A Tale of Two ACL Tears: My ACL Story
Today’s episode answers a question I get all the time: how did I get through TWO ACL tears and come out stronger than ever?
I was a competitive gymnast for years, and despite gymnastics being a high-risk sport, I never really had a significant injury… until one day during my sophomore year in college where I was practicing a new combination tumbling pass that ended with a double full. I told myself I was going to do one more… famous last words, right? It was on that last turn that I injured my knee.
Years later, when I was the strongest I had ever been in my life, I was competing on American Ninja Warrior, and on national television, I tore my OTHER ACL after dismounting from an obstacle.
In this episode, I’m going to talk about everything I went through tearing my ACL not once, but twice, and all the things I learned along the way that allowed me to come out of that opportunity (yes, opportunity) to learn and be stronger.
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Hustling Hard: How To Achieve Your Goals and Reach Your Potential with Amanda Cass
Amanda Cass has been a martial artist for 25 years. She’s a professional stunt woman and super mom to her 13 year old daughter. We met at a ninja competition and we instantly clicked. There was something about Amanda’s energy that I instantly connected with.
Before Amanda became a stunt woman, she was an in-home therapist to children with Autism, but she wanted something outside of the 9-5 world, and as she started connecting with people who had careers in this non-traditional sphere and started to see the possibilities. Sometimes we are held back by fear and money. We are afraid to leave the stability of what we know as “normal,” like a 9-5 job to pursue our real passions, but if we surround ourselves with like-minded people, we can break out of the box we have put ourselves in.
In this episode, we’re going to talk about how Amanda went from a literal nobody to being a professional and highly respected stunt woman, how to take action steps to...
How Pull-Ups Can Transform Your Life with Liz Plosser
Liz Plosser is the Editor-in-Chief for Women’s Health Magazine. She lives in Brooklyn, NY with her family, and like all of us, she’s trying to live her happiest, healthiest day every day.
In this episode, we’re going to talk about how I coached Liz to reach her goal to finally learn how to do a pull-up. We’ll chat about the roller coaster ride of learning a pull-up, how working towards a goal and achieving that goal can change your life, working through injuries, and finding the right community to support you.
Pull-ups can seem almost impossible, and we often believe that we can’t do them. This is especially true for women. But guess what… you’re stronger than you think! You CAN get a pull-up if you put in the work. It will be a roller coaster ride for sure, and some days are harder than others, but you are capable of getting a pull-up. Like anything in life, you need to have a goal, and the process or reaching that goal is full of...
What Makes Someone a Good Coach? With Cathy Savage
This week, I have the one and only Cathy Savage on the show! Cathy was the one who really brought me out of my shell and helped me become the person I am today.
Cathy is a professional fitness and media coach. Most of her time was spent in the competitive fitness world and she was the first person to create the “team” aspect to the contests and competitions. Basically. Cathy Savage was the OG in the online fitness sphere.
In this episode, we’re going to talk about my time with Cathy, and the qualities that separates “ok” coaches from “great” coaches, building confidence, building a supportive community of women, the power of influence, and her advice to entrepreneurs.
Connect with Cathy Savage:
Instagram: @cathysavageofficial
Website: https://www.cathysavage.com
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Freebies:
My Journaling Routine Using the CTFAR Method
Hey Warriors! I’ve had so many requests for my journaling routine. There is no right or wrong way to journal, but in this episode, I’m going to walk you through my journaling routine. We’ll go over the CTFAR method and what it means, how to shift your mindset from negative to positive, and how to practice gratitude and positive affirmations daily!
Remember, strong doesn’t just look good, strong feels DAMN good.
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Freebies:
7 Day Free Trial: Strong Feels Good At-Home Fitness Program
Deals + Steals:
Get my 7 Day Core Mini Course for only $7
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Creating a Daily Routine
In this episode, we’re going to talk about creating a daily routine. Why daily routine and not morning routine? Because sometimes I get really stressed out trying to squeeze things in during the course of a morning. Everyone’s routine is different, and you can develop yours in any way you see fit. What’s most important is that your morning routine is time for yourself. A lot of times, everything else in your life comes first and we forget to take time for ourselves.
Taking time for yourself helps keep you focused and grounded, helps keep you nicer to yourself and others, and will help build a foundation for a stronger life. You have to take care of yourself before you can take care of everyone else!
Here are my non-negotiables:
- Journaling
- Reading
- Meditation
- Making my bed
- Eucalyptus spray throughout my bedroom
- Drink two glasses of water
- Getting movement in
- Getting outside
Remember, strong doesn’t just look good, strong feels DAMN good.
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How I Found My Inner Strength: About Me and My Journey
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...
Warrior of the Week: Jean
“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...
WARRIOR OF THE WEEK: Tamara
“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...
Meet Our Fall Back Challengers
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...
