March 21, 2025 • 14 mins
Welcome back to MilesFromHerView, the podcast powered by KatFit Strength, where we challenge the outdated narratives around motherhood, fitness, and self-worth.
In today’s episode, Kat shares a deeply personal moment from the start line of her 100-mile race—one that solidified her belief that strength isn’t about shrinking but about stepping into more. We’re tackling the toxic messaging that tells moms their bodies are ruined, that fitness is just about bouncing back, and that taking time for themselves is selfish.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
✔️ Why motherhood doesn’t ruin your body—it transforms it
✔️ How to shift your mindset from external validation to internal motivation
✔️ The damaging fitness narratives that keep moms stuck in guilt
✔️ Why strength training is about expansion, not erasure
✔️ How to claim space in your own life—without permission
If you’ve ever struggled with guilt around prioritizing yourself or felt pressured to work out to be a “better mom,” this episode is your wake-up call. You are already enough, and your strength isn’t about proving yourself to anyone but you.
☎️ - Schedule a complimentary call to see if KatFit Strength is a good fit for you: https://katfit.moxieapp.com/public/katfit/consultation-call
📩 KatFit Strength Weekly Newsletter:
https://katfit.kit.com/7564404daa
❓ - Have A Question About Strength Training, Nutrition, and cardio training? Submit It HERE: https://forms.gle/kndmqaf91psZEmPs6
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Kat (00:00):
I was standing at the start line of my a hundred mile race
nerves buzzing through me whenmy youngest wrapped his arms
around me and said, today,mommy, you are going to run a
hundred miles In that moment, Ifelt it, the external
motivation.
Sure.
But also the deep, undeniable,knowing that I had already done
(00:22):
the work to be here, that mydrive, my strength, my
resilience, those weren't justthings I had because I was a
mom, an athlete, or a businessowner.
They were part of who I am andthis.
Was me owning it.
But here's the thing.
How often are we told thatmotherhood is supposed to shrink
(00:42):
us?
That our bodies are somehowruined by having kids?
That fitness is just a way tomake ourselves smaller, to
bounce back, to erase theevidence of our experiences.
What if I told you thatmovement, especially strength
training, isn't about erasinganything?
It's about stepping into more,more power, more confidence.
(01:04):
More of you today, we'rebreaking down the toxic
messaging around motherhood,fitness, and self-worth, and why
strength is about expansion notto erase.
Let's get into it.
Welcome to MilesFromHerView, thepodcast powered by KatFit
Strength, where busy women likeyou find practical solutions to
(01:25):
fuel your fitness journey withauthenticity and resilience.
I'm Kat, your host, a mom of twoactive boys, a business owner,
and an ultra marathon runner anda strength trainer in her
forties with nearly two decadesof experience.
I'm here to help you cut throughthe noise of fads, hacks, and
quick fixes.
This is a space where wecelebrate womanhood and
(01:47):
motherhood.
All while building strength andresilience and reconnecting with
you from a place ofself-compassion and worthiness.
Whether you're lacing up yourrunning shoes to go out for a
run, driving your kids topractice or squeezing in a
moment for yourself, I'm righthere in the trenches with you.
Let's dive in.
Hey, welcome back.
(02:08):
I'm Kat, your host, and ifyou're new here, I'm so glad
you're listening, and if you'vebeen around already for a while,
you already know.
I love diving deep intoconversations with you.
Before we get into the topic, Ihave to say, I've had so many
conversations lately with womenwho feel like prioritizing
themselves is some kind of moralfailing.
Like if they step away from theconstant cycle of giving,
(02:31):
supporting, managing everything.
They're doing something wrong,and I get it.
I used to feel that way it justseems like life is so busy that
it's hard to figure out when totake time for yourself.
And if you wanna take that timeto do something of
self-interest, and I'm gonna saynot just working out, it can
(02:54):
feel very guilty of you to dothat.
I spent years waiting for thispermission, waiting for someone
to say, yes, you are allowed todo this for yourself.
Yes, you can take up space.
