Tough Cookie Talks

By Jenna Jozefowski

Tough Cookie Talks is a podcast we'll explore the intersection of fitness & anti-diet culture and all the gray areas in between. We'll let go of "shoulds" and judgment and dig into tough conversat... more

· Health & Fitness

4.9

4646 ratings

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FAQs about Tough Cookie Talks:

How many episodes does Tough Cookie Talks have?

The podcast currently has 144 episodes available.

Tough Cookie Talks episodes:

December 20, 2022Badassery As A Core Value--A Conversation With My Longtime Client Steph (Best of Season 1 Replay)
Today is my first EVER guest interview on the podcast! And who better to bring on but one of my first ever personal training clients--or at least one of the first people who ever decided they wanted to work with me specifically because of my unconventional approach to fitness. Grab a cup of coffee (and your headphones LOL) and join Steph and I we reminisce about our journey working together on a more personal level. My hope is that you'll see yourself reflected in Steph's story, feel a little less alone, and excited for what could be possible for you too!
On this episode we talk about:
The story of how Steph and I met and how we were actually BOTH a little intimidated to work together at first.

How Steph went from being a self-proclaimed chronic dieting and body hater, to giving up exercise altogether, to rebuilding her relationship with movement into something super badass.

Some of the surprising ways strength training changed her life for the better.

How lifting weights has helped Steph be a more confident hiker.

Some of the toughest pills to swallow when it comes to improving your relationship with exercise.

The evolution of Tough Love Strength Club and how clients like Steph have helped shape that growth.

The power of mindset coaching in addition to personal training.

Why Steph has gone from working with me 1:1, to Tough Love Strength Club, to not working together at all, and then decided to come back!

And lots of other random fun stuff!
Connect with me:
Tough Love Strength Club-FAQ & application
Tough Love Strength Club-get on the waitlist
Follow & tag me on Instagram
...more
59min
December 13, 2022Redefining "Consistency": Why Strength Is Like A Savings Account (Best of Season 1 Replay)
Introducing the concept of the "strength savings account" as a way to approach the idea of consistency when it comes to working out.
In this episode we talk about:
How to not "lose all your fitness" when you take time off.

How lowering your expectations of yourself in some circumstances may actually lead to exceeding your expectations at other times.

Why approaching strength training with an all-or-nothing mindset is sort of like winning the lottery and then blowing it all on shit you don't need then wondering where your money went.
How to connect with me:
Visit my website and blog
How to work with me
Get on the waitlist for Tough Love Strength Club
Follow & tag me on Instagram #strengthsavingsaccount
...more
36min
December 06, 202210 Mistakes To Avoid When You're Trying To Do Fitness Without Diet Culture (Best of Season 1 Replay)
Navigating fitness when you’ve just started to realize why diet culture is harmful is HARD.
Many of us spent so much of our past lives drinking the wellness kool-aid (green juice? bulletproof coffee??) without question that when we finally came around to something different, we went all in with it. Failing to realize that we were falling into the same trap that got us into trouble the first time.
And because I spent FAR too many years accepting what was told to me without question (from both sides), I’d like to share with you some mistakes I made when I was first trying to do fitness without diet culture. Maybe I can save you from making them too?
In this episode we talk about:
The importance of knowing what fitness advice is meant for you.

My complicated thoughts on labels like "body positive" and "anti-diet".

The dangers of creating an echo chamber in your social media feed.

Why it's important to be open and curious about new ideas.

The reason I'm NOT trying to convince my bestie since 8th grade not to diet.

How to find "your people" to support you on your journey.

My unpopular opinions on "joyful movement".

Why the idea of all movement being "morally equivalent" can be misleading.

