Help Me Understand

By JK McLeodEducation Self-Improvement

Help Me Understand episodes

August 31 301. Problems reveal possibilities
JK shares a perspective to help you reframe problems and obstacles.

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Connect with JK:
Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠@coachjkmcleod⁠⁠⁠
Email: ⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠
28 min
June 23 Make Fitness Make Sense, Episode 2: The Cortisol Panic Is Getting Out of Hand
Cortisol gets blamed for everything right now: belly fat, poor sleep, stress, fatigue, hormone issues, and even people’s workouts.

But is cortisol really the villain, or has the internet turned a normal human hormone into another thing to fear?

In this episode, Coach JK shares his perspective on the cortisol conversation in a way that is less panic-driven and more practical. He looks at what cortisol is, when it is actually useful, where the fear-mongering goes too far, and why a 30-second social media checklist should not be treated like a diagnosis.

This episode is for anyone who has heard about “cortisol belly,” wondered if their workouts are stressing their body too much, or felt like every symptom online somehow gets turned into a hormone problem.

Referenced in today's episode:
⁠HMU Ep. 227: Let's talk about bloating and inflammation⁠

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Connect with JK:
Instagram: ⁠@coachJKmcleod⁠
Email: [email protected]
45 min
June 21300. Virtue signaling, Juneteenth, the cost of convenience
JK discusses the significance of Juneteenth, his perspective on virtue signaling, and an observation on the cost of convenience.

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Connect with JK:
Instagram: ⁠⁠@coachjkmcleod⁠⁠
Email: ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠

New episodes of Make Fitness Make Sense release every Tuesday.

Subscribe to the new MFMS podcast:
⁠Apple Podcasts⁠
⁠Spotify
25 min
June 16Make Fitness Make Sense, Episode 1 - Collagen, Recovery After 30, and Letting Go of Fitness Guilt
Welcome to episode 1 of Make Fitness Make Sense with Coach JK McLeod.

This podcast is for people who want fitness, nutrition, and healthy habits explained in a way that actually makes sense.

In this episode, JK answers three common fitness questions:
Is collagen protein worth taking?
Why does recovery feel harder after 30?
And how do you deal with guilt when old habits, old thoughts, or old insecurities show back up?

In this episode:
Why collagen is not the same as whey protein
When collagen may or may not be worth using
Why recovery starts with your actual training plan
The role of calories, carbs, hydration, and sleep
How to think through guilt after a rough fitness week
Why having an old thought does not mean you are back at square one

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Connect with Coach JK:
Instagram: ⁠@coachjkmcleod⁠
Email: ⁠[email protected]⁠
New episodes of Make Fitness Make Sense release every Tuesday.
Subscribe to the new MFMS podcast:
Apple Podcasts
Spotify
35 min
June 12 299. Caleb Williams paints his nails, Uber’s Women Preferences, and why context gets lost online
In episode 299, JK gives listeners a preview of where the podcast is headed as it returns to its original roots: Everyday topics, personal perspective, and conversations that move beyond fitness.

This episode covers the online conversation surrounding Caleb Williams appearing on the cover of Madden NFL 27 with painted fingernails, including the broader discussion around athletes, masculinity, role models, and how parents can navigate those conversations with their kids.

JK also talks through Uber’s Women Preferences feature, and the questions it raises around safety, comfort, fairness, and real-world use.

The episode also moves into two bigger-picture topics: why social media is not built for context, and why simply “playing the long game” is not always enough to guarantee growth.

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Instagram: @coachJKmcleod
Email: [email protected]
34 min
June 09298. Full-body workouts, body recomp frustration, and using AI for fitness (Q&A)
In this Tuesday fitness-focused episode, Coach JK takes five fitness questions and topics from Threads and gives the longer answer behind the quick comment section response.

Topics include:
Bro split vs. full-body training...what results can I expect?
Body recomposition happening, but the scale isn't moving.
Recommended prompts to use AI for workouts and nutrition.
Still not satisfied after reaching goal weight.
Coaching classes with low attendance.

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Instagram: @coachJKmcleod
Email: [email protected]
37 min
June 02 297. Calories in calories out, logging Smith machine weights, choosing home equipment, & asking better questions (Fitness Q+A)
In this Tuesday Fitness Focus Q&A, Coach JK works through a few fitness questions that seem simple at first, but need more context to answer well.

Topics include:
How should you log weight on the Smith machine?
What cardio machine makes the most sense for a home gym?
Why some fat-loss questions need better context before better advice can happen.
How to think about calories in, calories out without pretending the equation is always simple.
Coach JK also closes with a quick note about the direction of Help Me Understand in June and the upcoming launch of Make Fitness Make Sense in July.

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Instagram: @coachJKmcleod
Email: [email protected]
34 min
May 26 296. How to be consistent when life feels chaotic
Some seasons make it really difficult to feel like you are following any kind of plan.

Work gets busier. School calendars get chaotic. Family responsibilities shift. And by the end of the day, it can feel like your health habits never really had a chance.

In this episode, Coach JK shares a simple way to put a small win at the beginning and end of your day, especially when everything in the middle feels unpredictable.

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Instagram: @coachJKmcleod
Email: [email protected]
25 min
May 19 295. How science-based fitness claims try to fool you.
In this episode, Coach JK shares his perspective on the difference between correlation and causation, and why that distinction matters for simplifying fitness.

Using aging, weight gain, strength loss, injury, menopause, and fitness marketing as examples, JK talks through how easy it is for studies, statistics, and trends to get turned into scary headlines or sales pitches.

This episode is a reminder to slow down, ask better questions, and be careful when content uses “the science” to make you feel stuck, scared, or sold to.

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Instagram: ⁠@coachJKmcleod⁠
Email: [email protected]
DM/email the word HABITS for an invite to the free Fitness Foundations Community
28 min
May 14 294. Shame-based fitness content, Barre for strength, and isolating muscle groups (Q&A)
Is barre enough for strength training?
Do weighted vests make everything better?
Why do some fitness accounts seem to rely on shame to get your attention?
And when a machine says it targets one muscle, is that really the only muscle working?
In this Q&A episode, Coach JK takes a few fitness questions from Threads and gives the longer answer behind the quick comment section response.
Think of this episode as: “Here’s what I’d actually do with this information.”

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Instagram: @coachJKmcleod
Email: [email protected]
DM/email the word HABITS for an invite to the free Fitness Foundations Community
31 min