Tough Cookie Talks

By Jenna JozefowskiHealth & Fitness

Tough Cookie Talks episodes

August 16, 2022We Are Stronger Together: Building Community and Finding Connection with Allison Tenney
Today I am thrilled to bring the one and only Allison Tenney on the podcast! She was one of the first likeminded fitness professionals I connected with online back when my online business was nothing more than a blog and a vision. In 2019 I attended a live event (called Ignited Womxn's Summit at the time) she hosted in Seattle that literally ignited me into the work I'm doing today! When I think of Allison, I think of leadership, integrity, and someone who brings the best people together. In addition to being an incredible strength & conditioning coach she's also an amazing friend and community builder. And while this conversation centers a LOT around our experiences working in the online fitness space, this vulnerable, feel-good conversation is a must-listen for all humans who are craving connection and belonging.
Allison is the owner of Allison Tenney Fitness, LLC. Through strength training and fitness, Allison helps women build next-level strength, confidence, and the courage to seize their personal power. She is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist through the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA-CSCS) and holds several other fitness credentials including: USA Weightlifting, FMS, SFG, and RKC kettlebell certifications. Allison played Division I soccer and also coached college athletes for over 13 years where she was the assistant soccer coach and high-performance manager for the women's soccer team, before starting her own online fitness business. Today, Allison combines her passion for movement and strength training with her commitment to social justice and aims to elevate the fitness profession and make it more inclusive for everybody and every body.
On this episode we talk about:
Why community and connection are more important now than ever.

How attending her live event is a big part of the reason I have an online business and podcast today.

What it means to approach your work from a place of integrity.

Why the inner work you do offline is SO important and how it shows through in the ways you show up in the world.

Why online group programs are so amazing.

Why connecting with the right people offline is ever better.

How we both try to create very intentional containers that allow people to share vulnerable moments, find belonging, and grow together.

Why we both refer out to other coaches often, and what it means to approach your work from a place of abundance.

The magic of building relationships with grounded, empathetic women who remind you who you are.

How all of this translates outside of the context of online business (and applies to YOUR life too).

Why you NEED to join us at Ignited Leadership Summit this fall so we can all hang out IRL.
Work with Allison
Follow Allison on Instagram
Join us at Ignited Leadership Summit-use discount code 100OFF for $100 off the price of a regular ticket!
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1 hr 23 min
August 09, 2022A Manicure As a Metaphor: What Getting Fake Nails Taught Me About Fat Loss Goals
A few weeks ago I became obsessed with the idea of getting long, claw shaped fake nails. Fun colors? Ombre? Glitter? Pointy AF? Yes please! I was feeling pretty fired up about the world and decided I wanted my nails to express the way I felt on the inside. Mostly love and light and a little go fuck yourself. LOL. I don't normally get my nails done so I took to my Instagram stories to ask what I needed to know, what to ask for at the salon, how much they'd cost, etc. etc. I've NEVER gotten so much engagement on an IG story! And I couldn't help but notice that there were LOT of parallels between my experience getting fake nails and many people's experiences with aesthetic fitness goals, particularly weight loss. I couldn't stop thinking about it so I decided to record a podcast episode about it!
On this episode we talk about:
Why it's important to talk to the people who actually do the things (get fake nails/have the body type we desire) to understand what's actually involved in maintaining said look.

How sometimes once you learn what sorts of things you have to do to achieve that goal, you may realize that you're not interested in doing that at all.

How fake nails, much like certain body types, are hard to maintain, expensive, and involve sacrificing other things you want to do.

Why some people have an unfair advantage, whether it's being genetically wired to be thin or to have nails that grow long on their own.

The fact that walking around with fake nails afraid you're gonna break one feels a LOT like reaching your goal weight and living in fear that one wrong meal will derail it all.

How nobody shows what happens after the "after" photo is taken. Whether that's regaining all the weight or having all your nails break and fall off.

