EP #174: The Secret of Your Future Is Hidden in Your Routine: Aubree Mitchell's Story of Redefining Health & Healing

(upbeat music) - Welcome back to another episode of Everyday Endwar Fence, a mental health podcast focused on the importance of finding joy and happiness and daily living. I'm your host, Stella Stefanopoulos, and this week I had the pleasure of bringing Aubrey Mitchell onto the show. So Aubrey and I met months ago at Running Man, which is a wellness festival in Georgia. We were both fitness instructors at the conference, and Aubrey told me how she was building a fitness platform and on-demand service. So I wanted to bring her on the podcast to talk about what she's building and how her background and specifically her experiences with trauma and really adverse life events shaped her philosophy on health while being and now using movement as a very therapeutic and healing modality. We get into a really rich conversation, and I do have to say trigger warning on sexual assault, eating disorders, we cover the whole gamut of things in this interview, but for any of you out there listening who have had those struggles or similar struggles or have had traumatic life experiences, I really hope that you find solace in Aubrey's story and also feel empowered to take control of your life and to move past those traumatic experiences with grace and with resilience. That's exactly what we talk about today. And of course, Aubrey shares how she defines happiness and what brings her in doorfins. Before we get into it, reminder to like, rate and review this podcast on whichever listening platform you prefer. Hi, Aubrey, thank you so much for coming on to everyday in doorfins. It is so wonderful having you here today. So happy to be here Stella. I'm excited to chat with you. And I know it's your first podcast, which is like, I feel honored number one. And really happy for your sake that we got to meet in person because I feel like the first time behind the microphone or being interviewed, it can be really stressful sometimes. But it's fantastic that we literally were housed together (laughs) at Running Man a few months ago. So we've really like, we started at 100. You know what I mean? Yeah, sharing a house that I think takes you to the top level. In the wilderness. I mean, yeah, and it's like dark at night and you guys had to get in my rental car and it was just kind of mayhem, but it was good. It was good. And I remember feeling like, wow, thank God, Aubrey has a car because I don't know how to drive and I need someone to basically help me get to and from this cabin in the woods that we were staying at. Far from the campsite. Yeah, it was a hike to get there. So I forgot about you not having a driver's license. Oh yeah. Stay, we'll never forget because I don't know what I'm ever gonna get my driver's license. You know what? That you never do. Passage your princess. Mm hmm. It's the best. It is. I don't know any other reality, but I can attest that passenger princesses a nice lifestyle to live. But I do remember in the house that we were staying at, there was something so unique about you and like your ability to just get so deep, so fast and not in like a oversharing way. Like I feel like sometimes people cross boundaries initially with people they don't know or like they overshare and it's kind of odd, you know what I mean? But I remember being in conversation with you sitting in that room together with the other member that was part of running man who was also sharing that house with us that weekend. I kind of walked in on like a really deep conversation 'cause I was staying in the room next to you guys and I was like, whoa, this is like, this is not like conversation, but it felt so natural and I loved getting to share that experience with you because I feel like a lot of times when strangers meet each other there's this like mask we put on of not wanting to share certain things, but I feel like we just kind of cut to the chase and it was very organic. And I really appreciate that. Thank you. I can't remember the question that she asked. Maybe it was give me five sentences to describe something about your life and I'm not really one for sugar coating things. I also am really bad at lying and I'm also really bad at like putting a front up. So and I guess just the nature of her background and you had kind of mentioned what you do and I'm like, well, if we're having a conversation asking these questions, then I'm gonna answer them honestly. And I think that that's really important, especially for things that I have experienced in my life. It's important to be honest and open about those things that that doesn't have to be something that defines you. You don't have to ruin the rest of your entire life just because you've experienced some pretty traumatic things. And we all have a choice and you can choose different. You can choose happy. You can choose better if that's really what you want. I could have chosen to try drugs and I could have chosen to not deal with all of those things that I've experienced. I used to pray all the time. Only for one thing was for wisdom to overcome things that I've experienced and wisdom to change my life. And I feel that I have been gifted that, tenfold. And I just feel really honored to be able to help other women now move on and forward and say, okay, yes, I