Yes, you can pursue your owngoals outside of motherhood,
outside of work, outside of whateveryone else needs from you.
(03:15):
And at some point I had torealize that no one was coming
to give me permission.
I had to give it to myself.
And that is what today's episodeis all about.
We're unpacking that guilt, thelimiting beliefs in the outdated
narratives about motherhood,strength, and self-worth.
Because if you're waiting forsomeone to tell you it's okay to
(03:37):
take up space, consider thisyour sign.
So let's get into it.
A common marketing pitch I'mseeing out there is aimed at
women, and especially moms, isthat you need to work out so you
can better serve your family.
The idea that.
Exercising makes you a bettermom because it gives you more
(03:57):
energy, boosts your confidence,and helps regulate your mood
with endorphins and dopamine.
And I get it.
You know, those benefits arereal.
They are some of the greatbyproducts of working out.
But the idea, this is where Ihave a problem with it, the
idea.
That a woman's primary reasonfor working out should be to be
(04:19):
a better mom.
That's where I call, and I'mgonna put it bluntly here,
bullshit, because here's thething, your worth isn't tied to
how well you serve others.
I train women to be strong.
Not just physically, butmentally to step into their
power, to own their enoughnessand to recognize that they
(04:40):
deserve to take up space in thegym on the trails in their own
damn lives.
I normally don't swear on thepodcast, but it might get a
little bit dicey.
I.
Don't apologize because I'mpassionate about this.
It is something that you deserveto take up Space strength
training isn't just aboutlifting the weights, it's about
(05:02):
becoming the kind of woman whotrusts herself, who backs
herself, and who sees herself.
As powerful in her own right.
So this whole myth thatmotherhood ruins your body, it
needs to, oh goodness, it justneeds to go away.
There's this just pervasivedamaging message of this.
It just ruins your body.
(05:22):
And that is so not true thatonce you've had a kid, you're
just supposed to accept that,well, this is my life.
My body is supposed to beriddled with aches and pains, or
I can never, insert anythingthat you did prior to having
kids that you need to spend therest of your life trying to
shrink it back or erase thosechanges and fit into some
(05:43):
honestly outdated ideal of whatyou used to be.
Let's be clear.
Motherhood did not ruin yourbody, but it transforms it.
And the idea that movement andexercise and strength training
should be used as punishment tofix something that was never
broken is toxic as hell.
(06:04):
I.
See red when I see thismessaging out there, movement is
not about restriction.
Strength is not aboutpunishment.
Fitness is not about erasing thefact that you are a mom.
It's about expansion, steppinginto everything you are.
(06:24):
Building that resilience, thepower, and that connection to
yourself that goes deeper thanaesthetics.
It's about proving to yourselfthat you are more capable than
you've ever given yourselfcredit for.
I'm gonna share a little bitmore about what I talked about
prior to the intro credit.
(06:45):
There's this intersection of theexternal and internal
motivation.
I caught myself saying to mybusiness bestie, who is also my
cousin, that I don't know if Iwould have run a hundred miles
had I not been a mom.
Surely.
I was always curious about ultramarathons prior to ever thinking
(07:05):
I would have children.
It was something that piqued mycuriosity, but I knew.
That I wanted to do it.
Now, what changed when I becamea mom, that that gets a little
bit different.
So I knew I needed to train forit, not anyone else, but for me,
(07:26):
if I was going to get to thatfinish line.
A hundred miles.
I knew I needed to show up forme first.
I needed to build my body up sothat I could handle the
training, and I needed to committo the process because I wanted
it.
And then on race day, as I wasstanding there on that starting
line, unprompted, my youngestwrapped his arms around me and
(07:49):
said, today, mommy, you aregoing to run a hundred miles.
I was nervous standing on thatstarting line, not knowing if I
was gonna make it to that finishline.
I had never run a hundred milesbefore, and when you train for
an ultra marathon, you never getclose to the distance you're
going to run.
It was hard training.
There was a lot of balance.
There was a lot of questions oflike, am I capable of doing
(08:11):
this?
Do I have the ability, did Itrain enough?
