Lowering the Barrier

When a woman becomes a mom her center of gravity shifts. Her needs, her goals, the things she used to dream about - they can get shelved for "later." And later has a way of turning into years.

This week, fellow coach Dana Oleksuk joins me to talk about how moms find their way back to themselves - and why strength training is so often the door back in. Dana's own story runs through it: a broadcast meteorologist who followed her husband's pro hockey career across Europe, had two kids overseas, built a coaching business in the middle of constant moves, and finally decided she was done starting over.

We get into the guilt of taking time for yourself, why building muscle beats chasing the scale, what "lifting with intention" means, keeping nutrition stupidly simple, and cutting through the endless noise online - plus the one thing every mom can do for herself this week.

You can't pour from an empty cup, and that’s the message we’re trying to share with the moms who are listening.

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro

02:00 Dana's Journey: From Meteorology to Coaching

7:00 Navigating Parenthood and Career Transitions

13:00 The Importance of Prioritizing Self-Care

18:00 Overcoming Guilt in Motherhood

22:00 The Role of Fitness in Rediscovering Identity

33:00 Training with Intention vs. Going Through the Motions

35:30 The Identity Shift of Motherhood

39:30 Overcoming Self-Doubt and Embracing Change

45:00 Nutrition Simplified for Busy Moms

55:30 Small Steps for Big Changes

1:00:00 Creating Time for Yourself

Where to find Dana Oleksuk

Dana’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/danaoleksuk_fitness/

Dana’s Website: https://www.docoachingco.com/

My Links

Website: ⁠https://www.alexthiemefitness.com/⁠

Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/alexthiemefitness/⁠

TikTok: ⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@alexthiemefitness⁠

Join my email list: ⁠https://www.alexthiemefitness.com/email⁠

If you loved this episode, please follow/subscribe and give a 5 star review! Thank you!

Bonus points - share it with a friend who might enjoy the show.

If you've been wondering whether a GLP-1 might be right for you - but the fear and stigma around them have made you hesitate - this one's for you.

It's a judgment-free conversation with Dr. Christle Guevarra, who comes at these medications from three angles at once: the doctor who prescribes them, the lifelong athlete who trains hard, and the patient who spent decades struggling before she ever tried one. A board-certified family and sports medicine physician and the traveling team physician for U.S. Figure Skating, she brings a balance of logic and empathy that suited this conversation perfectly.

We cover the questions actually keeping people on the fence: what a GLP-1 does in your body, how to tell a genuine candidate from a vanity prescription, and the safety concerns everyone's anxious about - separating what's well-documented from what's just internet noise.

We get into muscle loss, how to eat and train if you do start, whether it's a short-term tool or a lifelong medication, the real risks of the gray market, and the shame so many people carry about needing help at all. The goal isn't to talk you into it or out of it. It's to give you the honest information you need to make your own call - and to walk into your doctor's office knowing exactly what to ask.

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction

2:00 Burnout and the “arrival fallacy”

12:00 What a GLP-1 is and how it works

15:00 Food noise

21:00 Semaglutide vs tirzepatide

24:00 Who’s a candidate?

31:00 How to eat (and dose) on a GLP-1

35:00 Safety: what’s real and what’s vibes

40:00 How to prevent muscle loss

48:00 Short or long-term medication

53:00 Alcohol aversion, addiction research

1:00:00 Retatrutide and the dangers of buying it overseas

1:04:00 Final takeaway and where to find Christle

Where to find Dr. Christle

Dr. Christle Website: https://drchristle.com/

Dr. Christle Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr.christle/

My Links

Website: ⁠https://www.alexthiemefitness.com/⁠

Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/alexthiemefitness/⁠

TikTok: ⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@alexthiemefitness⁠

Join my email list: ⁠https://www.alexthiemefitness.com/email⁠

If you loved this episode, please follow/subscribe and give a 5 star review! Thank you!

Bonus points - share it with a friend who might enjoy the show.