might have been sexually assaulted multiple times. Yes, I was born to a family that had me as a teenager and they didn't want me, but now it's time to let it go. And it's time to move on. - Yeah, well, I, you know, first I just wanna thank you in advance for your openness in this interview to share some of the experiences you know that you're gonna get into. I think in doing so, it's creating a space for my listeners for my community and for people out there to feel seen and to be like, wait, I can resonate with this or even if they haven't had that same experience to feel inspired to know that they can make a choice in their life to move different. I just made a post actually on Instagram about reflecting on how love is a choice. And I talk a lot about how happiness is a choice but when we think about in the context of relationships and cultivating healthy dynamics and relationships, you have to choose to show up for someone every single day. The feeling of love is not enough, it's the action behind that and you have to make the intentional choice every day to support yourself, to support your partner. And I think a lot of things in life come down to our choices, but it can be really hard to make the choice that's in service of your highest self when so many horrible things have happened in your life, right? So my question to you here is, what's given you the strength to move differently? How have you trained your mind to not play into the whole victim mentality, but to learn how to make the choices that support your well-being in the long run? I mentioned a little bit that my parents had me when they were teenagers. So my mom was 15 and 17. They will argue that to the death that they were 16 and 18, but I have my birth certificate and I can do math. And that is just such a wild thought to me to be that young. And as I mentioned, it was very apparent that I ruined my mom's life at least. And that's sad, but it is what it is. And her siblings, almost all of them, she has six brothers and sisters. They also had children starting at like 13 years old. So I had cousins who were a little bit older than me. And I just was so fearful seeing the dysfunction and the crazy things that were going on and just seeing how it was chaos. And I said to myself, I know I never, ever, ever, ever want to be that. And I never wanted to make somebody feel the way that I was made to feel over and over again, even now I'm 31. I mean, 32 December 8, which feels crazy. Even feeling that now again in a different light, like launching my business and thinking that I wouldn't, I would have like this celebration and they're really excited about it and just not having that happen, but just kind of going back to what you said or what you had asked. It's like an unwavering, knowing in my soul. Number one, that I am good. And then I have so much love in my heart. And I saw death really young. One of my cousins, she was around my age in high school. She got hit by a car and died. And then my first boyfriend died. And I was in the ICU and got to see him on the stretcher there. I was supposed to be on the back of his motorcycle that day. And like 20 minutes before I always needed money because I moved out when I was 16 and to my dad's house. But he was never around because he had alcohol problems. So I had to work. And anytime there was an opportunity to work, I had to take it. And so he dropped me off and then he got hit by a car a girl turned out in front of him. And so I went to the hospital and then let me go back there and see that. And then he was on life support for like a week, I think it was. And so yeah, just seeing that really made me embody the fact that we have such a finite time on this earth. And bad things can happen to good people. But that doesn't mean that you shouldn't always try your best. So it's just we have too short of a time here to have any time you put a in our heart or go to bed angry or not be kind to somebody and not to try your best. We really don't have that long on this earth. And yeah, just seeing how easily it could be taken away at 16 years old. There was now. way that I could let my past take over the rest of my life. And that's a very young age to experience grief, loss, heartbreak, you know, all these very powerful emotions and experiences. What were some of the most impactful therapeutic modalities for you? At that time in your life, were you leaning on support from friends? It felt like maybe your family wasn't very much there for you. So where were you getting your support system from? And was there be even an idea at that point? Like was it even talked about at that time in your life? I had a really hard time with religion because on my mom's side of the family, they virtue signaled with religion. It was kind of like a cop out for these really awful behaviors. And so I really frayed away from that. And their answer to any type of anything was you need to pray about it instead of ever, ever giving any rational help to anything. Before that, I had an eating disorder stemmed from the anxiety and the stress from my mom. My dad put me in therapy. My parents were never together. So my dad put me in therapy and this guy, gosh, it was a horrible experience. This is kind of why I'm like, I'm not necessarily anti-talk therapy, but just what I ended up doing for myself worked for me. I don't