, filmed, and recorded by your host, Lesley Logan, and me, Brad Crowell.

Lesley Logan 45:09  

It is transcribed, produced and edited by the epic team at Disenyo.co.

Brad Crowell 45:14  

Our theme music is by Ali at Apex Production Music and our branding by designer and artist, Gianfranco Cioffi.

Lesley Logan 45:21  

Special thanks to Melissa Solomon for creating our visuals.

Brad Crowell 45:24  

Also to Angelina Herico for adding all of our content to our website. And finally to Meridith Root for keeping us all on point and on time.

Lesley challenges the conventional definition of self-love, revealing how looking outward actually fuels the soul. She dissects the powerful story of a Kenyan marathon runner who chose humanity over a gold medal and explores the controversial theory that kindness is actually a self-serving act. From raising business rates to navigating the small steps of an ADHD diagnosis, Lesley demonstrates why celebrating the messy, imperfect wins is the real secret to preventing burnout. This episode offers a refreshing perspective on finding value in everyday actions rather than waiting for perfection.

If you have any questions about this episode or want to get some of the resources we mentioned, head over to LesleyLogan.co/podcast https://lesleylogan.co/podcast/. If you have any comments or questions about the Be It pod shoot us a message at [email protected] mailto:[email protected].

And as always, if you’re enjoying the show please share it with someone who you think would enjoy it as well. It is your continued support that will help us continue to help others. Thank you so much! Never miss another show by subscribing at LesleyLogan.co/subscribe https://lesleylogan.co/podcast/#follow-subscribe-free.

In this episode you will learn about:

• A runner who sacrificed first place to help a stranger.
• Why performing good deeds is actually a self-serving act.
• How raising business rates serves as an act of self-respect.
• Overcoming the resistance to finally schedule an ADHD appointment.
• Why acknowledging small wins is essential for preventing burnout.

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Episode Transcript:

Lesley Logan 0:00  

It's Fuck Yeah Friday.  

Lesley Logan 0:00  

Fuck yeah.

Lesley Logan 0:01  

Get ready for some wins. Welcome to the Be It Till You See It podcast where we talk about taking messy action, knowing that perfect is boring. I'm Lesley Logan, Pilates instructor and fitness business coach. I've trained thousands of people around the world and the number one thing I see stopping people from achieving anything is self-doubt. My friends, action brings clarity and it's the antidote to fear. Each week, my guest will bring bold, executable, intrinsic and targeted steps that you can use to put yourself first and Be It Till You See It. It's a practice, not a perfect. Let's get started.  

Lesley Logan 0:47  

Hey, Be It babe. How are you? Happy Fuck Yeah Friday. You made it. It's here. We're here. We're oh my God, literally looking at the end of the second month of the year. And it's just like, you know, can it go faster? Is it going too fast? It depends on who you are and what you're doing. So this is the episode we share wins of yours, a win of mine, a little mantra and something that's inspiring. This inspired the fuck out of me. So during the 2010 Zeng-Kai International Marathon in China, Kenyan runner Jacqueline Nyetipei Kiplimo was in the lead when she noticed a disabled athlete trying to hydrate after a few stops along the route. She fell back, ran next to him and helped him, falling behind herself and eventually finishing in second place. So first of all, she's so fucking fast that she could slow down so much to help this person. But also she cares so much about people that she did this, and I it makes me think of like the Maya Angelou quote, like people will forget what you say or do, but they'll never forget how you made them feel. And I don't think I mean, like, would we even know who she is? Would I personally be bringing her up to you if she'd won that race? Probably not. It's been 15, 16, years, probably not. But the fact that she did something with so much humanity in it is why we're talking about her. Because I think in a world of chaos, we need to remember that there are humans in it who are doing amazing things, even if it means, like getting in second place because of it. And I think there's something really beautiful about that. So way to go, Jacqueline. I apologize I said your last name incredibly wrong. So hopefully that inspires you. Maybe it means you're two minutes late to a meeting because you stopped and helped someone across the street. Like there's different things that you can do, we can all do, right? It's easy to be in a rush. When I lived in Los Angeles, I remember kind of being in my own world in a rush. I was in downtown, and this guy, he had one of those, like, seeing eye sticks, walking stick, and he was starting to cross when it wasn't time, and, you know, someone stopped him, and that was what brought my attention it was going on. And then as he's walking, he wasn't in the crosswalk, so I was just like, Hi, sir. Can I, like, walk next to you? Can you come? Can you hear me? Come with me? And, like, it really was, I don't share this to get points. It was an interesting thing for me to, like, go. I am now going to, I don't even know who this person is. You know, there's, like, there could be different. But I can't have this person walking in the street, you know, and how can we just, like, kindly guide them? And then I was like, we got to the corner. I said, Okay, which direction you're trying to go? And I can make sure he was pointing the right direction. You don't have to, you know, like, it doesn't have to take hours. It could take a few seconds of your day. And you know what? It might even mean more to you, to them that might make you feel good, and if you need to feel good, that you know what, it's okay. It's like that Friends episode, like, you know, there's no selfless deeds, and that's okay. I don't think there's, I don't think it's a problem. I think that the more of us, who are, you know, doing things to help others just make the world a better place, that's all. 

Lesley Logan 3:38  

All right. So a win of yours. This comes from Christine Eschen, one of our eLevate grads and Agency members, and I really think this one is beautiful. So, FYF Friday, I haven't been in here for a while, but I'm popping in with some recent wins. I just hung up with a discovery video call with a woman who sent a request for my website. That's amazing. Talked to her about her needs, and she brought bought a beginner's package and is scheduled for next week she wants to come two or three times a week. Yay. Had a wonderful customer appreciation party last weekend, and I'm grateful for the dedicated students I do have. I've raised my rates, and so far, nobody's complained, yay. And I've been getting in some weekly practice with my eLevate partner and friend Heather, and looking forward to the upcoming eLevate retreat in Las Vegas with LL. I can't freaking wait for our retreat, just so excited. I'm on the way to do that. And I just want to say, like so many wins in here, Christine, like getting a lead from your website is because you did the work a while back that was so hard. It's not easy to put words out there. Figure out, is it the right way I want to say this and then hit publish on it, because you couldn't noodle on it forever, right? And you did that. And then there's another one. You raised your rates because it's time, you know, like you aren't a charity, and doesn't mean you can't be charitable, but it doesn't but your business is a business, and it needs to support you and your family, and you know, so you're honoring you and your family, and that's a win. And the fact that no one said anything is because what you do adds so much value to their life. Of course, they're going to pay that, right? So congratulations on that. You're so amazing. Thank you for sharing this. I'll see you very soon. 

Lesley Logan 5:05  

All right, a win of mine. So I am not someone who is very good at making phone calls, like, pretty terrible at it. In fact, my all my friends are great because they understand that we can schedule the call and then I will do the call, but like, I'm not really good at, like, picking up the phone and calling. It's weird to me, and I don't know, maybe that's a weird personality thing. Maybe it's like, I don't I just don't like the phone. I'm not sure. But it came to my attention a little over a year ago that I might have ADHD, well, we I definitely do, self-diagnosed, and also, like, five different people that I've talked to who are, like medical experts in other areas, are, like classic case. But I thought I was just like, you know, okay, great, that's what I have. I'll just move on my life because, like, it's just easier. But I decided to make a phone call, two, in fact, one with my insurance company, to see if I can go to this place, and the second to schedule an appointment, not just get official diagnosis, but to get support tools for this thing. And that, I haven't actually gone to the appointment yet, but I've made the calls, and that's the win that I want to share with you. It can be that simple, like making those calls or doing different things outside of your normal routine, can be really a lot of work can be really hard, and we have to celebrate that we did that. We have to stop putting wins on ourselves, that I have to be this huge thing. I can't celebrate that I did that thing until I do X, Y and Z. It's like, that's bullshit. That is not how you be it till you see it. It's not how you practice self-love, and it's not how you prevent burnout, not how good habits are made. You actually have to celebrate the little things you do in life, and that is it all adds up to be it till you see it. 

Lesley Logan 6:42  

So a little mantra for you. Here we go. I'm a valuable human being. I am a valuable human being. I'm a valuable human being. Yes, you fucking are. So go, Be It Till You See It. 

Lesley Logan 6:56  

That's all I got for this episode of the Be It Till You See It Podcast. One thing that would help both myself and future listeners is for you to rate the show and leave a review and follow or subscribe for free wherever you listen to your podcast. Also, make sure to introduce yourself over at the Be It Pod on Instagram. I would love to know more about you. Share this episode with whoever you think needs to hear it. Help us and others Be It Till You See It. Have an awesome day. Be It Till You See It is a production of The Bloom Podcast Network. If you want to leave us a message or a question that we might read on another episode, you can text us at +1-310-905-5534 or send a DM on Instagram @BeItPod.

Brad Crowell 7:38  

It's written, filmed, and recorded by your host, Lesley Logan, and me, Brad Crowell.

Lesley Logan 7:43  

It is transcribed, produced and edited by the epic team at Disenyo.co.

Brad Crowell 7:47  

Our theme music is by Ali at Apex Production Music and our branding by designer and artist, Gianfranco Cioffi.

Lesley Logan 7:54  

Special thanks to Melissa Solomon for creating our visuals.

Brad Crowell 7:58  

Also to Angelina Herico for adding all of our content to our website. And finally to Meridith Root for keeping us all on point and on time.

Lesley Logan and Brad Crowell unpack what having a “Pilates body” actually means, diving deep into the misconception that health has a specific aesthetic. They explore why moving for health matters more than chasing a look, how confidence is built through action, and what it takes to stop shrinking your own story. Through honest reflection and real examples, this episode challenges the narratives that keep people playing small. Listeners are invited to redefine strength from the inside out.

If you have any questions about this episode or want to get some of the resources we mentioned, head over to LesleyLogan.co/podcast https://lesleylogan.co/podcast/. If you have any comments or questions about the Be It pod shoot us a message at [email protected] mailto:[email protected].

And as always, if you’re enjoying the show please share it with someone who you think would enjoy it as well. It is your continued support that will help us continue to help others. Thank you so much! Never miss another show by subscribing at LesleyLogan.co/subscribe https://lesleylogan.co/podcast/#follow-subscribe-free.

In this episode you will learn about:

• Why “Pilates body” was never meant to describe a physical aesthetic.
• Moving for health instead of chasing shape or size outcomes.
• Reframing “fake it till you make it” as a confidence tool.
• How luck narratives keep people from owning their grit.
• Why having the right people in your corner matters long-term.

Episode References/Links:

• Agency MINI - https://prfit.biz/mini 
• Poland Contrology Pilates Conference - xxll.co/poland 
• Brussels - xxll.co/brussels 
• POT London - https://xxll.co/pot 
• Spring Training - How to Get Overhead - https://opc.me/events 
• The Pilates Body by Brooke Siler - https://www.amazon.com/dp/0063337163
• The Great American Spit Out - https://beitpod.com/americanspitout
• Rethinking Thin by Gina Kolata - https://a.co/d/0djq9K9p
• Hysteria Podcast - https://beitpod.com/hysteria
• Butts: A Backstory - https://a.co/d/gHqMk8v
• Send your wins or questions - https://beitpod.com/questions

If you enjoyed this episode, make sure and give us a five star rating and leave us a review on iTunes, Podcast Addict, Podchaser or Castbox. https://lovethepodcast.com/BITYSI

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FREE Ditching Busy Webinar https://ditchingbusy.com/

Resources:

• Watch the Be It Till You See It podcast on YouTube! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCq08HES7xLMvVa3Fy5DR8-g
• Lesley Logan website https://lesleylogan.co/
• Be It Till You See It Podcast https://lesleylogan.co/podcast/
• Online Pilates Classes by Lesley Logan https://onlinepilatesclasses.com/
• Online Pilates Classes by Lesley Logan on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjogqXLnfyhS5VlU4rdzlnQ
• Profitable Pilates https://profitablepilates.com/about/

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• The OPC YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@OnlinePilatesClasses

Episode Transcript:

Lesley Logan 0:00  

We have to cut to the bullshit of like, what a healthy body looks like. We just have to. Like, I am massively impressed by these strong women and strong men. They are not tiny people, they are big people, and what they can do is fucking insane. 

Lesley Logan 0:14  

Welcome to the Be It Till You See It podcast where we talk about taking messy action, knowing that perfect is boring. I'm Lesley Logan, Pilates instructor and fitness business coach. I've trained thousands of people around the world and the number one thing I see stopping people from achieving anything is self-doubt. My friends, action brings clarity and it's the antidote to fear. Each week, my guest will bring bold, executable, intrinsic and targeted steps that you can use to put yourself first and Be It Till You See It. It's a practice, not a perfect. Let's get started.

Lesley Logan 0:54  

Welcome back to the Be It Till You See It interview recap where my co-host in life, Brad, and I

 are going to dig into the redefining convo I had with Brooke Siler and Maria Earle in our last episode. And if you didn't listen to that one, you fucked up, you missed, you messed up. 

Brad Crowell 1:09  

Game over. 

Lesley Logan 1:09  

I'm sorry. I hate to say it that harshly, but you gotta, you gotta listen. I mean, what are you doing? How are you missing the Tuesday episode? No, I'm kidding. Listen to this. Sometimes people like to listen this, and then they go listen to that one. So if that's you, I'm not harping on you, you're gonna go listen to it, because you are gonna be so intrigued if you missed it. It was so good. It was so fun. 

Brad Crowell 1:28  

Yeah, it was good. It was actually a lot of fun. And there were, like, some great moments in there that I started taking notes. 