This week I'm joined by Dr. Farah Khan - a double board-certified allergist-immunologist and pediatrician at Nationwide Children's Hospital, and one of the clearest, most no-nonsense voices in allergy education online. Her whole philosophy is "data over drama.”

We get into the basics (what's actually happening in your body during a reaction, and how an allergy is different from an intolerance or a "sensitivity"), the myths that cause the most fear, what it really takes to raise kids with food allergies without letting it run their lives, and the strange story of how a law meant to make food safer ended up having the opposite effect.

If you or someone you love navigates food allergies, my hope is that this episode does what good information always does: makes the fear a little smaller.

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction

11:00 Dr. Khan’s journey

27:30 Food allergy basics

39:30 Flying with peanut allergies

43:30 Common myths (and the truth)

51:40 Raising kids with food allergies

58:10 The FASTER Act (Sesame in bread)

1:02:25 Data over drama

1:06:50 Upcoming research Dr. Khan is excited about

Where to find Dr. Khan

Dr Farah Khan Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/farah.khan.md/

References From Episode

Sesame Free Products: https://www.foodallergy.org/resources/fare-responds-companies-intentionally-adding-sesame-flour-faster-act-goes-effect

My Links

Website: ⁠https://www.alexthiemefitness.com/⁠

Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/alexthiemefitness/⁠

TikTok: ⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@alexthiemefitness⁠

Join my email list: ⁠https://www.alexthiemefitness.com/email⁠

If you loved this episode, please follow/subscribe and give a 5 star review! Thank you!

Bonus points - share it with a friend who might enjoy the show.

"I'm just an all-or-nothing person."

We hear it all the time - but that's just a story you're telling yourself, it's not a fact.

In this episode, Matti and I get into why the all-or-nothing mindset feels logical, why it is the reason people start *AND* quit, and the strategies we recommend to find the middle.

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro & updates02:38 What the all-or-nothing mindset is (and why it makes sense)09:14 The trap: it works until life interrupts16:31 You're already not all-or-nothing (Shannon's story)29:24 5 strategies for finding the middle44:40 Dropping the label for good48:55 The real work: the story you tell after you miss

MY LINKS

Website: ⁠https://www.alexthiemefitness.com/⁠

Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/alexthiemefitness/⁠

TikTok: ⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@alexthiemefitness⁠

Join my email list: ⁠https://www.alexthiemefitness.com/email⁠

If you loved this episode, please follow/subscribe and give a 5 star review! Thank you!

Bonus points - share it with a friend who might enjoy the show.

If you've ever bought a probiotic off a shelf, considered a gut cleanse, or wondered whether your microbiome is the reason you're not feeling your best - this episode is for you.

Alex sits down with Dr. Leila Shinn, a senior scientist and microbiome researcher, to cut through one of the most overcrowded and overhyped spaces in the wellness industry: gut health.

From the brand new scientific consensus definition of what gut health actually means, to the facts behind fiber, probiotics, detoxes, and "leaky gut" - Dr. Shinn brings clarity, honesty, and a healthy skepticism toward the products promising to fix you.

You'll learn why fiber diversity matters more than fiber quantity, how your microbiome can shift in as little as two to four days, what to look for on a probiotic label, and why the best thing you can do for your gut probably isn't something you can buy.

This is the episode to send to anyone who's ever felt like their gut health is broken - because chances are, it isn't.

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction01:14 Meet Dr. Leila Shin02:26 What Is the Microbiome?16:44 Defining Gut Health (The New Science)20:16 Why Fiber Matters26:13 Fiber Diversity vs. Fiber Amount29:58 Antibiotics & Your Gut36:17 Prebiotics, Probiotics & Postbiotics44:23 The Carnivore Diet & Your Microbiome54:37 Medications: NSAIDs & Antacids56:20 At-Home Microbiome Tests — Worth It?58:44 Cleanses & Detoxes — The Truth1:02:45 The Bristol Stool Chart1:05:41 Alcohol & Leaky Gut

WHERE TO FIND DR. LEILA SHINN

https://www.instagram.com/ilikebigguts/

http://instagram.com/nutrishinn/

REFERENCES FROM EPISODE

https://usprobioticguide.com/

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41575-026-01176-x

MY LINKS

Website: ⁠https://www.alexthiemefitness.com/⁠

Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/alexthiemefitness/⁠

TikTok: ⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@alexthiemefitness⁠

Join my email list: ⁠https://www.alexthiemefitness.com/email⁠

If you loved this episode, please follow/subscribe and give a 5 star review! Thank you!

