Latest / Harder Than Life / 97: Achieving Balance In Fitness & Life w/ Coach Bliss

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97: Achieving Balance In Fitness & Life w/ Coach Bliss · Harder Than Life

• 0:00
  I'm Kelly Siegel, and this is Harder Than Life, a podcast about self-love, self-awareness, business, and health. We tell outrageous stories and boil everything down to simple, practical advice you can start using today. Let's get living.
• 0:14
  On today's episode of the Heart of the Life podcast, we are thrilled to welcome Coach Bliss Olivia Loveall, known to many as at Coach Bliss on Instagram. Bliss is a dynamic fitness coach and social media sensation who inspired thousands with her journey of overcoming personal struggles to achieve physical and mental wellness. Her coaching program, Bliss Mode, is renowned for its personalized approach to fitness and nutrition, helping clients transform their lives through sustainable and realistic practices.
• 0:44
  Join us as we delve into Bliss's empowering story and learn how she motivates others to become the best versions of themselves. Welcome. Thank you. What an intro.
• 0:57
  I'm so excited to have you here. I have been following your journey. I'm a huge fan and I get to do this where I get to interview people. Those of you that don't follow her, like I said, it's at Bliss, at Coach Bliss on Instagram. She's got a heck of a following. She is walking the talk. That's what drew me to her. I believe there are no coincidences.
• 1:20
  And we live very similar lives. So we're going to talk all about it. So we're going to hit you with one a little bit hard question to start off. Can you share your journey from personal struggles with fitness and eating disorders to become a successful fitness coach?
• 1:34
  Yeah. Well, I like everybody out of high school, I had to kind of figure out like, okay, what do I do now to move? And so I started with running because that seemed pretty simple and easy. I got really into running. And this is really before this is like when social media had no videos, it was just like photos online. And so I had no really understanding of anything. I know where to go to get fitness information.
• 2:04
  And so the only thing I could think of was in order to like reach this physique goal that I probably got from some crazy photo on Pinterest was if I just move more and eat less, that's going to get me to my goal. And so that's really where it started because I had no knowledge of anything.
• 2:21
  And so I just began running more and more and then eating less and less. And I was losing weight. I then began to get a lot of attention from people that were around me of like attention and like, what are you doing? You look so good. And it was such positive feedback that it really like fueled this, um,
• 2:40
  what became an addiction to constantly get that recognition from people and get myself to even like, like how I looked. And so, yeah, that kind of began the very unhealthy journey of the, how can I move more and then how can I eat less? And that led to me getting down to 98 pounds and
• 3:02
  And I was still just so unhappy. And I remember one of my favorite things to share is I was at the gym on the Stairmaster where I always was. And a girl that like I idolized her body. She was walking towards, we had this digital scale in the gym and she was walking towards it. And like a freak, I was like, oh my gosh, I'm going to go get behind her and I'm going to see what she weighs because like, she's my goal weight. Once I look like her, like I'm going to feel really good about myself.
• 3:30
  And she weighed 120 pounds. And at the time, I think I was just under over 100 pounds, you know, it's maybe like 103 to 105 pounds. And I remember seeing her number and the immediate just like defeat that like completely overwhelmed me. And I just felt like, why does she look so good? And I weigh less and like, I don't look as good as her. And, you know, obviously, that didn't make any changes that like maybe something's
• 3:58
  wrong up here. And unfortunately, that continued spiral kept happening. And I felt like people just weren't as dedicated as me who like made negative comments about how I was beginning to look. I started to get like, you're too thin kind of comments. And I'm like, they're just not dedicated to fitness like I am like, I'm just way more dedicated to this lifestyle. I was living in pure delusion. But unfortunately, that caught up to me.
• 4:27
  I began binge eating because I was so hungry. I would get home from work after eating, you know, at my work, my office, I would have like tilapia and like asparagus and just like, that was all I would eat all day and protein shakes. And I would get home and I would just be,
• 4:45
  I'd go to my pantry and I would eat so much food. It was like almost in my mind, if I eat it faster, I'm not going to have to recognize what I'm doing. And this was before people talked about binge eating. I would have never thought this was an eating disorder. In my mind, I was just not dedicated enough to,
• 5:04
  that hour of the day that I would go and gorge all this food that led to me getting up to almost 170 pounds, feeling defeated, blaming my genetics. And I was just like, all right, well, if I'm just destined to be big, because, you know, being overweight is something that genetically my family on both sides has always struggled with.
• 5:26
  So I just accepted defeat at that point and said, if I'm going to be big, I'm just going to enjoy my life because all my friends are going out and they're drinking and they're eating what they want and they're happy with their lives. And I feel like I don't live a life and I'm just not even I don't even feel good about myself. So.
• 5:45
  That was what then led to just having balance and then trying to figure out, well, how can I work out to be healthy? How can I eat to not feel like crap? But like, if I want a burger, I'm going to eat a burger. And, um,
• 5:59
  Yeah, then that led into me like figuring out, okay, I can have a little bit of balance with both. I really got into training at that point. I became a personal trainer who definitely didn't look the part, but I was so passionate about helping people feel really good. And so I've had the least amount of knowledge of all of the training staff. And my supervisor would joke that like, I was getting clients just because my clients felt like,
• 6:29
  I cared the most. And she actually shared a quote with me and said, people don't care about how much you know until they know about how much you care. And that is why you've sold more training this month than everybody else on this team who is way more experienced, way more knowledge, degrees, all of these things. And so that's really where I would say the passion began.
• 6:51
  Six minutes into this, I'm floored. You saw me write. I put a bunch of notes. I'm going to unpack that crap out of that. I'm already going to deviate from my script and just go right into a bunch of things. A couple of things. Um...
