July 11, 2025 • 11 mins
This episode is my thank you.
For reminding me that I wasn’t alone.
For proving that digital can still be deeply human.
And for turning strength training into something so much bigger than fitness.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:01):
Hey friends.
Welcome back to Strength inNumbers.
I'm your host, Katie, and todaywe've got a really, really good
topic and I, I have been waitingto share how amazing community
is.
So this episode is all aboutcommunity.
It is not the buzzword you seethrown around on social media.
(00:23):
It's not the fake.
We're all in this together kindof vibes.
People tossing in the captionsand then guess what?
They ghost when you need themmost.
No, I'm not talking about, I'mtalking about like real
community.
The kind that meets you whenyou're at your lowest, lifts you
up and makes you believe inyourself when honestly you don't
(00:45):
have it in you.
And I'll be honest, for most ofmy life I didn't have that.
I grew up in, you know, I, Ididn't grow up with this big,
tight knit family where Sundaydinners were a thing.
I didn't always feel like Ibelonged.
I was, I was always chasing thatfeeling, that sense of being,
(01:07):
being, I was chasing that senseof being a part of something
bigger than me.
That feeling of walking into aroom even virtually and
thinking, I have found mypeople.
It took me decades.
A battle, you know, with skincancer, some lonely seasons as a
stay at home mom, and a smartpiece of hardware on a wall that
finally I found it.
(01:29):
Yep, I'm talking about tonal.
So today we're diving into howcommunity can transform your
journey.
Why, who you surround yourselfwith matters more than you
think, and how even when youtrain solo.
You are never really alone, notwhen you've got the right people
beside you.
All right, let's go.
(01:50):
So let me take you back.
Growing up, I didn't feel like Ihad that steady show up no
matter what kind of familyfoundation.
I mean, there were good moments,but it never felt consistent.
I was constantly looking outsidemy walls for a place to land.
That sense of home, I waschasing it and friendships in
(02:12):
school and you know, everyseason of my life, even into
adulthood, becoming a wife,becoming a mom, there was still
that quiet ache, like, where doI belong?
And who really sees me?
Because let's admit, makingfriendships and building
relationships as an adult is sohard.
(02:35):
And when I became a stay at homemom.
Whew.
Don't get me wrong.
I love, I love, love, love mydaughter to pieces.
I love, love, love, love myfamily.
She's the reason behind so muchof my strength.
But when days are consumed withdoing everything for everyone
else, it's so easy to loseyourself.
(02:56):
And when you're lost, you'revulnerable.
You start believing you're notworthy of being seen, supported,
or even celebrated.
And that, that's when communityI.
Real community can either makeit or break it for you.
Then came tonal.
You know, you guys know I, I, Itried that thing just to see,
(03:20):
you know, it's like when youthrow a piece of spaghetti on
the wall and see if it sticks.
It's kind of like what I didwhen I was gonna start tonal.
I didn't know what was gonnahappen.
I started to do it to getstrong.
Simple as that.
I wanted to feel powerful again.
Build muscle, take control of mybody, especially after cancer.
(03:41):
It had made me feel like cancermade me feel like I was a
stranger inside of it, but whatI didn't expect was the people,
you know, the usernames thatkept popping up on the screen.
Those became familiar.
Then they became friendly.
Then some of them felt likefamily coaches who just weren't
(04:02):
coaching to a screen, butactually speaking into everyday
life, saying things I didn'tknow I needed to hear.
I say this all the time, youmight train solo, but with
tonal, you are never alone.
That hit me hard because I spentso many years doing life alone,
(04:26):
emotionally, mentally, evenphysically sometimes, because I
didn't want to like feel likeneedy or feel all these feelings
of judgment that I felt that ifI was vulnerable and I opened up
and I was my true self afraid ofwhat was gonna be said behind my
(04:46):
back.
Tonal community.
It's real.
People showing up day after day,supporting each other's wins,
holding space for each other'sstruggles.
Some of them have become myclosest friends, people I've
never even met in person, butthey've cheered louder for me
than anyone in my zip code.
