September 9, 2024 • 36 mins
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@breannaaponte
@thesoftlifeceo
Website:
www.thesoftlifeceo.com
Community:
www.thesoftlifeceo.com/society
Free Training:
www.thesoftlifeceo.com/free-training-optin
YouTube:
@thesoftlifeceo
Relationship Restored:
www.relationshiprestored.com
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
To this day, there's nothing that I had wanted more
than to transform, not just physically, but mentally as well.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Hey, I'm Brianna Aponte, your host of the Soft Life
CEO podcast.
Speaker 3 (00:11):
I dropped out of college at the age.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Of nineteen to start my first business. I worked seven
days a week, wore way too many hats, and was
the true definition of a hustler. Years later, I'm finally
living the dream that I worked so hard to make
my reality. I've transitioned from a hustler to a soft
Life CEO, working only two days a week to maintain
and run a high earning business that gives me.
Speaker 3 (00:30):
The freedom to live a life I love.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
Now it's my mission to help as many entrepreneurs as
I can elevate the brand, increase their income, and reclaim
their time.
Speaker 3 (00:38):
Join me and.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
Guest experts as we share our transparent journeys, work smart,
not hard, strategies, and the behind the scenes of running
a successful brand in business.
Speaker 3 (00:47):
You're tuned in to the Self Life CEO.
Speaker 1 (00:49):
I am so excited for this guest because I have
had the pleasure of watching this woman build her dream
brand and her dream body on Instagram. She is literally
one of My biggest opis she's a gym Stark ambassador
and online fitness coach and we are going to talk
about all the things. So I'm super excited. Gina, Welcome
to the podcast. Thank you so much for having me.
(01:11):
I'm so excited, honestly. So let's start by just sharing
some details. Let our audience know, like where you live,
what your background is, and overalls kind of who you are. Yeah,
for sure. So I'm from downtown Toronto. I'm an online
personal trainer and fitness coach. I have been coaching women
for about eight to nine years now, and I've recently
(01:32):
transferred over to an online platform. I basically have been
training for a really long time, and I also wanted
to share everything that I've learned throughout my journey and
throughout with my clients through social media as well. So
I'm also on TikTok and Instagram. And that's a little
(01:54):
bit about me. You've been doing this now for like
three years, Like that's when you started your personal transformation?
Did you always share the journey? Like did you start
immediately or did you share once you started seeing results?
Like how did that go? So when I first started,
I started filming during the COVID pandemic. So the reason
(02:15):
initially when I was filming was because I wanted to
keep myself accountable. So I wanted to post to like
actually keep myself accountable, get my workouts in, and then
it just started getting fun, like seeing people comment back
and say like, Oh, I just tried this workout, this
was so awesome. That's when it started getting fun for me.
So I basically documented my entire journey during COVID because
(02:39):
I was a lot heavier back then. I was at
a really really low point in my life and the
goal was to be happy with myself again and be confident.
So I filmed everything and ended up being a little
bit of a hobby. And then one day when I noticed,
like I really did transform. I had lost about twenty
pounds at the time. I posted a transformation on TikTok
(03:03):
just for like just for fun. I really didn't think
anything of it, and then I woke up and it
went viral, And that's kind of really when my career started,
and I was like, Hey, this is I guess this
is what I'm doing. Oh, so when you started, you
had no idea that this would be like your brand,
your business, No Yeah, I really thought I was going
(03:25):
to be a server for the rest of my life
because I was good at it, Like it was something
that I don't know, I couldn't really picture myself doing
really anything else. I loved fitness at the time, but
I never thought I would be those girls on social media.
It was always a dream something that was like I
would always want to do it, but there's no way
it's going to happen. And then it kind of just
(03:47):
happened and I went with it. Wow, that is amazing. Yeah,
it's always fitness. Sometimes it's like we try, right, we'll
get into the routine of things, and then we fall
back in start normal habits and we try again. And
so what did it take for you to say, like,
no more, no excuses, I'm going hard, I want these
results and really go for that weight loss transformation. Yeah.
(04:10):
I was just so unhappy. I really really was. I
wasn't confident in myself at all. Like if I was
going out to dinner with my girls, I would take
hours trying to figure out an outfit that I felt
most confident in. And it was sad at the time
because nothing would fit because I had gained weight so
(04:30):
quickly so I I just wanted to stop feeling this
way because before, before I had gained the weight, I
was always so confident. You'd always see me in a
crop top, and then this weight gain happened, and it
just it honestly ruined me. And it wasn't just because
of how I physically looked. It was a lot because
I just had like low energy. I would sleep for hours,
(04:54):
like hours, like eleven twelve hours, and it just would
give me a migraine all day. And I would go
into cycles where I wouldn't eat for a couple days
because I felt so guilty, and then I ended up
binge eating because I was so hungry. I was just
in a really toxic cycle with myself, and I just
I needed it to stop. I knew what I had
to do. I knew that I had to eat better.
(05:15):
I knew that I had to sleep better, move more.
I knew the basics that I had to do, and
it was just on me to stay consistent with it.
So I really kept myself accountable just because I wanted
it so badly. There, Like to this day, there's nothing
that I had wanted more than to transform, not just
physically but mentally as well.
Speaker 2 (05:35):
Get my free training from Hustler to Soft Life Ceo,
which includes my untold Entrepreneurial Journey, the Soft Life Ceo Roadmap,
am I winning recipe for elevating your brand, increasing your
income and reclaiming your time. Head over to the Soft
Life ceo dot com backslash free training.
Speaker 1 (05:50):
I'm so glad you ended on that because I was
gonna say. You said you wanted the results so badly
so that you held yourself accountable. But from a mental standpoint,
was there things that you have to work on or
certain things that you had to deal with to prepare
yourself mentally to hold yourself accountable? And then were there
any other methods of accountability that you used. Yeah, well,
(06:10):
I was really negative, like during the entire like during
a big portion of the process, I was so negative.
I would overanalyze everything. If I didn't eat healthy at dinner,
I would beat myself up and like just call myself
a failure, and like it was just that's not how
(06:32):
you want to carry yourself in your day to day.
You have to constantly remind yourself of the positives and
what you did today that was going to help you
towards your goals. Like I would try and figure out
small victory, small winds so that you know you don't
you don't want to constantly be down on yourself every
single day because it's just going to be hard for
you to stay motivated. So I really shifted my mindset
(06:57):
and told myself that I'm going to try my best.
I really gave it my all, and throughout I was
trying to stay positive. I cut out all the toxic
stuff in my life, including just like toxic people, all
of that, and it just made me a much more
positive person, especially seeing the results after and seeing all
(07:17):
those small victories. It adds up. Yeah, for sure. How
long would you say that you were actively doing your
plan before it started to feel like your norm? I
would say, like, I was consistent with my plan for
four months straight, and that's yeah. Four months is when
(07:39):
I really saw a difference. And I think people don't
realize that, like they always want to see change in
a month or two months. But and at that two
month mark, that's when people tend to quit. People tend
to quit it that two month mark because it's like
I'm not seeing changes, I'm not doing this anymore, it's
not worth it. But that's the most important point. That's
where you have to push yourself and keep going. And
(08:00):
I truly believe around four months, if you stay consistent
with a workout plan, you will see results. These videos
that you've done have gone viral about like busting different weights,
weight loss myths and kind of like turning what we
thought we knew on its head. So I want you
to talk a little bit about that, Like what are
some weight loss myths that you can share? Yeah, I
(08:20):
think the biggest myth is in order to lose fat,
you have to eat really, really little. And when I
say little, I'm saying like one thousand calories twelve hundred calories.