necessarily think that everybody needs it. And that's my own personal belief. He would have me go in there and he would weigh me every single time. And he wouldn't let me see the scale. So of course, that's going to make me way more obsessed. Your therapist would do this? Mm hmm. This is not a good therapist. Yeah, it was really bad. It was like he specialized in eating disorders or something like that. So that was my experience with that. But because of all of that, I did not have healthy coping mechanisms. So that was when my struggles with alcohol really started. Once he passed away, I could not go back to school. So because I had to transfer schools because I moved out of my moms into my dads. At that time, all of this kind of just comes and happens within six months. And so I told my dad that I was dropping out and then I'd already signed up for my GED test. And then I would just start college and do it that way because I was getting bullied really bad at that school that I transferred to because it was a big school and I transferred from a really small school. Yeah, I just started hanging out with anyone who didn't want to get close. Anyone who wanted to go out and have fun because I just wanted to have fun and feel it's not necessarily good, right? You don't feel that. But I wanted to dissociate really from what actually was my reality. Right. It's like a numbing process. It's like it's pushing down the emotions that are really hard to reconcile with because we don't ever want to sit in discomfort. Like we notice something come up for us and it's like, Oh, God, this is uncomfortable. I don't want to deal with it, right? So we push it down. Yeah. I think that's where these unhealthy coping mechanisms come into play. So that's kind of how it all started. And it was just kind of nonstop. And it was like anybody who, I mean, gosh, I think back to that time and I am just like, what horrible people I was surrounding myself with. So yeah, that led to one of those drinking nights led to the first time that I was sexually assaulted. I definitely got drugged. I had to fake ID. And I was underage probably 17 years old. And we went to this. Oh, God, so so nasty. It's like Indiana Beach is what this place is called because I grew up in Illinois like in our South Chicago in farm town USA, about time little town. And I think there's a lot of human trafficking there and a lot of heroin. So we went to this place called Indiana Beach and went inside the bar. And then that was kind of it. I remember really getting our first drink. And then the next thing I recall is like being sexually assaulted. And I couldn't move. My best friend was passed out on the bed with me. And I reached and grabbed her leg and she woke up and started fighting. It was a really big guy. I was like, "Russian, he didn't really speak any English." And yeah, she like fought him off of me. And then, I guess the drinking just kind of got a lot worse after that. And I got 2D wise within a couple weeks to each other. It was just kind of like the worst downward spiral that I could find after that, after that had happened because it was pretty traumatic. So, and my family doesn't even know. I mean, my dad knows, but he didn't do anything about it when I called him because he was really heavily drinking at that time. But just to think about, you know, my mom, not I'm 31 years old. And instead of wondering how in the world could I be drinking so much that I would get 2D wise, which they did not, they were like, I called for help from the jail because if you don't blow into the little, they automatically take you to jail in Illinois. Wow. And they just left me in there. I just couldn't imagine as a parent. I could never do that. It just is so wild to me. So yeah, she like still has no idea that that happened. Well, and that's odd. Maybe if she listens to this podcast, she's going to find out, you know, let's just like pause here because I do want to like just take a moment to appreciate the fact that we met at a wellness conference, which brings together like minded people who care about leading healthy and happy lives. And I think this deserves a moment of like celebration to reflect on what your reality looked like at 17 versus what it looks like at 31 really. And the reason I want to pause here is because your story is really inspiring in that it is proof that you have the power to turn your life around complete 180, right? And I want to, you know, get into a bit more around the mindset shifts, the belief systems, you know, all the things that you have to change to get to where you are. But, you know, first I want to say that I'm sorry that these experiences have happened in your life. And sexual assault can be very difficult to talk about for the person who has had this happened to them, but also just getting into really a discourse about it from an outside point of view, I think can invite a lot of negative commentary, right? And I want to hear from you because it's your experience. But, you know, you talked about what led you into binge drinking and this abusive relationship towards alcohol was this a the grieving process at a young age, but be some of these feelings that you had around being neglected by your family and being raised in a very chaotic home environment. So what sprung you into that was this instability in your