Lesley Logan 1:35  

Whoa, whoa. 643 episodes later, friends and he is taking notes. Oh, my God. Well, today is February 19th 2026, it's a Great American Spit Out. We observe Great American Spit Out on the Thursday of February's third full week every year. So complicated. This year it takes place. I have a really funny side note, I listened to this podcast. 

Brad Crowell 2:01  

Third full week. Thursday of the.

Lesley Logan 2:04  

Yeah, The February's third full week every year. Yeah. So there's this one podcast I listened to, and those, I won't say the podcast name, because if you listen to it, you'll know what I'm talking about. And she always says the date, and she'll say 2000 2026 and it's taken forever for her to go, what I'm not saying it right? They're like, No, you're not, anyways. And that just made me think of it like, let's make it as complicated as possible. Thursday of February, third full week of every year. So would it be the third Thursday of the fullest week in February? 

Brad Crowell 2:37  

Why would the third week of February not be full? 

Lesley Logan 2:39  

Well, because you could start on a for the first could start on a Thursday. 

Brad Crowell 2:40  

Oh, I see. 

Lesley Logan 2:41  

And so that's not a full week. 

Brad Crowell 2:43  

So it's not, technically, the third Thursday, because if the if the week start, if it starts on a Wednesday, the first Thursday is not a full week.

Lesley Logan 2:54  

The third Thursday of February's fullest week. 

Brad Crowell 3:00  

I think this is hilarious. Moving on.

Lesley Logan 3:02  

Anyways, they're like, dying to know what this is. So this year, it takes place on February 19th. It's a day to encourage people, especially veterans, to stop using smokeless tobacco products. The important mission of the day. I mean, honestly, this is for everybody. I appreciate that we're encouraging our veterans.

Brad Crowell 3:19  

All tobacco products, but right now we're talking about the Great American Spit Out, which is clearly talking about dipping, yeah, dipping and other things. 

Lesley Logan 3:27  

Dipping and other things. I guess there's other things. So the important mission of this day is to provide users with enough resources to help them stop using such products that tobacco plant is cultivated for its leaves. Tobacco leaves are rich in nicotine, which is an addictive chemical people can use tobacco to smoke, chew or sniff. The Great American Spit Out as the perfect day to start, to start fighting the addiction caused by tobacco products and nicotine. Smokeless tobacco users are encouraged to quit, even if just for one day. Hey, you know what? You know around here, we are here for just one day. Anything to start. I actually really picked this day because a few other days were quite boring. But my family has a history of smokers and it and all of them had to have surgery, and all of them did not die on an easy in an easy way. So my grandfather, he had a part of his lung removed, like a huge part back in the day when they did those surgeries, it looks like a shark bit him. And they would show us, this is this is our hooked on trucks. This is our dare campaign. My family would pull up a shirt and show us the shark attack. Oh, this is gonna happen to you if you smoke. And then, yes, but your parents did a more, kinder.

Brad Crowell 4:25  

Yeah, we didn't have any shark attack smoking shark attack (inaudible).

Lesley Logan 4:29  

Everyone was able to learn, like the way I was raised. And then my mom had another because of the blood, the way his blood coagulated, and his tobacco use started losing limbs. And to the day he died, he still smoked. Because at one point he was like, Well, if I have no feet or legs or fingers, I should at least continue to smoke. And then his wife died of secondhand smoke. She died of emphysema. So yeah, so at any rate. So I also looked up because we are hearing that tobacco products are back on the rise again, partly because, like, you know, the hooked on drugs is your brain on drugs and and and things like that aren't working. But also the youth today, the youth, the younger people today, the youths, they are actually they're they actually don't they have a deeper sense of fatalism, like they actually don't think that they'll be alive as long as the rest of the world has been or in a world that is going to be healthy and clean for them. So why not smoke? Which I get that? Here's the deal. 

Brad Crowell 5:25  

Aren't they drinking less though?

Lesley Logan 5:28  

They don't drink as much, they also have sex later, so that's cool, or less. Do you know today, the day that we're recording this, I heard that 40 year old women are having more babies than teenagers, and that's huge. That is a huge deal Because, like.

Brad Crowell 5:43  

That's not what I don't think I would have expected that, but that's great.

Lesley Logan 5:46  

Well, because now IVF has gotten better and kids are having less sex. So, you know, so I think, but here's the deal. Like, look, we all have our vices. We all have our addictions. And there's just something about cigarette smoke that just and if you're a smoker who listens this, I'm not judging you. I feel bad that you got hooked on that you got hooked on it, and it bothers me, and I understand, like you could be addicted to alcohol and other things that are as bad. But there's just about cigarette smoke that I fucking can't stand. I can't stand walking by a doorway and smelling it. I can't. So if, if, if me wanting to stand next to you outside matters, maybe you quit today, and I know you're like Lesley, this is chewing. Well, chewing causes jaw cancer, you know, so tongue, not not sexy, not sexy. In fact, one of our friends fathers had jaw cancer from smoking, from chewing tobacco, and so we all got to see that. That was my parents way of making sure we never started chewing. 

Brad Crowell 6:43  

The Shark Attack of the jaw cancer. 

Lesley Logan 6:45  

Well, it's not sexy. I'm gonna tell you right now, even if you're fatalistic, you definitely want your teeth you do. So stop smoking, even for today. Okay, let's get into it. So oh gosh, my goodness, babe. Agency Mini kicked off today.

Brad Crowell 6:59  

Today. This morning. We are, we are, while you're listening to this, we're probably live on a webinar. 

Lesley Logan 7:05  

Yeah? So you can, I think you could still sign up today, but. 

Brad Crowell 7:08  

You sure can. 

Lesley Logan 7:07  

But it's gonna move quick, so and you don't want to wait till the next one, because I know you're like, Oh, I'll wait till the next one. You'll forget about it. So you should just sign up for today. prfit.biz/mini it's for Pilates instructors and studio owners who work for themselves or want to. We are going to get you clarity. We're gonna help you with your business. Brad and I have been around a lot of different fitness business coaches out there, and one thing that they all have in common is treating you all the same and encouraging your business to follow certain templates. And we want you. We've I believe that your business will ride any recession wave if you are differentiated and your services are diversified, and it follows your goals and your life, and that's what we coach. 

Brad Crowell 7:31  

That is. But, so go to prfit.biz/mini. That's profit without the O slash mini, and then in March, we're hitting the road, y'all, in a different way than normal when we when we say we're hitting the road, usually means we're hopping in the van. This time, we are hopping on a plane. We are going to be skipping across said pond. 

Lesley Logan 8:07  

We're going to be in Poland. Yeah, Poland first for the Controlology Pilates conference with Karen Frischmann. That's gonna be a couple of days of epicness. And there's a day where you can get some sessions, and it's just a lot of fun. If you didn't, if you missed us the last time was a couple years ago. Don't miss this one. We don't know when we're coming back, and that's just because the world is really big, and I've got to start going to new places. You know, we need to go to Australia and stuff. So xxll.co/poland and then we'll, we'll venture over. I don't really know if it's I have, you know, when I look at the map, I'm so confused. I don't know. I clearly forgot how to study the map of Europe. So we're gonna go over to Brussels. I'll just say that, because I don't really know if it's up or down, or east or west. We're going to Brussels. xxll.co/brussels, we'll be at Els Studio. P li tells which I just love. I love NFL is listening to this one of my Oh, whenever I hear what else I always think of? What else? Yeah, yeah. From our time with Jay, we would start going, what else? What else? Anyways, xxll.co/brussels that's, when we meet Karen, again. 

Brad Crowell 9:11  

Let's just say that again, xxll.co xxll.co/brussels

Lesley Logan 9:17  

What you can't you can't hear this fast you can hear. And that's just giving out the fine print. It's Karen and I again, also our friend Ignacio is going to be there. Oh my gosh, I love him so much I can't even wait. So definitely snag your spots to that before it's sold out. And then we're gonna do our second honeymoon and make our way over to London to POT London, and I have some information for you folks. My Saturday workshop is sold out. 

Brad Crowell 9:45  

What already? Holy mackerel. 

Lesley Logan 9:47  

Yeah, it is. It is at max capacity. And there's only a few spots left in my Sunday workshop. So if you are wanting to add classical concepts to your contemporary classes, then you're going to want to go xxll.co/pot xxll.co/pot I'm super excited. We'll have our decks there. Those workshops will happen, and you definitely want to stick around, because there's also going to be a little hangout session that we're doing for our members and our listeners. And then there's a really cool documentary that they are doing. The release, Pilates Anytime is doing the release of at that POT event. Yep, you'll want to be there. Then we're gonna come back. 

Brad Crowell 10:25  

Then we're coming home. 

Lesley Logan 10:26  

And we're doing some fun stuff at home. We have eLevate weekend, we have eLevate retreat. We have business retreat. You know those things you can't come to unless you can, and you'll know if you can. So you got an invite, but what you can come to is something we're doing in May. And believe it or not, May is still springtime. 

Brad Crowell 10:49  

Believe it or not. 

Lesley Logan 10:49  

It's still springtime. And so. 

Brad Crowell 10:51  

News flash. 

Lesley Logan 10:48  

News flash. Well, some people think it's the summer because of the weekend, the holiday weekend, but it is still spring, and we're doing spring training, and it's how to get overhead so this is our overhead exercises. We have a lot of requests for people struggling with Overhead, Jack Knife, Control Balance, High Season, Bicycle Headstands. So what I'm super excited about is that we're going to do a whole week long on all these different classes with different teachers from the OPC platform, so that no matter your body size, height, age, experience, you are going to have a class. It's going to give you tips for for your life, for your practice. I mean, we even have a teacher who's removing overhead exercises from her practice, and so you don't let fear stop you from this one or, Oh, I'm a beginner, or I can never do that. I have contraindications. We will have versions and variations for you. And our goal is it's kind of like. 

Brad Crowell 10:51  

Look, it's how to do it, not necessarily having to do it, right? How to do it, not have to do it. 

Lesley Logan 10:54  

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. And at OPC, we're really big fans of like you you learn the variations and the versions replacements for your practice, and then we believe it's brave and courageous that you do that. So we're super excited about it. You're going to want to go to opc.me/events, to get on the waitlist for that, because you'll, you'll, if you're on the waitlist, you'll hear about Early Bird and all that good stuff, and so you won't miss out on that information.

Brad Crowell 12:08  

Yeah, totally. Well.

Lesley Logan 12:10  

I'm excited we have. I mean, hello, welcome to the new year. I know it's February 19th, everyone. 

Brad Crowell 12:14  

Busy busy year already. 

Lesley Logan 12:16  

But we just got home. This is our first day in the office. 

Brad Crowell 12:18  

This is literally the first full day in the office, and it's already January's almost done.

Lesley Logan 12:23  

I know, I know I kind of like it, though I feel very I felt ready to come back to work today. So anyways, we have to get into this episode before that. We have a question from audience. Would you like to share it with me, babe? 

Brad Crowell 12:35  

Yeah. So IG, from IG, Pilates_Rosi is asking, Hey, someone told me that you should always gear out on the Reformer to do the short box series. Yes, no. Do you agree? 

Lesley Logan 12:48  

Isn't always such a strong word? 

Brad Crowell 12:50  

Always. This is why I failed all personality tests, because there's always an exception. So the answer would be fucking no, but.

Lesley Logan 12:57  

Yeah, I don't always do anything. 

Brad Crowell 12:58  

Oh, right. We don't always do anything ever come on. 

Lesley Logan 13:00  

And also not every Reformer gears out. So then what? Right? 

Brad Crowell 13:04  

Then, what are you supposed to do? Should you be gearing out? Maybe that's a better way to ask the question. So we're not getting into our ADHD-ness.

Lesley Logan 13:12  

All right, so in an ideal world, your some people call it a sitting box. I call it a short box, goes over your shoulder blocks on the carriage, like a hamburger side, like it's, I guess. Anyways, I'm trying to describe how it goes on the Reformer for visual. But anyways, the short box goes on the carriage over the shoulder rest. That's the goal. So most Reformers will have a peg or some sort of post that is on there, and then there's space, and then there's your shoulder block. And so the box would, one side of the box would fit between that and lock it into place, lock in air quotes, right, would sit in there.

Brad Crowell 13:44  

So it's not sliding off easily. Still can if you're not paying attention. 

Lesley Logan 13:44  

I mean, you could. You know, people have done funny things, but in an ideal world, you just sit on it, and it's not going to move forward or backwards. It's going to be in place. And then from that position, your feet go underneath the strap and they should. 

Brad Crowell 14:01  

You're facing the foot bar. 

Lesley Logan 14:06  

You're facing the foot bar. 

Brad Crowell 14:08  

Feet go in the strap. 

Lesley Logan 14:03  

In an ideal world, your feet do not rest on anything. That said, sometimes they touch things. There's a difference between touching and resting, right? However, I have noticed in our tours that there are a lot of new rules out in the world, and so there are some people who put the box in front of the shoulder rest. And I think this is because people aren't really paying attention to how they put the box on.

Lesley Logan 14:09  

So you're saying in front, as opposed to over the shoulder, okay. 

Lesley Logan 14:10  

Over exactly in front. So they put them in front of the shoulder rest. Because I think the boxes are getting damaged because people aren't paying attention to what they're putting the box on. Or some equipment has, like, different things back there on their blocks. They have to go in front of the shoulder blocks. So if you're going in front of the shoulder blocks, most of the time, you're going to gear out. Unless someone is fun size and your box is really big, you're going to gear out. What does that mean? It means you're going to move the carriage away from the strap a little bit so that you can actually have straight, non resting legs when they're under the strap. Now, can the legs be slightly bent, of course. Should they be forced to bend? I wouldn't, because then it makes it really difficult to get into your seat. Makes it really difficult to get into your center. Your hip flexor start pulling you up. So here is the thing that I would agree with.

