July 3, 2024 • 37 mins
Ever wondered how a background in counselling psychology can transform a personal trainer's approach to fitness?
Join us as we chat with Gabbie Lamm, a dynamic personal trainer and Lululemon ambassador who blends mental and physical wellness and resilience, which leads to empowering transformations, both inside and out.
Gabbie shares behind-the-scenes stories from her famous Fun Friday videos. How does she pick the Fun Friday challenges? Who at DEPTH is most willing to try the challenge each week? What have been some of the hardest challenges? Listen, and all your questions will be answered.
Whether you’re a young athlete or just looking to elevate your fitness game, this episode is packed with valuable advice and inspiration to help you succeed.
What You’ll Learn:
- Gabbie's journey from health science to counselling psychology and how it complements her approach to personal training.
- What it means to be a Lululemon ambassador and the rewarding experiences and community bonds that come with it.
- Practical tips for young athletes who are starting in the gym.
- The importance of a positive internal monologue for athletic success.
Gabbie also shares resources that are available for teenagers if they feel like they need help or need someone to talk to.
Kids Help Phone
KW Counselling Services
Front Door
Psychology Today
Affordable Therapy Network
Connect with Gabbie:
Email: gabriellelammpsychotherapy@gmail.com
Instagram
What did you think of today's episode? We want to hear from you!
Thanks for tuning in to Curious Conversations! We hope you enjoyed listening as much as we enjoyed creating it for you. Don't forget to stay connected with us on our website and Instagram for more exciting content. Also, make sure to hit that follow/subscribe button and leave us a rating to help us grow and reach more people like you.
Enjoy another curious conversation for teens by teens!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Gabbie (00:00):
A really big pillar that I work on, especially as a
psychotherapist.
What do you tell yourself indifficult moments?
Is it negative?
Maintaining a positive mindsetis a really crucial skill for
athletes.
Checking in with your internalmonologue and what you say to
yourself in difficult momentsand reframing that to a more
(00:21):
positive mindset can also bereally helpful in maintaining
longevity in your sport.
Xavier (00:29):
Hi, welcome to Curious Conversations, a podcast for
kids, by kids.
I'm one of your hosts, xavier.
Emma (00:37):
And I'm your other host, emma, and we're so excited to
bring you another season ofinteresting discussions with
people from all walks of life,to learn about their passions
and what inspires them.
Xavier (00:46):
We are still as curious as ever and we hope you will
join us on our journey.
Emma (00:52):
Today we have an amazing chat with Gabby Lamb, a personal
trainer at Depth, the gym we goto.
She also has a master's degreein counseling and psychotherapy.
Gabby gives us her best tips onhow young athletes can grow in
and outside of the gym.
She also talks to us about theimportance of taking care of
both your physical and yourmental health, and we asked
(01:14):
Gabby about her fun Fridayvideos.
Listen to find out how it allcomes together.
Hi, gabby, welcome to thepodcast.
How are you?
I'm good.
Thanks for having me.
Thanks for coming on.
Is this your first podcast?
Gabbie (01:28):
This is my first podcast , so I'm happy to be here.
Xavier (01:31):
You're doing a great job so far and we're so excited to
have you on the podcast.
Gabbie (01:35):
Thank you, I'm excited to be here.
Emma (01:37):
We're excited to have you on.
So you're both a personaltrainer and have a master's
degree in counseling andpsychotherapy.
Let's start with the personaltraining.
Can you tell us what is apersonal trainer?
Gabbie (01:49):
Yeah.
So a personal trainer is afitness professional who helps
people achieve their health andfitness goals.
So I'll create a personalizedworkout plan based on that
person's goals what they'retrying to achieve in the gym and
outside the gym and then weprovide guidance and offer
motivation and overall support.
Sometimes that's in aone-on-one setting, sometimes
(02:11):
it's a smaller group.
Some personal trainers are alsoqualified to work on nutrition
and other healthy lifestylechoices.
So, in general, I help makesure that clients are safe in
the gym, working effectivelytowards their goals and their
desired results, and that can bein areas of like weight loss,
building, muscle improvingcardio, endurance, overall
(02:34):
wellness or maybe some specificsport training.
Xavier (02:38):
That's very, very interesting.
So what is your favorite partabout being a personal trainer?
Gabbie (02:44):
okay.
So I would say my favorite partof being a personal trainer is
you get to watch somebodysucceed in like real time.
So they might be go from beingintimidated in the gym setting
where they're unsure andunconfident.
In that setting they might befollowing you around and like
really trepidatious or skepticalabout what's going on, until
(03:07):
the day that you notice nowthey're leading you around the
gym, they know what the nextexercise is, they're excited to
get to it.
They feel more confident andsure of themselves inside the
gym space.
So that's like a really one ofmy favorite parts of just
watching somebody succeed inreal time.
Secondly, the job of personaltraining attracts very
(03:32):
like-minded individuals.
In general, personal trainersare typically outgoing,
enthusiastic, really good peoplewho work on a team and who are
passionate about helping others.
So that creates a really likefun open it open but like also
friendly competitive environment.
(03:52):
That makes going to work fun.
I laugh every single day.
I get 10,000 steps every singleday.
My day is different everysingle day and in general it's a
really rewarding and fun job tohave.
Emma (04:03):
Did you expect any of that ?
Gabbie (04:06):
going into personal training, when I graduated from
my bachelor's degree, I didn'thave a job.
I didn't know what I was goingto do.
And then I saw that the gymdown the street was hiring
personal trainers and I was like, oh, okay, this is a good
combination of liking workingwith people and helping people
(04:26):
but also combining my passionfor fitness.
So I was like, oh, let me trythis.
So I didn't really, I guess,going into personal training I
had the expectations that it wasa job and I was going to get
paid to do it.
But then the more I did it, Irealized how much I genuinely
enjoyed helping people achievetheir health and fitness goals,
and it feels really good to be apart of somebody's positive
(04:48):
change.
I still hear from clients, likeold clients, telling me oh,
thank you so much.
You were a big part of memaking this big change in my
life.
You helped me get ready for mywedding, you helped me achieve
this other thing in my life, sothat I don't think I expected
that going into it, but it'sbeen like a really nice side
(05:12):
piece of being a personaltrainer.
Emma (05:14):
So, through everything, by being a personal trainer,
you've definitely gotten somebenefits, like being a Lululemon
ambassador, which I can say Ilove Lululemon but what does it
specifically mean to be anambassador?
Gabbie (05:28):
Okay.
So this is a kind of turkeyquestion to answer, because
every ambassador kind of makesit their own Lululemon.
In general, when they'relooking for ambassadors, they're
looking for people who areinvolved in their community, who
do things in their communitythat advocate that people live a
(05:50):
healthy, active lifestyle.
So there's always three pillarsof people that they will train.
They'll pick.
They'll pick a runningambassador, they'll pick a yoga
ambassador and they'll pick atraining ambassador ambassador.
And that kind of encompassesall the pillars that Lululemon
has underneath their active wearand their goals as a company.
(06:11):
So I fall under the trainingpillar as an ambassador.
So they're looking for peoplewho are involved in their
community, who live an activelife, who like Lululemon stuff,
which, like you said, I don'tknow who doesn't like Lululemon
stuff.
So they kind of approach youand say we would like you to be
an ambassador.
And then you're like, okay,well, what does that mean?
(06:32):
And then you're like they'rejust like live your regular
sweat life, keep being engagedin your community, keep doing
what you're doing, but then alsowear Lululemon.
And I was like I was alreadydoing that for free.
I'm more than happy to do thatsponsored.
So that's kind of how it works.
They are trying to platform youas an individual, to inspire
(06:56):
other people to live a happy,active lifestyle.
So there's not really muchexpectations Lululemon has for
you as an ambassador.
It's just keep doing whatyou're doing and keep motivating
and inspiring people around you.
Emma (07:09):
That sounds like everyone's dream.
Yeah, I think I'm pretty happyto do that for free, but getting
sponsored is a whole notherlevel.
Xavier (07:17):
I think Emma would make a pretty good ambassador.
Gabbie (07:20):
I don't doubt that.
I don't doubt that as well.
