Sometimes it's more than fitness, sometimes you find your support network. Deciding to focus on your health & wellbeing can also put you in contact with people that may quickly become your fitness family.

I decided to be brave and invite both Jayne & Carla back on the podcast.... together! Do we digress a little? Yes. Do we use some naughty words? Yes (sorry). But hopefully these two are living proof of the power our gym community can have.

We chat about how supportive your new-found gym fam can be and discuss how important it us to us in our day-to-day lives.

So many more doors have been opened (forcefully) over that last few years in sport for women and that is a wonderful thing! Cerys chats to me about her experience playing competitive sport, how she got in to it, the sense of community it brings & also how the field has changed recently.

Sometimes the gym just isn't for you - so could sport be your answer? And do we realise how accessible it is now?

We also touch on sport & activity in education - based on Cerys' teaching background - and our own experiences of this.

Maybe it's time to try something new or find an alternative method to blow of some steam, in a healthy way!

Weight loss injections - whether you're for them or against them, you can't escape the fact that they are everywhere & they aren't disappearing anytime soon.

Sophie is a long-term client of mine who has experienced the weight loss injections first hand & we both thought it extremely important that others got to hear an open & honest discussion and account about them. For a long time, it's been a subject that has made others feel uncomfortable or people have shied away from mentioning - hopefully this can start a few more conversations.

Whilst this is definitely not a promotion of using them, we hope this helps eliminate any shame surrounding the use of them and provides a real account as to why someone may use them - especially someone like the wonderful Sophie who also appreciates the importance of exercise & activity, who has been a long standing member of the gym community for years.

We discuss Sophie's background and what made her make the decision to use the injections, as well as her journey on & off them.

Everyone's health & fitness journey is different & personal to them - I'm just here to help make sure that everyone is being safe, healthy & ultimately happy. No judgement, just maybe a few words of warning & advice.

You never know what that other person you see on the gym floor is going through, you may never know their backstory or their "why". Why they started, how they started, where they started & why they keep showing up. Well in this episode, Lisa share's her "why" and allows us an insight into her gym history.

We're both hoping this chat may inspire others to focus on their health & enjoy the impact in can have on our lives - our health can be one of the most important things we have, and it can often be taken for granted.

Everyone has a story - everyone is working through something - thank you Lisa for sharing yours and opening up. And thank you for reminding us the power exercise can have, on our health, our confidence & our self esteem.

If there's one topic that comes up more than any other when I'm chatting to you wonderful folk - it's HORMONES. The effect these can have on us is absolutely HUGE and they can sometimes affect us even more than we realise. And so here I present to you our first (and definitely not last) podcast episode discussing them.

For our first "hormonal chat", I'm joined by the lovely Jenna, who mirrors my openness with mental health and advocates for movement on a daily basis as part of her job - a really rather fantastic Pilates instructor.

Whilst it's safe to say all PMS is not a new sensation to any of us, Jenna joins me to discuss very honestly about her experience with PMDD. We chat about what exactly it is & how it can affect us, as well as how Jenna has managed it over the years.

Some of you may not be familiar with PMDD, however I feel there may be a few "lightbulb" moments whilst listening and, if nothing else, I hope this encourages people to feel comfortable discussing such matters. Sometimes all it takes is a chat with someone to realise exactly what "normal" is...

After feeling that the previous episodes have all been very "female-led" (absolutely no problem with that myself but I feel like it's important to hear many voices!), I thought it was time we invited someone with a little more testosterone alongside their point of view - enter Connor.

Connor joins me to discuss previous topics we've touched on in earlier podcasts, while providing his own perspective & experiences - body image, social media, gym mistakes and gym wins, etc

As a male Personal Trainer with almost 10 years experience under his belt, I hope you find his input to the podcast enjoyable & informative - helping quash any preconceived notions about men in the fitness industry or on the gym floor.

Join me and my wonderful "regular" client Carla for a chat about her health & fitness experience and how she's made it work for her.

Hear about how she found "gym community" and "gym commitment", and why she knows she'll never go back.

Carla share's her REAL journey to finding fitness approaching 50 and trusting the process - breaking through the training plateaus & focusing on the long term benefits. Oh and we have a fun time too...

In this episode I'm joined by the fabulous Kirstie Hynes of "The Healing Room".

After focusing predominantly on the fitness aspect of health in previous podcasts, we lean more into mental wellbeing in this chat, focusing on a more holistic approach to our health - including methods that Kirstie uses regularly with her own clients, such as reiki, sound baths & past life regression.

If you've ever wondered what any such techniques include then join me in hearing it first hand from a Master Reiki Healer herself. And hopefully get an insight into why so many people (myself included) are now regularly incorporating it into their wellness routine.

@the_healing_room_by_kirstie

Join me in this podcast with the wonderful Jamie of "The Pink Project" as we discuss body image & exercise, and how this changes when becoming a mum.

With Jamie's experience of working in the health & fitness industry & being around fitness professionals, we delve in to how this has affected not only her view on body image but also how we feel it may affect others.

Jamie also shares her own experience of staying active and healthy throughout pregnancy and while she juggles family life - providing insight & advice for those that may be wondering if & how to make it all work!

*Listen up for an exciting little exclusive in there too! *

For anyone that's apprehensive to take that leap into the world of gym or health & fitness, I'd like to introduce you to Jayne.

Jayne first set foot in to a gym in her mid-50s and by sharing her story & new found love of exercise, we're hoping this very real and honest chat can show anyone that it can be a welcoming, fun & extremely worthwhile leap to take.