NYSC: Strong, Healthy, and Still Ourselves

In this episode, I sit down with Baylee Bishop, Strength and Conditioning coach at KTLYST Fitness and Athlete Lab, to talk about what it really means for women to feel strong, healthy, and at home in their bodies.

We get into myths so many of us grew up with: the fear of "getting bulky," the pressure to stay small, and the idea that fitness should be about appearance instead of strength. We talk honestly about what changes when women start lifting heavy, how strength training supports long-term health, and why taking up space - physically and mentally - can still feel uncomfortable for so many of us.

This conversation is relaxed, real, and rooted in everyday life.  It's for women balancing work, family, and everything in between, while trying to take care of themselves in a way that actually feels sustainable.

If you've ever felt intimidated by strength training or unsure where fitness fits into your life, this one is for you.

Please FOLLOW Baylee on IG (@baybish.lifts) and KTLYST Fitness and Athlete Lab (@ktlyst_fitness_and_athlete_lab) to learn more about them!

New episodes drop weekly!

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Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:02

Welcome to Not Your Southern Chick. The podcast for no topic is off limits. America, a Colombian woman raising a kid and raising hell in the South. Around here, we talk life, love, friendship, menopause, and everything in between. Laughter, honesty, and zero apologies. Let's get into it. Hello, everybody, and welcome back to episode 11 of Not Your Southern Chick. Thank you so much once again for tuning in this week. I have the coolest person to talk to today. Her name is Bailey Bishop. She is a performance coach and USA weightlifting level one certified coach. Certified in strength and conditioning. She did her undergrad at FTCU. She is currently doing her master's at FSU in athletic coaching. She is currently a strength and conditioning coach at Catalyst Fitness and Athlete Lab here in St. Augustine. And she's just a badass. I wanted to bring her on because I want to talk about women and I want to talk about women and strength. Women and going to the gym and all the things. So Bailey, say hello.

SPEAKER_00 1:07

Hello, everyone. I'm so excited to talk about this today.

SPEAKER_02 1:11

Oh my gosh, I'm so excited. So I have the pleasure of knowing Bailey just for a few months, actually. She joined Catalyst Fitness and Athlete Lab. And for those who don't know, Catalyst is a strength and conditioning gym and an athlete lab. So for the for the kids out there that are looking to get into um, you know, real sports, like really, really go for it and get drafted and do all the things and play professionally, or they really just want to be badass at the sports that they're playing in school. Um, Catalyst Fitness and Athlete Lab is the place to be and the and the way, you know, the place to go. So Bailey is one of the coaches there. She is amazing. She came in guns blazing in December of 2025, and since then has won the hearts of all of the members there, including myself. Um, so thank you, Bailey, for bringing such a beautiful and different perspective. Because I'll tell you that I've been a member of this gym, but also, you know, Taylor training before that and uh the exchange over uh near Palencia as well. And I've always been a part of these kind of like class-based um workouts, and and it's been mostly dudes, right? It's been like good coaches um for the most part. So to have a female coach is just so important for what it does to like your psyche and your motivation, and just being there and saying, like, yes, this person is gonna show me how to do it right, and I'm not gonna get hurt, and we're gonna do the best that we can, right? Because like people get so intimidated when they walk into a gym. And number one, they get so intimidated, and we'll talk about this later, but like women, especially, I feel like they get so intimidated when they walk into a gym and they see people like lit, you know, doing 400-pound deadlifts or they're you know, using a barbell. To me, a barbell was so intimidating when I first started working out and I avoided it at all costs because I just didn't feel like I could do it. Um, but it's also because I'm seeing all these women that had been going for years already and they're lifting and they make it look so easy, and you immediately get intimidated, you know, like I'm not gonna be able to do that. So um that's kind of one of kind of why I wanted to have you here is because I wanted to not only get into like how you got into this and all of that, but like how you got over some of those things that, you know, I think haunt all of us as women as we're growing up. Like, you know, is is strength really beautiful? Is it really the way to the go? So let's jump right in. Yeah, let's go for it. How did you get into this world in the first place?

SPEAKER_00 3:26

So it actually is so fitting for this conversation because freshman year of high school, I didn't want to do like any boring electives. So I told my parents, I was like, okay, like I want to do weightlifting. So I signed up for the weightlifting class, and I was actually the only female in the class, which at first I was like, oh my gosh, what did I get myself into right now? Like, I literally was probably 90 pounds on a good day, five foot two. Everybody's probably like, what is this little girl doing coming to weightlifting class? But I immediately, like, I've always been into working out. I have an older brother, I don't have any sisters, so it was just me and him. So I was kind of always like thrown into that. And so I was like, you know what, let's just do it. And it just so happened that the teacher who taught that class was also the girl's weightlifting coach. So he would watch me over the time, and he ultimately asked me if I would come out and try for the team. So I went home, talked to my parents about it, and my mom was like, What are you talking about? You like a weightlifting team. Like she was so nervous. My parents have always been like, if that's something you truly want to do, we will support. So I jumped right in. I fell absolutely in love with the whole sport, and our like mantra for the team actually was strong is beautiful. So that was like the biggest thing. Um, so honestly, yeah, that's how I came into this world of loving weightlifting, you know, strong is beautiful, and just yeah, it's so fitting for this conversation, but that's awesome.

SPEAKER_02 5:06

And for those of you for for those of the you know who don't know what you do or like don't understand it, how would you describe what you do in just like the simplest terms?