And then you get to like go toa cool photo shoot where first
you get to go to the store andthey outfit you in like a brand
new, like beautiful outfit, andthen you get to go to a photo
shoot with like a professionalphotographer where everyone's
cheering for you and making youfeel so, like in shape and cool,
(07:42):
and then eventually thatpicture they pick a picture and
that gets blown up and that.
So that's the big picture thatyou see of me in the store.
So it's pretty cool to like getselfies from my friends, of
them taking photos with them andtheir kids inside the store, or
people that I haven't talked toforever from high school or
something will take a picture ofyou like, oh my gosh, gabby,
(08:04):
that's you in the store, and I'mlike, yeah, man, that is me
it's pretty, it's kind ofimpressive like, oh yeah, that's
me.
Emma (08:10):
I'm just casual.
Gabbie (08:11):
I think I've seen yours actually yeah, it's pretty cool
and I and I just actually justsigned for another two years, so
I'll be able to.
I'll be on the wall for anothertwo years now.
Emma (08:20):
Wow, they just can't get enough of you.
Gabbie (08:23):
They can't get enough of us.
It's a nice compliment to beable to resign for another two
years.
Emma (08:29):
Oh, for sure.
Xavier (08:31):
Yeah.
So what I'm curious about isyou're a personal trainer and
you spend a lot of time in thegym.
Do you find time to do likeyour own personal workouts?
Gabbie (08:40):
Yes, so I definitely do make sure to find the time for
myself to work out.
I probably work out at the gymthree to four times a week.
When you're already at the gym,sometimes it's like, well, I
might as well do a workoutbefore I leave the gym.
I have a free gym membership.
Work out of the gym three,three to four times a week doing
(09:06):
weight training, but then Ialso like to run as well, so
I'll run once or twice a week.
So I do that on my own.
And then recently I started togo to spin class, which I like
love so much.
It's like dark in there andthey play like really loud music
, really loud and like fun music, and then you're like biking
and like sweating your butt off,and then also there's like
choreography that you have to doto the beat of the music.
(09:27):
So that's been like a reallysomething new.
That's been challenging, um,but then also fun.
So I like to.
I really like weightlifting,but it's I find it's really good
to like mix it up and do otherthings as well oh, did you get
into fitness and like workingout through sport, or is it just
something you liked growing up?
(09:47):
Yeah, so growing up I played alot of sports.
I played basketball, I was onthe soccer team, but then mostly
I did track and field.
Yeah, I love sports and I lovebeing active as a kid.
So then when I came time for meto choose my bachelor's degree,
I chose health sciences,because it gave me a little bit
(10:09):
of the fitness and physicalwellness piece of it, but then
also a little bit of the sciencepiece.
In general, being active iswhat led me to being a personal
trainer.
I ended up taking a course inuniversity that gave me a
certification for being apersonal trainer, so that was
also a stepping stone.
Yeah, I've always been activethroughout my entire life, so it
(10:33):
kind of has made sense for meto continue that as an adult.
Xavier (10:38):
So you're talking about all the different workouts you
do.
What's your favorite type ofworkout?
Gabbie (10:43):
that is a tough one, I would say always.
Weight training and liftingweights will always probably be
my favorite.
Dead lifting will probablyalways be my favorite exercise
ever.
It makes you just feel strongto like pick something up heavy
and then put it back down on theground.
But I also really respect thetime alone that you get when
(11:08):
you're like running.
Most of the time no one'saround so you're kind of in your
own thoughts.
I can think through things thatmaybe I didn't have the time to
think through on my own.
I can reflect on experiences, Ican enjoy nature and the things
around me.
So I like the almost meditationand the alone and an empowering
(11:31):
piece of like running and andworking out um, doing individual
things like that, but then alsothe like strength part of just
straight up lifting weights andbeing able to deadlift more than
your friends and your friend'shusband is fun.
Xavier (11:46):
I love weightlifting too .
Emma (11:47):
Chapar and squats probably my favorite.
But I can't run unless I'mchasing after something like a
ball or a puck.
So I can't relate to therunning part.
Gabbie (11:56):
I understand that when I was younger, like even when I
was a track athlete, I did notlike running.
When the coach was like youhave to run one lap to warm up,
I'd be like I already did it,coach, Don't worry, I already
did it.
I did not already do it and Ireally did not enjoy running.
Um, but then as an adult andI'm not playing as much sports
as I used to, so I'm not gettingthe cardio that I used to.
(12:17):
So I was like I have to, I haveto insert something in my life.
So I started to run and I wouldlisten to like an album that
I'd never listened to before, orlisten to a podcast or a book
on tape just to distract myself.
Because sometimes I find whenI'm running, I'm thinking oh,
(12:38):
I'm running, it's been one song,which means it's been like
three minutes of running, howmuch longer do I have to go?
And you're like really in yourhead about the running.
But I find, when I distractedmyself and listened to something
that made me laugh or was likereally interested, I was less
concentrating on how long I wasactually spending running and
(13:00):
just ran until I like felt likeI wanted to stop.
And so I just started small, Ijust started doing, I just
started doing multiple lapsaround my neighborhood so that
if I was done, I would be like,okay, I'm back at my house, I'm
done Now, I'm I'm done running.
And then eventually I would runfarther away from my house so
that I would have to run back tomy house.
But that all that all took time.
(13:21):
So, starting small and notexpecting yourself to like run
5K or like be this amazinglyfast runner, I think that also
helps of like just setting yourexpectations and meeting
yourself where you are, notwhere you feel like you should
be.
Emma (13:35):
So you were just talking about sports and how young
athletes play a lot of sports,but when young athletes switch
over to the gym, what do youthink the biggest piece of
advice you'd give them to?
Gabbie (13:46):
So I don't know if there's like one specific thing
I would say.
I'd say there's like multiplethings into going into making
the change from, like, playingsports predominantly and then
doing more weightlifting, ormaybe you're trying to add
weightlifting into your regularworkout routine.
So a couple of few things thatI would be mindful of is
(14:07):
prioritizing safety.
As teenagers, your bodies areliterally still growing, so
proper form and technique isessential.
So, like warming up and doingmovement prep to help you
prepare your muscles and reducethe risk of injury for what
you're about to do, having funwill help you keep motivated and
committed towards your goals.
(14:28):
Try and include a mix oftraining doing some strength
training, some cardio, somemobility work to work on your
overall fitness and not just onepillar of fitness.
I would say don't't focus toomuch on on what's happening
inside of the gym.
(14:49):
There are a lot of things thathappen outside of the gym that
that come into play.
So, are you sleeping enough?
Do you wake up feeling rested?
Are you getting eight to ninehours of sleep per day?
Is your nutrition in check?
Are we fueling our body with abalanced diet of fruits,
vegetables and protein and wholegrains?
(15:09):
Are we minimizing the intake ofprocessed foods?
Are you drinking enough water?
Set goals that are achievableand specific to help you keep,
to help you stay motivated andto track your progress so you
can celebrate the time that ohmy gosh, I just deadlifted for
five reps what I could only dofor two reps, like three weeks
(15:32):
ago.
Those are important milestonesto celebrate and to recognize
Getting in touch with your body,recognizing pain versus
discomfort, learning todifferentiate discomfort in a
challenging workout versus painthat might indicate an injury.
Seek guidance, like you guys.
Go to depth.
Do you know that there areplenty of trainers there who are
(15:55):
, like really committed tohelping you work out efficiently
and safety?
So work and find trainers orcoaches who can provide
personalized guidance and ensurethat your training is effective
and safe.
And then also, a really bigpillar that I work on,
especially as a psychotherapistcheck in with your internal
(16:18):
monologue.
What do you tell yourself indifficult moments?
Is it negative?
Are you using negativereinforcement to get yourself to
do something, to perform acertain way?
Maintaining a positive mindsetis a really crucial skill for
athletes to be able to performat a high level.
(16:39):
At the long term, you can bethe most talented athlete in the
world.
You can be working your buttoff in the gym, but if your
mental resilience isn't where itshould be and you crumble under
mental pressures, what?
What is that talent going to dofor you in that circumstance,
(17:00):
right?
So checking in with yourinternal monologue and what you
say to yourself in difficultmoments and reframing that to a
more positive mindset can alsobe really helpful in maintaining
longevity in the in your sportthat's really good advice.
