how social media has changed over the last 10 years + what you need to do to STAND OUT as a creator/business owner with Emily Duncan

All righty. So as you know, social media has been changing, has changed, will always keep us on our toes. So as someone that has been doing this for it's going to be my fourth year in business, I thought there has to be someone else that knows more than me that can talk about all the crazy changes of social media, you know, how it's changed from before to now, what we need to do with content creators to really stand out in 2024. So I have Emily here as a very special guest to walk us through it. So I am a chronic yapper. So I'm just going to let Emily intro herself. We are twins in that regard. Like when you were on my show, I joked I was like, that's why I started a podcast because I was tired of Instagram caption limits. I was like, no one will restrict me and all of the things that I want to say. But hello, I am so excited to be here. My name is Emily Duncan. I introductions are always so funny, right? Because I'm like, I ask people this all the time and people are always like, Oh, what do I do? And then I'm like, Oh, what do I do? But I like to joke that I am a social media dinosaur. I have been a content creator for over 10 years at this point. 2024 was like my official like when I really started doing it anniversary. So been in the content creation game for a long time. I am also a business owner. I own and run a fitness and health coaching company called Phoenix, Athletica. And I have owned and run that for over eight years at this point. This December will be nine, which is also really crazy. But I am just a human common being existing on the internet, doing fitness things, doing personal development things, doing life things. I also joke that I am like a kitchen sink. I just hit my microphone, a kitchen sink of a person on the internet because I have so many diverse interests and diverse passions that all kind of like fit together in a weird way. So that's a little bit a little bit about me and what I do when I come from. Oh my gosh, we love. And if you haven't seen any of our content, you need to need to need to need to watch it. But the last thing that you said, I think so many people can relate to that. And I brought this up in my whole onion girl mini series about being a human being that is multi-passionate, multi-dimensional. You can't put me in a box. And sometimes that makes content really hard for people. And is one of the reasons why I talk about niche down within yourself and finding a personal brand. And when I found you because I found Emily off of, I think the Explorer page or her Reels or something. And I'm like, oh my gosh, she's a vibe. I love my fitness girlies. But she's also like has a personality. So can you walk me through what what it's like being a content creator, having been a content creator for as long as you have been and hearing all these, you have to niche down things or being restricted by platforms or something like that. Like how did you finally find your own on these platforms? Right. So when I first started, like I said, it was like 10 years ago, I was super heavy just in the fitness space, very niche down in that way, because that was like what I was doing, what I was loving, what I was obsessed with at the time. And I still do it. I still love it all of those things. And also I come from a background where I love so many things. I love fashion, I love beauty, you know, I love spirituality, all of those things. And so it got to a point where I was creating all this fitness content. And only doing fitness content felt really inauthentic. And that's one of my core values as a person, as a brand, as a company, all of those things is authenticity. And I was like, and this was especially like also back in the time, you know, 2014, 2016 time frame when the algorithm quote unquote wasn't as challenging. And I wasn't really thinking about trying to optimize an algorithm white red that wasn't really something that you thought of back then. So I just kind of sort of sprinkling stuff in like I would do like makeup vlogs. I would do like little, here's what I'm wearing today or like back then you could literally take a picture of like from what I think it was called like from where I stand. And it's like the view of your shoes and like your bag. And I would have like trader Joe's flowers and all that stuff. And I was just like, this is just what I love and what I enjoy. So I'm going to share that. And so it came from just a really, really authentic place. And it's also not always been super easy because especially as a business owner versus content creator, you do feel the need and the pull to kind of niche down more for sake of business health. And so for me, it's definitely been a huge balancing act. I've created like four different Instagrams for different things. And it kind of always just comes back to the one. And I'm like, well, here we are. We have all these different hard cruxies of me scattered across the internet. We'll just do with what we will. We have them if we need them. But it's been a thing of, okay, how can I balance creating content that I need to create from my business to survive and to thrive and also just have fun because I'm a creative at heart. And if I'm not honoring that aspect, if I'm only creating for business, if I'm only creating for profit or lead gen or whatever, it's really miserable. And then all my creativity dies. So I'm like, well, I can't do that. That doesn't sound very fun or very helpful or very productive. So it's been something where it's been kind of coming home and always honoring that authenticity. And I actually read this really good book a few years ago, probably like 2019ish timeframe called how to be good at everything. And it's about being what they, the author calls a multi potentialite, which is just somebody that has so many diverse interests, different passions. Like there are sometimes people that like want to hop around to different careers, but just in general, people that essentially like don't want to niche down and feel that's very inauthentic. And it just gave me a lot of peace and being like, this is okay, this is okay. And it's something you can do and you can be without it hurting your voice, hurting your brand, hurting your vision. And honestly, it's one of the things that I get the most positive feedback for from my community, because I think people are, you know, over the last few years and especially now, so tired of just kind of the copy paste person, especially in fitness, it's like an epidemic. But people don't like the copy paste person, right? People like people that have it, like you said, like have a personality have different interests. And it's also something that, you know, you talk about niching down on yourself. It's something that I also find as a business owner can actually be helpful for your business, because like we were talking about on when you came on my show, it's like, it gives people something to identify with you about. Like, I have clients sending me picture of their sourdough that they're baking, because I've been in my like sourdough era situation. Like people asking me about makeup products or like books that I've read or personal development stuff. And so I'm like, all of this serves for trust building. And I think too, I think something that a lot of creators don't think about when they are in one specific niche is what happens if you want to grow beyond that one day? Like something that I've started doing in the last couple of years is offering mentorship, which is more of like personal development, spiritual development, like very high level one-on-one coaching versus just fitness coaching. And if I hadn't had that kind of stuff as an organic part of my content up until that point, it would have felt really jarring. And I would have been able to start doing that, which is something I really enjoyed in love. So thinking beyond where you are right now and honoring what you love in all of it, I think there's