Brad Crowell 14:10  

When you say the thing you're talking about now we're talking about the actual gearing. 

Lesley Logan 14:10  

We're going to talk about the exercise. In an ideal world, you place the box on the equipment where the body needs it, so that their legs can be reaching as long as possible without locking out, and their feet are underneath the strap flex without resting. That's the goal. 

Brad Crowell 14:10  

Okay.

Lesley Logan 14:10  

That's the goal. So it's going to be different for everyone. Some people are going to be in front of the shoulder blocks. Some people are going to be over the shoulder blocks. Some people are gonna be front geared out. But if you are putting the box in front of the shoulder blocks, because that's a rule, most often, you're gearing out. 

Brad Crowell 15:27  

Yeah, because it's now shifting the box forward like four inches. 

Lesley Logan 15:35  

And then, by the way, you have to gear back in, because the straps are measured with the carriage geared in, and so in my opinion.

Brad Crowell 15:52  

So it's really a pain, that's a pain in the ass. 

Lesley Logan 15:54  

Yes, thank you so much. Just put the box over the shoulder blocks. Why are we doing why are making this harder? Oh, because we don't want just teach people, you have to. I remember my trainer saying, hey, when you put the box on, make sure this part of the leather is underneath the box. Otherwise it will curl in and it will break and it will hurt against someone's neck. Okay, great. Just tell people. This is why we have a weird rule, you know, Hey, you think polite is expensive. Don't damage the box. How about that? Okay? 

Brad Crowell 16:21  

Yeah, don't damage my damn box. 

Lesley Logan 16:24  

So anyways, I just think that like I get, I get, I get why some people make funny up rules, but we are when you change the exercise placement, you change the exercise, and when you change that, it affects the cueing that people are giving, and then teachers are giving out weird ass cues that make no sense to the person doing it, because they're like, well, how do I get my butt on if my hip flexors are overworking, you know? So it's just hard. So anyways, hopefully, Pilates_Rosi, this gives you some ideas to think about. Definitely check out my videos on the short box, and in my flashcards, you can see where the box is placed. You can see how long my legs are. And if you're an OPC member, you can send in a video. 

Brad Crowell 16:57  

You can see how long her legs are. 

Lesley Logan 16:59  

Oh, my God, they're so long. But if you're an OPC member, you can send in a video of your setup for your short box, and I'll give you personalized feedback on where your box goes. There you go. If you have a question, you can send it in.

Brad Crowell 17:13  

Yeah, send it in. You can text us, 310-905-5534, or hit us up. At beitpod.com/questions, beitpod.com/questions, where you can leave both a win or a question. 

Lesley Logan 17:25  

I want your wins. 

Brad Crowell 17:26  

Yeah. 

Lesley Logan 17:27  

I want your questions and your wins. I want all. I want it all. 

Brad Crowell 17:30  

We want them all. All right, stick around. We're going to talk about Brooke Siler and Maria Earle. 

Brad Crowell 17:34  

All right. Welcome back. Let's talk about Brooke Siler and Maria Earle. Brooke and Maria are internationally respected Pilates educators with over 50 years of combined teaching experience. Brooke, the author of the best selling The Pilates Body dropped in 2000 y'all, has spent decades teaching and researching Joseph Pilates' original writings, photos and archival materials which deeply inspired the new 25th anniversary edition of her book and its expanded chapter on internal sensing and natural movement. Maria, who began teaching in 1997 and previously owned a Pilates studio in Manhattan's Upper East Side, now runs a global education practice from Barcelona, where she moved, I think she said, about 15 years ago, she appears as the model in Brooke's new edition of the book, and was chosen for her grounded, internal, authentic approach to movement, rather than an her aesthetic performance. Together, they're redefining what a Pilates body really is.

Lesley Logan 18:34  

Okay, so I have to say, and I did say this on the episode, but I had, I have many Pilates people pitched to be on this podcast, and while we talk about Pilates a lot, it's not a Pilates podcast like I know it's for Pilates listeners. But to me, Pilate is a mind body, you know, practice, and sometimes our mind is a little fucked up, and we need help from these Be It guests that we have so we can get into our body around our practice. So, but I really wanted to interview them, because what a e it till you see it story and just how the book came about, how the second edition came about, how Maria jumped in on the second edition. I mean, she was so vulnerable and authentic about all about that, about joining the book. And I love that Maria said, let's celebrate the body as it is. Let's cut to the bullshit of what it means to have a Pilates body. And I here's the thing that's really interesting, right? Like, when I bought the book, The Pilates Body, I wasn't like, Oh, I'm going to look like this after I do this book. Like, that's not how I interpreted the book. It's kind of like, like a runner, like, you know what I mean? Like, what do these things mean.

Brad Crowell 19:31  

That'd be weird to pick up, like, a Gold's Gym muscle book and be like, Oh, if I do these exercises, I'm gonna look like Arnold.

Lesley Logan 19:37  

I'm gonna have the Gold's Gym body, you know? And like, I mean, I guess like people, I guess people do, but I think this all stems from just terrible media information on what a healthy body looks like. And so I couldn't agree more with like, with the cut through the bullshit of what a Pilates body means, because we have to cut through the bullshit of like, what a healthy body looks like. We just have to. Like, I am massively impressed by these strong women and strong men. They are not tiny people. They are big people, and what they can do is fucking insane. 

Brad Crowell 20:07  

Yeah like, the dudes who pick up the boulder and carry it down the thing, or those, like weird, like rock that are, like, shaped like, kind of like a diamond, like those, and there are hundreds of pounds. Those people who are in those bodies, those are huge bodies. They're not, they're not. 

Lesley Logan 20:23  

They are stronger than anybody I know. 

Brad Crowell 20:25  

Yeah. 

Lesley Logan 20:26  

Literally any, any of the bodies that we work out with, that we're friends with, that we're connected with, stronger than any of the bodies I know. Remember when we watched, what was that Korean show?

Brad Crowell 20:36  

The one the 100, the 100, the physical doc.

Lesley Logan 20:39  

Oh, physic, Physical 100. 

Brad Crowell 20:42  

The Physical 100. 

Lesley Logan 20:42  

Didn't translate well, which is why. But like, it was interesting because, like, they brought on all these different athletes, or pseudo athletes and trainers, and they had all these different bodies, and depending on the challenge, certain bodies did better, right? Like, the mountain climbers certainly slayed the first challenge over the strong men, but then when it came down to the end, you had an equal amount of people who were in bigger bodies and endurance bodies at the same challenge. And so what it comes down to is like, on average, most of us, if we are paying attention to our body and balancing out our strength and flexibility and our endurance, can do a fuck ton of stuff, but so many of us are, like, obsessed with getting smaller, and it's boring. Anyways, I could keep going, but she for Maria, you know, she there was an internal struggle because, of course, like, she was excited about the conversation, and then she's still a human being. So we got to talk about, like, when you look at yourself in those pictures and you go, yeah, I'm a proud of my body. I'm proud to be part of this, but ooh, that's what I look like, and I resonate with this so much. I was, I was doing a photo shoot yesterday, and I was just like, Okay, guys, this is not a sitting outfit. This is a standing outfit. So can you like because, because also it's like, how much of it do you want to be as a just, how much of it is a distraction versus like, the point or, or do we just do it so that people feel real, see real bodies more often? Like, it's, it's such a complicated thing, and your your mind messes with you based on how you were raised. And these stories take a long time, but she said for her, it was bigger than the photos. She said it became about reframing what is in our bodies, to be embodied and to celebrate all the different phases. And I love this so much because, you know, Maria, Brooke, and I, and many people listening, our bodies are in a different part of our journey. So it's just we're, you know, we're not going to look like 20 year olds, nor should we. And then Brooke also was conscious of this issue because in 2000 she had wrote in that issue that she said she hopes, in earnest that the models in the book inspire and don't intimidate, because she chose the original models for their strength and endurance, and also because they knew the work, I think that that's, you know, really hard when you're trying to pick it out and not because of their size and it. And I think even though her heart was really, you know, in there about inspire and not intimidate, like people just have a really hard time reading all the words and applying that to themselves. And so I'm excited for this additional chapter.

Brad Crowell 22:57  

Yeah, I also just wanted to say I'm glad you grabbed this as your topic, because I when I said I started taking notes, I actually was quoting you. As much as I appreciate the interview, you said something that really stuck out to me. You said we should have always been moving for the health of it and not for the shape of it. Move for the health of it and not the shape of it. In fact, I thought it was kind of quippy little, like, tagline, you know, for the health of it, because it's almost like, for the hell of it. 

Lesley Logan 23:29  

Isn't it so great that I can come up with these things?

Brad Crowell 23:33  

Also, it's so great that I can hear them and be like, we should clip that. 

Lesley Logan 23:36  

That's your job. 

Brad Crowell 23:37  

Be It Till You See It, baby.

Lesley Logan 23:39  

Well, and I think that comes from like, I don't know if I mentioned on this episode or a different one, but I read a book called Rethinking Thin and at the same time that I picked up The Pilates Body book, I picked up that book because I was thinking about becoming a personal trainer, and I was doing this personal training stuff. And it was this history. It's a history of dieting and, like, where dieting came from and where the ideal woman's body came from. And it's two fucking things that'll fuck and piss you off. One, it's a cartoon drawing. So that's annoying, because it's not even fucking real. And then the other was on the statue, Norman. So the Norman statue. 

Brad Crowell 24:12  

Is it the one holding the earth? 

Lesley Logan 24:13  

No, but it's just a man. It's just a man. And then what they did for Norma. 

Brad Crowell 24:14  

Oh, Norman, Norman, versus Norma. 

Lesley Logan 24:19  

Norma, or nor woman, from what I understand from it, a book about butts it's, they basically took. 

Brad Crowell 24:27  

I really hope that was the title, A Book About Butts.

Lesley Logan 24:29  

I think it is. I'll look at while you're talking about your favorite thing, I'll look it up. They basically put boobs on Norman. Well, Norman does not have estrogen. His pelvis is a different shape, like, oh my God, he doesn't even have.

Brad Crowell 24:42  

Oh I see. So you're they took, they took sculpture of a man and just put boobs, and then said, this is what the ideal woman should look like.

Lesley Logan 24:50  

This is what a woman looks like. And so I think ideal, I think it might have been average, right? But it's not that's not even a thing, not even impossible. So, anyways, like, because of the book Rethinking Thin, I learned about all the different diets that came around, all the different things that were obsessing about, and also how genetics plays such a massive role on the size that your body is determined to be. And then there's and then you go into the history of, like, when being heroin chic is in and it's always when they're trying to take rights away from women. Like, literally, if you take all the different times heroin chic was in and then you take all the different times they're trying to oppress women, they literally line up at the same time. So it's like, it's a cultic behavior of like, ladies stop eating so you your brain isn't functioning and you're not able to hear how we're taking your rights away. Anyways, what did you love?

Brad Crowell 25:41  

Well, I just wanted to say shout out to a podcast called Hysteria that I listened to that talks about this all the time, like the women's rights and. 

Lesley Logan 25:52  

Oh, we love Hysteria, yeah. 

Brad Crowell 25:53  

And, you know, like, it's a lot of politics as well, but it's two, you know, very powerful women who really dig in. And it's been really enlightening for me to see this from a different perspective.

Lesley Logan 26:06  

Yeah, the book is called Butts: A Backstory by Heather Radke. 

Brad Crowell 26:12  

By who? 

Lesley Logan 26:13  

By Heather Radke. 

Brad Crowell 26:14  

That's really funny.

Lesley Logan 26:15  

If anyone knows her, I want to interview her. But yes, it's about race, gender, control, beauty standards. It's, it's it's a lens of the human backside, and it's really great. But I also just want to say, if you're like, Oh, I get so annoyed when they get political. Ladies, being a woman in this world is political. Just, I hate to break it to you, but it is. Anyways, your turn. 

Brad Crowell 26:36  

Yeah, you're not wrong. All right. Well, hey, look, back to Brooke and Maria. Maria also recounted how her mom often said, fake it till you make it. And I know that we've talked both times here about Maria, but I this really resonated with me, because I actually really wanted to hear you say, be it till you see it is the positive spin of fake it till you make it.

Lesley Logan 27:02  

I know, but, but I know, and I'm. 

Brad Crowell 27:03  

We're not trying to take away from her. 

Lesley Logan 27:05  

But also it works for her, like it works for her and it doesn't hold her back. So, like, I don't ever want to take something that works for someone away. And so I will let Brooke have fake it till you make it. That said. 

Brad Crowell 27:16  

Maria. 

Lesley Logan 27:17  

Oh, Maria said that, oh, yeah Maria said that. I will let Maria have that, because I think that's important. And also, if that is hard for you or inauthentic, then that's the be it till you see it reframe. That's all.

Brad Crowell 27:28  

Yeah and it is a reframe and, but it's obviously, you know. 

Lesley Logan 27:33  

It's why always is a terrible word. 

Brad Crowell 27:36  

Right. But she, she, so, Maria said she uses this when she's not quite sure what she's doing, or when she feels like she's not quite sure, helps her bypass the paralysis of starting where, you know, often starting things not 100% sure where they're going, but trusting that she's going to land on her feet. And, you know, I think it's really helpful. There's got to be, you know, it is a weird thing, right? This, this idea of having this internal dialogue of, like, your own internal like cheerleader versus like, you know, antagonist. And I think it's hard to sometimes be in the moment and see this is a time right now where I have to choose to fake it till I make it, right? You know, it's, it's hard to do that, but if you can, you know, being it until you see it is a win. You know, there's, there's a way to to at least get the ball rolling until, because confidence comes through action, right? It comes through doing and experiencing. So if you there's got to be a point where you got to get the ball rolling.