Would I be able to overcome allthe obstacles that are going to
arise, the pain and the mentalfortitude during those a hundred
miles.
But something really cool inthat moment happened, it was the
intersection of external andinternal motivation.
(08:33):
That was his belief in me.
But the reason I was even therein the first place was because I
believed in myself.
My title's mom, athlete coach,they weren't in conflict.
They worked in tandem to fuelthe woman beneath it all because
I at the heart of it was stillthere.
(08:53):
I.
There's this guilt about takingup space in your own life, and I
see my clients struggle withthis.
One woman came to me feelingjust completely bombarded by the
idea that taking time forherself, stepping into her own
strength was just selfish.
She told me I can't justifyasking my partner for help so
that I can work out.
I should be the one.
(09:14):
Holding it all together andbeing able to get a good workout
while my kids are there.
So I, I kind of pushed back.
I challenged her.
I said, what would change if yougave yourself permission to take
up space outside of motherhood?
What if strength training wasn'tjust about fitness, but about
stepping into the strongestversion of yourself?
And what if you stopped waitingfor permission and started
(09:37):
deciding that you.
Are already enough withouthaving to prove it to anyone.
Over time, she started to shifther mindset.
She started realizing thatprioritizing her strength, both
in and outta the gym, wasn'tabout taking away from her
family.
It was about adding to herself.
She stopped looking at fitnessas something that she had to
(09:58):
earn and started seeing it assomething she deserved.
And I'll tell you something I'velearned from years of lifting
that the first time you pick upa heavy barbell and you think,
there's no way I can lift this,and then you do.
That moment changes you strengthtraining isn't just about
getting physically stronger.
It's about stepping into the newversion of yourself.
One who stops questioning herown capabilities.
(10:21):
It's about proof.
Proof you can show up foryourself.
Proof you can do hard things.
Proof you are not fragile orbroken or less than just because
your body has been throughchanges.
It rewires the way you seeyourself and the more you
practice stepping into thatpower in the gym, the more it
(10:43):
bleeds into every part of yourlife.
For me and my business, I workwith the women behind the
titles.
Yes.
A lot of my clients are moms,but that is just not the whole
picture.
They are women first.
They are women who had hopes,dreams, and a sense of self
before motherhood, and thosethings still matter.
(11:06):
So if you are feeling.
You've lost a part of yourselfwhile listening to this, or
you've come to this episodebecause you're like, what is
this all about?
And you feel like you're waitingfor permission to prioritize
your own strength, your owngoals, your own damn life.
I want you to ask yourself thesethree questions.
What did I love before I becamea mom?
(11:27):
What excites or challenges menow outside my role as a parent?
If I took away all the titlesfor a moment, who am I at the
core?
Here's the shift I want you tomake.
You don't need permission to bestrong.
I.
You don't need to earn the rightto take up space.
(11:50):
You don't need to justify yourworkouts, your goals by saying,
it makes me a better mom.
You are already enough and youdeserve to be strong because you
want it, we have to reframestrength as self-worth.
Instead of thinking, I need towork out so I have energy for my
(12:11):
kids.
Try this.
I want to get stronger because Ivalue feeling powerful and
capable.
Instead of thinking I shouldexercise because I need to be a
good role model.
Try this.
I deserve to take care of mybody because I am worth it.
Instead of thinking I have toprioritize my fitness so I can
(12:34):
show up better for my family,try this.
I am worthy of prioritizing myown strength, my own goals, my
own joy, because I am more thanjust my role as a mom.
I know that's a lot of heavylift.
I have been there.
I have been that person.
Where I felt like I neededpermission, I felt like I wasn't
(12:59):
worth it to take up space.
I wasn't worth it to take upthat time.
But I'm here to tell you this.
When you pursue strength foryourself, the benefits naturally
extend to those around you.
But the reason you do it shouldalways start with you.
(13:19):
So this week I want you to dosomething for you.
Step into your power, take upspace, and own that you already
are enough, and I'm gonnachallenge you one step further.
I would love to hear from you.
If you do this message, thepodcast, you can click on the
(13:40):
message button.