• 7:04
  You started the dopamine, the social media dopamine before it was a thing. Comparison is the thief of joy. And that must have just walked me through how that felt when you walked behind that girl. You said it was it was a good body. How did that feel? What was that feeling when she was 120 pounds and you were 98? It was just like this. Almost confirmation of like what I was telling myself of like, I am not good enough of like,
• 7:31
  Defeat is like the one word that comes to mind because I just, I feel like I can feel how my body felt. I just sank of like, how, how is it that I weigh less? Pure shock as well. I truly was convinced that when I saw her weight, I'd have my goal. And it's like, now I know the blueprints, you know, maybe she weighs 94 pounds. And like, now I'm going to get to 94 pounds and I'm going to be...
• 8:01
  I'm just going to immediately feel so good. So shock and defeat are like the main things that come to mind. You know what that was? That was God aligning you. That was saying, Hey, you're not healthy girl. Um, how tall are you? I'm five, five, five, five. And what do you weigh now? 134 ish. You said that with a little trepidation. What is there? Is there a little bit of
• 8:25
  Concern about it? Because I'm going to go somewhere with this. Is there a... No, I really don't weigh myself very much. I don't own a scale. And so I hop on a scale probably like twice a year when I see one at like a gym or something. And so I say it in like, I haven't weighed myself since like...
• 8:42
  November of last year. So I know it's around there. It's just not going to be, I flirt with like one 30 to like one 34. I'm probably like one 34 right now. We're about 80, 20, 80% men, 20% women followers right now, but it's, it's starting to even out finally. If you, for listeners, hard and like listeners head over to YouTube and watch this. She's,
• 9:05
  stunningly beautiful. Her body is absolutely perfect. I've been working out for as long as you've been alive. So I will tell you, keep doing what you're doing. The energy that you exude, the smile and that passion is great. So 134 is it.
• 9:26
  And you're beautiful inside and out. We're going to dig into that. So I saw that you started the online fitness coach two years ago, but how did you not do it like right at the pandemic? Because you're from San Diego, which California was shut down just as bad as Michigan was. So how did this Bliss Mode not start during the pandemic? And tell us what, give us the infomercial on Bliss Mode because I watch it and it's fantastic. Thank you.
• 9:55
  Yeah. So I kick myself all the time. I really, really do that not starting sooner, but really the only reason I didn't was because of my own, just like, I didn't believe in myself. I had no, even though I'd been a coach for such a long period at that time, I worked in a bootcamp facility that,
• 10:16
  I had an incredibly toxic boss who he would sit me down every Monday was our one on ones. And it was a known thing on Sunday. I would get so much anxiety because I knew on Monday I had to sit down with him and he would make me cry every single week. And he was just a beat down. And I have learned now that.
• 10:39
  I worked so well. I get motivated from positivity. Negativity is going to shut me down really quick. And I think that he just didn't understand, like, maybe if I push her this way, it's going to like make her better or make her make me more money, whatever it was. But.
• 10:57
  It wasn't working. So that took away a lot of my confidence. And I just felt like when I would hear every week that like, you're actually not as good as you think you are. You're not doing a good job. You know, when the pandemic happens, I really was just waiting to go back to that toxic job. And also I wanted to go back to serving because I couldn't afford to live anymore. I was actually applying at restaurants.
• 11:25
  The month before the pandemic happened, I was applying and nowhere was hiring. Thank God. But I was just I was so broke, couldn't do it anymore and was like, I want to be a trainer, but I just can't afford to live. So that is really the biggest reason why I didn't start then the confidence in really who I am as a coach.
• 11:45
  didn't come until I decided not to go back to that bootcamp gym. I decided to try and do it on my own. And at first it was just in my little ghetto garage. And I was like, I'm just going to make it work because I don't ever want to have somebody speaking such negativity into my life. And it was really refreshing. And that's really where bliss mode all alone began.
• 12:10
  It's beautiful. You're beautiful. I love it. I'm so proud of you. And it's, are you religious? I am. I'm a Christian. You see that God just keeps aligning for you. It just keeps working. That's,
• 12:21
  You keep trying to go down the wrong path. He's like, hey, girl, get over here. Get over here. I'm going to take care of you. So pretty much anything that you put your mind to is going to work out. So keep doing it. I'm 15, 16 years older than you. And trust me, I just realized how to surrender, allow, and attract. That's how I met you, which I want to get into right now. How do you – we're talking about the mental aspect of this.
• 12:48
  How do you help your clients overcome the mental barriers and stay motivated throughout their fitness journey? But really, we've been talking about how do you get them started? Because it's more mental than it is physical. I work out every day. I know that I don't want to do it every day, but it's just a mental thing.
• 13:05
  Yeah. Well, something that I am really proud of that Bliss Mode does is we shift the focus. So everybody has the same end goal. It's I want to weigh this. I want to look this. I want to feel this. Right. But that's all they're like hyper focused on. That's all they're thinking about is the scale or the gene size or just like looking in the mirror and feeling good. And when we can shift the focus to the
• 13:32
  how can we get you to perform better? How can we get you to move, you know, faster and get stronger? And can you, can we get you to do a pull up? Can we get you to deadlift a barbell for your first time? Can we get you to do enough, whatever it is. So we shift that focus to performance. What can we get your body to achieve this month? And they get excited about that because then it's like,
• 13:55
  not only are they becoming more capable and feeling like empowered with, dang, like I couldn't do this a month ago and I'm doing this now. We are actually getting them to their end goal that they want, but we're taking the...