Lesley Logan 28:39  

Oh, couldn't agree more. And I like, I remember, like, you know, when I had a job in retail, one of the guys who worked for me, I was going through a lot, and I took him for his like, you know, monthly meeting. I said, Are you good? Like, I just know you got a lot going on outside of this. And he goes, Oh, none of that bothers me here, because when I cross the threshold of the store, sure, it's showtime. And that's another way of being it till you see it, or fake it till you make it, like, and I think that that's good mantra for us to have. And I also like, I think we are all putting too much pressure on feeling ready. You know, I don't know that I got to ask Brooke, like was, did she feel ready to like, add to this book? But also, like, this is a big endeavor to take a bestselling book and make changes to it. Like, like, the number of people like this book changed my life. I still have my book from 25 years ago. And then to go, Oh, I'm adding on. 

Brad Crowell 29:30  

I'm just gonna make it better. 

Lesley Logan 29:30  

I'm just gonna make it better. 

Brad Crowell 29:30  

No big deal. 

Lesley Logan 29:31  

And people didn't go, Oh, I'm just gonna keep the one I have. No. A bunch of our OPC members and our eLevate members all were like, Oh, I pre ordered the copy. I'm ready to go and, like.

Brad Crowell 29:43  

But, but I think this is, like, we're dancing around the word perfectionism, right? You know, like, the the idea of being ready to get started to do the thing, you know, that's, that's very much a perfectionism mentality, yeah. And it's, it creates this fear. That we're not gonna it's not gonna be right or done or perfect or whatever, and that that is debilitating, and also it is, like, the fastest way to go nowhere.

Lesley Logan 30:10  

Yes, it really is. And like, first of all, I think we, we're also blessed for the second edition of this book to be out, because the additional chapter isn't only a visual understanding of of what Brooke was trying to get in the first book, and also in the research she's done since. But, you know, she got to go through and, like, with 25 years of hindsight, and add into that, and it's, and I think that is a really beautiful thing, because it means the conversation continues, you know. And I think, like, going back to the word perfection, like, even though the book is it has hit print and you can all get it and you should, the conversation will continue. And I think that's what's really cool.

Brad Crowell 30:47  

Yeah, I think I'm, I'm excited for her, and also I love that she shared, that Brooke shared, oh yeah, I thought it was gonna get away with, like, the easy smack two books together and re release it, and be like, done. And then her publisher was like, No, no. 

Lesley Logan 31:02  

Yeah, I know. I know. I actually really appreciated that, because when we redid the mat deck, we were like, Okay, we're gonna break these things out. And I think Meredith, I remember Meredith going, Oh, you edited every single card. And I was like, Well, yeah, because I thought we could just, like, pull these three out. But then once I did that, I was like, Well, I kind of got her through the whole thing like I now I know too much. I know too much about how it was used, and I.

Brad Crowell 31:25  

Well it would also have been five years, right? We got a tons of feedback. So I imagine that Brooke was similarly like, inundated with feedback for 25 years which is amazing.

Lesley Logan 31:37  

Probably, most unsolicited and some solicited.

Brad Crowell 31:39  

Yeah, I'm sure. I'm sure. But hey, there's one more thing I wanted to talk about that Maria mentioned that really struck a chord with me. I really appreciate it. She didn't quite say it that way that I have said it, but the story she told herself, right? She, you know, was that, oh, she was just in the right place at the right time to be able to move to Spain, decide to live there and become an international educator, right? That's the story that she told her. She said it was she was spinning a narrative that kept her small, right? And so effectively, that was how she was viewing herself, (inaudible) well, and then when people would ask her, what did she do? How did she do it? She would say, I was just in the right place at the right time, which then allows them to go, oh, you lucked out, right? And she's like, but that takes away from all the hard work and the tough decisions, then the scary decisions that I had to make to get here. And that's not, that's not true. Yes, there's, of course, there's always some element of luck to it, but, you know, she was very intentional about that. And so she started to talk about the that that like addressing the narrative of playing small, you know, and, and I really appreciate that, because I remember when I was working for someone else. I, you know, why did I not go and ask for a raise? Oh, I'm just, I shouldn't even be here, was what I kept telling myself. I'm just the musician that, like I, you know, if I had ever gone through an interview process, they never would have hired me. These are all the things that I used to say to myself to justify the position that I was in, and that's 100% playing small. So I really resonated with this when she was talking about this. And she said today, she reframes her story. She said, you know, what got her here was her grit, persistence and tenacity, not luck, you know? And I just applaud her for I think it's really important that we identify that in our own lives. What story are you telling yourself that's keeping you small?

Lesley Logan 33:31  

Ooh, good question. Journal on that. 

Brad Crowell 33:33  

Yeah. Well, stick around. We'll be right back. We're going to dig into those Be It Action Items that we got from Brooke and Maria right after this. 

Brad Crowell 33:42  

Welcome back. All right. So finally, let's talk about those Be It Action Items. What bold, executable, intrinsic or targeted action items can we take away from your convo with Brooke and Maria? Brooke said the only way out is through. The only way out is through. She said she has a mentor who's a Buddhist, and their guidance has been helping her push through the fear, especially when it comes to like we talked about, how do you make something that's 25 years successful even better, and not jack it up? The only way out is through, right? She said, if I see fear, I'm going to head towards that fear so that I can make it through, right? She said, now, when she has an idea she wants to share, she reframes taking action as sharing, rather than doing a thing for others to react to, which I thought was pretty cool, because what she was talking about you asked her, like, how do you have the confidence to do this stuff? She said she started teaching, and three years later, wrote this book, three years later, wrote this book that has been an international success. 

Lesley Logan 34:45  

Took me six years to get the fuck on YouTube.

Brad Crowell 34:48  

Right? So that's kind of amazing. And you asked her, like, how did you do that? And she said, Honestly, I just get so excited about the thing that I'm focusing on that I want to share it. And I didn't, don't approach it in the way that, like I'm the authority. Listen to me. No, she's excited about this thing. She's nerding about out about it, and then she's sharing it with others. And that's how you know, that's what gave her the confidence.

Lesley Logan 35:12  

Well, and also, do you know that, like fear and excitement, the difference is breathing like they're on the same energetic wavelength. But why don't you breathe? Yeah, so if you're afraid or nervous, exhale, and then you can enjoy excitement, because it's the same. 

Brad Crowell 35:29  

That's amazing. 

Lesley Logan 35:30  

According to Gay Hendricks, and you know he is, he is one of the lords around here. Him, by the way, on the day we're recording this, it's not the day you're listening to it. He's 81 today, so, he's an Aquarian. Of course, he is. Of course, that's why I love him.

Brad Crowell 35:43  

That's amazing. Well, what about you? What was your big takeaway? 

Lesley Logan 35:47  

All right, so I took some of Maria's Be It Action Item as my takeaway. So make sure you have people in your corner. Fuck yeah. If you don't, if your people in your corner suck at life. I know it's hard, it's almost hard to, like, have nobody, but I'd rather you have nobody, and like, you've held a space open for somebody, rather than have people who are who are, like, actively bringing you down. So just keep that in mind. Make sure you have some people in your corner. And she said, it's important that we nurture those relationships that you've built. It doesn't have to be big, but it should be something you can hold on to. And this is interesting, like, I'm always just reflecting, you know, yesterday in our photo shoot like I'm used to having a lot of friends I only saw once a month because we live in LA and there's traffic. And I love those friendships. And they don't have to to me. It goes back to me. It doesn't have to be big, doesn't have to be a weekly relationship, but it is something you have to have tangible. You have to hold on, to have some connections, and those are people you have in your corner. And so if you haven't yet, take some time go through your context, who's actually in your corner? Which nurture? Which relations do you want to nurture back and because in the hard moments, people who show up for you and see you for you are can reflect back to you all the good stuff that you are. And this has happened to me more times than I can imagine. And we have a friend who is recently going through something that's really quite frustrating and awful. And you know what? We don't talk to her very often, but we heard what happened. Someone else told us who's also in her corner. And a bunch of us are like, Oh, here's how we can support you. Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, and she didn't ask for that help. I'm sure she didn't even know what kind of help we can give. But when you have relationships, you nurture, even it's on a quarterly basis, people will show up for you, and they'll and you'll show up for them, and it's, and it's quite it makes life a lot more fun. 

Brad Crowell 37:17  

Yes, yeah. I definitely agree. You know, I think that we've talked about it before, being intentional about who you let weigh in, you know, or how, how much weight you give to their feedback, you know. So that's important. But I think also too, you know, there was an element to this conversation about allowing life to life and for relationships to change, which I also really appreciated, because I have always had a fear of loss, of letting go, I don't know why, and I've always struggled with, like, friendships drifting apart. And it was really interesting to hear her say, hey, it's kind of okay that that happens, and it allows you to take stock of who actually is paying attention and, like, in your world and choosing to be in your world instead of you, you know, trying to drag people along.

Lesley Logan 38:07  

Well, and also, I think, like, if they're really meant to be in your life, and you run into them, or something comes up and you call them, it will pick back up. Maybe there might have to be a quick conversation, or, like, why there's been so much space, but it'll pick back up. You know, we recently saw someone I haven't talked to in years. They were a part of my life for quite some time, and I had reflected about, like, why I let that kind of fade out. And when I saw them, I was like, yeah, it's okay. Like, I'm still okay with that decision. And I think it's hard, because we go, should I have a whole conversation with them? Should we dialog? Should we have, like, a whole like, here's why our relationship didn't know you don't need to have those things. You just can move on, because no one is right or wrong in these instances. It's just the way life goes. And you evolve, and they evolve, and sometimes that evolution is together and sometimes it's apart, and you can still support them from afar. I'm Lesley Logan. 

Brad Crowell 38:56  

And I'm Brad Crowell. 

Lesley Logan 38:57  

Go get The Pilates Body book if you haven't already, you should. It's so good, especially if you're into Pilates, it's, it's.

Brad Crowell 39:02  

The new one. Is the new one out? 

Lesley Logan 39:04  

Yeah, the new one's been out since December. 

Brad Crowell 39:05  

Great. So, so The Pilates Body 25th Anniversary Edition.

Lesley Logan 39:09  

Oh my God, if you want to see my reaction to my husband literally opening the package for me, instead of, like, every day for five days, watching me go to the mailbox to open this package, and then he just opened it. It's on my Instagram. It's in December. 

Brad Crowell 39:25  

It would have been in November. It may or may not have happened. 

Lesley Logan 39:29  

Yeah, yeah. It was, I was like, every day he's filming me check the mail for this book, and then the one day he gets the mail, he opened it. Anyways. Thank you so much for joining me. I'm Lesley Logan. I'm just so grateful for you. Make sure you send this to a friend who needs to hear it. We want to hear your wins and your questions, so send them in to the Be It Pod, and until next time, Be It Till You See It. 

Brad Crowell 39:49  

Bye for now. 

Lesley Logan 39:50  

That's all I got for this episode of the Be It Till You See It Podcast. One thing that would help both myself and future listeners is for you to rate the show and leave a review and follow or subscribe for free wherever you listen to your podcast. Also, make sure to introduce yourself over at the Be It Pod on Instagram. I would love to know more about you. Share this episode with whoever you think needs to hear it. Help us and others Be It Till You See It. Have an awesome day. Be It Till You See It is a production of The Bloom Podcast Network. If you want to leave us a message or a question that we might read on another episode, you can text us at +1-310-905-5534 or send a DM on Instagram @BeItPod.

Brad Crowell 40:32  

It's written, filmed, and recorded by your host, Lesley Logan, and me, Brad Crowell.

Lesley Logan 40:37  

It is transcribed, produced and edited by the epic team at Disenyo.co.

Brad Crowell 40:41  

Our theme music is by Ali at Apex Production Music and our branding by designer and artist, Gianfranco Cioffi.

Lesley Logan 40:48  

Special thanks to Melissa Solomon for creating our visuals.

Brad Crowell 40:52  

Also to Angelina Herico for adding all of our content to our website. And finally to Meridith Root for keeping us all on point and on time.

In this special episode, Lesley Logan sits down with Pilates icons Brooke Siler and Maria Earle for a deeply personal conversation that goes far beyond the reformer. As they celebrate the 25th anniversary of The Pilates Body, they reflect on career evolution, friendships formed during lockdown, and the courage it takes to become more embodied as our bodies change. From life as expats to the intentional decision to redefine a global Pilates classic, this episode is a reminder that strength, trust, and confidence are built from the inside out.

If you have any questions about this episode or want to get some of the resources we mentioned, head over to LesleyLogan.co/podcast https://lesleylogan.co/podcast/. If you have any comments or questions about the Be It pod shoot us a message at [email protected] mailto:[email protected].

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In this episode you will learn about:

• How Maria and Brooke’s friendship deepened during global lockdown.
• Why the Pilates Body aesthetic needed to be questioned and reframed.
• What a Pilates body truly means beyond appearance and performance.
• Rediscovering Joe Pilates’ original archival work to guide embodied movement.
• Owning grit and sustained effort instead of attributing success to luck.