A lot of people tend to think that's the right
amount to lose weight, but that's actually for a grown woman,
that is not enough food. And the goal with batloss
(08:41):
is you want your metabolism running. You want a healthy
digestive system to run, and if you are under eating one,
you're not going to have a lot of energy during
your workouts. You're going to feel so fatigued during the day,
you're not going to be able to really push yourself
when you're training. So there is a limit, Like, yes,
you're supposed to be in a caloric deficit, but you're
(09:03):
not supposed to be in a coloric deficit that actually
makes you feel terrible throughout the day where you're under
eating and you're not actually going to be losing fat.
Your body's just going to be holding on to everything
that you eat because it essentially thinks, oh, well, I'm
not going to get in enough food later on, so
I'm going to hold onto it. So you're not going
to actually be losing weight. So it's just about a
(09:23):
healthy balance, eating the right amount of calories and making
sure that everything is nutrient dense, nutritious whole foods as
best as possible, and stay moving throughout the entire time.
So you're still in a deficit, but not a deficit
that's dangerous. Yeah it. Gara likes to eat, but I
have I have that and very disciplined listeners how I eat,
(09:46):
And it's so crazy how depending on your goals that
really shapes like what you're supposed to eat, how you're
supposed to work out, which is why that one on
one is super helpful. But many of you listening who like,
maybe you're not ready to invest in the one on
one and definitely start Regenus program because it's fifteen bucks
a month and that's that's if you pay for it monthly.
It's even cheaper if you get it annually. And it's
(10:08):
so worth it, and like I said, me and Daniell
are loving it, so you guys definitely want to start
there if you're not ready for that one on one
talk about food, Can you pare any of like your
favorite healthy recipes or like go to snacks that are
specifically for my earlies who are trying to like lose
the weight. Absolutely, I say high protein everything. So just
(10:31):
plain greek This is my favorite all time snack. I
don't like to switch it up too much, but my
go to is just plain high protein Greek yogurt. You
put a scoop of protein powder. Chocolate is usually the
best one. You can put a little bit of peanut butter,
you mix it, you can add some fruit on top,
and it tastes like ice cream. It really really does,
and it does the job. It's so high in protein.
(10:54):
I literally have it every day and it's something that
I actually give to my clients as well. So high
protein you'llls or protein shakes even you can add so
much in there super healthy and we'll keep you full.
Oh awesome. I'm gonna try it about and I'm trying
to think. So you said high protein, is it like
(11:14):
dairy free or does that matter? There are options, so
it depends on the type of protein you have. I
personally use way protein, but there are dairy free options
out there as well.
Speaker 3 (11:25):
Okay, perfect, All right, Well I want to I want to.
Speaker 1 (11:27):
Kind of switch and go more into like the mental
health space. So obviously working out definitely has a positive benefit,
especially for entrepreneurs, people who are juggling a lot, who
are looking for balance, who are essentially wearing these very
important hats all day where a lot is being asked
of them. So can you share a little bit with me,
(11:50):
like how you feel the fitness element of things affects
specifically entrepreneurs and all the hats so they have to
wear on a regular basis From a mental standpoint, yeah,
I think it just for me personally, it just gives
me routine, like I will know, okay at some point
in my day for me as someone that shares so
(12:11):
much fitness, like I have to go to the gym
and film my workout at this time. So it gives
me more structure throughout my day. I know that after
my workout, I'm going to go home film edit my content,
then I'm going to look at emails. It just starts
my day off right, Like I feel like I actually
can't focus on my work until I have completed my workout,
(12:34):
Like I will feel antsy just sitting there if I
didn't get my workout in. So it just allows for
me to have a smoother day, gives me a lot
more structure because I make sure to plan out when
I'm going to get my workout in every day, Like honestly,
like that is a huge priority of mine. So once
I get that done, I know that, Okay, now my
(12:56):
stress reliever is done. Now I can get back to work,
can edit, and I can do what I need to
do for that day. That's amazing. And I would ask
because I know some people listening are probably like that
sounds hard to wake up every day and do that
and then at the end of the day, this is
your business. So yeah, if someone who isn't good with
routines right now, they maybe don't have the best like
(13:19):
morning routine and they're not in the best mental space
and they haven't seen results with anything, so they're not
fully committed. What strategies do you suggest for where they
can start and how they can begin to implement that
type of routine. Yeah, I think one thing to mention
that is really really important. I think people do need
to understand for me personally, this is part of my job, right,
(13:43):
so it makes it like it's so much easier for
me to get my workout in compared to someone that
works from eight am to five pm. Right, So you
always want to keep that in mind when you're scrolling
through social media, like everyone's life is so different. But
my biggest piece of advice, if you are starting and
it's hard for you to get in a morning workout,
(14:05):
start off small, right, Like, don't give yourself five workouts
in the week. Start off with two. Start off with two.
Pick two days out of the week where you're the
most free. Maybe that's a Wednesday evening and a Saturday afternoon.
Pick two. Start off with two. Once you nail two
and you're able to do that consistently for two weeks, okay,
let's bump it up to three. Slowly progressively add it
(14:27):
into your routine because you're gonna start to see the
benefits of it and why people do it so much.
I don't think people really realize the benefits of it
until they give it a solid shot where you're consistent
for four months, whether that's two times a week, three
times a week, or you're joining classes in the evening, like,
you will see the benefits later on, but you have
(14:48):
to start off small so you don't overwhelm yourself. I
love that it reminds me of what I tell my
clients when it comes to their work, and I'm like,
if you are setting unrealistic goals and then you to
reach those goals. Each time that you don't hit the goal,
you are doubting yourself. You're losing your confidence. You are
creating this space for you to feel negatively about you
(15:09):
and our work. That's the same with fitness, and I
do want to share this because this is something that
has been helpful for me and my like weight loss
and fitness journey. I do so much better when I
feel like other people are looking at me. And what
I mean by that is if I'm doing it by myself,
I'm okay with letting myself down every once in a
while if I feel tired or if I want to
(15:30):
go to that bar and grab drinks. But although I
said I wasn't going to drink, you know, but if
I'm doing it with a tribe, like with a community,
find it so much helpful.
Speaker 3 (15:39):
So whether it is a.
Speaker 1 (15:41):
Coach, whether it is a few of your girlfriends, whether
it's some family members, or you like actually join a
community that has helped me tremendously. I know my friends
are so irritating for me this week, like sending them
screenshots of all my steps and calories burned and nothing
must be nice. I like that, good for you. I
don't have someone to show out for. I might not
(16:02):
show out. So if that's if that's what you need,
you know, do what you gotta do exactly. So how
would you say that you balanced promoting like health and
wellness while also navigating the pressures of social media. And
it's sometimes or is I have to say, always unrealistic standards,
especially from like a fitness space. Yeah, you you have
(16:25):
to control. I think my biggest ship is you have
to control who you're following and what you're feeding yourself.
So I'm not going to follow girls that it's just unrealistic,
Like I'm never gonna look like that, you know what
I mean, Like it's just gonna make me feel terrible
about myself. I follow people that I resonate with, I
learn from I'm actually taking their advice into my own life,
(16:49):
and I'm not scrolling through my feed all day because
you could really go into a deep dive where you're
seeing all this content that just makes you feel terrible.
