Well with Arielle Lorre - 205: Owning Your Own Body, Tips From Training Celebrities & Embracing Radical Self-Love with Liana Levi

Episode Date: October 26, 2022

In this episode, I'm chatting with Liana Levi, the founder of Forma Pilates, an exclusive boutique studio with a celebrity clientele. We talk about how celebrities prepare for big events; radical self-love and acceptance; owning your own body and having realistic expectations; fitness mistakes; body shaming and so much more.   Code BLONDE for 20% off annual subscription at Formapilatesla.com.   As our partner, Maude is giving 15% off your first order on all products with the code BLONDE. Head over to getmaude.com/BLONDE.   Visit Clare at www.clare.com/BLONDE to get started and receive 10% off your order.    Visit athleticgreens.com/blondefiles for a FREE 1 year supply of immune-supporting Vitamin D and 5 FREE travel packs with your first purchase.   Go to Zocdoc.com/BLONDE and download the Zocdoc app for FREE. Then start your search for a top-rated doctor today. Many are available within 24 hours.   Take your FREE in-depth hair consultation and get 15% off your first order today at Prose.com/BLONDE.   Right now, get a full custom 3D design of your new kitchen at cabinetstogo.com/BLONDE.     Produced by Dear Media.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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is head over to getmod.com slash blonde. Hey, welcome to the Blonde files podcast. I'm your host, Ariel Lorry, and I'm here to talk all things, wellness. From how to achieve optimal health and well-being to the best beauty tips and everything in between, no topic is off limits, and I'm bringing it to you real and unfiltered. I know there is so much information out there, so I'm here to help you navigate it all. Thanks for listening. Let's get into it.

Hi, everybody. Welcome to the show. Today, I am talking to Leana Levy. She's somebody that I've wanted to talk to and have on the show for such a long time. You guys are probably familiar with her business, which is Forma Pilates. She started it during the pandemic out of her house, just doing reformer Pilates herself and with her family and with her friends. And then it absolutely blew up, which we talk about in this episode. You guys have probably seen Pick of Haley and Kendall and basically every celebrity that you can think of coming in and out of her studio. And I started going there last spring. Absolutely incredible. Her method is really transformative. And we get into all of that in this episode. But we also talk a lot about self-love and cultivating healthy habits, healthy approaches to food and exercise and just your life in general. We also talk about relationships and going through changes and how to not compare yourself to others. She gets really candid about things that she is personally struggling with right now, which I found to be really refreshing because you look at her and she looks like, you know, she has it all figured out and has it all together. So it's a really open, vulnerable, honest conversation.

She also dishes on what you guys probably want to hear, which is what. what celebrities do before they have events and we talk beauty and just everything. It's chock full of so much information and it's a really great conversation. Oh, and be sure to scroll down and check out the show notes because Leanna and Forma are giving you guys a discount on your annual membership, which is amazing. So definitely check that out. I hope you guys enjoy Leana Levy. Things are going amazing for you right now. You have this incredible business that kind of was born out of COVID.

and I would love to rewind and start back at the beginning because you were not always in fitness and Pilates. I know it was always a part of your life, but it wasn't always your career. So can you just tell people about what you were doing before? I know you were in fashion. And yeah, we'll start there. Yeah. So pre-COVID pre-forma, it was a fashion girl. I worked in the industry from red carpet to consulting to personal shopping, anything that had to do with clothes.

I was working for a jewelry brand before I started Forma. I was working at Jackie Aisha's all the jewelry that I wear and I love. Oh, do you get hooked up? Yes. I mean, she just has the best stuff and she like us to make anything you want. So it's just a very creative environment also to be in, which is what I loved. I never worked in jewelry before that. I just really admired her as, you know, like a business owner and a designer. So that was a really great experience. Also, just watching someone create so much magic on a daily basis was really inspiring for me. And so I basically just had kind of like a nine to five for a really long time. And I was cool with it. I was very happy with that amount of responsibility, waking up in the morning knowing I have

somewhere to be, getting tasks done, locking the door at 6 p.m. And I'm good. I'm not thinking about work stuff for the rest of the night. Amazing. That changed very quickly. And, you know, when COVID hit, kind of just was doing online classes for Pilates. I was always practicing Pilates throughout my entire career, my adolescent years. It was just my own kind of physical therapy. And I decided to buy a reformer. And for my family, I was like, guys get excited. We're going to get a machine for all of us. We're going to put it in the pool house. Was everybody in the same house at this point? It was me and my mom, but like my brother lives close by. My sister lives down the street. You know, we're very family oriented. So we're always in each other's faces. So when one person gets

something we all share it, obviously. So everyone was super stoked and I got a reformer. I put it in. I installed it. I was really excited. And I like snapped a photo obviously, put it up on my Instagram and automatically just had like a few of my close girlfriends saying like, oh my God, I can't believe you got a machine. We want to come over. And I was like, sure, come on by. Like do your thing. And kind of through that, I just, you know, it was like a social thing as well as they kind of turned to me and they're like, well, you know what you're doing. Like, teach us. And I started very slow and for fun there. Didn't think anything of it. But I enjoyed it because I felt needed. And I felt like, you know, during this time where we have nothing to do, I had a responsibility. And it was to make people feel good about. themselves, whether it was physically, emotionally, mentally, like socializing, teaching them. It was my way to connect and also pass the time because who knew, you know, how long this was

