Women in Weighlifting

[Music] Welcome to Group Work. I'm your host, Katie K. May, and I interview mental health therapists to find out what happens in the space where group therapy takes place. Take a deep breath and find your seat inside the circle. This episode of Group Work is about to get started. Today on Group Work, I'm welcoming Julie Mizak. Julie is a therapist, a personal trainer, and a cross-fit coach. Over the past year, Julie has focused on working with those who struggle with self-esteem, body image, and disordered eating. She works from a trauma-informed perspective, allowing her clients to help lead sessions based on where they are most comfortable. To learn more about Julie, please visit empowered2wellness.com. Hey! Hey! How are you? I am good. How are you doing? I'm good. I'm really excited to hear about this group today. I follow you on Instagram, so I've seen the pictures of what you're doing. As a weightlifter and in cross-fit, so I'm so curious how you're blending them together. Excited to have you. I'm so excited for this too. Yay! I'm losing my voice, so I think I'm the first person to have a podcast to be podcasting while losing my voice, but the show must go on. So here we are. I'm feeling all stuffy today, so it's just like a match made in heaven. We're on the same page. Beautiful. Yes. Yes. I'm curious if you can start us off. Like tell me how you got into these two worlds because you're a personal trainer, you do cross-fit, you're a therapist, and so it's all like personal development and improvement, but it's all these different areas. So let's start there like the history of what brought you here. So I started as a personal trainer like college, so like many, many years ago. And then so when I moved to Maryland 10 years ago, training was my first job here, but I was also doing social work just at like an agency. So I was never, it wasn't like a private practice thing. So I still really loved exercising, weightlifting, and then I always had this idea of like, "Oh, like, are you great to put them both together?" Like, I love it because being a personal trainer, you listen to people's problems about why they're in the gym. Why they being me, why they want to lose weight. So this is always like perfect, like just a measurement of like topics that I wanted to like work through. And so it wasn't until probably a few years ago that I actually like, I'm going to do this. Like, I'm going to figure this out. So I went into private practice about two and a half, three years ago now. So prior to that, I never really had the opportunity to do anything because of being an agency and like, you know, you have the thought of their rules. So really over the past, well, I back up three years ago, I started doing like Olympic weightlifting and competing. And like, that was like the fun stuff, like being able to go into the gym and like, lifting more than the boys. And like, I got this, like, it's like that empowerment part. Yes. And so probably like in the last like year, year and a half, I'm like, I got to do this, got to figure out how to do it. And like, I guess the cards never just like fell into place the way that I wanted them to until like six months ago, where I'm like, I'm going to do this. Like, we're going to actually get this off the ground. So I still work as a cross through coach. I do Olympic weightlifting. I compete in a nationally locally, like love it. It's like, that's my jam, but also like doing the therapy part of it where I work with a lot of women who have like this disordered eating eating disorders, low self esteem, body image things where I thought this would be the perfect place, just to married all together. I agree. And I think that like, we're learning more and more and some of us believe more than others, but like the body mind connection, right? Like, you're hitting it from both ends, which really I think is such a powerful combo and how you help people heal and how you help people get to know themselves in new ways, which is really awesome. Yeah, and I feel like a lot over the past few months, there's been a lot more like articles talking about this like different trainings going on where it's not just let's heal the body, let's heal the mind, where it's like, how are we doing this together? How does lifting help my anxiety, my depression, any mental health things like what's going to get help me focus on the gym or focus in the gym and outside of the gym where a year or two ago, like there wasn't many of like, or people out there that we're doing anything like it. There was no researcher, no, or like, I, or there probably was, but not as mainstream. No, I'm just thinking as you're talking like I wonder if any of it has to do with the pandemic and we're all like, consigned more and maybe sitting more and so the focus on like how we're moving more in the spaces where we can safely is maybe more present for some of us and others. Yeah, it might be where it's, you know, some of the people that I haven't group, it's like, you know, we've been sitting for the past year and a half to year, it's like we've been stuck inside the gym's reclosed exactly through things, but I've also, I don't want to say like I found like, I feel like it's always been there, but a lot more women are like, have that empowerment aspect first. I want to get in. I want to lift weights like, I don't want to just be on a treadmill or a cardio machine like, you know, be like badass. I agree and I love that and so I lived at home, not probably as definitely not as heavy as you, but you're my like inspiration that's why I love seeing your images and stuff on Instagram because