That sometimes you need to try it for yourself and have your own "fuck this I'm done" moment before you decide you wanna change your goal.

Whether you're chasing fat loss or fake nails, in many cases what you're actually chasing is a feeling.

Why something like fake nails is less risky than something like dieting when it comes to aesthetic pursuits .

The difference between self-expression and participating in your own oppression.

All sorts of other interesting insights!
Work with me
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36 min
August 02, 2022Fitspo, Freak Shows & Storytelling with Dr. Kate Browne
This is probably the most interesting podcast episode & conversation I've recorded to date. I originally met Kate through Body Positive Fitness Alliance, and I remember being impressed not only by her speaking skills, but also how well researched she was when it came to talking about all things related to diet culture. I was sold on her story once I listened to her TED Talk about the connections between fitspo and the freak show. Yes. The freak show as in the side shows that you'd often find at the circus back in the day.
Kate Browne teaches people and organizations how to tell stories that change the world for good. She is a professor of digital rhetorics and gender studies and the author of the first academic book on The Golden Girls. Kate's writing on storytelling as a wellness habit has appeared in Runner's World, Refinery29, and SELF magazine.
On this episode we talk about:
Kate's personal story of learning to love fitness as an adult.

The strange connection between fitspo (aka fitspiration/diet culture-y garbage fitness messaging) and the freak show.

How the stories we're told about fat people vs. thin people shape the way we see others and ourselves.

The story that before and after photos tell, and why that story sucks.

How to start to change that narrative and tell better stories.
CW: mention of weight/numbers.
Listen To Kate's Ted Talk
Follow Kate on TikTok
Follow Kate on Instagram
Work with me
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1 hr 8 min
July 26, 2022True Confessions of a Personal Trainer
So many personal trainers (and people who think they are) act like this fitness thing is SO easy. That anyone who doesn’t meet their definition of “in good shape” is lazy or undisciplined.
They lead us to believe that if we all just work out like they do and eat like they do that we’ll all have 6 pack abs and perfect butts and a thigh gap? I don’t even know what body parts are trendy anymore. I don’t care. All I know is that I need to shine a light on some of the bullshit.
Most personal trainers won’t share this stuff, but today I’m going to. I can only speak for myself, but I know a lot of people in the fitness industry and am 100% certain that many of these confessions are also true for others.
On this episode we talk about:
The real reasons why it's easy for me to work out.

How much genetics vs. behaviors play in to weight/shape/size.

How many fitness professionals hide behind "health" when they actually have an eating disorder.

How weird it is that we praise fitness as such a high accomplishment, but plenty of personal trainers like me are running around not knowing our multiplication facts and nobody cares.

The truth about what I actually eat and why I don't care what you do.

How privilege plays into all of this, and why it doesn't mean that I (we) don't work hard.

All sorts of other dirt about what goes on behind the scenes for many fitness professionals who seem to have it all together.
Work with me
Follow & tag me on Instagram
Read the blog post that inspired this episode
23 min
July 19, 2022Flexibility for Your Mind & Getting Unstuck with Dr. Paula Freedman
This week we're talking to one of my very best friends, Dr. Paula Freedman. If you ever hear me talking about the conversations I have with "my one friend who is a HAES aligned therapist", this is her! I'm SO pumped to let you into our world, because this convo basically a recorded version of what it's like to be eavesdropping on our conversation during a night out. Our convos can go all over the place, but this one really ties together ACT (a tool she uses in therapy) and many of the mindset tools I use to help my personal training clients develop consistency with strength training without letting diet culture creep back in. I always feel like she gives me space to be my most authentic self and also challenges my thinking too! She's such a great person to have in my corner of the world and I know you're gonna love talking with her too!
Dr. Paula Freedman is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist, Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor, and writer in Chicago, IL. In her private practice, HumanKind Psychological Services, she provides treatment for individuals who struggle with anxiety, perfectionism, and eating disorders. She enjoys helping people connect to their inner wisdom and live authentic and meaningful lives. She is the author of “The Addiction Recovery Workbook” and regularly writes about all things anti-Diet Culture for Psychology Today. She also trains and mentors psychology graduate students and provides online trainings for mental health clinicians. Dr. Paula loves a good metaphor, a witty comeback, and being in nature.
On this episode we talk about:
Why pain is inevitable but suffering is optional.

