Tough Cookie Talks

Dr. Jen Hosler is back to help me share a story that is deeply personal. I spent nearly 2 years working with her to rehab what I thought was chronic plantar fasciitis and today I'm sharing the reality of what that actually looked like! She is a genius and without her I definitely wouldn't be dancing as much as I have been lately.

Dr. Jen is a physical therapist and strength coach dedicated to bridging the gap between fitness and rehab. With degrees in exercise science and physical therapy, combined with her own experience of chronic pain and injuries, Jen’s mission is to help people move better, build resilience, and achieve their goals without pain or limitations. She works with active people to overcome nagging injuries and movement restrictions and she mentors fitness & movement professionals to do the same for their clients.

On this episode we talk about:

• My experience working with Jen rehabbing a chronic foot injury.
• The fact that I had seen at least 7 providers before her and was about ready to give up.
• The problems with the traditional medical model when it comes to treating injuries and managing pain.
• Why you probably shouldn't listen to your doctor about anything related to exercise.
• Why we don't need to be so afraid of what the MRI or X-ray says.

• The nervous system component of pain.
• How long it actually takes to rehab a chronic injury (longer than you'd think!)
• Why you don't have to stop doing the things you love--you might just need to build more capacity.
• So many other good things that will give you hope and encouragement if you're injured!

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Today I am screaming because Chrissy King is here! I have been wanting have her on the podcast forever and have recommended her book, The Body Liberation Project on probably at least a dozen episodes. Today we're talking all about it!

Chrissy King is a writer, speaker, educator, and former strength coach with a passion for creating a diverse and inclusive wellness industry. She is also the author of The Body Liberation Project. Through her work, Chrissy empowers individuals to stop shrinking, start taking up space, and use their energy to create their specific magic in the world. Her writing has been featured in Shape, SELF, and PopSugar, among others. With degrees in social justice and sociology from Marquette University, Chrissy merges her passion for social justice with her passion for wellness to inspire people to create spaces that allow individuals from all backgrounds to feel seen, welcomed, affirmed, and celebrated.

On this episode we talk about:

• What body liberation is and why we both love this term so much.
• Her journey of freeing herself from body/fitness/food obsession.
• Each of our entry points into this work--hers through discovering that her own personal body liberation was related to the social justice work she was already doing, and mine through discovering that my own body image issues were related to many of the bigger issues going on in society.
• The ways that white supremacy culture creeps into so many parts of our life and culture and harms everyone.
• How to make choices for yourself and your body that are values aligned--especially if you also value social justice.
• The ridiculous body standards are becoming more prevalent.
• AI, data centers, and how they relate to body liberation.

• How we can work together to get through the overwhelm of the news cycle and the horrors that continue to persist.
• Why none of us are free until we're all free.
• Small acts of resistance we can take every day.
• Why social justice movements require you to get uncomfortable, and how that relates to fitness.
• How we can all work towards body liberation on a personal level AND a collective level.

• So many other good things!

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Christina Montalvo is back with the most random and fun crossover we've done in awhile! Grab a coffee, pull up a seat, and let's talk about the silly and deep things that have been the subject of our 17 minute voice notes all summer long!

On this episode we talk about:

• A recap of our summer! I had a summer renaissance, Christina got a new job, and we both had a our own version of a hot girl summer.
• Our own explorations of personal style and what makes us feel hot.
• How alone time gives us time to recharge & reconnect with ourselves.
• Why we LOVE voice messaging our friends.
• The ways we each set boundaries around our phone notifications & understanding other people's response styles.
• Black cat & golden retrievers in relationships & friendships (can you guess which ones we are?)
• Realizations we've had as we've made our own career shifts.
• How we feel about aging + our various roles in our lives.
• Some very deep thoughts around loss, relationships, self-worth, and external validation.
• Some very random thoughts about traffic and chin hairs.
• So many other good things!

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Today's episode is taking the whole Ozempic conversation to another level! I am back today, talking to Paige F., who I was lucky enough to meet in person a few months ago at a local organizing event. We started talking about what we do for a living and what we're passionate about, and I quickly realized that she had one of the most unique takes on GLP-1's. She is someone who is literally taking it AND simultaneously questioning the implications of these medications on society as whole.

I know this convo can bring up a lot of feelings for a lot of people so listen with care. That being said, not talking about it at this point feels like the equivalent of abstinence based sex ed. So today we're going all in with it!