going to last, like how long were we supposed to stay home for? And it started like that. And I think how it was so organic and very intentional really stood out. You know, I wasn't intending to start a business and make money. I was just doing something from kind of like the goodness of my heart. And then it was taking up a little bit too much of my time. So I was like, you know, let me make some money. But nothing crazy. You know, I was like, let's see where this goes. And that's kind of how it started. It's so interesting because so many people who I've had on the show who have successful businesses didn't sit down and write a business plan and have a goal of how much money they want to make or how many locations they want to have, for example. It came out of a personal

need. And I think that fuels, like you said, like you had a purpose and you had a passion for it. And I think that is the best avenue to growing like a business organically. I don't know, because I don't have a business. No, definitely. But it's like I feel like when it has a personal meaning, like it just fuels it in such a different way. But to go back to what you were saying, you may not have a business, but you have a platform. Yeah. And the people who subscribe or listen, you know, listen because of the message that you're sending out. And I think, you know, all of these podcasts are so inspiring and have an impact because we are normal people, you know, no matter what, working with celebrities, not working with celebrities, running a business, whatever it is, like we still wake up in the morning and we

feel. And we go through struggles. And, you know, just because things, things may come easier because we're in the spotlight, does it mean that we don't feel? And I think that's the message that I always try to put out there is like, yes, I have an incredible job and I have a beautiful business with amazing clients. But I've got my own things and I've got my own issues and I'm human and I'm 32. I grew up in L.A. Like we all struggle with something. And that's kind of what I try to always share is like it's not always what you think And it's not always what you see. Like always make an effort to like get to know the person and understand rather than judging a book by its cover right away. And I've heard you say in other interviews like kind of a similar thing. And you know, you do work with so many celebrities. Like everybody has seen the paparazzi pictures and they post about it too. Like I feel like the forma people are very supportive. Like it's a really nice like I don't know. It's just a core group. But I've heard you say like everyone has their thing too. Like those people also, you know, Like everybody is going through something. And I think that's so important for people to hear it because you see the picture of Haley or Kendall coming out of Pilates and their body is banging and their skin is glowy. And you're just like, well, they're just perfect. Like their life is perfect. And, you know, obviously like we're not naming names or talking about anyone specifically. But like having a kind of firsthand look at like that life also. Like those people go through things too.

And I feel like I am very relatable, which is, I think, a part of why Forma is so successful. My instructors are also really down to earth, really great girls. You know, I don't just hire people to hire them so I can scale my business. I carefully handpick everybody based on my community. So, you know, even the most famous people and even the least famous people, like, life is life. And happiness is something that's hard to achieve and takes a lot of work. And we all go through it. There's no cheat sheet. There's no secret code. You know, there's certain things that may make it easier or more comfortable. But we all go through struggles. And we all go through whether it's health, gut, hormones, COVID, relationships, friendships, like, you know, finances. Like, there's so many things. Like, life is up and down. And I, I think one thing that has made me, you know, get excited to wake up every day is my business and my community because I can share these conversations with my clients.

And they know and I know like, we're human. Like, we get it. It's all good. What you're going through, I went through or I'm going to go through whatever you're going through, you know? So it's just, that's what's nice is it's a personal relationship. If you're a fan of it, sushi is incredible, but gas station sushi, not so much. Basically, finding the right sushi makes all the difference, and the same goes for finding the right

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Blonde. This is Amanda Hirsch from the Not Skinny but Not Fat podcast. You might know me from Not Skinny Bonatha on Instagram where I spend my time talking about reality TV, celebrities, everything happening and pop culture every Tuesday. Okay. I also talk to some of our favorite celebs and reality TV stars. We talk about what's going on. Tune in every Tuesday and just feel like you're talking about your best friends in your

living room. I'm smiling because I had to. take a little bit of time off. I got my boobs done and I'm like getting back into working out now, but gut issues fucking galore because I'm the same way. That's where I hold like everything. And then it just trickles down into like everything. Right. Sleep, skin. Yeah. Anxiety. Well, I can definitely share all of the things with you. And if I can give you one piece of advice, it's it doesn't get, people don't change. And it doesn't get better. And I think that. fear of, you know, I don't know how old you are, but I'm 32. And the idea of being alone at