SPEAKER_00 5:15

Well, considering, so if you were talking Olympic weightlifting, because I also coach that at a local high school around here, Creekside High School, I coach the girls and the boys weightlifting team now, which has been a complete full circle for me, but I love it. Um, with that, you know, with Olympic weightlifting, it's known, at least in high school, it's known as bench press, we do a snatch and then a clean and jerk, which those two are pretty complex movements. Kind of hard to understand if you're not seeing it. But here at Catalyst, you know, I'm working both on the adult side and the athlete side, and I'm just helping people be the best versions of themselves. You know, it doesn't always have to be these complex movements. So just functionally training the adults on this side and pushing athletes to their limits on the other.

SPEAKER_02 6:01

That's awesome. That's so cool. And I can tell you so a couple things. So number one, I've had the pleasure of meeting her daddy, and I've been working out with him the past couple Wednesdays. Um, so we've been hit, we've been going hard the past couple weeks, and it's been really awesome. So that's number one. But number two, I want everyone to think about how important it is to when you're listening to Bailey's story. One of the things that resonates with me is she had access, you know, she had access to like all of these wonderful programs in school, and you had weightlifting as you know, as a sport in your school. I I lived in New Jersey and I grew up in a very poor side of town. And so for us, we didn't have access to that stuff. So truly, Bailey, like I didn't even know that that stuff existed in high school. I had no idea. Uh, your boss, Rich Boy Mike, who grew up in Long Island, New York, had access to all this shit. And he was like, I can't believe you didn't have access to you know 17 languages. And I was like, Whoa, I was in the one square mile town. Like, I had no idea. So for me, like growing up, I I feel like as I see myself today, I'm like, wow, like I probably could have been more athletic, and I I probably had it in me because I I feel like I have the the discipline and the the stamina, you'll say discipline for sure, stamina, I don't know, but like I I'm working on it. But um, I probably could have, but because we just didn't have access, you know, it's it's like you know, you had all of these kind of missed opportunities. Um, so anyway, like as as folks are thinking about having children and you know getting into that, it's so important to think about their development and supporting them in all of the all of the things, right? Like you had parents that said, if that's what you want, go do it, right? Yeah, a thousand percent. Yeah, no limitations. I'll tell you that. Your daddy, when he introduced himself last week to me the first time, I said, We love Bailey, and he said, We love her too, which I thought was so endearing. But then also he's so proud to talk about like the gym setup you guys have in the gym and how you set it up, and you know, like it's just there's full support there, which is just it's just wonderful to see and a testament to who you are as a person. Uh so I wanted to say that to you. Yeah, my parents are my best friends, so I love that. Let's talk about the myths that we grew up with because I know I touched on that a little bit ago. What messages do you think women grew up hearing about exercise and bodies?

SPEAKER_00 8:22

Honestly, it was the biggest thing. Like it was really hard to get girls to want to join our team because you know, the biggest myths, and my mom struggled with it a little bit at first, but she had full trust in me, and so she quickly found out that these myths were not correct. You know, everybody is told, like, if girls go to the gym, like they're gonna get bulky, they're gonna look like these guys. And I'm like, guys, we are not made to look like that. Like, we would have to be, you would have to be putting so many other things into your body if you wanted to look like a linebacker. So like I just wish like more girls, and quickly, as we started, I started to get some of my friends to join. It was more of like, okay, like I'm not gonna get bulky, but I'm really gonna like be able to prove something to myself that I can do these like new and scary things, and it's such a joy, both for me when I was a teammate and like as a coach now, to like see my younger female athletes, you know, finally get that lift or finally get the form to click, and just you can see their whole face and everything light up, and they're just like, oh wow, like I can do this. Like, to me, like that's what I want people to realize in the gym. Like, it's not like yes, the social media, it's all about the aesthetics and the looks right now. But deep down, I feel like women should be focusing more on that you can do hard things, you can do new things just because some people make it look so easy or so hard doesn't mean that you can't do it.

SPEAKER_02 9:51

That's a beautiful message. I'll tell you that my mama is one of those that consistently reminds me not to lift so heavy because I'm gonna look like a boy. Uh but my mom is like a you know, almost 70 and a true Latina. She's from Coreia. Yeah, like there, no, there's not even a moment in her life that she has been athletic or you know, she was the mom and she was supposed to be home and she's not supposed to, you know, when I have conversations with her now about hey mommy, you need to move your body because yeah, as we get older, it's gonna get harder and harder. Like she she it doesn't resonate with her to her. It's like, well, I'm you know, I don't drink, I don't do drugs, I don't, you know, I'm I you know eat relatively well, like I should be fine. And I was like, and I keep telling her, like, no, you have to move your body, like avoid all of these things. And then she sees me and she's just kind of like, you know, I post on you know social media, like, oh, I got you know a PR and X, Y, or Z, and I'm so proud of it. And then she texts me and she goes, You look, she'll go every time, you look beautiful, please be careful, don't look like a boy every single time. I'm like, oh my god, you know, like it's like a constant reminder, like it's not that's not gonna happen, but yeah, it's so funny. Why are so many women still afraid of lifting heavy? Why do you think?

