Ep 26. Careers, finances & Gunnersaurus

In this episode, Sarah and Laura dive into their recent experiences, from teeth whitening to battling London's scorching heat. They discuss financial stress and wellness, as well as how to pursue a career in fitness without burnout, and the value of building a diverse skillset.

Chapters:

00:00 - Introduction and catch-up on personal updates 

02:00 - Teeth whitening experience and natural look 

04:30 - London's heatwave and its effect on sleep and productivity 

07:00 - Managing heat with fans, fans, and unconventional techniques 

10:00 - The impact of financial stress on mental health 

13:00 - Data tracking and health technology insights 

16:00 - Navigating career progression in the fitness industry 

20:00 - Building diverse skills and side hustles 

25:00 - Managing lifestyle creep and financial habits 

30:00 - Nostalgic stadium moments with Gunnosaurus 

34:00 - Handling social media pressures and niche branding

 40:00 - Educational insights on hormonal cycle tracking 

45:00 - Reflections on authenticity, passion, and life's squiggly path

50:00 - Open discussion on the importance of touch grass and digital detox 

55:00 - Final thoughts: embracing change, building confidence, and living authentically

Thank you for listening, like subscribe and tell your friends!

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:04

Hello and welcome back to Fit for What, a no-nonsense evidence-based take on health, fitness, and wellness with some humour, honesty, and practical advice to help you build your fittest year yet. My name's Laura. I'm recording this in a cupboard. I've just finished jujitsu. I've been in a sauna for 10 years. I am longevity.

SPEAKER_00 0:25

Hello, and my name is Sarah, a women's health coach, PT. I'm proud owner of some new pearly whites.

SPEAKER_02 0:36

Me and you.

SPEAKER_00 0:37

Genuinely, my dentist is literally, she literally messaged me. She was like, if you whiten your teeth again, you're banned for life. Chris, I went in and I had my mock-up. She was like, You're on like there's like bleach white, right? And then there's like one tear down. She's like a combination of the two. She's like, perfect. Don't whiten them. Me being me, I was like, oh, I'll just whiten them kind of a couple more times. And I went in. She was like, Sarah, they're now bleach white, like no more. So I have definitely gone teeth whitening blind, but I am delighted with them. I am just delighted with them. They just look so natural. I was really scared they were gonna look not natural. But I think if you didn't know me, you wouldn't know they're not my teeth.

SPEAKER_02 1:14

100%, 100%. And it just it takes yeah, it just takes a couple of days to get used to the new the new grill.

SPEAKER_00 1:23

For sure. Yeah, I was teaching yesterday morning and I was like my 6am. Obviously, I'm tired and I'm a bit kind of waking up, so I was like spitting so much, I was like, I'm so sorry, everybody. Good morning, I'm welcome. Weightlifting.

SPEAKER_02 1:37

What is it? She says um in Friends, tell us the tell us the news, not the weather. Yeah, and I got that.

SPEAKER_00 1:44

I've got a really weird thing. I don't know, I think you probably would have the same thing. I hate that like white residue line you get on your bottom lip when you've got like spit in your mouth, you know what I mean? You see it on some.

SPEAKER_01 1:52

No, what are you talking about?

SPEAKER_00 1:54

There's like when people who like if they're kind of a bit more slivery and I notice it all myself, I get like a white line on like the very inner of my lip, and it's like if I see it on someone, I'll be like, You've got that line, like it bothers me so much. And I left coaching yesterday looked in the mirror and I was like, I've had the line for about three hours, and it's just it's just something I just don't enjoy seeing.

SPEAKER_02 2:14

So I I so well, yeah, agreed. I wear so much lip balm that I'm just not sure that I've ever given myself the chance to achieve a nice white line. It's um it's it's been it's been a roller coaster of the of a week. We're back here. Um, and I actually got a message from someone on Instagram saying that they were listening to last week's pod, and she was like, I just came onto your stories to check if you did actually meet Gunnosaurus, and I thought, wow, what a what a live moment, and I was delighted. Um it's it's been there's been some highs. Uh some yeah, Bank Holiday was amazing.

SPEAKER_00 2:53

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 2:54

Wow. I feel that was ages ago now. Um recording we're recording this here on a a Friday evening. Um, so yeah, it was a lot, it feels like a a long week, but also it was very, very short.

SPEAKER_03 3:06

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 3:06

Um there's been a lot I've I've for those of you who don't believe I work, I can I can tell you this week I have worked. Do you know Kim Kardashian? Is it Kim Kardashian that says some people just don't want to work these days?

unknown 3:20

Probably.

SPEAKER_02 3:21

I that is what I feel people think of me, but I have worked my little hiney off. I've just been stuck to my to my laptop um so much so that yeah, I feel highly, highly unmotivated for um exercise in the gym, which is obviously a red flag for me. But I think it's just one of those things, you know. I don't believe in balance, I believe in whatever you're doing, you've probably got to do it 100 miles an hour until it's done and then move on to the next thing. So it yeah, it's been it's been an intense week. Obviously, if you have been on the planet, you've been boiled alive, especially in London. Because I know it's really like obvious to talk about the weather, but we must talk about the weather. It's it's fine to say it because it has been too hot. It has been.

SPEAKER_00 4:11

It's too much, honestly. I and it make I think it's more like I can deal with it for a couple of days. Like the bank holiday was actually really lovely because it's just a bit like oh, it's fun, it's different. Then you get into like the working week, and you're like, the only benefit of this right now is my washing is drying very, very quickly. I am tired about that, but driving anywhere, I drove to see my dentist on Wednesday from the southwest London area to near Ealing, which is approximately 12 miles. Took me one hour and 40 minutes. It's like the sun comes out and everyone forgets how to drive and behave normally on the roads. It's just wild. Yeah, and I just I don't I don't think I sleep properly. I haven't got air corner or anything like that. Um, but yeah, I just feel like it really impacts my quality of sleep and it makes me really quite grumpy. But yeah, I'm 25 degrees, lovely. Any more than that in London, it's a no from me. Unless I can go sit by a pool, which unfortunately we cannot do every single day. So yeah, too much, too much.

SPEAKER_02 5:09

No, it is, it is, and I can't complain because I have never where I live, where I've lived uh for five years, I've never turned my heating on. Oh, yeah, you're building so, but I am I am getting cooked alive um in there, and my current protocol. Well, I actually shared this with two of my close girlfriends this week, and I thought they knew, but um, I don't wear anything, I don't wear pajamas, I've never owned a pair of pajamas. Uh we're getting yeah, I've no I just don't. I just if I could just be wear no clothes all of the time, I would if I could in all of life. I'm yeah, I'm basically a two-year-old. I can't bear it, and it gets awkward when you know you like go and stay at someone's house and you're like, oh shit, I haven't got any pajamas, and I have to find like an old t-shirt and shorts to take. Yeah, weird, isn't it?

SPEAKER_00 6:04

Yeah, I'm a pajama wearer through and through. I'm like a matching set.

SPEAKER_02 6:07

How can you have that touching you?

SPEAKER_00 6:12

I I struggle more with the skin, skin touching. Like I have a thing, I have to sit with a pillow between my legs because I hate the sensation of my knees touching.

SPEAKER_01 6:20

Oh god.

SPEAKER_00 6:20

And if I think about it too much, the idea of my toes touching really freaks me out as well. So I've got to have ideally, I'd always have a longed, long, long-legged, long-legged pajama set on, but in these temples it's not happened. But always a pillow between my legs to stop my legs touching.

SPEAKER_02 6:36

I just touching. That is that is probably some in-depth sensory sensory issues to investigate at some point. Um, but for now, I kind of yeah, I don't know. I just I'm probably the opposite. I I can't, I don't want to wear anything, I just can't do it. So, what I have is a specific position that I will sleep in, and I have my Dyson fan, and it's up to a 10. Like it's it's the whole, it's on. It's really on. Um, I think there's also been some other techniques I've used. So in my in my um salmon marathon running gilet, they've got the you know the little water bottles. I pop them in the freezer, and then I can just lay them wherever I need. Then put it back in the solemn and put the solom and yeah, I wear a marathon gilet to bed to hold all my gels that I need to take through the night. No, I mean it's just it's been grim, hasn't it? And also when I work from home, I forget London is so noisy. So when I'm on a call, I have to shut the windows. So it's catch 22. I'm on a call, everyone's moaning that it's noisy, or then I boil alive. So yeah, I feel like there's been yeah, we can't, but then I'm also been in the sauna today. So I also think this year, because I've seriously been sauna training, I think my capac my ability to deal with the heat is better.

