Welcome to the Strong Feels Good Podcast! This project has been something I’ve always wanted to do and I’m so excited to finally get started.

In episode 1, I’m going to dive into my story so you can learn a little more about me. From my childhood in New Jersey, where I was bullied in school for my muscle definition (they called me “Mangela”) and covered up my arms even when it was hot, to my career as a competitive gymnast and the gymnastics coach who believed in me and helped me emotionally handle my parents’ divorce and family struggles at home.

From there, I share my experience in college as a biochemistry major and a collegiate gymnast (and an embarrassing story of my first ever collegiate gymnastics meet), during which I experienced my first devastating injury: an ACL tear. After I graduated from college and retired from gymnastics, despite a long career as an athlete, I had NO IDEA what to do next or what to do in a gym. Suddenly I...

“This is the silver lining for me. To feel this strong.”

Make sure you have tissues handy when going through this interview! You’ll need them. 

Jean is from Massachusetts and has been a physical therapist for 20 years, which has given her a lifetime of knowledge and love for movement, whether it’s high intensity fitness or just basic movements. Jean found Angela at the height of the pandemic, on medical leave due to her high-risk respiratory medical condition, doomscrolling like the rest of the world at that time, feeling lethargic and depressed. 

She joined the Strong Feels Good membership and found the silver lining. She found a way to exercise, and found a community without going to the gym. Pre-Covid, she struggled hiking a mountain with her family in Maine, but now, after several months in the Strong Feels Good program, Jean was able to hike that same mountain without feeling fatigued. But it’s not just the physical mountain that Jean has...

“The Strong Feels Good community is priceless. It’s one of the things that keeps me coming back every month.”

Tamara lives on the Georgia/Tennessee line and works in the finance department for a physical rehab hospital, but she also teaches swim aerobics classes too! You might know her sister, Meghan, another SFG member (read more about Meghan HERE). She started getting in the water after an ankle surgery, and after that, she got certified herself to help others recover from injuries in the water. But she wanted something else… something land-based. She was looking for something more cohesive in addition to what she was doing in the water. Tamara fell into the Covid funk that many of us fell in, and that’s when Meghan convinced her to join Full Body Revolution. Tamara won one of my contests and got three months free of Strong Feels Good, and the rest is history!

Tamara’s schedule is busy, but she’s learned to find balance: balance in still...

We are almost halfway through my FALL BACK CHALLENGE, and I have to say... this group of challengers are absolutely KILLING it.

My Fall Back Challenge is a 2 week program that includes 5 workouts a week, an exclusive members-only support group on Facebook, live Zoom classes, and more! We started on September 12th and we're finishing up next week. I've seen a lot of familiar faces and some new ones too. This group is diverse, dedicated, and STRONG! Some of them have never done formal fitness training before, some are former athletes, and some are previous clients of mine who have come back to enjoy another challenge. 

I want to celebrate their successes this week and share some of their amazing stories and progress! 

"I found Angela March of 2020 when the gyms went to hell in a handbasket. My consistency with staying fit has been key in managing chronic health issues. This is not easy in pandemic times. I'm a PT and appreciate skill when I see it, and you are all in great...

“I cannot believe I can do that many pushups in a minute now.

Our Warrior of the Week is Julia! Julia is a hard-working mom with a high-stress job, and she joined instagram after not being super active on social media and discovered an online workout community but she wasn’t super satisfied with the workouts, but then she found me and did one of my 14 Day Challenges. She tried a variety of in-person programs but as a busy working mom of two teenagers, she struggled to find time to get to these in-person classes on time and then didn’t really see results, because random workouts give you random results.

So what was missing? Structure. Accountability. Strategy. Progression. Julia loves the technical and precise method and format of Strong Feels Good. She never thought that she could have a satisfying fitness program at home that actually had results. The strength tests have proven to her just what she is capable of. She works out every morning and that has encouraged...

“I was so excited to find this, and it’s been so wonderful and amazing. I love the idea that I can get up and feel really good, and also know that someone really thought about it, and I don’t have to.”

Nikki is from Chicago but she lives in Berkeley, CA and works with giving away grants to nonprofit organizations. In high school she played tennis and field hockey, and she loves being active (especially outdoors)! Her grandfather lived to be 102 and inspired her with his daily fitness regimen and helped her understand the value and importance of movement and exercise. She started getting into running while she was living in California, but once Covid hit a week before the Berkeley half marathon, group running came to a halt. That’s when she found me on the Women’s Health instagram.

Nikki was piecing together random workouts and not seeing much progress. They weren’t really thought-out and they didn’t fit together. When she joined the...

My 12 Week Summer Shred Series ended this week and I had to choose three winners. It was a TOUGH choice since so many of my shredders absolutely annihilated the program and I'm SO proud of everyone. You know, it was hard to stay on track! With the summer in full swing and the world opening up after so many of us were locked inside, staying motivated and consistent was challenging. But this crew CRUSHED it. I am honored to announce the THREE Winners of the Summer Shred Series and to chat a bit more about their personal journeys.

First Place: Best Transformation

Winner of $1000 Cash

1:1 Session with me ($250)

3 Months FREE of Strong Feels Good Gold Program (priceless, we no longer offer this program)

Rebeca B.

All the way from Mexico, Rebeca literally showed up to EVERY SINGLE day for her workouts and to ALL the Zoom Classes. She truly dedicated herself even when times got tough. And I couldn’t be more THRILLED than to gift her this cash prize because I KNOW she is going...

“Reminding yourself that if you stay consistent and continue doing the exercises, that’s going to put you in a better spot for when your injury is healed.”

I am so honored that Sam shared her story with me. Her fitness journey has been a meaningful one and it has been a huge part of who she is. In high school, she suffered from an eating disorder, anxiety, and self-harm, and exercise and lifting helped her recover and shift her mindset. Exercise has helped her learn the value of strength and what the body can do. 

She’s battled a SLAP tear in her labrum, and she’s done an amazing job with working around her injury and listening to her body. Sam is what we call an A+ student, especially in regards to how she is able to safely modify her exercises to allow her injury to heal.  

Sam is so consistent and shows up for herself every day. How does she do it? First off, she knows herself and knows what’s best for her. She knows she’s...

Growing up, I always looked up to the women on Oxygen Magazine Cover. Their image projected confident, strong leaders in the industry. I always felt like I had SOMETHING in me, and I would read through the articles and picture myself being on the cover one day. At the time, it seemed impossible and out of reach. Little did I know, my dream would become a reality at the age of 31. 

How did it all start? 

In 2013, I started doing fitness competitions, feeling more confident with my body, and developing a love for being on camera, whether it was in video or in photographs. I started my own youtube channel and even did some content for a popular platform called diet.com

One of my first videos....

Diet.com 

I was definitely knowledgable about all things working out and nutrition from my experience as a college gymnast, fitness competitor, and ninja warrior. Viewers told me I had a more digestible and welcoming way of explaining movements from my background of...

Rebeca is originally from Mexico, but she has lived and traveled all over the world and dabbled in several different careers! In December, she started her own business, and when starting a business from the ground up, it’s always a financial struggle, but add in a global pandemic and it’s extra hard!

Growing up as a teenager, she was chubby and didn’t like exercising. But she started little by little running and doing pilates. She’s spent the last 13 years in and out of gyms, trying lots of different things like pilates, crossfit, and weight training, but she had a hard time sticking to something. She found Angela through Women’s Health, and during the pandemic, she found that exercising and listening to mindfulness podcasts helped her handle her stress, and so she decided to join my Summer Shred.

Several years ago, Rebeca suffered an injury while she was doing crossfit, and that’s why she has really benefited from the progressions and the...