SPEAKER_00 11:12

I honestly think one, because like you were saying earlier, it's such like an intimidating realm, and honestly, like even like at my college gym, like luckily I went to college with my boyfriend who's now my fiance, but I felt I'm very comfortable in the gym. Like, that is my safe space. But I did feel a little bit more comfortable when he was there, just you know, walking onto the free weight side. It's nothing but dudes. That can be extremely intimidating for somebody who, you know, that could be their first time walking into the gym, and they're just like, oh my gosh, like, let me try to find the smallest corner I can go to. And are these people gonna laugh at me for picking up the five-pound dumbbells? I I just feel like it all comes back to intimidation, you know, not knowing what they're doing and afraid to get hurt because nobody's there to show them how to do it, or they don't want to ask a guy to show them how to do it. Um, like a lot of times at the college gym, like I would see some girls like looking a little lost or confused, and I would just straight up go to them and I would be like, hey, like, do you need help setting up something or do you need help? And they'd be like, honestly, yeah, like I'm trying to do this and I have no idea what I'm doing. And I'm like, okay, well, I would love to help you, like stuff like that. I feel like that's when people go to the gym and then they quit because they're so intimidated from their first experience.

SPEAKER_02 12:28

That's a really good point. And the and the other side too, I feel like sometimes women put so much pressure on themselves to get it right from the jump. Like they have to know how to do it, and then they go so hard. And I've told my friends this so many times, like, hey, like going to the gym does not mean that you have to, you know, deadlift 200 in the first week. Like, that's gonna, you're gonna get hurt. But I feel like it's there's an impatience to it, right? There's like an impatience factor, like, okay, since I'm going to the gym, I should start to see results right away. Right. And if I don't see them, I'm gonna either kick my own ass as hard as I possibly can and then end up quitting anyway because I can't keep up. I'm gonna get hurt or I'm just tired. Or ah, this isn't for me, it's not working out, you know. So there's so many things. And then the other layer, which I don't know, Bailey, because you're you're younger than me, but like at least in my I don't even know if this still exists. I think it does, but like I, you know, I don't know. But in my generation, you know, women were they preferred the the skin like to be as thin as possible, and and the goal was that the scale, you know, getting that number down. Um, and I don't think it's like that anymore. I feel like it's shifted where like being strong is the newest of like Zephyr.

SPEAKER_00 13:46

I will say for sure, like, especially I feel like social media doesn't help this, but just from me being on social media and what I'm seeing is definitely is starting to see that switch in like younger women like of my age in our 20s. It's definitely that switch, and I'm loving to see it that everybody is wanting to become strong for themselves, for their future. That's the biggest thing. Like, obviously, I've always grown up working out, but now you know I'm getting close to being married, and then obviously my biggest dream has always been to be a mom. So I want to keep training for my future. I always want to be that mom that can get in the ground, you know, play around with my kids, always be able to pick up my kids. I just I just feel like people need to realize also going in the gym, literally everybody is training for something different, and there's such a wide spectrum of things people can train for. That's why I wish a lot of people wouldn't compare numbers or the way they look, because again, not everybody's training goal is the same, and that's entirely okay. And I don't think everybody's training goal should be the same because everybody lives a completely different lifestyle. I love that point.

SPEAKER_02 14:53

And I and you could see it, and I think it's one of the things that I love so much about catalysts or or you know, catalysts, but also just that sort of structured gym, is because you can attest to it because you're, you know, you're our coach sometimes, you know, during the week. Um, when I look around the gym on on my side on the you know, what we call gen pop, not the athlete side of the gen pop side. I I'm working out with, you know, Mr. Ron, that's like almost 80 years old. I know. Over there deadlifting. It's good. I know. And then you have, you know, Marsha, and you have, you know, folks who've been through, you know, hysterectomies and massectomies and uh, you know, brand new people that are just starting and they're like, you know, they walk in and there's again what I just said earlier, right? They're seeing people kind of already in it. And I feel like what we do as a community is we we like almost like embrace them, like we kind of feel it, we feel their intimidation from the get-go, and you know, the people do such a good job at like just like, hey, come join us. Like we're this is where you know, you're in the right place, you know. Um, and that builds community, it builds community, it builds support, it changes that perspective. And I just absolutely love to see the smiles on everybody's faces afterwards, and just feeling like I didn't want to come, I was super intimidated, and I loved it, you know, and it's you're absolutely right because their journey is different and it and it fits, you know, whatever it is. Um, how can women pursue fitness in a way that supports their life instead of controlling it? And I and I'll say that and I'll pause there because that is something else that I've had to deal with with my family, is because our family, and this is this is cultural too, so like there is an element of that, but you know, it might resonate with others. Um for me growing up, again, because we were not the women in my family were not athletic, we we didn't, you know, that wasn't the thing. My brothers were. I have I'm uh the only girl in my family, so I have three brothers, all athletic, all are you know, soccer and tennis, you name it, they did it. Um, but I I did not. So as I began this journey into, you know, health and fitness and and doing this part, which is before the babies, the baby's almost eight. So we'll say, let's say maybe 10, 10 or 10 or 11 years ago, um, I started really actively and consistently working out. Yeah. Um, my my parents were very much about, you know, they'll repeat to me things like, you're obsessed. You're obsessed, right? Like you should, you know, when I say when I build my day around the gym, the gym is at this time and then my day begins. Um, hi, you know, why are you, you know, you could miss a day. You could miss a day. That's not that, and that, you know, is that sort of like voice in the back of your mind, you know, and it starts to play, you know, play a role in your life. So, you know, how can we change that perspective? With because I believe that there's a lot of women out there that feel that way.