Bonus points - share it with a friend who might enjoy the show.

Ever wondered how accurate body fat tests actually are?
DEXA, smart scales, calipers - do they really tell you anything useful?

What we’ll talk about:

• Which body composition tests are worth your money (and which aren’t)

• Why the number matters less than people think

• Better ways to track real progress over time

In this episode, we break down the small set of habits responsible for nearly all long-term health outcomes (within your control) - and why most people waste time obsessing over the wrong details. You’ll learn the fundamentals without getting sucked into biohacking culture, fear-based marketing, or extreme diets. If you want a calmer, clearer philosophy for lifelong health, start here.

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro

10:30 What does not meaningfully contribute to health?

18:10 Healthy weight

24:40 Protein

30:00 Fiber

36:30 Saturated fat

40:40 Healthy fats

43:40 Alcohol and smoking

48:10 Dietary summary

50:30 Lift weights

58:00 Don’t be sedentary

1:01:40 Sleep

1:05:20 Hobbies

1:08:20 Social life and community

1:10:20 Supplements

MY LINKS

Website: ⁠https://www.alexthiemefitness.com/⁠

Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/alexthiemefitness/⁠

TikTok: ⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@alexthiemefitness⁠

Join my email list: ⁠https://www.alexthiemefitness.com/email⁠

If you loved this episode, please follow/subscribe and give a 5 star review! Thank you!

Bonus points - share it with a friend who might enjoy the show.

In this episode, we dive into the significant health disparities between the U.S. and Europe - covering topics like universal healthcare, food deserts, public transportation and more. We bridge those slightly controversial topics to health-related outcomes like obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. Health is political - and policy can heavily influence health.

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro

7:00 City layouts

14:50 Healthcare

23:00 Food deserts

35:00 Work culture

45:40 Food environment

MY LINKS

Website: ⁠https://www.alexthiemefitness.com/⁠

Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/alexthiemefitness/⁠

TikTok: ⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@alexthiemefitness⁠

Join my email list: ⁠https://www.alexthiemefitness.com/email⁠

If you loved this episode, please follow/subscribe and give a 5 star review! Thank you!

Bonus points - share it with a friend who might enjoy the show.

MATTI IS BACK and today, we are back behind the mic to break down the cold hard truth about ice baths. Do they really speed recovery? Help with fat loss? Boost mental toughness? Together we dig into the science, call out flawed studies, and share when (and if) cold water immersion actually makes sense. Expect myth-busting, practical takeaways, and plenty of laughs as we cut through the hype so you’ll know whether to jump in - or skip the tub altogether.

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro

10:00 For recovery? Muscle growth/strength?

14:20 For fat loss?

30:45 For mental toughness?

41:15 When do they make sense?

MY LINKS

Website: ⁠https://www.alexthiemefitness.com/⁠

Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/alexthiemefitness/⁠

TikTok: ⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@alexthiemefitness⁠

Join my email list: ⁠https://www.alexthiemefitness.com/email⁠

If you loved this episode, please follow/subscribe and give a 5 star review! Thank you!

Bonus points - share it with a friend who might enjoy the show.

This episode is a real coaching conversation turned playbook. Riley works a demanding desk job and is heading into a brutal fall schedule, so we built a minimalist plan that still moves the needle.

You’ll hear coaching clips and my commentary connecting the science to simple actions you can use.

This style of episode is a trial run - I will likely do more of these but TBD on the frequency. Depends on your feedback!