32 and starting over was really scary, especially because he was very much involved in my personal life, in my work life, in everything. But I reached like the end point where I was 98 pounds. I was extremely depressed. I worked my ass off because it was the only thing that made me feel good. And I was just not me. And like, I was like, I can't live. my life this way. And he was willing to do anything and everything to like, let's go to therapy, let's this, let's that. He just wasn't my person. And my body felt it and my body was in fight or flight mode all the time around him because it was just, and he's not a bad person. I think he's just like class A narcissist. And he has good intentions. It's just the type of man that he is doesn't work

with me, you know, being an empath and being very sensitive and vulnerable. And, you know, I always want to make the people around me very happy that that took a toll on my life and my happiness and my health. So, you know, I think everybody needs to go through that. Like, I can now smell a narcissist from five miles away. I've dated them my whole life. I never knew really what it was before my ex, you know. So there's so many lessons I learned and I was able to also, like, attract the best guy today, you know, and that's why it's like you have to kind of go through these things as shitty as they are. And I went through a really, really, really rough seven months where like I couldn't get out of bed, which was wild. But I'm here today. And I'm like, I'm so grateful for that experience because it's already in the past. You know? I know it's hard. I realize like boundaries are so important. And when we first separated, it was like people were, you know, so curious and wanted to hear. And I wanted to share like what I was. You know, going through, but also keep it private. And also, I feel like, I don't know, there's just certain stuff that people shouldn't be entitled to. Of course. And I think when you do let the public into

your life, it's a slippery slope. Yes. And the transparency and I know, you know, Instagram, all the highlights. Like, I think, you know, you give a finger they want the whole hand. Yeah. I think what to take from it is obviously how you can teach people certain things based on your experiences. But yeah, I mean, nobody wants to paint a negative picture about anybody, you know, I think that reflects poorly on the person. But I do think it's important to share, like, I'm, again, really transparent. I just don't want it to be at the cost of anybody else's feelings. Well, I know everybody is going to want to know. How did you attract your person? So, give us your secrets. To be honest, I did a lot of work on myself.

Again, I went through a very, very, very rocky few years personally and in, and professionally. And in the meantime, it was a combination of having a really great therapist who was, you know, who gave me so many tools that I now use today. I don't have to see her every week. But I think it starts with self-love and taking care of yourself. I think that's what attracts your perfect partner and soulmate. It's, you have to find someone that's willing to dance with you and you guys be kind of on the same rhythm. I had been with so many different men all great in their own way, but at the end of the day, I always reached the same spot, you know,

and I feel like today I'm so much more aware of myself and what I have to give and what I'm looking for. So the older you get, the more experiences you acquire to then understand, like, okay, the red flags, you see them pretty quickly. Yeah. I was talking to my friend about this last week and I was kind of spiraling about like the situation and something happened. And he was like, he's very even keeled and calm. And he was like, you can't control like what's going to happen. You can't control the outcome. All you can do is control what you do. So focus on your health. Focus on your relationships with your friends. Focus on your job. Focus on getting sleep. Focus on working out like these things. that make you feel good, that's all you can control. And it sounds like such cliche, kind of like simplistic advice. But at the end of the day, that's all you can do. And the people that want to come and go are going to come and go. And I feel like that does kind of, it also empowers you. Because when you do,

when you are taking care of yourself and you are like loving yourself, respecting yourself, you're going to have good boundaries. Definitely. So. Yeah. I think also back to what you said about the things that you can control. I had really debilitating anxiety for, I would say for me, it was a short time period in retrospect to most people in the world, but I finally like had an aha moment where my therapist was like, what is anxiety? It's basically the fear of things that you can't control. And once you're able to have some safety and security with your own self, you'll be able to trust, you know, whatever it is, whether it's in God, in the universe, in yourself, whatever you want to believe, you're able to take a deep breath and know that,

okay, there's nothing I can do about this. I just need to, like, take a deep breath and release and just hope for the best because either way, you can't do anything. So instead of driving yourself insane about it, just go through the motions, know that this will be the outcome, and we'll figure it out from there. You know, what's the worst that can happen? And I think just constantly, like, repeating that to myself and saying, like, I can't control this. I just need a release.

Like, over time, I was able to really calm the noise in my head and all the voices. And today, like, how we were on our way over here and Kurti was like, oh, my God, we're late. And I was like, it's all good. Like, we're going to start 20 minutes later. Like, what's going to happen? Nothing. You know, like, it's just not worth the stress.

Yeah. I'm going to do that. Like radical acceptance of like what it is in the moment. That doesn't mean that you're like accepting a whole situation or anything. It's just like it is when it is. It's trusting. It's kind of like stoicism. Like you're not judging what's happening in the moment. It just is. As I was going through my own relationship stuff last spring, I was at Forma three days a week at least. Yeah. And I would go with my girlfriend Ashley and you're like the instructors. It was like therapy. That was my hour of the day where I felt so fucking good leaving there because I could relate to them. Everybody was sharing their own thing. And it just felt so supportive.

And I think that's like a testament to your business too. And like you said, like you select people and you're very intentional about how you do it. Do people see your kitchen and say, wow? If not, then you might need to visit cabinets to go.com and request their free custom 3D design, and quote, for a kitchen makeover that wows for a whole lot less than you would think. The kitchen is the heart of the home. And according to real estate experts, upgrades to the kitchen is one of the best ways to add the most value and joy to your home. I totally agree with this. The kitchen is my happy place. It's where we spend most of our time. And I feel like

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and five free travel packs with your first purchase. All you have to do is visit Athletic Greens.com slash Blonde Files. again, that's athletic greens.com slash blonde files to take ownership over your health and pick up the ultimate daily nutritional insurance. How else do you think? Like what was the main thing that you would attribute your success to? Like especially initially because it just kind of, obviously you worked hard, but it kind of blew up like over COVID. I mean, I think my own like, you know, physique and the way that I look at fitness and the way that I look at Pilates. You're walking billboard. for business. But I'm also a really, really hard worker. And that goes for like every aspect of my life. So whether it's fitness or self-care or, you know, when it comes to therapy or healing, like I go zero to 100.