SPEAKER_00 17:43

A thousand percent. And I honestly feel like people who have been working out for a while, that's who it affects the most because they've been in it for so long. Like, I've dealt with it with so many of my friends. I dealt with it um recently after two years ago when I lost my grandfather. I was like, this is the only thing in my life that I can control right now. And so when I wouldn't go to the gym, you know, I would just be there in my thoughts, and I'd be like, why am I not at the gym right now? And a lot of my friends, they're like, No, I can't take a day off. And I'm like, why? Like, why can't they're like, well, because then I'm gonna be behind. And I'm like, be behind on what? Like, this is your journey. This is you. Like, if this is the only thing in your life that you can control, like let it be that way. Nobody's holding you to a deadline, you need to go to the gym today, or X, Y, and Z is gonna happen. Like, that's what I wish people would realize. And if you know, I wish people would also change it as like, okay, well, if it's because this is the only way in life you show up for yourself, well, I'm sure there's something else in your day that makes you feel good, like once you complete it. Like, I don't know about you, but like once I finish my coffee, I'm like, whoo!

unknown 18:52

Good day.

SPEAKER_00 18:53

It's a good day today, you know? Or when I check a few things off my to-do list, even if, you know, I already completed it, but I wrote it down after to check it off. Accomplished, I just wish people would honestly, you know, like you don't just have to go to the gym to like feel accomplished in your day. Like, there's so many other things that you can do, and it doesn't even have to be going for the to the gym. Like, how about like on your lunch break instead of you know doom scrolling on your phone? You go outside in the nice, beautiful Florida heat, you know, go for a nice little walk. I just feel like people need to look at it in a different way than they are, if that makes sense.

SPEAKER_02 19:29

I I agree with you, I like that. And and I covered that in my last episode where I was saying, you know, how do we go back to like who are we when we're not doing things for other people, right? And especially women, right? So I speak up about it in the woman from a woman's perspective, and um, you know, I'm Bailey, I'll I'll be waiting for you, and you when you get married and you have your beautiful babies, and we can, you know, we can discuss what that looks like because it is, it's like this up, this it's just like your world changes and it becomes all about that little family that you're building. And there's a lot of pressure on women, especially nowadays, to do all of it, right? And if you don't do all of it, then you are neglecting a part of your life. And that, you know, to your point, you know, finding those pockets of of of peace, you know, those moments of of you know self-reflection coming back to yourself are so important. And if it is the gym, if that is the only hour that you have, and that is your hour, then make it something beautiful and don't turn it into an obligation. Because I think that also leads to uh not being able to keep up with it when it becomes an obligation and it becomes part of that, like, oh, I gotta go to the gym. You're the chances now have just increased that you're probably gonna quit at some point in time. Yeah. Because it's just unsustainable. Um, but if if it becomes an extension of who you are and it makes you better, yeah, your chances of staying on it and making it a part of your life style, it just goes, it exponentially grows. A thousand percent. Um, why do you think that there's still judgment around women who are visibly strong? Right? So let's switch gears a little bit here. And there are women that look strong as fuck, right? Like there's oh yes. And I think it's beautiful, but then there's some people that are like, Matt, you know, like that's because they want that like skinny, sexy, blah, blah, blah.

SPEAKER_00 21:23

Yes. I honestly think a lot of it has to do, and again, I love social media. I'm 23 year old. 23 years old, guys. I love social media. But I really think it is it is so harmful for a lot of people. I really do. But I think a lot of it comes from we people who don't have the most confidence in themselves are extremely intimidated by the people that do. And it makes them uncomfortable or it makes them irritated. I love when I see a strong woman walking around, I'm like, yep, mm-hmm. As in Yes, ma'am. Like I love it. And I don't think people should be afraid of that because you know what? Like, to me, when I see somebody who is like a woman that is very physically fit, I'm like, you show up for yourself. Like, you don't care what anybody else thinks, you show up for yourself. And, you know, yes, I may coach for a living. I may like whatever. But there's still times where I'm like, shoot, like, I wish I looked like them. Like I do. But then I have to remind myself, you know, like everybody's made differently. Not everybody's meant to look the exact same, but I can come the best version of myself, and she's gonna be the best version of herself. And I love that for them.

SPEAKER_02 22:37

Yeah, I love that. I I do that a lot. And and again, this is generational too. And I'm seeing a lot of the of the changes and the positive changes that your generation is making away from the way that we used to think, you know. And I love that. I love that. You're right. Social media is fucking trash most of the time. Um, it really is. And and again, because our old our generation and our and the generation before mine is using it uh differently than y'all, right? I see there's a difference in how you guys are using it than how we use it. Um it plays a different role, right? So I I do think that I love a strong woman. I think they are so sexy. I think they are so, I mean, a confident person that walks into their job, their home, their friend circle, their gym, their, you know, anything, their hobbies, whatever, and they are empowered by it and they own it. Oh man, that's like the coolest person. And I want to like emulate them. I want to attach myself to them. You're like, show me, right? Like, show me how many I want to do it too. Um, unfortunately, amongst women though, there's such uh there's such competition. And so like there's that piece of it too, where like you're over here doing you, and uh, you know, I I'm how you know on this podcast, and you know, I'm loving every second of it, and I'm inviting people, and I'm just like, and then there's you know that other side that's like, oh, you know, she's preaching, or she thinks she knows all of it, you know, knows it all, or she know, you know, oh she's you know, shaming me because I'm not going to the gym. And so like, and it's it that's not that's not it, right? Like my intention is to help the same way that coaches show up every day to the gym is to help, you know, and um that message gets lost sometimes, and it's so sad to me when that happens.

SPEAKER_00 24:28

I feel like it gets lost a lot, and it makes me sad too, because I feel like for a lot of people, they don't have like many outlets in their life. So when their one outlet gets shut down or judged, it it just makes me really sad for people because I feel like everybody deserves to have an outlet, and honestly, I don't feel like anybody should have a say about what people's outlets are, you know? Like whatever makes people happy, that's on them. I just like when people are happy, man.