SPEAKER_00 8:07

Do you know what? I hear you. I didn't go today because I was I was gonna have to rush because it took me six million years to drive a mile down the road, but that's a different run. Um, but I was like, I've not wanted to sauna this week because it is so incredibly hot, and then I think you Laura are still saunaering, and yeah, you are yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 8:24

But it's just part, I just have I just have to. It's part of it's part of training, yeah. But I mean I like I'll be honest, I I said it earlier this week. I don't know why. I'm just this week, I'm just so feeling I've got nothing in me to really do much train. I haven't really run, I haven't really done one strength training session. I'm just I don't know, just can't be asked. That's really weird. Yeah, it's not right. Something I don't know, so maybe it's the heat, but yeah, I I I I'll I'll do something, I'll do something this weekend. Um, but obviously that you like now that Katie Price has found her husband, I feel like we can all relax.

SPEAKER_00 9:00

We can all breathe, can't we? But then do you know what? This this whole thing, I was listening to my therapist go to me this morning, and Vogue Williams made a very fair point. She was like, How we can say that she could have just been ghosted. Like, I know we've gone to the kidnapped extreme, but could her husband just have ghosted her? Like many women have horrible experience as well, and obviously men as well. But I thought, actually, like obviously Katie Forever, I'm a big, big fan.

SPEAKER_02 9:27

I can't bear that for her, no, not to KP.

SPEAKER_00 9:31

Could that could that be the answer? Could like could you imagine if every single woman who was ghosted claimed that their partner had been kidnapped? Like, we'd have an absolute pandemic.

SPEAKER_02 9:42

Everyone, I mean, half of the male population would be in Al Awir prison in Dubai.

SPEAKER_00 9:47

Exactly.

SPEAKER_02 9:50

Half the pear tree will be in there. For those of you listening that don't know what the pear tree is, it is a uh a beer location on water in the middle of the GB athletics track, uh, which is Badsea Park, um, where all the lads go. Lazaz lads. They they used to go to the ship. I think Lazaz lads are now down the pear tree.

SPEAKER_00 10:12

Yeah, the ship is a different vibe now. Like I went there the other, well, probably it was age ago, a few months back now, to watch rugby with friends. I thought I brought I literally braced myself with friends.

SPEAKER_02 10:22

With my bestest friends.

SPEAKER_00 10:24

My best of friends are but um I braced myself for impact thinking, oh, it's gonna be Lads Lad's lads. It couldn't be further from Ladsads Dads, it was like dads and pine. Dads, dad's dads, maybe I should go and and puppies, and it was a really that's fantastic, right?

SPEAKER_02 10:40

The ship's back on. Sorry for every everything I thought. Dads and puppies, perfect.

SPEAKER_00 10:46

Perfect. See you there.

SPEAKER_02 10:47

Leave your wedding rings at home, lads. Dads, sorry.

SPEAKER_01 10:51

Dads, dads, dads. Oh wow, okay.

SPEAKER_02 10:54

That's that sounds mega. That sounds mega, but yeah, I mean, let's see what happens. Has she been ghosted? Nobody knows, but they've both deleted Instagram now. Maybe they've been hacked by the MI5 because obviously he was on he was on the the hook for espionage at one point. Um, but it's just it's kill if you I I know this is such boring chat, but it is hysterical to me, just because I just think it's so mindless. But if you are in on the toilet and you've got a spare five minutes and you you need some entertainment, just go on Katie Price's Facebook because her podcast with her sister is hysterical. Katie is like chat chat chat. I think I could be a detective. The police in Dubai said I'll be a and her sister is literally head in her hands, looks so at the end of her tether. With I mean, she's been her sister all her life. So imagine what she's had to deal with.

unknown 11:47

Oh my word.

SPEAKER_00 11:47

It was so funny.

SPEAKER_02 11:49

Oh, she's like, Are you sure, Kate? Are you sure you're just gonna take him back? He's got a lot of explaining to do.

SPEAKER_00 11:55

It was so funny that I messaged Laura last night and I was like, Can you believe it? George, my boyfriend, has no idea about the Katie Price situation. Can you imagine being that unimportant?

SPEAKER_02 12:05

That out of the loop, yeah, that is mad.

SPEAKER_00 12:07

He was like, Wait, what? And I was like, no, come on. He was like, No, what are you talking about? And I said I had to explain the whole situation. To be fair, he did really rate the CBD selling stuff. It was like fair play. But I thought, can you imagine not knowing about it? I was talking about it in my classes yesterday, everyone was like, Sarah, stop. But I just I just yeah, it's just the time, you know, there's lots of serious stuff, and I'm sure it's serious in many people's eyes, but yeah, it's um it's worth keeping informed on that one for sure. Bless me.

SPEAKER_02 12:37

Listen, it's a life, it's a live lesson for us all, you know. If you're gonna get engaged to someone after two days, you've got to be prepared who could be done for espionage within the next six months.

SPEAKER_00 12:50

It's so wild. You actually wrote it down, it's like a fever dream, isn't it?

SPEAKER_02 12:54

Do you but did you see her try to explain how Lee had followed another woman on Instagram? But then how she said it, it's like now you've said that. Have you said have you heard yourself say oh yeah, it's a woman that he followed that must have blocked him and unblocked him. Oh, so does that not does that not ring any con spells of concern to you?

SPEAKER_00 13:17

But then the woman has said that she doesn't know him, she's like, I have no idea who this man is. God, she has no idea who he is. So she's this dragged into this. Uh it's like him following me or you.

SPEAKER_02 13:29

Well, yeah, well, okay, oh my god, that'd be so funny. That'd be so jokes. I'd be on the I'd be on the affiliate C B D cell if I was. Or or just promoting our podcast wherever we can. You've got you've got you've got to get it, yeah. Fit yeah, CBD fit for what yeah, but I also saw final point on this Clemmy Moody of the Sun. Big up Clemmy, she's had me in hysterics throughout all of this. She's been at the Sun for many, many years, she's great at what she does, but she was involved in lending him or or investing a grand with him. Um, and obviously she's not you know seen any of that back because whatever, but HSBC have given her, have refunded her the thousand pounds. So there's a lesson to be learned here, girlies. Your bank could help you more on that financial uh financial topic later.

SPEAKER_00 14:20

Come, absolutely. Yes, what a week. What have I been up to this week? It has been a s it's been a slow quick one, isn't it? What have we been up to? Yeah, I've actually had a I I I on the other hand, from Laura, have felt extremely productive and motivated this week.

SPEAKER_02 14:33

Uh excuse me, I have been productive.

SPEAKER_00 14:36

But you haven't felt motivated. Let me read it.

SPEAKER_02 14:38

No, okay, fine. Okay.

SPEAKER_00 14:39

But I just feel like I just got lots of stuff done this week. I think I mentioned that on Monday. I was feeling a little yeah. But I've now realised that I just need to do stuff. Like, I'm very bad at I'm a procrastinator. If I'm at home and there's an opportunity to clean something, it will be cleaned before my to-do list gets done. Like I stand by, if I wasn't doing this for work, I would be a cleaner. I love cleaning so much, so I have realised that in order to get productive work done, I need to leave my flat. Um, but yeah, I just feel like I've got lots of big tasks done, like I've got all my accountancy stuff done. It took me four hours the other day, but it was just like mega focus, mega mind getting that done. So that was good. Training's been quite good. Touch with the shoulder is feeling a lot better. Um I've got my three strength sessions done this week. Did a little conditioning session yesterday in the world's hottest gym. No take, no tea, no shade. But David Lloyd Hampton, I went into the gym meta and I was like, I can't do this. It was so hot, I think because it like surrounds a swimming pool. Maybe the heat from the water or something, but oh my word, I was like a little rain cloud when I left. I was so moist. That's an awful word, I won't say that again. Um but I did I was quite nice actually, just a little ergy session. I always find after I've coached, don't really want to be lifting any weights, so I just did a little ergy session. Little swim. Yeah, good vibes. I'm gonna go for a run on Sunday, I think, but I'm having a big study weekend this weekend. Gonna try and minimise the social interactions this weekend as well. I can just feel it in my bones. I need a bit of a quieter one.

SPEAKER_01 16:11

Right.

SPEAKER_00 16:11

I'm in a good mood. I'm in a really good mood. I wasn't earlier in the car, but I've got over that now.

SPEAKER_02 16:16

No, I could tell.

SPEAKER_00 16:17

I was like, I am never driving my car ever again.