• 14:12
  That feels like forever away. And we're focusing on one thing at a time. That's incredibly building confidence and like who they are as an individual. And so I've just watched women really shift their focus to that. And then they do the same thing with food. It's like we have to fuel your body so that you can move better, faster, get stronger. And so that's really how bliss mode has blown up.
• 14:37
  Because women have come in who have just focused on one thing and one thing only, which is the scale. And now we're completely shifting their mindset. And they're still getting to their goal, but it's just through a different approach. And it's been really great. So let me paraphrase that. You're just doing it with a positive approach. Yeah. I love it. I love it. But I read somewhere that you customize the fitness and nutrition plans for each and every client. How in the heck do you do that?
• 15:04
  Yeah. So we already built the plan with the goal of if you want to get in better shape, if you want to get stronger, if you're looking for body fat reduction and lean muscle gain, the program is already designed to do that. I feel like I like to say I've perfected it in that way.
• 15:22
  The customization comes from what injuries do you have? What personal fitness goals do you have? Do you want to, you know, achieve your first pull up? Do you want to squat a certain amount of weight? Do you want to hit a certain mile time? Do you want to do your first marathon?
• 15:39
  So we take injuries, we take personal fitness goals, and really just equipment as well. Like what equipment do you have available to you? What's realistic for you? And that's where the customization comes in. And so it's not that every single person in the program gets a completely different workout plan.
• 15:56
  What's actually really cool is in our group forum where all of the clients are, they get to communicate. They're like, did anybody do phase fives leg day yet? And then girls are all commenting and they're like, that one killed me. And so it's actually cool that a lot of them have either the same program or they're doing variations of that. So maybe they're not doing the gym plan, which has barbell squats and leg press and leg extension.
• 16:24
  But they're doing the at home version, which is doing, you know, like step ups and squats with a dumbbell and stuff like that. And so they're getting to see a little bit of like, oh, I'm doing something similar to you. It's just with dumbbells at home. But I do know that workout and that workout was really hard or or if they're modifying it, they're seeing they get motivated. Like, I want to get to where I don't have to do this modified version. I want to do what Lisa, who just posted in the group forum, is doing. So it's pretty cool.
• 16:51
  So you lift weights, though, because a lot of women have the myth that says, oh, if I lift weights, I'm going to get bulky. Yeah. I mean, I say that because honestly, you have the most perfect women's physique. What do you do? And what would you say if I was a female and came to you and said, I don't want to get bulky. I don't want to lift weights because I want to get bulky. What's your response to that?
• 17:14
  Yeah. So I always, I use my own body as an example. And that's what's nice about the physique that I've maintained is I can say, these workouts are what got me here. So I promise you that. And then I can show results at this point too, of like so many client testimonials.
• 17:32
  But really, it's just a common it's a a misunderstanding about the gym. And so education is everything and teaching them, you know, what is.
• 17:45
  a misunderstanding about the fitness industry and what is true. And so that knowledge is power. They feel like more like empowered with the information they receive from their coach. And it's also trust to a lot of people, by the time they sign up, they trust me. They've been following me for a while. They've been seeing what I do. And so I,
• 18:04
  I feel blessed enough that at that point, what I can with confidence, tell them what something's going to do and they're going to believe me. So sometimes they don't believe me, but they're like, well, I signed up, so I'm going to try it. And then that trust and belief comes because they see their hard work paying off. We're going to come back to body recomposition because that's everywhere in my questions. But I want to ask a question about social media growth because you put that in here. And I noticed I didn't even notice how many followers you had. It was it's a big amount.
• 18:31
  What was your success? How did you achieve that? And what would your recommendation be if anybody else is trying to achieve an amazing physique and share it with their people and want to grow their following? Yeah, this is always so fun to talk about. So when I started online coaching, I had 5,000 followers.
• 18:48
  March of 2022. I had no following. I had a little bit on Tik TOK. So I think at the time I had 20 to 30,000 followers on Tik TOK. Um, but Tik TOK is so hard to transfer over to a client unless they go to your Instagram because there's that DMing situation is just much more difficult, but
• 19:10
  Um, yeah, my following is very small. And when I became an online coach, I understood that I have to speak to pain points. Now I, I feel like my mindset around social media just changed because, you know, my page at that point was just like, this is what I'm doing with my life. And I'm just going to post where I'm eating and what I'm doing. But there was no really rhyme or reason to my post. When I became an online coach, I really, um,
• 19:37
  I don't know, kind of just like not I don't want to say accidentally, but I really just started to post about why I do what I do and speaking to pain points. And that then did begin to bring some followers in. And at that point, it became a really fun game for me.
• 19:53
  What did well? What didn't do well? I go over my insights on each post and be like, okay, this converted a lot of followers. What is it about this post? And then at that point, it was rinse and repeat. Whatever is doing good, I'm doing it again. I'm cycling back content that got me, you know, X amount of followers and I'm reposting it.
• 20:13
  And I just figured that I have found what's really, really cool. And my favorite part about content is the thing that I was most secure of the thing that I cried about the most. And that just, I felt so frustrated. That was my life was my insecurities on my own body and my struggles with losing weight has become the best thing to talk about because that relatability, a woman sees that and she knows that I know exactly how she feels. And that's.
• 20:44
  What has made me such an empathetic coach, but I was also just like connected me with women all over the world at this point. Vulnerability, guys. If you, any of the people who listen to my podcast, they understand the vulnerability is, I lead with it. It is the coolest thing. It's what bonds you. It, what allows you to grow. It is not a weakness. So, uh.
• 21:02
  If you're watching this again, she's not only beautiful, she's brilliant. And then this is my time where I have to plug. It's at coach.bliss on Instagram. Sorry. And it's at bliss mode underscore fitness on TikTok.