How we get stuck in our own suffering when we get fixated on certain beliefs and actions.

The concept behind psychological flexibility and how we can begin to change our relationship with our thoughts, feelings and experiences.

How all of this is related to the way many of us approach fitness and how that might be keeping you stuck in unhelpful patterns with exercise.

How social media, labels, and black & white thinking can cause harm, especially when it comes to trying to do fitness without diet culture.

How to figure out what your values are to create a more aligned and meaningful relationship with movement and everything else in your life.

So many other fun things!
Work with Dr. Paula
Follow Dr. Paula on TikTok
Follow Dr. Paula on Instagram
Work with me
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1 hr 9 min
July 12, 2022Working Out After A Break? 7 Ways To Set Yourself Up For Success & Make It Suck Less
It seems like a lot of people I know (myself included) have had to take a break from working out recently. I know I'm not alone right? Maybe you’ve been sick? Or you're just dealing with the weight of the damn WORLD? Chances are you’re also concerned about how this whole situation has affected your body and your fitness?
Whether you’ve gained weight, lost muscle & strength, or just feel out of practice with your usual activities (all totally normal and ok!), it’s important to set yourself up for success as you begin to return to “normal” workouts.
On this episode we talk about:
Why activities feel hard when you haven't done them in awhile, regardless of your weight or size.

Why the "beginning" is different for everyone (and why that's where you wanna start!)

How to manage your expectations so you don't wind up frustrated or disappointed in yourself.

How to "listen to your body" and challenge yourself appropriately without going overboard.

Why "good form" is both overrated AND important.

How to set realistic goals.

Why you don't have to choose between more structured workouts like lifting weights and other hobbies and obligations.

Why it's ok to ask for help!
Work with me
Follow & tag me on Instagram
Read the blog post that inspired this episode
26 min
July 05, 2022Cultivating Anti-Racism In Your Fitness Community With Simone Samuels
This week I have a very important and very timely guest on the podcast! Simone Samuels is here to share all her knowledge about cultivating anti-racism in your fitness community and why this matters. I originally met Simone through Body Positive Fitness Alliance, and now she's on their board of directors and has created an online course for them as well!
Simone Samuels is multi-passionate fitness professional, writer, and vlogger based in Toronto. In addition to being a group and aqua fitness instructor and personal trainer, she is also offers consulting and education around anti-racism and diversity, equity, and inclusion. She believes in creating a warm and welcoming non-judgmental environment for all participants and actively tries to make fitness spaces less intimidating. Her fitness philosophy includes a focus on Health at Every Size (HAES), using increased functionality and strength as indicators of success. Simone teaches at fitness centres in Toronto and also offers online group fitness and online personal training.
On this episode we talk about:
Why anti-racism is more than just "be a good person".

Why we can't point the finger at individuals (or ourselves) until we take a deeper look at the systems of oppression that are causing us to show up a certain way in the world.

What white supremacy culture is, and how it shows up in sneaky ways.

Why we, as fitness professionals need to be more curious and less judgmental of our clients, and why it's a privilege to be able to say "no excuses".

How systems of oppression like white supremacy culture, diet culture, and patriarchy are getting in the way of you listening to and accepting your body.