SPEAKER_02 24:57

Yeah, I love that. That's that's exactly that's exactly right. What would you say to women who feel like they don't have time to prioritize themselves?

SPEAKER_00 25:07

I would first ask them what are your current priorities and are they actually priorities?

SPEAKER_02 25:15

I love that. Speak more.

SPEAKER_00 25:18

Like if you you say you don't have time to show up for yourself, but what like what else are you feeling your day with? Like, are you filling it with zoom scrolling? Because that's not showing up for yourself. Are you just clocking into your nine to five? Because that's not showing up for yourself, that's showing up for your boss. I mean, yes, you get paid, but yeah, I mean, everybody wants to get paid. So is that just showing up for yourself? Like, no, that's that's obligatory, you know what I mean? So, like, what are you doing instead that you could definitely switch out? That's my thing. I feel like when people say they don't have time to show up for themselves, they just don't want to.

SPEAKER_02 25:57

It's interesting, yeah. I agree. I mean, and that's the thing. Uh as I became a mom, so listen, I was I've I've run my mouth a lot, uh especially before I had the baby. I was I was like, this bitch, you know, she could do more, you know, and I and we all do it. So for anybody out there that's like, I would never shut up, because that's not true. We all judge um at some point in time. Um, but as I became a mom, absolutely, like I I did feel a um like a shrinkage of of the world that I had before, and obviously, you know, things changed, but again, my priority was always health and and fitness for the same reasons that you mentioned before. You know, I wanted to as soon as I saw that little person, I was like, I cannot imagine a world where I'm not playing with him and picking him up and running with him and enjoying the world with him. Um, and so I'm gonna do everything I can to get there, right? Right. And uh, you know, it that meant making a ton of sacrifices. That meant, you know, working out sometimes at nine, ten o'clock at night. Uh, it meant sometimes waking up stupid early to do it. It meant sometimes, you know, when I work from home is pausing and blocking time on my calendar purposefully to go for a walk or you know, I love that. Like all it just it it's a it's an intentional process, um, which is why I agree with you, Bailey. I I do sometimes struggle with people who say I just can't do it. I just don't have the time.

SPEAKER_00 27:32

And I try not to come across rude or judgmental and people to me, but I'm like, do you can you not, or do you just not want to? I mean, it sounds cliche to say too, but I mean, me and my fiance, we talk about this all the time. You know, we just moved back home from college, moving back to our hometown with both families. We're having to adjust to a lot, but I'm like, if I can't fully show up for myself, how on earth am I gonna fully be, you know, the best fiance to my fiance? How can I support him if I can't support myself? How can I be a great daughter to my parents if I'm not taking care of myself? So I really feel like everybody needs to take a step back, stop giving to so many other people and give to yourself, even if it's just for an hour.

SPEAKER_02 28:17

Just for an hour. I love that. That's exactly right. And it's it doesn't even have to be at a half hour, you know, start off with a half hour. Yeah. It's that's the and I remember a couple years ago, our company, the company, because I I have a job, you know, so not just podcasting. Um, and I they changed our schedule, and so we had to go into we had to go on campus twice a week. We we were going just once a week and then it switched to twice a week. Yeah, and I realized I said, okay, so since I'm if I'm trying to go the five days a week, I'm I'm trying to go to the gym five times a week. If if I'm going on campus twice, that's two days that I can't work out, you know, in the evenings or throughout the day, because I'm in Jacksonville. Um, and I had and I swore, and there's friends out there that are gonna hear this and go, I remember when Erica would say, I'd rather rip my eyelashes out than go to a morning class, like an early, like a 5 a.m. or a 6 a.m. I would say it with a smile on my face and I would say, I would never, right? And then I'm looking at right, and then I'm looking at the schedule and I'm going, shit, the only the only way I'm gonna make this work is if I get my ass to an early class. That's the only way. And I promise you, Bailey, like I almost cried when I came to that determination because I was like, oh my god, like I don't want to. I don't want to, like, I don't even know if my body is gonna know what to do. Like, I'm I'm not like I'm I don't want to say I'm not a morning person because I am like I can wake up early, but like working out is so different though, bro. Bro, it is like a different world. And I was like, oh my god, but but I said, okay, let me, you know what? Like, I'm just gonna do it one day and I set myself up for success. So I set everything out on my couch, like my clothes, my shoes, blah, my, my vitamins. I filled up my water the night before, where all where I in my head I'm going, the only thing I literally have to do is get out of bed and jump into my clothes and jump into my car. Like, I don't have to do anything else. I made it as easy as possible. I can say I don't remember driving to the gym. I don't know how I got there because I was yawning and I was like, oh my god. And and I don't I don't do supplements or anything like that, so I don't do like pre-workouts or anything. So like I am going on pure adrenaline, right? I love that. And I show up, it was winter, so it was cold, which makes it even worse. It's dark, it's so dark. And I walked in, and I can't remember who the coach was at the time, and they were like, wow, because they had never seen me that early in the morning. And I literally said, like, don't talk to me right now. Like, I don't, I have no words for what no, I get that. Um, and you know, and I got through it, and then when when it was done, you know, obviously you get that and you know, the endorphins kick in and the adrenaline kicks in, and you're on this like high. And I have to say that like that day was probably one of the most productive days I had had up until that point in a long time. And I was like, oh shit, well, maybe there's something here, right? Yeah. Had I gotten intimidated by my own, you know, self-sabotaging, you're not gonna be able to do it. Had I let that take over, I don't know what I'd be doing right now, you know? So that that's the sort of stuff that I I hope that women, especially women, take away is sometimes we feel like we can't because we're scared to do something new and to do something different, and then you do it, and then you you just realize how much stronger and capable you are after you try it. For sure. I love that. Yeah, but that was it's a lot, and ever I listen, and every once in a while I drive and I go, What the fuck am I doing? Like I should 100% be in bed right now. Um, I get it. What's um question for you as a coach what's more important? Intensity or consistency?