If I'm on a mission, I'm going to get it done and I'm going to do everything I can in my power to feel better, look better, do better. That is just how I've always been as a kid. I'm very competitive within myself. So I've always wanted to perfect everything that I do. And I think I owe a lot of my success to a really nailing down the body and what I like to do. So the way that I'm working out, the way that I teach is the way that I work out. So I am, yes, a walking advertisement. And I think people kind of see the way that my abs look or the way that my legs look or the definition. And it's like, there's no secret. Here it is. You know, so I think that's also a big part of Forma. Like, I am my brand, which makes things, it's kind of like a double-edged sword. I'm, I'm, like,

married to it. I can't ever really step out. But I do love it. So I think that plus the idea that we really care. So we're not just, you know, there's, I think there's a big difference between like a big studio where you're coming in and you're, you know, what kind of workout you're getting. There's not really too much attention to detail. There's not a lot of personal attention. There's not a lot of technique that you need to learn. Whereas when I was practicing Pilates for so many years, I would be in a group class and a lot of the people in the class would be doing the movements incorrectly or they don't really know what's happening. They're just following along the person in front of them or they're dozing off or, you know, what is? They're not really focused. And I kind of wanted to fix that. And I

wanted people that really want to understand what Pilates is and how beneficial it is to your body if you're doing it right. I wanted them to experience that. So even today, after so many years of, not so many years, three years of teaching, but it feels like years because they do it every day, I'm still super nitpicky, you know, and if I feel like a client is like dozing off to another place, I'm like, hey, like, come back and I want you to like connect. I want you to feel it. I want every minute of this hour to count, you know? And it's also like, A, you want to get your money's worth. B, it's like always me trying to make people understand why we're different and why Forma is not just fitness, but it's more of a community. And we really, really care about every single person

that comes into the studio. Yeah. And that's one of the nice things about it. Like you're so engaged mentally and physically. It's that mind, body, especially because it's small. So you get that attention. like you can't there are some classes that are so hard and I'm like I just want to like to half-ass you know what I mean but you're right it is pointless because it's like well then you're not getting your money's worth right there's so much attention that you're so tuned in for that hour that like for me at least I really I mean my body changed like that and I also had so many other benefits like my anxiety when I was going through all of that was so much better yeah and I felt strong and just moving that energy also is it's great and you can take that with you everywhere you go yeah you know so it's again like that mind-body connection applies to so many other workouts and whether it's strength training cardio it's just being a little bit more connected and listening to your body don't get to a burnout place really invest in recovery and it's it's it's it's a mental and physical therapy so i think that's kind of the purpose around forma is it's not just coming to like why

I can't I come into the studio or coming into the studio and taking a selfie in the mirror. It's like people come and they actually really work hard and they dedicate time and they're on a mission. And that infamous mirror selfie at the end, that's the reward. Yes. I mean, it's fun. It's meant to be there. So listen, I love looking at myself when I work out, call me vain. But like, that's my motivation.

Yeah. I see my abs in the mirror and I'm like, all right, let's get them. Let's do more. Like I see my glutes. like I like to look at myself. There's no secret there. And I think after a long class where you are like, holy shit, that was really hard. You want to take like a nice little sweaty selfie like I survived. Here we go. And you should be your own motivation. I think that's great. Because when you start comparing yourself to somebody else, like that's when you're going to kind of fall into that trap

and not feel good enough. And I've heard you again talk about this on another podcast. But you were talking about your body. And of course, everyone is like, wow, body goals. And you're we're like, but this is also genetic. And I think that it's such an important thing. And like, not to sound obnoxious, I don't know how to phrase this without sounding annoying. But when I do Q&As or something, people will be like, how do you get your legs lean? And I'm like, it's genetic. Yeah. That's such a big part of it. And I think that's important for people to hear because you know what you're working with. And you're not going to be like, I want to have Haley's body. Right. Like, you want to have your body, but in the best way that you're not. You're not going to be like,

way that it can be, right? Yeah. And that's where also the self-love comes into play and the acceptance of, excuse me, this is what I have and this is what I have to work with. So I think it's recognizing what your baseline is. Again, my body is, I am walking advertisement. I own that. There's no doubt. But I've also, like, I work with what I have. I can show you photos of me from, I don't know, maybe like 10 years ago, I'm still skinny, but I'm not defined. I, you know, I'm a little bit, I'm soft, if that makes sense. Like today, especially after starting my business, I'm obviously a little bit more active. My body's like a rock, which sometimes like I don't love, but it's part of the territory, you know. And I think people also don't realize that muscle weighs more

than that. And, you know, I can tell on the weeks that I've worked out a lot, like my jeans are tighter, not because I gained weight, but because everything is sculpted. And it, and it clothes just fit differently. And again, it's having that awareness and understanding like, okay, this is my body type. This is where I can get it to. That's an unrealistic goal. I'm not going to beat myself up because I'm never going to get there. You know, so when people come into my studio, I never ask them, like, who do you want to look like or what do you want to look like? I ask them, what are your goals? What is the part of your body that you want to transform? I don't say change because you can't change your body. What do you want to improve? And based on that, I can, I honestly tell them like, okay, listen,