• 21:18
  and the beautiful Bliss Olivia Love All on Facebook. So, guys, go over and follow her. Get some tips. Get some tricks. We'll convince her somehow, you men, to start coaching some men. Maybe she'll get a men's version of it someday. I do have a handful. As Bliss Mode becomes Beast Mode, you can get some guys like me to go out there and help you. So, yeah.
• 21:42
  I'm loving it. Talk to me about that. Let's get vulnerable. And this is not on any of my questions. What do you work on right now? What are you working on? What's an insecurity of your body right now? I would say the biggest thing for me right now is there is what I'm trying not to let be a mindset for me is fear of if I...
• 22:08
  at all slip up, not slip up. I feel like there is pressure now that I have built a business off of how I look. And I've built a following off of how I look that though, this is my lifestyle. And this is things that I just enjoy doing and eating and moving and all of this. There definitely are days when I am feeling insecure about my body. It feels hard to make content because I don't want to put anything out sometimes where, um,
• 22:36
  it would make people question, like, does she really know what she's talking about? Because she actually doesn't look as good as I thought. And so that's the pressure I have put on myself that I've never felt before. I never felt before I didn't have a following, um, or an, uh, thriving online business. So I think that's my one thing that I'm having to really keep in check right now.
• 22:59
  Yeah, I can identify with that 100%. You're like, uh-oh, what are people going to think? What are they going to say? What's this? Am I going to disappoint? I got a reputation to uphold. Yeah, that's...
• 23:12
  The faster you can get to surrendering and allowing and knowing that God's in your corner and always has been, the more you will magnetize what's for you, which you are. You're doing a great job. So keep doing what you're doing. Don't listen to me. The only thing I'm doing right is building this podcast. There was something specifically I wanted to ask you, and I forgot what it was already. We'll go back to the body recomposition. What in your, because it was all over your bio. What did you do?
• 23:40
  do you consider recomposition body recomposition? Because I take it like, I know who cares what I say. What do you call that? Yeah. So for a lot of women, when they sign up, they think they are, they need to be in fat loss, right? They have a misunderstanding. Like they know that they have fat to lose. So they're like, Oh, I'm a, I'm a weight loss client. Sorry, not fat loss. They're a weight loss client is what they think.
• 24:05
  When that's really not the case. Yes, you're going to lose weight as you lean out, but you're not somebody that we consider a weight loss client. You're a body recom client and a body recom client means you do have muscle. You have a little bit of fat slash weight to lose, but your weight is.
• 24:22
  Loss might be much more minimal than you think. And your weight might not shift as much as you think it will. And so because, again, I work with women who are already in the gym. That's really like, you know, my whole motto is for the girl who feels like she lives in the gym but doesn't look like it. So I'm already working with women who feel very established, very knowledgeable. They've been in it for maybe a decade and they're just unhappy with their results. Yeah.
• 24:49
  And so it's not that they have a ton of weight to lose. It's that really we have, you're under eating. You are not training intense enough. You're not lifting heavy enough. And so we need to shift those things. And you really don't have a lot of weight to lose. We just have a little bit of body fat and we need to get your lean muscle up. So that's why we call it the body recomp.
• 25:08
  So in effect, you're kind of targeting things, targeting specific things that they want to do. I like that. I like that. I know what I was going to ask you. The tattoo around your leg. Forgive me. I am not hitting on you. I know it's going to sound like it, but I'm just trying to dig into who you are as a person. I read something. I saw that you have a boyfriend. You're very quiet about it. That's another question I'm going to ask next. What is the tattoo? What does the tattoo mean around your around your leg?
• 25:37
  Yeah, I lived in Hawaii for four years and it was the best time of my life. It's really where the pineapple logo came from for Bliss Mode. I just it was such a great time. And so I just love the culture. I love that time of my life. And I wanted to get something to like really remember that time. And yeah, one of my friends who is from Hawaii,
• 26:04
  Oh, suggested like you should do a leg band. And I was like, that's so cool. And I was flying to, I was, this is already when I lived in California, but I was flying to Hawaii in a few weeks. And so, yeah, when I went back, I was like, I'm going to get a leg band and that's where it came from. I don't know how I missed the pineapple. I can't just go over that. So you obviously know the pineapple is the, is the logo for what do they, what, um,
• 26:32
  What is the swinging? Oh, no, that's an upside-down pineapple, not a regular pineapple. It's San Diego. Come on. I love it. I'm just messing with you. So let's ask the question about why... So in your social media, you don't seem to show... And I saw something where you have a boyfriend, and I'm not going to dig too deep into your personal life. Why do you not show much of him? You know what?
• 27:02
  There has been some stuff that went down. I had him before on my social media. He was going through a really messy divorce and it actually caused drama for him in court. And so just to like keep him and his kids like from any kind of issues with his ex, I just –
• 27:23
  don't post anything. Um, cause it was, I mean, it was four years of court and it was just long. And so I was like, okay, I'm just going to wait now. Everything is resolved. Um, and I think this just goes back to when you have a following, it's a little bit like I, it's easy for me to be vulnerable about things with fitness, but yeah.
• 27:41
  I think since I've had a relationship before that was very public. And then when that relationship ended, I just remember hating so much people constantly asking like, where did they go and DMing me what's going on? And so that was just really hard. And so now with, and that was with no following. So I can't even imagine how it would be now with a following. And I definitely like, I think it's very,
• 28:10
  I love people who post their relationship and I think that's great. And obviously that's something I eventually will do, but it is a little bit like unnerving for me. Cause I'm like, Oh man, I know what it's like. They go in and they like, look like when was the last post? Like I haven't seen him in a post. Like, I don't know. So I just feel very like, I keep that like just safe and close to me.