I think there is this turning tide and like, you know, health at every size and body empowerment and, you know, the ideal vision of beauty isn't just this like super thin super model from the 1980s or whatever. I know what time period that was, but like things are changing and that's awesome. Like, it's time to be female right. Like having also empowerment like let's go. Yeah, like do everything that and I remember when I was first started like lifting, I was doing a personal or physical therapy and I was at an all boy school. So I'd go in there and like, they'd have me doing squats. I'm like, I want to lift more than high school boys. Like, let's go. So this has been used in high school. I love knowing about people's high school. So this was after I graduated like they were just using the high school facility. Okay. I got it. I was a cheerleader in high school. Got it. Yeah. Yeah. So tell me about this group. I heard you mentioned like, Disorder to eating, self-esteem, who's like the ideal person for your group? What are they struggling with when they come to you that leads to you thinking they're a perfect fit. So my group is women and weightlifting women lifting each other up. That's my little fancy. Wow. Yeah, I'm like, so I have it's like the 18 to like 40, 45 year olds like and so I had to have like mostly moms right now. So kind of wanted it's like that mom who really wants to be bad ass again. Like they've had the kids like they're just ready to do something for themselves. And the group really isn't for like the eating disorders part because that's just, you know, there's a kind of conflicts there and we don't want to sure they're disorders into it. But it's more of like the self esteem like confidence. I want to build a community. Like I want to be with other like minded women and because I'm doing the group at a cross with Jim. We do it when there's nobody there, but it can be intimidating. So I wanted to be like that female friendly like safe place like let's get into the gym and like step out of our comfort zone. And that's like my ideal client and I kind of down a bunch of them who really want to do that and kind of they were a little bit to maybe to mid to walk in prior to that, but because we're just there by ourselves. It's just a group of women. We kind of feel really comfortable with each other and just, you know, saying how it is and like this is what I really want to work through with this. You know venture of my life. I'm really excited hearing about this and I resonate in a few different ways. So I just turned 40 and I'm also, you know, several years into a pandemic as a business owner and I'm at this place where I'm like reimagining what it means to be me with having a teenager who self sufficient and like wanting to return to myself and stop taking care of everyone else and it sounds like that's part of the sweet spot of what you're also seeing in these members who join your group is like it's my time like I'm here for me to take care of myself to get stronger to get to know myself in a different way. Yeah. And it's even not just as much about the weightlifting that we do is also like having other moms too. Yeah. Because sometimes we do feel like isolated where it's like just raising the kids and let's run to sports and activities and all this stuff where it's new like this is my time on a Saturday morning. And we're going to look way through to sweat together. We're going to talk like we get to realize sometimes and you know it's all the emotions are there. And it's like we're all here to count on each other and even like you know through the week I encourage them to talk to each other as well. I'm not in that aspect of it because I don't need to be as like there are physical coach. But it's like they can find that connection. It's more than just I'm the mom on the weightlifter. It's like we're all in this together. How do we rise each other? You know, rise each other up and even with some of our group sessions. You know, one member might be kind of a little down in the cells and you know another member like no, but like look at how far you've called like you're doing awesome and it's like okay there is a smile on your face like. So like the cheerleading and the highlighting of progress. I'm so curious about that first group you bring them into the gym like how hesitant are people to. Like pick up a barbell like what does it look like when they first start how are you orienting them to this process. Oh my god, scary plays like there's these barbells and weight that I don't know about this like we started off really slow. So with the group we kind of come in the first like 15 minutes like we kind of do like a goal setting like how's your week been you know icebreakers like the first time around. But that 15 minutes just to kind of come in settle ourselves that's a good thing for them. Where this kind of thing like, I'm gonna. Okay, like, what did you struggle with this week? Most of my people have picked up a barbell before, not to that extent necessarily, but they weren't totally, oh my gosh, what am I doing? I've never even seen anything like this. That makes sense. Okay. So they're pretty good. I do go over all the Olympic weightlifting movements. So some of those are like, I have no idea what I'm doing. I'm like, this feels so awkward. But I'm like, well, how does that feel? And that's where we kind of go and like, how does that feel? Like, what is your body doing at this point in time? Like, what feels awkward? Like, what hurts or what's just, you know, tight and, you know, similar things like that. But it's when they get the movements, when they kind of