(05:08):
That's wild and beautiful, andhonestly, it's life changing.
So when I got diagnosed withskin cancer, I panicked.
Not just because the diagnosisitself, but because of
everything I feared.
It would take away my momentum,my body, my confidence, my
(05:29):
goals, you know, was thatcommunity gonna be on the other
side?
For me, I kept thinking, what ifI'm not the same after this?
What if everything I've beenbuilding just slips away?
What if I come back and.
Nobody's there.
And truth is, I have gotten soused to people walking away in
(05:49):
life.
I've lived through enoughseasons of being left behind,
being forgotten, and I almostexpected it.
But the C Tonal community didthe exact opposite.
They showed up loud, proud andjoyful in all heart.
Friends from this community madeentire stories on their socials
(06:10):
of me, my catchphrases, I, how Ipush through sets, the way I
cheer other on my backwards hat,the measuring of my long jumps,
and they turned it into acelebration of everything I
bring to a group.
It was hilarious healing andhonestly one of the most moving
(06:33):
things I've ever experienced.
You know, people dmd me just tosay they miss me, loved me, and
they were thinking of me.
They checked in, they rooted formy healing, and they never
stopped including me, even whenI wasn't logging workouts or
posting prs.
And the craziest thing, what Ithought I was going to lose was
(06:54):
actually just waiting for mewhen I got healed.
The community didn't vanish.
My goals didn't disappear.
They were, they were thereholding space for me.
So when I came back, I didn'thave to rebuild from scratch.
I just had to return.
(07:16):
That kind of love andfriendship, that kind of
commitment from a group ofinternet friends, it heals
something in me that cancernever even touched.
I know people say this all thetime.
You are who you surroundyourself with, but let me tell
you from experience, you feelwhat they give.
(07:38):
If people around you aredraining, negative,
unsupportive, that gets in yourhead, your body, your workouts.
But if your circle is powerful,positive, and authentic, it
changes how you show up.
My strength journey just didn'tcome from reps and programs on
tonal.
It came from hearing otherpeople say, you got this.
(08:02):
It came from coaches remindingme that even when I'm tired, I'm
still so capable.
It came from logging in andfeeling invincible.
That's what the right communitydoes.
It doesn't, it just, it doesn'tjust push you.
It pulls the strength out of youthat was buried underneath pain
(08:24):
doubt, and even when you feelyou felt isolated.
So let's get real for a second.
Social media isn't alwayssocial.
It's more scrolling, morecomparing, more disconnect than
ever before, I think.
But on tonal, tonal, remind mewhat true connections look like.
(08:46):
You post a win, a struggle, asetback, setback, and people
show up.
There's no filters, there's nofaking.
It's just real, real humans,real people who wanna see you
succeed.
I've cried sometimes readingsome comments from strangers who
remind me when I forget who,when I forget who I am, I dmd
(09:11):
with women who wanna be workoutbuddies.
And you know what?
They became soul sisters.
And that's the difference.
This community isn't aboutimage, it's about impact.
The community hits harderbecause it's built on something
real.
So if you're listening right nowand you've ever felt like you
(09:34):
didn't belong anywhere, I seeyou.
If you've been chasing somethingbigger and coming up empty, I
feel you.
And if you've been training solothinking you're doing it alone.
I've been you, but hear me now,the community hits harder,
(09:55):
whether it's on tonal or someother tribe that aligns with
your soul.
Find your people.
Surround yourself with those whowant to see you win.
They're not intimidated by you.
They're not intimidated by yousucceeding.
Not because it benefits them,but because your win lights up
(10:19):
the whole room.
Get rid of the ones who onlyclap when you're quiet.
Keep the ones who cheer when youroar.
You are never meant to do thisalone.
You don't need a hundred people.
You just need the right ones.
(10:39):
Because in the end, strengthdoesn't come from lifting alone.
It comes from being lifted by acommunity that sees your power
even when you don't.
So thank you.
Thank you for being a part ofmine.
I'll see you next time onStrength In Numbers.
