Co-create

You wanna build a phat peach? You go get after it, friend. The beauty of training in the gym is that you can build whatever body feels like a true expression of you.

That might mean updating its shape or it might not. Doesn’t matter. What matters is that we know we have agency. We can make change in our bodies and out in the world. ya ya ya. Go build a body that feels like you and run for office.

Bodies like variety, friends. Don’t worry about looking dumb when you try new things in the gym. Or do, it’s up to you, but still go try them anyway 😂

It’s normal to be worried about looking dumb in the gym. And in the world. We’re social creatures. We worry about looking dumb. That’s fine, but yanno… still go try new things anyway. In gym and life.

K love you bye.

we back b!tch with a new format 🌸

new episodes will be short + sweet. show notes even shorter bc you know what? life is short. ain’t nobody got time to sit around and write novels for show notes. well, some people do. and other people pay people to do it. but I am neither of those types of humans rn.

so I’ll probably write some silly show note like this one that isn’t optimized for seo at all. at least for now - for now we just recording episodes and putting them out into the world. maybe down the road I’ll be one of the people that pays other people to write novels for show notes.

and why failure is such a good good thing in gym land. really it’s about failure in life, not just in the gym. and all those different types of failure are good good things. enjoy!

2:30 - Q1: “Do you think there are direct benefits to bodybuilders in yoga and Pilates type practices?”

6:50 - Mobility training resources

8:19 - Going down the rabbit hole of end range loading, loaded stretching and other mobility training techniques

19:51 - Food for thought on loading joints across all of their “positional possibilities”

23:25 - Q2: “Is it important to switch up your gym routine and how often?”

24:05 - Training variation and its importance in training longevity

26:22 - Wisdom from humans still active in their 50s and beyond

34:00 - Good rule of thumb for balancing routine and variety in the gym

34:50 - Q3: “I’m a cardio athlete and not seeing progress in the gym. How do I build muscle without killing my cardio gains?”

36:46 - Why strength training is beneficial to all athletes

40:43 - Hypertrophy training and endurance athletes

42:22 - If you’re not seeing gym progress, this is likely why

43:47 - Q4: “What’s your favorite form of preworkout? natural or not?” 😂

44:38 - My beef with preworkout & why I’m a bananas and coffee stan

47:40 - Natural or not?

48:59 - Why I don’t take creatine or protein powder for gainz

Overcoming Gravity by Steven Low

Lucas Hardie aka @rangeofstrength on Instagram

The Ultimate Off Season Training Manual by Eric Cressey

Head to iTunes and leave a review for the podcast! It really helps the podcast out and would mean the world to me 💜 Thanks for tuning in and being part of an incredible podcast community 🥹💜

Lots of love,

Caroline

It’s official - this is the longest Co-Create episode to date. We did it gang, we found something we’re passionate enough about that we can both dive into it for nearly two whole hours!? You and I are officially obsessed 💅🏽 Go us 🍑🦩👽

EPISODE OVERVIEW ~

• Tips + Tricks to overcoming the obstacles that can stop us from getting to the gym
• Deep Dive into how to get started training + what to train first
• A whole world of free resources to help you find workouts + improve form
• Looking further down the path + avoiding common mistakes
• Why training diversity = sustainable fitness + how & when to diversify your routine

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS SHOW ~

PODCAST EPISODE: HOW TO MAKE THE GYM A HAPPY PLACE [USING BIOLOGY INSTEAD OF WILLPOWER]

NATACHA OCEANE’S YOUTUBE CHANNEL

JEFF NIPPARD’S “TECHNIQUE TUESDAY” VIDEOS ON YOUTUBE

PODCAST EPISODE: CAROLINE’S EPISODE ON UNLEASH YOUR INNER CREATIVE

DEEP CORE CONTENT CREATOR: CHRISTINA SHEPHERD, DPT

*Unmentioned but very helpful + important resource for understanding how society has taught womxn to have a rocky relationship with our bodies: BURNOUT BY EMILY NAGOSKI, PHD + AMELIA NAGOSKI, DMA