Emma (17:18):
I think every athlete should hear that, especially, I
think, with like the um, likeyou were talking about negative
and positive reinforcement, likedepending on what coaches you
have.
Like I think you think somethings work for you, like I know
, with a variety of coachingstyles out there, there's a
whole spectrum is a, by nature,very competitive and athletes
(17:45):
are expected to thrive underpressure and not succumb to
hardships, right?
Gabbie (17:52):
You're expected to, like , keep moving forward.
If you hurt your knee, you'regoing to get seen by so many
different people.
You're going to get seen by aphysiotherapist, maybe you're
going to go see a surgeonbecause you have to do surgery.
Your coach is going to talk toyou about it, your trainer is
going to talk to you about it.
But what happens if you have,like, an injury internally?
Right, your mindset is reallynegative, or you're dealing with
(18:16):
performance anxiety or you'refeeling depressed.
The nature of sports would makeit seem like you have to keep
that to yourself and kind ofsuffer in silence.
Why is there stigma for me toaddress this internal struggle,
like there isn't stigma for meto address a, like, external
(18:37):
injury.
So sometimes athletes feel likethey have to bottle up inside
and not say anything and just bestrong, which may work in the
short term.
You may, in the short term, getyourself to perform that one
thing or get through that game,but if you keep doing that over
and, over and over again, in thelong term you are going to
(18:59):
create a really negative mindsetand view of yourself and, in
the long term, that negativityis not going to work for you
anymore.
Yeah that's really well said.
One thing that I reallyinteresting, that I think that I
read when we talk aboutpositive enforcement versus
negative enforcement.
Say, you're bowling orsomething and you're you keep
(19:19):
saying in your head don't get agutter ball, don't get a gutter
ball, don't get a gutter ball.
And then what happens?
You get a gutter ball.
Right, the mind body connectionis so strong.
Your body is responding to whatyou're telling your brain, but
your brain doesn't hear thedon't part, it only hears the
verb part, it only hears theaction part.
(19:39):
So now my brain is only hearingget a gutter ball, get a gutter
ball, get a gutter ball, get agutter ball, get a gutter ball.
Xavier (19:44):
So my body is responding to that so if you say something
like get a strike it, your bodywill strike.
Gabbie (19:52):
Yes, exactly so if, instead of saying don't get a
gutter ball, I say I'm gonnathrow the ball straight down the
lane, it's the same messagekind of, but I'm going about it
in a more positive way so mybrain can act on that and
doesn't have to try to filterout the don't part.
So thinking of and framing theway that you speak to yourself
(20:16):
that way can be really helpful.
Like same thing in sports Idon't get a foul, don't get a
foul versus I'm going to hit theball hard and strong, right.
That is different and that canyield, yeah, more positive
results than the negativeversion.
Xavier (20:33):
Is that how you handle the fun Friday challenges?
Gabbie (20:37):
So, yes, fun Friday.
I'm always like so famous forthose fun Fridays.
I will get like random peoplewho I've like never met, but
they recognize my face from thevideos and they're like, oh, I
love those fun Friday videos.
So I'm always like I'll alwayslike scroll on TikTok or on
Instagram and find these randomchallenges.
People will send me challengesas well.
(20:59):
So if you want to like, if yousee something you feel like I
could do, send that to me onInstagram and I'll see if I can
do it.
Sometimes people send me things.
I'm like I'm flattered that youthink that I can do that, but
there's absolutely no way Icould ever do that.
But I'm glad I'm, I'm happythat you think that I can do
that.
So, yeah, fun Friday videos.
I have a pretty good idea of mylike capacities, of like can I,
(21:25):
can I do that or can I not havea pretty good understanding of
that?
I also, through like workingout and being active, have
pretty good like body awarenessand understanding how to fail
something and fall out ofsomething.
So you've probably seen maybeI've posted, you've seen my
blooper videos of like doing thefun Fridays and I don't get
(21:48):
those things on the first tryevery time right.
There's a lot of like trial anderror, and then the fun Friday
video that you're seeing is likemy most beautiful attempt at me
doing that.
So a lot of the times, funFridays come with failure.
But with every failure, failure, I'm something.
I'm like okay, I can do thatbetter.
If I do this, I can achievethis.
Sometimes I'll try a fun Fridayand try it a couple times and
(22:11):
be like you know what.
I cannot do this thing.
It's time to move on.
I know my limits.
I'm going to try something else.
So it is a little bit aboutknowing myself and knowing how
to fail something, or knowinghow to be safe and trying
something, but then also inpushing myself a little bit and
(22:31):
being like no, I think I can dothat crazy thing.
Xavier (22:34):
So it's a balance of knowing myself, knowing my body,
but also trying to be safe soyou're you're the only person
that does the fun friday or doeselse help you with it.
Gabbie (22:44):
I am the person that will come up with what the Fun
Friday is for that day and then,based on what it is, I will try
to peer pressure my co-workersinto trying Fun Friday with me.
Some of them are happy to tryit.
Some of them will look at itand be like, no, I know I'm not
trying that, gabby.
I know for a fact that I cannotdo that.
I won't get off the ground ifyou get me to try that.
(23:06):
So, yes, it starts with me, andthen I peer pressure the people
around me to try it with me.
Emma (23:11):
What's been the hardest one to date.
Gabbie (23:15):
Oh, the ones that are like the hardest to date are
usually the ones that take liketwo people.
Usually the ones that take liketwo people, because a lot of
the times when it takes twopeople, if you have somebody
that's like way taller or wayheavier than you, the thing
isn't going to work out.
Or you have somebody who you'regood at one thing and they're
(23:38):
not so great at this thing, sothen the exercise doesn't work
because you're like a little bitoff balance.
One person's like deeper in asquat and the other person can't
get that deep in a squat orwhat have you.
So the hardest one to date Idon't know if I would say there
was, that has been the hardestone but I did one where I was
(24:04):
like upside down on the wall andthen my coworker was like
pinning me up against the wall,but I was like upside down, and
I remember that one.
We had to try that one multipletimes.
You always have to find a trickof fun.
Friday.
There's always a trick thatmakes it okay.
If I, if I understand what thetrick is, this makes it a lot
(24:25):
easier.
So we were trying it and wewere failing it, but then we
realized that if I put my bodyin a certain way and he put his
body in this exact certain way.
Then we went then we can get it.
So that was a hard one thattook multiple times for us to
try, but once we found the trickthen it worked.
But it will take like multipletries for us to understand what
(24:47):
the trick to getting it is.
Xavier (24:49):
So which coworker always wants to try the fun Friday?
Gabbie (24:52):
So my go-to's.
If it's about somebody likepicking me up or holding me
while I'm doing a handstand orsomething like that, I will
always ask my coworker, sean,because he's tall and strong, so
like he's he's good at thatkind of stuff.
If it's something like crazyand challenging and hard
(25:13):
strength wise, I'll always askNeil, because Neil can do like
anything, like basicallyanything, so like I can always
convince Neil do it.
I'll just show him on my phoneand be like, do you think he
could do this?
And he'll like roll his eyesand be like, yeah, let's just
try whatever.
Let's just see what happens.
So Neil will alwaysbegrudgingly participate in a
(25:36):
fun Friday with me.
So he'll, even though he's likegrumpy about it, he's happy to
do it because then he'll, he'sable.
He's able to do it in like onetry and then he feels like so
happy about it, he makes it lookso easy I like the ones that
you could like.
Emma (25:51):
We can try like uh, I think this the most recent one
was like the chair one.
Oh, did you guys try that one?
No, I think my brother and mydad did, though did they get it
um?
Yeah, they both did actuallyyeah, not.
Gabbie (26:04):
So we decided that only people over like basically
anyone that was over five eightcould do it.
Anyone that was under fiveeight couldn't do it.
And we think that basically,the longer are, the longer
forearm that you have and thestronger you were, the more
likely that you were able to doit, because everyone that was
(26:27):
under like five eight but wasalso strong couldn't do it Like
Neil couldn't do it.
And if Neil can't do it, thenthat's like a real indicator
that something's, something'swrong here, something
scientifically is wrong that ispreventing Neil from not being
able to do it.