(11:00):
Until then, keep lifting, keepleading, and never forget, you
are never alone in this.
Hey friends.
Welcome back to Strength inNumbers.
I'm your host, Katie, and todaywe've got a really, really good
topic and I, I have been waitingto share how amazing community
is.
So this episode is all aboutcommunity.
It is not the buzzword you seethrown around on social media.
(00:23):
It's not the fake.
We're all in this together kindof vibes.
People tossing in the captionsand then guess what?
They ghost when you need themmost.
No, I'm not talking about, I'mtalking about like real
community.
The kind that meets you whenyou're at your lowest, lifts you
up and makes you believe inyourself when honestly you don't
(00:45):
have it in you.
And I'll be honest, for most ofmy life I didn't have that.
I grew up in, you know, I, Ididn't grow up with this big,
tight knit family where Sundaydinners were a thing.
I didn't always feel like Ibelonged.
I was, I was always chasing thatfeeling, that sense of being,
(01:07):
being, I was chasing that senseof being a part of something
bigger than me.
That feeling of walking into aroom even virtually and
thinking, I have found mypeople.
It took me decades.
A battle, you know, with skincancer, some lonely seasons as a
stay at home mom, and a smartpiece of hardware on a wall that
finally I found it.
(01:29):
Yep, I'm talking about tonal.
So today we're diving into howcommunity can transform your
journey.
Why, who you surround yourselfwith matters more than you
think, and how even when youtrain solo.
You are never really alone, notwhen you've got the right people
beside you.
All right, let's go.
(01:50):
So let me take you back.
Growing up, I didn't feel like Ihad that steady show up no
matter what kind of familyfoundation.
I mean, there were good moments,but it never felt consistent.
I was constantly looking outsidemy walls for a place to land.
That sense of home, I waschasing it and friendships in
(02:12):
school and you know, everyseason of my life, even into
adulthood, becoming a wife,becoming a mom, there was still
that quiet ache, like, where doI belong?
And who really sees me?
Because let's admit, makingfriendships and building
relationships as an adult is sohard.
(02:35):
And when I became a stay at homemom.
Whew.
Don't get me wrong.
I love, I love, love, love mydaughter to pieces.
I love, love, love, love myfamily.
She's the reason behind so muchof my strength.
But when days are consumed withdoing everything for everyone
else, it's so easy to loseyourself.
(02:56):
And when you're lost, you'revulnerable.
You start believing you're notworthy of being seen, supported,
or even celebrated.
And that, that's when communityI.
Real community can either makeit or break it for you.
Then came tonal.
You know, you guys know I, I, Itried that thing just to see,
(03:20):
you know, it's like when youthrow a piece of spaghetti on
the wall and see if it sticks.
It's kind of like what I didwhen I was gonna start tonal.
I didn't know what was gonnahappen.
I started to do it to getstrong.
Simple as that.
I wanted to feel powerful again.
Build muscle, take control of mybody, especially after cancer.
(03:41):
It had made me feel like cancermade me feel like I was a
stranger inside of it, but whatI didn't expect was the people,
you know, the usernames thatkept popping up on the screen.
Those became familiar.
Then they became friendly.
Then some of them felt likefamily coaches who just weren't
(04:02):
coaching to a screen, butactually speaking into everyday
life, saying things I didn'tknow I needed to hear.
I say this all the time, youmight train solo, but with
tonal, you are never alone.
That hit me hard because I spentso many years doing life alone,
(04:26):
emotionally, mentally, evenphysically sometimes, because I
didn't want to like feel likeneedy or feel all these feelings
of judgment that I felt that ifI was vulnerable and I opened up
and I was my true self afraid ofwhat was gonna be said behind my
(04:46):
back.
Tonal community.
It's real.
People showing up day after day,supporting each other's wins,
holding space for each other'sstruggles.
Some of them have become myclosest friends, people I've
never even met in person, butthey've cheered louder for me
than anyone in my zip code.
(05:08):
That's wild and beautiful, andhonestly, it's life changing.