Paige is a writer, communications professional, and host of the political podcast Current Affairs Unfiltered. A Chicago native, she has worked across government, nonprofit, and communications roles and holds an M.A. in U.S. Foreign Policy and National Security and a B.A. in Sociology. Through her podcast and her Substack, She Knows the Score, Paige explores politics, current events, political psychology, and civic engagement. Driven by a lifelong curiosity about what shapes political beliefs and behavior, she is passionate about making complex issues accessible without sacrificing nuance. Her work combines policy expertise, thoughtful analysis, and a healthy dose of Midwestern candor. Drawing on nearly a decade of political involvement, she is particularly interested in polarization, democracy, and the human side of politics. Paige believes informed citizens are essential to a healthy democracy and is committed to fostering meaningful public conversations. She brings a sharp, engaging, and often witty perspective to the issues shaping America and the world.

On this episode we talk about:

• The story of how Paige found herself taking a GLP-1 in her 20's.
• The good, the bad, the ugly of what this experience has been like for her.
• Why I don't feel like I can ethically be for or against these medications as a straight sized woman.
• The shocking reason she was so into Soul Cycle for so many years.
• The surprising and maddening ways her experience in the world changed after she lost weight.

• What she wishes people understood more about her lived experience being in a larger body and then a smaller one.
• The social and political implications of GLP-1's.
• The social capital weight loss gives you and also what seems to be emerging as a hierarchy of morally superior ways to lose weight.
• The ways body/beauty standards trend towards extreme thinness alongside the rise of fascism.
• How she stays grounded in her values as a left leaning political commentator while recognizing this truth.
• How we think the rise in GLP-1 use might play out for us as a society in terms of widening the wealth gap.
• The ways people across the political spectrum take GLP-1's but but talk about it differently (or not at all).
• How to fight for a more weight inclusive world while still doing what you need to do to survive in your current reality.
• So many other good things!

Listen to Paige's Podcast

Follow Paige's Substack

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Today I'm celebrating the 20 year anniversary of the day I moved to Chicago solo, as a newly single, 22 year old aspiring dancer with a lot of audacity. I was casually talking about this on Instagram the other day and many of you said you were interested in hearing the lore. So here we go!

On this episode we talk about:

• The tale of how I dumped my college boyfriend and moved to Chicago alone to chase my dream of becoming a professional dancer.
• Alll the different lives I've lived and versions of myself I've become along the way.
• The life lessons I learned in the process and how they might apply to you too.
• So many other good things!

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Remember that time when a bunch of body positivity activists debated Jillian Michaels on Surrounded? Today we are talking to one who lived to tell the tale.

Paula D. Atkinson is a queer, woo-woo desert witch and a liberation-focused psychotherapist. She has been working for almost two decades with those who suffer from disordered eating, food obsession, exercise addiction, and body hatred. Clients of all sizes and identities are treated with a weight neutral, anti-diet, body liberation approach. For many years she taught courses on the history of fat phobia, eating disorders and body fascism as a professor of Weight & Society at George Washington University.

Paula also trains other professionals, clinics, and organizations in doing less harm in a thin-obsessed world. She has been interviewed for various articles and broadcasts, including NPR, podcasts, an episode of Jubilee’s Surrounded with Jillian Michaels (!!), and she co-hosts her own podcast that explores how psychotherapy can at times conspire with the systems that cause the majority of mental suffering.

Paula is a second-generation yoga teacher, a psychic healer, an artist, an aspiring DJ, and a pretty constant writer.

On this episode we talk about:

• How Paula found herself sitting across a table from Jillian Michaels.
• What it was really like to be a part of the infamous Jubilee/Surrounded debate.
• What she wishes she would have been able to say in the moment.
• What we get wrong when we talk about body positivity.

• Why we don't think anyone actually won that debate.
• Why applying nuance in all directions is so important.
• The flaws of MAHA.
• The intersections of thin worship & white supremacy/misogyny/colonialism/classism/fascism, etc.

• So many other good things!

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Surrounded Episode

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Today I am sharing some much needed life & career updates!