absolutely a way to do that. Yeah, I love love all of that. I mean, that could be an entire masterclass. But you know, you have a really specific experience as a business owner and as a content creator because being a full-time content creator influencer and now being a business owner who has to be a content creator, who has to now prioritize their personal brand. Like it's so different than maybe how it was 10 years ago, let's say. So how do you juggle it all? How do you run a business and be a content creator full-time because you have the content creation skills? Like I think even if you're like, oh my gosh, I had a bad day. Like you are still doing it so effortlessly. You're really consistent. So are there any systems or tools or maybe just mindset things that you've adopted to do both? Yeah, absolutely. So first of all, thank you. And I definitely have bad days for anybody that is listening that is starting to do that. Like I have days where I'm like pissed about my engagement or like my following has not grown in years because I haven't tried to like all of those things like everybody has bad days on social media just like in life just like in business. And you know, a lot has changed since I've shifted especially from kind of solo entrepreneurs. So I ran my company by myself for the first five years and then I started building out a team. Things really started to change when I started to build out a team because obviously the company got bigger and now I'm responsible for more people and their income. So things kind of had to shift. I think one thing it's it's funny. I need to be so much more like I am with my businesses content with my own content because every single month, this is something that I would really suggest to everyone to do whether you have a team or not, but I have a team that runs my businesses social media page. So once a month I sit down with our social media and like copyrighter and we plan out every single piece of content for that month. We pick out, you know, what the topic of the content is going to be what format which coach is going to do it like all of those things. And then we have, you know, a week and a half, two weeks to complete all of it and then it's already to go for the next month. So having just a sit down bulk plan, all of those things that has been so helpful and it's something that I need to kind of get into a more consistent practice with with my own content because it's so so helpful. But then really having the mindset of like what buckets are my content going into and we talked about this when you came on the show when you're talking about different content pillars and things like that is especially kind of running the the dual nature of it, right? Like I remember the first time I had a friend reflect back to me. She's like, yeah, you're like one of the only people I know that creates content and runs a business and I was like, oh, you got a point. So kind of knowing where I'm putting myself when I'm creating a piece of content and I think a big thing for me lately, you know, am I putting myself in business mode, you know, like trying to reach new people, trying to do lead Jen, you know, whatever it is, like where am I? And then when am I doing just like personal fun lifestyle content that has nothing to do with business? So kind of having that clarity and having a balance because I've also gotten two places where this is actually something I'm working on more recently where I've actually felt like business owner guilt if I'm just creating content for me where I'm like oh this isn't lead gen content this isn't directly affecting the business or like driving you know profit or sales or whatever this is just for me this is just for fun like I've definitely dealt with like oh should I be doing that is it okay for me to be doing that kind of all of that stuff but giving myself permission to do both and also acknowledging too that I think the best brands are the ones like when I see like lifestyle brands or makeup brands or whatever are the ones that take you on a journey where it's not just like here's the stuff that we sell it's like oh here's like the people behind it like a great example of this even though it's not so much like on their page but like base travel by Shay Mitchell like I first of all I love that I didn't know that it was her brand until I bought it for the first time and I was like oh this is super cool and then I started paying more attention and I was like she's navigating the super super well it's like this person that also has this brand so I think kind of being able to put yourself in the mindset of okay this is when I'm creating content for this specifically this is when I'm creating content for me and also knowing that when you are building a personal brand especially the stuff that you do create just for you it still creates energy within and like connection within your people even when you're just posting like vibes like I know for a fact I'm going to I'm going to Europe for three and a half weeks and two weeks and I'm like there's going to be so much content it's going to be so much fun and it's going to be so much fun for my community to see that and to like kind of second hand experience that trip with me and so it's like no it might not be like hey DM me this if you want to work together but it's like oh we get to bond and that bonding with your community I think that's why I've had so much longevity in this it's because I've always been very kind of community first and I've never been the type of person that's like you know I miss DMs 100 percent but like I DM people back I interact with them all that stuff so like really also making it community centered which does involve you as the creator just creating totally yeah because if you're going to build a community of people you need to actually think about the community of people right like if you were all going to hang out like at a coffee shop or something like would the vibes be fun yeah yeah and I think everything that you just said it just really really drives the point home of like prioritizing your personal brand and letting your strategy really magnify your authenticity is too fold it really is a win-win it's winning on like the outside of socials because you get that community you get those lifestyle pillar elements in there you get that connection but also on the back end content workflow is something that we definitely don't talk enough about and I try to talk about it a lot on my page but if the back end if you you know turn on that camera and you freeze up and you just like cannot will yourself to create it's probably because you're not having a lot of fun you don't have a plan a structure or strategy but most of the time even if I give you script by script point by point here's the perfect strategy if you are not in the mood if you're not having fun if you're having those self sabotaging thoughts it's not going to happen which is why I encourage everyone to doesn't have to be every day but have the keep yourself accountable to like posting something for you for yourself posting something just because like it's a vibe posting something just because it's fun because that business owner girl especially that you talked about oh my gosh I think business owner struggle with this a lot and I've heard so many times from clients or leads being like oh well I worked with this social media manager I worked with this agency and they said don't show X Y Z don't talk about your husband or your kids and blah blah and I'm like oh but that is very strategic in the strategy I'm going to give you right you're like we do things a little differently here but like I post like our dogs all the time or like our plants or my boyfriend doing funny things like it's part of the brand and like even just like the vibe stuff something I'm actually like I'm giving myself this challenge more recently as I try to just like create more for me I'm like once a week you need to recreate a photo from your Pinterest board and it's just like a really fun thing it's like oh