Episode References/Links:

• The Pilates Body Book, Revised and Expanded Edition by Brooke Siler - https://beitpod.com/pilatesbodyrevised
• Brooke Siler's Website - https://www.brookesilerpilates.com
• Brooke Siler's Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/brookesilerpilates
• Maria Earle's Website - https://www.mariaearle.com
• Maria Earle's Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/maria_earle
• Local Bookstores - https://bookshop.org
• Return to Life Through Contrology by Joseph Pilates - https://a.co/d/0eqSRfGN

Guest Bio:

Brooke Siler began her Pilates training in 1994 under Joseph Pilates’ protégée Romana Kryzanowska at Drago’s Gym in New York City where she spent a decade studying under Romana’s masterful tutelage. She opened her award-winning Manhattan studio, re:AB Pilates, in 1997 and was quickly embraced by Hollywood’s A-list from Madonna to Dustin Hoffman, but Brooke is probably best known for penning the New York Times’ best-seller The Pilates Body. The Pilates Body has become the highest grossing Pilates book of all time and she has followed it with titles: Your Ultimate Pilates. Body Challenge, The Pilates Body Kit, The Women’s Health Big Book of Pilates and the Pilates Weight Loss for Beginners dvd. In 2021 Brooke launched her long-awaited, passion-product, The Tensatoner™! Brooke has studied anatomy, physiology, kinesiology, fascial networks and cadaver dissection with teachers: Tom Myers (Anatomy Trains), chiropractic physician Dr. Joe Muscolino (Know The Body), Leslie Kaminoff & Amy Matthews (Yoga Anatomy) and podiatrist

Maria Earle is an internationally recognized Pilates educator known for her warm, charismatic teaching style and deeply embodied approach to movement. With more than 27 years of experience in Pilates and wellness, she draws from decades of hands-on teaching, studio ownership, and advanced education to guide practitioners toward sensation-led, authentic practice. Based in Barcelona, Maria leads postgraduate teacher trainings and online education through her Digital Studio, supporting movers at every stage of life.

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Episode Transcript:

Maria Earle 0:00  

It feels great to be a part of something that is, it's bigger than me, it's bigger than the book, it's bigger than us together, it's bigger than all of it. It's about this reframing what it is to be in our bodies and to embodied and to celebrate all the different phases. I mean, my size has never defined me.

Lesley Logan 0:27  

Welcome to the Be It Till You See It podcast where we talk about taking messy action, knowing that perfect is boring. I'm Lesley Logan, Pilates instructor and fitness business coach. I've trained thousands of people around the world and the number one thing I see stopping people from achieving anything is self-doubt. My friends, action brings clarity and it's the antidote to fear. Each week, my guest will bring bold, executable, intrinsic and targeted steps that you can use to put yourself first and Be It Till You See It. It's a practice, not a perfect. Let's get started.

Lesley Logan 1:10  

All right, Be It babe, this is magical. If you had told me when I saw this podcast, I would have in this conversation, I would have like, no, what are you talking about? So while we normally don't talk a lot about Pilates on this podcast, everything is kind of Pilates to me. I have two incredible, humongously wonderful, brilliant, the biggest hearts of the entire world teachers on today's podcast, and we are going to talk about friendships and life and having brave conversations and and how do you accept an invitation to make an impact about something that is bigger than you? And this is really wonderful conversation. And so Maria Earle and Brooke Siler are our guests today, and we were talking about The Pilates Body book. And I'm honored. I can't believe I'm pinching myself that just fucking happened. I can't believe it. I can't believe I just got off like, two-hour chat with these wonderful women. What is my life? So anyways, I can't wait for you to hear this, and I do think it is a honest conversation about bodies and women and the things we go through. And I hope you love it and that you send it to a friend who needs to hear it, and you know, you tell us all about your favorite parts of it. Here they are. 

Lesley Logan 2:23  

All right, Be It babe, we have like a dynamic duo. I'm not gonna lie, I also totally screwed something up when hitting getting everything ready, because I was so nervous and so excited, because I'm obsessed with both these women, I get to fan girl over them to their faces, which is very fun for me. So Maria and I got to officially meet in in Seoul Korea, but I had been following Maria Earle for a long time, and just watching she's just like, so graceful and so amazing and just wonderful everything she does. And I'm just like, I'm not graceful at all, but I just absolutely adored her. And I love like, I've spent time with her in Seoul, Korea, and so I feel like we'll always have a night in Seoul together. And then Brooke Siler, okay, so I went to, and you might not know this about me, Brooke, but I actually went to Pilates class, kind of kicking and screaming. I thought of that class was like a bunch of BS workout. I told the girl, it's an infomercial workout. It can't do what it claims, but I needed a friend. So I went to the class. And I was obsessed. Became obsessed with this class. I was like, oh, it was the most amazing thing I've ever done in my entire life. And I worked at South Coast Plaza, and I went to the bookstore, and I went to the fitness section, and I bought the Pilates book that was there, it was your book, I took it home, and I did every exercise like in the book. I started going to Pilates every single day. And you had a second book, and I bought that one. I was on the treadmill, like walking, like I was lifted, like I was obsessed. And then some, I moved to L.A., and someone's, like, can you be my Pilates instructor and like, kind of, you know, the internet and social media wasn't really a thing then. And then, fast forward to, I believe it was January of 2020, you were in L.A., and I was like, I have to go to this workshop. She doesn't know I'm so obsessed with her. And I went to the workshop and you taught an exercise a certain way that I had been teaching it that way, and I had no one had taught it to me like that, but I had just figured out like, and I pull straps I want my inner thighs up because it helps me get my butt on, helps me all these things. And you said it, and I was like, oh my God, I'm so validated right now. So anyways, I just had to tell you that, because, like, I you, like, even though I knew it was great, I just, like, needed someone like you to say it. I was like, this is amazing. So. 

Brooke Siler 4:31  

Your little backup. 

Lesley Logan 4:32  

Yeah, a little backup. So anyways, you've been part of my, like, be it till I see it as a Pilates person my whole life, and you and, like, for at least 20 years, and you didn't know it. But now I get to have the two of you on the Be It Till You See It podcast. So we'll start with Brooke. Brooke, can you tell everyone who you are and what you rock at? 

Brooke Siler 4:48  

Yes. Well, first of all, thank you so much for having us. Me, us both. I, yeah, really excited to even have a conversation. I love being in a room with smart women. There's nothing better, really. So my name is Brooke Siler, as Lesley has already told you, I am an author. I'm a teacher. I started teaching in 1994 and then in 2000 I wrote the Pilates body, and it's been that fantastic 15 minutes of fame that has just gone on and on and on for me. I just am super blessed, super grateful. And yeah, I think that's who I am.

Lesley Logan 5:25  

Oh, my God, yeah, yeah. Then there's, I mean, like, when you have to, like, distill yourself down into a nutshell life, but it is, absolutely, we'll have to get into the 15 minutes of fame that keeps on giving you know for decades. Maria Earle, what do you rock at babe? 

Maria Earle 5:40  

Hi. Also, thank you for putting this together. It's fun to be here with you two. So my name is Maria Earle, and I am a Pilates educator, and have been teaching Pilates since 1997 walked into the first Pilates studio a few years before that, and just never stopped. Anyway, I I'm based in Barcelona, Spain, and prior to that, I lived in New York City and had a Pilates studio for about eight years on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, and took a big leap of faith and moved abroad about 15 years ago, which it's funny when you put a number to it, but, yeah.

Lesley Logan 6:29  

I know, I know I feel really young until I realize how long I've been doing something. I'm like, oh, I mean, I'm still young, but also we aged in there.

Maria Earle 6:38  

So yeah, I have a Pilates studio here, and I run post graduate teacher training courses and online things. And, you know, trying to live my best life, basically.

Lesley Logan 6:52  

Yeah, do the best you can. Like, do the whole balance thing they all tell us to do. You're like, balance gotta work, the balance of work and life. And, you know, you have kids too, right, Maria? 

Maria Earle 7:01  

I have one, though it feels like multiples, but there is only one. I'm like, yeah, yeah, there's one. 

Lesley Logan 7:10  

Yeah, oh my gosh, okay, well, so I guess we can go, you know, we can go anywhere we want, but I actually would love to hear how the two of you got connected, because part of me goes like, did you know each other in New York? And the other part of me is like, so jealous when I hear that you've been doing Pilates since the 90s, like, I would wonder what my life would have been like had I learned it sooner. I'm always so jealous of people who did it in the 90s.

Maria Earle 7:36  

Yeah. You call that Golden Age.

Brooke Siler 7:38  

It really was. It really was a golden, I feel like it was, yeah, it was a Golden Age. Pilates. (inaudible) I feel like Maria and I maybe have orbited each other, because we seem to have been in a lot of the same places at the same times, but we didn't actually meet each other, until just 20, what did we determine it was? 2018?

Maria Earle 8:01  

2019

Brooke Siler 8:02  

2019 in Barcelona. I came over to teach a workshop at a studio there, and Maria was there, and she was Maria (inaudible) and it was her birthday, and I was like, oh, loud American, oh my gosh, in Spain, in this little studio. And, yeah, we, I, we just kind of got to chatting, but we didn't do much after that, did we? For a while.

Maria Earle 8:28  

We talked, I think we talked a few times, because we know are we allowed to say this about you living abroad already. 

Brooke Siler 8:36  

I mean, I live abroad. 

Maria Earle 8:37  

That's not a that's not a .

Brooke Siler 8:39  

No, it's not a secret. No, I live in the U.K.

Maria Earle 8:42  

So yeah, I think. 

Lesley Logan 8:44  

What if Brooke is like, don't tell anyone I live in the U.K.

Brooke Siler 8:50  

I'm the witness protection program. But other than that.

Maria Earle 8:53  

Witness protection program, I was like, I don't know. You know, I'm not gonna. Anyway, so yeah, (inaudible) exactly. I think we connected. I mean, not only do we connect over, you know, Pilates or whatnot, but I think there was, like a real like, wait, you live in the U.K.? And you were like, wait, you live here now? We were both kind of like, well, what are you doing? What? And so there was, I think, you know, I remember a number of phone calls where we were talking about, you know, the, the challenge of, you know, uprooting your life. And in later years, you know, I mean, I didn't move here with children, but Brooke moved with children, and basically. 

Brooke Siler 9:41  

Yeah, mine were nine and 11 when we moved. 

Maria Earle 9:43  

You know, she needed to start running, like, from the get go. She needed to have all the things together, right? I, I moved here as a single person going, lalala. This is great. This is fun. And then, you know, sort of built my life deciding like, oh, I'm really going to stop. Here, and I'm going to make a life here for myself. And, you know, I've never looked back.

Lesley Logan 10:07  

Yeah, I think that's so I think this is so interesting, like, because we have a lot of people write in, like, how do you make friends when you're older? Like, I've moved and I think, like, that was obviously shared experiences. Like, you go somewhere, like everyone did you hear they went to a thing that they both are interested in, but then you you connect on another level. Like, I think that's the important part of like, having a friendship. Like, you have to, can't just be like, oh, we just go to Pilates class together. Like, there has to be this other shared thing. And it's like, oh, we're both expats, and we both had to, like, start a whole new life somewhere. And I'd imagine Brooke that it's quite challenging to do that with two kids, like, I imagine, like, because you had already written the book by then, the original Pilates Body Book, and then you move. And so then you're like, you have a whole life. You're a best selling author, and then you're like, a mom trying to get two kids into school.

Brooke Siler 10:54  

Actually, that was the whole point was I had been kind of this, the Pilates Body author, since 29 years old, 30 years old, right? So I was like, Who? And I started Pilates at 26 years old. So here I was 46 or something. I was like, who am I without this? Like, half my life has been this. Can I just be a mom? So when I moved here, I came with my husband's name, like, I was like, I'm not gonna say Siler, I'm not going to tell anyone I do Pilates. My stuff was in the garage. Like I am to be mom, and that's what I can't or mom, my kids totally do not have English accents, but so, yeah, that's what I was going to do. So I joined the PTA because I'm that person, and I, yeah, I made like, you know, we went to the pub and did the pub quizzes and did all that stuff while the kids were in school. I was mama, and of course, then what did I end up doing, teaching the teachers Pilates for free. I was like, hey, let me come and give you guys Pilates because you I like, how do you do this with kids that's so challenging. Let me do something for you. So I came and started teaching every Friday, giving them Pilates session, you, I can't get away. You can't get away from it like it's who you are. If you're a teacher, you're a teacher, and if your art is is Pilates. Like, you know, I feel like my, my vocation is teacher, and my, my medium is Pilates, you know.

Lesley Logan 12:15  

I understand that. I think like I, you were all going to teach something that happened, that we, you know, someone probably told all of us that we should become a teacher, and we're like, okay, I'll do that thing. Yeah, yeah.

Brooke Siler 12:29  

Pulled me back in. And it wasn't till lockdown. That's when Maria and I really came together, and that's when, yeah, my whole Pilates World opened right back up again.

Lesley Logan 12:40  

Interesting. So, like, did you guys? Because, I mean, obviously we've heard, like, I think it was Esther Peral was, like, the Covid was, like, the great accelerator, like, if you were gonna do something, it was gonna, you were gonna do it, and it's gonna do it faster. So you're either gonna, like, if you're gonna break up with someone, you broke up with them faster. If you were, like, Brad and I, we picked up our life and moved as well, and I did it three years earlier than we thought we ever could. And, and, and so, like, was that the great accelerator for your friendship? Was it a way that you guys got deeper because there was not as many distractions? How did that go?

Brooke Siler 13:09  

Yeah, what do you think Maria?

Maria Earle 13:11  

I think so. I mean, I so agree with the great accelerator. I mean, I always think about, I mean, for our friendship, for sure, but also, you know, stepping into, stepping into newness, in terms of professionally, stepping into things that, otherwise, you know, it was the kind of the kick in the ass that I needed for a number of things that I'm totally happy to talk about. 