EPISODE TIMESTAMPS ~

0:30 // Intro + episode overview with approximate timestamps

9:43 // How to navigate this big ole episode

17:00 // Tips to adjust your routine to make room for the gym

18:45 // What to do when the gym + working out feels unapproachable 💜

23:15 // Tips for making time when your schedule is just really f*cking full

26:55 // Tips for managing self doubt + feeling self conscious in the gym

30:45 // Tangible resources to help you get started training

32:15 // Basic Movement Patterns - what they are + how to train them

34:00 // The Squat - examples to help you train the squat pattern

38:10 // The Hip Hinge - examples to help you train the hinge pattern

39:30 // Pro tip to help you start recognizing the basic movement patterns

41:05 // The Press - examples to help you train the press pattern

44:10 // The Pull - examples to help you train the pull pattern

47:30 // How to build a simple workout using the basic movement patterns

52:11 // Deep Core - what it is + how to train it

54:12 // Deep Core Activation exercise in real time

59:20 // How to accelerate the learning curve

1:00:00 // Environments that facilitate quick learning

1:04:00 // The power of embracing the feeling of cringe for learning

1:10:00 // Common gym journey mistakes to be aware of

1:11:09 // Body transformations - when they’re fulfilling and when they’re not

1:13:31 // One specific flavor of struggle surrounding body acceptance

1:15:22 - note to self -insert Burnout Body Image Reference 🥰

1:15:57 // How, when + why to diversify your training

1:17:03 // What does it mean to ‘diversify your training’

1:19:44 // How to diversify training as a new gym-goer

1:24:39 // How to diversify training once you’ve built a foundation of strength

1:27:03 // Tangible tips to help you diversify your training productively

1:29:54 // Why to diversify your training Pt. 1 - ‘the strategic reason’

1:32:28 // Why to diversify your training Pt. 2 - ‘the intangible, spirited reason’

THANKS FOR LISTENING!

Head to iTunes and leave a review for the podcast! It really helps the podcast out and would mean the world to me 💜 Thanks for tuning in and being part of an incredible podcast community 🥹💜

Lots of love,

Caroline

“when we turn our next goal or our next desire to something meaningful, something truly life-altering from the inside, heart opening… when we do that then the circle [of life] emerges and we realize that it’s been there all along.” - Andrea Menard

IN THIS EPISODE…

• What is rematriation and why is it so important for our future?
• Circular living and circular thinking
• The beautiful side of fear
• Inclusivity as a trait of the Sacred Feminine

WELCOME ANDREA MENARD

Andrea Menard is an accomplished Métis singer/songwriter, actor, speaker, wellness trainer, and the founder of the Sacred Feminine Learning Lodge. As seen in USA Today, Andrea is an influencer in feminine leadership and was named one of WXN Canada’s Most Powerful Women: Top 100 Award Winner in 2020. An advocate for rematriation and reconciliation, Andrea helps all-gendered people to reclaim and embody the qualities of the Sacred Feminine. She is also the author of the Seeds from the Sacred Feminine Wisdom Cards, (Mango Publishing) which contains 52 gentle, land-based teachings and beautiful paintings by Metis painter, Leah Dorion.

One of the co-stars of the new hit CTV series, Sullivan’s Crossing, Andrea is a five-time Gemini-nominated actress, a 16-time music award winner, and was named ACTRA National’s “Woman of the Year” for 2021. She has released 5 award-winning albums, including her latest Michif language album, a symphony show, 2 television programs, and her TEDx Talk called “Silent No More” has reached almost 200,000 views. Andrea  has performed for royalty, prime ministers, governor-generals, residential school survivors, families of the missing and murdered Indigenous women, and even sang her song “Peace” to the world’s NATO generals. 

Born in Manitoba, Andrea is a proud member of the Metis Nation of Canada. Her Metis family originates from St. Laurent, Manitoba. Andrea currently lives in the unceded traditional territory of the Squamish, Tsleil Waututh, and Musqueam peoples, also known as Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

CONNECT WITH ANDREA

WEBSITE: www.andreamenard.com LINKEDIN: @andreamenard TWITTER: @andreamenard FACEBOOK: @andreamenardmusic INSTAGRAM: @andreamenardmusic YOUTUBE: @andreamenardmusic iTUNES: @andreamenard SPOTIFY: @andreamenard SOUNDCLOUD: @andreamenard BANDCAMP: @andreamenard EMAIL: [email protected]

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS SHOW ~

ANDREA’S SEEDS FROM THE SACRED FEMININE WISDOM CARDS

THE SACRED FEMININE LEARNING LOUNGE

HOLY HIIT!?