• 28:30
  And you can. My only thing is that you, you know, being vulnerable and growing the following, people like to see everything, but you're allowed to do whatever you want. The only thing I would say is that you have a successful business. So you're, you're killing it. You have a beautiful physique. So you're killing it. That the next thing is relationships. So show the relationship, let everybody know you've got the trifecta and you are rocking it and crushing it and killing it. And
• 28:55
  We are, I think today we're number 12 in the country for personal development and we're self-improvement and then 19 on education. So it's growing. We're going to get to number one. And, you know, it's not by coincidence. It's not by, I think so. I don't know. I do the same thing. I forget. What happens is I have a long distance relationship and she's fabulous. But when we're together, we forget to take pictures.
• 29:23
  because we're just enjoying each other. We're in the moment. So I didn't have this. I didn't, I didn't know this. How is it being a stepmother?
• 29:32
  Oh, I wouldn't say I have that title yet, but it is the greatest thing ever. They are my favorite part of my week. I love that they love spending time with me. And anytime that I'm not planning on going over there, they'll FaceTime me and be like, can you come play with us? So that's like the best feeling is it's not that like I just also want to be there, but they want me there. And that's just like, I just love it. They're the best kids. Yeah.
• 30:01
  What does, obviously I got to ask this question. You want to have children of your own? Yeah. Yeah, definitely. Oh, you're going to be a great mother. And I'm going to love to see the vulnerability and the sharing of the fitness journey while you're pregnant. So this is me and all the Heart of the Life family sending you lots of love.
• 30:22
  and peace and, and health and happiness towards all that. And I'm going to watch everything. And if there's anything we can do to help not, not in that arena, but in your business, let's talk about, since we're talking about that, let's talk about balance, life balance. How do you incorporate the balance and sustainability and different fitness, nutrition, and let's throw in relationships in there. How do you balance the three? It's not easy.
• 30:49
  No, it's definitely not. I think as an entrepreneur too, it seems at times unachievable to have true balance. I'm so passionate about continuing to grow Bliss Mode and I never want to take my foot off the gas because I just...
• 31:07
  love where we're going and I have really big plans. So there are definitely, I would say a lot of times where it's not as balanced. Um, my head coaches will tell me like, you should probably just chill out a little bit. And I'm just like, I'm just, I love it. It's my baby. Um, so I wouldn't say I have the best balance with work. Um,
• 31:26
  But when it comes to fitness and nutrition and all the other things, I'm pretty good at it. And really, it's because at this point, I have found that I know that I'm going to be my happiest when I am all encompassing as much balance as possible with fitness and food and relationships. And I think that when you know that you're going to feel better when you do something, you're much more in tune to like listen to,
• 31:53
  you know, your body and whatnot. So I think that I've learned a lot of lessons, not being balanced, not getting good sleep, overworking, not putting, you know, good things into enough time into my relationship. So, and obviously a very, you know, an eating disorder that lasted a year. So I know the unbalanced life so well that like, it keeps me in check.
• 32:19
  You mentioned big goals for Bliss Mode. So what are your future goals for Bliss Mode, as well as your career in the fitness industry? It feels like you're just getting started. It does. Yeah, definitely. Well, we want to become the biggest team in the nation, and that is like the first goal that we're trying to hit this year. So there's a couple – there's two other teams right now who are –
• 32:46
  ahead that are partnered with Linus, but bliss mode is definitely gunning for that first spot. And really it's just to continue to grow the women that we work with, bring on more coaches. That's something that's been really cool is I know that I have coaches now who are so invested in bliss mode and their lives are changed because now they're making a really good income and supporting my business as well. And,
• 33:12
  I feel like so close to my coaches and it's been a really cool thing. So I love that. It's not just me and like clients who are feeling the change, but like also my coaches in another way of like giving them financial, something that's like, not just financially like helping them, but like they feel so much purpose and drive. So it's really cool. So I didn't really ask much about your upbringing. So I'm going to ask you a question about this. So,
• 33:41
  I don't know what you know about me, but I started working out because my stepfather and my mother physically and emotionally abused me. So this is my protective armor so nobody can get to me. Is there a story behind why you were running? Yeah, I tried out for every sport that there is, and I didn't make any of them.
• 34:01
  I was not athletic whatsoever. It's actually shocking that I got into running, but I quit track in the middle of a track meet. I was in last place in the mile, and I walked off the track because I was like, I would rather quit than be the last one running. Yeah.
• 34:19
  It's kind of a joke. Oh, that's a whole podcast in itself, Liz. Yeah. Were you running metaphorically from something in life? That's what I was getting at. Was there something in your childhood that you were running from or that you were trying to get away from? Like me, I didn't want the beatings.
• 34:38
  Yeah, no, that's, I mean, tragic. And I, I hate that that was your experience. I feel really blessed that I had the best childhood. Truly, I have the best parents, very happy home life. For me, I was seeking validation and I really struggled with feeling like I, I
• 35:01
  I'm enough. And that just came from in school. You are graded off of how well you can learn this one way. Like we teach this way. How fast can you learn? And I academically was as low as they could be. It was, it was terrible. Whereas like my siblings naturally, like they didn't struggle academically. They were also all in sports. And so I think a part of me was just like kind of struggled with this, like what can I have that's going to give me validation and,
• 35:31
  And I think that once I started, like I kind of said, like once people started commenting on my body and saying like, wow, like this is so good. Like, what are you doing? And it was giving me that attention of like, I'm somebody who like matters. It became very, very addictive. What hate do you get now on your body? Oh my gosh. Well, I mean, yesterday somebody said I have dude legs. Oh, dude.