Message me.
I want to celebrate you showingup for you.
Thank you for tuning in toMilesFromHerView, powered by
KatFit Strength.
If this podcast inspires you,don't keep it for yourself.
Hit follow or subscribe to stayupdated on the new episodes, and
(14:02):
leave us a review to help morewomen and moms discover this
space.
Your feedback fuels this podcastand I'd love to hear what's
working for you or what topicsyou want to dive into Next.
You can connect with me onInstagram at KatFit or share
this episode.
With a friend who is ready toembrace her strength.
Remember, fitness isn't aboutperfection.
(14:24):
It's about showing up foryourself and finding strength in
every step of your journey.
Until next time, keep movingforward one mile at a time.
I was standing at the start line of my a hundred mile race
nerves buzzing through me whenmy youngest wrapped his arms
around me and said, today,mommy, you are going to run a
hundred miles In that moment, Ifelt it, the external
motivation.
Sure.
But also the deep, undeniable,knowing that I had already done
(00:22):
the work to be here, that mydrive, my strength, my
resilience, those weren't justthings I had because I was a
mom, an athlete, or a businessowner.
They were part of who I am andthis.
Was me owning it.
But here's the thing.
How often are we told thatmotherhood is supposed to shrink
(00:42):
us?
That our bodies are somehowruined by having kids?
That fitness is just a way tomake ourselves smaller, to
bounce back, to erase theevidence of our experiences.
What if I told you thatmovement, especially strength
training, isn't about erasinganything?
It's about stepping into more,more power, more confidence.
(01:04):
More of you today, we'rebreaking down the toxic
messaging around motherhood,fitness, and self-worth, and why
strength is about expansion notto erase.
Let's get into it.
Welcome to MilesFromHerView, thepodcast powered by KatFit
Strength, where busy women likeyou find practical solutions to
(01:25):
fuel your fitness journey withauthenticity and resilience.
I'm Kat, your host, a mom of twoactive boys, a business owner,
and an ultra marathon runner anda strength trainer in her
forties with nearly two decadesof experience.
I'm here to help you cut throughthe noise of fads, hacks, and
quick fixes.
This is a space where wecelebrate womanhood and
(01:47):
motherhood.
All while building strength andresilience and reconnecting with
you from a place ofself-compassion and worthiness.
Whether you're lacing up yourrunning shoes to go out for a
run, driving your kids topractice or squeezing in a
moment for yourself, I'm righthere in the trenches with you.
Let's dive in.
Hey, welcome back.
(02:08):
I'm Kat, your host, and ifyou're new here, I'm so glad
you're listening, and if you'vebeen around already for a while,
you already know.
I love diving deep intoconversations with you.
Before we get into the topic, Ihave to say, I've had so many
conversations lately with womenwho feel like prioritizing
themselves is some kind of moralfailing.
Like if they step away from theconstant cycle of giving,
(02:31):
supporting, managing everything.
They're doing something wrong,and I get it.
I used to feel that way it justseems like life is so busy that
it's hard to figure out when totake time for yourself.
And if you wanna take that timeto do something of
self-interest, and I'm gonna saynot just working out, it can
(02:54):
feel very guilty of you to dothat.
I spent years waiting for thispermission, waiting for someone
to say, yes, you are allowed todo this for yourself.
Yes, you can take up space.
Yes, you can pursue your owngoals outside of motherhood,
outside of work, outside of whateveryone else needs from you.
(03:15):
And at some point I had torealize that no one was coming
to give me permission.
I had to give it to myself.
And that is what today's episodeis all about.
We're unpacking that guilt, thelimiting beliefs in the outdated
narratives about motherhood,strength, and self-worth.
Because if you're waiting forsomeone to tell you it's okay to
(03:37):
take up space, consider thisyour sign.
So let's get into it.
A common marketing pitch I'mseeing out there is aimed at
women, and especially moms, isthat you need to work out so you
can better serve your family.
The idea that.
Exercising makes you a bettermom because it gives you more
(03:57):
energy, boosts your confidence,and helps regulate your mood
with endorphins and dopamine.