Lesley Logan 13:36  

Yeah.

Brooke Siler 13:38  

(inaudible) About it because we were, like a little women's group. There was four of us.

Lesley Logan 13:42  

Yeah, okay, if I obviously, what happens in a women's group stays in women's group. But like, if there's something we can talk about from women's group, I would love to because I think this is where, this is where a lot of women I find our listeners are, they can get really lonely, or they they want community, and they seek community, but then, you know, someone doesn't show up to something, and it gets easy to take it personally. Like, how did you guys have a women's group, and what did you just talk about?

Brooke Siler 14:07  

It was, it was a movement. I mean, we were working out together, is what it was. So, like, two, three times a week, we were working out together and.

Maria Earle 14:15  

And then doing a lot of chatting afterwards. (inaudible) Talk about, like, set your morning aside. I mean, like, don't book any clients until after 12. There is just, there's just too much that needs to pass.

Brooke Siler 14:33  

Everything, you know, everything that was happening in Covid that was so amplified was happening around us. And so we would sometimes, you know, we'd get on the we'd go to work out, but someone had had a morning, something had happened, someone had seen something and and we would, you know, tears and sharing, and yeah, we yeah, all the things happened, yeah, yeah. But it was an unlikely like, none of us really knew each other knew each other before. And, yeah, we're an interesting foursome, actually.

Lesley Logan 15:03  

I love but I love it because it's like, I think, you know, you said side of the time, and it just evolved naturally. But also, like, when women do get together and they're and they share that, and they can be vulnerable, you know, they say, like, you know, movement is how, like, we like, trauma can leave the body. We can heal the body. Like, it's so important. I have a yoga class that I go to, and the first few minutes are kind of somebody bitching about something, and then we get into the yoga and then by the time the yoga is over, whatever that was like, moved out of all of us. And then, and then you can wrap up the conversation, if somebody needs to. And I sometimes kind of wish it went an hour longer, you know, I can imagine what a wonderful way to, like, very therapeutic.

Brooke Siler 15:44  

There's the physical workout and the emotional workout. They both kind of conjoined. 

Maria Earle 15:50  

Yeah and when you just, when you just commit to it, you just lock into it, and that just becomes your non negotiable. Like, that's just, that's just what I do on Tuesdays and Thursday mornings, like, you know, sometimes things would come up, but we.

Brooke Siler 16:07  

We're committed to one another, to ourselves and to one another. 

Lesley Logan 16:10  

Yeah. And that's like, so, okay, this is the hard part, right? Because, like, we're all teachers here. And like, we have the clients who, like, you know, they want to come three times a week, and then they and then they book, you know, this coffee date and this thing. And then we have the teachers who also say they want these things, or the women who are like, not necessarily teachers, because this is not most of the people don't even do Pilates listeners. But like the people, like they're they want this, but it is a commitment, like it is an actual like, you are not just coming Tuesdays and Thursday mornings until noon, but you're making sure everyone in your life knows about it so that it's things do come up, but they're kind of rare, because there's rarely, like, an actual emergency that can't be done on another day, like, there's, you know. So how did you guys, like, how did did you tell, like, Maria you have a kid, did you tell your one kid and Brooke, I'm assuming your kids are a little older now, but like, were they aware that, like, hey, leave me alone. This is my private time. How did you get the commitment to be something you could come to without the pressures of, like, all the guilt of all being a mom?

Maria Earle 17:07  

I don't know. I blocked it out. 

Brooke Siler 17:09  

Yeah, me too. What guilt? That was our time?

Maria Earle 17:15  

No, I don't know. It's funny because I actually, I.

Brooke Siler 17:20  

Also we have boys, I feel like that needs to be said (inaudible).

Maria Earle 17:25  

Yeah, maybe, I mean, you know, it could have been messy, like, I don't know, but I know that it was time, not only well spent, obviously, But it was time that was so important to me that I just, I figured out how to make it work. And, you know, maybe sometimes I could only log in for a little while, or, you know, sometimes I'd say, like, I gotta, I gotta go. I gotta go, you know, I I just, I want to, I want to check in. I want to say that I love you, and like, hi, but like, I have all this going on. I, that's it. That's all I got for you. They'd be like, you know, bye, we need just that little bit of like, you got this, you know. 

Lesley Logan 18:16  

Well and it also it sounds so it sounds a little bit like one, you know, you needed it for yourselves, and like, you did that, and they were, like, unapologetic about that. And then two, you found the right people that would understand if you couldn't, and they wouldn't take it personally, and they wouldn't hold it against you. And I think that's where a lot of people have screwed up in their groups, of their friendships. It's like they kind of have kept people from a long time, and you know, like, aren't good at voicing what they need or or even knowing what they need. So then it, it gets muddled, and it becomes an uncomfortable situation.

Brooke Siler 18:48  

I'm I'm wondering now if maybe what worked in our favor was that we weren't friends beforehand, really. We kind of we, we solidified the friendship, but actually we grew the friendship in lockdown. So we were learning about each other. So it was not only the interest in showing up to move, but we were also interested, I think, you know, in each other and one another, and each one of us had so many amazing things happen to us. You know, Alicia started a podcast, and Karen, like, set up her studio. And, you know.

Brooke Siler 19:18  

Maria bought. 

Maria Earle 19:20  

Oh yeah, I bought my studio (inaudible). 

Brooke Siler 19:23  

We were there for for all these things, you know. And we could share, like, hey, what do you guys think? And each one of us so has a different kind of forte, and we just feel like the universe just kind of made that all happen. So, without too esoteric, it really was yeah meant to be we and we yeah I think it became that, like.

Maria Earle 19:45  

It became a rock.

Brooke Siler 19:46  

You do, yeah.

Lesley Logan 19:48  

Yeah, and then and, I mean, like, life the world is open. Have you been able to keep the Tuesday and Thursdays together, like you guys still hanging out? 

Brooke Siler 19:57  

It became different. It's shape shifted. It's. Not the same. It's more like, you know, yes, the world is open. There's so many other things going on. I mean, listen, I had to write a book just to see Maria again. I mean, that there was that moment of like, yeah, after having written the book, I was then like, oh, someone actually has to be the model in this. Who and I just, it was immediate. It wasn't even, like, a second I didn't even have a second choice. Like, had she said, no, I was screwed.

Lesley Logan 20:31  

So, so, so we're, I mean, of course, everyone's like, hold on. We have so many questions about this. Like, women's group, but we're gonna move on, guys, because we only have so much time. But like, if you, if you Brooke Siler's name does not ring a bell from The Pilates Body book, but, but that we, you know, I've literally moved with every apartment. It ever moved with me and into this house, and it didn't even go into a closet, like it's on the shelf. You know, because I think it represents, like the time when I was, like, I was, I believe so much that people can have an independent Pilates practice. And because I was like, but this book gave me that, like, I was able to have an independent Pilates practice. And I I think that, like, that's so necessary for the world we all live in today, to have, you know, to have enough Pilates in our life, whether you're a teacher or not, you need to have some way of doing it. So I was trying to look it up before we started talking, when did you write this book the first time?

Brooke Siler 21:24  

I started writing it in 1999 and it was published in 2000. 

Lesley Logan 21:28  

Okay, so that's wow, so it's been 25 years. So then you had so then you're like, I'm gonna write it again. I guess.

Brooke Siler 21:36  

I was like, we should celebrate. It's 25 years, and I still have people coming and saying, oh, my God, my career started because of Pilates, because of The Pilates Body, and that was the first book I ever had, and I've heard that for 25 years, and it felt like, definitely, you know, the, Pilates is bigger now than ever. And I was like, how amazing would it be if we if we did a 25th anniversary, and I brought my literary agent, and she was like, yes, love the idea. And then we brought it to an editor, and they were like, yes, love the idea. And they were like, but, and I just thought, actually, I could, you know, there's that one copy of the Joe Pilates book where it's two of his books together. I thought it was going to get off really easy and just combine the first two books. And so I said to the editor, can't we just put the two together and make it.

Lesley Logan 22:21  

This one too. 

Brooke Siler 22:22  

Yes, exactly. Wouldn't that be perfect? And then I don't have to do anything. And they were like, No, you have to put new material in there. And I was like, oh, okay. So I hear the things that are of interest to me at this time, like I'm doing a lot of deep work on breathing. I'm doing a lot of deep work on this (inaudible) and that's a whole nother topic, but they chose one, and that was what I went with. And so when I started doing the deep digging, it was, I mean, I had already done the deep digging, I should say, but then starting to try to put it into terms that could be easily understood, and how to make it blend deeper with Pilates. And it was stuff that I was doing that we were doing in our Tuesdays, Thursdays, you know, I always come with ideas. I'm like, hey guys, let's try this thing I've been playing with. And there they were just always game. They were very generous with me and allowing me to test out all of my crazy ideas on them. And yeah, so this one just kept sticking. And then I was teaching online classes, and people were like, writing me afterwards, going, Oh my God, I feel amazing. I can't believe, like, what this feels like. And I was like, okay, cool. So I not only wrote it, but I was like, listen, it's 25 years. I'm going to rewrite all the they didn't give me a budget to do all the photos again. So the photos are the same as they were, and the layout is the same, but I pretty much rewrote everything, like, I updated the language and put in new variations and a lot of archival, you know, just bringing Joe into it, because lockdown, I dug deep, deep in Joe's, you know, treasure trove, and put, like, instead of looking outside of Pilates, I just went back in. I feel like it's that when you go to the dentist, and they used to have the treasure chest and you could pick a toy, it's like, I just went, I did a deep dive into the, Maria, I did a deep dive in and found all. 

Lesley Logan 24:11  

Maria, your dentist didn't have a treasure chest because mine did. And an aquarium, okay? And I would watch the rocket fish go across like I was my favorite.

Brooke Siler 24:20  

Yes, exactly, yes. So I just yeah, I think, you know, I was pulling stuff out and trying stuff, and they were loving it. And that's the way my mind works. I feel like lockdown for me was an incredible like, everything shut down, out, out, and my brain just went absolutely mad creative. Like I just couldn't stop creating. It was, it was amazing. 

Lesley Logan 24:44  

So you're listening to this everyone. The book is already out, like we're talking about this before I've had my hands on a copy. And of course, I'm like, now (inaudible) even more than I was when you first told me about it, but like I do so and I'm excited to hear what Maria's response was like. Like to also You were telling her, I'm gonna redo this. Like, there is something about, like, Okay, I think we should celebrate. It's gonna be easy. But then it's like, okay, great. Now I've get to redo it. The in the redoing, it's like, you there's things that you can change, because you've had 25 years of teaching on top of it, 25 years of testimonial, 25 years of hearing people say they love this, or have questions about this, like, not many people get a redo and in life, you know, so. So Maria, when she came to you and said she was redoing this, is there anything that like you were the most excited about, that you were like, like, what? What part did you get to explore with her, that you were excited to be in the book?

Maria Earle 25:38  

Well, my, my role is a very tiny, tiny little role.

Lesley Logan 25:43  

No way, no way, no.

Brooke Siler 25:47  

Let's just call bullshit on that. I mean, it's not.

Maria Earle 25:50  

That is not true. What I mean to say is that, basically, as Brooke said, right, she had been developing these ideas and had an opportunity to basically add a new section to the book. And needed, and needed wanted to have somebody to to be the model for that new chapter. And I got to be someone who sort of got to be in the behind the scenes, like I got to sort of be in her brain a little bit while she was, you know, having this explosive sort of creativity moment, you know, I got to, I got to experience firsthand, you know, her process. And that was amazing. And, you know, I mean, I guess we could joke a little bit about this Brooke, because she she said she sort of hinted to it earlier when she said that, you know, she wanted me to do the book, but you know, she was like, if she said, no, you know, what was I going to do, right? You know, so I think so it took her a little while because she knew that I might like run for the hills when she's asking me to be the, you know, the model.

Brooke Siler 27:05  

The Pilates Body to be out there. Yeah. 

Maria Earle 27:08  

I was like, Brooke, are you crazy? You know, is like my first reaction, you know. So, you know, do you want to do this? You know, before I'm 50 or after I'm 50, you know, I do you? You know who you're talking to, right? You know I was like, so is this, like a wedding boot camp kind of thing that I need to, like, get myself, like, totally, like, in shape or whatever.

Lesley Logan 27:49  

Whatever that means, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Maria Earle 27:51  

And she was like, No, I want you to just be you and talk about leap of faith. Talk about, like, stepping into, like, the scary bits and saying, Okay, I I trust you, yeah, and I believe in your vision, and I want to step into that space 100% because it is what I believe. Like, let's celebrate, let's celebrate the body as it is, like, let's, let's give it a whole another dimension here, you know, let's cut through the bullshit of what it means to have a Pilates body, and let's reframe that dialog. And no, I'm not going to get photoshopped as much as I, you know that little my head is like, well, could. 

Brooke Siler 29:04  

We had a lot of conversations. 

Maria Earle 29:05  

Couldn't they just a little, no, right? So it's like this, like inner dialog of over months and months, you know? And that is powerful and beautiful. And I, I could not have asked for am better partner to to do that with, and, you know, a safe space to like, be, no, I'm going to step into this, and I'm going to do it big, and it's going to be, it's going to be yeah and and, yeah. It feels great to be a part of something that is, it's bigger than me. It's bigger it's bigger than the book. It's bigger than us together. It's bigger than all of it. It's, it's, it's, it's about this reframing what what it is to be in our bodies. And to embodied and to and to celebrate all the different phases. I mean, my size has never defined me, and I have been, you know, I am not the size I was when I was 25.