SPEAKER_00 32:19

Consistency, a thousand percent. A thousand percent. To me, every coach is different, but I always care about consistency because that shows me that somebody one cares, and two, they are truthfully doing it for themselves, showing up for themselves every day, and just they're in it, they're in it for the right reasons. Now, I'm not saying if you're in it for intensity, you're in it for the wrong reasons, because there are days where I'm not consistent, but so I go super intense just to be like, oh, okay, I worked hard. Woo! Yeah. But I just feel like it is so much more rewarding to be consistent. I don't know, like I feel like that is like a hard question. I don't know why it is, but I just I would rather take consistency for my athletes and my gin pop members all day, every day over intensity. It just I love when I see people show up for themselves because I mean it takes a lot to get in the car to drive somewhere. It takes a lot. Yeah. So the fact that people, you know, schedule their days and I see like the same members here three to four times a week. I'm like, look at you go. Like this, this is great. You are choosing something for yourself. I love to see it.

SPEAKER_02 33:38

I agree with you. I and I think that and I think one leads to the other, to be really honest with you. I think consistency and getting over, you know, I always tell people that are like really intimidated about going to the gym for the first time, and I go, you just have to get through that like 90-day hump, right? A thousand percent. That that 90-day hump really, really does exist. It really is a thing. And you know, once you get over that, where it becomes part of your lifestyle, and you just know that this is this is where you are for an hour of your day, every day, or every other day, or whatever, whatever cadence fits your style. I think intensity naturally comes right after that because as you're getting consistent, you're getting stronger, right? You're getting more familiar with the movements, familiarity leads to comfort, and comfort leads to I think I can push a little more today, right? And so like one leads to the other, but uh but not the other way around, I don't think. See, so like consistency will oftentimes lead to intensity, but I've never seen someone start off balls to the wall, yeah, and that lead to consistency. I'm not I'm saying never as in me. I am sure there's people out there that do have that, but like I have not met a person that has started the gym going through you know into these sessions like balls to the wall, just lifting and that, and like doing cardio afterwards and yeah, like literally like puking outside because they've pushed so hard and they remain.

SPEAKER_00 35:01

I mean, it's the same way too, like as a coach too, talking about like with younger athletes, we say to not like not have your kid just pick one sport and do that for the rest of their life. That just leads to burnout. And it's the same way for the gym. If you don't build a process for yourself, if you don't take those small wins, you know, jumping up five pounds more than you did last week, you are going to burn yourself out because you are not enjoying the small wins. Like, I've been working out for I don't even know how many years now. I've been working out for a very long time, and I definitely have gone through phases where I'm like, what why am I doing this? Like, so then honestly, I've gone and I've changed the way I train, you know, I try new things, I look for different small wins, you know, just if a movement feels better this week. Does the form click easier for me this week? That's a win. And that's what I want people to do when they start in the gym. It's, you know, did you feel less anxious walking in the gym today? Okay, that's a win. So show up tomorrow and you'll feel even better. You found where the bathroom was today. That's great. You know what? It's it's the small wins like that that I feel like people need to start cherishing in life in order to make things way more enjoyable and trust the process. I again that's cliche as well, but it's so true. If you can't trust the process, you can't appreciate the outcome.

SPEAKER_02 36:23

I love that. That's very wise beyond your years, Bailey. Thanks. Sometimes I'm a little wise. No, but that but that's a great point. And you know, strength training in particular can really change the way that women relate to their bodies too. For sure. Listen, listen to the things that Bailey's saying, and she she spoke some coach talk there, but like that's really what it is. Form is so important to strength training. It's not just being able to lift a barbell over your head or to, you know, deadlift. I I you I cringe sometimes when I see, you know, people deadlifting and they're you know posting these things on social media, like, oh, I PR'd today, but their form is like like their back is gonna snap, you know, and you're going, oh my god, you know, like yes, maybe you got lucky today and didn't get hurt today, but that does not mean that you're not gonna get hurt tomorrow or the next day. And like the hurt is not like ow. The hurt is like your your spine is gonna like like it's it's a big deal. I've never been more in tune with my body than during this phase of my life because you know I didn't know what IT bands were or hip flexors or all of these things that you know, quote unquote hurt while you're working out, that oftentimes when you don't know about it because you don't have coaches that are explaining it to you, you're thinking, oops, got hurt, all right, out for two weeks, and you sit out. But really, when when your coach is explaining to you it's a hip flexor and it's an IT band here, like like try to you know stretch it this way, stretch it that way, roll it out, you start to discover that your body can do so much more. A thousand percent. Sometimes pain is not necessarily that you're hurt, you know, it it's it, but that's what a coach is there for to explain to you. And I oftentimes I see you guys go up to people and go, okay, when you say you're hurt, do you mean like hurt, like like hurt, or are you hurting like sore, you know? Because it's important to know that difference. And you as a human, you know, you as the the relationship that you develop with yourself, you start to speak to yourself in that way, and it becomes this beautiful relationship that you have with yourself where you're totally connected to your body and you know what it needs, which is so cool.