childhood. And then of course alcohol when you're intoxicated, like we know that shit happens, right? And you are not in control. So when you think back to that time in your life versus where you are now, I don't my hunch just from the outside is that you would not be in an environment present day that would enable that kind of behavior to happen. Like you would not find yourself in that environment. So what are what are your reflections on that when you just think about the series of events that led to that happening versus like the way that you've worked on your mindset in your belief system and where you're at right now with your self esteem and your confidence and how that like shapes what environments you place yourself in too. Yeah. So I had mentioned to you when we were in our cabin in the woods that I had been sexually assaulted five times that I can remember. And that is a huge reason why I do feel it's important to talk about it is because it was all centered around me being blacked out drunk and me coming to while this person was doing that to me. And I do think that it happens. I mean, I see it all the time online when women talk about their stories. It's so funny how people will so quickly blame her while you shouldn't have been that drunk in the first place. We don't have the same tolerances as men. We don't metabolize alcohol the same way that they do. And we're significantly smaller. And if you have a lot of underlying trauma and things that you are trying to escape from you're just pounding the shots. I love margaritas. I will drink them down so fast. But it's one thing that is honest and true and said something like bragging about no, but they're good. And I could I could drink like four in an hour probably, you know, if we're all just sitting around the table having fun and chit chatting. I could definitely probably do that. Those little rocks glasses. But that's not to say that isn't going to make me blacked out. It definitely is going to. And I don't know. I just think it's important to. To let women know you cannot run away from what's going on in here. And that's what I did four years. I moved to another country briefly for a second when I was dealing with all that DUI stuff. And yeah, it was like in Australia. And then I had to come back to Illinois to deal with that. And then from that I became a flight attendant and lived in New York City. And then I lived in Miami. And then I quit that. And I was on mega yachts and lived in Costa Rica. And it just came to a point where I was like, it's always going to be here. It's always going to be inside my head that I don't feel enough. And I don't feel good when and I going to be sick at that. And it's kind of like I just woke up one day and was like, I actually cannot do this anymore. I don't want this for myself. And I knew that I at some point wanted to be. more sober. I'm not, I don't consider myself a sober person. I don't like labels on things. It's too restrictive. It makes me want to do it more. And I knew that when I became a parent, I did not want my children to have even remotely close to the experience that I did. So yeah, I've just kind of been on that journey for the last couple years of like stepping back from it, playing around with 30 days in the beginning of the year, then 60 days in the beginning of the year. And then remember it was Christmas day and we were going over to this house for Christmas, like opening Christmas step up. And we had drank the night before and I had to pull over on the side of the road and throw up outside of the car on the freaking freeway. And I just thought to myself, how cringe is this? Now I'm going to be miserable. All of Christmas day, this holiday that I love. I'm not doing it anymore. I'm not doing that anymore. I'm not going to feel this way ever again. So yeah, I'm going to go, oh God, the worst. And you know, I will say like, I don't think alcohol is bad. Like I do love a drink. I love a great cocktail. I love a great glass of wine. Even Scott Galloway talks about how we need to get younger people out more at bars socializing. Alcohol is not the devil. Well, of course, there's negative effects on our bodies and physiologically and impact sleep blah, blah, blah, but putting that aside, when we abuse alcohol, it puts us in a dangerous situation. It does. And it's not using alcohols and excuse for any of these traumatic things to happen. We have the choice to put the bottle down. We have the choice to not to say no to the fourth glass of wine or whatever we're having, right? Like we have the choice to always say no, but it's when those limiting beliefs get in the way. And the lowest self esteem gets in the way that makes us want to keep saying yes, is what I think is what makes that boundary really blurry. And then we put ourselves in these really unsafe situations where we could be exposed to traumatic experiences. And so what I love in your reflections is like first, figuring out how you've redefined a healthier relationship to drinking, but also secondly, doing the work on yourself to build up your own sense of self and to reverse those limiting beliefs. So what I want to ask you here is what's been like the most impactful practice for you that's helped you step into the version of yourself that is aligned with your mind, your body, and your spirit, taking care of yourself. It's