Like I have been there where I followed like these
celebrities that looked insane and are stunning, but I will
never really look like that, and it never really made
me feel good to see that. So you really want
(17:11):
to follow people that resonate with you and are realistic
and that you can actually connect with, Like you got
to get rid of all the toxic stuff that is
not real because a lot of that is on social
media unfortunately, and you do such a good job, Like
we talked about this before it went live, But when
you post like it's in your brand voice, it's in
(17:32):
your your demeanor. When you post that, it's like, oh,
this is my girl trying to look out for me,
give me advice, but it's realistic. It's all about my
long term health and wellness, and it comes across so
genuine and authentic. So I want to kind of get
into the content creation piece of things, like do you
have a process, Because I know you said you go
(17:54):
to the gym and you you film, you film every
time you work out, you go to the gym, I
wouldn't say every time. I wouldn't say it. Sometimes, Yeah,
the gym can be really busy. But I film a
lot of my day to day. So if I'm cooking
a meal, I'm filming it. If I'm working for a
little bit, I'll film it because you never know, you
could use those little bits for a really cool video
(18:17):
later on. So I try and film as much as
possible throughout the day. Got it, Okay? So now that
we know that, what is your actual process for content creation,
for filming or posting, for finding your info like having
your page how it is now, which is just super
consistent and amazing. Thank you, Thank you. I think, honestly
(18:38):
what I do pretty much every week, I will think
of questions I had when I was trying to lose
weight and when I was trying to achieve my goals,
like what were some of the things that I was
constantly curious about? And I would pretty much create that
with my content like if I was, I sometimes wonder
(18:58):
I wonder how I would get rid of cell you like,
for example, I would make a video based off of that. So,
taking my struggles that I had and people struggles in general,
like what are people always asking me? I will create
content out of that. I think the key is really
to educate as best as possible, because people do really
learn from you and resonate with that. So just thinking
(19:21):
about what I used to struggle with and creating content
out of that. Every week I would just kind of
list out questions and think of creative ways I can
present it. Sometimes it's just me talking the camera straight on,
or it's like flips of my day to day and
I create it into one big videos. So awesome. That
(19:43):
tip of like taking the questions that you had on
your journey answering that content is so good. And that's
why anytime you know, my clients are like, well what
should I post or what should I talk about? I'm like, well,
survey your audience, ask them questions, like what questions they have.
That's going to be the content that they reas meet
with the most. But with your line of work, that
makes so much sense because you personally have gone through
(20:04):
the journey, so you know what you struggled with, what
you had questions about. So that's super helpful. And obviously
you've gone viral multiple times. I mean I have seen
you go from like eighty thousand followers to now you're
almost half a million, which is amazing. Do you feel
like you have any tips for like what you did
(20:24):
for those specific pieces of content.
Speaker 4 (20:26):
That went viral or and I know this is not
a math or science, but everybody wants to know. All
the girlies are asking if you had any tips for
how to create viral content.
Speaker 1 (20:38):
Absolutely, I think my so I kind of discussed it earlier,
is you want to think about people's problems, okay, because
at the end of the day, people want their problems solved.
So think of a problem that the general public has
or the audience that you're trying to attract. What is
a common issue, and try and get your there attention
(21:00):
in the first four to five seconds of that video,
because if you don't get their attention in those first
four to five you've lost them. They're scrolling through. You
really want to think about, Okay, why should someone stay
on my video? Why would like, am I going to
learn something from this, are they going to show me
something that I could use into my life. You want
to solve people's problems, and you want to make sure
(21:21):
you capture their attention first four to five seconds with
a really strong hook. So if I were to write
down a hook saying how or this is how you
can lose twenty pounds before the summer, I'm sure a
lot of people are going to watch that, you know
what I mean? So really thinking about people's issues in
the first four to five seconds, to grab their attention
(21:42):
and keep the video short because unfortunately, people's attention spans
are not as great as they used to be. So
keep keep the video short because people tend to stay
on it and we'll rewatch it over and over again.
So good. And what are your thoughts on like trending audios?
(22:02):
It depends. There are some good ones. There are some
good ones, but I've kind of I think the best
audio for me personally is myself, like me talking to
the camera. Like I think it has really shifted like
social media where people you can see a lot of
people are talking to the camera now and I think, honestly,
(22:24):
it just shows who you are. A lot more people
resonate with you, especially if you're genuine about what you're
trying to teach. And I think the best audio is
you talking to the camera. I'm so glad that you
said that, because there's a lot of people that do
fitness content where it's like some trending audio and it's like,
then just doing all these workouts, just looking good at
the gym and see stuff like that, I'm like, yih, I'm.
Speaker 3 (22:48):
Like, what are you?
Speaker 1 (22:49):
What is this?
Speaker 4 (22:50):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (22:51):
This? So what I really value about your content is,
first I love some of the funny ones where you're like,
if you're trying to able to ask, stop doing this,
and it's like your voice, So it feels like, no
matter how many followers you have, your page feels like
you're talking to me one on one. And that's my
next question for you is now that your following has
like skyrocketed, has anything changed with how you manage your
(23:15):
social media from like a maintenance standpoint, because I can
imagine like your dms are crazy, your your comments are crazy.
Like what has been the biggest I guess growing pain
for you with jumping and following so quickly. Yeah, it
has been a lot. Of course, it's harder to get
back to everyone. But I always try and schedule at
(23:37):
least an hour out of my day to get back
to people respond to comments, because you want to engage
with your audience, right you, like it can really make
someone's day to or if you reply to their comment
and just acknowledge it, like it can really really make
someone's day, Like I've had I would comment back on
someone's posts and they would like screenshot and post it
(23:58):
on their story, and I honestly like I remember being
that girl, Like I remember being that girl where like
I'd comment on a girl's post that I followed and
loved and she replied back and I'd freak out, like
it would just make my day. So it is important
to engage with your audience, and I think you can
take an hour out of your day to do that.
It's been hard, like it's tough, but at the end
(24:20):
of the day, like you really got to think about
why you're doing this in the first place, and that
you can really make someone's day out of it just
by engaging with them. So I think it has been
a shift, but it's been a really positive shift just
because it just more people are getting inspired and more
motivated to go to the gym, So it's it's not
(24:40):
even like I'm not even complaining about it. Absolutely, And
do you remember the exact moment when you were like,
oh shoot, my following is like skyrocketing. And would there
anything that you did different that made you see such
quick results? Yeah, So it's funny you asked. I actually
was thinking about this the other day. It has been
(25:03):
because like I am just showing my personality so much
more like I posted a video of me complaining about
a pair of headphones, nothing to do with fitness, and
it's my most viewed real or TikTok ever and I'm
just being myself. I didn't prepare for it. It's not
like I put makeup on or anything. I literally just
had a moment where I was so pissed about these
(25:24):
headphones and had to like talk about it. And I
think the key is as cliche as it is. You
hear it from everybody that like you just got to
be yourself. You really just got to be yourself, like
you like, be your complete self, don't worry about what
anyone's thinking, and just be authentic because there's nobody like you,
you know what I mean. So that's what's going to
(25:45):
stand out and if you pretend to be someone else
or like some cool fitness influencer, people are just going
to see through it, in my opinion, So that's I'm
just looking for the people who can't see me snaps
are happening. I do want to talk about a personal
thing before we come into our Q and A with
our community. So I know you have a twelve week
(26:08):
gratitude journal, and when you told me that you had it,
it immediately made me think to like my morning routine
and like, how off I am if I don't actually
intentionally focus on why I'm grateful and why I'm blessed
and give myself those affirmations that even if I don't
feel like it, I can do it and this is
why I'm doing it and as I say, reminding myself
(26:30):
of my overall why. So if anyone can relate to this,
which I'm sure a lot of people can, especially with
the whole social media thing right now, like a lot
of people struggle with what the heck do I post?
When do I post? Is this too much? Is this
too little? Am I overdoing it? Am my underdoing it?
