For many Gen X and Millennial women, fitness was introduced through the lens of diet culture—workouts were about burning calories and getting smaller. But as we've grown older, we’re realizing that those outdated messages aren’t serving us anymore.
In this episode of the podcast, we explore a powerful shift: moving away from exercise as a means to shrink ourselves and instead embracing fitness as a way to enhance our quality of life and longevity.
This week, I sat down with strength coach Niki Sims of Barbell Logic to dive into the world of barbell training and why women should be lifting weights for strength, not just for weight loss. We discuss the misconceptions around fitness, why building muscle is the best investment for long-term health, and how strength training can be seen as a "401k for your quality of life."
The conversation also touches on our personal journeys—from struggling with body image and punishing exercise habits to fully embracing sustainable strength training as a source of empowerment. We unpack the barriers women face in strength training, including mobility challenges and myths about what it takes to be "successful" in the weight room.
In addition, we explore the balance between training and life, the importance of prioritizing recovery, and how learning to manage stress can help women thrive in midlife and beyond.
This episode is packed with inspiration, practical advice, and a fresh perspective on what it truly means to train for longevity. If you’re ready to rethink your approach to fitness, this conversation is for you!
🔥 Strength is for Every Woman – Niki and Alison break down why strength training isn’t just for athletes or bodybuilders but is crucial for every woman at any stage of life.
💪 Muscle is an Investment – The discussion highlights how lifting weights isn’t about aesthetics but about autonomy, longevity, and quality of life.
🚫 Say Goodbye to Diet Culture – They unpack the damaging cultural messages that have kept women away from the weight room and how shifting the focus from weight loss to strength gain is a game changer.
🏋️♀️ Lifting is Empowering – Whether it’s adding more plates to the bar or simply feeling more capable in daily life, the benefits of barbell training extend far beyond the gym.
✅ You’ve ever felt intimidated by the weight room.
✅ You’re curious about barbell training but don’t know where to start.
✅ You’re in midlife or post-menopause and want to maintain strength and independence.
✅ You’re tired of fitness being solely about shrinking your body and want to focus on gaining something meaningful.
✅ You want to future-proof your health and avoid the pitfalls of aging without strength training.
The difference between training for weight loss vs. training for strength and longevity.
Why muscle is your best insurance policy for health, mobility, and independence as you age.
How lifting weights helps with blood sugar regulation, metabolism, and overall energy levels.
Why recovery is just as important as training (and how to do it right).
How strength training changes the way you see your body—moving from dissatisfaction to deep appreciation.
The surprising connection between strength training and mental resilience.
How Barbell Logic's online coaching can help you start strength training at any level, from beginner to advanced.
Niki Sims is a passionate advocate for helping others realize their physical potential. With over a decade of experience in barbell coaching, she specializes in creating personalized programs, refining technique, and offering unwavering support. Her journey has been marked by a personal transformation from struggling with body image to embracing a healthy relationship with training, nutrition, and agency, highlighting her deep understanding of the importance of building muscle for longevity and strength. Niki is also the host of the Beast Over Burden Podcast & former host of the Barbell Logic Podcast, a Top 200 Fitness Podcast in the US, Canada, and Australia.
🔗 50% Off First Month of Coaching – barbell-logic.com/fitbottomedgirls and with coupon code: fitbottomedgirls
📌 Find Barbell Logic Online – Barbell Logic Website
📸 Follow Niki on Instagram – @niki.in.the.gym
This episode was brought to you by Miles to Go Athletics. Take our app-based training community for a two-week no obligation test drive here.
Enjoying the podcast? Make sure to hit that Subscribe button so you never miss an episode filled with insightful conversations. And don’t forget to leave us a review—it helps more people discover the show!
This episode is packed with insight, inspiration, and practical tips to help you embrace strength training as a lifelong practice. Tune in, get motivated, and start lifting! --Alison
Diet culture is making a resurgence and we couldn't be more pissed off about it.
The signs are everywhere. New weight loss drugs that are making people think our bodes are more changeable than they actually are and promise in their advertising the same shit diets have promised for generations and failed to deliver on -- the myth of transformation. Former champions of body positivity have gone to the dark side. Vogue Business is reporting a "worrying return to using extremely thin models" and a drop-off in size inclusivity in the fashion industry.
There are whole industries out there that make billions of dollars each year by making us feel bad about our bodies and selling "solutions" to our "problematic" bodies that never actually provide any sustainable long term results. And every time we get wise and push back, they come up with some other thing that we should obsess over in order to be deemed worthy.