SPEAKER_00 38:39

It is cool. I love it. And you know, the biggest thing too is as I'm coaching people, and people can do this in the gym by themselves too. Like if you're looking up a workout and you're like, oh, okay, like this is supposed this is supposed to make my butt bigger. Like, okay, well, as you're doing it, where are you actually feeling it? I feel like that's where a lot of people are like missing stuff because they could be, you know, doing hip thrusts, but they're like, Well, I actually feel it on like on the top of my legs, like in my quads. I'm like, okay, well, um, so let's readjust the form a little bit. Otherwise, your booty ain't gonna get much bigger. So I just feel like a lot of people really need to sit back and think, like, okay, like, where am I actually feeling this right now? Where is all this tension forming? And I feel like that's when people can really start to be in tune with their body, you know, that muscle to mind connection. A lot of times when I'm working out, like in some of my videos, I don't know if you can see um on my Instagram, but I'm often touching a muscle that I'm working so I can really think about like, okay, I need to be feeling this right here. I mean, it looks a little funny sometimes when I got my hand on my butt, but really trying to focus in, like, make sure I'm taking everything nice and slow and I'm being super intentional, intentional about everything that I'm doing.

SPEAKER_02 39:52

Yes, yes. And and listen, listen to that, ladies. Like, we oftentimes get so wrapped up in everything that everybody else needs from us, and we oftentimes become really good at predicting what all the people around us need before they and we're so proud of that, right? I know what my son needs before he even says it, I know what my husband needs before he even says it, right? When you get into that cadence with your partner, with your family, with your mom, with your dad, with your friends, it's such a satisfying feeling. And yet the most important person in our lives, which is ourselves, we neglect. Yeah, you know, and and it that's the that's kind of like the whole point of this episode is yes, you know, strong is beautiful. Yes, you know, taking care of your body is is wonderful and it's a good thing, but also it's a way to reconnect with yourself and have a beautiful relationship with yourself because we deserve it, right? We are the we're the ones, we're the ones that give life as women, right? We bring life into this world and we do so much, and it's it's only necessary and fair that we are the best versions of ourselves, and there's nothing selfish about it.

SPEAKER_00 41:05

I feel like that's what a lot of people start to mix up. Like, there's nothing wrong with saying no to something so that you can show up for yourself. I wish people would stop being like, oh, well, I feel like that's selfish. Since when is showing up for yourself selfish? Like it's it's showing up for yourself. Like that's okay.

SPEAKER_02 41:25

It is okay. Yes, absolutely. 100%. All right, last thing. It's a little quick fire thing. I'm gonna ask you a couple things, and you just whatever the first thing that comes to your mind. Okay? All right, cardio or weights? Oh, weights all day. I'm actually I I like cardio. Cardio's fun for me. I I do, I like it. But I mean, I like weights now too, but like I just take a good hit all day.

SPEAKER_00 41:55

Okay, I'll take a good strength block all day.

SPEAKER_02 41:59

Most overrated fitness trend.

SPEAKER_00 42:02

Oh honestly, it's not like a trend entirely, but I feel like it's just like the all the different diets people talk about and just like the rep schemes. I'm like, y'all, what are we doing? What are we doing? It's really just that. I feel like people make things more like complex than they needed to, y'all. It's pretty simple.

SPEAKER_02 42:25

Well, I don't know if you've seen my fuck egg whites shirt, but I wear it weekly. Um because I I do no, I I do no diet, and my Mike will say that that's the one thing that's missing in my journey is a good healthy diet, which he's absolutely right. I don't eat bad and I don't I don't graze, I don't snack, um, really, like it's not not a whole lot, not every day. Yeah. Um, but I I, you know, obviously, yeah, would need more protein and the the macros should be lining up a little better. So if you know, when he listens to this, he's gonna give me a side eye and go, but I listen, I struggle, I'm a Latina and I can't give up my rice and my potatoes. It's very hard for me.

SPEAKER_00 43:05

That's the thing. I guess that's another thing. The myth that I hate or the trend that I hate are people saying carbs is bad. Guys, carbs are your energy, that is your energy system. You have no carbs in your diet, you're not gonna get through the next three workouts, guys.

SPEAKER_02 43:18

Like, yes, true. Thank you. You tell that to Mike when he tries to take away my rice. Um, and give me egg whites, which literally I will hate him forever for that one time that it was after I gave birth to my baby, and he was like, You need to, you know, let's get you on a diet so you can. And he gave me egg whites for six weeks, and I cried, I cried every morning. You can tell, you can ask me, I cried every single morning, and then at the end of that, I made the shirt, the fuck egg whites shirt. And I said, I like this never, I will never eat an egg white in my life again, and to date, it's been eight years, and I've been holding strong. Um, most underrated habit. Oof, most underrated. Habit.

SPEAKER_00 44:02

Oh. That's a hard one. It is a hard one. I'm thinking about it right now myself. Like my personal underrated habit. I need to eat more. I underfuel a lot. I need to eat more with how much I'm burning.

SPEAKER_02 44:20

I don't have that problem. Um, I eat my fair share of everything. Um, my most underrated habit for me is I probably waking up early. Yeah. I think, yeah, I think that's underrated. I think I and I did it myself. You know, I back to what I said a few minutes ago. I hated it. I was always like, let me just get a few more minutes. Let me, you know, wait till the alarm goes off and then snooze it a few times. And, you know, you feel like you need that. You feel so tired and you feel like you need it. But there is something so energizing, so motivating, so, you know, so um uh like uh I don't know, like just awesome about waking up and starting your day early. For sure. Yeah, go, you know, it's it really sets the mood for your for your day and for your.