hard. You don't just snap your fingers and one day you wake up and you're like, I'm healed, right? That's just not how it goes. But I would love to hear from you. Like what are some of those practices that have really helped you reverse those limiting beliefs and take control of your life and create the life that you ultimately want to live and to not create the outcomes that your parents were living in. I definitely think that confidence and removing those limiting beliefs are like a muscle. You definitely don't just wake up with it. But you do have to wake up in the morning and be like, you know what? I feel like shit today. But I'm going to do it anyways. I know that I am doing the right thing for my future self. I know that I am on the trajectory of who I really am. And also, I wanted to have my own business for at least a decade. That was always what I wanted to do. It was kind of, you know, pounded into my head that I had to be in healthcare and like I kind of, it's kind of being a parent. I always wanted to be good enough for my mom to love me, right? So it was like, how can I prove that I'm good enough? And so it was just kind of anything that she thought was good was what I would do. So I was going down that path and studying genetics. I was once messed your way from entering into an agiopathic medical school. And I was like, you know, I do this. And it's going to be the thing, you know, there's going to be a big celebration. And she's just going to be so proud of me and tell everyone about me and just love me. And then I just, first of all, I looked at, I would have $250,000 in student loan debt and would be 33. And what I really want with my life and what I am good at, I, I do want to be a wife and a mother. And then I want to build this business that I'm building. Secondary to that. First and foremost is a husband and a wife and being a homemaker and taking care of my children. That is my God-given gift. I don't have to try at it. I just am a nurturer. That's just who I am. And when I started to lean into that's what makes me feel good. That's what lights me up and makes me have so much joy is loving people in that way. I was like, okay, I'm doing the right thing and I'm just getting better at that. But movement was really my therapy and I live on the central coast of California. So it's pretty much sunny every day of the year, except for maybe 10 days. And we are currently in one of those 10 days. It's like a little bit of the rainy season right now. But just I can be outside every day in the grass. I can be on the beach every single day and watch the sunset. And just sitting with my thoughts, I do a lot of journaling. I have my journal right here. Well, honestly, I just think it was like the gift from God, the gift of wisdom finally embodying it and being like, okay, this is who you are. You're meant to help other women. You're meant to be honest and be a lover and just be authentic so that other people can feel okay with their life not being this picture perfect cookie cutter thing. And I think the biggest thing to realize, and this is what I like to tell people when they have gone through a breakup or it's been a messy breakup and maybe he cheated on you or he hit you whatever it is. You are not unique. You are not the first person that that has happened to. And it's really unfortunate that it happened to you. It's unfortunate that that's happened to me. You're not going to be the last, but are you going to let that ruin the rest of your life? And you just have to get up in the morning and you just say, you know what? I feel those thoughts. I feel those feelings and you have to feel them because they're not going to go away. And then you figure out how to let that shake out. Like you have to let it go because what you're just going to ruminate on that for the rest of your life and just kind of going back to talk therapy and why I personally don't like it. It's just you're just ruminating. You just go in there and you ruminate over that and all that energy is stored in your body and you're feeling it and you're cycling it. Maybe you go and see that person once a week and you have that conversation. You're just going over it again in a different way than you did last week. And then they want to just give you a medication. The real freedom is in saying this does not control my life anymore. I am in control of my life and I am choosing happiness and that has to go. Like it just has to go. I mean, I have found talk therapy to actually be very helpful, but this for me, it feels like I am like uncovering clues of my life and I'm putting the puzzle pieces together and it's like, okay, now I can move forward. Like I've gained this insight, but I will say I hear you because there have been countless times I've talked about the same situation on a weekly basis and it drains you. So it's a balance, I think, but for me, it's been helpful. What I wanted to say, there's three things that came up for me in your response. So the first is what I was hearing really come up was discipline. You wake up. You don't feel good. Okay, I'm going to choose to do the things that are going to make me feel better, even if it's hard. It's really hard to be disciplined because life gets in the way. But our mind is a muscle. We have to train it. So discipline is what I, you know, the first thing I