SPEAKER_02 16:20

Well, no, it was I just left, got out of jujitsu, and I just saw in capitals I'm starving. I hate London. I thought, oh god, what's happened?

SPEAKER_00 16:29

That's pretty good. I made a really lovely lunch though. You're you're not a tuna fan, are you? A tuna fan?

SPEAKER_02 16:34

No.

SPEAKER_00 16:34

Okay, well, anyway, guys, I had a lovely lunch. I made myself a tuna cheese avocado and red onion quesadilla. With a little side salad. Honestly, I think this week I have put myself in a significant calorie deficit by accident because I can't be asked to cook anything in this heat. I've literally lived extensively off Sainsbury's Caesar salad kits and some air fried chicken most of the week. But we really upped the anti-sau with a quesadilla. The pan went on the heat, so we are thriving over here. Gourmet.

SPEAKER_02 17:08

Guess what I got today?

unknown 17:10

Oh.

SPEAKER_02 17:11

Yeah, but uh in what?

SPEAKER_00 17:14

What do you mean?

SPEAKER_02 17:15

A meal deal.

SPEAKER_00 17:17

Another one!

SPEAKER_02 17:18

I went to waitrose, right? And now that now I've had my first meal deal, I'm really astute to this pricing now. I see how you're doing me over. So what I what I did was I wanted a Huel in a trip.

SPEAKER_00 17:33

Whoa, you can't do both.

SPEAKER_02 17:35

No, I did no, you can. Because Huel in Waitrose is classed as a main.

SPEAKER_00 17:41

No stop.

SPEAKER_02 17:42

Yeah. So what I so actually I have delivered espionage in Waitrose today because for it should it should have cost me a tenner, but it cost me five. Five pounds. Obviously, sorry, that's that's new to me. That five pounds is the meal deal price, but that's that's recent news to me to the rest of the planet. So I got a trip can, I got a Huel, and what felt like for free was an apple birch muesley, which was my snack, which just felt wild.

SPEAKER_00 18:17

Yeah, just felt really illegal.

SPEAKER_02 18:20

Yeah, so I was just like freaking raking it, I'm raking it in. I should set up a stall.

SPEAKER_00 18:25

Yeah, that's a cost effect. You should set up a meal deal vintage account.

SPEAKER_02 18:31

Can you imagine if I did a reel that's like, hey guys, um money saving, I've just found this thing, it's called a meal deal.

SPEAKER_00 18:37

People would be like, these meal deals. I think you've really cracked the code there, though. I mean, I'm not I wouldn't personally, I'm not a Huel fan, but if you were a Huel fan like yourself, financially you've really won there, haven't you?

SPEAKER_02 18:52

I've uh no one's making money. I'm I'm raking you making money. I'm making money, I'm just printing dollar bills in waitros, and I didn't know like the alarm didn't go off when I went out, it was all legit.

SPEAKER_00 19:06

I could just imagine because you know the screens at the cell checkouts in waitro. I could just imagine you being like, I'm just looking around. Delighted with yourself, yeah. Arrest me, arrest me. That's why I'm so glad you've been mailed it's love. That's really great.

SPEAKER_02 19:21

I know, yeah. Well, I obviously you spotted that I bought that sushi last week, but it was no good. It was no good. I don't like it.

SPEAKER_00 19:28

Well, I hate sushi, I hate sushi, then I saw it like sushi.

SPEAKER_02 19:33

It's cold rice, it was cold rice because it was vegetarian sushi. And what I what it was was rice with little black bits in, sorry, sesame seeds. Um and like uh there was a couple bits that were wrapped in like an o like egg. I was gonna call it an omelette, it's not wrapped in an omelette, but that was good, but the rest of it there was like a fucking bit of cucumber in the middle of the rice and like a black skin, and I thought you were Laura, oh but I still won, I still I raked it in.

SPEAKER_00 20:07

You raked in, even though you didn't eat it fairly.

SPEAKER_02 20:09

I know, so I don't know. I think, yeah, obviously, this is important to to uh add to our financial wellness, our feelings of beating the system, the government.

SPEAKER_00 20:20

I agree, I totally agree. Yeah, have you seen anything else? I don't know, talking about smoothies and shakes and stuff. Have you seen this new collab with Attis and Health? I am.

SPEAKER_01 20:30

I have not seen this.

SPEAKER_02 20:32

Tell me.

SPEAKER_00 20:33

So are you familiar with Air One, the American Health Shop?

SPEAKER_01 20:37

No.

SPEAKER_00 20:38

Okay, so there's a there's I think it's similar to Whole Foods. I've never been myself. It's called Air One, and they're they're in the States and they are super, super. I think they are essentially like a Whole Foods, but they sell like these smoothies and these shakes, and they're like $25 for a shake. Like it's crazy.

SPEAKER_01 20:55

Hang on. Do you mean Arahawan? Ern Air One is how you pronounce that.

SPEAKER_02 21:08

No, you're having me on. No way. Oh yes. I thought it was weird that I wouldn't know it, but I do know it under a different name, Eraha One.

SPEAKER_00 21:20

Air One. Air One has a No, no, I'm so sorry.

SPEAKER_02 21:34

No, Erehawan.

SPEAKER_00 21:38

I thought it was like it sounds like you're about to sneeze when you do it.

SPEAKER_02 21:43

Bless you.

SPEAKER_00 21:46

Yes, that's the one I'm talking about. Air One. Well, anyway, they do these really beautiful shakes that everyone raves about. All the all the beautiful YouTube girlies love them, and that's one of my that's also we're both both big YouTube fans, but I love an American food. Anyway, when they go do their mukbangs in the states, they've always got one of these overpriced shakes. And there's a Hailey Bieber one that's like a strawberry swell. It looks fantastic. Anyway, as I was saying, Attis, who we love, big salads. Times Health, who we also love, H E A L Fala. And they now have some very similar style shakes in Attis with like protein and collagen and yumminess. I reckon they're probably about £20,000.

SPEAKER_02 22:30

But I was gonna say, what it's no meal, even the meal deal vibe.

SPEAKER_00 22:34

It's not giving financial independence, but I will I would like to source one. But yeah, that was I was actually buzzing about that. Um and did you see that Aura, not Rita Aura, Aura Rings, have progressed on trackable data.

SPEAKER_02 22:48

Or not Aura Katie Price's husband's fake business.

SPEAKER_00 22:52

Wait, what? Is he got a fake business? It all goes back to the line.

SPEAKER_02 22:55

Sorry, I no, we can't go down that rabbit hole again. But he has, he's got a hat that says Aura that's like a dissolved business that's something about hybrid cars. Yeah, I've I've gone deep down the rabbit hole. Moving back to Erahawan.

SPEAKER_00 23:08

Um, but no, Aura have now got some new data, so they're tracking nighttime breathing patterns. I would be intrigued to see what my breathing patterns are like, probably minimal. Um, blood pressure signals, and they have a new health radar um which is used to look at indicators of cardiovascular strain and sleep disruption. So it feels like everyone's just up in the ante now with all these um testing. Also, loads of places are now. I think Lou have launched um blood tests as well. I feel like lots of places are now jumping on blood testing. Um, I think it's got more independent blood tests available. So yeah, I saw that in the old news and I thought that's quite cool. There's more progression now, but yeah, that was my findings.

SPEAKER_02 23:49

I've had my ultra human air ring for a while and I believe it already does that. Well I think, yeah, I think the nighttime breathing patterns are yeah, because I think it what's it not alopecia or amnesia? What's it called? Uh uh not preclampsia. Oh my god, what is it when you uh sleep apnea? There we go. Jesus, I've been rolled on the head today, and it shows. Oh gosh, not preclampsia, that's very different.

SPEAKER_03 24:26

Would you not want that all?

SPEAKER_02 24:28

Oh yeah, I just yeah, obviously, this is how it's gonna be, right? Remember when we had like a step tracker that you would like to have as like a medallion, and then there was you know, you had a Fitbit and it was like 10,000 steps, or you're dead, and now it's like you sneezed once last Wednesday. We're we think you need 10 days to recover.

SPEAKER_00 24:48

Careful, you might be on day 39 of your cycle now.

SPEAKER_02 24:51

You've just I know, I know. It's mad, isn't it? Do you know what I I think everyone comes, I've come a bit full circle with all of this stuff, and I I hear when everyone says we're tracking too much, everyone's optimising, no one's having any fun. Like I really do I really do hear that. Yeah, but I think you just have to get yourself into a position where the data is there if you want it, and it's up to us how we utilize it. We you know, if we get if we keep getting upset, that um yeah, my friend had uh the watch that what a watch that I have, my friend has it, and she was like, How are you getting on with that? It just kept telling me I was obese and unfit, and I was like, Oh gosh. Yeah, but it does it, it does, it does give you quite direct updates.

