What To Do When You’re Under Extreme Pressure

“I think life is an awful lot like a pressure cooker. Something delicious is waiting for you when you release the pressure.” Sometimes, you need the pressure. You know that saying about diamonds? Same goes for cheesy broccoli & rice in the InstaPot. You don’t get to the good stuff until you release the pressure. And with that- I’m not … Read More

Working Out Feels Different When It’s a Choice

It used to be admirable to be so dedicated to fitness… so relentlessly obsessed with changing & maintaining your aesthetic. Only a woman truly dedicated to the way her body looks can understand. To the onlookers- it’s admirable, it’s envious. Ya know? But you wanna know what I think is cooler than that? Loving the gym and having zero concerns … Read More

How To Handle Having Cellulite

Just like this. You just have it, continue to exist and carry on as usual, normalize it, and reduce shame by not trying to hide it. Bonus points for highlighting it. Fitness pursuits and athletic pursuits are different. They are not (or do not have to be) mutually exclusive. Years ago this would have wrecked me. “How could I be … Read More

I Don’t Want My Clients to Need Me

The Ideal Client Paradox I used to want clients that NEEDED me. You, too? It makes sense- if someone doesn’t desperately need you, they won’t hire you, right? Except, when a client is desperate for a change and doesn’t have a track record of being tenacious & resourceful on their own, you can accidentally create a less-than-empowering dynamic between you … Read More

Is Your Body A Reflection of How You Feel About Yourself?

A word, if I may. This idea that the way we look = how we feel is often backed by how we get our nails & hair done and “no one is shamed for doing that so why should women be shamed if they want to lose weight.” You’re not bad for wanting to lose weight- nor is that the … Read More

The Importance of Rest

Why are we so willing to coddle our pets when they rest, yet when we rest, we’re so quick to degrade ourselves, call ourselves lazy, and feel intense guilt over it? My dog, Mack, has taught me an awful lot about rest. First, he’s the cutest. Yet, what thoughts come up for you when you rest? If you’re like me, … Read More

Avoiding Injury While Returning To Your Gym

Injuries are about to sky rocket as more and more gyms open up. Here’s why: Outside of catastrophic events, injuries happen when load exceeds capacity. Load = force, weight, reps. Capacity = tissue & nervous system readiness. Even *if* you’ve been lifting at home like we have been (@ironphoenix.strengthclub & The Barbell Collective) the available load needed to create the same … Read More

4 Ways to Have a Better Experience With Your Coach

1: Do what you signed up to do. Was it take a course? Follow a program? Participate in discussion? Like with anything, you can throw your money at something, but transformation requires effort. Throwing money at a problem is *usually* not where the effort ends, it’s where it BEGINS. Before you decide “it’s not working” make sure that you, indeed, … Read More

Our Plan for Continued Inclusion Moving Forward

How The Confidence Project + Iron Phoenix Strength Club brands plan to resume & move forward; non-exhaustive lists: Things I will not be doing: Tokenize my team members so as to prove that I hire marginalized folx, Black womxn, or WOC. Tokenize my Black, WOC, & transgender clients so as to try and prove my “inclusiveness & diversity.” Simply performing … Read More

Does Your Anti-Racism Work Stop When the Popularity Dies Down?

Some of ya’ll seem to have forgotten to post about your sudden newfound anti-Racism on Columbus Day & Thanksgiving. Your kids do know Christopher Columbus didn’t discover America right? Your kids know what Thanksgiving actually represents, right? Can we expect to see you share those things also? Did you continue to watch the NFL even after they ruined Colin Kaepernick’s … Read More