step out of their zone, it's like their eyes just kind of light up and it's like, I got this. Like, I can do this. Yeah. And that's where I love it. Where I'm like, oh, I was like, we finally brought it all together. There's something about being able to really like now, a move like that or like, you know, get the first pull up or like whatever it is that you're like, my body is working the way that my mind wants it to work and everything's coming together. It's really rewarding. It's like for you as a therapist and a coach to see that happen. And like, what's your response? Like, I just like, well, like, that's where like, kind of like lights me up to. I'm like, yeah, that looks amazing. And they're like, okay, calm down. Like, you know, these are because it's like, it's like about it and it's like, relax. But I'm like that when I'm coaching classes too. I'm like, yeah, that's your first pull up. Like, it's amazing. And they're like, chill. Like, I got like, it's our, like, but it's like, I love it so much that I want them to love it just as much as I do. - And that's how you can tell that you're in your unique ability. Like, you're doing what you've, you're meant to do, right? Like the way it lights you up like that. - Yeah. - It's like, say, I don't wanna say I talk about it all the time. But sometimes I do talk about it all the time which means stop talking about we lifting like, let's go for it. - That's why you're here and to talk about it. (laughs) You're in the right place. All right. So they come in 15 minutes. It's like, check in. - How are you doing? What's the structure of the group after that? Is it like a workout? Like, how does it work? - So I teach them a movement. So we've done like back squats, we've done cleanser, new snatches, like we'll do front squats. Something we still do like pulls. So about like 30 to 40 minutes, well, it's like 30 minutes we have to teach them the movement. They'll kind of like use it with the bar and then we'll add some weight if they're okay with it. Keep adding weight if they're okay. And then we'll usually do some kind of like, quick like five to seven minute workout, just also kind of a crosswind. Like, let's hit it hard and like go until we're dying in seven minutes or do a workout that includes whatever the movement is for that day. But we also can do like core work 'cause that's a big thing too with like our weight lifters. Like we want to have our body the way it needs to be functioning with our hips, with our glutes or everything, just everything. So depending on how they feel too, it's sometimes how I might have a plan in my head, but we'll go, okay. - So we're gonna do and then like they get in and like, "Mmm, they're struggling a little bit." So let's like back off a little bit. - I'm so glad you said that though because that's like with any group, like you might have a plan, but you have to read the room and pivot or you know, the plan evolves based on what's showing up. - And depending like how they're feeling, like some days it might be more talking than movement because that's just what they need. I'm not gonna come into the room where I'm like, "We have to do like, it's 15 minutes." Like we need to move on and though we've got 30 minutes to do whatever. And my groups are technically like 75 minutes. They usually go longer because we all just like to talk and sit around and chat. And the first day I give them, like I found a wellness journal. So it just goes day by day, they can write how they're feeling, like any self-care that they've done routines they have. I think there's a part where they could put their food logs in which that's not a really big deal. Like they could do what they want with it. And we'll go over that too. And they seem to really like the journals 'cause like they'll bring it in and it'll be like, "Discipline, like I need to work on this more." Or like this was a struggle day. Just kind of looking back and seeing some of the progress that they've made. It was just a simple thing, like you know, running out to target picking some things up and like, "Yes, we got this." 'Cause you feel accomplished when you've done something like that and it gives them something to focus on, which is awesome. - Yeah, yeah. So we do the workout, little, our movement, little workout for like 30 minutes. We do like a debrief. We'll usually talk about a habit that they're gonna work on for the week. So whether it's getting into the gym for like three times a week, you know, getting up and stretching, getting more movement in. So not just sitting down on their desk all day, affirmations, depending. We were talking about, about manifesting what they want. Last week, like, yeah, like I'm gonna like, win this competition or I'm gonna do well this week. I'm gonna do my meal prep. I'm gonna say positive things about myself. I'm gonna get over being sick, like, you know, whatever that might be. - Can we get some help with that? (laughs) - You know, just whatever their routine or their habit that they want to establish for the week is, it's just kind of putting it out there. So we all know where we can check in. Well, I'll remember it, hopefully. For the following, it's like, okay, how is the water intake? How is the gym? How is movement? How is spending more time with the kids? - So there's an accountability component to it as well. - Yeah, that's awesome. Sometimes I might forget about the homework, but you know. (laughs) - To the best of accounts. - There's a lot of, yeah. - Or someone else in the group remembers sometimes. I know for me, if I forget, they're like, mate, did you remember about this? I'm like, yeah. - You did this