I hung up the phone after my very first conversation with Evie and immediately went to our team Slack channel. You guys, I said, you are going to love her.
Evie is 51, soon to be 52, a mom of three grown daughters with one about to become a mom herself, and a nurse executive running the oncology service line for eleven hospitals in New England. She has spent fifty years getting herself wherever she needed to go on relentless consistency and grit, especially on the days the motivation wasn't there. Then everything shifted at once. Menopause hit. A marriage of more than 20 years ended. She was moving up the professional ladder and moving through her late forties single, and life felt like it was swirling.
She physically wasn't where she wanted to be, and for Evie this was never only about the number on the scale. It was about how not feeling her best trickled into her mood, her friendships, her relationship, and how she showed up as a boss and for the patients she cares for. The world kept telling her the same thing. You're in menopause now, this is who you'll be, accept it. She knew that couldn't be true, and she was right.
In this episode, we talk about:
- Why "it's just menopause, accept it" is a load of horseshit
- The shame high achieving women feel about asking for help
- How feeling flat physically bled into her mood, work, and relationship
- Why wanting to look and feel great isn't vanity
- What made the Powerhouse Academy different from competition prep
- Why she thought she didn't need mental health support (and was wrong)
- Down 8 pounds in 8 weeks from an already lean starting point
- How she navigated the lake house and dinners out without guilt
If you have ever tucked your struggle in and told yourself you're handling it just fine, Evie's story will make you feel seen. And when you're ready to stop white-knuckling it alone, we're right here.
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Join Former Bikini Olympia Champion, mom of 2, and fitness coach Nathalia Melo each week as she shares fitness, nutrition, and life tips to help busy working moms simplify their fitness journey so they can learn easy and simple strategies on how to lose weight and feel sexy AF.
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This show is for you if you realize that nothing good comes from your comfort zone and are ready to challenge yourself to achieve great things. Follow Unfiltered Fit Life wherever you are listening to join us each week for a splash of sass, humor, and a whole lotta truth.
Podcast Transcript
How Evie Got Her Power Back at 51
MEETING EVIE
From our very first conversation I knew Evie was special, and I couldn't wait for my team to meet her. She's 51, a mom of three grown daughters, and a nurse who climbed from bedside all the way to an executive role over oncology for eleven hospitals. Everything she has built, she built through hard work.
WHEN LIFE STARTED SWIRLING
Evie shares that as she approached 50, menopause hit and a 20-year marriage ended at the same time. She suddenly found herself single, moving, climbing the ladder, and feeling like she'd lost some control. She physically wasn't where she wanted to be, and she knew it was affecting far more than the mirror.
HOW IT TRICKLED INTO EVERYTHING
When you don't feel your best, it's hard to push in the gym, lead at work, or feel like a priority in your relationship. Evie describes becoming a flatter version of herself for about a year. We talk about how that flatness quietly touches your mood, your friendships, and how you show up for everyone around you.
THE VANITY MYTH
Evie admitted she didn't want to feel vain for wanting to look and feel great, and I called her out on it. Wanting to look in the mirror and feel proud isn't vanity when your whole life is being impacted by how you feel. We'd never tell someone to just tolerate any other issue this way, yet women are constantly encouraged to accept mediocre after a certain age.
WHY THIS WAS DIFFERENT FROM COMPETING
Evie has competed before, so she knew the world of chasing a single date on a stage. That kind of training was laser focused on one endpoint and was never built to be sustained. The Powerhouse Academy gave her the opposite: tools for her mind and body and a plan she can carry into her sixties and beyond.
THE IMPLEMENTATION GAP
Evie had foundational knowledge, understood macros, and figured she'd just handle it herself. It simply wasn't working, and there was real shame in admitting that. This is the story of most women I speak with. They have the book knowledge, but when life changes, there's a gap between knowing and doing, and asking for help feels like failing.
FEAR OF FAILURE AND SKEPTICISM
Evie was skeptical about whether the program and the people were legit in an industry full of false promises, and she was scared of what it would mean if she committed and still failed. What finally moved her was realizing that staying the same scared her more. I reminded her of something I tell every woman: if what you're doing now isn't working, the failure is already here. You're just not acknowledging it yet.
WHAT MADE HER SAY SIGN ME UP
What sold Evie was the team. Real experts in their own lanes, each bringing specific expertise, the same way a hospital runs a successful surgery. She thought she didn't need the mental health piece with Sonia and quickly realized she needed it more than she knew.
GETTING HER POWER BACK
Evie says her bikinis are smaller and she couldn't care less about that part. What she got back was her confidence, her energy, and her power. She's less tired, sleeping better, making choices that feel good, and people from her past are messaging her about how happy and glowing she looks.
NAVIGATING REAL LIFE WITHOUT GUILT
Evie's journey hasn't been smooth sailing. She had a loss right out of the gate and a stay at the lake house, and she still made progress by choosing balance instead of going off the rails. She's down eight pounds in eight weeks from an already lean starting point, having drinks or a treat on purpose, adjusting her day, and refusing to attach guilt or shame to it.