heard you say and coupled with that was also this ability to like have humility in life. Like to recognize maybe you wake up and you don't feel great, but accept that. Notice that you're not feeling great and that's okay. That shouldn't impede you from just like doing the things that you should do for yourself that are going to make you feel incrementally better. Just because you woke up and you're not feeling great doesn't mean you shouldn't go to the gym. Like it's actually even more of a signal you should get up, move your body and like get near endorphins, right? So it's like having an acceptance of your emotional state and observing it, but knowing that it's not going to control you and you can still continue with life as is, right? Life continues on. So that was the first thing that I heard and that came up for me. The second piece was around this prayer that you had. And I do think that well, there is research that supports the people who are more spiritual have better well-being. The act of praying is like a form of manifestation. It's about having faith. It's about creating a more positive reality for yourself, having a more positive attitude and outlook on life. So I love that you came into that prayer practice because I think for me, you know, I grew up Greek Orthodox. I went to church, but I never really like prayed in church. But as I've grown older and gotten more connected to my own faith and culture, I understand now what the value of prayer is. I mean, I think a lot of these priests and like even religious teachings, it's so philosophical. It's not even about like the religion per se, but it's about the teachings, right? And we know that manifestation, like a lot of its mindset shifts. And that's everything we're talking about. The third thing that came up for me was this quote that I love that I found on Instagram as a graphic. And everything you just said supports this quote. And the quote is, "The secret of your future is hidden in your daily routine." And when you were talking about what is future Aubrey going to be doing, how do I best support her? It comes back to what you're doing today, right now and every day. What's a habit? What's habitual for you? When we think about stepping into the light life that we want, being in the driver's seat, creating that reality for ourselves, again, you don't just snap your fingers and you're there. It requires work and intention. And a lot of times for me, I've learned it requires saying note the things that are not lined or do not support the future version of myself. So future Stella doesn't actually exists in the future. She's in the present and I have to do the things and create the behaviors that support the person that I want to become. It's like what Mel Robbins says, act like the person you want to become. So I just loved your response because it brought up clearly a lot for me and I know you mentioned that movement is really something that has grounded you and has been transformative in your life. And that's your whole platform. This is the business that you're building. So tell me about what you're working on right now and your training in the fitness space as well. So I became a personal trainer when I was 18. I trained myself for my first marathon that I ran, which was Chicago. And I thought, "Tang, I could do this as my side job while I go to school." That would be a great way to get out of because I was bartending and in nightlife and it was just not conducive for for me. It's like if somebody who's binge drinking and then you're just at these nightclubs all the time. So I thought that was a great segue to get out of that. And I became a personal trainer through Nazem and I started at this gym and it was on the South side of Chicago and it was the only was like maybe 95 pounds. It was a runner. So I was so freaking tiny and they placed me in this gym if the gym was called export fitness and it's all over the Chicago land area and they placed me in the one in the South side of Chicago. So all of the other trainers that I'm with are these gorgeous D1 black athletes like sculptures of human beings and I'm just this skinny little white girl, the only white person in the whole gym. And the team was amazing. They were so supportive and always tried to get me clients. But if you walk in that gym, you're not going to choose me. You know, you're going to choose this ripped bill girl or guy. So one of the trainers was like, come here, I'm going to show you this room, this group training room that we have. And that was where I really shined and they trained me on group fitness in that gym. And that's what I did for a while and I fell in love with it. And then I began working for Americans. So I kind of just came back to it when I settled down on the central post of California and it developed my own methodology because I was going to this gym. It was a heated heated studio. And just seeing I'm all about, I mean, exercise is our gateway to life in my opinion. If you are working out well and you have a good plan, this is your first way to battle disease. And injury if you're doing it correctly. So I was at the studio in the studio to be packed with like 50 college age girls. And I was a little bit older. I was 24 years old and just I'm always observing, always observing what's going on. And I was just kind of a gasp at the fact