this is what we have to work with and this is what we'll get to. If we need to add some things from the outside world, whether it's a nutritionist or whatever it is, we'll do that. But I want everyone to come in with very realistic goals and not assume that they're going to be like, you know, a supermodel walking out of the studio, which they can be to themselves, you know, obviously, but it's just having realistic goals for yourself. What is your motivation? Because I would imagine, because you are kind of the advertisement for your brand, like a lot of people look to you, I would assume that that would add a certain amount of pressure, maybe not. But is it, is that some of it? Or is it also obviously feeling your best? Like what motivates you? Because I'm sure also doing this day and day out,

you're probably not like, oh, I can't wait to like get on the reformer every day. As I took a deep inhale when you asked me back, a lot of things motivate me. I think ultimately I'm super passionate about Forma because I've seen how much good it's brought in to so many people's lives, including my team and myself. My motivation for fitness, specifically, I did a reformer class this weekend. Like, it's such a treat when I get to do it. I just have a different relationship with Pilates today than I used to. And that's okay. I made that sacrifice for the community. And I'm totally fine with that. There's so many different other things that I can do. So I dabble in different things. Again, for me, it's more mindful.

Like, it's more a mental therapy than me trying to keep my figure up at this point. point like I'm good. I just eat pretty well. But I've been into, as I mentioned on a few other podcasts, like I love to box because that also requires a lot of technique. So I don't do it for the workout or like aerobic side of it or cardio. I do it more for technique and self-defense. And I think that's, there's a lot of rhythm and dance and it actually embodies a lot of things that I really enjoy. So I've been boxing twice a week. I do yoga. twice a week because I need to shut down. At the end of the day, I never cancel. I have it every Monday and Wednesday at five. And I'm religious about it. And I never really liked yoga, but it's

restorative. So she comes over and she stretches me. And like she opens up my hips and she releases all the tension that I have in my body from, whether it's work or my personal life working out, whatever it is. So the recovery part is really important because I feel like it's my way of winding down, which is something I have a really hard time doing. I'm always on. Everywhere I go, I'm like, tell me, what do you need? Most of you have probably heard me sing the praises of pros, the world's most personalized hair care. And for those that haven't, I want to tell you about the incredible results I'm seeing since using my customized pros products. So I started using this a few months ago,

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I want to be long and lean. What do I do? Am I eating three meals a day? Am I eating six meals a day? Am I doing protein? Am I doing meat? You know, obviously, we know everyone's different. But what have you kind of honed in on that really works for you? You know what? I'm going to be totally honest. I don't know. I've been having a tough time myself with finding the right diet for me because I'm so high energy in the morning that I can't put too much food in my body in the morning because it makes me not sluggish, but I'm just having a hard time with finding the right food today.

I'm experiencing that specifically in California and the United States. Like, equality is not there. And because of that, I feel like I'm also depriving myself of certain things because I don't want to put crap in my body. body. So I'm at a place right now where I need to reevaluate that. And I'm looking towards, you know, meal plans or private chefs that are willing to like work with me because it is a really important

part of my lifestyle because I, I need so much fuel and energy. I need to eat the right things. And I'm not a nutritionist. And I've tried different things that are not really working for me because I'm hitting a, I'm hitting a wall on a regular basis. And it's burnout, totally. Like, My body just like shuts down on me and like I start shivering. I go pale. I start sweating. I get nauseous. It almost feels like a panic attack.

It's my body basically telling me, Leanna, you have to stop. And I think that has to do with my hormones, not eating maybe. I don't know if it's too much protein, not enough protein, not enough vegetables. So for me, again, like I'm a work in progress and my life is always changing and I've traveled a lot recently too. So I'm trying to figure out my balance, but I will say protein bars really help me. So if I feel like I'm crashing and it also has to do like glucose and sugar and, you know, so I'll have a protein bar.

I'm like having a smoothie. I'm trying to focus on warm foods, especially in the morning. So like I never drink a cold coffee, which I advise that to everyone. The first thing that you put in your body in the morning should not be cold. It should either be room temperature or warm. everyone with their cold lemon water and celery juice right now. Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah. Ice coffee. It's just it warms. It warms up your stomach and it's easier for your stomach to digest things throughout the day. So there is definitely like a protocol that I've learned on like what you should have first. And TBD. I mean, hurt to be continued. You know, I feel like once I figure it out, I'm happy to share it.

I just, again, I'm having a tough time with it. As I'm sure I talk about this all the time with other trainers and other friends. Like, it's just. Well, I think that's so important for people to hear too because people obviously look to you and other people in the wellness space and think they have it all figured out. I want to do exactly what they're doing. And I get this question too from people. And I'm like, I go through phases. Like, it's never like there isn't a destination as cheesy as that sounds where you're like, all right, I got the magic formula.

left for my workouts and my food and I'm never going to change ever again. It's like you have different stress levels. Obviously like you said, hormones, like relationship things, work things. Like that's all going to influence your energy and you might not be working out in the same way on any given day. You may be traveling. Like that all influences your body and it's so important to be flexible. And I'm like you right now, I think, where I'm like, I know what I should do maybe. But I wake up. I have my matia and my macadamia nuts. That's great.