SPEAKER_00 25:34

I woke up this morning, so I've not had my garment on for a few weeks now, and um just I I just I have phases where I'm interested in have phases where I'm not interested, but I I had it, I actually quite like tracking my sleep with it mainly. But I woke up and saw it and I got like it's like firework, and it was like fitness age decrease, and I was like in my sleep, and it's like you're now 27, and I was like, great, great, whoa, I'm an athlete, I'm one year younger than my actual age. Like, what does fitness age even mean? Like, what is it? Well, like what does that mean? But yeah, it was like a full firework, like vibrating situation on my wrist. I was like, whoa, and I was like, that's quite a lot, I've just woken up, so um, but yeah, I hear you. I feel like it's it's getting that blend. I am looking actually getting a ring of the same type as yours, but I'm also like, oh, do I want to hear it? But I feel like I am I ready to receive that information. But I think you're so right, like you have to be in the right, like, mindset to be reading that. And I'm like, do I want to know if I'm not optimally healthy? Not really, but then I'm quite interested in it because I'd quite like the data on it, so we'll see. We'll see. What's the battery life on your what um on your ring like? Is it pretty good?

SPEAKER_02 26:38

Yeah, like yeah, really good, like three days. But like also remember, like, I don't wear it when I'm I can't wear it a jujitsu, I can't wear it lifting weights. So I and and when I'm running, I'm probably tracking on my Strava anyway. So for me, it really is like just a lifestyle, it's just there, it's on. I just keep an eye on it. I'm quite I'm in quite a good, I would say, mindset with that kind of information these days. I think many years ago I would have found that quite quite tough, yeah, quite especially the early days of Whoop when it was like I'm a red, oh my god, I'm gonna die, or like, especially if like I had been out on a night out and I'd had a big one, obviously I'm gonna be in the bin comparatively, so mentally that's quite hard to take. But yes, I I did see um there was I I know that you had mentioned it, that report this week around burnout, around digital fatigue, and I know everyone's you know, people are talking a lot about you know the real the real wealth is being able to switch off, and I really do agree with that. Like we spend so much of our lives on different screens. Like, I think there's I think it's called um there might be a more posh uh posher name for it, but like basically multi-screening is that people advertising agencies now know that consumers are watching the football live and also on their phone, yeah, and also something else is going. There's another game. So people are literally on so many different screens, and that we're taking in all of this information, like you're you've got fireworks on your watch to basically to say you're alive. Like, okay, yeah, I knew it's it's a lot, and I think people do need to touch grass a bit more. It's um yeah, it's mad.

SPEAKER_00 28:17

Yeah, from that report actually, that um it was future snoops um times spate report. Um, and it yeah, it literally said that which I found really interesting. Energy healing searches have gone up to 30.4 million searches a month. Like people genuinely like seeking out. I feel burnt out, what the hell do I do right now? And it said um on that lymphatic drainage grew by 60% year on year.

SPEAKER_02 28:42

Oh it's not that bird on the internet, is it, that squelches her organs on a on the reel.

SPEAKER_00 28:49

Squelches her organs, my goodness.

SPEAKER_02 28:52

She does she goes, here's here's my routine for my lymphatic drainage, and she you can it's like just put just pop Harry Styles over it.

SPEAKER_00 28:59

We don't need to hear it.

SPEAKER_02 29:02

You don't need to hear your digestive digestive tract squelching, it's actually disgusting, but also just okay, just I don't know. I find that a bit baity to post that on the internet. Yeah, pushing your shit around, really lovely girl.

SPEAKER_00 29:20

It is though Tai Chi climbed by 22%. I thought that is I actually saw something like that. That is gorgeous. Oh, I was in Victoria Park a couple of weeks ago. Oh my god, this group of people were doing Tai Chi, and I thought, oh, it's so lovely.

SPEAKER_02 29:33

My uncle does Tai Chi.

SPEAKER_00 29:35

Oh, Martin Martin Lewis.

SPEAKER_02 29:36

Martin Lewis, yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 29:39

Can we get him on as a guest on this podcast? I need to.

SPEAKER_02 29:42

Okay, if if we did, the podcast length would be four to four to five hours because he would he just he's got a lot to talk about and he does speak quite slowly.

SPEAKER_00 29:50

Absolutely fantastic. Well, he's because he does go to Tai Chi, he does everything slow because he goes to Tai Chi.

SPEAKER_02 29:54

He does, he uses the force. There's no force. I can push your hand away, and I can't don't need to use any force. That's what he teaches me.

SPEAKER_00 30:03

What an what an inspiration!

SPEAKER_02 30:05

I know, what a G. What a G. Um, speaking of Martin Lewis and money-saving uh experts. I have been thinking a lot recently about this whole holistic wellness, and I see everyone try to optimise, and it is like you can do all of this shit, you really can, you can do all of the things. You can go to Tai Chi, you can do squelch your digestive tract, you can do a sound bath, all of the things you can train well. But if you are in a stressful life situation, which we all are, by the way, we forget all of the shit that's happened over the especially over the past few years. Like, our nerve central nervous system is probably just like, what now? What the hell? Like, everything is down goes down the drain, and I think you know it's it feels quite a live conversation for me and for us within the fitness industry because there's many small independent businesses that operate within this uh sector, and it feels so loud and real that actually being able to run a business is really tough at the moment. And if you are the owner of that business, imagine how well you sleep wondering if you can make payroll, wondering you know what when's the next time that you can upgrade that equipment that your members are screaming at you for, wondering if it's possible that you can put your membership prices up because the you know your business rates have gone up 150% this year. And it just gets me thinking every time. It's like, are we really addressing the things that are the biggest pillars of our total wellness? Because I don't care, I don't even fly fuck what lunge variation you do, Derek, if your finances are of stress to you. So I was looking into this, and like we said, financial wellness is always it's often treated separately from health, but like money troubles, and you may relate to this. I know I certainly do at times of my life because I am a solo gal that you know, yes, I have a supportive family, but I have no brothers or sisters, I have no grandparents, I have no significant other apart from Gunnosaurus. Um, and I don't think he's got much money.

SPEAKER_00 32:23

His pockets were I don't think he's got cash in those pockets, babe.

SPEAKER_02 32:27

It's not cash, it's it's dinosaur treats, but it's one of those things where stress can affect your sleep, your recovery, your hormones, you know, it can affect your relationships with your friends. Like, I certainly know there's been like uh Hendo's amazing, I love it. I really want to celebrate my friend. Let's put 500 pounds away. Okay, sometimes that's you know, if you've got a tough month. So I just think it causes so much stress, um, psychological stress. So 92% of the UK and within Ireland of employees within this region said they experienced financial stress or worry in the last year. That's basically all of us. 8% of you were lying, yeah, or you're you're in the billionaire tax bracket. Um, 89%, basically all of us, said financial stress affected them at work, including our concentration, productivity, and communication. I mean, that's a catch 22 because you're trying to be perform well at work, but you're stressed, it's like this vicious cycle, you're trying to get on, everyone's trying to get promoted. How can we get a pay rise? Blah blah blah, really, really difficult. One in three UK adults say their current financial situation is harming their mental health, which is just so desperate, isn't it? It's desperately sad. And I feel like I operate from a position of real privilege. Yes, I uh I work hard, it's all relative, I suppose. Am I on the front line? Am I working in AE as a paramedic? No, I'm not. Um, but you know, all of our stress is is relative. Um, and more than five million working age adults in the UK are experiencing overlapping financial housing and health insecurity. Um national researchers are calling this a stress crisis. And I I believe it, I feel like it's it's been happening for a long, long time. You know, I remember trying trying to get a mortgage and mortgage rates and getting on the property ladder, and we've all got a story, or maybe I do, because I'm a bit older than you, but of our grandparents that bought their first house for 20 25 quid and a dime, and you're like, okay, cool. Well, ours is half a million quid. What what would you like us to do? Because it's it's it's really tough, especially if if you're on your own, and we do know that there's a lot more growth of independent or solo households at the moment. So basically, cost of living pressure is a maza, and everyone believes it's actually going to get worse. And sadly, I also believe that working in the industry that I work in within retail, we can see these cost pressures. It's also a bit of a challenge because what you see in the press is like oil, let's say oil companies, food retailers, it's like record profits. It's like, yo, why are my BlackBerries £10.99? Yeah. Tesco. What's happened to the club card? You know, what's happening to the pound? It's it's it's actually mad. So I yeah, I just wanted to talk about this because I I I I definitely feel that I've had some sleepless nights. I mean, what when was the last time? Probably as I was remortgaging, the last time I remortgaged, it I was on a great rate, and I'll be very transparent that I was living not alone on a good rate, and then I'm living on my own on a doubly worse rate. And it's like, okay, and yes, I've got the ability to make some changes where I need, but like at some point, there's just no more. Like every every day, an email, oh, great news, your your price is going up. Okay, what would you like me to do? We're we're a week away from OnlyFans at any point.