that there was no form corrections. I'm like, what are this what where are these people's training from? This is just not the vibe. So essentially I created my method based a little bit off of like a bootcamp style class. Says strength training, but also Pilates principles. There's some calisthenics, Prince like peppered in there because I do really appreciate body weight exercises for a whole body movement and some mobility and there's cardio. So it's kind of just all in one in my strength format. And then I also am certified in Pilates and yoga. And then just a multitude of things over the years that I have gathered. So yeah, I just took all of that and then created my own method. And then I started teaching it at a gym here, a small group gym. And it was an hour long class. But that's really unnecessary. You don't need to be working out for an entire hour. If the class is built properly by a trained professional, you can get everything you need done in 30 minutes. So my classes are 30 ish minutes. Sometimes will be like 37, maybe 32, like a range between 30 and 40. And it's just going so good. It's going so well. I mean sprint training is really important. So I ask that everybody figures out a way to sprint. And I do my sprints. I don't run anymore because of an old injury. And I just my IT band flares up because I have 10 to 9 is in my IT band. I would love to still run. It's my most favorite thing to do. But my whole point of the way that I do movement is I want you to be a strong and able bodied 95 year olds who can run around with the grandkids, get up and off the ground quickly and injury free. I want you to be able to move your body in all the ways that you desire to move your body for a really long time. For example, I want you to be at the park with your child or your grandchild. And let's say the slide is all the way up here. And you're kind of off to the side a little bit. Chit chatting with another mom. And your child is at the top of the steps and you look away for just one second and they are now falling backwards. You can reach out and extend your arms and catch them. You're not going to feel pinch in your lower back because you are already doing all of that weighted strength training and twisting in the spine with your arms extended away from the body. So you have these realistic movements that are building strength and building malleability is is what I really want you to have. You shouldn't have to have perfect form in all of these different movements. You need to be able to have strength in realistic movements that translate into life. I love that. It's like making fitness applicable to the everyday modern person and like how do we set ourselves up for longevity in our bodies? As we age, how do we stay strong and balanced and mobile? These are things we take for granted. As you were giving that example, I was like, oh my god, the idea of that being a hard thing to do at 90? Yeah, it is. But 26, I'm like, it's easy. It's so easy for me to move my body, especially as a fitness instructor as well who's also very active. So I love that approach around how do we make fitness even more accessible and how do we rethink fitness and movement as a way to support the strength of our bodies, to feel strong and able-bodied. So I love that. I think we need more fitness trainers out there who are supporting this approach because I'm sure you would probably agree. Like so much of the content online we see around health and well-being is just not inclusive. It's very picturesque and these are the boxes you have to check to be healthy and it's just not like that's not real life, right? No, it's perfect. So yeah, if you have a plan built by a trained professional who has been it, so I've been training my format for the last five plus years. And I mean, it's changed so many women's lives local to me and that was why I wanted to create the On Demand Studio and I wanted it to be at a price point because the number one thing that I have with my one-on-one clients is okay, well, where are you feeling pain points in your life? It's financial and time. The app is $15 a month or $126 a year, so less than $3 a week. You're getting toaching from a Nazim certified trainer who is a total psychopath about the science and always learning the best next best thing and it's 30 minutes or less. The only one that's going to take you a little bit longer than that is doing your sprint training but that just depends on how fast you sprint. It takes me around 50 minutes to do it. I do it on Mondays and then it's just over with for the whole week and you know, everybody wants to go out there and demonize all of these different things and then people are buying this little trampoline and doing this rebounder when in reality, you could just be doing these classes with seven or eight minutes in that 30 minute class of the cardio that I have set up. It has hopping in it, so you're getting that lymphatic pump going. And it's just funny because things want to change and go through all of these different phases, but I have just stayed true to what I know. We have to do intense cardio, doing sprints once a week, doesn't have to be every single day before your heart because that bad boy's pretty freaking important and you need to keep it strong and you need to be doing that mobility work. Yoga is so great, especially