In this week's episode of The Fit Bottomed Girls Podcast, I sat down with FBG Alex to explore the resurgence of diet culture, its historical roots, and our personal experiences with disordered eating habits and poor body image provoked by diet culture's false promises of "thinness = health."
We're calling out diet culture for what it is—a force that keeps people perpetually chasing thinness under the guise of "health," often at the cost of their mental health, physical health, and overall well-being.
We both have been deeply affected in a negative way by diet culture—as two women who grew up in two different generations and two different countries—so we are not going back without putting up a fight. In this episode, we tackle diet culture head-on, expose its toxic roots, and call bullshit on its core arguments that:
We also call out platforms like Tumblr (flashback to the "thigh gap" years) and Instagram for perpetuating toxic body standards. Social media has become a breeding ground for unrealistic “fitspiration” and fear mongering over what defines “good” or "clean" food. This influence has paved the resurgence of outdated thin-focused trends, even after years of body positivity efforts.
In this episode, we also share our own personal raw stories along side real, uplifting strategies for reshaping how we see our bodies. We also stress the importance of support systems in navigating these challenges and emphasize that healing is a journey that involves recognizing and managing one's thoughts and feelings about body image.
Whether you’re over the endless scroll of “fitspo” or tired of battling unrealistic expectations, this episode is packed with wisdom, compassion, and a whole lot of truth-telling. If you’re ready to challenge the noise and start rewriting your own body story, give this one a listen.
It's a raw and deeply personal chat about the re-emergence of diet culture and its unsettling impact on mental and physical health. From the societal pressures tied to thinness to the toxic influence of social media, this conversation peels back the layers of a system that far too often equates body image with worth.
🚨 Heads up, this episode dives into heavy, relatable territories like disordered eating and body image struggles.Whether you're navigating your own healing or simply curious about the nuances of diet culture—this one’s powerful.
✅ You've ever what exactly is "diet culture."
✅ You’ve wondered how diet culture and social media influence our choices, beliefs, and beauty standards.
✅ You’re interested in how diet culture intersects with mental health, control, and historical societal norms.
✅ You’ve ever wondered how to push back on diet culture and unhealthy beauty standards.
Tune in now to hear the personal experiences of FBGs Alison and Alex!
👉 Listen to the Full Episode Here
👉 Watch the episode on YouTube
Alex is a badass Mindset & Life Coach for go-getters who want to achieve their massive goals AND thrive as a human (because you don’t have to sacrifice your well-being for success!). She also brings the “IT” to fitness through Shuffle Dance, where she embodies her weird, quirky personality on the dance floor while breaking a SWEAT and doing footwork faster than Scooby & Shaggy running on the spot. Her shuffle dance education platform, Shuffle S.H.R.E.D, teaches this iconic dance style AND ties in the importance of mindset to EVERYTHING she teaches her students.
Alex Kennedy is a mindset coach with a knack for helping her clients unravel their tangled relationships with control, identity, and perfectionism. By sharing her own struggles with diet culture and body image, she validates the experiences we don’t always talk about. Stay connected with Alex on Instagram (@alexnicolekennedy) for more mindset tips and inspiration to help you face life’s challenges with grace.
This episode was brought to you by Miles to Go Athletics. Take our app-based training community for a two-week no obligation test drive here.
Enjoying the podcast? Make sure to hit that Subscribe button so you never miss an episode filled with insightful conversations. And don’t forget to leave us a review—it helps more people discover the show!
We hear so much about cortisol, the "stress hormone," on social media these days. Cortisol has become a buzz word in the health and fitness industry—part of a cautionary tale used to warn women away from intense bouts of exercise they age.
From fear-mongering posts about how it’s ruining your health to questionable advice from "hormone coaches" selling pricey supplements and restrictive diets—it can be hard to separate fact from fiction.
That’s why we brought in the expert, Dr. Carla DiGirolamo—a Board Certified Obstetrician/Gynecologist, Reproductive Endocrinologist, Menopause Society Certified Practitioner, and fitness enthusiast (not to mention a CrossFit trainer and certified nutrition coach). She’s spent her career helping active women—from puberty to menopause—optimize their mental and physical performance. Yep, she’s basically a rockstar when it comes to understanding hormones and coaching high-performing women.
This week’s episode of The Fit Bottomed Girls Podcast is all about cortisol—the misunderstood “stress hormone” everyone loves to hate. We’re cutting through the noise, debunking myths, and exploring how cortisol plays a critical role in your health, fitness, and overall resilience. Together, Dr. Carla and I tackle the conversation we all need to hear about cortisol, women’s health, and the truth behind those viral hormone claims.