I get to create the vibe that I've sought out in my own life and that's also still like a fun like project and maybe I should like post that I'm actually doing this as a challenge then I can like have people hold me accountable to it yeah but like you're just getting yourself we talked about this when you're on my show getting yourself in the rhythm of creating which can be anything it doesn't have to be like oh this post that I'm creating to educate my community it can literally just be a post that you're creating to create and I think authentic creativity is one of the most magnetic things there is love yes yes yes yes okay so kind of going back to your 10 year journey so what are the things that you feel like have drastically changed about the social media space from when you started to today in 2024 oh my god everything because it really is so different like thinking about an Instagram where there were no stories where there were like 15 second limits on all videos like everything is so different just in like the formatting but I think one thing that is is a lot different is it's a lot harder to get both visibility and people's attention now and I think a lot of people in like even me at times take that as a bad or a frustrating thing especially people that have been creating content for a really long time like I used to be able to just take a picture of my food and post it thousands of likes like insane and now there is a lot more effort required and again I think a lot of people view that as a maybe negative thing but something that I think can be taken as a positive from that is it will push your creativity more it will push you to think outside the box or to try something new or whether it's a new trend or a new style of content but it's really asking you to step up in how you create and what makes your unique voice important and impactful I think that's probably another thing as well is because the space is so saturated now across so many different industries especially within fitness I think it's just more positive than anything when you have something that sets you apart because like I said like in fitness there is a lot of copy pace going on of just like people doing the exact same things wearing the exact same things like all of that so when you have something that makes you a little bit different that makes you stand out I think that's more important now than it ever has been because it's just a very a vast ocean with a lot of fish in it so I would say yeah the the pushing of your creativity and then just the importance of individuality and authenticity from not just an attraction perspective but also again a community building perspective because there are so many kind of copy-paste people or people that are so like heavily in the vibes that it is quite literally just a I don't know if like Mirage is the right word but it's like they're more like a concept than a person you probably have seen content like this where it's so detached they're never breaking the fourth wall ever once like the fourth wall is always up right which it might that might not sound intuitive because you're like well it's social media like you're sharing your life but I think if you start kind of paying attention you might start to notice like oh this person and everybody's allowed to do social media how they want to get me wrong but like this person is so extremely curated we are never seeing anything beyond just like beautiful aesthetics that are very kind of hands-off kind of a thing versus the people like you and like how I try to be where it's like you're gonna get all of that and then you're also gonna get me as a person yeah yeah and I think something to kind of wrap up all of that especially on Instagram because you know obviously yes Instagram did start out as like extremely curated perfect feeds filters whatever and to an extent there is still some of that um but I think there is also definitely space for authenticity and what I'd like to say is less presenting more sharing you don't have to present it you don't have it doesn't have to be perfect this is not a this is not your you know finals PowerPoint presentation to your professor like it doesn't have to be perfect and in fact when you do start sharing those building stages and I'm sure I'm sure you've experienced this with your own businesses people get people get like your engagement goes up people are like oh wow like I built this with you you know what I mean and then when it does release or when you do have something that's like okay it's finished you know we get to share that with you so less presenting more sharing for you um and the last question I wanted to ask in this little segment is if you were gonna tell a new creator one piece of advice today what would that be oh this is a really good question I would say create authentically from a place where you can create consistently and I think that's like it's got a lot of layers to it because for one like the authenticity piece obviously never try and be something that you're not never just try and hop on a trend whether that's just like a sound or like a style of content even like you know I know the like dark moody aesthetic is really popular now for some people that is their vibe for some people it's not like don't try and hop on a vibe that's not actually your vibe just because it's popular because I think that's really apparent to people versus when you're doing something that feels really really aligned with you like I think energy is so readable even virtually it's like if you're creating something that isn't actually aligned with whether it's your aesthetic your vibe your messaging your values it's going to be so obvious it will stick out like a sore thumb it's also not going to be fun for you and then as far as the consistency aspect you want to be creating in a way and on platforms where you can be consistent with it you know something that I there was a time when I was juggling Instagram podcasts and YouTube all at the same time. And there was a period in time when I absolutely loved it. And I was able to be more consistent with it. But then kind of as the business grew, it was like, Hey, my attention's got to be over here a little bit more. Where do I need to kind of reassess and refine and kind of where where is my energy best served and that ended up being Instagram and the podcast. And that's not to say I'll never do YouTube again. I've actually thought about it more recently. But think when you're thinking about your content strategy and how and where you want to create kind of doing the what you were asking about earlier with like your scheduling and your strategy and stuff like that, do that as like your pre-rex before you like launch the podcast before you're really like in the weeds, have a strategy for what you're going to do, how you're going to create, you know, are you going to do like two shoots a month so you can batch content, are you going to have, you know, two to three days a week where you're just recording podcast episodes like that kind of thing, figure out kind of your content buckets, your core values as a person. I think that would probably be the best way to sum up the authenticity and consistency part is like what are your core values as a creator and that's going to be where and how you create from. If you're not taking notes, write that down, write that down. But I also think to kind of wrap up this segment here too, it's it's okay that things are going to take a little bit more time because especially as a business owner, business owners will very often, you know, give me inspo on like an influencer, like a huge influencer and this is their full time and it's like you're also running a business while also being a content creator. Like if things are going to take a little bit longer than normal, it's okay because you're running a business. You have a team. You're not just a content creator full time. Both of them have their strengths and weaknesses and struggles. But specifically, as business owners, like I would and I tell