SPEAKER_00 35:53

Oh, I hear you. No, I totally agree, and I'm so glad you've raised this because I think it's some and it's weird, isn't it? Even like those numbers, like one in three, so that current financial situation is harming their mental health. I don't talk to anyone about my like my my financial situation, bar my partner who we share finances with one another. And I know that I'm very fortunate in that position that I've always had in a long-term relationship with someone who I can rely on financially if if God forbid needs be, we're very much in that relationship where if one needs a bit more support, we can help one another. But that's a fair and privileged position to be, and I'm so aware of that. But even myself, like I've had times where I can remember when I first moved to London, and I remember being like, oh my god, this this kind of hike in prices and the cost of living is so extreme here. And it's and I think obviously it's all relative in to wherever you live in the country, you'll earn different amounts and etc. etc. But the fact is everyone is finding it really fucking hard right now, and it's I can't see it going anywhere. Like it's like when when is this gonna stop? I can't see this stopping, and the impact it has on people, like that is crazy. That and that you're so true. Like, I've I'm sure of that 100% of people are, eight percent probably are just not aware that they are actually stressed about finances, like it's it's such an undercurrent, I think, in everyone's lives. It's really it's dangerous. And I think that whole stress crisis is spot on. That's why we're seeing so many people searching for tai chi and and kind of lymphatic drainage. Everyone just doesn't know what to do.

SPEAKER_02 37:25

Yeah, it's it's mad, isn't it? And in um if we think about sort of incomes, in the median annual full-time salary in London is 40 grand. Wow. 40 grand a year. Um, and that's yeah, it's sort of slightly skewed. So the the average mean salary skewed by higher paying sectors like finance, legal and tech is is 70 grand. Still not, you know, if you think about actually how that nets out, yeah, what you know, once you've paid tax and once you've paid your your your rent, mortgage, food, travel, you know, and and top the so the top 10% bracket of household income is over 115. Okay, so it's like you know, nine 90% of people are are struggling.

SPEAKER_03 38:21

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 38:21

Um, and you know, we always sort of say people like live to their means and all of that, but when you think about those stats, and then you think about the financial stress that you know we have all we have all experienced and statistically is very much alive, and when you just said that, I don't think I've talked to anyone about it. Who would I talk to? It's almost like you don't like I don't think anyone know I don't think anyone apart from my parents and and my uh ex-partners know how much I earn. No one knows. I people could guess if you want, but no, no, I I don't talk we don't talk about it. I don't my girlfriend just got a new job, she said it's paying more, I would never in a million years ask her. It's like this sort of it's private and you respect people's privacy, but also I think there's a bit of shame attached, uh there's always a bit of judgment um uh attached to it because it's again, it's like your 5k time, it's like it's immediately comparable.

SPEAKER_00 39:18

Yeah, yeah, yeah, totally. No, I totally agree, and it's yeah, it's weird, isn't it? And I don't I don't even I don't know if it's a cultural thing, but we just we don't talk about money, but it that in itself, I'm like, is it the fact that we're not talking about it that stresses people out even more because it's it feels like such like hidden secret kind of financially where you're at? It's like and even having those conversations with employers, I think people are genuinely scared to go to employees like this is this is what my take-home actually looks like, this is what I'm spending on rent, this is what I'm spending on food. I remember when we first started renting in London when we moved here, because you obviously you have to have like a minimum threshold to be approved to apply for a rental agreement in London or wherever you rent, I imagine it's exactly the same. And I remember them saying, like, the average percentage of income is I think it's about 80%. I have to fact check myself of my people's money goes on their rent. Like, what does that leave you to live with for the rest of the life?

SPEAKER_02 40:07

My dad, yeah. My my dad always taught me, because my dad's in banking, um, he always taught me that ideally you want to be 50% of your net salary is on your on your rent or your mortgage. 50%. So that's yeah, it's bonkers, isn't it? And that is that is why that is why I feel strongly about this, because and I don't think we mean to, but what fitness industry, yes, we're already passionate about it, we want to get everyone active, blah blah blah, but they're all a business and it all has to work. And what I'm seeing at the moment is the higher end of the of the scale is the one that's delivering the most growth or is most attractive to private equity money or whatever, blah blah blah. So you've got in your uh monthly whatever left over, your disposable income, let's call it, you've got an expensive gym membership now. You've you're a minimum a hundred quid a month uh in London and the rest. You know, that's I would say the average gym membership of a premium uh gym is is 200, 250. If you're paying for PT on top of that, like wow. Um, then obviously uh a category that I I know very, very well supplements. Um I feel really strongly about there are some things that can be of great benefit to people for people's health sustainably within supplementation, but I also honestly think people are buying into a lot of terrible claims, um, and and I think people are buying into things that maybe they're not deficient in. So there's another hundred quid a month gone, supplements. You've got wellness treats, everyone's desperate to get away and out in a new environment, that's expensive. You've got everyone and their aunts saying, Here's what I eat in a day, and it's like dark orange for breakfast, and you're like, All right, love, who's got time for that? Well done. And then you've got the technique we've just all talked about are my ring, your watch, and that's another 200 quid plus. You've got the all the recovery, the sauna, the culprit. I've just talked about that. Do you know what I mean? It's like, wow, we're looking at all of these things. You've got the running industry, it's huge, running's amazing, carb, but you've got to wear these carbon shoes.

SPEAKER_00 42:19

Exactly. It's so like mad. Yeah, and I was talking about actually, even like we're talking about going on a holiday, even in terms of, and obviously, again, super privileged position. Obviously, we're looking to buy. So I said, actually, do we do we need a holiday this year? Is that is that a financially smart idea for us to spend X amount on a holiday? Do we need to be doing that? But I just I remember saying, like, well, it's a lot, it's an idea of like lifestyle creep as well. I think we we're always in a very privileged position. Yes, we work extremely hard, but we've also built a nice life life for ourselves. But it's also like there was a point where I was a student and I was earning not a lot of money, but I still managed to go away on holidays and still manage to do stuff. It was just you just have a budget and it's getting used to operating in that budget, even like me going self-employed this year. I was like, do I really need to be spending this amount of money on a gym membership? And I I managed to kind of rationalise it myself, yes, I'm I can do it financially, thank goodness. But I don't need to be spending that kind of money on a gym membership, but it's lifestyle creep, I think. And I think we've become, and I think social media, it always goes back to I think it also makes us feel like we need that or we deserve it, or like the reality is if you can get outside and exercise in any way you can, that's a win. Like it doesn't have to be in this kind of environment. But it's just what you become used to spending money on, isn't it? It's it's such an easy kind of creep that happens as well when you're used to spending over 200 pounds a month on a premium gym membership. Amazing. But is that actually do you need that? Do you actually need that to come?

SPEAKER_02 43:46

The uh the answer is no. You you don't you definitely don't like we've we've lived before these times, these all the all these gyms, so we've we've made it work. But I definitely think for and I maybe this is my narrative or or this is a quote from when I try and uh tell my Dad's why it's important. But there are days where I may not speak to another person in real life.

SPEAKER_03 44:05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 44:05

And and for me, it represents a time away from my work. It's bigger than a few squats.

SPEAKER_03 44:13

Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 44:14

It's really bigger than that for me. It's like I, you know, I get the opportunity to meet new people. I love meeting new people. I've met so many new people through jujitsu, a whole realm of people who don't know what a snatch and a cleaning jerk are, and I love that.