Xavier (26:43):
Is that your goal?
Every time you think of a funFriday like I need to make sure
Neil fails this.
Gabbie (26:49):
You know what?
It's not my goal, but it'salways a pleasant surprise to be
able to do something and Neilcan't do something, because it
always makes you feel like alittle bit better because Neil
can do everything.
Did you get the chair one?
I did not.
I'm 5'2" and I have short arms,so so no, I did not get the
chair one that's okay.
Emma (27:10):
I was warming up and I was like um maybe not today.
Gabbie (27:13):
It's a hard one, yeah.
And then also Kristen O'Neill,who is an Olympic level hockey
player and she plays in the PWHL.
Emma (27:21):
She couldn't do that one and I was like, okay, I feel
fine no, it's really fun to see,like, like, which people can
like do the tasks.
Gabbie (27:29):
Yes, yes, and I always find so a lot of now the
athletes are back in the gym andyou can tell some of them are
like really excited.
They're like oh yeah, I want totry Fun Friday, and some of
them are like, no, I don't wantto try that.
Emma (27:50):
I don't want to be embarrassed on the Instagram.
Gabby, do not film me doingthis.
Yeah, they're really funny.
Yeah, so switching gears.
You recently became a counselorand had to go to school for a
while.
You have university degreesfrom Western and Yorkville
University.
Gabbie (28:05):
What is the difference between your first degree and
your master's degree.
So my first degree is abachelor's degree in health
science and the differencebetween a bachelor's degree and
a master's degree is generallyin focus and the level of
education and career outcomes.
So for my bachelor's degree inhealth science, it was a broad
study of like health related, ofhealth related topics like
(28:26):
biology, chemistry, publichealth, health policy, health
promotion, and you'll takecourses like anatomy, physiology
, changing health behaviors andsome social sciences.
People who graduate with thisdegree might pursue careers in
like public health, healthadministration or health
education, and it's also adegree that's also geared
(28:50):
towards higher learning.
So people might go on from thatdegree to a master's degree in
a more specialized field likephysiotherapy, nursing or
medicine.
For me, I switched gears alittle bit and went to the
mental wellness side.
So my master's degree is incounseling, psychology, and a
(29:12):
focus is specifically onpsychology and counseling
techniques and prepare studentsto be able to deliver mental
health services, includingtherapy, counseling, to
individuals, families and groups.
So you'll take advanced courseson psychological theory,
counseling techniques,assessments.
(29:33):
You'll take courses in ethicsas well, and then you'll also
have to complete a practicumplacement, which means as a
student I worked at a specificclinic for a certain amount of
hours to get practicalexperience and practical skills.
So I was counseling people as astudent and getting my
experience that way.
(29:54):
So when you graduate with thatdegree you can become a licensed
counselor or a registeredpsychotherapist which is what I
am now and you will work insettings like private clinics.
You can work in schools,hospitals.
I also now specialize inworking with athletes in their
own mental wellness and mentalpreparedness for sport and
(30:19):
getting better at framing theirnegative monologue into a more
positive internal monologue.
Negative monologue into a morepositive internal monologue.
So on the topic of your master'sdegree, what made you decide to
go into counseling andpsychotherapy.
(30:39):
So after years of being apersonal trainer and helping
people work towards their goals,I began to realize the
importance of mental wellness inthe pursuit of your physical
goals and overall wellness.
Like I said before, you can bedoing.
You can be a naturally talented, gifted athlete or working your
butt off as a regular person inthe gym, trying to work towards
(31:00):
some specific goals.
But without mental and emotionresilience, your success can
fall away pretty easily and youcan find yourself burnt out or
with little to no motivation andparticipating in the things
that are important to you.
And I've always also had aninterest in psychology and the
psychology of what gets peopleto change their behaviors.
(31:22):
So in pursuing a master'sdegree, this allowed me to
combine my knowledge of physicalwellness with mental wellness
and it kind of comes full circleon that mind-body connection
that I was talking to youearlier.
Talking about earlier, the moremindful and self-aware you are,
you can become better able tofocus on the things that you
(31:44):
have control over rather thanworrying about the possible
future catastrophes that may ormay not happen that you do not
have control over.
So we as people have very wehave a limited attention span.
So as an athlete or even as aregular person, if part of my
(32:04):
limited attention span is beingdistracted by things outside of
what I'm doing in the currentmoment, or my limited attention
span is being filled up withnegative internal monologue or
negative self-talk, it leaves avery limited now threshold for
attention for what I'm doing inthe actual current moment and as
(32:27):
an athlete, then that can leadto like poor performance in real
time on the field and then poor.
Poor performance leads to morenegative self talk, which leads
to more poor performance, andit's kind of like a never ending
cycle there.
So the more mindful you can beabout the way you talk to
yourself and being more presentin the present moment and not
(32:51):
thinking about the future,you're more likely to see
success that way, performancewise and also in pursuing of
your goals did you expect for umboth your degrees, like
especially your path of personaltraining, and your
psychotherapy degree, to reallygo hand in hand?
or no I think I had a little bit.
(33:14):
I was thinking of that when Istarted my master's degree and
now that I ended I'm realizinghow well those two things go
together.
It almost seems like it makestoo much sense for somebody to
be a personal trainer but thenalso be able to work on mental
health.
It may.
It seems like those two thingsgo really really hand in hand,
(33:36):
but in general the mental sideof physical wellness is often
goes neglected or untrained.
So I think in the current daythat's becoming more of a thing.
People are thinking more abouttheir mental health, but there's
not that many people who workso much in both those spaces and
(33:59):
bring those two things together.
But I think that's going tochange in the future.
Emma (34:04):
So into more of the specifics of your degree.
Can you tell us what yourdegree is and what type of
counseling specifically you do?
Gabbie (34:12):
Yeah, so my degree is in counseling psychology, which
qualifies me to work as aregistered psychotherapist.
Being a registeredpsychotherapist is regulated by
the province of Ontario, whichmeans not everyone can call
themselves a registeredpsychotherapist.
Is regulated by the province ofOntario, which means not
everyone can call themselves aregistered psychotherapist.
You have to apply and meetcertain criteria in order to
(34:37):
call yourself a psychotherapist.
There are ethical rules that wehave to follow.
There are practice rules thatwe have to follow.
There's also a big, giant testthat we have to take as
psychotherapists.
So, having said that, as apsychotherapist, I offer
individual counseling, couplescounseling and then, like I said
, my background also allows meto specialize in helping
(35:00):
athletes in mental performancefor sport and helping them hone
their skills in mindfulness andvisualization.
Xavier (35:08):
So if a teenager thought that they might need help or
want to talk to someone, do youknow where they could go?
Gabbie (35:14):
Yeah.
So Kids Help Phone is a reallygood crisis and emergency
resource if you feel like youneed that.
It's a 24-hour service whereyou can talk to a counselor
about any problem, big or small.
That's 1-800-668-6868.
(35:35):
Or you can even text thatnumber at 686-868.
And you can live chat withsomebody if you feel like you
need to talk to somebody.
Kw Counseling Services is aclinic that offers variety of
services.
It does individual andcounseling, youth and family
counseling, and it has lots ofpeer support groups.
It also allows people who maybecouldn't afford regular therapy
(36:00):
.
It brings that down and givesthem a reduced rate, so it makes
therapy more accessible forindividuals.
And then there's also, if you'relooking for a therapist for
yourself, you can also check,always check out psychology
todaycom, which which isa giantdirectory of all the
psychotherapy, all thetherapists in, like Canada and
(36:20):
the US, so you can filter by ifyou're looking for a specific
kind of therapy, if you'relooking for online, if you're
looking for in person, if youwant a female online, if you're
looking for in person, if youwant a female therapist, if you
want a male therapist, you'll beable to search based on what
you're looking for.
And then there's also theaffordable therapy networkcom,
which is an another directory,but it's for counselors that
(36:42):
offer reduced fee counseling.
So for people that maybe can'tafford regular price counseling,
this is an entire directory ofpeople who offer reduced fee
counseling, so that'saffordabletherapynetworkcom.
Emma (36:55):
We'll put all the resources in the show notes.
Gabbie (36:58):
Yeah, I will send those over so that everyone can have
access to them.