Seriously, this week’s episode is one for the books.
Dr. Carla’s analogy of cortisol as the trombone in a much larger orchestra will completely change the way you think about hormones, stress, and health. (Spoiler alert: it’s not all about cortisol!) She also dives into practical ways to dial down stress, recover better, and stay strong as you age.
Recovery isn’t just a checkbox after a workout—it’s where improvement actually happens. Whether it’s dialing in your nutrition, prioritizing sleep, or finally learning to love your cool-down routine, recovery helps you stay resilient and ready for your next challenge.
✅ You’ve been freaked out by cortisol content on social media.
✅ You want to know how to be stronger (and healthier) as you age.
✅ You’re curious about how hormones impact your stress and performance.
Tune in now to hear Dr. Carla’s incredible insights and practical advice!
👉 Listen to the Full Episode Here
👉 Watch the episode on YouTube
Dr. Carla DiGirolamo is a double Board-Certified Obstetrician/Gynecologist and Reproductive Endocrinologist specializing in caring for active and high-performing women from puberty through menopause. Dr. Carla completed her residency training in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Brown University Medical School/Women and Infants’ Hospital and Reproductive Endocrinology fellowship training at the Massachusetts General Hospital at Harvard Medical School.
Dr. Carla has 20 years of experience as a fertility specialist and more recently as a Menopause Society Certified Practitioner. She is also an endocrine consultant for Wild Health and Eternal Life. She has been featured in Boston Magazine’s Top Doctors in the Boston area for 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024.
Dr. Carla has been featured in multiple podcasts and speakerships at various events discussing the physiology of the hormonal changes of menopause, hormone therapy, and optimizing physical performance in elite and avid recreational female athletes. Dr Carla is also the author of multiple courses including the “Menopause Fitness Specialist” course with MedFit Classroom, and the “Strong” and” Navigate Menopause” courses with Feisty Media.
Dr. Carla has been in the fitness industry her entire life as a recreational athlete and for more than a decade as a fitness professional with credentials as a CrossFit Level 1 Trainer and Certified Nutrition Coach. As a pioneer in Women’s Performance Endocrinology, she specializes in optimizing mental and physical performance in women in high-performance professions and female athletes of all ages.
Dr. Carla has a blog through Substack called “Athletic Aging”. https://www.athleticaging.blog/ and her second publication “Performance Edge” https://www.performanceedge.blog/ launched in February 2023
Website: https://www.drcarlad.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carla.digirolamo.14
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr_carla_d/
Linked in: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carla-digirolamo-0109b8103/
This episode was brought to you by Miles to Go Athletics. Take our app-based training community for a two-week no obligation test drive here.
Enjoying the podcast? Make sure to hit that Subscribe button so you never miss an episode filled with insightful conversations. And don’t forget to leave us a review—it helps more people discover the show!
With a new year, comes new goals and new resolutions. The end of one year and the beginning of another provide the perfect opportunity to pause, take stock, and reflect on the goals we want to achieve and the habits we hope to form. But what if the biggest obstacle standing in the way of your success wasn’t external? What if it was rooted in our own beliefs and thought patterns?
That’s exactly what we explore in this week’s episode of The Fit Bottomed Girls Podcast, where I sat down with FBG Alex - a mindset coach passionate about helping individuals break free from limiting beliefs and step into their full potential - to break down five common beliefs that might be holding you back from achieving your goals.
It’s not enough to set resolutions and goals. To truly pave the way for meaningful transformation, we need to confront the mental roadblocks that get in our way.
From over-scheduling yourself to ditching that all-too-familiar self-critical voice, Alex and I dig deep into the mindset shifts you can make to move into the new year with intention and clarity.
If you’re ready to leave behind what no longer serves you and create space for personal growth, this episode is a must-listen.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
About Alex Kennedy:
Alex is a badass Mindset & Life Coach for go-getters who want to achieve their massive goals AND thrive as a human (because you don’t have to sacrifice your well-being for success!). She also brings the “IT” to fitness through Shuffle Dance, where she embodies her weird, quirky personality on the dance floor while breaking a SWEAT and doing footwork faster than Scooby & Shaggy running on the spot.
Her shuffle dance education platform, Shuffle S.H.R.E.D, teaches this iconic dance style AND ties in the importance of mindset to EVERYTHING she teaches her students.
Follow Alex on social media:
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