So many more important things!
Work with Simone
Follow Simone on Instagram
Take Simone's Course With Body Positive Fitness Alliance
Work with me
Follow & tag me on Instagram
1 hr 24 min
June 28, 2022Lessons From Lifting We Can Apply To Activism
How can I talk about fitness after Roe v. Wade being overturned? I can't. Not today. But being that diet culture and what just happened here are two different flavors of the same shit sandwich, I do wanna take the time to talk about some parallels. Before we get into any of this, I need to make one thing perfectly clear. I don't actually know WTF I'm doing here. I'm learning right along with you. I have always used my platform as a way to make sense of things that I’m working through in my own life and it helps to speak in a language I already know--strength training.
Now that we have that out of the way. . .
Silence does not=neutrality. As fitness professionals, it’s important to consider people’s mental and emotional well-being, as well as safety in the spaces we hold. Silence is not the answer here. When we, as fitness professionals, fail to take action or take a stance at times like this, it says a lot about who we actually care to help. So no, I will NOT stop talking about this anytime soon.
On this episode we talk about:
The many lessons from strength training we can apply to activism of all kinds.

How to use my idea of the strength savings account (from episode 7) to establish consistent action and why this matters.

How I'd LOVE to have an actual activist come on the podcast and tell us all WTF to do.

Screaming into the abyss.
Google doc for abortion rights activism
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35 min
June 14, 2022Beyond "Health At Every Size": Must-Read Books To Deepen Your Body Acceptance Journey With Jenn Radke
On today's episode I have a very special guest! Jenn Radke whose podcast I was actually on last year! If you aren't already aware, there was a bit of a situation that went down a few months ago that led me to reconsider some of the books I was recommending to my clients and followers. And so when I was searching for new books related to concepts like Health At Every Size, I knew that Jenn was the person to bring on to talk about it. Her podcast is LITERALLY about reading all the books!
Jennifer Radke is the host of the podcast, Fat Girl Book Club which is a book club discussion in a podcast format, all about body acceptance books. She is also a body image coach and a podcast coach. She started her own journey of disordered eating at the age of eight when she used to sneak into the basement deep freezer and eat pre-made cookie dough that her mother had put here for guests. After her long, heart-wrenching break up with diet culture, Jennifer began to focus on other aspects of fat liberation and helping others get off the diet rollercoaster. She now lives in British Columbia Canada with her incredible accepting dog, Yoda.
On this episode we talk about:
The reason why I (and many other anti-diet professionals) am reconsidering what books I recommend to my clients besides Health At Every Size.

Why it's important to have conversations around social justice issues even if they're messy and imperfect.

Why I'm not in a place to tell YOU what to read or how to react in these situations, but rather invite you into my process and encourage you to get curious and learn along with me.

Why it's important to think critically and check in with yourself when you're reading any book or consuming any content, rather than letting yourself get sucked into the echo chamber.

How memoirs can be an important tool in understanding people with different lived experiences than our own.

Some of Jenn's favorite book recommendations related to HAES, body acceptance, anti-diet culture, and more!
Articles & resources mentioned in the episode:
Mikey Mercedes' article
Lindley Ashline's article
ASDAH's article
Vinny Wellsby's podcast episode
Work with Jenn
Follow her on Instagram
Listen to her podcast
Additional book recommendations/Jenn's Patreon

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1 hr 18 min
June 07, 2022Why I'm Reconsidering My Use Of the Label "Body Positive"
This episode is meant to serve as a bit of a primer for an upcoming guest episode that I recorded about books I'm recommending other than Health At Every Size. More on that in a bit. While this might feel like a no-brainer for some of my listeners, I know plenty of you are newer to some of the concepts I talk about around her. So let's lay the groundwork for why I'm reconsidering my use of the words "body positive".
On this episode we talk about:
The original intentions behind "body positivity" and how that term is often misused and misunderstood.

Things that have NO business being in the same sentence and the words "body positive".

The problem with the misuse of this label and why I no longer want to be a part of that problem.

What I actually believe in as a coach, labels aside.

The deal with privilege and how it plays in to who we listen to when it comes to ideas like Health At Every Size, Intuitive Eating, body acceptance, etc.
Check out the blog post that inspired this episode!
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21 min

About Tough Cookie Talks

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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…

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Tough Cookie Talks

Tough Cookie Talks episodes

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