Emma (37:03):
Thank you so much for coming on today.
It was a great chat.
Thank you so much for having me.
Gabbie (37:07):
This was like such a fun first podcast experience.
I hope I sounded wise and likeI knew what I was talking about.
Xavier (37:13):
Oh, you did you totally did.
Emma (37:16):
You sounded like you've done this before.
Gabbie (37:18):
Great great.
Xavier (37:20):
Thank you so much, Gabby , and we'll see you at the gym.
Emma (37:25):
Thank you for listening and I know all the shows.
You probably listened to saythis, but if you enjoyed this
episode, please follow and ratethe podcast.
Xavier (37:32):
Also, we would love to connect with you and hear your
thoughts about our episodes.
You can find us on Instagram orvisit our website.
The links are in the show notes.
Thanks for tuning in.
Bye.
A really big pillar that I work on, especially as a
psychotherapist.
What do you tell yourself indifficult moments?
Is it negative?
Maintaining a positive mindsetis a really crucial skill for
athletes.
Checking in with your internalmonologue and what you say to
yourself in difficult momentsand reframing that to a more
(00:21):
positive mindset can also bereally helpful in maintaining
longevity in your sport.
Xavier (00:29):
Hi, welcome to Curious Conversations, a podcast for
kids, by kids.
I'm one of your hosts, xavier.
Emma (00:37):
And I'm your other host, emma, and we're so excited to
bring you another season ofinteresting discussions with
people from all walks of life,to learn about their passions
and what inspires them.
Xavier (00:46):
We are still as curious as ever and we hope you will
join us on our journey.
Emma (00:52):
Today we have an amazing chat with Gabby Lamb, a personal
trainer at Depth, the gym we goto.
She also has a master's degreein counseling and psychotherapy.
Gabby gives us her best tips onhow young athletes can grow in
and outside of the gym.
She also talks to us about theimportance of taking care of
both your physical and yourmental health, and we asked
(01:14):
Gabby about her fun Fridayvideos.
Listen to find out how it allcomes together.
Hi, gabby, welcome to thepodcast.
How are you?
I'm good.
Thanks for having me.
Thanks for coming on.
Is this your first podcast?
Gabbie (01:28):
This is my first podcast , so I'm happy to be here.
Xavier (01:31):
You're doing a great job so far and we're so excited to
have you on the podcast.
Gabbie (01:35):
Thank you, I'm excited to be here.
Emma (01:37):
We're excited to have you on.
So you're both a personaltrainer and have a master's
degree in counseling andpsychotherapy.
Let's start with the personaltraining.
Can you tell us what is apersonal trainer?
Gabbie (01:49):
Yeah.
So a personal trainer is afitness professional who helps
people achieve their health andfitness goals.
So I'll create a personalizedworkout plan based on that
person's goals what they'retrying to achieve in the gym and
outside the gym and then weprovide guidance and offer
motivation and overall support.
Sometimes that's in aone-on-one setting, sometimes
(02:11):
it's a smaller group.
Some personal trainers are alsoqualified to work on nutrition
and other healthy lifestylechoices.
So, in general, I help makesure that clients are safe in
the gym, working effectivelytowards their goals and their
desired results, and that can bein areas of like weight loss,
building, muscle improvingcardio, endurance, overall
(02:34):
wellness or maybe some specificsport training.
Xavier (02:38):
That's very, very interesting.
So what is your favorite partabout being a personal trainer?
Gabbie (02:44):
okay.
So I would say my favorite partof being a personal trainer is
you get to watch somebodysucceed in like real time.
So they might be go from beingintimidated in the gym setting
where they're unsure andunconfident.
In that setting they might befollowing you around and like
really trepidatious or skepticalabout what's going on, until
(03:07):
the day that you notice nowthey're leading you around the
gym, they know what the nextexercise is, they're excited to
get to it.
They feel more confident andsure of themselves inside the
gym space.
So that's like a really one ofmy favorite parts of just
watching somebody succeed inreal time.
Secondly, the job of personaltraining attracts very
(03:32):
like-minded individuals.
In general, personal trainersare typically outgoing,
enthusiastic, really good peoplewho work on a team and who are
passionate about helping others.
So that creates a really likefun open it open but like also
friendly competitive environment.
(03:52):
That makes going to work fun.
I laugh every single day.
I get 10,000 steps every singleday.
My day is different everysingle day and in general it's a
really rewarding and fun job tohave.
Emma (04:03):
Did you expect any of that ?
Gabbie (04:06):
going into personal training, when I graduated from
my bachelor's degree, I didn'thave a job.
I didn't know what I was goingto do.
And then I saw that the gymdown the street was hiring
personal trainers and I was like, oh, okay, this is a good
combination of liking workingwith people and helping people
(04:26):
but also combining my passionfor fitness.
So I was like, oh, let me trythis.
So I didn't really, I guess,going into personal training I
had the expectations that it wasa job and I was going to get
paid to do it.
But then the more I did it, Irealized how much I genuinely
enjoyed helping people achievetheir health and fitness goals,
and it feels really good to be apart of somebody's positive
(04:48):
change.
I still hear from clients, likeold clients, telling me oh,
thank you so much.
You were a big part of memaking this big change in my
life.
You helped me get ready for mywedding, you helped me achieve
this other thing in my life, sothat I don't think I expected
that going into it, but it'sbeen like a really nice side
(05:12):
piece of being a personaltrainer.
Emma (05:14):
So, through everything, by being a personal trainer,
you've definitely gotten somebenefits, like being a Lululemon
ambassador, which I can say Ilove Lululemon but what does it
specifically mean to be anambassador?
Gabbie (05:28):
Okay.
So this is a kind of turkeyquestion to answer, because
every ambassador kind of makesit their own Lululemon.
In general, when they'relooking for ambassadors, they're
looking for people who areinvolved in their community, who
do things in their communitythat advocate that people live a
(05:50):
healthy, active lifestyle.
So there's always three pillarsof people that they will train.
They'll pick.
They'll pick a runningambassador, they'll pick a yoga
ambassador and they'll pick atraining ambassador ambassador.
And that kind of encompassesall the pillars that Lululemon
has underneath their active wearand their goals as a company.
(06:11):
So I fall under the trainingpillar as an ambassador.
So they're looking for peoplewho are involved in their
community, who live an activelife, who like Lululemon stuff,
which, like you said, I don'tknow who doesn't like Lululemon
stuff.
So they kind of approach youand say we would like you to be
an ambassador.
And then you're like, okay,well, what does that mean?
(06:32):
And then you're like they'rejust like live your regular
sweat life, keep being engagedin your community, keep doing
what you're doing, but then alsowear Lululemon.
And I was like I was alreadydoing that for free.
I'm more than happy to do thatsponsored.
So that's kind of how it works.
They are trying to platform youas an individual, to inspire
(06:56):
other people to live a happy,active lifestyle.
So there's not really muchexpectations Lululemon has for
you as an ambassador.
It's just keep doing whatyou're doing and keep motivating
and inspiring people around you.
Emma (07:09):
That sounds like everyone's dream.
Yeah, I think I'm pretty happyto do that for free, but getting
sponsored is a whole notherlevel.
Xavier (07:17):
I think Emma would make a pretty good ambassador.
Gabbie (07:20):
I don't doubt that.
I don't doubt that as well.
And then you get to like go toa cool photo shoot where first
you get to go to the store andthey outfit you in like a brand
new, like beautiful outfit, andthen you get to go to a photo
shoot with like a professionalphotographer where everyone's
cheering for you and making youfeel so, like in shape and cool,
(07:42):
and then eventually thatpicture they pick a picture and
that gets blown up and that.
So that's the big picture thatyou see of me in the store.
So it's pretty cool to like getselfies from my friends, of
them taking photos with them andtheir kids inside the store, or
people that I haven't talked toforever from high school or
something will take a picture ofyou like, oh my gosh, gabby,
(08:04):
that's you in the store, and I'mlike, yeah, man, that is me
it's pretty, it's kind ofimpressive like, oh yeah, that's
me.
Emma (08:10):
I'm just casual.
Gabbie (08:11):
I think I've seen yours actually yeah, it's pretty cool
and I and I just actually justsigned for another two years, so
I'll be able to.