On this episode we talk about:

• The journey I've been on as an online business owner for the past (10!) years.
• What I thought I wanted vs. what I got--and how it actually felt to accomplish many of my goals.
• How the online fitness business space has changed over the years and why I low key hate social media and selling fitness online right now.
• Why I recently made the decision to close Kettlebell Social--my online program that I worked so hard on.
• What I'm doing instead (DIY! Custom programming, 1:1 training, dance stuff!)
• Why this decision feels like growth and evolution vs. failure.
• Why I no longer believe that online fitness/being an entrepreneur is inherently better than in person fitness or working for someone else.
• The truth about selling fitness online.
• Why I'm glad I never became a true influencer.
• Giving yourself permission to follow ease/flow vs. struggle.
• The year of the fire horse.
• So many other good things!

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Dr. Jen Hosler is back today, because after regularly recording me mini podcast episodes in Voxer when we were working together, I knew there was even more good stuff she needed to share with you all.

She has graciously listened to me whine for months about why my body needs special exercises, special shoes, special sleep, and special vitamins to get through my days without pain while other people seem to just get along fine without any of it. Today she is gracing us with her presence again!

Dr. Jen is a physical therapist and strength coach dedicated to bridging the gap between fitness and rehab. With degrees in exercise science and physical therapy, combined with her own experience of chronic pain and injuries, Jen’s mission is to help people move better, build resilience, and achieve their goals without pain or limitations. She works with active people to overcome nagging injuries and movement restrictions and she mentors fitness & movement professionals to do the same for their clients.

On this episode we talk about:

• Why your body feels so high maintenance.
• Why typical treatments don't seem to work for you.
• How hypermobility exists on a spectrum and how to know if you might be on it.
• The connections between hypermobility, neurodivergence, chronic pain, and living in a sensitive body.
• Interoception--and the wild reasons you might have a hard time decoding what your body is telling you.
• Allll the things that affect our experience of pain.
• Changing your relationship with pain by understanding your unique body better.
• What we wish more physical therapists (and other providers) did to help us manage injuries.
• Why living in a sensitive body might actually save you from unnecessary pain and mobility issues as you age.
• So many other good things!

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Today I'm back with short solo episode about how incredibly bored I am with my workouts lately. You too? Let's talk about it.

On this episode we talk about:

• How strength training is sometimes just boring and repetitive.
• Asking why you "don't wanna" and working around the arbitrary rules keeping you stuck.
• Classes--they can be both awesome and annoying all at once.
• Trying new things, mixing up your routine, and learning new skills to spice things up.
• How YOU are the common denominator in every kind of workout you do--AKA program hopping isn't always the answer.
• Why I love doing short kettlebell complexes outside in the summer.
• Adding in movement snacks to your day while you're doing other things.
• Why seasonal activities absolutely "count" as a workout. (Yes, especially yard work.)
• Why it's ok to split up a longer workout into smaller chunks, even if you're following a program.
• Normalizing doing it anyway, even when you don't feel like it--in the same way we do all sorts of other boring shit in our lives every day.
• All-or-nothing mindset and the fact that sometimes it's ok to do nothing.
• What your lack of interest in working out could be telling you.
• So many other good things!

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Fan favorite guest Ashantis Jones is back today with the most random episode ever! Give it a listen if you wanna feel like you're out for coffee with your besties laughing your ass off so you don't cry.

Ashantis Jones (she/they) is a weight-inclusive Licensed Therapist, Mental Health Coach, NASM Certified Personal Trainer, Group Fitness Instructor, and Educator. She supports individuals seeking mental health + fitness support and businesses seeking to create more efficient and equitable practices. Specialties include Body Image/Eating Disorder Recovery, Executive Functioning, and Navigating Systems of Oppression.The Wellness Financial Fund provides full or partial financial assistance for individuals seeking personal training and/or wellness consultations (coffee chats) from Ashantis. The fund prioritizes financial support for Black women, but anyone is eligible to request sponsorship.

On this episode we talk about:

• Our matching manicures and the joys of a good press on.
• Hand modeling and whether or not my husband should start an "Only Hands" account where he empties the dishwasher for likes.
• Voter suppression & what we're gonna do about it.
• Mutual aid and doing what you can to help where you can.
• AI and having nightmares about data centers and plastic grass.
• How to support your mental and physical health with different types of movement.
• How to breathe through it all.
• Doing your part of the "group project".
• So many other good and random things!

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Donate to the Wellness Financial Fund

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Body Kind Nutrition on Patreon

Help Fight Voter Suppression

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