SPEAKER_00 45:14

Yeah. Uh favorite lift. Favorite lift is bench press, guys. Really? Yes. I wish more women wouldn't shy away from upper body. I mean, I like when people have like a rounded like strength, you know, and a lot of to me, especially like thinking about moms carrying kids a lot, like a lot of that sitting on your back and upper body. And so if I have a strong back, strong shoulders, and a strong chest as well, like everything, my posture, it supports it, y'all. No need to skip it, guys.

SPEAKER_02 45:47

That's a good point. Yeah, not I'm not a fan. I do it. I'm not a fan of it. Yeah, but not but I feel like you've changed my perspective on it.

SPEAKER_00 45:55

I think a lot of people think working upper body is where the bulkiness and women comes in, but I look at it as overall strength, my posture, just the way I naturally carry myself. You know, if I have more strength in my chest, you know, I just feel like I carry myself a little bit better. And again, carrying a child, just the overall posture, everything's supported.

SPEAKER_02 46:18

Mmm. You have changed my mind. Thank you, baby. Last one. One thing every woman should know before starting strength training.

SPEAKER_00 46:28

The first few days will probably be the hardest. But if you continue to go after that, it ties into the consistency. Those first days of soreness might put a lot of people off, but that's when I really want you to continue to show up for yourself. Those are the hardest days to get past, but those are the best days to get past, in my opinion.

SPEAKER_02 46:50

I love that. I love that. I I echo that 100%. And I said the 90 thing, the 90-day thing before, right? Like that first week, those first couple weeks hurt, then then it stops hurting so much, but then you're learning new things, and then you know, you're getting into different habits and you're trying new things. Get yourselves the cute outfits. Listen, that helped me out a lot too, right? Like, I was like, okay, well, I want to, if I want to motivate myself to get out there, I'm gonna look cute, you know? And so I would buy the cute outfits. Look good, look good, ladies. Look good. Yes, good. I love that. Yeah, I'm gonna do that.

SPEAKER_00 47:21

One more thing I will add on too, because I'm very adamant about this, because I'm also on a weight gain journey that does not go very well for me. I've always been small, always struggled with that, but I'm still trying. My biggest thing for people who are trying to lose weight or whatever, don't form an unhealthy relationship with the scale. Just because the number may not change, does not mean you are not having a change internally. That's my biggest thing. You may still have changes, but women need to consider our weight the number, you know, it fluctuates with our hormones, how much water we have based on our cycle. So a lot of women need to give themselves grace and stop stepping on the scale every single morning.

SPEAKER_02 48:01

Oof, I love that, Bailey. Thank you for covering that. And thank you because that resonates with with me personally as well. And I've never been a person that's that's weighed myself, truly. I I I don't. Um, but I did go through a hormonal shift over the past year and a half. Um, perimenopause, you guys have been very open and vocal about it. So here we are. I'm in it, I'm in the thick of it. And I recently started progesterone, and I, you know, one of the things that I read was like, oh, you may lose weight because there is an increase in energy, so your workouts might get you know better, and blah, blah, blah. And so, like, one thing leads to the other thing, leads to the other thing, and it has not for me. And so I I want to say that like the the scale remains exactly the same. Here's the catch. My clothes fit better. That's right. The bloating has gone significantly down. Like, I yeah, I was walking around like I was like three months pregnant, and I was like, what the fuck is going on? Right, that was so stressful. That has gone down significantly. Um, and and the scale remains the same because my muscle mass remains the same, right? And or it's or it maybe will go up a couple pounds because my I'm getting more muscle. And so the scale means nothing to me, and I've developed a really great relationship with it, but I know a lot of women that that have a that struggle with that big time.

SPEAKER_00 49:16

A thousand percent. And I think that's honestly like if I could have like a thesis for this podcast, it would be that women have found themselves in an unhealthy relationship with their scale. Mm-hmm. It is true. That's the biggest, that's the most dangerous thing a woman can do in her strength training journey is step on the scale every single day without considering all the hormonal factors that us women deal with on a day-to-day basis.

SPEAKER_02 49:45

Absolutely. You could literally weigh yourself in the morning and sometimes weigh less at night after eating. Eating water, all yeah, and you're going, wait, what? And then the opposite, right? You work out, you're doing everything, you're so active, you whatever. You're you didn't eat as much, etc. etc. And you're like, for sure, I'm gonna be down a couple pounds, and then you're up five the next day. That's right. Yeah. So, no, let let it go of that. Let go of that. It's it's how you feel, it's how you feel, ladies. It's it's again, it's developing that intimate relationship with yourself, uh, will get you the results that you need. And remember, strength isn't it isn't about becoming someone else, it's about trusting what your body can do. Love that. Thank you, Bailey. I appreciate your time so very much. It was this was so fun. Thank you. Thank you, and thank you so much, everybody. For those who don't follow, follow Bailey on Instagram. I'll put her Instagram handle on the description. Uh, don't forget to follow Catalyst Fitness and Athlete Lab. It's in St. Augustine, right by the outlets, and they're doing an awesome job over there and really pouring into all of us and making us better versions of ourselves every single day. Don't forget to like, subscribe, and share with your friends. And I will be back next week. Thank you so much. Bye bye. Bye. Hey, thanks for hanging out with me on Not Your Southern Chick. If you love this conversation, hit follow, share it with a friend, and let's keep breaking the mold together. Until next time, stay loud, stay real, stay fuerte como el cafecito.