And then I don't like to eat a ton either right now. But then I go get my smoothie in the afternoon. And it's like sugar and then crash. And then I'm fucking starving. Yeah. And I'm miserable. And then you overeat. And then I eat.

And then I need a big dinner. And I'm like, this is not working. Yeah. But it's hard. Like you have to give yourself some grace too. I think it also, it's having just a negative association with,

food, which is so unhealthy, you know, I'm kind of having that struggle because I find that everything that we eat is just not, like, it's so hard to find, like, super clean chicken. I, like, stopped eating chicken because I got so grossed out by it. Like, I don't eat too much raw fish because I had a bad parasite experience. Like, you know what I mean? Like, it's just everything. We're, like, eliminating so many things. And it's, like, you reach a point where you're, you're like, I don't know what to eat anymore. And I'm somebody that, obviously like I want to promote a healthy body and a healthy life and you see me I'm I'm struggling with that as well like obviously I'm healthier today than I was seven months ago but at the same time it's

hard it's it's really hard to find that balance and to find the good fuel I also like people start my body all day long imagine how much pressure that is yeah you know like the fact that I can today still eat like french fries and burgers and have that balance is a lot of that's huge because I feel like most people in this industry where everyone's just looking at you and how you look like that is a recipe for a really major eating disorder. Yeah. You know, and that's not fair either. Yeah. I feel like a lot of people experience that on some level, even just with social media and comparing themselves to other people and everything's filtered and, you know, these crazy standards of beauty. And whether you're an influencer or you're just, you know,

using social media with your friends or whatever, like that's definitely getting in people's head. So there are different scales to it. You know, there's celebrities and there's trainers and everything like that. But I feel like that's something that a lot of people can relate to. And I think that, you know, you saying that you want to promote healthy eating and a healthy lifestyle, I think admitting that you're struggling with it, that is promoting a healthy thing because that's like something that everybody goes through at some point. And you're not pretending like you have Absolutely not. There's no pretending here by no means. And I'm also, I don't consider myself like, yes, I have a lot of celebrity clients and I may have a nice following on Instagram, but I don't

see myself as an influencer. I'm not here to promote something that's not real. Not to say that that's what influencers are, but I'm just a regular person. And I'm a business owner. And I care what people think and I care what people want, you know, want to see. And I think being vulnerable and organic and just real is not common these days. And that's kind of just who I am. And I feel like that goes a long way. So I just try to be real. Well, not to exploit this in any way, but I know that people are probably listening going, well, what do these celebrities do? Say that they have a red carpet in two weeks, a month. Are they training every day? Are they, I mean, what's happening there?

To be honest, I think it's a combination of a lot of things. I would compare it to think about it as you have a big event to go to in a week. What are you going to do? You're going to try to eat really well, probably less, and you're going to work out a lot. And you're going to do whatever other treatments in the meantime you can to just make sure that on that day, you're going to be snatched. It's the same thing. I think for celebrities, actors, models, just because it's a reoccurring situation, they, like, you know, liquid, juice cleanses, whatever it is, like a few days before, I don't find that most of my girls are doing, have unhealthy habits by any means. They all work really hard to where they're at. But then when they're done, they take a break. And they like, they eat and they enjoy. They indulge on the foods that they couldn't have a week before because they wanted to fit. into their dress, but like, they're just like us at the end of the day. Like, I know when I have

a big event coming up, like, I'm going to probably stay away from in and out. I'm probably going to stay away from like sugar. I'm going to really try to do like a really low carb, just protein veggies and like maybe a little bit more soups versus having three full meals a day. Again, it's, it's about balance. So it's not something that you need to do forever. It's just a short lived situation. And yeah, is working out every day and intentionally, not just showing up and being there and sweating and getting a lymphatic massage or a deep tissue massage, you know, it's all of that combined. Yeah, they have everything at their disposal too. So many people do and I think that's so important to remember too. It is all the things. Totally. And if you've got to utilize it, there's nothing

wrong with it. But there's also a lot of things that you can do at home. You know, today with TikTok and Instagram, like, you could teach yourself how to give yourself a lymphatic massage. Yeah. You know, there's so many little gadgets you could buy today, too, that are good for inflammation, red light therapies. It's just what you're willing to invest in. What are some of your wellness non-negotiables? I know you go to Rebecca.

Yes. She's a godsend. I love Rebecca. I see Rebecca probably depending on how much travel I have every time I come back from a trip. It just kickstarts everything for me. So I do my lymphatic yoga, obviously. I still do acupuncture once a week. I think it really, really helps me hormonally with my hormones.

So that's a non-negotiable. And I do have to do like an active, I have to get an active sweat in twice a week as well. Facials, a big facial girl. Who do you go to for facials? I go to a few people. I like to, because everyone offers something a little different. So I go to Artisan of Skin. I go to Sharr, who's amazing.