I'll be on the wall for anothertwo years now.
Emma (08:20):
Wow, they just can't get enough of you.
Gabbie (08:23):
They can't get enough of us.
It's a nice compliment to beable to resign for another two
years.
Emma (08:29):
Oh, for sure.
Xavier (08:31):
Yeah.
So what I'm curious about isyou're a personal trainer and
you spend a lot of time in thegym.
Do you find time to do likeyour own personal workouts?
Gabbie (08:40):
Yes, so I definitely do make sure to find the time for
myself to work out.
I probably work out at the gymthree to four times a week.
When you're already at the gym,sometimes it's like, well, I
might as well do a workoutbefore I leave the gym.
I have a free gym membership.
Work out of the gym three,three to four times a week doing
(09:06):
weight training, but then Ialso like to run as well, so
I'll run once or twice a week.
So I do that on my own.
And then recently I started togo to spin class, which I like
love so much.
It's like dark in there andthey play like really loud music
, really loud and like fun music, and then you're like biking
and like sweating your butt off,and then also there's like
choreography that you have to doto the beat of the music.
(09:27):
So that's been like a reallysomething new.
That's been challenging, um,but then also fun.
So I like to.
I really like weightlifting,but it's I find it's really good
to like mix it up and do otherthings as well oh, did you get
into fitness and like workingout through sport, or is it just
something you liked growing up?
(09:47):
Yeah, so growing up I played alot of sports.
I played basketball, I was onthe soccer team, but then mostly
I did track and field.
Yeah, I love sports and I lovebeing active as a kid.
So then when I came time for meto choose my bachelor's degree,
I chose health sciences,because it gave me a little bit
(10:09):
of the fitness and physicalwellness piece of it, but then
also a little bit of the sciencepiece.
In general, being active iswhat led me to being a personal
trainer.
I ended up taking a course inuniversity that gave me a
certification for being apersonal trainer, so that was
also a stepping stone.
Yeah, I've always been activethroughout my entire life, so it
(10:33):
kind of has made sense for meto continue that as an adult.
Xavier (10:38):
So you're talking about all the different workouts you
do.
What's your favorite type ofworkout?
Gabbie (10:43):
that is a tough one, I would say always.
Weight training and liftingweights will always probably be
my favorite.
Dead lifting will probablyalways be my favorite exercise
ever.
It makes you just feel strongto like pick something up heavy
and then put it back down on theground.
But I also really respect thetime alone that you get when
(11:08):
you're like running.
Most of the time no one'saround so you're kind of in your
own thoughts.
I can think through things thatmaybe I didn't have the time to
think through on my own.
I can reflect on experiences, Ican enjoy nature and the things
around me.
So I like the almost meditationand the alone and an empowering
(11:31):
piece of like running and andworking out um, doing individual
things like that, but then alsothe like strength part of just
straight up lifting weights andbeing able to deadlift more than
your friends and your friend'shusband is fun.
Xavier (11:46):
I love weightlifting too .
Emma (11:47):
Chapar and squats probably my favorite.
But I can't run unless I'mchasing after something like a
ball or a puck.
So I can't relate to therunning part.
Gabbie (11:56):
I understand that when I was younger, like even when I
was a track athlete, I did notlike running.
When the coach was like youhave to run one lap to warm up,
I'd be like I already did it,coach, Don't worry, I already
did it.
I did not already do it and Ireally did not enjoy running.
Um, but then as an adult andI'm not playing as much sports
as I used to, so I'm not gettingthe cardio that I used to.
(12:17):
So I was like I have to, I haveto insert something in my life.
So I started to run and I wouldlisten to like an album that
I'd never listened to before, orlisten to a podcast or a book
on tape just to distract myself.
Because sometimes I find whenI'm running, I'm thinking oh,
(12:38):
I'm running, it's been one song,which means it's been like
three minutes of running, howmuch longer do I have to go?
And you're like really in yourhead about the running.
But I find, when I distractedmyself and listened to something
that made me laugh or was likereally interested, I was less
concentrating on how long I wasactually spending running and
(13:00):
just ran until I like felt likeI wanted to stop.
And so I just started small, Ijust started doing, I just
started doing multiple lapsaround my neighborhood so that
if I was done, I would be like,okay, I'm back at my house, I'm
done Now, I'm I'm done running.
And then eventually I would runfarther away from my house so
that I would have to run back tomy house.
But that all that all took time.
(13:21):
So, starting small and notexpecting yourself to like run
5K or like be this amazinglyfast runner, I think that also
helps of like just setting yourexpectations and meeting
yourself where you are, notwhere you feel like you should
be.
Emma (13:35):
So you were just talking about sports and how young
athletes play a lot of sports,but when young athletes switch
over to the gym, what do youthink the biggest piece of
advice you'd give them to?
Gabbie (13:46):
So I don't know if there's like one specific thing
I would say.
I'd say there's like multiplethings into going into making
the change from, like, playingsports predominantly and then
doing more weightlifting, ormaybe you're trying to add
weightlifting into your regularworkout routine.
So a couple of few things thatI would be mindful of is
(14:07):
prioritizing safety.
As teenagers, your bodies areliterally still growing, so
proper form and technique isessential.
So, like warming up and doingmovement prep to help you
prepare your muscles and reducethe risk of injury for what
you're about to do, having funwill help you keep motivated and
committed towards your goals.
(14:28):
Try and include a mix oftraining doing some strength
training, some cardio, somemobility work to work on your
overall fitness and not just onepillar of fitness.
I would say don't't focus toomuch on on what's happening
inside of the gym.
(14:49):
There are a lot of things thathappen outside of the gym that
that come into play.
So, are you sleeping enough?
Do you wake up feeling rested?
Are you getting eight to ninehours of sleep per day?
Is your nutrition in check?
Are we fueling our body with abalanced diet of fruits,
vegetables and protein and wholegrains?
(15:09):
Are we minimizing the intake ofprocessed foods?
Are you drinking enough water?
Set goals that are achievableand specific to help you keep,
to help you stay motivated andto track your progress so you
can celebrate the time that ohmy gosh, I just deadlifted for
five reps what I could only dofor two reps, like three weeks
(15:32):
ago.
Those are important milestonesto celebrate and to recognize
Getting in touch with your body,recognizing pain versus
discomfort, learning todifferentiate discomfort in a
challenging workout versus painthat might indicate an injury.
Seek guidance, like you guys.
Go to depth.
Do you know that there areplenty of trainers there who are
(15:55):
, like really committed tohelping you work out efficiently
and safety?
So work and find trainers orcoaches who can provide
personalized guidance and ensurethat your training is effective
and safe.
And then also, a really bigpillar that I work on,
especially as a psychotherapistcheck in with your internal
(16:18):
monologue.
What do you tell yourself indifficult moments?
Is it negative?
Are you using negativereinforcement to get yourself to
do something, to perform acertain way?
Maintaining a positive mindsetis a really crucial skill for
athletes to be able to performat a high level.
(16:39):
At the long term, you can bethe most talented athlete in the
world.
You can be working your buttoff in the gym, but if your
mental resilience isn't where itshould be and you crumble under
mental pressures, what?
What is that talent going to dofor you in that circumstance,
(17:00):
right?
So checking in with yourinternal monologue and what you
say to yourself in difficultmoments and reframing that to a
more positive mindset can alsobe really helpful in maintaining
longevity in the in your sportthat's really good advice.
Emma (17:18):
I think every athlete should hear that, especially, I
think, with like the um, likeyou were talking about negative
and positive reinforcement, likedepending on what coaches you
have.
Like I think you think somethings work for you, like I know
, with a variety of coachingstyles out there, there's a
whole spectrum is a, by nature,very competitive and athletes
(17:45):
are expected to thrive underpressure and not succumb to
hardships, right?
Gabbie (17:52):
You're expected to, like , keep moving forward.
If you hurt your knee, you'regoing to get seen by so many
different people.
You're going to get seen by aphysiotherapist, maybe you're
going to go see a surgeonbecause you have to do surgery.
Your coach is going to talk toyou about it, your trainer is
going to talk to you about it.
But what happens if you have,like, an injury internally?