THANKS FOR LISTENING!

Head to iTunes and leave a review for the podcast! It really helps the podcast out and would mean the world to me 💜 Thanks for tuning in and being part of an incredible podcast community 🥹💜

Lots of love,

Caroline

We’re back! From a mini vacay! With menstrual expert and advocate for holistic cyclical living, Lisa Jara. Join us for a nourishing conversation about the cycles of our lives, what we can learn from menstrual cycles about navigating change and much more.

MEET LISA JARA ~

Lisa Jara is a menstrual health agent of change, helping women and menstruating folks to not dread "that time of the month", but holistically address the deeper causes of menstrual health challenges like PMS, PMDD, painful periods, endometriosis or PCOS, so they have a happy, healthy period and can navigate challenging life transitions with unshakable trust in themselves and their body.

CONNECT WITH LISA

On the web: https://lisa-jara.com Sign up to get her Soul Mail! https://lisa-jara.com/en/soul-mail-sign-up Find her on the gram: https://www.instagram.com/_lisajara On the Facebooks: https://www.facebook.com/its.lisa.jara LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-jara And YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCG3IUe0ROGTtuw8r3Pmwz9Q

FAVORITE MOMENTS FROM THIS EPISODE ~

• Why generalized advice about what to eat during each menstrual phase doesn’t always work
• Letting the cycles of our lives move at their natural pace
• Creating space for choice in the midst of our shitty human experiences
• Learning from our resistance to life

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS SHOW ~

SIGN UP FOR A HOLY HIIT CLASS!

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE HAPPY PLACE CHALLENGE!

GODDESS WISDOM MADE EASY BY TANISHKA

BRENE BROWN’S MAGICAL WORK

DAVID BEDRICK, UNSHAME YOUR LIFE

THE WAR OF ART BY STEVEN PRESSFIELD

DETAILED EPISODE BREAKDOWN ~

0:00 - 10:00 ish:

• Meet Lisa!
• Join us for the Happy Place Challenge starting July 10th! 
• Lisa’s hot take on what it means to live cyclically
• Cyclical living alongside our existing obligations 

10 - 20:00 ish:

• Why generalized advice about what to eat during each menstrual phase doesn’t always work
• Why coming to trust the body is a whole damn process 😂
• Lisa’s journey from OCD and anorexia into trusting her body
• What cyclical living can teach us about impermanence

20 - 30:00 ish:

• How to work with the mini death-rebirth menstruation cycles
• The connection between PMS and our emotional expression
• A practice for microdosing your feelings :)
• The intersection between astrology and menstruation

30 - 40:00 ish:

• Letting the cycles of our lives move at their natural pace
• Unlearning shame 💜
• Exploring our shared experiences of shame
• Shame as a social connector in one sense

40 - 50:00 ish:

• Welcoming the full range of human emotion
• Creating space for choice in the midst of our shitty human experiences
• Gently guiding our attention towards resourceful solutions
• Effectively navigating our way through problems
• Holding the meta-belief that we can rise to any challenge on our path

50:00 ish and beyond:

• Learning from our resistance to life
• Caroline’s “Year of Hard” Challenge
• Biggest takeaway lessons from the Year of Hard Challenge so far
• The importance of not only leaving the comfort zone but having a comfort zone to return to
• How to find Lisa on the interwebs

THANKS FOR LISTENING!