And if you're not waking up every day being the
(26:51):
best version of yourself. Then showing up online may feel
a little inauthentic. So my first question to you is
from someone who knows that I need to like get
my mind in the right place and in the right
space to show up for others. How does your gratitude
journal help with that? And then I'll ask my second
part questions to that. Yeah, I think people forget to
(27:13):
practice gratitude. We take advantage of so much in our
day to day And what inspired me to make this
journal was the COVID pandemic, like where I felt like
I was trapped almost and I felt like, Wow, I
took advantage of the gym, I took advantage of going
to the grocery store, like all these little things. I
realized like, wow, I'm like after all that pandemic was over,
(27:37):
I was like, Wow, I'm so grateful for this life.
And it's sometimes it's really important to think about these
things every single day. Why you're you know, why you're
living and what are the positives in your life no
matter what happens, right, And I think writing it down
will really clear your head. And it's something that I
did during COVID. I journaled a lot and wrote out
(27:59):
my thoughts and things that I'm grateful for, like having
a family during this time, making sure that everyone's healthy,
Like all these things I was so grateful for, and
it really really shifted my mindset, like I always try
and look at the brighter things now, even when I'm
having a bad day, it's like, well, you know what,
at least I managed to get a meal in today,
or I managed to prepare my day and whatnot. You
(28:23):
just you got to think about these things every single
day just to give yourself a little bit more purpose
and reassurance that you're doing a great job. Now. The
second that, how would you advise that somebody then go
about like ending their day to kind of do the
same thing, Because I think for me, at the end
of the night, journaling, meditating, or even just like doing
(28:47):
anything that allows me to like hone back into like
what I'm grateful for. It allows me to give myself
permission to like end my day for another day. So
do you have any advice for how to like wind
down or a nighttime routine? Yeah? Yeah, I think well,
for me, my nighttime routine is making sure you are
off your cell phone like an hour before bed and
(29:08):
doing some sort of self care. So, like you said,
meditating is great, you could even journal and think about
what you were grateful for that day and journal it, reading,
doing taking a hot bath, like doing all these things
for yourself. Do something for yourself at the end of
the day is my biggest tip, But journaling would also
(29:29):
be a great idea to do at the end of
the day as well.
Speaker 3 (29:33):
Are you ready to go from hustler to soft life ceo?
Speaker 2 (29:35):
I'm here to help. I've created the Soft Life Society,
a membership based community where I provide weekly events such
as group coaching calls, brand and social media audits, masterclasses
and featured guest speakers. Get access to members only in
person events and discounts on soft Life CEO services. And
here's the best part. You can join today for free
visit the soft Life Ceo dot com backslash Society and
(29:58):
use code free trial for their days free access.
Speaker 1 (30:01):
What are some ways that someone can incorporate fitness into
their lifestyle and entrepreneur content? Does that make sense? I
think so. I would say, like I said earlier, film
everything that you do, So when you're getting ready for
the gym, film it, when you're cooking a healthy meal,
for yourself, film it going to the gym, or at
(30:22):
the gym doing your workouts, film everything, film film everything.
You can really create some awesome content out of it.
That was such a good question and that was such
a good answer. Thank you. How many times the day
do you post on your page and how many times
the day do you post on your stories? I post
(30:42):
maybe five six times a day on my story. I
try to post every single day on my actual feed,
but I won't force it, like if I don't have
something prepared, I'm not going to force a video. But
I do think consistency really does help. So I try
and post almost every single day, okay. And then the
follow up question of that was, what's really expected that
(31:05):
you get more engagement? So I just wanted to reward
that a little bit. With doing the daily postings on
your page and then posting frequently as frequently as you
can on your stories. Have you seen more or less
engagement when you post more versus posting less. I think
there's definitely more engagement posting more. You don't want to
(31:27):
overdo it where you're posting like twice a day on
your feed, and then like all the stories where like
people are tap tap, tap top topping and they skip through.
So be intentional with your posts. I think posting at
least three to five times a week is a really
good amount on your feed, post something in your stories
like two to three times a day just so because
(31:48):
people like to see what you're doing, honestly, So I
think posting three to five times a week, posting on
your story daily just to like show people what you're
up to can definitely help with engagement. You just have
more people like replying to your posts, commenting on your posts,
so that increases engagement. But also just engage with your audience,
like comment back, trying and get back to everybody's vms,
(32:11):
ask questions in your stories, get them to engage with you.
And this is our last question from the community. Sometimes
I feel weird recording myself in the gym, even if
it's dead. Did you ever feel that way or do
you still feel that way? And how do you get
past that? I definitely still feel this way. It's just
(32:32):
such a struggle for me, honestly. But like I said,
at the end of the day, there are people that
are waiting for me to post a workout, you know
what I mean? Like I am doing it for them
and not for anybody else in the gym that's judging
me this. Half the time, these people don't know what
I'm doing, and you have to just focus on the
end goal what you're trying to do, whether that's checking
(32:53):
your form or posting on social media. If this is
really what you want to do, there are going to
be challenges just like like this, and you have to
overcome it over time. It will get easier the more
that you do it. It's something I have to remind
myself as well, but I do not worry about what
other people think about you. Just get the job done.
You know that this is going to benefit you later.
(33:15):
And someone did just make a comment in the chat says,
if you're happy with your weight but not the scale number,
but that's all it says that. I'm like, I don't Joe,
if you want to like give more details as far
as what you're asking. But I think what she's saying is,
what if you're happy with the way that you what
(33:35):
look but not the number. Maybe maybe she's saying that
she's not happy with the number on the scale, but like, okay,
like I think with the whole scale thing, never like
hyper focus on the scale. It's going to tell you
something different every single day. I always base my progress,
especially with my clients, off of progress photos if anything,
(33:59):
just because the scale is so unpredictable, and a lot
of times people will see changes in their waistline and
how their pants fit them differently, but there will be
no changes on the scale. Because what could be happening
is you're putting on some muscle, you're losing fat, but
you're putting on some muscle. But when you hop on
the scale, the scale's not going to tell you that
you put on muscle. It's just going to say you've
(34:20):
gained weight. So I say, chuck the scale. Do it
like if you need some accountability every week. But I
don't think that is the best way to track your progress.
Do it based off of how you feel and how
your close fit you differently. I think she said you
answer to that perfectly. I've dealt with that because essentially,
my weight didn't change, but my body changed completely. And
(34:45):
the numbers like when you go for those gems and
you like hold the thing and they do the whole
like BMI situation, Like those numbers changed, like my actual
weight that you see when you step on the scale
didn't so I think too, ladies. It's about how you
feel and how how you look like when you look
in the mirror, being like, oh, I like how my
clothes are fitting. I feel confident. This is good. I
(35:06):
love that. And Diina, I mean, I just want to
praise you one more time and make sure that everyone
is listening to this. If you all are struggling at
all with consistency with fitness, just get her app and
start her program one of them. I'm on the weight
loss program. That's the one that I'm on now, but
that is a perfect place to start. And then make
sure to click the link in our bio if you
(35:27):
want to get access to that twelve week gratitude journal
for sure. And Gina, girl, thank you so so much
for your time. I truly appreciate you, especially now that
yeh superstuff showing up again on the podcast. I love
you so so much, and thank you. Oh I love
you girl. This was a pleasure. I'm so happy with
how this went. Honestly, this was great.
Speaker 3 (35:46):
Thanks for tuning in to Soft Life, CEO.
Speaker 2 (35:48):
I hope that today's episode gets you a little bit
closer to achieving your definition of a soft Life. If
you're ready to start the journey from hustler to soft
life CEO, go to the Soft Life CEO dot com
backslash society for thirty day free.