• 35:57
  Listen, I have no other way to say this than to sound like a pervert. Perfect legs. Beautiful legs. I don't know what it is. It's just I'm a muscular guy. I like muscles. I just think it's I know what it takes to get them. And you put in our it's just fabulous. I love it. So question bonus, the bonus children. You notice I don't call them steps. I'm bonus children that you have with your boyfriend. Is there a girl on them?
• 36:28
  Yes, four in a grade. How old is she? She's five. It cut out. How old are you? How old is she? She's five. Cool. So what are you doing to instill internal validation to her?
• 36:42
  I give her a lot of attention. She wants, she calls me B and she wants to play. She calls a family, right? Where either she's the mom or I'm the mom and whatever. And we just play this game and it's her favorite thing in the whole world. And so I give her that attention. That's really what she wants is just my undivided attention and,
• 37:06
  To be the only one who's playing with me, she does get a little jealous when all her cousins are over and everybody wants to play. She likes that one-on-one. So definitely a lot of attention for sure. And definitely encouraging her to move. Last night we all went on a walk outside and that turned into hide-and-seek. And it's just like fun trying to find ways to get them not on a screen. Yeah.
• 37:31
  Don't get me started on that thing, man. Yeah. So I'd be remiss. You're going to be followed. I interviewed a holistic health coach, big bodybuilder, holistic doctor just before you. And we talked a lot about female testosterone.
• 37:50
  And I know that your fitness and nutrition, but I'm sure you get asked this all the time. Do you recommend women take testosterone or do you, let me rephrase that. It's not your job to recommend it, but what is your position on it?
• 38:06
  Yeah, I definitely don't recommend anything unless they're seeing their primary care physician and there is some kind of deficiency. I say that once we're working together and we're seeing that something is off, like they're not maybe getting the results that they're looking for.
• 38:24
  Um, I will suggest that maybe they go have their blood work done and get a panel and kind of see like, is there anything that their body is, whether it's deficient in or like something is off. And at that point it's talk with your primary care. Um, I really keep things movement, nutrition, and like habit oriented. Once we get into like hormones and stuff like that, it's not an area that I am well versed in enough that I want to give. Um, yeah.
• 38:54
  on solicited advice. So I just keep it fitness and movement and nutrition. I still want to know your opinion on this. This was epic stuff. What do you, what do you, what do you think about it? Oh man. I just ask people when they ask about it, if they don't mind their internal organs rotting. That's the best advice I ever heard. I got to tell you,
• 39:21
  I can say this to you, and this might upset a few of the listeners. I apologize. But having worked out for 30 years, and I've said this a million times, I feel like I should get my pension from working out. I've worked out for 30 years. I should be able to keep this body without working out anymore. That's not the way it works. There's no freaking easy way other than doing the reps. You can look over my shoulder. Consistency. So everybody's like, oh, all you've ever done is take steroids. I'm like, first of all, I don't take steroids. Second of all, I've been working out as long as you've been alive.
• 39:51
  And I train harder than you fricking run your mouth. So if you want to tell me that I just did it and you can watch the 30 years or however long social media has been out there, you can see my body has looked like this for 30 years. I graduated from college and I was 200 pounds. I'm 220 now. That just happens. And I can't wait to see what you get a little older. It gets a little. Now, I make no bones about it. I do take testosterone 30 years.
• 40:17
  I'm 48. So it's like when I turned 40, all of a sudden my testosterone just dropped. So, hey, I still you still got to do the work. But I just I had to get your opinion. I knew it would be something. There's just no cheat code in this business. There's none. You just got to go into it. I got to tell you this much and you know this.
• 40:40
  I went to the gym the other day and I was grumpy. I felt like crap. I didn't sleep well. And I went to the gym and I brought everything. When I left, I went out, I left smiling. I've never left the gym unhappy. So you're not feeling good? Go to the gym. Things aren't right? Go to the gym. The answer is almost always get a good night's sleep, get some water, journal, go to the gym. Over, rinse, repeat.
• 41:10
  So we talked about the bad stuff. Let's talk about neophytes. Even though you said that you talk, that you work with women that are already in the gym, what advice do you have for people that are new to fitness and feel overwhelmed by all the information that's available online?
• 41:27
  Yeah, unfortunately, there's so much everything contradicts itself. So the biggest thing that I really like to preach about because I used to before online coaching, I actually primarily worked with people who
• 41:41
  had never worked out or hadn't been in the gym in decades. And so I loved that period because I love setting expectations for people and, and helping them understand that you, when you come in, we're not going to come out hot. We're not going to set these unrealistic goals for yourself and expectations that you're all of a sudden going to have a completely different life than you did yesterday. And so I,
• 42:08
  Realistic fitness is what I'm passionate about. And so sometimes it's just depending on the person. We look at their schedule, what their work life looks like. What is realistic for you to, without a doubt, maintain for the next 30 days? And sometimes that's two days a week of movement. Sometimes it's three.
• 42:27
  And so we'll set something that's very, very realistic. I said, it should be stupidly simple for you to be able to complete this and report back to me. That's what we want. We don't want anything initially that's like, all right, I don't know about five days, but like I'm going to really try. Because that's just setting them to step up for failure. They need wins in the beginning more than they need wins.
• 42:51
  results. It's they need showing themselves that I can keep my word and that I can, when I said that I'm going to do something, I'm going to do it because that is what enables that confidence of, wow, I actually was consistent with something for the first time in my life. And then that opens the door for other opportunities to be consistent. But if they set themselves up to not be consistent and they fail, they can't keep them. Their word means nothing to them.