this to my social media manager clients all the time, like we're working on workflow right now because if we're not working on workflow when you just want to make a viral video, I promise the viral video is going to come. It's going to blow up your business and then where are we going to be because we didn't work on the workflow. So if things are taking a little bit more time, specifically to you as if you're a business owner looking at how crazy these influencers and content creators are doing, like please, like put the blinders on, don't worry about it. It is okay that it is taking some time. But of course you're here. So we have to talk about the fitness space. Now I like to call myself a non-Jim, Jim Gurley because I love to go to the gym. I love to destroy the gym. Brows. I love gym content. I love fitness content. But of course, I'm not a coach. I'm not an expert. I don't know anything. So perfect timing for you to be here. So first question I want to ask is is social media good for the fitness space or is it worse for the fitness space? Oh, this is such a good question. And as much as I have so much content that I want to tear apart and light on fire, I ultimately think it's good for the space. And sometimes that content is good for the space because it gives educated qualified professionals like me a chance to create content, essentially just tearing it apart and being like, hey, here is why this is actually factually scientifically false. We get to build trust. Fantastic. But just in general, especially too, it's been really cool since I've been in the space for so long. When I first got into things and when I first started, you know, competing in bodybuilding, especially, I was fucking five, nine, a hundred and twenty pounds soaking wet at the end of my season. I looked like a pre-pubescent boy. I was so small. I was jacked, but also I didn't ask if I could swear on this podcast. So I'm sorry. No, you're all good. You're all good. The look and the thing that people aspired to back then was being shredded at all cost at any cost, right? And so I think, you know, just one area where social media has been really, really positive for the fitness space for women, especially is kind of shifting away from that narrative. And like now the whole thing is like, oh, girl, I actually want to have a butt and some shoulders and some quads. Like that kind of shift in body image norms for women. I think it's still, it's definitely not mainstream yet. And I know that there's so many of us that still struggle with it. But I think it's a shift in the right direction. Or even just kind of the the easier access for kind of everyday people to see scientific information. Obviously, if you're consuming from qualified professionals, it can be really helpful. It can be really clarifying. It can be really peace bringing. It can all also be really confusing because there is so much information out there. So I do suggest to people like, hey, pick your top three to four creators in the space and only follow them. Otherwise, you will get so much conflicting evidence. But in general, I think it's been a huge positive just in the sense of there's more science, more easily widely available to people now. It's getting more women in the gym. And it's just getting more people talking about fitness, which when I kind of zoom out because obviously it's really easy to get in my little bubble where everybody is, you know, loves working out is super science based like all this stuff. I zoom out to the entirety of the United States and the entirety of the world. And we still have a crisis with not enough people exercising nearly enough as they should eating well, you know, obesity is a crisis here in the US and in a lot of other places in the world. So it's like, we have so much work left to do. And I think this is part of how we are starting it. Obviously, there's so many negatives that come with it that we have to navigate, but I think in general, it is a net positive. And I think a lot of professionals, when we can kind of get through the stuff that's not great, would arrive at the same conclusion. Yeah. And I've even seen like whenever there's like a viral, you know, fitness video or some of the other fitness girlies, like including yours and some other ones. And there's comments like, "Yeah, I went to the gym for the first time." Or like, "I saved this one like that always. It's just so sweet. And it's so fun. But there is a flip side to that just like any space. There's always going to be conflicting information, misinformation out there. And I think the people in your community really look to you to cut that noise. So are there any patterns of fitness myths or trends that you are just like, "Mm, questionable. I don't know about this one." So there's a couple that are really popular right now. And it's funny that I just said, you know, hey, women are wanting to have more muscle, get in the gym, you know, be stronger, all of that stuff. It's interesting. And like, not to tube my own horn, but I called this years ago. I called this back in 2022. The idea that we were going to start seeing the trend again of lifting makes women bulky. And girls just wanting to be kind of skinny again. And we see that kind of happening now with, there is that narrative returning of lifting makes women bulky. And especially with the rise of Pilates, which I love. I am a Pilates girl. I've been doing Pilates. I danced my entire life growing up. So we had to. As part of like ballet training and all that stuff. My mom was a Pilates instructor. Like, I'm not a Pilates hater. That's like another thing. I'm like, I'm not some like muscle chick over here that's like, I hate Pilates. I'm like, no, I love it. I love it so much. But what's happening right now? And this is actually a piece of content that I broke down after Miley Cyrus at the Grammys. People were like, Oh my God, what is she doing? She looks so great. And you know, people are like, Oh, well, she's long and lean and toned because she does Pilates. And so there's kind of this narrative that's coming now of lifting makes you bulky Pilates makes you what people are calling long and lean and tone, but it's just code for skinny, right? And so it's a really damaging narrative just for one because resistance training in and of itself for one won't make you bulky. We don't have the testosterone for that. But it's actually such a vital part of aging health fully, right? Like, we can prevent so much disease, so much just kind of lifestyle and age related decline by having more muscle mass. So deterring women from lifting terrible idea. And then on the same token, just telling someone that one modality of exercise will make their body look a certain way, like the girl that did the video that I kind of tore apart literally said Pilates gives you this copy and paste body. I was like, I can't believe someone in the fitness base would actually say this for one because it, but then for two, you've clearly never worked with a substantial population of women because there's so many factors that go into how your body looks, like even down to I did a piece of content explaining this, like what makes someone's muscles, their actual muscles longer versus shorter comes down to how your muscles attach on your bones. You can't change that with a form of exercise. That's an actual anatomical feature on your body. When people want to look leaner, which typically tends to make you look longer, that's a fat loss conversation, not necessarily a specific modality of training. So I think that's one that has been really insidious. And like, I would never want somebody to only do Pilates because I think it's going to make them skinny because for one that might not happen, but two, there's so many other benefits, really strong core, better posture. I found that doing Pilates actually worked synergistically with lifting because it helped me tap into muscles in a different way that I never really accomplished through lifting that I could then go and translate into my training because I knew how to move