In this episode, Chelsy Barber delves into the concept of mind muscle connection (MMC), explaining its significance in fitness and strength training. She discusses how MMC enhances workout efficiency, prevents injuries, and fosters a deeper relationship with one's body. Chelsy shares scientific studies that support the benefits of MMC and provides practical tips for listeners to implement this concept into their training. The conversation emphasizes the importance of intentional movement and the emotional benefits of developing a strong MMC.

TAKEAWAYS:

• Mind muscle connection (MMC) is the ability to consciously contract a muscle during exercise.
• Developing MMC improves muscle recruitment and movement efficiency.
• Focusing on the mind muscle connection can prevent injuries and enhance workout enjoyment.
• Neural adaptations occur before visible muscle growth, leading to early strength gains.
• Studies show that mental imagery can significantly boost strength output.
• The sweet spot for building MMC is often with moderate loads.
• Building MMC involves starting with movement patterns before focusing on specific muscles.
• Using pauses and isolation holds can help enhance awareness and intention during workouts.
• Body scanning techniques can aid in developing a stronger MMC while making strength training feel more meditative and comfortable.
• Mind muscle connection transforms training from a mechanical process to an intentional practice.

00:00 Understanding Mind Muscle Connection 06:07 The Science Behind Mind Muscle Connection 12:59 Neural Adaptation and Its Importance 19:14 Building Mind Muscle Connection 28:54 Transforming Training Through Intentional Movement

Studies referenced: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00421-015-3305-7?platform=hootsuite

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1440244025000684

Book: https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=3dfLWh5iFp4C&oi=fnd&pg=PR5&dq=mind+muscle+connection+thinking+about+muscle&ots=P50drGY-eP&sig=BwSiImdAJec9QV84_r4EvPqgq1Q#v=onepage&q=mind%20muscle%20connection%20thinking%20about%20muscle&f=false

In this episode, I unpack how awareness — real, honest, moment-to-moment awareness with an understanding of HOW the mind structure reality — is the gateway to emotional freedom, clearer thinking, and better behavior patterns.

We talk about:

• Why your mind filters everything you experience (and how to interrupt it)

• How to create more behavioral and emotional choices (and why this is SO freeing)

• The power of challenging your automatic thoughts instead of obeying them (you are not your thoughts or your behaviors)

• Why you don't have to pick between being spiritual and grounded, soft and strong, playful and ambitious (obsessed with nuance right now)

If you've ever felt reactive, misunderstood, or stuck in your own habits — this episode might just rewire something inside you. Not by telling you who to be, but by showing you how much more is possible when you start noticing what's already available to you.

takeaways

• Embracing multiple perspectives enhances life experiences.
• Emotional regulation is a powerful tool for personal growth.
• Understanding emotions can lead to better decision-making.
• Negative emotions can provide valuable insights and motivation.
• Awareness of emotions allows for healthier responses.
• Surrendering to emotions can lead to peace and clarity.
• Self-discovery is a continuous journey of growth.
• Letting go of control can create space for joy.
• Language is essential for expressing and understanding emotions.
• Finding balance between extremes leads to a fulfilling life.

Chapters

00:00 Embracing Nuance in Life 06:32 The Journey from Extremes to Balance 12:51 Understanding Filters and Worldviews 19:32 The Power of Awareness and Choice 26:35 Finding Joy in the Mundane 34:03 The Conscious Learning Gap and Personal Growth 36:43The Conscious Learning Gap: Developing Emotional Awareness and Regulation

TW: LOTS of body talk. In this episode, I discuss the relatable experience of having 'bad body days'. I share my personal insights on navigating insecurities, understanding the emotions around them, and the significance of choosing neutrality over positivity. This conversation aims to empower you to embrace your body and emotions without judgment, fostering a sense of freedom and joy regardless of how you look. takeaways

• We all resonate with having bad body days.
• Emotional regulation can change your life.
• It's important to sift through our emotions.
• Negative emotions can provide valuable feedback.
• Choosing neutrality can be more empowering than positivity.
• We often internalize societal narratives about our bodies.
• Emotions can be felt and regulated simultaneously.
• Building a relationship with emotions is crucial.
• Awareness of emotions can lead to personal growth.
• Living in the middle ground of emotions is key.

WHEW! In this episode, I explore the complexities of being a Good Person and the impact of self-sacrifice on personal happiness. I share my journey of redefining what it means to be good (because I needed an update BAD), emphasizing the importance of self-care and setting boundaries. I talk about giving from a place of overflow, where generosity comes without resentment or depletion (bless). In the last part of this episode I also reflect on the societal perceptions of happiness and the fear of being judged for having joy. This has been a surprising part of my healing journey. I never could have expected I'd feel wrong for not suffering. TAKEAWAYS:

• Being a good person doesn't mean being sacrificial.
• Self-care is essential to avoid resentment.
• Giving from a place of overflow is liberating.
• It's okay to say no to others to prioritize yourself.
• Happiness can feel wrong in a world that expects suffering.
• Redefining goodness is a personal journey.
• Setting boundaries is crucial for emotional well-being.
• You can be happy without a story of suffering.
• It's important to celebrate others' happiness without jealousy.
• Privilege doesn't negate someone's right to happiness.

In this episode, I share two powerful strategies for overcoming perfectionism and inconsistency in fitness plans. The first strategy, which I call forecasting, involves planning for obstacles and life chaos to ensure your fitness goals remain achievable. The second strategy, which I call fitness Pomodoro, encourages short bursts of movement to build momentum and maintain commitment without the pressure of maximum output. I emphasize the importance of self-compassion and realistic planning in achieving fitness success and, you know what? IT WORKS. Just ask ALL 200+ women I've worked with.