Speaker 3 (36:00):
Trial in my coaching community.
Speaker 2 (36:02):
If you found this episode helpful, share it with a friend,
leave a review, and don't forget to subscribe.
To this day, there's nothing that I had wanted more
than to transform, not just physically, but mentally as well.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Hey, I'm Brianna Aponte, your host of the Soft Life
CEO podcast.
Speaker 3 (00:11):
I dropped out of college at the age.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Of nineteen to start my first business. I worked seven
days a week, wore way too many hats, and was
the true definition of a hustler. Years later, I'm finally
living the dream that I worked so hard to make
my reality. I've transitioned from a hustler to a soft
Life CEO, working only two days a week to maintain
and run a high earning business that gives me.
Speaker 3 (00:30):
The freedom to live a life I love.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
Now it's my mission to help as many entrepreneurs as
I can elevate the brand, increase their income, and reclaim
their time.
Speaker 3 (00:38):
Join me and.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
Guest experts as we share our transparent journeys, work smart,
not hard, strategies, and the behind the scenes of running
a successful brand in business.
Speaker 3 (00:47):
You're tuned in to the Self Life CEO.
Speaker 1 (00:49):
I am so excited for this guest because I have
had the pleasure of watching this woman build her dream
brand and her dream body on Instagram. She is literally
one of My biggest opis she's a gym Stark ambassador
and online fitness coach and we are going to talk
about all the things. So I'm super excited. Gina, Welcome
to the podcast. Thank you so much for having me.
(01:11):
I'm so excited, honestly. So let's start by just sharing
some details. Let our audience know, like where you live,
what your background is, and overalls kind of who you are. Yeah,
for sure. So I'm from downtown Toronto. I'm an online
personal trainer and fitness coach. I have been coaching women
for about eight to nine years now, and I've recently
(01:32):
transferred over to an online platform. I basically have been
training for a really long time, and I also wanted
to share everything that I've learned throughout my journey and
throughout with my clients through social media as well. So
I'm also on TikTok and Instagram. And that's a little
(01:54):
bit about me. You've been doing this now for like
three years, Like that's when you started your personal transformation?
Did you always share the journey? Like did you start
immediately or did you share once you started seeing results?
Like how did that go? So when I first started,
I started filming during the COVID pandemic. So the reason
(02:15):
initially when I was filming was because I wanted to
keep myself accountable. So I wanted to post to like
actually keep myself accountable, get my workouts in, and then
it just started getting fun, like seeing people comment back
and say like, Oh, I just tried this workout, this
was so awesome. That's when it started getting fun for me.
So I basically documented my entire journey during COVID because
(02:39):
I was a lot heavier back then. I was at
a really really low point in my life and the
goal was to be happy with myself again and be confident.
So I filmed everything and ended up being a little
bit of a hobby. And then one day when I noticed,
like I really did transform. I had lost about twenty
pounds at the time. I posted a transformation on TikTok
(03:03):
just for like just for fun. I really didn't think
anything of it, and then I woke up and it
went viral, And that's kind of really when my career started,
and I was like, Hey, this is I guess this
is what I'm doing. Oh, so when you started, you
had no idea that this would be like your brand,
your business, No Yeah, I really thought I was going
(03:25):
to be a server for the rest of my life
because I was good at it, Like it was something
that I don't know, I couldn't really picture myself doing
really anything else. I loved fitness at the time, but
I never thought I would be those girls on social media.
It was always a dream something that was like I
would always want to do it, but there's no way
it's going to happen. And then it kind of just
(03:47):
happened and I went with it. Wow, that is amazing. Yeah,
it's always fitness. Sometimes it's like we try, right, we'll
get into the routine of things, and then we fall
back in start normal habits and we try again. And
so what did it take for you to say, like,
no more, no excuses, I'm going hard, I want these
results and really go for that weight loss transformation. Yeah.
(04:10):
I was just so unhappy. I really really was. I
wasn't confident in myself at all. Like if I was
going out to dinner with my girls, I would take
hours trying to figure out an outfit that I felt
most confident in. And it was sad at the time
because nothing would fit because I had gained weight so
(04:30):
quickly so I I just wanted to stop feeling this
way because before, before I had gained the weight, I
was always so confident. You'd always see me in a
crop top, and then this weight gain happened, and it
just it honestly ruined me. And it wasn't just because
of how I physically looked. It was a lot because
I just had like low energy. I would sleep for hours,
(04:54):
like hours, like eleven twelve hours, and it just would
give me a migraine all day. And I would go
into cycles where I wouldn't eat for a couple days
because I felt so guilty, and then I ended up
binge eating because I was so hungry. I was just
in a really toxic cycle with myself, and I just
I needed it to stop. I knew what I had
to do. I knew that I had to eat better.
(05:15):
I knew that I had to sleep better, move more.
I knew the basics that I had to do, and
it was just on me to stay consistent with it.
So I really kept myself accountable just because I wanted
it so badly. There, Like to this day, there's nothing
that I had wanted more than to transform, not just
physically but mentally as well.
Speaker 2 (05:35):
Get my free training from Hustler to Soft Life Ceo,
which includes my untold Entrepreneurial Journey, the Soft Life Ceo Roadmap,
am I winning recipe for elevating your brand, increasing your
income and reclaiming your time. Head over to the Soft
Life ceo dot com backslash free training.
Speaker 1 (05:50):
I'm so glad you ended on that because I was
gonna say. You said you wanted the results so badly
so that you held yourself accountable. But from a mental standpoint,
was there things that you have to work on or
certain things that you had to deal with to prepare
yourself mentally to hold yourself accountable? And then were there
any other methods of accountability that you used. Yeah, well,
(06:10):
I was really negative, like during the entire like during
a big portion of the process, I was so negative.
I would overanalyze everything. If I didn't eat healthy at dinner,
I would beat myself up and like just call myself
a failure, and like it was just that's not how
(06:32):
you want to carry yourself in your day to day.
You have to constantly remind yourself of the positives and
what you did today that was going to help you
towards your goals. Like I would try and figure out
small victory, small winds so that you know you don't
you don't want to constantly be down on yourself every
single day because it's just going to be hard for
you to stay motivated. So I really shifted my mindset
(06:57):
and told myself that I'm going to try my best.
I really gave it my all, and throughout I was
trying to stay positive. I cut out all the toxic
stuff in my life, including just like toxic people, all
of that, and it just made me a much more
positive person, especially seeing the results after and seeing all
(07:17):
those small victories. It adds up. Yeah, for sure. How
long would you say that you were actively doing your
plan before it started to feel like your norm? I
would say, like, I was consistent with my plan for
four months straight, and that's yeah. Four months is when
(07:39):
I really saw a difference. And I think people don't
realize that, like they always want to see change in
a month or two months. But and at that two
month mark, that's when people tend to quit. People tend
to quit it that two month mark because it's like
I'm not seeing changes, I'm not doing this anymore, it's
not worth it. But that's the most important point. That's
where you have to push yourself and keep going. And
(08:00):
I truly believe around four months, if you stay consistent
with a workout plan, you will see results. These videos
that you've done have gone viral about like busting different weights,
weight loss myths and kind of like turning what we
thought we knew on its head. So I want you
to talk a little bit about that, Like what are
some weight loss myths that you can share? Yeah, I
(08:20):
think the biggest myth is in order to lose fat,
you have to eat really, really little. And when I
say little, I'm saying like one thousand calories twelve hundred calories.
