The Fitness Alchemist

A powerful new era dawns, tap in love 🐎❤️‍🔥🌘

This morning I had the great pleasure of being coached by my client in her debut Sculpt class where she lead a full-body, high volume, butt-kicking sweat sesh! 💪🥵

Here we're pictured right after bright-eyed, pumped, and rosey-cheeked.

Witnessing her cues, time-tracking, form modifiers, all while remaining engaged and energized (at 6:45am mind you) was an unbelievably proud moment to say the least 🥹🙌

Congrats, Rennae, on THIS milestone and testament to all your continued hard work and dedication! Thank you to Ride & Grind's Megan for having me and for creating a space that offers this kind of nourishing and encouraging support! 👏 And shout out to for helping to coordinate this! You were missed - but I'll be back to join you 🫶

One of the most brilliant and truly magical people I know wrote a book! 🥹👏 And not just any book, but a wonderous children's story sharing the beauty and magic of the universe and our connection to it!  🌌

"THE STORY OF EVERYTHING: THE STORY OF YOU! ~ Beginning with the Big Bang and weaving together the major turning points of all time from formation of the solar system to the dinosaurs to the evolution of humankind; building this portrait of our universe, young readers can discover how they are the culmination of extraordinary events!"

✍️ Written by Kara Newhouse
🎨 Illustrated by Kate Cosgrove

☀️Coming this Summer!


Congrats on this incredible endeavor my friend and so looking forward to nourishing my inner child by adding this to my library!

Preoder now! Link in bio 🌠

The winter solstice time is no longer celebrated as it once was, with the understanding that this is a period of descent and rest, of going within our homes, within ourselves and taking in all that we have been through, all that has passed in this full year which is coming to a close... like nature and the animal kingdom around us, this time of hibernation is so necessary for our tired limbs, our burdened minds.

Our modern culture teaches avoidance at a max at this time; alcohol, lights, shopping, overworking, over spending, comfort food and consumerism.

And yet the natural tug to go inwards as nearly all creatures are doing is strong and the weather so bitter that people are left feeling that winter is hard, because for those of us without burning fires and big festive families, it can be lonely and isolating.

Whereas in actual fact winter is kind, she points us in her quiet soft way towards our inner self, towards this annual time of peace and reflection, embracing the darkness and forgiving, accepting and loving embracing goodbye the past year.

~ Brigit Anna McNeill

Art by Elaine Bayley

There are books you read, and there are books that quietly read you back. This one entered my space through sound, through voice, through pauses that felt intentional. Somewhere between a long drive and a reflective moment, Gabor Maté’s calm, almost fatherly tone, carried by Daniel Maté’s sensitive narration, began to peel back layers I did not know I had. This was not just listening, it felt like being gently guided into truths the body has been trying to say all along.

1. The body keeps a record the mind tries to erase: One of the strongest messages that stayed with me is that the body does not forget what the mind chooses to suppress. Gabor Maté shows again and again that when emotions like anger, grief, fear, or resentment are pushed aside in the name of being strong, polite, or good, the body quietly absorbs the burden. Over time, it speaks through illness. Listening to the audiobook, the stories of patients made this impossible to ignore. Disease is not always an enemy attacking us, sometimes it is the body’s honest response to years of emotional silencing. This lesson challenged me to stop seeing sickness as random and start seeing it as meaningful communication.

2. Saying yes too often can cost the body dearly: The author repeatedly connects chronic illness with people who are overly nice, self sacrificing, and unable to say no. As I listened, I could almost hear the compassion in his voice for those who learned early in life that love was conditional. Maté explains that when we constantly abandon ourselves to meet the needs of others, stress hormones stay activated, weakening the immune system over time. This lesson landed deeply because it reframes people pleasing as not just a personality trait, but a serious health risk. The body pays the price for every boundary we fail to set.

3. Childhood is where stress quietly takes root: One of the most sobering lessons from the book is how early life experiences shape adult health. Gabor Maté does not accuse parents, instead he invites understanding. Through the narration, it became clear that children adapt in order to survive emotionally. They suppress anger, deny needs, and disconnect from feelings to maintain attachment. Decades later, the body remembers what the child could not express. This lesson helped me see that healing is not about blame, but about recognizing patterns that started long before we had language for them.

4. Stress is not always loud, sometimes it is polite and smiling: The book expands the definition of stress beyond trauma and crisis. Maté explains that hidden stress includes emotional repression, constant self control, and the pressure to appear fine when one is not. Listening to the audiobook, his gentle emphasis made this point even more powerful. Stress is not only what happens to us, but what happens inside us when we deny our truth. This lesson reminded me that calm appearances can hide intense inner tension, and the body eventually exposes what the voice refuses to say.

5. Healing begins with awareness not force: Rather than offering quick fixes, the author emphasizes awareness, compassion, and authenticity. As I listened, there was a noticeable softness in the narration whenever healing was discussed. The body does not heal through pressure, it heals through safety. Recognizing emotional patterns, reconnecting with feelings, and learning self compassion are presented as essential steps. This lesson taught me that recovery is not about fighting the body, but about finally listening to it with honesty and patience.

6. Authenticity is a biological necessity: Perhaps the most profound lesson from the book is that being true to oneself is not a luxury, it is a requirement for health. Maté makes it clear that when we disconnect from our true emotions and needs, the nervous system remains in survival mode. Over time, this imbalance shows up physically. Hearing this through the audiobook made it feel deeply personal. Authenticity is not just about emotional freedom, it is about survival. The body thrives when the self is allowed to exist fully and truthfully.

Book/Audiobook: https://amzn.to/49nDiL9

You can access the audiobook when you register on the Audible platform using the l!nk above.

Focusing on your health in 2026? Book a one hour, completely free consultation with me so that you can awaken and align to a fuller, healthier life. ✨

www.thefitnessalchemist.com

Virtual consultations and workouts available! 💫

Last Super Moon of 2025...

Image credit: [IG]