my musculature a little bit differently. So there's so many other benefits to it besides just that. And also, I think to like the Pilates community is meant to be, it's not necessarily this way, but it should be more inclusive because it also is a great low impact form of exercise that could be more accessible to people that may be lifting. They're not quite there yet, right? So I wouldn't want them to feel excluded because their body type didn't look like the quote unquote Pilates body. And then another one that I actually just tore apart on a podcast with the coaches from my company a couple weeks ago is cycle syncing. So there is currently this narrative that is floating around largely in the wellness community, which I also love that I kind of split my life between the fitness in the wellness community because I'm super into wellness as well. And like holistic functional nutrition, all of that. But the idea that we should be training [BLANK_AUDIO] at different points in our menstrual cycle, particularly around our luteal phase. There's a lot, a lot, a lot of wellness creators saying, you should only be doing gentle movement during this time in your cycle. You shouldn't be lifting heavy. You shouldn't be doing anything intense. La la la la la. Your luteal phase is half of your period. Like it's half of your 28 day cycle, 28 to 35 day cycle. So if you're not lifting during half of your time, you're missing out on so much progress that you could be making. But the bigger thing for me is how this narrative perpetuates the idea that as women, our bodies are weak and our cycles make us weak. And that if we do these harder, more intense things, we're going to hurt our hormones. We're going to hurt our bodies, those kinds of things. And that's just not true. There's ways that we can take care of our bodies and our cycle all month long that will actually make your period. So at the time you bleed much more pleasant that don't involve you having to say no to a specific kind of exercise because you're scared of what's going to happen if you do. Oh my gosh, you literally just blew my mind right now. And I'm so happy to drop that up because I have been hearing this and I'm still figuring out how to navigate working out on my period. I also think business owners, specifically female women entrepreneurs, a lot of us are very much into health and fitness. Like we know if we're not taking care of ourselves, our business is, you know, it's going out the garbage can. Like we're not doing it. I think a lot of women entrepreneurs really, really prioritize that. But this is, we need to, okay, we need to talk about this more. So when it comes to working out on your period, what do you suggest? Because I think for most women, we feel, be good for myself, disgusting on our period. I'm like not doing anything, not speaking. But if you are someone that is active and normally active, obviously from what you just said, it would be, correct me if I'm wrong, quote unquote, it would be wrong to just like, not do anything or just to like take walks. Like what do you suggest? How should women be looking at how to move their bodies when they're on a period? - Oh, I love this. Okay, so I'm going to take it micro. So just in like your actual period when you're bleeding, then we're going to take it a little bit more macro and how we can kind of take care of ourselves a little bit better throughout the entire month. Because that will make that time a little more pleasant. But for one, I also agree so many female entrepreneurs are super into wellness, but are pursuing the wrong wellness things or aren't getting the right wellness advice. So like Shane was bugged. - Hi, I'm here for you. - That's like you share, right? - So within your actual period itself, so day one of your period is day one of your menstrual cycle. People bleed from four to seven days. This is the beginning of what's called your follicular phase. Some women like you feel awful. PMS through their period. Other women like me, I'll feel pretty garbage. Strength will be down, coordination will be down, energy will be down, sleep is fucked up. Digestion is up through right until my period starts. But my period starts day one of my cycle, day one of my follicular phase. I feel like I could run through a brick wall, right? I'm like, I'm hitting PRs. I can do all the things, like amazing, fantastic, wonderful. So what I like to teach as a coach and how we teach as a company at Phoenix is how to actually listen to your unique body. And so what we do is we have clients track their cycle, track their symptoms around their cycle. As they are developing better healthier habits, do those change. And so if you are someone that you don't feel great during your cycle, it's okay to whether it's, you know, taper back the volume of your training. So maybe instead of doing four days a week of training, you bring that down to three. Maybe instead of doing, you know, just higher intensity sets and reps, you just go in there and try and get a pump, you just try and get your body moving, deliver nutrients, all those things, you can scale back, you can swap out the type of exercise that you want to do if that's what serves your unique body. And that's the biggest point that I have for anyone is, if gentle movement is what serves you best during your cycle, do that. But I never want someone that is like me that feels great in that time frame to be like, oh, I'm not doing this because I'm scared of hurting myself because that's actually for me a great time to really capitalize on high performance. So it's really about tuning into your unique body and figuring out what's best for it at any given time. You know, if you're able to get up during your cycle for like a walk, some Pilates Pilates is great, some mean yoga things like that, or if you are able to train, that can actually help with things like menstrual cramps if you can just kind of get up and get moving. But doing something always better than nothing in my eyes, but again, the biggest point being figuring out how to tune in and tap in to your unique body and how it's communicating with you. And then kind of on the macro. So how can we take better care of our bodies and our cycles during the entire month because your cycle is all month long, right? It's just in different phases. But the biggest thing that I see when people come into my company Phoenix is, and this applies, I work with a lot of entrepreneurs, I work with a lot of lawyers. My like joke client archetype is like New York lawyers 'cause I'm like, I'm on my roster right now, which is like a lot of copy pace for one like career and location on my client joke program, like entrepreneurs, lawyers, accountants, engineers, like very high pressure, high stress, high speed women, right? And this has been this way for over eight years. 99% I am not kidding. It's probably more like 99.5 to 7% of my clients for over the last eight years have come to me not eating nearly enough. Nearly enough calories, nearly enough the correct distribution of macronutrients and the funny thing, ha ha, funny ha, not funny ha ha, funny weird, is it's, they're not eating enough calories, they are doing a lot of exercise and they're having a hard time losing body fat, building muscle, just doing the things that they wanna do, right? They also tend to have really rough periods, lots of cramps, lots of bloating, lots of fatigue, all of the things. So the one phrase where I like to put it is, when we can take care of ourselves better throughout the entire month, our cycle is naturally going to be generally speaking less halacious. Now, if you have a condition like endometriosis, that might be still like a very different situation for you. But when we can focus on, okay, let's eat enough calories all month long, get a good distribution of protein fat, carbs and fiber, let's make sure we're focusing on sleep, let's make sure we're focusing on getting enough general daily movement, not abusing caffeine, all of the things, doing some breath work or some meditation, believe me girl, I