A lot of people tend to think that's the right
amount to lose weight, but that's actually for a grown woman,
that is not enough food. And the goal with batloss
(08:41):
is you want your metabolism running. You want a healthy
digestive system to run, and if you are under eating one,
you're not going to have a lot of energy during
your workouts. You're going to feel so fatigued during the day,
you're not going to be able to really push yourself
when you're training. So there is a limit, Like, yes,
you're supposed to be in a caloric deficit, but you're
(09:03):
not supposed to be in a coloric deficit that actually
makes you feel terrible throughout the day where you're under
eating and you're not actually going to be losing fat.
Your body's just going to be holding on to everything
that you eat because it essentially thinks, oh, well, I'm
not going to get in enough food later on, so
I'm going to hold onto it. So you're not going
to actually be losing weight. So it's just about a
(09:23):
healthy balance, eating the right amount of calories and making
sure that everything is nutrient dense, nutritious whole foods as
best as possible, and stay moving throughout the entire time.
So you're still in a deficit, but not a deficit
that's dangerous. Yeah it. Gara likes to eat, but I
have I have that and very disciplined listeners how I eat,
(09:46):
And it's so crazy how depending on your goals that
really shapes like what you're supposed to eat, how you're
supposed to work out, which is why that one on
one is super helpful. But many of you listening who like,
maybe you're not ready to invest in the one on
one and definitely start Regenus program because it's fifteen bucks
a month and that's that's if you pay for it monthly.
It's even cheaper if you get it annually. And it's
(10:08):
so worth it, and like I said, me and Daniell
are loving it, so you guys definitely want to start
there if you're not ready for that one on one
talk about food, Can you pare any of like your
favorite healthy recipes or like go to snacks that are
specifically for my earlies who are trying to like lose
the weight. Absolutely, I say high protein everything. So just
(10:31):
plain greek This is my favorite all time snack. I
don't like to switch it up too much, but my
go to is just plain high protein Greek yogurt. You
put a scoop of protein powder. Chocolate is usually the
best one. You can put a little bit of peanut butter,
you mix it, you can add some fruit on top,
and it tastes like ice cream. It really really does,
and it does the job. It's so high in protein.
(10:54):
I literally have it every day and it's something that
I actually give to my clients as well. So high
protein you'llls or protein shakes even you can add so
much in there super healthy and we'll keep you full.
Oh awesome. I'm gonna try it about and I'm trying
to think. So you said high protein, is it like
(11:14):
dairy free or does that matter? There are options, so
it depends on the type of protein you have. I
personally use way protein, but there are dairy free options
out there as well.
Speaker 3 (11:25):
Okay, perfect, All right, Well I want to I want to.
Speaker 1 (11:27):
Kind of switch and go more into like the mental
health space. So obviously working out definitely has a positive benefit,
especially for entrepreneurs, people who are juggling a lot, who
are looking for balance, who are essentially wearing these very
important hats all day where a lot is being asked
of them. So can you share a little bit with me,
(11:50):
like how you feel the fitness element of things affects
specifically entrepreneurs and all the hats so they have to
wear on a regular basis From a mental standpoint, yeah,
I think it just for me personally, it just gives
me routine, like I will know, okay at some point
in my day for me as someone that shares so
(12:11):
much fitness, like I have to go to the gym
and film my workout at this time. So it gives
me more structure throughout my day. I know that after
my workout, I'm going to go home film edit my content,
then I'm going to look at emails. It just starts
my day off right, Like I feel like I actually
can't focus on my work until I have completed my workout,
(12:34):
Like I will feel antsy just sitting there if I
didn't get my workout in. So it just allows for
me to have a smoother day, gives me a lot
more structure because I make sure to plan out when
I'm going to get my workout in every day, Like honestly,
like that is a huge priority of mine. So once
I get that done, I know that, Okay, now my
(12:56):
stress reliever is done. Now I can get back to work,
can edit, and I can do what I need to
do for that day. That's amazing. And I would ask
because I know some people listening are probably like that
sounds hard to wake up every day and do that
and then at the end of the day, this is
your business. So yeah, if someone who isn't good with
routines right now, they maybe don't have the best like
(13:19):
morning routine and they're not in the best mental space
and they haven't seen results with anything, so they're not
fully committed. What strategies do you suggest for where they
can start and how they can begin to implement that
type of routine. Yeah, I think one thing to mention
that is really really important. I think people do need
to understand for me personally, this is part of my job, right,
(13:43):
so it makes it like it's so much easier for
me to get my workout in compared to someone that
works from eight am to five pm. Right, So you
always want to keep that in mind when you're scrolling
through social media, like everyone's life is so different. But
my biggest piece of advice, if you are starting and
it's hard for you to get in a morning workout,
(14:05):
start off small, right, Like, don't give yourself five workouts
in the week. Start off with two. Start off with two.
Pick two days out of the week where you're the
most free. Maybe that's a Wednesday evening and a Saturday afternoon.
Pick two. Start off with two. Once you nail two
and you're able to do that consistently for two weeks, okay,
let's bump it up to three. Slowly progressively add it
(14:27):
into your routine because you're gonna start to see the
benefits of it and why people do it so much.
I don't think people really realize the benefits of it
until they give it a solid shot where you're consistent
for four months, whether that's two times a week, three
times a week, or you're joining classes in the evening, like,
you will see the benefits later on, but you have
(14:48):
to start off small so you don't overwhelm yourself. I
love that it reminds me of what I tell my
clients when it comes to their work, and I'm like,
if you are setting unrealistic goals and then you to
reach those goals. Each time that you don't hit the goal,
you are doubting yourself. You're losing your confidence. You are
creating this space for you to feel negatively about you
(15:09):
and our work. That's the same with fitness, and I
do want to share this because this is something that
has been helpful for me and my like weight loss
and fitness journey. I do so much better when I
feel like other people are looking at me. And what
I mean by that is if I'm doing it by myself,
I'm okay with letting myself down every once in a
while if I feel tired or if I want to
(15:30):
go to that bar and grab drinks. But although I
said I wasn't going to drink, you know, but if
I'm doing it with a tribe, like with a community,
find it so much helpful.
Speaker 3 (15:39):
So whether it is a.
Speaker 1 (15:41):
Coach, whether it is a few of your girlfriends, whether
it's some family members, or you like actually join a
community that has helped me tremendously. I know my friends
are so irritating for me this week, like sending them
screenshots of all my steps and calories burned and nothing
must be nice. I like that, good for you. I
don't have someone to show out for. I might not
(16:02):
show out. So if that's if that's what you need,
you know, do what you gotta do exactly. So how
would you say that you balanced promoting like health and
wellness while also navigating the pressures of social media. And
it's sometimes or is I have to say, always unrealistic standards,
especially from like a fitness space. Yeah, you you have
(16:25):
to control. I think my biggest ship is you have
to control who you're following and what you're feeding yourself.
So I'm not going to follow girls that it's just unrealistic,
Like I'm never gonna look like that, you know what
I mean, Like it's just gonna make me feel terrible
about myself. I follow people that I resonate with, I
learn from I'm actually taking their advice into my own life,
(16:49):
and I'm not scrolling through my feed all day because
you could really go into a deep dive where you're
seeing all this content that just makes you feel terrible.