How to avoid trading one measure of your worth for another.
How to connect with me:
How to work with me
Get on the waitlist for Tough Love Strength Club
Follow & tag me on Instagram
Read the blog post that inspired this podcast episode
...more
35min
November 29, 2022The Fitness Industry Has It A$$ Backwards (+ Other Unconventional Ideas) (Best of Season 1 Replay!)
Most people don't know what to make of my philosophy on fitness. One minute I’m posting a video of me swinging kettlebells. The next minute I’m telling you to take a rest day. First I’m calling BS on all the ways the fitness industry is making you feel like crap. Then I’m talking about the mental health benefits of working out. But just like everything I do, there’s a method to my madness. My fitness philosophy is unlike that of most others. And I’m not sorry about it.
In this episode we talk about:
Why being thin, being healthy, and being fit are not necessarily synonymous.

Why fitness is a social justice issue.

How the way we operate as an industry pushes away the very people we are trying to help.

Why I'll never tell you to "love your body".

And lots of other hot takes!
Links mentioned in this episode:
"My Philosophy On Fitness Is Unconventional & I'm Not Sorry About It" (blog post that inspired this episode)
Health At Every Size (book)
Body Respect (book)
Intuitive Eating (book)
How to connect with me:
Join my email list
Visit my website and blog
How to work with me
Follow & tag me on Instagram
...more
31min
November 17, 2022 The Season Finale! How It Started, How It's Going, Where It's Going!
It's EPISODE 50! And all I can say is:
"I'M 50@! I KIICCCCCKKKKK. STREEEEETCCHHHHH. AND KICK!"
IYKYK.
Anyway, on this solo episode, I take some time to reflect on my biggest takeaways from first year of podcasting and let you know what's coming next.
Work With Me!
Follow & tag me on Instagram
...more
15min
November 01, 2022My Unfiltered Gym Reviews--I Tried Them All So You Don't Have To!
This is an episode I've been working on for a couple of months now. Back in August I decided to be a "secret shopper" of 5 different commercial gyms. Why? Because I found that many of my clients are either A: hesitant to join a gym because of a previous bad experience. B. Don't wanna go through all the trouble of trying different gyms to find a good fit. C. Don't know what to look for when joining a gym so they pick a random one only to find that it's not a good fit.
So I decided to do some of the legwork for you. Consider me your personal assistant when it comes to all things related to joining a gym!
On this episode we talk about:
My experience trying out 5 different gyms near me (many are national chains).

Things to consider when it comes to choosing a gym to join.

Why all of your assumptions about what gyms are like aren't always correct.

Why some of them ARE.

Pretty much everything you wanted to know about various gym options!
A side note: I am not sponsored by any of these gyms. I am also not here to talk shit about any of them. I'm simply here to share my personal experience when I pretended that I wanted to join them. Please know that I'm sharing this through the filter of being a straight-sized white woman. Also please know that these gym chains might not be available where you live, and if they are certain aspects of them might be location dependent.
Work With Me!
Follow & tag me on Instagram
...more
32min
October 25, 2022Are Your Weights Too Light For You? For Most Of You, Probably Yes. Here's How To Know For Sure.
Ohhhhh I've been sitting on this topic for a long time. I didn't say it because I didn't wanna piss people off. So I'm just gonna go ahead and say it: If you're only ever using 5-10lb weights when you lift, you're only tapping into a fraction of your potential. Before you get mad at me . . .give this episode a listen and let's give it a little context. . .
On this episode we talk about:
Why you're selling yourself short if you've been lifting the same weights forever.

Why you shouldn't be using the same weights for squats and bicep curls.

The difference between being strong and looking strong.

Why "heavy" is relative.

The problem with only ever lifting in classes.

How training with different variables can benefit you.

Why always seeking breathlessness, sweat, and burn might be causing you to miss out on actually getting stronger.