for people who are sitting in chairs for eight hours a day, like you have to, you have to just do those different things and you have to do resistance training. So being able to get it all done in 30 minutes at home, one, you don't have to travel to the gym. So for me, like let's say I would still be going to the gym closest one I have is five minutes away, but I wouldn't say that that's pretty common for everybody. You know, I would say most people need to include 20 minute commute to their gym. Maybe maybe 10, 15 minutes, I'm not really sure because there's always one close to me. And then, you know, just the equipment you don't have to buy the Bala equipment. It's very adorable and very cute, but I went to Target to like build out somebody's first little home gym and I did it for less than $200 for everything that you would need. And I do also understand and respect the philosophy that you should be lifting heavy, but I have never done that. And I have incredible body composition and bone mineral density. I get my stuff tested. So I know that it works. I have clients that are doing that same protocol. And I have the evidence to support it. So it's like yes, in one sentence, you could say that this is the best. You have to be strength training in this way. But I do not enjoy that. And I have developed a methodology for the people who also don't enjoy that. I hate going to a gym. I hate being in that big open room with people thrashing around the weights. I just you can do the same thing on bells at home. Exactly. And I think the point that you're making that I so agree with is like we need to make movement enjoyable, otherwise you're not going to do it. And it's really any healthy habit. If it feels like a chore, you're not going to do it. You got to make these practices that are good for you. Actually fun to do. As a former athlete, I've had to redefine how I find joy in fitness, right? And now, I mean, you're so right, you don't need that much time at the gym to get the results. Like, I've been in this amazing routine where I'm up at 615, I'm at the gym, I'm at a workout class at 7am, almost every morning during the work week. And then I start my day at like eight, nine o'clock, depending on the day. And these classes I'm going to are like 45 minutes. And I used to be so strict with myself, like I need an hour of pure cardio or like an hour of like no breaks with a workout. And it's like you literally don't. And granted, like different things for different people. But what I've noticed is I felt the leanest and most strong and most flexible and mobile and all the things when I've actually like just been like, it's not that deep. My workouts are not that deep as long as I'm taking time every day and consistent with it. And I'm getting in a combo of strength, resistance, mobility, cardio, even if it's like cardio, like I am healthier. I see it in my body. Like I would feel it. And I'm like, and I'm metabolizing my food better. I mean, it just it's this upward spiral, right? So I really love that philosophy. Aubrey, where can my listeners get connected with you and download your app and get in touch? How do they get involved with what you're building and work out with you? Yeah. I like to say that the best workout is one that you can consistently do for a long time. And that's really all that matters. So my app is a line movement by Aubrey M and wherever you get your apps, sits in Google and Android. And then my social media is aligned by Aubrey. And then a line movement is my brand page. And my website is align movement dot C O. There's no end. And that's it. Amazing. Well, I will hyperlink all of that in the show notes. And for everyone listening out there, this is how you can work out with Aubrey. And I unfortunately did not have a chance to take your yoga or Pilates classes at running man. But my goal is to work out with you soon and get to experience the magic of your methodology. But until then, I do have a final question for you. Okay. And it's something that I ask everyone on the podcast. So Aubrey, what is something that brings you a bit of endorphins every day? Being outside with my dog. His name is Alfredo. He's a big white golden cooking nourishing food and moving my body. That's my simple recipe. I love it. And you definitely have great nature. And you have the outdoors in California. So I'm envious of that. And we definitely had our fix in the cabin in the woods in Rome, Georgia. So that was amazing. And again, you know, so grateful to have had that experience to have you on the show. And I know everyone tuning in really there's so much wisdom in this conversation. And so again, Aubrey, I thank you for your time and for your openness and vulnerability. I know it must be hard sometimes to reflect back on those experiences of trauma in your life. But I am really so grateful that you have shared your story with me and my community. And my hope is that other people feel seen and feel like they can be open about their experiences in life. So thank you for paving the way for that. Yes. I used to get worried about talking about my story because I would be scared to trauma bond. I didn't want to build a community of trauma bonding. But then I realized that there's so much power in it to help people feel safe and seen to change their life too. So thank you for having me. This is fun.