SPEAKER_03 44:27

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 44:28

And that and that for me, yeah, is is really and I think it also widens my perspective of the world to not be so trapped in different, let's call it what it is, a mini, a mini fitness cult. Uh it probably is. But yeah, I mean, going back to what you were saying about going freelance, obviously, you and I have both experienced what it's like to have a career within the fitness industry. We've both had careers, let's say, outside of the gym floor, and and and now we do again. And we've sort of had let's let I like to call them squiggly careers. That was a term I learned at my time in L'Oreal that I think it's really okay to have a squiggly career. Um, and I think the fitness industry, that there's two things to the fitness industry, and I know we've talked about this before, but there's one, it's like no matter how much money you give me, I don't think I could do 40-50 hours a week for a long time. You could pay me whatever I'm keeling over at some point, right? Unless there's unless there's you know enough jog a jog to all the sprint and and the intensity of that. Um, and I think you and I have both said that who we are as fitness professionals, we are 110% all or nothing. I I cannot be that person that gives you you know 20% of me anyway. That's uh that's that that's a tough one. So there's the actual physicality of being able to do it, so therefore, what you're earning from what you're doing, which is just about sustainable, needs to be everything because I hear so many people, and it's fascinating, and I do it as well. All the side hustles, there's no additional time. I do probably two full-time jobs in my week, probably, yeah. Uh, and and and and and some, and you know, I do that because I want to and I love it, and financially, yeah, you know, I I I can I can make it work for myself, but just in the fitness industry, if you are a I don't want to say just a coach, I hate saying that, but if you are earning an average amount for PT, you're doing a lot of hours, the salary after tax is not great.

SPEAKER_00 46:27

No, and it's it's so hard, isn't it? Because I think you go into being a coach or trainer because you you love that job, like you love, you love that role, you love people, you love coaching, it's a real passion. But you're so right, like we've both experienced it. There's there's a cap on how long you can sustain a number where you're earning good money. Like, you just get to point you like, I cannot physically do this anymore. And then it's like, but where do I go from here? And like, where is where is the progression in the fitness industry? It's it's it feels quite limited if I'm honest with you. And I don't think it's limited to kind of commercial gyms or smaller studios. I think the fact is like, where do you go? You kind of you max out, you earn, and you can get me all you can earn a really good amount being a coach in a gym, absolutely, but you have to be doing the most. You have to be in the gym a lot to be doing that, and we know physically that isn't long-term like possible. It's not good for us to be doing long term. So then where do you go? And I think at the minute it feels to me, and I've experienced it firsthand, it's like, do you become a manager? Do you become an ops manager? Do you become a general manager or or do you just max out on PT? But it's like, where do you go from there? It's a really difficult industry to navigate in terms of progression and the reasons for progressing. Like for me, I think if I'd gone down the managerial route, it would have been to get myself off the gym floor to recover, but then you're not recovering because you're doing equally a really hard job by managing a big site or something. So, yeah, I find the whole kind of potential to progress in the fitness industry a bit of a bit of a maze, really.

SPEAKER_02 48:06

Yeah, I completely agree. And what I also think and have maybe observed, I I've seen some people who have been able to transition from being a coach, an amazing personal trainer into a management role, but I truly believe they are so such different skill sets, totally different skills. And it's like it's like you know, it's like saying a football player is an amazing player, Ronaldo, but he's he might not be the best manager in the world, and I see that in fitness. It's like we all fell in love with this because fitness changed our lives, probably, and we then decided we want to train up as a fitness professional to be able to give what we felt ourselves to other people, which is like the it's like more of a we would do it for free if we could. But we've made a we've made a career of this, and then once that becomes too challenging, and I I probably once a week have a conversation like this with a PT or a coach or someone because they see me that it's like, oh, but you've got out of that, and it's like, well, it's not that I got out of it, it was actually before I became a PT. I had all these business skills, and I'm so encouraging to people to say, you are not just a coach, not just a PT. What are those other skills that you can showcase or develop at the same time? How can you shadow or find someone that is a good manager, a good uh leader of people that provides psychological safety to the team, that provides a learning environment, that provides that empowered coach in you to go? I'm not just a coach. Yeah, I could do so many different things and call it hybrid if you want. I hate that as an analogy, but it's like you you you can limit yourself as a PT and like a hairdresser. You can earn more, do more hours, maybe you can charge more. I think if you start charging more, you get to a different type of client base that personally I don't find uh enjoyable to coach. That is just a personal thing for me. I would like to, and it's not that there's a financial link to personality, but sometimes there is, you know, you just it it just seems a bit more disposable, and I just I it frustrates me so much that you see so many people put into positions of management because it's their progression to get off the gym floor to be less stressed, but actually, they're not trained to be a manager of people and to be in a position where they can help the guys on the gym floor. So I think it creates this disconnect. It's like, oh, you're there on your ivory tower as the manager, but I'm the one sweating and doing all the hours.

SPEAKER_00 50:28

Yeah, it's uh and I think also I think, and I yeah, I experienced this first hand. It's like, but I had to really question myself. I was like, why would I be going into a management position? And it was honestly to be doing less on the gym floor, and I was like, well, I believe it that wasn't the right reason to go into a management position. Like I I've managed before, I like doing it, I'm a good people person, but that's not what I went into the industry to do, and I think I had to really catch myself there because it would have been not the easy thing to do, because don't get me wrong, managing teams in in any industry is hard, and it's not an easy job at all, but it would have been the easy route, I think, for me to just move through that progression, become a manager, work through there, potentially kind of work higher up into that kind of managerial operational job. But why and I had to really question myself why am I doing this? And I I'm so I'm so so grateful I found my women's health passion because I think I realised actually I've got such a variety of skills here, and I have worked, I've worked since I left school, I didn't go to university, so I have worked in a variety of industries as well. So I have got quite a lot of experience behind me, but it's so easy if you go into the fitness industry to just pigeonhole yourself into that one role, and it's like, well, actually, if you're a coach, you're probably fantastic at communicating, you're probably very organised, you've got great kind of numerical business acumen as well. Like there's so many skills that you learn by being a great coach, and I think you can forget that sometimes when you're just caught up in the day-to-day grind of delivering sessions or delivering classes, you forget what you're capable of, and it breaks my heart because I don't I don't know if there is an answer. I think and it and it's not just the fitness industry that's in, I'm sure this is the case across uh law, across our business, across like our banking. I'm sure people feel they kind of get to a point and it's like now what? What am I doing this for? But I think when it's such a an emotion for me, such an emotionally charged job, it's a really hard thing to progress in when you feel like you have to leave behind the thing you love to progress on paper and to progress financially. It's a really hard situation to be in, I think.

SPEAKER_02 52:35

Yeah, completely. And what we have seen uh in the the RISE report is that sadly only 20% of fitness professionals believe that there is plenty of opportunities for them to progress their career. And I think as we need to, I mean, I try to share and be transparent about my journey and and my business acumen and my experience within FMCG, within gym management, within sales and marketing, brand PR, within the fitness industry as a whole. Those skills I honed just through this squiggly career. I didn't go to the school of gym management, I didn't go to the school of, I mean, obviously, learning how to be a PT is just a few tick boxes. Here's your A alter, there's the first aid kit, off you go. So it's it's it really is life experience, and I always challenge people when they say, I don't know where to go from here. And I say, Where do like for me, I I look to other people and I said, I like what they're doing. And I'm gonna go and speak to them, and I'm gonna try and mirror and shadow and learn and just put myself in a new environment and ask the questions because no one's more potentially capable to do a job than than you are, they've just got more experience. How do you get more experience? You need to go and and be get get in the arena, and and there it I understand also, like you said, when you're in it, when you're on the gym floor, when you're just bashing out sessions, you've got all this, you're fatigued, you can't see the wood from the trees, and of course you don't feel your most confident. But no one's coming to save you, no one's coming to collect you off the gym floor and go, Hey Derek, I see the way you communicate, let's go to the office. Like it's it's not you. I just think you you you have to you have to find what is your vocation, and as much as we love coaching, maybe it's not sustainable. So, how can you find the next best thing that keeps you attached to that or have it as your side hustle? You know, there's there's so many different ways that you can do it, totally, totally, and I and it's so true, isn't it?