• 43:20
  And they've just proven themselves right that they can't be consistent in something, which is the one thing we don't want them to feel. Your kindness and compassion is just exudes even through this computer screen. I want to tell you that. And it's very nice. I'm not like that. And I wish I were. I am jealous of you. How long do you see typically see? No, let me rest this much. How often do you work out? Five days a week.
• 43:47
  five days. I'm seven days. And people yell at me for that. I just, I just, I feel better when I'm, when I'm working out, when I work out. So how long, if, if, if somebody works out five days a week and they're new to your program, and let's just say we get them five, I know that might be a little bit high for a new one. How long have you seen until somebody sees, starts feeling the results and seeing the results?
• 44:11
  Feeling and seeing are different. So feeling the results can happen pretty quickly. Within the first couple of weeks, for sure, they're going to feel their energy is better. They're going to feel more confident. They're going to feel more excited. They're going to feel sore. So all of those things happen pretty quickly. Seeing results can
• 44:32
  It really depends. I have some clients who on their third month, I'm blown away at their results. I'm like, holy crap, you know, Suzanne, we, our clients submit photos each week.
• 44:46
  And so we can have something to compare and contrast because a lot of times they don't see the results first. We see them and then we show them and that's when they're like, oh, shoot, I have gotten results. So, you know, the three to five month mark is the sweet spot, depending on their consistency of where they're going to really start to make some changes. And I would say that there's we can really start to see physically like things are happening.
• 45:14
  Three months, people, I agree with her 100%, three months of dedicated doing anything, and then you can start forming a habit. And Bliss didn't know it, but she just gave you the cheat code for confidence, and it is keeping the word to yourself. I do not negotiate with myself. I don't feel like working out most of the days. I get my butt in there.
• 45:33
  So that's another little cheat code you can give to your little bonus child. Make sure they do what you say you're going to do. It builds confidence. People trust you. And that's how you win in this world. But you already knew that. I've got an odd question for you. Why don't you come up with a version of 75 hard from Andy Fursella? Let's do a blissfully good instead of like 75 hard. Blissfully dissatisfied or something.
• 46:03
  So we actually did. We did this year. Tell me about it. We called it 75 healthy and, um, it was really fun. It was just in the app. So it wasn't something that I opened up to the public, but anybody who was in the app could, um, sign themselves in for it. And it was fun. It was 75 days of, we had journal prompts. So, and they were short and I said, um,
• 46:31
  Even if it's just one sentence, you know, in these journal prompts that you're writing, make time to do it. And that was really everybody's favorite part was the journal prompts because they were, they were simple, but some of them were pretty profound. So we had that for each of the 75 days. We had weekly challenge workouts. And so what I wanted people to not do was again, I love the mindset of 75 hard. I think it is an incredible program.
• 47:00
  And I love Andy Frisella so much. I think he's amazing, but coming from a all or nothing mindset and working with women who struggle with that, it wasn't something that I wanted to promote in my program because it can lead to some pretty toxic relationships with food and movement, um, depending on the person. So we designed this, that we had weekly challenge workouts. So every week,
• 47:25
  We had a different workout that came out and it would be released on Sunday and they would have until Saturday to complete it. And there was modifications and weight recommendations and stuff like that. And it was really a performance of like, how hard can you go in this workout and what can you achieve? Again, taking the focus seriously.
• 47:43
  off of something and like, how, what can making them feel empowered. And a lot of times, like the workouts were hard and they were like, how will I ever do this? Like, I don't even know, like, this is going to kill me. And then they do it and they feel more confident. So we had weekly challenge workouts, the journal prompts, um, we had giveaways and we had t-shirts that were up on the merch site. So yeah.
• 48:05
  Yeah, it was just like a 75 days of building habits. It was our main focus on what habits can you improve every month. We had new habits to add in and see what would stick for people. So, yeah.
• 48:18
  75 hard isn't a fitness program to me. It is a mind. It is a mind over matter. It is a personal development thing. It is hard. I did it. It was, I literally live the 75 hard lifestyle. I work out every day. I shoot videos every day. I drink a gallon of water. I'd read. I do it every single day.
• 48:42
  But there were times when I actually followed the government. Like, oh, I forgot to take the picture. You know, and it's just that consistency of going through it. So it's not easy. I love the name that you did. How have I gone this long and not asked you how the heck somebody can work with you? Is it just DM you or is there a website they should go to? Yeah, there's a website. It's blissmodefit.com.
• 49:07
  That's really where like all the information is. There's transformation photos. There's information about the app. And then once they submit their info, my team will text them to set up a time to chat. And really at that point, just answer any questions they have, go over the programming in detail, all of that stuff. What does it cost to work with you? It really just depends, but it's going to be anywhere from about $7 to $8 a day, depending on their commitment time.
• 49:34
  It was bliss mode fit.com. Yes. Okay. Bliss mode fit.com. Go check it out, everybody. And let's, this is the time where I want to hear you blow your horn. Share the best success story from one of your clients that warms your heart. Oh man, there's so many. One that I just shared the other day is one of my favorites is a client that I personally worked with for a year. And he.
• 50:04
  Her physical results are so good. Every time I share her transformation, people, I get DMs of people who are like, I think I want to sign up. But what I also shared was the text that she sent me before she parted ways and I could have worked with her forever. She was, she was.
• 50:20
  such a positive light, which just fueled me. But she talked about how this physically changed her life. She lost over 20 pounds. She felt incredible. Best shape she's ever been in. She's 39. But
• 50:37
  What made me so happy was her relationship with food and how that has improved so much and how she feels like for the first time in her whole life, she has an understanding of how to eat well, what it means to not be on this diet. She's always done crash diets before. Yeah.