And I get it.
You know, those benefits arereal.
They are some of the greatbyproducts of working out.
But the idea, this is where Ihave a problem with it, the
idea.
That a woman's primary reasonfor working out should be to be
(04:19):
a better mom.
That's where I call, and I'mgonna put it bluntly here,
bullshit, because here's thething, your worth isn't tied to
how well you serve others.
I train women to be strong.
Not just physically, butmentally to step into their
power, to own their enoughnessand to recognize that they
(04:40):
deserve to take up space in thegym on the trails in their own
damn lives.
I normally don't swear on thepodcast, but it might get a
little bit dicey.
I.
Don't apologize because I'mpassionate about this.
It is something that you deserveto take up Space strength
training isn't just aboutlifting the weights, it's about
(05:02):
becoming the kind of woman whotrusts herself, who backs
herself, and who sees herself.
As powerful in her own right.
So this whole myth thatmotherhood ruins your body, it
needs to, oh goodness, it justneeds to go away.
There's this just pervasivedamaging message of this.
It just ruins your body.
(05:22):
And that is so not true thatonce you've had a kid, you're
just supposed to accept that,well, this is my life.
My body is supposed to beriddled with aches and pains, or
I can never, insert anythingthat you did prior to having
kids that you need to spend therest of your life trying to
shrink it back or erase thosechanges and fit into some
(05:43):
honestly outdated ideal of whatyou used to be.
Let's be clear.
Motherhood did not ruin yourbody, but it transforms it.
And the idea that movement andexercise and strength training
should be used as punishment tofix something that was never
broken is toxic as hell.
(06:04):
I.
See red when I see thismessaging out there, movement is
not about restriction.
Strength is not aboutpunishment.
Fitness is not about erasing thefact that you are a mom.
It's about expansion, steppinginto everything you are.
(06:24):
Building that resilience, thepower, and that connection to
yourself that goes deeper thanaesthetics.
It's about proving to yourselfthat you are more capable than
you've ever given yourselfcredit for.
I'm gonna share a little bitmore about what I talked about
prior to the intro credit.
(06:45):
There's this intersection of theexternal and internal
motivation.
I caught myself saying to mybusiness bestie, who is also my
cousin, that I don't know if Iwould have run a hundred miles
had I not been a mom.
Surely.
I was always curious about ultramarathons prior to ever thinking
(07:05):
I would have children.
It was something that piqued mycuriosity, but I knew.
That I wanted to do it.
Now, what changed when I becamea mom, that that gets a little
bit different.
So I knew I needed to train forit, not anyone else, but for me,
(07:26):
if I was going to get to thatfinish line.
A hundred miles.
I knew I needed to show up forme first.
I needed to build my body up sothat I could handle the
training, and I needed to committo the process because I wanted
it.
And then on race day, as I wasstanding there on that starting
line, unprompted, my youngestwrapped his arms around me and
(07:49):
said, today, mommy, you aregoing to run a hundred miles.
I was nervous standing on thatstarting line, not knowing if I
was gonna make it to that finishline.
I had never run a hundred milesbefore, and when you train for
an ultra marathon, you never getclose to the distance you're
going to run.
It was hard training.
There was a lot of balance.
There was a lot of questions oflike, am I capable of doing
(08:11):
this?
Do I have the ability, did Itrain enough?
Would I be able to overcome allthe obstacles that are going to
arise, the pain and the mentalfortitude during those a hundred
miles.
But something really cool inthat moment happened, it was the
intersection of external andinternal motivation.
(08:33):
That was his belief in me.
But the reason I was even therein the first place was because I
believed in myself.
My title's mom, athlete coach,they weren't in conflict.
They worked in tandem to fuelthe woman beneath it all because
I at the heart of it was stillthere.
(08:53):
I.
There's this guilt about takingup space in your own life, and I
see my clients struggle withthis.
One woman came to me feelingjust completely bombarded by the
idea that taking time forherself, stepping into her own
strength was just selfish.
She told me I can't justifyasking my partner for help so
that I can work out.
I should be the one.