Like I have been there where I followed like these
celebrities that looked insane and are stunning, but I will
never really look like that, and it never really made
me feel good to see that. So you really want
(17:11):
to follow people that resonate with you and are realistic
and that you can actually connect with, Like you got
to get rid of all the toxic stuff that is
not real because a lot of that is on social
media unfortunately, and you do such a good job, Like
we talked about this before it went live, But when
you post like it's in your brand voice, it's in
(17:32):
your your demeanor. When you post that, it's like, oh,
this is my girl trying to look out for me,
give me advice, but it's realistic. It's all about my
long term health and wellness, and it comes across so
genuine and authentic. So I want to kind of get
into the content creation piece of things, like do you
have a process, Because I know you said you go
(17:54):
to the gym and you you film, you film every
time you work out, you go to the gym, I
wouldn't say every time. I wouldn't say it. Sometimes, Yeah,
the gym can be really busy. But I film a
lot of my day to day. So if I'm cooking
a meal, I'm filming it. If I'm working for a
little bit, I'll film it because you never know, you
could use those little bits for a really cool video
(18:17):
later on. So I try and film as much as
possible throughout the day. Got it, Okay? So now that
we know that, what is your actual process for content creation,
for filming or posting, for finding your info like having
your page how it is now, which is just super
consistent and amazing. Thank you, Thank you. I think, honestly
(18:38):
what I do pretty much every week, I will think
of questions I had when I was trying to lose
weight and when I was trying to achieve my goals,
like what were some of the things that I was
constantly curious about? And I would pretty much create that
with my content like if I was, I sometimes wonder
(18:58):
I wonder how I would get rid of cell you like,
for example, I would make a video based off of that. So,
taking my struggles that I had and people struggles in general,
like what are people always asking me? I will create
content out of that. I think the key is really
to educate as best as possible, because people do really
learn from you and resonate with that. So just thinking
(19:21):
about what I used to struggle with and creating content
out of that. Every week I would just kind of
list out questions and think of creative ways I can
present it. Sometimes it's just me talking the camera straight on,
or it's like flips of my day to day and
I create it into one big videos. So awesome. That
(19:43):
tip of like taking the questions that you had on
your journey answering that content is so good. And that's
why anytime you know, my clients are like, well what
should I post or what should I talk about? I'm like, well,
survey your audience, ask them questions, like what questions they have.
That's going to be the content that they reas meet
with the most. But with your line of work, that
makes so much sense because you personally have gone through
(20:04):
the journey, so you know what you struggled with, what
you had questions about. So that's super helpful. And obviously
you've gone viral multiple times. I mean I have seen
you go from like eighty thousand followers to now you're
almost half a million, which is amazing. Do you feel
like you have any tips for like what you did
(20:24):
for those specific pieces of content.
Speaker 4 (20:26):
That went viral or and I know this is not
a math or science, but everybody wants to know. All
the girlies are asking if you had any tips for
how to create viral content.
Speaker 1 (20:38):
Absolutely, I think my so I kind of discussed it earlier,
is you want to think about people's problems, okay, because
at the end of the day, people want their problems solved.
So think of a problem that the general public has
or the audience that you're trying to attract. What is
a common issue, and try and get your there attention
(21:00):
in the first four to five seconds of that video,
because if you don't get their attention in those first
four to five you've lost them. They're scrolling through. You
really want to think about, Okay, why should someone stay
on my video? Why would like, am I going to
learn something from this, are they going to show me
something that I could use into my life. You want
to solve people's problems, and you want to make sure
(21:21):
you capture their attention first four to five seconds with
a really strong hook. So if I were to write
down a hook saying how or this is how you
can lose twenty pounds before the summer, I'm sure a
lot of people are going to watch that, you know
what I mean? So really thinking about people's issues in
the first four to five seconds, to grab their attention
(21:42):
and keep the video short because unfortunately, people's attention spans
are not as great as they used to be. So
keep keep the video short because people tend to stay
on it and we'll rewatch it over and over again.
So good. And what are your thoughts on like trending audios?
(22:02):
It depends. There are some good ones. There are some
good ones, but I've kind of I think the best
audio for me personally is myself, like me talking to
the camera. Like I think it has really shifted like
social media where people you can see a lot of
people are talking to the camera now and I think, honestly,
(22:24):
it just shows who you are. A lot more people
resonate with you, especially if you're genuine about what you're
trying to teach. And I think the best audio is
you talking to the camera. I'm so glad that you
said that, because there's a lot of people that do
fitness content where it's like some trending audio and it's like,
then just doing all these workouts, just looking good at
the gym and see stuff like that, I'm like, yih, I'm.
Speaker 3 (22:48):
Like, what are you?
Speaker 1 (22:49):
What is this?
Speaker 4 (22:50):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (22:51):
This? So what I really value about your content is,
first I love some of the funny ones where you're like,
if you're trying to able to ask, stop doing this,
and it's like your voice, So it feels like, no
matter how many followers you have, your page feels like
you're talking to me one on one. And that's my
next question for you is now that your following has
like skyrocketed, has anything changed with how you manage your
(23:15):
social media from like a maintenance standpoint, because I can
imagine like your dms are crazy, your your comments are crazy.
Like what has been the biggest I guess growing pain
for you with jumping and following so quickly. Yeah, it
has been a lot. Of course, it's harder to get
back to everyone. But I always try and schedule at
(23:37):
least an hour out of my day to get back
to people respond to comments, because you want to engage
with your audience, right you, like it can really make
someone's day to or if you reply to their comment
and just acknowledge it, like it can really really make
someone's day, Like I've had I would comment back on
someone's posts and they would like screenshot and post it
(23:58):
on their story, and I honestly like I remember being
that girl, Like I remember being that girl where like
I'd comment on a girl's post that I followed and
loved and she replied back and I'd freak out, like
it would just make my day. So it is important
to engage with your audience, and I think you can
take an hour out of your day to do that.
It's been hard, like it's tough, but at the end
(24:20):
of the day, like you really got to think about
why you're doing this in the first place, and that
you can really make someone's day out of it just
by engaging with them. So I think it has been
a shift, but it's been a really positive shift just
because it just more people are getting inspired and more
motivated to go to the gym, So it's it's not
(24:40):
even like I'm not even complaining about it. Absolutely, And
do you remember the exact moment when you were like,
oh shoot, my following is like skyrocketing. And would there
anything that you did different that made you see such
quick results? Yeah, So it's funny you asked. I actually
was thinking about this the other day. It has been
(25:03):
because like I am just showing my personality so much
more like I posted a video of me complaining about
a pair of headphones, nothing to do with fitness, and
it's my most viewed real or TikTok ever and I'm
just being myself. I didn't prepare for it. It's not
like I put makeup on or anything. I literally just
had a moment where I was so pissed about these
(25:24):
headphones and had to like talk about it. And I
think the key is as cliche as it is. You
hear it from everybody that like you just got to
be yourself. You really just got to be yourself, like
you like, be your complete self, don't worry about what
anyone's thinking, and just be authentic because there's nobody like you,
you know what I mean. So that's what's going to
(25:45):
stand out and if you pretend to be someone else
or like some cool fitness influencer, people are just going
to see through it, in my opinion, So that's I'm
just looking for the people who can't see me snaps
are happening. I do want to talk about a personal
thing before we come into our Q and A with
our community. So I know you have a twelve week
(26:08):
gratitude journal, and when you told me that you had it,
it immediately made me think to like my morning routine
and like, how off I am if I don't actually
intentionally focus on why I'm grateful and why I'm blessed
and give myself those affirmations that even if I don't
feel like it, I can do it and this is
why I'm doing it and as I say, reminding myself
(26:30):
of my overall why. So if anyone can relate to this,
which I'm sure a lot of people can, especially with
the whole social media thing right now, like a lot
of people struggle with what the heck do I post?
When do I post? Is this too much? Is this
too little? Am I overdoing it? Am my underdoing it?