She's really, it's more intense. Her products are more intense in terms of for anyone who struggles with breakouts or acne. That's really good. And then I have another girl who, her name is Lana, that she is, every time I walk out of there, I'm just like glistening and glowing. And it's like mild extractions, but she also uses very organic and like homemade stuff. So those are two of like, I think five girls that I see. And then I have, rotation. Yeah. I mean, and they're also busy, so I have to kind of spread them out a little bit. That's a good idea, actually, because when I'm like, I need a facial, my girl's always busy. And it's always good to try different people, too. It's almost like fitness.

If you're doing the same thing, like consecutively, it's going to stop doing anything. So when you switch it up, and it's the same thing, how you switch up your products, it's the same with anesthetician. Everyone has a different technique. Everyone uses different products. Everyone will also tell you something different all the time. But, you know, it's good to try new people. What is a mistake that you think people make when it comes to their fitness, their approach to wellness, anything like that?

To be honest, I don't think that you can make a mistake when it comes to fitness. Again, getting yourself somewhere is already a first step in you loving yourself. You know, you're making the effort to take care of your body. I think it's more so the perception of how the expectations and how people beat themselves up, you know, for a weekend of like binge eating and drinking. I think that association to fitness is what I sometimes don't agree with. It's like I had such a glutinous weekend. Like, I have to work out every day this week. It shouldn't be that.

The punishment. Yeah. It shouldn't be a punishment. Yeah. It's to work out is a privilege and it should be also enjoyable. So I think that's a common mistake that I see is people forcing themselves because they're upset that they ate over ate or over drank or made a lot of mistakes. It's like, no, you had a great weekend. You enjoyed yourself and you're here today and you're going to try to have a balance this week and be a little bit more mindful on what you're going to put into your body.

Yeah. I feel like making that shift can be so transformative. Like when you start doing things from a place of wanting to support your body instead of like. Shaming your body. Shaming your body. Yeah. Something just clicks. But I feel like it's hard. Like everyone has to get there kind of on their own. There's nothing that anybody can really do or say. Like at least for me, I had to get uncomfortable enough to be willing to make a change. That's the kind of person I am. I'm so stubborn. And I did that for years with fitness. I was like high. I'm. I intensity, pliometric, six days a week, you know, counting macros, like just until the point where I was like, this is fucking awful. Right. Right. I can't do this anymore. Yeah. And that's when everything changed. Totally. And it really is, again, it's, it all starts with self-love. And I think people don't realize, like, eating is a form of self-love. Nourishing your body. Working out is a form of self-love. Communicating is a form of self-love. So I think. think that's what people need to tap into is more being aware of themselves and how they feel and how they can give back to themselves every day, just a little bit. And that'll reframe

all of those negative kind of shameful thoughts that you have about yourself. Okay. Morning routine. Walk us through. What time do you wake up? Five. Five. When is your first client? Seven or eight, but I work out. I wake up. I wake up. at five on the days that I work out in the morning, if not six. Okay. So you wake up at five. What do you do? It's dark outside. I turn on the lights because it's still dark. I wake up at five and I usually first thing I do is I chug a bottle of water because if I don't do it then I'll just get up and like it's the end of the day. Yeah. Yeah. So I have, I try to finish. I have like a eight ounce bottle of water by my bed. So I know how much I'm drinking. I try to finish it all. I pop some

vitamin C and then I jet into my bathroom. I have a pretty basic and not exciting skincare routine. It's basically just, I've kind of dumped it down today because I used to have like seven steps and I'm like, this is just too much. But I basically just do kind of like a serum, a moisturizer and a tinted sunscreen moisturizer and then put a little bit of makeup on. Like today I had to do my makeup because it was coming here. But typically I don't have like eyeliner on. But It's pretty basic. Again, I'm in fitness. I work with girls all day long. Like, I look good for myself, but it's, it's super chill. I'm out of my house probably by like 5.30, 545. I get a hot macha. I typically go to Alfred. And then I head to a workout or I go into my studio about 30 minutes early. I just prep for the day.

And then for the next three to four hours, I am in it. So I don't have, I try to get everything done before I start teaching, whether it's emails, phone calls, text, what do I need to tell my assistant? Who do I need to call? Because from about seven or eight till noon, I can't talk to anybody. So, yeah, I like maybe like cruise like Instagram for five seconds, but it's back-to-back clients and it's, I want to be present with all of them. And sometimes it's hard because I'll get like an email or a phone call or a text message and I'll be in the middle of a class and be like, guys, I'm so sorry, hold. But that comes with the territory of like you're taking my class and like I still own this business and I still have to be somewhat available. Right.

But that's that's the morning. It goes by really quickly for me. And then Mondays and Wednesdays you do yoga. What is, how do you wind down? Because you're obviously go, go, go throughout the day. So how do you turn off? Like you're not working for Jackie anymore where you can just clock out and be like, we're done.

So to be honest, I never really, really turn off. I really don't. Like my brain is always working at full speed and it's hard to shut it off. That's why I'm honestly like I don't have a hard time sleeping because I just, I face plant my pillow and I'm out. But my yoga girl who's a really good friend of mine today, she'll take my phone away because there's some sessions where I'm like, I haven't had a minute today to answer anything. Like we're going to do this while you're stretching me and I'm going to be on my phone.