(09:14):
Holding it all together andbeing able to get a good workout
while my kids are there.
So I, I kind of pushed back.
I challenged her.
I said, what would change if yougave yourself permission to take
up space outside of motherhood?
What if strength training wasn'tjust about fitness, but about
stepping into the strongestversion of yourself?
And what if you stopped waitingfor permission and started
(09:37):
deciding that you.
Are already enough withouthaving to prove it to anyone.
Over time, she started to shifther mindset.
She started realizing thatprioritizing her strength, both
in and outta the gym, wasn'tabout taking away from her
family.
It was about adding to herself.
She stopped looking at fitnessas something that she had to
(09:58):
earn and started seeing it assomething she deserved.
And I'll tell you something I'velearned from years of lifting
that the first time you pick upa heavy barbell and you think,
there's no way I can lift this,and then you do.
That moment changes you strengthtraining isn't just about
getting physically stronger.
It's about stepping into the newversion of yourself.
One who stops questioning herown capabilities.
(10:21):
It's about proof.
Proof you can show up foryourself.
Proof you can do hard things.
Proof you are not fragile orbroken or less than just because
your body has been throughchanges.
It rewires the way you seeyourself and the more you
practice stepping into thatpower in the gym, the more it
(10:43):
bleeds into every part of yourlife.
For me and my business, I workwith the women behind the
titles.
Yes.
A lot of my clients are moms,but that is just not the whole
picture.
They are women first.
They are women who had hopes,dreams, and a sense of self
before motherhood, and thosethings still matter.
(11:06):
So if you are feeling.
You've lost a part of yourselfwhile listening to this, or
you've come to this episodebecause you're like, what is
this all about?
And you feel like you're waitingfor permission to prioritize
your own strength, your owngoals, your own damn life.
I want you to ask yourself thesethree questions.
What did I love before I becamea mom?
(11:27):
What excites or challenges menow outside my role as a parent?
If I took away all the titlesfor a moment, who am I at the
core?
Here's the shift I want you tomake.
You don't need permission to bestrong.
I.
You don't need to earn the rightto take up space.
(11:50):
You don't need to justify yourworkouts, your goals by saying,
it makes me a better mom.
You are already enough and youdeserve to be strong because you
want it, we have to reframestrength as self-worth.
Instead of thinking, I need towork out so I have energy for my
(12:11):
kids.
Try this.
I want to get stronger because Ivalue feeling powerful and
capable.
Instead of thinking I shouldexercise because I need to be a
good role model.
Try this.
I deserve to take care of mybody because I am worth it.
Instead of thinking I have toprioritize my fitness so I can
(12:34):
show up better for my family,try this.
I am worthy of prioritizing myown strength, my own goals, my
own joy, because I am more thanjust my role as a mom.
I know that's a lot of heavylift.
I have been there.
I have been that person.
Where I felt like I neededpermission, I felt like I wasn't
(12:59):
worth it to take up space.
I wasn't worth it to take upthat time.
But I'm here to tell you this.
When you pursue strength foryourself, the benefits naturally
extend to those around you.
But the reason you do it shouldalways start with you.
(13:19):
So this week I want you to dosomething for you.
Step into your power, take upspace, and own that you already
are enough, and I'm gonnachallenge you one step further.
I would love to hear from you.
If you do this message, thepodcast, you can click on the
(13:40):
message button.
Message me.
I want to celebrate you showingup for you.
Thank you for tuning in toMilesFromHerView, powered by
KatFit Strength.
If this podcast inspires you,don't keep it for yourself.
Hit follow or subscribe to stayupdated on the new episodes, and
(14:02):
leave us a review to help morewomen and moms discover this
space.
Your feedback fuels this podcastand I'd love to hear what's
working for you or what topicsyou want to dive into Next.
You can connect with me onInstagram at KatFit or share
this episode.
With a friend who is ready toembrace her strength.
Remember, fitness isn't aboutperfection.
(14:24):
It's about showing up foryourself and finding strength in
every step of your journey.
Until next time, keep movingforward one mile at a time.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.