know I'm, it's not even that I like caffeine, just like things that have caffeine in it. So like I'm coming to you so humbly, like it's so hard for me too. - She said, focus on sleep and fix your caffeine addiction and I said, oh, so we're roasting me. - I got it, got it, got it, got it. - You're like, and stop recording. - Right, sorry, sorry, my internet connection tied out, whoopsie. But focusing on those things throughout the entire month, getting lots of fruits and veggies can be really, really helpful. And then when it comes to around specifically, your cycle time incorporating things like magnesium, magnesium is something that I generally suggest everyone take all the time. But increasing your dose when you start PMS can actually help with things like cramping, bloating, sleep, digestion, all of the things. I also love taking a really nice epsom salt bath as a source of magnesium, focusing on, you know, hey, can I get myself like a hot compress to help with my cramps, really doubling down on things like fiber and sleep in that timeframe just because sleep is already kind of compromised. And then the fiber will help with digestion. If you are somebody that gets a little bit backed up during your cycle, which is very normal with the increase in progesterone. And then kind of keeping context, you know, throughout your whole month of how was mine is kind of coming back to like how you take care of yourself all month long. How is my general lifestyle behavior all month, right? Especially in the context of stress and alcohol, which alcohol is kind of like a stressor. But when we're talking about menstrual cramps, a lot of where they come from are these little things called prostaglandins. Prostaglandins are these little inflammatory guys. And so they are very impacted by the things that we do in life that are inflammatory. So if we're eating a lot of processed foods, if we're having more alcohol than normal, if we're really, really stressed, if we've been sick, all of those things, if we're checking any of those boxes, we might have more painful cramping that month than if our alcohol consumption is low, our stress is low, we're eating lots of fruits and veggies and omega-3s, like all of those things. It's like, hey, if I've had a really bad cycle this time around, you know, what am I, what did I do this last month that kind of contributed to that sort of a thing? But in general, and so this is where the conversation around the actual cycle-sinking stuff becomes really important because it's like, hey, instead of trying to like do the mental gymnastics of like, oh, I'm in my follicular phase. Oh, I'm ovulating. Oh, I'm in my early alluded, you feel like your face. Oh, I'm PMS, like, oh, what do I do four to five times throughout the month instead of just focusing on, okay, here's the entire picture of my month. How can I nourish and take care of myself throughout that entire time period? You actually don't really need any of that stuff. And then just kind of listening to your body as your cycle comes and adjusting in a way that has less pressure and fear behind it. - Yeah, oh my gosh. I feel like we could have had this entire episode on this segment. Honestly, maybe I need to have you on for another one, 'cause I think-- - Let's do it. - I think, you know, for a lot of us, specifically women that are in high, you know, high performers, okay? Anyograms, threes maybe, moms, just women that are working. And that are in those stressful environments and then learning about like, oh, actually, maybe I need to take care of my body. Oh, wait, my period isn't supposed to be this way, birth control, all the things. Like, it ties all into how you create. It ties into how you want your business. So, do you have any resources, quick resources or even just plug your services here? 'Cause I'm definitely gonna be giving your page more of a stalk after this one. - Oh, I know, 100%. Okay. So as far as services, hello, hi fitness coach. So if you are ever looking to dive deep on your health for anywhere from three six to 12 months or beyond, this is exactly what we do at Phoenix. My primary client population and who we really serve the best is that high performing woman that is boss bitch in her career, moving at a thousand miles per hour and teaching you how to actually truly, I hate the word balance. I like the word harmonize because balance it implies that nothing is moving and it's two things on a scale. Whereas harmony, it's more dynamic. You probably cannot have balanced quote unquote in your life as an entrepreneur as somebody that's trying to do big things. Instead, we can create harmony at the different parts of your life and allow that to be a sliding scale, you know, throughout maybe you're in a big business push, right? And some other things kind of have to scale back. Maybe you're in a phase where you can focus a little bit more on like social relationships, all that stuff. But long story short, using we are tagline is using science and soul for lifelong transformation. So we use science based science informed fitness tactics, you know, training, nutrition, recovery, all of those things along with heavy, heavy emphasis on personal development, spiritual development, holistic functional wellness tools, all of the things to help you come to a place where maintaining your fitness, losing fat, building muscle, just living in your dream body and in your dream life is easier than it's ever been before. That's one of the number one pieces of feedback we get from our clients. It's my favorite flex is like, I've done fitness much more strictly before and this is the easiest it's ever been. So shameless plug for that. But my podcast and body radio, I have done, I want to say four or five podcasts in the last year, just on the menstrual cycle by itself. The most recent one was a coach's round table with the other two coaches at Phoenix, Kira and Emily. So that one was I'll have to, I'll send you the link for it and let you know what episode it was. That one's on cycle singing specifically. I have an entire episode on just like menstrual cycle basics, getting to know the actual phases of your cycle. What's happening internally? That's actually one. I was shocked when I released that one. Just how many women have no idea. No idea. What's follicular? What's ovulation? What's luteal? What's happening? When are you fertile? When are you not like all of the things? So that's definitely one that if you kind of are new to tracking your cycle or having an awareness around it, definitely there. So I'll send you the like episode numbers for all of them. But I have so, so, so much podcast content on it because it is another place where it's a very, very loud space right now. When we just had some basic understanding. So much easier to cut through the noise. Love. Oh my gosh. Okay. Oh my gosh. So many good things that I will be watching that. And if you listen to that and she was like, so many women don't know all the phases that are when you're fertile. But listen, that is me too. I've never had to worry about those things. I'm not up. No, this is not a team. I share everything. I've never been on birth control before. I've only heard stories for my friends, like, I am such a baby at this too. So you and I, we can do this together if you felt a little bit guilty. But the last thing I wanted to talk to you about specifically in the fitness space. So I think someone in the fitness space, specifically you has to or at least either has to be okay or have systems to be okay with vulnerability, openness about your body specifically. And I think as women, that is, you know, men and women have their different struggles. But specifically women with our bodies and the way that we look. That has to be hard. Unless it came supernatural to you to be so vulnerable open about, I know you just had like a story, a whole story deep dive into your procedures and stuff like that. So can you give me some insight in what that looks like to you to be vulnerable in this way? Because I think the way you do it is pretty, quote