Takeaways:

• If you struggle with consistency, this episode is for you.
• Perfectionists often wait for the perfect time to commit.
• Real progress happens when you plan for the messy middle.
• Forecasting helps prepare for inevitable life chaos.
• Fitness Pomodoro focuses on small, manageable movement blocks.
• 10 to 15 minutes of movement can create momentum.
• Listening to your body requires a conversation with it.
• Resting can be guilt-free when you've made an effort.
• You don't need a coach to implement these strategies.
• Success in fitness is about consistency, not perfection.

In this episode, I dive into the complexities of motivation, emphasizing the importance of awareness through the stages of motivation within my 90-day fitness program, Hypefit Method. Because my container is 90 days, I've been able to see many patterns and coach hundreds of women through these patterned milestones. I made my own 90-Day Motivation Map to organize this journey and share with my clients, that way we can pre-frame the experience and set realistic expectations.

I'll discuss the honeymoon phase, the challenges of the first and second dips, and the significance of understanding intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. I'll also highlight the necessity of creating supportive environments and the power of language in emotional awareness, so you can embrace your very own human experience of motivation. I hope this episode encourages you to take the leap into your next big goal WITHOUT any of the guilt, shame, perfectionism, and overwhelm that can so frequently derail others. Like what you hear? Please share!

Curious about Hypefit Method? Check it out HERE.

Today's episode is dedicated to the one liner I hear ALL the time as a Personal Trainer: "I get bored easily" or "I need more variation." Sound like you? PERFECT. Let's chat!

While I fully understand the desire to spice things up AND believe it's possible to do -- I also wish more people understood HOW to do it in an effective way. Usually what I see are people who've made needing variety part of their fitness identity. They take many random classes, try out challenges, and program hop -- often times doing these things back -to-back or at the same time (GASP).

Look, I WANT you to be able to try new things. I encourage it!

I want you to have fun with exercise. It's the only way to get you coming back!

I want you to participate in fun challenges. They often come with community!

I am so psyched for you to have access to affordable programs. Health should be accessible!

AND ALSO...

I want you to become a master of movements, confident that when you do a movement you are crushing it.

I want you to understand what each movement is targeting and how to make it more potent.

I want you to be confident and empowered.

I want exercise to be an easy non-negotioable for you, just like brushing your teeth.

I want you to be able to have variety and SPICE, but without it sabatoging your ability to progress and get results.

Don't you?

In this episode I go over 3 ways your need for variation is actually getting in your way AND 3 ways you can implement variation without it becoming a problem.

ENJOY!

This weeks episode is a VERY personal, vulnerable share where I talk about how my husband and I have cultivated a loving relationship, despite my many "failures" in my past. Having grown up without learning how to regulate and honor my own emotions, I found relationships difficult. Not just intimate, but also with friends (which I don't talk about in this episode).

Join me in a reflective breakdown of how I navigated the hard parts of my childhood and overcame patterns and behaviors that were not serving me in adulthood. All of this healing & development was difficult. It was imperfect. And I'm still working on it. BUT I've managed to find a life partner and a love connection that has given me the opportunity to go inward as I take full responsbility for healing the parts of myself that needed repairs.

Follow Kishori on instagram @kishorigopiyoga

Visit her website at: www.kishorigopiyoga.com

E-RYT 500 hr Bhakti Yoga Teacher,

Master Reiki / Energy Healer, End of Life Doula

Kelly Skinner, also known as Kishori Gopi (her devotional name) is a spiritual teacher who is a conduit of divine love and a vehicle for Divine grace to heal and awaken. In this lifetime, her medicine is to help beings live radiantly and die gracefully through the practices of Bhakti Yoga, Meditation, Reiki, and End of Life Doula Work. She approaches both life and work with awareness, aliveness, and compassion. When you see or talk to Kishori you can feel her light. She is free of judgement. She is humble and curious. She listens to understand. She actively practices and shares everything she teaches.

To her, there is nothing more rewarding than seeing another being remember and fall in love with their own true nature.

This episode is SO special because Kishori talks about the two topics we tend to avoid most: Death and God. If you don't have an aversion to both of those you probably do or HAVE had an aversion to one of them. Both are difficult topics that often come with very personal emotional baggage/responses. Kishori shares parts of her path with death and handling grief, as well as her history with being triggered by the word God, rejecting a connection to a God, and re-discovering what all of that means to her and how she connects with LIFE.

For myself (Chelsy), I used to be anti-God, anti-religion, and VERY triggered/angry when people would bring it up. In recent years I've found myself interested in the idea of higher powers and other belief systems in a way that resonates with the deep love I have for life and others. It's been a refreshing re-discovery into what once felt wondrous as a child and quickly developed into an intense hatred in young adulthood. My beliefs around spirituality NOW have circled back to that wanderous, mystical, connected curioustiy I had as a young child. It has also opened an interest in hearing how others are experiencing their own beliefs around a Higher Power.

This episode is going to be a peaceful deep dive into a much desired 1:1 conversation between two souls who love to dive into emotions, spirituality, healing, and more.

ENJOY!

Today's short episode is a personal share on my recent decision to give up alcohol. I had always had a positive relationship to alcohol and was good at not drinking for short periods or drinking very little. My decision to quit didn't come from me drinking too much, it came from me realizing I just wasnt enjoying my drinks the way I always had. I explain the reactions my body was having to alcohol, my lifestyle and mindset shifts that powered my sober-curiousity, and how I "flipped the switch" without any doubt in my decision.

If you're sober-curious perhaps some of my story will resonate!

Here's an engaging, community-oriented app if you want to get sober but don't want to feel alone doing it: https://iamsober.com/en/site/home