Head to iTunes and leave a review for the podcast! It really helps the podcast out and would mean the world to me 💜 Thanks for tuning in and being part of an incredible podcast community 🥹💜

Lots of love,

Caroline

Ever wondered how we, as a society, got to our modern day idea of what it means to be "feminine?" Hayley Shapley is here to break it down for us. As an award-winning journalist and author, Hayley guides us through a brief history of strong women and how we've found ourselves with our modern ideas about "femininity" and muscularity in women. Tune in to get taken to school with me 👽

MEET HAYLEY SHAPLEY ~

Haley Shapley is an award-winning journalist, a certified group fitness instructor, and the author of Strong Like Her: A Celebration of Rule Breakers, History Makers, and Unstoppable Athletes, which traces the previously untold history of women who defied convention in pursuit of physical strength.

She's contributed to Teen Vogue, Shape, Self, Shondaland, Forbes Health, and hundreds of other publications. When she's not writing, she's usually working toward a fitness goal; past pursuits have included running a marathon, riding her bike 200 miles, and competing in a bodybuilding show.

CONNECT WITH HAYLEY

On the gram: @hayleyshapley

On the web: hayleyshapley.com

Check Out Hayley’s Book! Strong Like Her: A Celebration of Rule Breakers, History Makers, and Unstoppable Athletes

FAVORITE MOMENTS FROM THIS EPISODE ~

• How the Industrial Revolution shaped our modern day view of “femininity”
• How a binary conception of gender creates polarity between “men” and “women”
• Misconceptions about fitness, female fertility and energy levels that date back to the Victorian Era
• How legislation opened doors for women in the 70s and beyond
• What happens when you start to question your perceived limitations?

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS SHOW ~

PODCAST EPISODE: HOW TO MAKE THE GYM A HAPPY PLACE [USING BIOLOGY INSTEAD OF WILLPOWER]

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE HAPPY PLACE CHALLENGE!

DETAILED EPISODE BREAKDOWN ~

0:00 - 10:00 ish:

• Meet Hayley!
• Join us for the Happy Place Challenge starting July 10th! 
• How Hayley got into strength sports and eventually got curious about the history of strong women

10 - 20:00 ish:

• Hayley’s hunt for ancient examples of strong women
• Reflecting on times throughout history where muscularity in women was more widely accepted
• How the Industrial Revolution shaped our modern day view of “femininity”
• How a binary conception of gender creates polarity between “men” and “women”
• Muscle beach and America’s changing views on “working out”

20 - 30:00 ish:

Pudgy Stockton being a baddie with her possé 💅🏽

• Pudgy Stockton - the Queen of Muscle Beach
• The culture of the original Muscle Beach
• How Pudgy changed women’s perspective on weight lifting ❤️‍🔥
• Social media and aesthetic goals
• Aesthetic goals as a gateway into a deeper relationship with what our bodies are capable of

30 - 40:00 ish:

• The subjectivity of “bulky” and how it limits the potential of women
• Misconceptions about fitness, female fertility and energy levels that date back to the Victorian Era
• The importance of relatable role models in helping women live into their full potential
• How legislation opens doors for women and the role of Title IX

40 - 50:00 ish:

• Social media, diverse representation and normalizing our desires and aspirations
• What happens when you start to question your perceived limitations?
• The many many types of strength that women embody ❤️‍🔥
• Hayley’s incredible experience of writing and publishing her amazing book, Strong Like Her 

THANKS FOR LISTENING!

Head to iTunes and leave a review for the podcast! It really helps the podcast out and would mean the world to me 💜 Thanks for tuning in and being part of an incredible podcast community 🥹💜

Lots of love,

Caroline

Today’s episode is such an incredible honor to put out into the world - fam, meet Lauren LoGrasso 💜 Lauren is a highly accomplished and award-winning podcaster, singer/songwriter and public speaker. And today, she’s here to share BEAUTIFUL thoughts about the connection between our bodies and our creative lives.