So when I got diagnosed withskin cancer, I panicked.
Not just because the diagnosisitself, but because of
everything I feared.
It would take away my momentum,my body, my confidence, my
(05:29):
goals, you know, was thatcommunity gonna be on the other
side?
For me, I kept thinking, what ifI'm not the same after this?
What if everything I've beenbuilding just slips away?
What if I come back and.
Nobody's there.
And truth is, I have gotten soused to people walking away in
(05:49):
life.
I've lived through enoughseasons of being left behind,
being forgotten, and I almostexpected it.
But the C Tonal community didthe exact opposite.
They showed up loud, proud andjoyful in all heart.
Friends from this community madeentire stories on their socials
(06:10):
of me, my catchphrases, I, how Ipush through sets, the way I
cheer other on my backwards hat,the measuring of my long jumps,
and they turned it into acelebration of everything I
bring to a group.
It was hilarious healing andhonestly one of the most moving
(06:33):
things I've ever experienced.
You know, people dmd me just tosay they miss me, loved me, and
they were thinking of me.
They checked in, they rooted formy healing, and they never
stopped including me, even whenI wasn't logging workouts or
posting prs.
And the craziest thing, what Ithought I was going to lose was
(06:54):
actually just waiting for mewhen I got healed.
The community didn't vanish.
My goals didn't disappear.
They were, they were thereholding space for me.
So when I came back, I didn'thave to rebuild from scratch.
I just had to return.
(07:16):
That kind of love andfriendship, that kind of
commitment from a group ofinternet friends, it heals
something in me that cancernever even touched.
I know people say this all thetime.
You are who you surroundyourself with, but let me tell
you from experience, you feelwhat they give.
(07:38):
If people around you aredraining, negative,
unsupportive, that gets in yourhead, your body, your workouts.
But if your circle is powerful,positive, and authentic, it
changes how you show up.
My strength journey just didn'tcome from reps and programs on
tonal.
It came from hearing otherpeople say, you got this.
(08:02):
It came from coaches remindingme that even when I'm tired, I'm
still so capable.
It came from logging in andfeeling invincible.
That's what the right communitydoes.
It doesn't, it just, it doesn'tjust push you.
It pulls the strength out of youthat was buried underneath pain
(08:24):
doubt, and even when you feelyou felt isolated.
So let's get real for a second.
Social media isn't alwayssocial.
It's more scrolling, morecomparing, more disconnect than
ever before, I think.
But on tonal, tonal, remind mewhat true connections look like.
(08:46):
You post a win, a struggle, asetback, setback, and people
show up.
There's no filters, there's nofaking.
It's just real, real humans,real people who wanna see you
succeed.
I've cried sometimes readingsome comments from strangers who
remind me when I forget who,when I forget who I am, I dmd
(09:11):
with women who wanna be workoutbuddies.
And you know what?
They became soul sisters.
And that's the difference.
This community isn't aboutimage, it's about impact.
The community hits harderbecause it's built on something
real.
So if you're listening right nowand you've ever felt like you
(09:34):
didn't belong anywhere, I seeyou.
If you've been chasing somethingbigger and coming up empty, I
feel you.
And if you've been training solothinking you're doing it alone.
I've been you, but hear me now,the community hits harder,
(09:55):
whether it's on tonal or someother tribe that aligns with
your soul.
Find your people.
Surround yourself with those whowant to see you win.
They're not intimidated by you.
They're not intimidated by yousucceeding.
Not because it benefits them,but because your win lights up
(10:19):
the whole room.
Get rid of the ones who onlyclap when you're quiet.
Keep the ones who cheer when youroar.
You are never meant to do thisalone.
You don't need a hundred people.
You just need the right ones.
(10:39):
Because in the end, strengthdoesn't come from lifting alone.
It comes from being lifted by acommunity that sees your power
even when you don't.
So thank you.
Thank you for being a part ofmine.
I'll see you next time onStrength In Numbers.
(11:00):
Until then, keep lifting, keepleading, and never forget, you
are never alone in this.
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