unquote, extreme, like in a good way. Like I think people would be like, wow, she's just an open book. She just shares it all, which is really refreshing. And I also think this is going to be really helpful for people who do struggle with vulnerability online because they're so scared of judgment. Oh my gosh, absolutely. This is honestly something I could do an entire episode on because I have so many feelings about it from like one end of like I don't think anybody owes you their vulnerability. And then on the other side, like the value of it and how to be vulnerable in a way that also feels authentic to you. Like take a shot every time I say authentic, but like it's so important because I think part of where we are now is especially with women, I have like this weird theory about how we tend to give women a gold star for making a marker out of themselves, right? For just forcing vulnerability, right? And I don't think that's the path. I don't think that's the answer. We shouldn't have to offer up like our tenderest, hardest pieces just to be like you deserve the success that you have. I feel very, very passionately about that. And also, I think there's so much power and vulnerability and it's something that I kind of pigeonhole myself and do because I've done it from day one. I'm just like, here's my life, here's my story, like all of that. And so kind of going on the procedure side of things. So I recently had a procedure I had fat transfer to the breast because I was someone that when I had implants, I got really, really sick. And I was very like open and honest about that whole journey, like when I found out that's what that was, when I had them taken out all of it. So for me, it was like, well, I lost volume in doing that. I would like to restore that. We're going to do it. And so like after many, many wasn't that obviously that's implicit, but like after years of like researching it, saving, talking to surgeons, all that stuff, I was like, okay, we're going to do it. And I knew from the beginning that it was something that I wanted to share about person foremost because of after everything that I went through and then sharing that online with my ex-plant journey, hundreds of women got their implants taken out after like hearing about my story. I get messages to this day of women like finding my videos on it. Like I just watched your stuff on it. Like can we talk like all of that stuff? So this being an alternative for, you know, whether it's women that are interested in implants, but are maybe kind of like not sure or women that have ex-planted and are like, I didn't know this was an option. Like as soon as I posted about it, so many women were like, I didn't even know this was a thing. And I was like, let me tell you baby girl because like I am, I believe at least a girl's girl. Like I will tell you where my lip gloss is from. If I can link the thing that I'm wearing, I will link it. Like if I've had a procedure that I think would be helpful for you to know about, I want to tell you that. And also like obviously I don't necessarily for somebody like me, I've been doing fitness for over 12 years. It's not like the fact that they put in my boobs from other areas of my body is going to get me to stop working out. Like I love training. I love all of it. Like that would never be a thing for me. And also I just know, and I'm very unsettled by how much, and I don't even know if dishonesty is the right word, but how many people in the fitness space have had worked on that is undisclosed. Whether that's fat removal, whether that's BBLs, you know, whatever it is, plastic surgery is so good now, especially if you pay enough money, that it will look like nothing happened, right? Or it will look so natural that it could just be a result of diet and exercise. And I know people personally that have done this, that have had things done, not shared about it, and like it was kind of gone on their merry way. And that's never really sat right with me because while it's not a lie, while it's not, you know, it doesn't take away from the work you're doing now or the work you did before, it's still something where it's like, hey, you're using your body to market to people. And there's something that has been done to your body that was not done because of the work that you did for yourself or can do for other people. So it's like, it's just a sticky space. And you know, everybody is kind of at their own discretion, whether it's with surgery, steroids, drugs, whatever it is to like share at their own discretion. I've just been the kind of person, especially with something like procedures that I'm like, for one, I really don't think it's, you know, going to be hideable, right? Like if you see my boobs looking juicy or you're going to be like, well, what happened? And I'm just like massage them and they were here. So it's like, I am saving myself time energy conversations by just being out right now front about it. But yeah, it's just never really, especially like the surgical aspect. It's never sat right with me when somebody's had something done that I know they had done. And they're just like, oh, join my program. And there's like no disclosure about it at all. I'm like, it just feels kind of gross. I don't like it. Again, you were at your own discretion to do what you want to do. But it just doesn't feel aligned in my values and it wouldn't feel authentic to me. So I'm like, you know what? I'm going to share about it. And like at the end of the day, like with vulnerability, I think some to kind of bring it back to that. I think what's been really helpful for me because I've kind of had my own journey of evolution where unrelated to like fitness stuff, I used to share every aspect of my life, every aspect of my relationship, school, like all that stuff. Like I was a chronic overshare, right? And there came a point where I was like, I kind of want to reel it back in for me a little bit and like have some things that are just like mine, you know? And so like I kind of did become a little bit more private about certain parts of my life. And people didn't love that at first. But now people have come to really, really respect it. And so when it comes to like sharing vulnerability or sharing something online, kind of one of the number one questions I ask myself, or like two part questions I ask myself are, okay, kind of try to predict what you might see as some backlash from this, right? Like what's the worst thing that someone could say about this thing that you're going to share? How would that feel? How would you process that, handle that, move through that? Like how would that experience be for you? Is potentially getting that feedback worth it? In order to, which is point 1B, can this help someone? Right. And so for me, if I'm like going through that checklist, I'm like, you know what, I feel confident enough in myself and in sharing this that if somebody tried to come at me for it, you know, I could handle it and be cool. And I think it'll help somebody. Fantastic. I'm going to share this and I feel really, really good about it. There are things just like in my my life, not related to fitness or surgeries or anything like that, but just like in my life, that I might have shared at one point in my life, but I'm just kind of now like, you know, I really don't want to have to deal with any potential negative energy from this and I don't feel like I'm hiding anything or lying by not sharing it. I'm just going to keep this one to myself right now and maybe like, instead of processing with hundreds of thousands of people, I'll just like process with my close friends or like with Chris, my partner or like whatever, but kind of running myself through that whole okay, can I take any heat that I might get from this and can I help somebody from this? And if the answer is yes and yes, then it's like, you know what? I'm going to share it and it's been just my entire social media journey as a whole and this is where I would really encourage everyone to kind of like just continue to show up authentically