SPEAKER_00 54:36

Like, nothing changes if nothing changes, like you've got to advocate for yourself, and it's so hard. But I've been there when you're in you are literally you cannot see the wood for the trees. You're like, what do I do now? And there's so many ways I I'm I'm so fortunate that I'm obviously found this opportunity of coaching. I'm still able to dip my toe into that coaching because I'm never gonna stop doing it. I really do love doing it, but yeah, I mean for me, I had to think long term, like when I have children, when I maybe I want to take a career break, like financially, what am I gonna do then? And for me, that's why I think sadly a lot of people exit the industry because they don't see that progression, they don't want to be a manager, they don't want there's no you either become a gym owner or you become a manager. It's like, well, what if I don't want to do that? and I think that's why we see a lot of people exit the industry because they don't see that natural pathway, nor does that pathway feel productive or balanced either. And yeah, it's it's so true. Like if nothing changes, nothing changes, but you've got to find what your passion is and follow that and and and kind of just go with it. But I find it so interesting because I've met a couple of trainers recently who are new to the industry, um, and they've come from a corporate background, and I think obviously you did that as well. You were in a corporate job and then tried to follow the fitness industry, and it's like I think the fitness industry understandably is really kind of I think glamor glamourised to some extent. You think action on paper, what a fun job, what a great job, and it is like I it's such an amazing job, but it's exhausting, and I think sometimes people go into it naively thinking that because it isn't an office, it's an easy job, and it just isn't. It is so exhausting on so many different levels. So I always find it interesting when you kind of see the reverse or the kind of jumping from the fitness into into the corporate world and back again, or a hybrid, like you said, it's yeah, trying to seek that kind of balance and progression. I don't I don't think there is an answer to it. I think it's so personal to what your passions are, your own experience. But yeah, you've got to build those experiences for you. No one's going to do that for you. You've got to chase it and find them.

SPEAKER_02 56:34

Yeah, and obviously, like I I could say I was lucky, but maybe maybe not. But I guess where I am today is because of the the combination of my corporate and fitness experience, and I think that's what makes me so good at my current job.

SPEAKER_03 56:48

Totally.

SPEAKER_02 56:48

Uh and and and the work that I do. Not that I have a job. For anyone listening, I don't work. I don't work. This is all a lie. I just pretend. I just take a picture of my laptop in different places and and write work. Yeah, and hope and hope no one says anything.

SPEAKER_00 57:03

That's the even like my coaching, like even like my my background in mental health and my background in managing, like at the time it it felt like a really squiggly disconnected career, but now I'm like, actually, it all makes it all makes perfect. Because I've seen everything in isolation and I'm so grateful for my time in the fitness industry, but I think I've managed to, I'm really grateful that I've managed to make it work for me and still have my toe dipped in it. But I've kind of sought out that own progression for me, and my progression was setting something up myself, which I know again I'm in a very lucky position to do that. I was able to just jump ship, stop, study, reset, which I know a lot of people can't do, and I'll be forever grateful for that. But yeah, you've got to you've got to make your own squiggly route for sure.

SPEAKER_02 57:49

Yeah, and I guess on that, like when I was working in corporate, I did my PT qualification uh in my spare time. Yeah, yeah, I I was I was boring as fuck for so long, and I think my my mates disowned me, but I just could I just couldn't, and because I was going to CrossFit in the morning, going to my corporate job, studying in the evening, going back to CrossFit, I would then shadow the coach of the class that I did in the morning to watch them and try and learn and understand, and then I would come home. So, like obviously, if I had children, there's absolutely no way I think you know I was in a position where I could do that, and then after a while, the weekends started to get infiltrated because I was peting people in the park, and it was just I all that's all I was just determined. I just knew that I would do it, and unfortunately, you know, obviously, you've had a period of time, a short period of time, I would say, and obviously you're you work very hard with your studying, but you know, I had to do both at the same time. There was no, there was no there was no other way for me, and actually, maybe I could have, but I was so stubborn that I didn't want to say goodbye to that until I was fully ready uh to to jump. But you know, everyone everyone's got different scenarios, but yeah, I I think yeah, a forging a fitness career is the best and hardest thing I've I've ever done, and I think everyone in the fitness industry, whether you run a gym, you're a freelance PT, whether you are a manager, like you know, work in sales for a gym, it's the it's the hardest thing, but you meet some of the most like-minded people. Totally, and that's on the whole. I mean, there's some twats everywhere, isn't there?

SPEAKER_00 59:23

Oh, for sure. I mean, I wouldn't have.

SPEAKER_02 59:27

But you know, we've got each other on the gym floor, so well, yeah, and that's the thing, is I remember when I first said to you, like, what's your your vibe here? Like, what do you coach? And you said to me, Oh, oh, I just coach women, and obviously I sort of noticed that. Uh, and I was like, That's so good, that's so cool. And you were like, Well, mainly women, but only like I'll train a couple of men, but it's only if it's like their partners or or there's a special circumstance, and I just loved not the audacity because it's not, but it's the confidence and the focus to say that's my niche, yeah, and I don't need a thousand clients, I just need these are this is my gang, yeah, and I don't want to train you over there for your high-rock sim Derek. Um, you you you know, have fun with that, but that's not what I want to do, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:00:12

Yeah, for sure. And I think that's how I made it work for so long is I was so I was I do know I was confident, I was bawdy, I went in and I was like, this is what I'm doing. You could have me or not, but that I mean it works, like I've really found some amazing people there, and obviously had to sadly say goodbye to them, but some amazing clients and some really interesting people, and even kind of I stand by it. I think you find your niche, you specialise, and you really hone down it, and obviously it's now led this women's women's health coaching space, which I'm even more passionate about. But yeah, I think you have to forward your own path really, and you've you've it's and it's hard and it's so much easier said than done, but you've got to have the confidence to chase what you're passionate in because it will just follow. I think the hard work follows when you're passionate about something, you will work yourself for it. Like, yeah, even the studying, like it's take over my life, but because I actually want to do it and because I care about it, that's why I'm able to do it. And I know this business is going to take over my life, but again, because it's from me and it's because I care about it, it feels doable, it doesn't feel scary.

SPEAKER_02 1:01:10

So totally, totally, and even this morning I was tagged in something from uh a journalist peer who I've known for many many years, and she wrote an article about why women shouldn't fear being bulky, and it's sort of I opened it and it just made me laugh that she was like, because I did an article of that about five years ago, but I genuinely think with me, and this is I guess maybe my corporate experience of understanding marketing and brand, I know what I stand for. It's not many things, it's women training, being happy, healthy, develop strength training, developing muscle, um, and trying to live that live your best life. That's literally all I do, yeah, and that is what I'm known for. And I honestly think when you have that niche, and maybe you know, I've been very, very repetitive over my years, but that's what's got me. So when a journalist thinks about strength training for women, who do they call?

SPEAKER_03 1:02:05

They call biceps.

SPEAKER_02 1:02:06

Me, they call biceps. Well, I mean, there's there's do you know what there's many people to call now, and then that's the that's the wonderful thing that there's loads of people to call. But you know, I'm I'm in that thought process, and that is just because I knew what I cared about, I knew my niche, I doubled down on it, I worked really hard to ensure I communicated it in as many different ways as possible. And yeah, it's probably a bit boring for some, but there's there's still millions of people who I haven't said that to yet, and that's and and that and that's what I want to do, and that's what sort of sets my my creative soul on fire because I know that for the last 10 years, every week someone will say, I started strength training at the gym this week, I thought you should know. Thanks. No, but it's true, it's true though, isn't it? Like that that's all I want to do. I I don't want to be in but I don't want to be a high I don't want to be a high rocks coach, don't want to be a CrossFit coach. That is not for me, that's not what I do, that's not my specialism. I am beginners to intermediate, and that you know, do you know what I mean? It's just about how can you strength train, have a nice time, don't take yourself too seriously, and however I deliver that in any job role I'm in, that is me, maybe it's a bit of projection, but that is my brand, that is my identity, and I I and I think it's a it's a real strength to be able to be describable, like I genuinely believe we both are. Like I can describe what you do. You're a women's, you know, you're a women's health specialist, and people come to you for that.

SPEAKER_00 1:03:29

Yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_02 1:03:30

Subconscious, maybe maybe we're being smart or or not. Maybe it's just maybe we are just genuinely author. I think it's actually the latter. We're just very authentic and know what we want.

SPEAKER_00 1:03:39

Yeah, it was it was so funny. I was I was at a friend's house the other day. I won't I won't disclose her name just in case she doesn't want this to be her. But um she was like, Yeah, I look down and check my discharge now, and I think of you every time. I thought that's lovely. They're like, Kooe! This part of your cycle. I think actually it's great. Like, great, like exactly what you want. But that's too, that's what I want. I want people to care about their health and and track their cycles and be aware of them. So I was like, actually, that's such a win that I'm actually even in my friendship group, that's what people know I'm doing because it's so important. So yeah, it's it's it's so true, isn't it? Just you've just got to bang your own drum loudly.

SPEAKER_02 1:04:17

100% for sure. And yeah, I if it feels it feels cringe, but the success happens on the top of cringe mountain, I promise you. You've just get get on top, scale cringe mountain, and first they'll hate, and then they'll ask you how you did it. I swear to you.