out. - What are you talking about? Do you have a favorite, like, if you're looking back on your groups, is there a favorite moment or something that stands out as like really a shining moment of why you do what you do here? - I really like, like, they're like aha moments. So whether it is like getting their movement or, you know what, I made it to the gym three times a week and I feel really good or I slept better this week because I've been like moving more. Like, I like those tiny little accomplishments more than that like huge, like, okay, I feel so much better in my mind myself, like my anxiety is done. It's like, okay, that's fine, but like, where's like the little steps along the way? - Right. Which I think speaks to the process, right? It is all these little steps that accumulate into that baker's old at the end. - And I love like at the end where we kind of just like, sit there and just talk and like things are just kind of coming out where it's like, sometimes it is like, there are little aha moments where I'm like, see, like there is progress, there's positives. It's not all the bad, bad, bad. - Right, love that. So I'm gonna talk a little bit about the logistics of your group and one of the things that comes to mind is because you're doing this in a gym. I'm curious and I know listeners will be curious how you navigate the confidentiality piece or if there's a disclaimer or a waiver to, obviously you know what you're getting into if you're joining this group, but what does that look like for your group? - So the gym is closed at that point. So there's no other gym members. So I'd go in when there's no class is going on. And the class before it is actually across the kids class. So like they have no idea what's going on anyway. (laughs) They come in. So we sign like the waiver. So they have the gym waiver. I have my own waivers. I have like therapeutic ones as well as depending on the client. I have coaching ones like just for my empowered weightlifting programming and separate intake. And so yeah, it's like they know that they are coming into a group session like there could be other things. Like we're gonna just talk about, you know, therapy stuff like things that are really kind of on their mind but we're not gonna talk about it outside of the gym. And like the whole like, you know, if I see you in public, like smile each other like you could say hi to me first. Like we see each other across games or whatever. That is a smaller community. Yeah, so I think that's like really like logistics. (laughs) - Yeah, no, I think that makes a whole lot of sense. It's the same as like walk and talk therapy or anything like that. It was just curious like what different things you might have to have for something like that. - Yeah, I think the only thing like addition was like, I just kind of changed my my consents. But like the gym owners like nope, like I need my, you know, waiver, that is fine as well too. - Right. What about the like the structure? Is it a closed group? Is it a certain number of sessions? Like how do you manage all that? - It is a closed group. It is a six week session. So we started at the beginning of January, so in the middle of February. And the next one will start mid-March and go for six weeks and then ends before the summertime with all like vacations and camps. And we'll probably take a break during that point in time but it navigate everything and then start. I'm gonna try to have a couple of weeks in between. I know some of my people now like they still want to keep going. So we might just do it like a week by week for a while and then kind of really amp it up again. - I mean, it seems really valuable. I was gonna ask you of people re-enroll, but I can imagine like if I were local to you, this would be something I would be so into. And like the community connection and accountability plus, you know, everything you're learning and gaining, it just seems like an incredible value for what you're offering. - Yeah. Yeah. So it's a lot of fun. I like have had some other people reach out. Like they're gonna do it once like soccer or not soccer. And whatever sports going on is ending for the season. - Yeah. Because logistically it's sometimes it's difficult because I do it when the gym's closed that I have to wait till like 11 o'clock to do it because classes are going on. 'Cause I'm not gonna do it when everybody is there. It's just too loud. It's not personal, it's not intimate. So. - It's a different vibe. - Yeah. And some people are like, "I just wanna wait until it's warm around." Like okay, whatever. That's fine too. We'll keep you on the list. - What does your intake process look like? Is there a screening? Do you do an intake session? Like how do you register people? - Just like contact me. With the email, me calling me, coming, you know, finding the gym. And taking similar to like just a therapeutic intake. Like I do have a separate intake. That's not as therapeutically driven. Where it's like, you know, how do you have an exercise background? Does anything hurt? Do you have any injuries? What's like food been like in the past? Like I'm not gonna ask them like the trauma on, you know, stuff like that. 