Right, your mindset is reallynegative, or you're dealing with
(18:16):
performance anxiety or you'refeeling depressed.
The nature of sports would makeit seem like you have to keep
that to yourself and kind ofsuffer in silence.
Why is there stigma for me toaddress this internal struggle,
like there isn't stigma for meto address a, like, external
(18:37):
injury.
So sometimes athletes feel likethey have to bottle up inside
and not say anything and just bestrong, which may work in the
short term.
You may, in the short term, getyourself to perform that one
thing or get through that game,but if you keep doing that over
and, over and over again, in thelong term you are going to
(18:59):
create a really negative mindsetand view of yourself and, in
the long term, that negativityis not going to work for you
anymore.
Yeah that's really well said.
One thing that I reallyinteresting, that I think that I
read when we talk aboutpositive enforcement versus
negative enforcement.
Say, you're bowling orsomething and you're you keep
(19:19):
saying in your head don't get agutter ball, don't get a gutter
ball, don't get a gutter ball.
And then what happens?
You get a gutter ball.
Right, the mind body connectionis so strong.
Your body is responding to whatyou're telling your brain, but
your brain doesn't hear thedon't part, it only hears the
verb part, it only hears theaction part.
(19:39):
So now my brain is only hearingget a gutter ball, get a gutter
ball, get a gutter ball, get agutter ball, get a gutter ball.
Xavier (19:44):
So my body is responding to that so if you say something
like get a strike it, your bodywill strike.
Gabbie (19:52):
Yes, exactly so if, instead of saying don't get a
gutter ball, I say I'm gonnathrow the ball straight down the
lane, it's the same messagekind of, but I'm going about it
in a more positive way so mybrain can act on that and
doesn't have to try to filterout the don't part.
So thinking of and framing theway that you speak to yourself
(20:16):
that way can be really helpful.
Like same thing in sports Idon't get a foul, don't get a
foul versus I'm going to hit theball hard and strong, right.
That is different and that canyield, yeah, more positive
results than the negativeversion.
Xavier (20:33):
Is that how you handle the fun Friday challenges?
Gabbie (20:37):
So, yes, fun Friday.
I'm always like so famous forthose fun Fridays.
I will get like random peoplewho I've like never met, but
they recognize my face from thevideos and they're like, oh, I
love those fun Friday videos.
So I'm always like I'll alwayslike scroll on TikTok or on
Instagram and find these randomchallenges.
People will send me challengesas well.
(20:59):
So if you want to like, if yousee something you feel like I
could do, send that to me onInstagram and I'll see if I can
do it.
Sometimes people send me things.
I'm like I'm flattered that youthink that I can do that, but
there's absolutely no way Icould ever do that.
But I'm glad I'm, I'm happythat you think that I can do
that.
So, yeah, fun Friday videos.
I have a pretty good idea of mylike capacities, of like can I,
(21:25):
can I do that or can I not havea pretty good understanding of
that?
I also, through like workingout and being active, have
pretty good like body awarenessand understanding how to fail
something and fall out ofsomething.
So you've probably seen maybeI've posted, you've seen my
blooper videos of like doing thefun Fridays and I don't get
(21:48):
those things on the first tryevery time right.
There's a lot of like trial anderror, and then the fun Friday
video that you're seeing is likemy most beautiful attempt at me
doing that.
So a lot of the times, funFridays come with failure.
But with every failure, failure, I'm something.
I'm like okay, I can do thatbetter.
If I do this, I can achievethis.
Sometimes I'll try a fun Fridayand try it a couple times and
(22:11):
be like you know what.
I cannot do this thing.
It's time to move on.
I know my limits.
I'm going to try something else.
So it is a little bit aboutknowing myself and knowing how
to fail something, or knowinghow to be safe and trying
something, but then also inpushing myself a little bit and
(22:31):
being like no, I think I can dothat crazy thing.
Xavier (22:34):
So it's a balance of knowing myself, knowing my body,
but also trying to be safe soyou're you're the only person
that does the fun friday or doeselse help you with it.
Gabbie (22:44):
I am the person that will come up with what the Fun
Friday is for that day and then,based on what it is, I will try
to peer pressure my co-workersinto trying Fun Friday with me.
Some of them are happy to tryit.
Some of them will look at itand be like, no, I know I'm not
trying that, gabby.
I know for a fact that I cannotdo that.
I won't get off the ground ifyou get me to try that.
(23:06):
So, yes, it starts with me, andthen I peer pressure the people
around me to try it with me.
Emma (23:11):
What's been the hardest one to date.
Gabbie (23:15):
Oh, the ones that are like the hardest to date are
usually the ones that take liketwo people.
Usually the ones that take liketwo people, because a lot of
the times when it takes twopeople, if you have somebody
that's like way taller or wayheavier than you, the thing
isn't going to work out.
Or you have somebody who you'regood at one thing and they're
(23:38):
not so great at this thing, sothen the exercise doesn't work
because you're like a little bitoff balance.
One person's like deeper in asquat and the other person can't
get that deep in a squat orwhat have you.
So the hardest one to date Idon't know if I would say there
was, that has been the hardestone but I did one where I was
(24:04):
like upside down on the wall andthen my coworker was like
pinning me up against the wall,but I was like upside down, and
I remember that one.
We had to try that one multipletimes.
You always have to find a trickof fun.
Friday.
There's always a trick thatmakes it okay.
If I, if I understand what thetrick is, this makes it a lot
(24:25):
easier.
So we were trying it and wewere failing it, but then we
realized that if I put my bodyin a certain way and he put his
body in this exact certain way.
Then we went then we can get it.
So that was a hard one thattook multiple times for us to
try, but once we found the trickthen it worked.
But it will take like multipletries for us to understand what
(24:47):
the trick to getting it is.
Xavier (24:49):
So which coworker always wants to try the fun Friday?
Gabbie (24:52):
So my go-to's.
If it's about somebody likepicking me up or holding me
while I'm doing a handstand orsomething like that, I will
always ask my coworker, sean,because he's tall and strong, so
like he's he's good at thatkind of stuff.
If it's something like crazyand challenging and hard
(25:13):
strength wise, I'll always askNeil, because Neil can do like
anything, like basicallyanything, so like I can always
convince Neil do it.
I'll just show him on my phoneand be like, do you think he
could do this?
And he'll like roll his eyesand be like, yeah, let's just
try whatever.
Let's just see what happens.
So Neil will alwaysbegrudgingly participate in a
(25:36):
fun Friday with me.
So he'll, even though he's likegrumpy about it, he's happy to
do it because then he'll, he'sable.
He's able to do it in like onetry and then he feels like so
happy about it, he makes it lookso easy I like the ones that
you could like.
Emma (25:51):
We can try like uh, I think this the most recent one
was like the chair one.
Oh, did you guys try that one?
No, I think my brother and mydad did, though did they get it
um?
Yeah, they both did actuallyyeah, not.
Gabbie (26:04):
So we decided that only people over like basically
anyone that was over five eightcould do it.
Anyone that was under fiveeight couldn't do it.
And we think that basically,the longer are, the longer
forearm that you have and thestronger you were, the more
likely that you were able to doit, because everyone that was
(26:27):
under like five eight but wasalso strong couldn't do it Like
Neil couldn't do it.
And if Neil can't do it, thenthat's like a real indicator
that something's, something'swrong here, something
scientifically is wrong that ispreventing Neil from not being
able to do it.
Xavier (26:43):
Is that your goal?
Every time you think of a funFriday like I need to make sure
Neil fails this.
Gabbie (26:49):
You know what?
It's not my goal, but it'salways a pleasant surprise to be
able to do something and Neilcan't do something, because it
always makes you feel like alittle bit better because Neil
can do everything.
Did you get the chair one?
I did not.
I'm 5'2" and I have short arms,so so no, I did not get the
chair one that's okay.
Emma (27:10):
I was warming up and I was like um maybe not today.
Gabbie (27:13):
It's a hard one, yeah.
And then also Kristen O'Neill,who is an Olympic level hockey
player and she plays in the PWHL.
Emma (27:21):
She couldn't do that one and I was like, okay, I feel
fine no, it's really fun to see,like, like, which people can
like do the tasks.