And she'll allow it sometimes. She'll like feel my energy. But I, depending on. like sometimes I'll have that heartbeat in my stomach and she'll tell me or in my neck and she'll be like no phone today. Interesting. Because that's that's my anxiety and stress. Yeah.

Wow. Yeah. That's basically like fight or flight is happening and we need to go to rest and digest. You can't do that if you don't turn off. Yeah. So I also some days needed it a lot more and some days I'm like doing down dog and like my phone is like below my, below me and I'm like multitasking. Yeah.

But again, it's a work in progress. Yeah. But I really enjoy that Monday and Wednesday when I'm done. I'm like yawning and I'm relaxed and I'm super calm and I feel a lot more open, you know, physically but also like emotionally. So I really try to make an effort, but it doesn't always work. And what time do you go to bed? What time do you face plant? I face plant.

I face plant. Like beginning of the week, I try to be in bed by the, like nine. When we get to like Wednesday, Thursday, I do go out because I'm also a human being. And sometimes I go to sleep at 12 and I'll get like a five or six hour night. Yeah. Oh, God. But I, these are the things that I have to do. It's like I can only be so into my sleep hours. Yeah. But then I have no social life and I won't see my friends. Yeah. So it's balanced. I can't do that every night of the week. But I choose like Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, like I should be in bed before 10. Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, like, I'm a little bit more flexible. I'll nap during the day.

Like, I'll find like a 30-minute window and I will go home and I will take a 30-minute nap or I'll just lay in my bed with my eyes opened. If I could have a superpower, two things. One, I would be able to nap. I feel like it would solve so many of my problems. Yes and no. Yes and no. Sometimes I wake up from a nap and I'm like really anxious. Like I just missed. Yeah, like heart palpitations. Like it's, it doesn't always work. But sometimes like I, you have to find it's like I think it's 26 minutes or something. It's literally like 15 to 20 minutes. It's not like an hour now. It's a sweet spot. Yeah. But it works. When I started doing TM meditation, it's 20 minutes twice a day. Yeah. And I find that like if I am exhausted, like if I got five hours of the last. It's a sweet spot. Yeah. But it works. When I started doing TM meditation, it's 20 minutes twice a day. Yeah. And I find that like if I got five hours of. sleep and I do the 20 minute meditation. I think actually your brain waves are more relaxed than if you're napping. And when I was taking the course, they were like, it's actually more restorative. Because for those 20 minutes, you're going into like, I can't remember alpha, whatever. And that makes me like so clear and alert, but calm. It's kind of crazy. So I guess that's my napping.

It's hard. I can only shut off my brain. That's like it's only one I, that also the napping part is my way of turning my brain off. See, my brain is too busy, so that's why I can't nap. But with TM, like, you're just thinking of a mantra and your other thoughts bounce around, but you get so focused on the mantra. So you're in silence, but you're allowed to think. That's the whole thing. Oh, that's great.

And if you lose the mantra and then you realize 10 minutes later, oh, shit, I'm not doing it. You just bring it back. And it's crazy. Like, I won't go off on a tangent on it on this episode, but you might like it. I'm going to look into that. Yeah. I feel like that's what my, when I do acupuncture for 45 to 50 minutes, I choose a certain day of the week where I know it's a busy day because I sleep for, I sleep for those 45 minutes. I had somebody on my podcast who teaches TM and they said it's like doing the laundry in your brain.

It really is. It's crazy. And your body will sometimes twitch. And it's like they said there's like internal and external releases of stress. And that's just like your body just shakes it out. It's so wild. Oh, I switch all the time. clear. Yeah, it's amazing. That's a good thing. Okay, cool. I thought there was just maybe something wrong with

like, well, no, you obviously have energy in there that you need to like, yeah, release. Yeah. Lots of it. Okay. I like to ask everybody, one thing we should stop doing today and one thing we should start doing. Okay. One thing we should stop doing is, well, again, it's all about self-love, but I think we should stop shaming ourselves and each other, especially on Instagram. I think that it drives me nuts it takes so much for me not to respond to certain people but I think that's something that we should stop doing and I think everyone should start loving themselves a little bit more amazing well tell everybody where they can find you and find forma and they can also do it online we didn't even talk about that but yeah no that's okay um everyone can check out forma online through our website and we do offer now a seven day free trial just super exciting

because we didn't for a really long time. You guys can check us out on Instagram, keep an eye out for Forma Wellness Club. It's still in the works. Thank you so much. It's so good to finally meet you. Oh, and we have a discount code for all of your... Oh, yes. Amazing. We'll put one together. It'll be probably 15 or 20% off your annual subscription to Forma Online. Yeah. Incredible. Thank you so much. I hope you enjoyed that episode. If you liked it, and if you like the show in general, please take a second to rate, review, and subscribe. It goes a long way, and it's actually the best way to support the show. Also, if you want to see more about each episode, you can head over to The Blonde Files podcast on Instagram. I'm always posting about each episode there or over on my personal page at Ariel Laurie. Please note that this episode may contain paid endorsements and advertisements for products and services. Individuals on the show may have a

direct or indirect financial interest in products or services referred to in this episode.