MEET LAUREN LOGRASSO ~

Named by Podcast Magazine as one of the twenty two unsung heroes of podcasting and by CEO Weekly as one of the top 10 inspiring women to follow, Lauren LoGrasso has carved out a major name for herself in media and entertainment. Lauren LoGrasso is a multi-passionate creative best known for her extensive work as a podcast host, executive producer, singer/songwriter, SAG-AFTRA actor and public speaker.   As a podcast host and EP she has helped create and produce hit shows such as We Can Do Hard Things with Glennon Doyle (premiered at #1 & named top new podcast of 2021 by Apple and Amazon,) Brené Brown's Unlocking Us (Premiered at #1 and named top new podcast of 2020 by Apple,) Anything Goes with Emma Chamberlain, Lauren Conrad: Asking for a Friend (Premiered at #1,) The goop Podcast, Girlboss Radio, Meaningful Conversations with Maria Shriver, From the Heart with Rachel Brathen (aka Yoga Girl), Queerified with Gigi Gorgeous and Mimi, Goopfellas, She Rates Dogs: The Podcast, No F*cks Given Podcast, Pod is a Woman, Crazy Stupid Fangirls, Self-Service Podcast and her own show, Unleash Your Inner Creative with Lauren LoGrasso. All of these shows premiered on the Apple top charts and continue to chart regularly in multiple countries.   Unleash Your Inner Creative, which she executive produces and hosts (under her company Lauren LoGrasso Productions LLC,) recently won a Signal Award, was named a Webby Award Honoree, has won four communicator awards (best host and best show,) a Hermes Platinum Award (best podcast,) a W3 Award (best host,) and has been nominated for multiple People's Choice Podcast awards. It is frequently on the top 200 charts in multiple countries, was on Apple's New and Noteworthy 37 times and has a solid 5 star review. Lauren and the show have been featured in publications such as Podcast Magazine, Business Insider, Maria Shriver's Sunday Paper, In Touch Weekly, VoyageLA and on NBC LX, The JAM Chicago and Cheddar TV, as well as dozens of additional podcasts and radio shows. As an interviewer she's talked with the Likes of Guy Raz (NPR,) Julia Cameron (The Artist's Way,) DJ Khaled, Melody Beattie (Codependent No More,) Sharon Stone, Kathy Griffin, Jim Kwik (Kwik Brain,) Ledisi, Mira Sorvino, Amanda Peet and many more. Previous work includes her time hosting and producing at AfterBuzz TV for AfterShows such as Ozark, Big Brother, and Grace and Frankie and Executive Producing and co-hosting Maria Menounos' radio show at SiriusXM and guest co-hosting on The Mitch Albom Show. As a singer/songwriter, she's known for working with Grammy-Award Winning producer, Jeff Bova, having her music placed in the award-winning short film, Cats Outta The Bag and the award-winning feature film, Love Market (Which she also starred in,) playing iconic venues such as House of Blues Sunset, The Viper Room, Hardrock Cafe (Hollywood and Detroit,) and getting featured in People Magazine, Yahoo, as well as on top shows on both SiriusXM and Terrestrial radio.   As a public speaker she has been featured at the Girlboss Rally, as well as being a keynote speaker at The Pretty Thing Tour, Michigan State University, The Publisher’s Publicity Association and more.   She graduated from Michigan State University with a BFA in Acting and a BA in Communication with an emphasis in media.

CONNECT WITH LAUREN

On the gram: https://www.instagram.com/laurenlograsso/ On TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@laurenlograsso On YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/laurenlograsso On the Twitters: https://twitter.com/laurenlograsso Listen to her music and see all the cool things People Magazine has said about her work here: https://linktr.ee/laurenlograsso 

CHECK OUT LAUREN’S AMAZING PODCAST, UNLEASH YOUR INNER CREATIVE!

Unleash Your Inner Creative: https://tr.ee/w7TmyxmMf7

FAVORITE MOMENTS FROM THIS EPISODE ~

• The connection between our bodies and our creative lives 
• Choosing to experience the full spectrum of life
• The key that seems to unlock a flourishing creative life for many folks
• Self forgiveness as a path to self trust 🥹
• What if we could be ourselves everywhere?

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS SHOW ~

PODCAST EPISODE: HOW TO MAKE THE GYM A HAPPY PLACE [USING BIOLOGY INSTEAD OF WILLPOWER]

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE HAPPY PLACE CHALLENGE!