Gabbie (27:29):
Yes, yes, and I always find so a lot of now the
athletes are back in the gym andyou can tell some of them are
like really excited.
They're like oh yeah, I want totry Fun Friday, and some of
them are like, no, I don't wantto try that.
Emma (27:50):
I don't want to be embarrassed on the Instagram.
Gabby, do not film me doingthis.
Yeah, they're really funny.
Yeah, so switching gears.
You recently became a counselorand had to go to school for a
while.
You have university degreesfrom Western and Yorkville
University.
Gabbie (28:05):
What is the difference between your first degree and
your master's degree.
So my first degree is abachelor's degree in health
science and the differencebetween a bachelor's degree and
a master's degree is generallyin focus and the level of
education and career outcomes.
So for my bachelor's degree inhealth science, it was a broad
study of like health related, ofhealth related topics like
(28:26):
biology, chemistry, publichealth, health policy, health
promotion, and you'll takecourses like anatomy, physiology
, changing health behaviors andsome social sciences.
People who graduate with thisdegree might pursue careers in
like public health, healthadministration or health
education, and it's also adegree that's also geared
(28:50):
towards higher learning.
So people might go on from thatdegree to a master's degree in
a more specialized field likephysiotherapy, nursing or
medicine.
For me, I switched gears alittle bit and went to the
mental wellness side.
So my master's degree is incounseling, psychology, and a
(29:12):
focus is specifically onpsychology and counseling
techniques and prepare studentsto be able to deliver mental
health services, includingtherapy, counseling, to
individuals, families and groups.
So you'll take advanced courseson psychological theory,
counseling techniques,assessments.
(29:33):
You'll take courses in ethicsas well, and then you'll also
have to complete a practicumplacement, which means as a
student I worked at a specificclinic for a certain amount of
hours to get practicalexperience and practical skills.
So I was counseling people as astudent and getting my
experience that way.
(29:54):
So when you graduate with thatdegree you can become a licensed
counselor or a registeredpsychotherapist which is what I
am now and you will work insettings like private clinics.
You can work in schools,hospitals.
I also now specialize inworking with athletes in their
own mental wellness and mentalpreparedness for sport and
(30:19):
getting better at framing theirnegative monologue into a more
positive internal monologue.
Negative monologue into a morepositive internal monologue.
So on the topic of your master'sdegree, what made you decide to
go into counseling andpsychotherapy.
(30:39):
So after years of being apersonal trainer and helping
people work towards their goals,I began to realize the
importance of mental wellness inthe pursuit of your physical
goals and overall wellness.
Like I said before, you can bedoing.
You can be a naturally talented, gifted athlete or working your
butt off as a regular person inthe gym, trying to work towards
(31:00):
some specific goals.
But without mental and emotionresilience, your success can
fall away pretty easily and youcan find yourself burnt out or
with little to no motivation andparticipating in the things
that are important to you.
And I've always also had aninterest in psychology and the
psychology of what gets peopleto change their behaviors.
(31:22):
So in pursuing a master'sdegree, this allowed me to
combine my knowledge of physicalwellness with mental wellness
and it kind of comes full circleon that mind-body connection
that I was talking to youearlier.
Talking about earlier, the moremindful and self-aware you are,
you can become better able tofocus on the things that you
(31:44):
have control over rather thanworrying about the possible
future catastrophes that may ormay not happen that you do not
have control over.
So we as people have very wehave a limited attention span.
So as an athlete or even as aregular person, if part of my
(32:04):
limited attention span is beingdistracted by things outside of
what I'm doing in the currentmoment, or my limited attention
span is being filled up withnegative internal monologue or
negative self-talk, it leaves avery limited now threshold for
attention for what I'm doing inthe actual current moment and as
(32:27):
an athlete, then that can leadto like poor performance in real
time on the field and then poor.
Poor performance leads to morenegative self talk, which leads
to more poor performance, andit's kind of like a never ending
cycle there.
So the more mindful you can beabout the way you talk to
yourself and being more presentin the present moment and not
(32:51):
thinking about the future,you're more likely to see
success that way, performancewise and also in pursuing of
your goals did you expect for umboth your degrees, like
especially your path of personaltraining, and your
psychotherapy degree, to reallygo hand in hand?
or no I think I had a little bit.
(33:14):
I was thinking of that when Istarted my master's degree and
now that I ended I'm realizinghow well those two things go
together.
It almost seems like it makestoo much sense for somebody to
be a personal trainer but thenalso be able to work on mental
health.
It may.
It seems like those two thingsgo really really hand in hand,
(33:36):
but in general the mental sideof physical wellness is often
goes neglected or untrained.
So I think in the current daythat's becoming more of a thing.
People are thinking more abouttheir mental health, but there's
not that many people who workso much in both those spaces and
(33:59):
bring those two things together.
But I think that's going tochange in the future.
Emma (34:04):
So into more of the specifics of your degree.
Can you tell us what yourdegree is and what type of
counseling specifically you do?
Gabbie (34:12):
Yeah, so my degree is in counseling psychology, which
qualifies me to work as aregistered psychotherapist.
Being a registeredpsychotherapist is regulated by
the province of Ontario, whichmeans not everyone can call
themselves a registeredpsychotherapist.
Is regulated by the province ofOntario, which means not
everyone can call themselves aregistered psychotherapist.
You have to apply and meetcertain criteria in order to
(34:37):
call yourself a psychotherapist.
There are ethical rules that wehave to follow.
There are practice rules thatwe have to follow.
There's also a big, giant testthat we have to take as
psychotherapists.
So, having said that, as apsychotherapist, I offer
individual counseling, couplescounseling and then, like I said
, my background also allows meto specialize in helping
(35:00):
athletes in mental performancefor sport and helping them hone
their skills in mindfulness andvisualization.
Xavier (35:08):
So if a teenager thought that they might need help or
want to talk to someone, do youknow where they could go?
Gabbie (35:14):
Yeah.
So Kids Help Phone is a reallygood crisis and emergency
resource if you feel like youneed that.
It's a 24-hour service whereyou can talk to a counselor
about any problem, big or small.
That's 1-800-668-6868.
(35:35):
Or you can even text thatnumber at 686-868.
And you can live chat withsomebody if you feel like you
need to talk to somebody.
Kw Counseling Services is aclinic that offers variety of
services.
It does individual andcounseling, youth and family
counseling, and it has lots ofpeer support groups.
It also allows people who maybecouldn't afford regular therapy
(36:00):
.
It brings that down and givesthem a reduced rate, so it makes
therapy more accessible forindividuals.
And then there's also, if you'relooking for a therapist for
yourself, you can also check,always check out psychology
todaycom, which which isa giantdirectory of all the
psychotherapy, all thetherapists in, like Canada and
(36:20):
the US, so you can filter by ifyou're looking for a specific
kind of therapy, if you'relooking for online, if you're
looking for in person, if youwant a female online, if you're
looking for in person, if youwant a female therapist, if you
want a male therapist, you'll beable to search based on what
you're looking for.
And then there's also theaffordable therapy networkcom,
which is an another directory,but it's for counselors that
(36:42):
offer reduced fee counseling.
So for people that maybe can'tafford regular price counseling,
this is an entire directory ofpeople who offer reduced fee
counseling, so that'saffordabletherapynetworkcom.
Emma (36:55):
We'll put all the resources in the show notes.
Gabbie (36:58):
Yeah, I will send those over so that everyone can have
access to them.
Emma (37:03):
Thank you so much for coming on today.
It was a great chat.
Thank you so much for having me.
Gabbie (37:07):
This was like such a fun first podcast experience.
I hope I sounded wise and likeI knew what I was talking about.
Xavier (37:13):
Oh, you did you totally did.
Emma (37:16):
You sounded like you've done this before.
Gabbie (37:18):
Great great.
Xavier (37:20):
Thank you so much, Gabby , and we'll see you at the gym.
Emma (37:25):
Thank you for listening and I know all the shows.
You probably listened to saythis, but if you enjoyed this
episode, please follow and ratethe podcast.
Xavier (37:32):
Also, we would love to connect with you and hear your
thoughts about our episodes.
You can find us on Instagram orvisit our website.
The links are in the show notes.
Thanks for tuning in.
Bye.
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