And if you're not waking up every day being the
(26:51):
best version of yourself. Then showing up online may feel
a little inauthentic. So my first question to you is
from someone who knows that I need to like get
my mind in the right place and in the right
space to show up for others. How does your gratitude
journal help with that? And then I'll ask my second
part questions to that. Yeah, I think people forget to
(27:13):
practice gratitude. We take advantage of so much in our
day to day And what inspired me to make this
journal was the COVID pandemic, like where I felt like
I was trapped almost and I felt like, Wow, I
took advantage of the gym, I took advantage of going
to the grocery store, like all these little things. I
realized like, wow, I'm like after all that pandemic was over,
(27:37):
I was like, Wow, I'm so grateful for this life.
And it's sometimes it's really important to think about these
things every single day. Why you're you know, why you're
living and what are the positives in your life no
matter what happens, right, And I think writing it down
will really clear your head. And it's something that I
did during COVID. I journaled a lot and wrote out
(27:59):
my thoughts and things that I'm grateful for, like having
a family during this time, making sure that everyone's healthy,
Like all these things I was so grateful for, and
it really really shifted my mindset, like I always try
and look at the brighter things now, even when I'm
having a bad day, it's like, well, you know what,
at least I managed to get a meal in today,
or I managed to prepare my day and whatnot. You
(28:23):
just you got to think about these things every single
day just to give yourself a little bit more purpose
and reassurance that you're doing a great job. Now. The
second that, how would you advise that somebody then go
about like ending their day to kind of do the
same thing, Because I think for me, at the end
of the night, journaling, meditating, or even just like doing
(28:47):
anything that allows me to like hone back into like
what I'm grateful for. It allows me to give myself
permission to like end my day for another day. So
do you have any advice for how to like wind
down or a nighttime routine? Yeah? Yeah, I think well,
for me, my nighttime routine is making sure you are
off your cell phone like an hour before bed and
(29:08):
doing some sort of self care. So, like you said,
meditating is great, you could even journal and think about
what you were grateful for that day and journal it, reading,
doing taking a hot bath, like doing all these things
for yourself. Do something for yourself at the end of
the day is my biggest tip, But journaling would also
(29:29):
be a great idea to do at the end of
the day as well.
Speaker 3 (29:33):
Are you ready to go from hustler to soft life ceo?
Speaker 2 (29:35):
I'm here to help. I've created the Soft Life Society,
a membership based community where I provide weekly events such
as group coaching calls, brand and social media audits, masterclasses
and featured guest speakers. Get access to members only in
person events and discounts on soft Life CEO services. And
here's the best part. You can join today for free
visit the soft Life Ceo dot com backslash Society and
(29:58):
use code free trial for their days free access.
Speaker 1 (30:01):
What are some ways that someone can incorporate fitness into
their lifestyle and entrepreneur content? Does that make sense? I
think so. I would say, like I said earlier, film
everything that you do, So when you're getting ready for
the gym, film it, when you're cooking a healthy meal,
for yourself, film it going to the gym, or at
(30:22):
the gym doing your workouts, film everything, film film everything.
You can really create some awesome content out of it.
That was such a good question and that was such
a good answer. Thank you. How many times the day
do you post on your page and how many times
the day do you post on your stories? I post
(30:42):
maybe five six times a day on my story. I
try to post every single day on my actual feed,
but I won't force it, like if I don't have
something prepared, I'm not going to force a video. But
I do think consistency really does help. So I try
and post almost every single day, okay. And then the
follow up question of that was, what's really expected that
(31:05):
you get more engagement? So I just wanted to reward
that a little bit. With doing the daily postings on
your page and then posting frequently as frequently as you
can on your stories. Have you seen more or less
engagement when you post more versus posting less. I think
there's definitely more engagement posting more. You don't want to
(31:27):
overdo it where you're posting like twice a day on
your feed, and then like all the stories where like
people are tap tap, tap top topping and they skip through.
So be intentional with your posts. I think posting at
least three to five times a week is a really
good amount on your feed, post something in your stories
like two to three times a day just so because
(31:48):
people like to see what you're doing, honestly, So I
think posting three to five times a week, posting on
your story daily just to like show people what you're
up to can definitely help with engagement. You just have
more people like replying to your posts, commenting on your posts,
so that increases engagement. But also just engage with your audience,
like comment back, trying and get back to everybody's vms,
(32:11):
ask questions in your stories, get them to engage with you.
And this is our last question from the community. Sometimes
I feel weird recording myself in the gym, even if
it's dead. Did you ever feel that way or do
you still feel that way? And how do you get
past that? I definitely still feel this way. It's just
(32:32):
such a struggle for me, honestly. But like I said,
at the end of the day, there are people that
are waiting for me to post a workout, you know
what I mean? Like I am doing it for them
and not for anybody else in the gym that's judging
me this. Half the time, these people don't know what
I'm doing, and you have to just focus on the
end goal what you're trying to do, whether that's checking
(32:53):
your form or posting on social media. If this is
really what you want to do, there are going to
be challenges just like like this, and you have to
overcome it over time. It will get easier the more
that you do it. It's something I have to remind
myself as well, but I do not worry about what
other people think about you. Just get the job done.
You know that this is going to benefit you later.
(33:15):
And someone did just make a comment in the chat says,
if you're happy with your weight but not the scale number,
but that's all it says that. I'm like, I don't Joe,
if you want to like give more details as far
as what you're asking. But I think what she's saying is,
what if you're happy with the way that you what
(33:35):
look but not the number. Maybe maybe she's saying that
she's not happy with the number on the scale, but like, okay,
like I think with the whole scale thing, never like
hyper focus on the scale. It's going to tell you
something different every single day. I always base my progress,
especially with my clients, off of progress photos if anything,
(33:59):
just because the scale is so unpredictable, and a lot
of times people will see changes in their waistline and
how their pants fit them differently, but there will be
no changes on the scale. Because what could be happening
is you're putting on some muscle, you're losing fat, but
you're putting on some muscle. But when you hop on
the scale, the scale's not going to tell you that
you put on muscle. It's just going to say you've
(34:20):
gained weight. So I say, chuck the scale. Do it
like if you need some accountability every week. But I
don't think that is the best way to track your progress.
Do it based off of how you feel and how
your close fit you differently. I think she said you
answer to that perfectly. I've dealt with that because essentially,
my weight didn't change, but my body changed completely. And
(34:45):
the numbers like when you go for those gems and
you like hold the thing and they do the whole
like BMI situation, Like those numbers changed, like my actual
weight that you see when you step on the scale
didn't so I think too, ladies. It's about how you
feel and how how you look like when you look
in the mirror, being like, oh, I like how my
clothes are fitting. I feel confident. This is good. I
(35:06):
love that. And Diina, I mean, I just want to
praise you one more time and make sure that everyone
is listening to this. If you all are struggling at
all with consistency with fitness, just get her app and
start her program one of them. I'm on the weight
loss program. That's the one that I'm on now, but
that is a perfect place to start. And then make
sure to click the link in our bio if you
(35:27):
want to get access to that twelve week gratitude journal
for sure. And Gina, girl, thank you so so much
for your time. I truly appreciate you, especially now that
yeh superstuff showing up again on the podcast. I love
you so so much, and thank you. Oh I love
you girl. This was a pleasure. I'm so happy with
how this went. Honestly, this was great.
Speaker 3 (35:46):
Thanks for tuning in to Soft Life, CEO.
Speaker 2 (35:48):
I hope that today's episode gets you a little bit
closer to achieving your definition of a soft Life. If
you're ready to start the journey from hustler to soft
life CEO, go to the Soft Life CEO dot com
backslash society for thirty day free.
Speaker 3 (36:00):
Trial in my coaching community.
Speaker 2 (36:02):
If you found this episode helpful, share it with a friend,
leave a review, and don't forget to subscribe.
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