Lesley Logan 30:18  

Nor I and probably not, right? I I love that we're going here, because I just have to say, like, we're recording this two weeks after so my youtube channel hit 40,000 subscribers, which I'm at the time, this is where, and I was so freaking stoked, because, like, I did it without, like, putting I did it without, like, doing a, you know, tits and ass workout, without, like, you know, the fake Pilates, like, we'll call it Pilates, but it's just, mostly just sit ups, like, I did it without, like, put on, I did it with, like, just educational support. And I'm so proud of what we did. And on the day that we hit 40,000 somebody wrote, your stuff is really great, but you used to be thinner, and it was really, the videos are really great when you were thinner. What happened? Of course, other subscribers are like, this is not helpful. This is why teachers and trainers are afraid to gain weight. Like, wonderful, supportive stuff and to and like, my response to this per and the person doubled down. So in case we're wondering, like, maybe it's a cultural thing, like, we have a house in Cambodia, and people will inquire, like, oh, you're bigger. Why? Because maybe you're rich. They want it like, like, you know, like, that's kind of different cultures. Have different experiences. So, so I was trying to like, so in case we thought maybe it's a cultural translation thing. No, they doubled down. They said it's a calories in, calories out. She could have better discipline. Oh, and to which I got pissed off, because I don't, I don't have the body I had at you know, when I discovered, when I when Pilates discovered me at 22 like I am, first of all, I am no longer sick. I no longer have digestive issues. I now absorb nutrition. I also like happen to look a lot better with curves. Thank you very much. But I, for the record, like I told I went online and told people, yeah, I've gained 40 pounds. I am the most disciplined person I know. I probably do Pilates more than people other people do who have different bodies than me. You cannot have fat phobic comments on my channel. This is wrong for so many reasons. I hope you have space and grace for yourself and others when your body's changed, because they will and it's and I really appreciate you sharing that journey, Maria, about your body too. It's like, I think so many teachers and so many women are afraid to put themselves out there, whatever their thing is. We can even switch Pilates to being an author, being a speaker or being a doctor, like every woman is so afraid. Well, I don't look like whatever x is supposed to look like. And so people are going to judge me. And then, because they don't put themselves out there, because they're afraid they'll be judged, then the only people that are out there are 22 year olds in their super cute outfits that have never looked good on me. And so, of course, like so then people think that's what it is. And so then we have this whole misunderstanding. 

Brooke Siler 33:05  

It's really, it's a, it's, yeah, it is dysmorphia, and it's a really sad commentary, and it's, and, you know, I'm, don't let me get started on a patriarchy, because I will. 

Lesley Logan 33:16  

We can, but yeah. 

Brooke Siler 33:19  

You know, it's, it's this. It's not only an unrealistic ideal, but like, who's even the one coming up with that shit? It's just ridiculous. And the thing is, we've all bought into it at some stage in our lives. And certainly it's something that, you know, it can be on so many different levels. But Maria and I were talking about this too. There was plenty of times, like, even, you know, you'd want to Photoshop this, or there's the cellulite there, and there's the whole thing, and in the end of the day, we're wiser than we've ever been in our lives. We are more powerful in our own ways than we've ever been in our lives. We can move beautifully in at our this age in our lives. I started taking tennis last year. I go three times a week. One, I've never in my life played tennis. I started at 56 you have to love that and like, fuck it. I don't care if my thighs are thicker. I'm like, really enjoying what I can do in this body. And that's what a Pilates body always was. I did even look back in 2000 when I wrote the book, the if you go through the three models at the beginning, there is a passage at the Afterword that says, I chose these three models because of their they were teaching because they're teachers. Their ability to do the actual movements and endure the long photo shoots of the day, they happen to work for me. So that was very easy. They were there. I didn't do like a whatever they call that, a model call, you know, they they worked for me, so it was perfect. They were amazing teachers who were had modern dance backgrounds, so they were strong as shit, and they were beautiful. And I wrote, I hope in earnest, that they that they inspire and don't intimidate. And I wrote that in 2000 because for me, I already knew it's not about having a skinny you know, body, a particular type of body. It was just they were there to model the work, and I knew they could do it. And these are longer days of shooting. So with Maria, I knew her. I knew her work, because we've been working out together for years, and I could see her power and what she could do with her body. And I thought actually in the way she moved, coming from Kathy Grant, but she has this beautiful way of moving different than what I experienced from Ramana. So I loved it, and I thought it fit so perfectly. And it was very much about, you know, it's got a lot of Maria in it too, which is this beautiful, you know, soul. It's about sensing internally. And so it's, it's a kind of, it's a really nice, I think, flip. It's not that the work. I mean, she killed it, I will say, and I'm just going to admit this, I knew she was going to do an amazing job. I really, I can't actually believe how incredible she was, really. And she knows I say this all the time to her, because she, she killed it. She was a superstar rock star, like, if she couldn't get the thing, she was like, save it. We'll do it again at the end. Like she just, there was determination, like, nothing I've ever seen. It was a very long day of shooting, and I it was like, yeah. I was like, wow, that was really the right choice. I mean, I knew it was the right choice from the beginning. It was, it was a no choice choice. She was a no choice choice. It was just gonna be Maria or it was gonna be no one, and thank God, she took a day, I think, like a day, right when I asked you, and then, like, the next day, she was like, right, I'm good. Because I remember saying to my husband, like, what if she didn't do it? Like, I needed to be her. It's just her. It just was her. It was like, meant to be you. So. 

Lesley Logan 36:40  

Oh yeah, but I, and I, Maria, first of all, like, I don't, I you, there's something about you that's just so magical that you could even, I don't even know, I don't know if I could take the day, I probably would have been like, I'm fucking scared. And, you know, but you know, like, I don't what, what did you think about? What did you? Did you journal? Like, what did you, what? How did you how did you contemplate the decision? Because you're correct, it's hard to find the words for it. It is going to be bigger than this book is any bigger because, because the book was already bigger than Brooke already, and so and so. And also I just want to say, like, I love that there. I love that the height of Pilates being so popular. This book is coming out again, because I do think it brings some authenticity to the work that we're doing. So what did you do during the day to, like, come to the decision we all want to know how you contemplated?

Maria Earle 37:30  

Well, I think, I think definitely it was a process. It was a number of conversations, you know, and and I knew in my heart that I that I had to say yes, I knew that it would be a major regret if I let fear and you know, like the little the little naysayers, you know you shouldn't be doing that, or what business do you have? You know nobody wants to see you know you. I knew that all those little voices that I ultimately would regret letting them win. So I knew that I had to say yes, and then basically I had to work backwards from the yes to convince myself that I was okay and that, that, you know, and luckily, luckily, I got good people on my corner, so, so whenever I felt like I needed to, oh God, oh God, what have I done? I'm not ready for that. Wait. I need that boot camp, you know, I maybe, if I did lose, you know, the 20 pounds that I've gained, you know, in the past 10 years, perimenopause is kicking my ass, you know, what if I, maybe I could, oh, God, like whenever I would sort of hit those high rev panic moments, you know, I just have to go to Brooke and whoever else was, were my rocks, you know. And you know, while I'm like, circling and, you know, and I can't land right, and they would be like, it's okay, we got you. This is going to be amazing. This is this and that, and.

Brooke Siler 39:20  

(inaudible) believing the people that see you like you almost have to see yourself through others' eyes like it was no doubt in my mind that you were perfect, perfect, but I just that's you know, you had to go through your process to get there, and I had to respect that. But yes, I was going to tell you how amazing and beautiful and stay as you are and like, think about how many people get to look and say, Oh, I feel that's me. I'm there. I'm being represented. It's, yeah.

Maria Earle 39:52  

I mean, because it's important. It's about, it's about really stepping into, stepping into that space, and that stepping into that space is really scary, but I show up that way from my clients every day, yeah, but I don't necessarily show up for myself in that way, and that is something that I don't like to admit. So I am admitting it here, and I'm admitting it now, but you won't ever hear me say it again. No, I'm joking. (inaudible) Maybe now I'll be able to say it more often, which is, like, I, you know, I fall into the same body traps, you know, even though I, I will with my clients and with the teachers who I work with, and, you know, my friends, I like show up with body positivity, and you are beautiful and you are powerful. And I don't, let's not worry about the, you know, the extra little curvy there, like, let's get strong. Let's get moving. Because it's about the moving, and it's about feeling strong, feeling great in your body. It's not about how your body looks. I do that for people all day long. And then when it comes to myself, it's like, right? Until it's like eating you up inside. And so and so the process, the process is not overnight. It's like a long term, term thing. And you know, the book's gonna come out, and I'm probably gonna hide under my covers for every day. 

Lesley Logan 41:17  

For a few minutes, and then we're all gonna drag you out.

Brooke Siler 41:21  

We're coming in after you for sure (inaudible0.

Lesley Logan 41:25  

I'm gonna text you the day after it comes out to make sure that you're like, I I appreciate and that you said those things, because it's true. Like, I think we all hear like we're all that for our clients, like they body shame themselves, like, hold on, we're reframing that. And in the process of loving the body that I'm growing into. And, you know, there is all the things, because we were raised in, as our brain was developing, we were raised with the five minutes of tone here, the this here, like I was in modeling, and, of course, like I was like, working out all the time. And you guys went at a commercial agent and a modeling agent, and on the same day, the modeling agent said you're not thin enough, and my commercial agent said you're getting too skinny. And I was like, oh, I don't actually know what to do today. Like, I don't know what to do today because I'm now not hireable in commercials, according to you, but I'm not hireable enough because the modeling agency want to be a fitness model, but I wasn't toned enough to be a fitness model, but I wasn't skinny enough to be a model, model, and so, like you so and so here's, here's what I did. You guys, my agents were across the street from a fonuts, which is, if you've ever been to L.A., it's a non fried, gluten free donut shop. Okay, so the donuts are not fried. It's only gonna happen in L.A. and I I fucking went to the donut shop. I was like, fuck it. I don't even know what to do, and I consciously eating my feelings. Right now, I am an adult enough to understand. I do not, I have a therapy session around this, but I was just like, no one is going to be happy. And that is what I like sat on this bus stop with my donut, and I remember, like, no one's happy, and I told my husband, I said, I think I'm gonna let go of the agents. And I don't know what that means, because I don't I wasn't like wasn't like, wasn't like, I was I wasn't a dream of mine, but I was also like, I can't like, I can't handle these people and my own thoughts, like my own reaction, like, I can't my own thoughts of like my body changing and who I'm becoming, and trying to get healthier and absorb B vitamins, you know, anything to live on this planet like, and also have outside people tell me things like, so I that was, that was when I actually let go of but I will say, like, because we all go through that we can be very body positive and still have these things about ourselves. And I, I think it's hard to admit, but it's also like, it's, it's just honest, and it's a process, because I do think that in people falling in love with their bodies and seeing different bodies doing these strong exercises, they're still going to have their own thoughts to themselves. I can't do that. That's not what my body like all the and we have to go, you're going to have all those thoughts, and you're still invited to this party, because, like, we should have always been moving for the health of it and not for the shape of it. And I don't know when we stop working out for the shape. I don't know when that stops, but I do appreciate your honesty there, Maria. And I think it's I'm excited for what people are going to say and see and do.

Maria Earle 44:37  

Yeah, and also I would say, I would say something about to sort of bring a couple threads through that in that deep dive that Brooke did, like really looking into the archival work and looking at, you know, the pictures that Joe took doing his mat work, like we we sat with the book, you know, during the photo shoot, like we sat with the book and we were like, how is he doing this? As opposed to, and no, no zero shade, but different than looking at a manual or the gorgeous models that were in book one, right, that were all contemporary or ballet dancers who were making shapes, beautiful shapes, that were in very much influenced by the an esthetic that comes from dance. So you know, Mr. Pilates' swan is not a full extension with fingertips facing the ceiling, right? But we have that in our manual as like, that's what the swan dive is supposed to look like, right? And so we bought into an esthetic that doesn't necessarily, really, it's not, it's an it's an it's just that, it's just the esthetic, period, right.

Brooke Siler 46:09  

It doesn't even serve the body in the same way that when you realize what Joe was asking, and I always kind of joke about this, how many times I looked at those pictures in the book before lockdown, you know, for years before, because Romana had them on her walls and all of that. And in my mind, he was not in great form, not matching what I was being told. So, like, he needs to do this, he needs to soften his knees. He needs to and then when I started, really, and I've read those books a lot of times. I mean, honestly, before lockdown, I had already they were dog eared and highlighted in every color anyway. But then I went back in and, you know, every time you reread something, you read it with new eyes you because it's where you are. You need it. It meets you where you are in that moment, and it met in this place that was so perfect, because I really read it, I really I heard it, I saw it, and I thought, let me try what he's actually saying, because I had not, not done that. I just, blind faith, went with what I knew from my teacher, of course, who you know again, no shade there, either. Like, fantastic. It got me so far. But then being able to take Joe's words and his vision and his you know, he wanted to help us really be in our bodies and move better during the day. So when we did it that way, when we really got into the nitty gritty of what he was asking, and then the feeling like Maria was saying after the photo shoot, that she was like, Oh my God, I feel incredible. Like, not exhausted, and, I mean, maybe exhausted from the energy of it, but like, the feeling in the body is a good feeling, as opposed to.

Maria Earle 47:53  

Not fighting the body I was not, I was not fighting myself doing the exercises. I think that's, I think that's really, I think there's really something to that, you know, that you're not in a battle against you and the exercise, or you and the shape, and you trying to get into the shape, be the shape and and, you know, you'll see, you'll see the pictures. It's, it's not rocket science. It's not anything incredibly incredible. It's actually pared down. It's actually not performative, and therefore it's, it's, it's gonna resonate at a different level. And for some people, they're gonna be, like, it's just that.