'Cause we're not getting into things like that. So we do have an intake session prior. If you're a current client, then it's just gonna be an amended type of thing. - So you heal them? - Yeah. - They're current. So I don't need to go through the whole feel for that. And then we just register them and they show up at the gym. Like they go into my EHR. So they still get like the reminders. So like it's just similar to like the client. - Right. group of clients. Trying to make it really simple. I don't need to like make it too extravagant. I mean, simple is best. Yeah. Yeah. What about any challenges? Is there anything like that you've had to overcome? Any challenges, barriers that you've learned that if anyone who's listening and is interested in starting something like this could learn from you? I think it's been hard because I'm kind of like the only one doing this now. Like there was somebody when I was working at agency. She did it with kit. So like I saw how she ran it, but it's a lot different with adults. So I've come up with some of the things, but now we have, there's a couple different people out there, programs out there that I've done, and that I really don't know what their resources are, how like they run things, how they structure things. I did a, in November, I did a course, trauma-informed weightlifting. Yes. I'm so excited. Listeners can't see my face, but I'm like lit up about this. It is like amazing. Mariah is great. And so I took a lot out of that, and like that's kind of one-on-one, but I just adapted it to a group because it's just, you know, three or four people in the room that are just doing the same thing. And I just do a lot of research on my own, trying to, and as I've done the group, it's like what's going to work next time? What's not going to work? Like what I'm going to change? Like how I want things differently. So it's definitely been a learning process because it's been from like the ground up that's been on me to do it. So we'll wait for your book in manual so that we can all learn from you. Again, I have my book written to our, all my notes in like one book so I know where it all is. We're ready for you. Any other resources or information that we didn't cover that you feel like is really important about you in running this group. There is a new book that lifting heavy things, Laura Cadari wrote it, and she's amazing too. And that's like part of my manuals where I'm just kind of like looking at it like, what are you doing? How can we do it? I think it's like really in. Like to kind of just like leaning back on my like therapy backgrounds and like a lot of like the trauma work and like somatic stuff like the walk-and-talk like it shouldn't any other person is any other client, but we're just doing it in a different space and we're adapting it a little bit. Yeah, I got to get the book lifting heavy things. So thank you for that. If somebody wanted to get a group like this started in their area, like you said, there's not much like this around and I feel like it's so needed. It sounds like your group members are really gaining a lot from it in different aspects of their life. What would you say are your first like tips to get started for someone new to this kind of group? A therapist. Well, I say like network, find a space that they can use because it can't just be your regular like group room at your office. I like sort of weightlifting aspect of it. They want to do another kind of fitness space thing they can, which I'm going to be trying in an office space momentarily or shortly. And like yeah, just kind of getting it out there like put it out there, put your feelers out, get to know all the moms and like the group in the area and like really like network with them. And really kind of I've found like knowing a lot of gym owners or gym people is helpful to kind of get a lot of the referrals as well. It's really being connected in the community that you're trying to serve. Yeah, if you're scared to do it, just do it. Like like it's awesome. It's fun. Like we get to like have fun with our clients too, like showing them and moving. And I don't know if it's with this group, but like I've told them a lot more about my weightlifting background just so they didn't kind of see like my struggles that I've had like being able to go to a competition, be even struggling with making weight like because there's a weight class and that plays a part into some things too. But it's just kind of like jumping in like that's half fun. I think that's the best advice if you're scared just do it and have fun while you're doing it. Right. Perfect. Small like we're there when there's nobody at the gym so we don't be scared about the big boys like throwing around weights or mass chaos going on like now like just have fun like get into the gym like let's lift weights together. Like it's fun. I love it. It's so easy. Perfectly said. So Julie, where can people find you if they want to learn more about your group or what you're up to? So I have a website www.empoweredtowellness.com. You'll be changing shortly. I'm getting nice weightlifting pictures done next week. So yeah, exciting. I do have an Instagram. It's just my jay and then my zack right now. And I'm also I have an empowered wellness as well. I need to start that up. Actually posting on all those things. We're gonna link to all the things. So let's go. Let's have fun. Like I love connecting with other people. So I'm just any questions potentially answers that I might have. I love it. I'm so appreciative of you and what you do. Thank you for being here and sharing about this group today. I'm so excited too. Remind us the name and the tagline because I want to end on that. There's something that you said that like I want to be reminded of. Women in weightlifting and what are they doing? Lifting each lifting weight lifting each other up lifting each other up. Yes. Women in weightlifting lift each other up. I love it. Hey groupie, thanks for listening. For more resources on how you can market, fill and run your group in private practice. Check the out at becomeacroupgurup.com.