Built to Take the Hit-Then Hit Back Harder

After beating skin cancer, I didn’t tiptoe back into life. I charged into one of the hardest programs on Tonal: House Volume 2.

Why?

Because I needed to prove to myself that I’m not broken. That I’m stronger because of what I’ve been through, not in spite of it.

In this episode, I open up about:

🔥 Choosing hard on purpose

🔥 Why I push myself past the limit

🔥 The coach who taught me how to meet the tough stuff head-on

🔥 Training alongside my badass friend & the power of uplifting energy

🔥 What resilience really looks like after cancer

This one’s for anyone who’s walked through hell and came back lifting heavier.

This one’s for the fighters. 💪

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Transcript

0:00

Hey, welcome back to Strength in Numbers where we don't just lift weights, we lift ourselves through it. All you guys know I'm Katie, and today's episode, it's one of those where I'm gonna talk about why I chose one of the hardest programs on tonal, I think House of Volume two, right after beating skin cancer. I didn't want it to be like, I didn't want my first program to be easy. I know a lot of people were like, oh, she's probably gonna do Power Bill. She's gonna go right towards Power Bill. I wanted something that would like push back at me so I could prove I could prove something to myself that I'm still here. I'm still strong and de definitely not broken. This episode is all about resilience and choosing that hard on purpose and refusing to let life cancer write the ending for you. I'll also get into why I push the way I do and the incredible connection I have with my coach, and how doing this alongside my badass friend was a whole epic experience, even more electric. So let's dig in because this one. It's from the heart and the muscle. All right? After finishing all the cancer surgeries, I knew I needed to feel strong again, but I didn't wanna take a baby step. I didn't wanna go to my comfort zone. You know, I just wanted to get, I wanted something that was hard. I wasn't looking for that ease. I, I wanted to prove something to myself. So I decided House of Volume two, not in spite of, you know, what I've been through. Because of it. It's intense, brutal. And honestly, I, I craved that because I didn't want to feel fragile anymore. I didn't wanna feel like, I didn't wanna feel broken. I wanted to face something hard and say, let's fucking go. I needed to test myself to prove I was still standing. I was still capable. I was like, I was ready to take on all the kind of discomfort it was gonna bring, and I knew it would make me stronger. Not scared, so let's just say it. I know I push hard. I'm not sorry about it because I believe in myself more than ever. Not in acute kind of, you know, cute Pinterest quote kind of way, but you know, you've been through some things kind of way. I didn't fight through cancer. You know, I have our kid and rebuild my body just to take it easy. Now I push because I can, because I want to, because showing up when it's hard is exactly how I remind myself what I am capable of. And also pushing hard is fun. It's chaos. It's sweet. It's that moment when the music hits and you surprise yourself by hitting another rep when your brain said, Nope, I live for that. It's not about punishing myself, it's about believing that the best version of me hasn't even been built yet and I get to build her one rep at a time. So let's talk about my coach, Joe. Because this guy, he's, he's not just a coach to me. He's my mentor. You guys know when I first started on training, training on tonal, I just thought I was just gonna be lifting some weights and getting stronger. I was, but what Joe brought into my life was this whole other level of mental toughness, his style of coaching. It's not fluff. There's no coddling. He's just. I mean, the jokes, the humor, I love it. It's just raw, direct, and he's just incredibly smart and exactly what I needed. Joe just didn't tell me I could be strong. He built the path for me to prove to myself. I remember the few first few programs that I started with him. You guys know it was hard, like why am I doing this? Like, I can't do this. But what made me stick with it, it wasn't just like the gains and, you know, getting, you know, the numbers on the screen. It was the mindset he was teaching behind the programming. Joe has this way of prepping you for life, not just in the gym, but every deadlift, every drop set, every burnout finisher. It's like he, he's asking, you got more. And guess what I always did? Even when I didn't think I did, for some reason on that screen, he made me believe it. He made me believe more in myself. He made me believe in what I had inside me before I saw it in myself. And then cancer hit, everything changes. After a diagnosis like that. You wonder if you'll bounce back if your body will respond the same way. If somehow. You know, you're less.'cause I know that the thought process that was going through my brain, I'm gonna try to get through this without crying because it's never easy hearing that word. But in the back of my mind, I kept hearing the same tone, meet the stuff, meet the tough stuff head on, and it was Joe's voice, his style, his trust in the process that didn't vanish. I felt like I was soccer punched when I came back. I didn't wanna just ease in. I wanted to show him, and I wanted show myself, show my family that everything that I've learned from my coach, from my life, I kept it. I lived it. That I didn't just want, I just, I just didn't wanna hear his cues. I, I absorbed them. I wanted him to see that this wasn't just about reps and recovery, it was, it's about resilience, about walking into house of volume two. Like I'm still standing, let's fucking go. And truthfully, it means something deep to me to make, you know, my coach proud. I don't need his applause. I don't need PR bells or fireworks. What I need is to know that the person who helped shape the fighter in me seized what the effort was built and that I'm gonna keep moving forward. Joe's just not my coach. He's a part of my comeback story, multiple comeback stories. He's, he's part of my, he's a big part of my story, and every time I pick up that weight and do the work I. I am saying thank you without even needing to say anything. Doing House of Volume two was extra special, especially being alongside one of my good friends. It was a game changer. She was there for me when I got the cancer diagnosis. I, there's something powerful about sweating through hell with someone who gets it. Someone who shows up, encourages you and then hits you with girl, my chest is still on fire, but we just kept going. Watching her and hearing about her, crushing her goals every week, amped me up in a way I didn't expect. It is like this invisible energy loop that was like constant. Every week she levels up, I level up, we feed off each other in the best kind of way, and the conversations, they're so different. When you're surrounded by people who lift you, they're not trying to shrink you. It's not about burning calories, about, it's about building muscle mindset and building that momentum. There's no competition. There's no comparison. It's just 110% support and that shared ambition. And honestly, I'm obsessed with this energy. If you've never trained with someone who hypes you, that has like a mindset and then texts you an hour later that says, I still can't feel my arms, you are missing out on the best kind of sisterhood. Finishing this program didn't just feel good. It felt transformative because I know I didn't just survive cancer. I rebuilt something even better Afterward. Every rep, every pause, squat, every bench press, every sweaty finish, every pushup reminded me that I am just not back. I am different. I am more patient. I'm more present. I'm more powerful because when you've had something threaten your health, your life, you learn how to appreciate every single step back. Resilience is not, is isn't about bouncing back. It's choosing to step forward when you could easily sit down. It's doing the hard things not to prove a point to anybody, to the world. But to prove to yourself that you are still evolving this body. It's earned every drop of sweat, and I am not done yet. So why did I pick one of the hardest programs on tonal after beating cancer? Because I wanted to. Because I needed to, because I believe in myself now more than ever. House of Volume two wasn't just a workout program to me. It was a message to myself, you're still in the fight and you're coming back swinging to my coach. Joe, thank you for showing me how to meet the hard stuff head on. Your words, your programs, your trust in the process. They built this version of me and I'll never show and I'll never stop showing up because of that. To my friend Amy, who crushed this program alongside me. You made every lift lighter, every win sweeter, and every hard day was so worth it. And you, my listeners, you know, whether you are just starting out or crawling your way through something really heavy right now, you are not broken. You are being built. So go lift something. Go do something heavy. Go lift the heavy thing, go do the hard thing, go meet yourself on the other side. So thanks for hanging out with me. I'll catch you guys next week. Until then, keep showing up, keep pushing through, and keep proving to yourself that strength is never just physical because of you. You are built for this.