SPEAKER_00 1:04:38

Oh, sorry, the cat is really shouting. Diggs, what do you have to say about this?

SPEAKER_02 1:04:42

Diggs is loves cringe mountain.

SPEAKER_00 1:04:44

He lives on cringe mountain.

SPEAKER_02 1:04:47

Is that what you call it on the on top of the radiator?

SPEAKER_00 1:04:49

Yeah, he's gonna be.

SPEAKER_02 1:04:59

Ah, we're we're wrapping this up, bro. Um, I mean, obviously, me like I've just been so I've just been at Jiu Jitsu earlier today, and people who don't like football were like, You met the dinosaur? I was like, Yes, and they were like, You look so happy. I was like, No, it really was. Yeah, I mean, like, I'm gonna speak uh seriously now. I have been an Arsenal fan since age of like what eight. We're going to highbury with my dad, and when you s when you're in the stadium or when you're at highbury, you see Gunasaur as a kid, obviously, you see Gunnosaurus comes out and you're like, There he is. Whoa! And then you see Gunnosaurus, he comes d he plods around, he's got his little m person that walks around with him, and he goes around the stadium, and you're like, Oh my god, is he gonna come to this bit of the stadium? And you're like, Dad, can I go down the stairs and see if he's coming? And then sometimes he doesn't come near independent because I had different seats, he doesn't come near you, and you're like heartbroken, you're like, Oh my god, he came so close. But and then obviously, I have met Gonosaurus before um in life, and then It sounds so ridiculous, but it's one of those moments where I just turned into that eight-year-old girl again, and Gonosaurus high-fived me, and I and I we walked out the um at the players' uh entrance to the pitch through the dugout, and they were playing North London forever, and we were just walking out, and I high-fived Gonnosaurus, and I I literally was like started to well up, and I sort of turned away because it was basically me and loads of lads, and I I mean I'm welling up now thinking about it. I I glisteny old eyes here. Someone's cutting some onions. I turned away because I was like, This is cringe, I don't know these people. And as I turned back, but my friend Lawrence was there and he was filming me. And I was like, no, Lawrence, you just caught me having a little cry there to Gannosaurus, and yeah, it was just amazing. And obviously, we did a a double a double bicep flex, we did a chest bump, and uh it it it broke it broke the internet this week. I literally had an email earlier to say from like a PR, like, hey, I saw that you met Gynosaurus on Wednesday, look super fun. Would you like to come to this event? So obviously, I've I've I've made myself look super fun. Obviously, I am. No, but it was yeah, it was so it was so good. I mean, obviously, it's cringe as a 41-year-old woman crying at meeting a toy dinosaur, but you know, we have these moments. That was mine. What was yours? Did you meet a dinosaur?

SPEAKER_00 1:07:25

No, I didn't meet a dinosaur this week, but I mean, I'm actually buzzing with my teeth, I'm not gonna lie, it sounds so silly, but it's not. I've wanted them done for so long, and I just it's mad. Like, obviously, I think I think being on social media does not help but overthink my appearance massively, and it's just giving me just some more confidence. Like, I just feel really good, and I'm like, yeah, it's just something so minor, like it's probably what half a centimetre longer on my tooth, but it's just made me feel so much happier. So I'm really, really happy about that. And yeah, I just had a really productive week. I just feel like we're getting stuff going with the house, getting stuff done, wrapping up my exams now, like just getting stuff done. I think I set myself like mentally, I didn't want to overcommit stuff in the first six months of this year, but I actually think I've done a really good job, and I think actually, even looking back from a year ago, I'm in such a better position now, and I'm actually just really taking stock of that, and I'm really proud of myself. So, yeah, just a really nice week, really lovely week, actually. I think the sun helps, but mine has been too hot. But yeah, just for yeah, really lovely week, actually, all in all.

SPEAKER_02 1:08:27

That's brilliant to hear. We love it, we love it, and then like it's all these moments where you sort of stop and you do look back and you reflect and you think, God, how was I ever doing that? Like, you know, it's all relative, isn't it? But it's it's amazing. I've we've we're both got action girlies. It's like okay, I can I can endure this for a little bit, but I need there needs to be a plan B as soon as we you know we recognise it's not sustainable. So that's really good. But yeah, the my pit of the week is sort of related to the weather, and I just think in any sort of weather, London transport goes up the toilet down the down the top up the toilet. Up the toilet, up the I don't know what I was about to say. I've done quite well for this this pod. I've I did get rolled on my head at jujitsu, so maybe it is that. Um, yeah, just I've had enough of London Transport. I just think yeah, people are rude. Like, if you are it's sticky, please don't touch me. And I don't understand how such short journeys, like you said earlier, how on London Transport I could walk, I could walk. Let's just save this three quid. I'll get off the bus. You don't have to take me. This is just not enjoyable for anyone. Um, and also, why can't bus drivers like stop slamming your foot on the brake and flying everyone down the bus?

SPEAKER_00 1:09:42

Oh, I know, I know. My it's really weird. My my pit is literally the same. Well, my aircon in my car is definitely not working. I had a service on it recently, and they're like pay extra amount to do the aircon. I was like, yeah, we'll do that. Great shout. It's definitely not bloody working. I driving, I mean, I need to stop driving. I literally messaged, I'm done with driving in London. It's just like I think they've closed every single bridge in London as well. Like the traffic on the bridges is crazy. Um, I literally messaged Dora, I was like, what is going on on your bridge?

SPEAKER_02 1:10:12

And she was like, Everything, everything, everything goes on on that bridge. You know, they've got more works to there's more works to be done on that godforsaken thing soon.

SPEAKER_00 1:10:20

I saw them, it was oh my god. Yeah, so to be honest with you, hot weather plus public transport is just I agree, like just walking, but then it was too hot to walk. When did I walk? I walked back from the gym last week and it was just so unpleasant. But I think now the temperatures are dropping, the car's going away, I need to just walk everywhere again. I'm just it's so infuriating, and I'm not an angry person. I no, I'm not an angry person, but it makes me an angry person. And it's like if there's like a there's a clearly like you know your lanes lane, lane, lane. This is going this way, this is going this way. So when someone wheezes up the lane that is no traffic in and then pretend like then cuts in up, I'm like, no, no, why are you so special? Why do you get to bypass a queuing that I've just done for 15 minutes? Please.

SPEAKER_02 1:11:01

Gosh, it's really touched a nerve for you there. Again, thank god this is uh on the whole an audio podcast, but um, yeah, Sarah's is very animated. Yeah, don't ever cut, don't ever cut her up.

SPEAKER_00 1:11:15

Don't ever cut me up on the road.

SPEAKER_02 1:11:17

Um, I know that's what what a way what a note to end it on. Don't ever cut her up. This is yeah, again, I know we keep talking about it, but hopefully we'll have maybe we'll post some video stuff now that both of our teeth are done and we're delighted. But I Sarah said I looked a bit sweaty at the start of this pod, so really warm.

SPEAKER_00 1:11:34

I think it was like it was just a bit pale. I'm not gonna lie, I was I put a little bit of makeup on because I'm going out after this, and I'd cut red onions for my lunch, and then I then put my fingers without I should have washed my hands before doing my makeup. Yes, I didn't. I picked my beauty blender up with red onion-y fingers, and then I've got red onion right in my eyeballs, so I've not put any mascara on, so I do look a little bit ghoul-like. Ghoul. Ghoulish. Ghoulish, but yeah, maybe do some videos. But I think we need to find a studio because I think everyone would love to see us.

SPEAKER_02 1:12:06

Oh, yeah, the face the well, not that my face moves much, but Sarah's does.

SPEAKER_00 1:12:10

Yeah, I'm I have got I do fear for the day I do get Botox, I don't know what I'll just like self-implode because my face is very expressive.

SPEAKER_02 1:12:19

Well, until that day, we thank you as always for listening in to our uh little weekly pod that is growing uh in size. We are delighted um to all of your messages. We genuinely read them all, and we uh we we love sharing them with each other as well. Um if you have any thoughts of things that you want us to cover, talk about um Casey Price is something I would love to talk about in more detail. Obviously, it's it steers away from health and wellness, but there is no health, and there is no wellness if Katie Price can't find her husband.

SPEAKER_00 1:12:47

So, on that note, thank you so much for listening. Have a lovely weekend.

SPEAKER_02 1:12:51

See you soon. Bye.

SPEAKER_00 1:12:54

Bye.