and share the vulnerability that feels appropriate to you even if and when backlash comes. It's been the biggest exercise in rootedness in myself and truly knowing who I am because I could get shit on and loved for the exact same thing. And both of those really intense praise, really intense degradation, both of those are massive invitations for me to check in with myself and asked, do I feel this is true of me? And so it's been such an exercise in knowing who I am and that becoming more and more unshakable every single year that I wouldn't trade it for anything. Wow. Round of applause, but I'm not going to clap because it's going to ruin the audio. We can insert one of the clap and fun. Yeah, podcast editor, you're going to put that in there, thank you so much. So powerful and such an amazing note as we wrap up this episode. And I think one of the biggest things I took away from you there, one, you have like a system for showing a vulnerability online, which I think is so important. Like I think people, you know, as much as we can be intuitive with some things, some things like that that you're really just putting your heart out there. Sometimes it is nice to have, especially if you're a business owner, to have a system, have a tool, a contact rate or business owner toolbox to keep that you can always lean on. And I love that you have that. Write down her tool system there if you're listening. And also another thing I really took away from you is your vulnerability is like a part of transparency. And I think specifically in the fitness space, transparency is so important because you're right. I have. And I've seen the videos and I know you've seen them too of like, what did she get done? Or like this grader just, you know, we just discovered she actually has a BBL. And she's like, you know, if you, if you just told me from the beginning, we would still be good. Like I said, oh, cool. You got period. Good for you. Is there's literally accounts that I have found where it's like, here's my fitness journey post BBL. And I'm like, this is genius because not a lot of people are talking about this. And this is a very like niche audience and you're being super open and honest about it. Like are you going to get shit for your BBL? For sure. Also, you're probably going to get, you know, clients or program sign-ups or like program downloads or whatever it is you're looking for from finding your community. So like, you, I don't think you can really lose with honesty when you're doing it from a place of good intentions. Like if you're obviously like a shit person and you're like, I, you know, committing violence, like, you know, that's a very different thing. But like when your intentions are good and you're sharing from a place of truth, only good can come from that. Totally. The last thing that I'll kind of leave you with here before we get into your, the rapid fire questions is for you listening, like I know vulnerability can seem really scary. And I know that creator that you're watching that is just so open and effortless. Like we have all been through the like, okay, like if, what if, am I going to cancel if I say this? Like is this too much? Does this make me look weak? Does this make me not look like a leader? And hearing it from both of us, I hope you really, really grasp like my vulnerability will only bring my people closer to me. It is, it is, it's a part of your authenticity, it's a part of transparency. It's a part of the community building. Like you really aren't going to lose it all just because, you know, you're not, you're not perfect and that you don't have everything together. Like in fact, strategy wise, it's actually going to probably get that engagement up, but to be honest, nothing. Thank the troll. Thank you for the downloads. Thank you for the views. Thank you for the engagement. Like you did your job. Thank you. Thank you so much. 100% echo what you said. The first time I ever found out there were gossip pages about me. I was crying in my closet at like midnight as like a 20 year old kid like you found those falling in my closet. Like I still live with my parents at the time. Like and I was just like, I was, I was in complete shock, like complete, like this was back when like actual paid, the actual websites devoted for this, but yeah, no. I cried in my closet. So like don't expect yourself to be like, oh, I'm so tough and thick skinned and it's showing me who I am. All that stuff. Like immediately or all the time something's going to hit you on a bad day. Something is going to hit something in you that's really, really tender and you're going to need to explore that. So like, it's okay. We have literally all, we just need a support group. We need to create a support group. Really, really, really, really, really and truly okay, I'm going to rapid fire ask you some questions and I'll ask you the final question at the end. Um, so yeah, you just spit out what everyone has spit out and then we'll go from there. So pick one platform, Instagram, tiktok, or YouTube, Instagram. Do you think the tiktok band is actually going to happen? No. Oh, pretty good. Um, any fitness essentials that you're like obsessed with right now? Straps. Mm. Me too. With these nails, these acrylics, not acrylics, these press ons, absolutely not. I'm like, oh, no, no, no, no, we're not doing anything without strap. Um, any non fitness obsessions right now. These summer Fridays, lip balm, I really have two of these on my desk right now because I lost one. And so I ordered another one and then Chris found the one that I lost in the car. And this was already after I lost one. So like, I'm clearly obviously not good at like maintaining my belongings, but I love this so much that I've repurchased it every time I've lost it. So summer Friday's lip balm, specifically the mint one. I love it. That one is really yummy. Okay, guilty pleasure when it comes to content, like content that you just binge, you just can help yourself. The, just like aesthetic, like flip through reels, where it's just like little clips of life. I'm like, I could watch this for hours. They just do something. What did you say? Oh, you said when I was on your podcast, eye therapy, like, yeah, that's what it is. Amazing. Okay. Love, love, love. And then I feel like you already said this, but I'm just going to hit it one more time, um, fitness myths that that just need to, we just need to like, ex out in our heads. Oh my God. Sinking, lifting makes you bulky, Pilates makes you lean, anything about sugar being bad for you, fat being bad for you, protein being bad, any, any, or any demonization of any singular food, every single food, unless you have an allergy to it or a sensitivity to it or like trans fats, we know those are bad, but pretty much every food works synergistically within your diet with the other foods that you're eating. So no one food is going to make or break your fitness. Love. Okay. Anything, what to you gives off it girl energy. Ooh. It's just when people are ruthlessly, unapologetically them, like those are the people and the women especially that are most magnetic, that are most like what is she doing? What's in her water, all that stuff. It's literally just when we are existing purely, holy 100% as ourselves, most magnetic thing possible. It's just the vibes. 100%. You're like weird and quirky, whether you're like mysterious, whether you're like something else entirely, like when it's so evident when people are being them, and regardless of if I like their style or like their music or their whatever or not, I love when people are just of them. I love it. Oh, my goodness, what an amazing episode. I hope you listened. You're so good at this. Oh, sweating. Sweating already. That's my sign that it was a good podcast. Is when I'm sweating like, especially as a host, I'm like, okay, I did it. Oh, my gosh, amazing. Well, thank you so much, Emily. I will drop all of her resources, links, places to hang out with her, all the things, places to work with her. And I will see you next time. And as always, break a leg.