Brooke Siler 48:42  

I said there's gonna be people who just rip the new chapter off and throw it away.

Maria Earle 48:46  

Like, well, what is this? You know. But if you're ready for it and you're in, you're willing to, like, excavate, and do the, do the work, as they say, right, then you're going to be like, Oh, this is this. This there. This is different. This feels different. This is, this is me being in my body in a different way. It's in my body in my way, as opposed to in somebody else's way, where I'm trying to, you know, do that, yeah, that what's happening down there at the end of the line.

Brooke Siler 49:34  

Very internal chapter in its own way. You can, you can enjoy it for the beautiful photos. But really, what's happening inside Maria in it is what's really, it's about and, and it's, you know, it will, it will be a new thing that people can take or leave. But it's really, I dug deep, and then I combined it with this natural thing called pandiculation. Which is what dogs, our pets, do all the time. You know, this, this lengthening and it's and then when I looked at the archival footage, pictures of Joe and the videos, I was like, Wait, that's what he's doing. And that's what he was saying, natural law of nature, how we move. Watch the animals. I was like, you know it was. And so, yeah.

Lesley Logan 50:23  

Yeah, yeah. I, I'm, thank you for saying what pandiculation was because I was like, I'm gonna have to look that up.

Brooke Siler 50:28  

And by the time you're, you know, this comes out, you will.

Lesley Logan 50:32  

but I can't wait for that. But I it's true. Like, my, my dog gets out of bed every morning, and he does both stretches, right? And I like, look at that. I'm like, I don't, I don't get out of bed and go. 

Lesley Logan 50:41  

But he, you know when he does it 30 or 40 times a day. And they do it every time they move, because we don't like if you try to stretch your dog, they don't like stretch. If you try to pull your dog's leg, they don't like that. What dogs are doing? Pandiculation was fascinating. And when we do it, when we it's basically the word for yawn and stretch. It was developed in the 70s, whatever. Anyway, when you yawn and stretch, we think we're stretching, but we're actually contracting. So when you do this, you're not actually stretching the front. You're contracting the back of you and then releasing. And it becomes a signal that's sent to the brain so you actually learn how to regulate your muscle tension. It's phenomenal. Joe didn't say the word pandiculation, but he absolutely asked us to do what the animals do, and that's what the animals do, because it circulates your blood. It's so freaking cool. I just can't wait. I honestly, you know. 

Lesley Logan 51:37  

I keep watching. I sent Brooke a little gif of, like, someone like, watching the mailbox. I'm watching the mailbox. I'm like, she's like, Lesley, I don't have my copy yet. And I'm like. 

Brooke Siler 51:47  

My copy, yeah, no, I can't wait. 

Lesley Logan 51:49  

I I'm really, I'm really stoked for this. I think, I think also, we're ready. I think there's a huge part of the community that's ready for our conversation about this. I think women who are, like, seeking actual Pilates class, are seeking this conversation, and I think you're giving people permission to do it at home, which has always been something that, like, I'm a huge fan of like, I just think that, like, we keep saying we want Pilates to be accessible, but it's not necessarily like about the price of classes, y'all. It's like making sure they have the ability to do it independently, on their own, because I truly believe that that is where confidence is built. It's like creating this agency within themselves. Like, I can do this, you know, I can look at me, I can do these. I can do this move. I can I can feel this in my body, and then go on the day. Like, I think women especially need that internal strength and agency that, yes, it's great to have a teacher like any one of us, to have eyes on you and like to give you some actual corrections. But also, I think sometimes we are always outsourcing. People are like, what are we? Am I good enough to somebody else's opinion and and really, I just want women to have that. So when you Brooke told me about this, I was like, fuck yeah, I'm in whatever it is you're doing I'm in,

Brooke Siler 53:06  

Developing that sense of internal trust, instead of always asking for the approval to come from the outside. Way to get to start approving of ourselves, feeling that we can trust what we feel, what we know. I don't care if you're I always tell my class it doesn't matter what I say. Literally, if I come over and I'm in your face saying, lift your leg. Lift your if it is not right for you, do not do it. Do not listen to me. Please. You have full permission not to listen to me. Listen to you. Only you are in your body. Only you know what you're feeling. So it has to be a joint you know, conversation that's happening, it can't just come from one side, so I am also really here for the conversations that will come from this and, yeah.

Lesley Logan 53:53  

Okay, we, I think the three of us could talk for hours, and we're, I'm already, I sorry, I looked at the clock. Hope you have a few more minutes. We're gonna take a brief break, and then find out where people can find you, follow you, work with you and your Be It Action Items. 

Lesley Logan 54:08  

All right, ladies, we'll go. So what Maria? Where do you hang out? Where's your favorite place? She's gonna drink her tea. Where's your favorite place for people to connect with you? How can they work with you? What do you got?

Maria Earle 54:23  

So people can look me up, find me, contact me through my website mariaearle.com I also have an IG handle that is my name, Maria Earle, and yeah, I would say those are the two best ways to connect with me.

Lesley Logan 54:41  

Perfect, Brooke, what about you? And where can they buy this book? If they haven't gotten it already?

Brooke Siler 54:47  

It will be at all your favorite booksellers. I hope, I mean it's, you know, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, all those kinds of great places. And hopefully we'll get it into, you know, small bookstores too. I love the old (inaudible) bookshops.

Lesley Logan 54:59  

But also, they don't sponsor the show, but I heard, I heard it's bookshop.org, y'all, if you want to support small business, small bookstops, you can look there and see if it's there. When you buy it there, then they send money to a local bookstore. I don't know how that works, but that's what the commercials say. And do you do you hang on Instagram? What's your website? Where can they find you for more?

Brooke Siler 55:17  

I think it's pretty simple. So it's BrookeSilerPilates, all one word, and that's the website. That's my Instagram handle, that's my Gmail account, BrookeSilerPilates@Gmail. (inaudible) It's a one-stop shop. Yeah, so you can and I'm very I do like, I am social. I do like sharing and hearing back from people. I feel like it's really funny on Instagram. I'll put something up and be like, tell me what you think. And everyone's like, this is great, but nobody answers like, the question, yeah. I'm like, no, no. I really mean it, like I actually want to be in a conversation with you, but.

Lesley Logan 55:52  

Yeah, no, I feel the same. Brooke, they don't, they don't do it for this year. 

Brooke Siler 55:55  

Yeah. I don't need the flattery, like, thank you, but I don't need that. I just really, actually want to know what do you think and what do you what are you doing? And, yeah.

Lesley Logan 56:04  

Yeah, yeah. Well, you know what, that'll be our next that'll be our next thing is like, how do we get women to share what they're actually thinking without thinking what they're thinking is wrong, you know? But that's, that's another in the next 25 years. Okay, I feel like I have tons of takeaways, but I still we have to in the show how we always end it with our Be It Action Items, so bold, executable, intrinsic or targeted, steps people can take to be it till they see it. What do you have for us? Well, whoever wants to go first?

Brooke Siler 56:34  

I mean, yeah. I mean, so, you know, I listened to another podcast you did where that came up, and I realized that it was the orthodontist. She was wonderful, and yeah, and I was thinking I felt quite similarly. I just kind of never believed that I couldn't, that I can't. I just do I don't, I don't sit. And there are things that I sit in question for sure, I think I have, like many women, you know, the fear of being judged. Who the hell wants that? There's nothing nice about that. So there are times that, like putting myself out there can definitely, I can feel stopped, but I'm, I believe very much in pushing through that. And I, I have had a Buddhist mentor since for like, 18 years now and so. And she's always like, you know, the only way out is through. So you just, you push through. You go through that. So I push through fear. Like, if I see fear, I'm gonna head toward it. It may take me a while, but I'm going toward that number one and number two. I don't know if it's just some innate sense of confidence. I just when I have an idea, I want to share it. And when you, when I think of it as being something that I'm sharing, it doesn't feel like it's a scary thing. I'm like, I love it. You said you love it. Let's just do it, it. It's just like that. So I think, for me, when I think of it as sharing, rather than me doing something for you, then to react to it's much it just makes it much more palatable to move forward, because I love sharing. I'm a group, I'm a group, I'm a, I'm a. I like my independence. I like to be on my own. I do a lot of stuff on my own, but I really do love, as I said, you know, groups, intelligent conversation and being with other people and sharing. I love learning. I can't learn enough. So, yeah.

Lesley Logan 58:25  

I think, I think there's some good ones. Yeah, okay, Maria, anything. What do you got? 

Maria Earle 58:31  

Okay, well, I'm, I'm thinking of a couple things. My mom always said, fake it till you make it. So a lot of times I think about that when I'm like, when I'm not quite sure what I'm doing, but I I believe I know that there's something that's going to happen if I just kind of keep at it and that I don't have to have it always super clear before I get started, so that sort of paralysis of starting sort of gets mitigated a little bit because I am like, okay, well, I'm just gonna fake it till I make it and then, you know, things start rolling. So I've often, I've often started things, not 100% sure where they're going, how they're going to turn out, with just this little, like, little piece of faith that that's gonna, you know, I'm gonna land on my feet somehow. And I would also say, you know, to make sure you have people in your corner, like that it's, it's really important that we nurture those relationships and that we we build and it doesn't have to be big. It's not a it's not a big thing. It's a little thing. Like, you need a nice like something you can hold in terms of, you know the people in your corner that that show up for you and that that see you for who you are and how you are, and can reflect back to you in your darkest moments of you know insecurity and you know not being sure about something, and they can reflect back to you all, all the good stuff that you are in and yeah, so there's that, go back and build that base, though, having said that, I also went to a talk a number of years ago, and the guy said the most interesting thing, which is that there also comes times in your life when you have to do some pruning. It's difficult, right? So that you you need to, you need to understand that not everyone is there for you as you need them to be or whatnot, and that sometimes you have to let that go, and that is sometimes a sour pill to swallow, and but that that's also okay, it's okay. Like, it doesn't always have to work out right. And I would say my last thing. I got distracted by my other last thing, but now I have to figure out what my other last thing was. Oh, I know. Yeah, that's like the perimenopause brain. 

Lesley Logan 1:01:31  

I understand. We all understand. 

Maria Earle 1:01:33  

I just walked into a room and didn't remember why I walked into that room.

Lesley Logan 1:01:37  

Yeah, I have ADHD, so that's my whole life, but it's more now.

Maria Earle 1:01:42  

Okay, so my last, my last little nugget, is also a personal story. It's, it's for years I, I spun this narrative about that I was just in the right place, the right time, that I saw an opportunity, and I just took it and it just, you know, things worked out, and that's how I am where I am today. I, I spun this narrative that I didn't realize kept me small and that I needed to change that narrative to actually own the work that I did to get to where that I was because otherwise, because otherwise I that narrative is what people hear, and then they just think that, oh, you were kind of lucky. And I'm like, no, the work that I did was because, yeah, I saw an opportunity, and I worked my little butt off to, like, make that work. Or, you know, I saw that there was an opening, and I went in and I made that opening bigger so I can get my whole ass through, and I'm pulling the rest with me. Or, you know, like, there is something to be said about, you know, grit, persistence, tenacity, and those are all good things, and those are not things to downplay. 

Lesley Logan 1:03:05  

Yeah, oh, I'm obsessed with that. Thank goodness you remembered it, because I think it is so true. How many women go, oh, it just happened to be, I moved there. No, you fucking did something like you did like it, there, there, I don't, I don't believe in luck. I believe in like, you prepared yourself, and when you're aware and you see an opportunity, then, like, yeah, but I so thank you for sharing that. Because I I'm so glad you see that about yourself, but also I think that we all need to see that in ourselves. Like, you know, ladies, I'm kind of up and obsessed with you guys. I'm like, we'll have to do I did not find excuses to hang out with you more. I do stalk a little in a good way.

Maria Earle 1:03:44  

We're stalkable. 

Lesley Logan 1:03:45  

And so you guys get the new Pilates Body book. Please make sure that Maria and Brooke hear from you about what your takeaways are from this episode, from the book, and share it with a friend who needs to hear it. Share it with a person you want to become a friend. And you guys can talk about your favorite takeaways and look, all of a sudden, things bloom. So I just adore you. Thank you so much for taking the time and everyone, until next time, Be It Till You See It. 

Lesley Logan 1:04:11  

That's all I got for this episode of the Be It Till You See It Podcast. One thing that would help both myself and future listeners is for you to rate the show and leave a review and follow or subscribe for free wherever you listen to your podcast. Also, make sure to introduce yourself over at the Be It Pod on Instagram. I would love to know more about you. Share this episode with whoever you think needs to hear it. Help us and others Be It Till You See It. Have an awesome day. Be It Till You See It is a production of The Bloom Podcast Network. If you want to leave us a message or a question that we might read on another episode, you can text us at +1-310-905-5534 or send a DM on Instagram @BeItPod.

Brad Crowell 1:04:53  

It's written, filmed, and recorded by your host, Lesley Logan, and me, Brad Crowell.

Lesley Logan 1:04:58  

It is transcribed, produced and edited by the epic team at Disenyo.co.

Brad Crowell 1:05:02  

Our theme music is by Ali at Apex Production Music and our branding by designer and artist, Gianfranco Cioffi.

Lesley Logan 1:05:09  

Special thanks to Melissa Solomon for creating our visuals.

Brad Crowell 1:05:13  

Also to Angelina Herico for adding all of our content to our website. And finally to Meridith Root for keeping us all on point and on time.