Why you're WAY stronger than you realize and how to tap into that.
Work With Me! Tough Love Strength Club Info & FAQ
Follow & tag me on Instagram
...more
33min
October 18, 2022Surprising Benefits To Following A Strength Training Program (They're Not Just For Professional Athletes and Fitness Models)
In the anti-diet world, it seems that things like going to the gym and following a training program often get a bad rap. I get it. There are a lot of problems with the way the fitness industry promotes its services. When you’ve had a compensatory or punishing relationship with exercise in the past, the advice is often to rest & take a break from working out altogether. Or to trade structured exercise for "joyful movement". To be clear, I agree with this. . .to an extent. Sometimes you do need a clean break in order to see clearly what’s really right for you.
The common assumption is that walking and practicing gentle yoga are the only ways to have a chill relationship with exercise, and I don’t know where this idea came from. It’s as if the most popular person in the anti-diet community decided that this is what they liked, and everyone else agreed that it must be true. To that I say false. Especially considering the growing number of Health At Every Size aligned fitness professionals with a variety of specialties around the world.
"Joyful movement" can look a whole lot of ways. And depending on your values as a whole person, and what your previous exercise & athletic background is, you might actually really enjoy something a little grittier, like strength training. For awhile it might be fun to even “play around” with lifting weights in a less structured way.
But eventually you might find that you’re having a hard time getting stronger, feeling fatigued, or getting injured. Maybe you see something really badass that you’d like to be able to do one day too? If you’re someone who appreciates consistency, guidance, and working through things in a step-by-step way, you might also really enjoy following a training program.
On this episode we talk about:
All the unexpected reasons following a strength training program could be a great thing for you!

How to follow a strength training program designed by me. :)
Work With Me! Tough Love Strength Club Info & FAQ
Follow & tag me on Instagram
...more
20min
October 11, 20223 Things I Hope All My Clients Accomplish
This podcast episode is a solo one. . .3 things I hope every client of mine accomplishes. Would you believe that NONE of them are related to anything you can physically do with a weight??
This is what they are:
Letting go of the all-or-nothing mindset

Developing more autonomy within their workouts

Discovering their true strength
The best way to accomplish each of these things??
Having a growth mindset, and when applicable, opening yourself up to being coached. I've mentioned this before, but there's a big difference between teaching and coaching. When I choose a topic and speak to it, I'm teaching you about a thing. Talking at you instead of with you. When you're being coached we get to talk through something through the lens of your lived experience and come up with solutions and new ideas collaboratively. This is why I decided to start my online group coaching program, Tough Love Strength Club. Want in on it? Learn more below.
Work With Me! Tough Love Strength Club Info & FAQ
Follow & tag me on Instagram
...more
23min
October 04, 2022"Toning Is For Printers" An Unfiltered Convo With Ashleigh Brodhead (the Friend Who Taught Me To Lift Heavy Shit)
This episode is one that I've been waiting to record for way too long. It's very unfiltered. It's everything I ever wanted my podcast to be--to feel like you're hanging out with me and my friends shooting the shit. Today we're doing that with one of my very best friends, Ashleigh Brodhead--live in my she-shed. She's the person who got me into kettlebells. The person who first put a barbell into my hand. I don't think she had any idea how much having her in my life shaped the work I'm doing today, but we're gonna talk all about it!
On this episode we talk about:
Our shared history of being dancers, and the next level body image fuckery that brings about.

(CW) The very disordered habits we used to have around food and exercise, and how the dance industry encouraged that.

How she got into strength training, and in turn got me into it too.

What "legit" strength training even is.

Why taking group fitness classes with weights can only get you so strong.

Why rest matters.

Advice for people just getting into lifting weights for the first time.

How to choose the best personal trainer for you.

Why the idea of "getting toned" is misunderstood (and also, for printers LOL)

Many, many, many random tangents.
P.S.-This podcast is not actually sponsored by anyone, but these are the seltzers we were drinking while recording.
Follow Ashleigh on Instagram
Tough Love Strength Club: Get On The Waitlist!
Work With Me! Tough Love Strength Club Info & FAQ
Follow & tag me on Instagram
...more
1h 8min

FAQs about Tough Cookie Talks:

How many episodes does Tough Cookie Talks have?

The podcast currently has 144 episodes available.

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