DETAILED EPISODE BREAKDOWN ~

0:00 - 10:00 ish:

• Meet Lauren!
• Episode overview + how to connect with Lauren
• How Lauren came to fall in love with her own creative expression

10 - 20:00 ish:

• The life long journey of making ourselves available for creative urges
• The connection between our bodies and our creative lives
• Things Lauren is currently learning about bodies, sexuality + creative blocks
• Clearly hearing our own voices rise above the noise of social conditioning

20 - 30:00 ish:

• Committing to being fully human 💜
• Rewriting the narratives around sexuality that we grew up with
• Choosing to experience the full spectrum of life
• Recounting our first times having sex 😂
• Innocent moments in youth that got labeled ‘un-ladylike’ and how that sticks with us

30 - 40:00 ish:

• All the old stories about repressing and shrinking have the same energetic signature to them
• The key that seems to unlock a flourishing creative life for many folks
• Failing at things we love is better than succeeding at something we don’t deeply care about [27:15]
• Self forgiveness as a path to self trust 🥹
• Letting the messy, suffering moments be messy and then moving forward
• Objectively witnessing our own suffering

40 - 50:00 ish:

• Letting our feels have their experience while also keeping an eye out for the lesson
• Repressing our feels and imagining the downstream consequences of reactive decisions
• Maintaining open, healthy relationships as we grow and change
• Bringing our family into our creative lives

50-60:00 ish:

• What if we could be ourselves everywhere?
• Being our own advocate wherever we go
• Reflecting on the many parts that make up who we each are
• Go listen to Unleash Your Inner Creative and say hey to Lauren on the interwebs!

THANKS FOR LISTENING!

Head to iTunes and leave a review for the podcast! It really helps the podcast out and would mean the world to me 💜 Thanks for tuning in and being part of an incredible podcast community 🥹💜

Lots of love,

Caroline

Just you + me + the microphone today, friends! 🎉 This episode is here to help normalize all the awkward things you might experience when you get started on your gym journey! If you’re just getting started in the gym or if you’ve been gym curious, I hope this episode helps you feel less alone and let’s you know that you’re in great company 👍🏻

FAVORITE MOMENTS FROM THIS EPISODE ~

• The universal experience we all have on our very first day in a commercial gym
• Why feeling self conscious about our lifting form is actually a good thing
• Holding a healthy awareness that we don’t know everything
• Anticipating a very common dip in motivation at the one month mark
• All the amazing experiences you have to look forward to in the gym and beyond!!! 🎉🎉🎉💜💜💜🌈🌈🌈 

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS SHOW ~

PODCAST EPISODE: HOW TO MAKE THE GYM A HAPPY PLACE [USING BIOLOGY INSTEAD OF WILLPOWER]

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE HAPPY PLACE CHALLENGE!

DETAILED EPISODE BREAKDOWN ~

0:00 - 10:00 ish:

• The universal experience we all have on our very first day in a commercial gym
• How to overcome the awkward experience of feeling lost in the gym
• How to approach people and make gym friends 🥰

10 - 20:00 ish:

• Why feeling self conscious about our lifting form is actually a good thing
• Our relationship with our lifting form evolves over time
• Novel movements are great for bodies (even when we’re self conscious about them)

20 - 30:00 ish:

• Holding a healthy awareness that we don’t know everything
• Using the feelings of self consciousness to drive the pursuit of mastery
• When is the tipping point where we truly fall in love with the gym?
• Important differences between sustainable fitness habits and “quick fix weight loss” strategies
• Anticipating a very common dip in motivation that I’ve noticed at the one month mark
• The beautiful, magical, sacred opportunity for unconditional self love that pops up on a gym journey
• Choosing to experience unconditional joy in our bodies

30 - 40:00 ish:

• Shifting and evolving gym goals over time
• Tips and guidance for your first workout in the gym
• Tips on how to use the feeling of being self conscious about form productively
• How to navigate ‘the dip’ that many people experience on their gym journey
• All the amazing experiences you have to look forward to in the gym and beyond!!! 🎉🎉🎉💜💜💜🌈🌈🌈 

THANKS FOR LISTENING!

Head to iTunes and leave a review for the podcast! It really helps the podcast out and would mean the world to me 💜 Thanks for tuning in and being part of an incredible podcast community 🥹💜

Lots of love,

Caroline