What do you do when things get hard and quitting feels easier than continuing?

In this episode of Made Strong, I sit down with my friend Brandy to talk about overcoming challenges in real life, not in theory. We reflect on a shared experience hiking Camelback Mountain in Arizona and how that physical climb revealed deeper lessons about resilience, parenting, and staying present in discomfort.

Brandy shares what it was like hiking with her daughters, encouraging them to keep going when it would have been easier to stop. We connect those moments to the emotional challenges many of us are facing right now, including navigating friendships, hard conversations, and the temptation to avoid conflict instead of working through it.

This episode is about strength that is built quietly. On the mountain. In parenting. In relationships. In choosing to stay instead of walking away.

If you are halfway up something hard, this conversation is for you.

At the end of the episode, I invite listeners to share the challenges they are working through so we can continue the conversation in future episodes of Made Strong.

If you’re in your 40s and feel like you’re doing many of the “right things” but still don’t feel as good as you thought you would, this episode is for you.

In Episode 2 of Made Strong, Jamie breaks down the five wellness habits that make the biggest impact for energy, gut health, hormones, recovery, and long-term health.

This isn’t about doing more.
It’s about focusing on what actually moves the needle.

Jamie shares the habits she’s personally doubling down on in 2026 — from hormone awareness and nervous system support to movement, gut health, and using data without obsession — all through a long-game lens of living well into your 100s.

If you want clarity, simplicity, and a grounded approach to health in this season of life, start here.

Follow me here and on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamiekuenzie/

In this first episode of Made Strong, I share my origin story and why strength, for me, has always been about more than muscles. I was born sick and spent my early childhood fighting for breath. I didn’t choose strength — strength found me. Today, on New Year’s Eve, I finally stopped waiting and hit record.

This year, I’m choosing action over perfection, becoming over arriving, and strength over comfort. If you’ve been feeling called to do something for a long time, this is your sign: begin.

Strength is made, not found — and becoming is the point.

Connect with me on Instagram: @jamiekuenzie

If this episode stirred something in you, share it with someone who is becoming too.