• 50:54
  And she said that she feels so incredibly empowered and it gets me emotional thinking about it. I just I wish I could hug her. That's the only bad part about virtual is I've never actually even met her, but I feel like I love her. And yeah, just seeing the confidence. I mean, every week in our check ins, you can just feel that confidence is getting stronger. But her just overcoming that struggle with food for her entire life is really huge for me. Podcasts or music?
• 51:24
  Oh, it depends. I'm a big Ed Milet fan. I really like him. So it just depends on the day. Sometimes I need to like bump the tunes when I'm working. It has to be music because I can't listen and work at the same time. But driving might be a podcast.
• 51:44
  you got to listen. So now you'll be a fan of the heart of life podcast. Cause I get compared to add all the time. I'm actually going to meet with him. I know in November, I've become really good friends with his buddy. So I get, I listened, this guy's the grand poobah. I can, I listened to his words and just thinking like, man, if I could just articulate things that way or, but you know, we got to start somewhere and comparisons that he would draw, like I told you earlier, but yeah,
• 52:11
  But yeah, I interview a lot of women. It's I love sharing powerful, brilliant, beautiful women's stories over and over and over again, because and then I show men how it is to battle through and be vulnerable. And and we set the tone. I'm here to inspire, educate and motivate everybody to be their best self. That's why I brought you on. Yeah.
• 52:35
  We want to help everybody that'll listen. Having a 15 year old daughter who is a absolute rock star. I mean, I feel bad that she's my kid, but I don't because I grew up so bad that she gets to live my life, my childhood over for me. And it's so empowering to watch her be walk around with so much confidence and
• 53:03
  get her validation from inside and the things that these kids are battling. She says, it's a beautiful life that we live. So how do you stay updated with the latest trends and research and fitness and nutrition with everything? Just, you know, one day it's keto, one day it's carbs, one day it's always, and so how do you keep up on all this stuff?
• 53:24
  I mean, that just goes back to bliss mode already is very established in what we believe in. And so we find really women find us who just connect to our story. It's not that we are talking about ever the trends that are going on. We're talking about lifestyle balance, movement, fueling your body.
• 53:44
  And so I think that since we're so passionate about talking about that and not hopping on the trends, that we're getting people who are like, I'm over the trends. I just want to feel good. And so I don't have to do a lot of that like battling of like why this is better than keto or carnivore or whatever. I think that everybody has something. They can find something that's great for them.
• 54:07
  And bliss mode is not for everybody. So I definitely don't want to ever hate on other people for what they have found that works for them. If you have found something that fuels your body, gets you to move and feel good, incredible. And I applaud you for that. So if you could work out with anybody, that's a lot of their living or passed on. Who would it be? Oh, man. Working out.
• 54:36
  Gosh. I mean, Arnold would be really cool. You missed him by two seconds. I was in LA and I walked in the Gold Gym and they said, you just missed Arnold. I'm like, oh man. No way. Yeah. He works out there every day. I mean, I was just...
• 54:51
  That would just be really cool. I can't think of anyone else that I would probably want to brag about as much of working out. I mean, there's other people that I think are really awesome that I would love to work out with him. But as far as what I would brag the most about, probably the Arnold, because that's pretty cool. Well, I think workout works out ridiculously hard. I just said this on the last podcast was my dog. Oh, the rock. That was cool.
• 55:18
  yeah so um so you guys follow her on instagram be one of her over 200 000 followers coach dot bliss tiktok bliss mode underscore fitness and then facebook bliss olivia love all and i want to ask two more questions we'll get you out of here because we're up against it um
• 55:41
  The is there anything I haven't asked you that you feel compelled to share? This has been wonderful. You I didn't even get through any other questions. We just had a loving, friendly, friendly conversation. We'll have you back on. Oh, I know I should ask you before you answer that question. Any plans to write a book?
• 56:00
  Oh man, no. You should. I wrote a book. It was the coolest thing. That's what started this. Oh my gosh. That's a very nice compliment. You just made me feel really good. So is there anything that I haven't asked you that you feel compelled to share? No, your questions have been so good. Last question is, what does being hotter than life mean to you?
• 56:27
  Hmm. What a good question. I think that life for everybody, there's going to just be things that want to knock you down. And the beautiful thing in my experience with life is the hardest things for me that's made me feel the most defeated. Yeah.
• 56:49
  On the other side, they're the most appreciative parts about my story. They're the things that I'm most thankful that happened. And so harder than life is those moments that feel really hard, that feel like they're defeating you are actually going to be the things that one day when you're standing up on a mountain, you're going to be like, I'm so glad that this happened because I wouldn't be here without them. So that's what I would say.
• 57:15
  I got to tell you, Jen Cohen was on the podcast. She said to me this, she has a PhD in falling, or no, a master's degree in falling down and a PhD in getting back up. And that's what you just said. And that's why I love you. I got to tell you, you made a new friend in me. This has been beautiful. You're beautiful. I'm sending you.
• 57:34
  the power of all my love and positivity, but you don't need it because you are one with God and you are blessed beyond all belief. And I'm going to watch you and cheer you on. And when you write that book, we'll have you back on. And I will, I will, I cause I'm an avid reader and I will, I will celebrate your successes. I wish you nothing but health and happiness. Thanks for coming on today. Thank you so much. Thank you for having me.
• 58:00
  Please rate and share this podcast. I'm active on all social platforms and love to hear from my Segal supporters. Each and every episode is sponsored by my company, National Technology Management, the easiest and best IT company to do business with, delivering peace of mind with technology every day, even simplifying cybersecurity. Visit TrustNTM.com for more info. Until next week, be harder than life.