Jen has tried everything - Weight Watchers, macros, keto, Atkins, every fitness app on the market - for years without anything lasting. She came back from a dream vacation in Greece with almost no photos because she did not feel good enough to be in them, and that was the moment she knew something had to change.
In this episode I sit down with Jen, a Powerhouse Academy member who lost 25 pounds after years of trying everything on her own - and who is now booking solo cruises, hitting better numbers at work, and showing up in dating with a clarity she has never had before.
This is not a story about a diet working. It is a story about what happens when you finally stop treating the symptom and start addressing what actually brought you there.
In this episode, we talk about:
- Why knowing what to do was never the problem
- What made her realize the issue went deeper than nutrition and fitness
- Why the thought provoking questions in our first call changed everything
- What losing 25 pounds actually changed beyond the scale
- How her confidence at work translated into a better year-end bonus
- Why she booked a solo cruise and why two strangers called her an inspiration
- How she is showing up differently in dating and what she now knows she deserves
- What she would tell anyone who has tried everything and still feels stuck
If you have ever felt like you know what to do but cannot make it stick, or like you have tried everything and nothing works, this episode is going to show you exactly why - and what is actually standing between you and the results you have been chasing.
Ever wish you had a fit and straightforward BFF with over 15 years of experience to help you filter through all the information regarding fitness, nutrition, and life? That's exactly what you'll get when you listen to the Unfiltered Fit Life Podcast.
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.
After helping over 5000 busy working moms, Nathalia has found the blueprint to fitness, nutrition, and life success, which she will be sharing in this podcast: actionable tips that will help busy working moms be more present at work and at home.
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
She Tried Everything for Years and Lost 25 Pounds When She Finally Did This: Jen's Story
INTRODUCTION
I introduce Jen, a dog mom living in the Midwest who loves the outdoors, traveling, and karaoke. I frame the conversation around the fact that Jen initially did not feel like her story was worth telling - and why I completely disagreed. Progress is not always linear and Jen's story is proof that you can make real change even with bumps along the road.
WHAT WAS HAPPENING WHEN SHE REACHED OUT
Jen had been working out consistently for years but seeing no change and knew nutrition was the missing piece. The come to Jesus moment came when she returned from a dream vacation in Greece with almost no photos. She had heard me on a podcast talking about going on a beautiful vacation and having only one photo - and it hit her hard. She did not want to keep going on amazing trips and having nothing to show for them.
WHAT SHE WAS TRYING TO SOLVE
Jen had tried everything - Weight Watchers, macro counting through apps, keto, Atkins, eat whatever you want and just work out. Nothing lasted because there was no real accountability, no personalization, and no one who stayed. When I asked her what was going to change if she did not do anything differently, she said it was the most sobering question she had ever been asked.
WHAT MAKES POWERHOUSE ACADEMY DIFFERENT
Jen highlights the support structure as the defining difference - not just that it is there but that it actively finds you when you go quiet. She describes the team reaching out when she missed a check-in, having multiple ways to get support at any time, and feeling the genuine investment from the coaches in whether she succeeds. She notes that the limiting factor was not the availability of help but her own willingness to ask for it.
WHAT MADE HER SKEPTICAL
Jen was not scared about whether the program would show up. She was scared she would not believe in herself enough to follow through. What changed her mind was the depth of the questions in the first call - questions no one had ever asked her before, questions that went back to childhood and early life experiences rather than just what she was eating and how she was exercising. She realized we were not putting a bandage on the symptom. We were going to the root.
THE DEEPER REALIZATION
Jen describes the epiphany she had after getting off the first call. The questions I asked connected dots between her past and her present in a way that no previous approach had ever done. She had even been trying therapy and nothing was moving. The realization was that fixing nutrition and training alone was fixing the symptom not the cause. For the first time she felt like someone was actually trying to get to the root of things.
WHY SHE COMMITTED
Jen decided to commit because she knew nothing was going to change if she did not invest in herself. She describes the financial commitment as a motivator - having skin in the game makes it meaningful. And she credits the thought provoking questions in the first call with showing her that this was something genuinely different from everything she had tried before.
THE RESULTS
Jen has lost 25 pounds since joining - after trying on her own since her mid twenties. Beyond the scale her confidence has grown visibly. She is showing up differently at work - more forward facing, more assured - which translated into hitting her goals and receiving a better year-end bonus. She started dating again and describes now knowing her non-negotiables, her boundaries, and what she actually deserves. And she booked her first ever solo cruise, had a fantastic time, and was called an inspiration by two strangers who could not believe she had traveled alone.
THE SOLO CRUISE
Jen describes booking the cruise almost matter of factly - she just decided she was going to do it and went. At check-in a woman told her she was an inspiration for traveling solo. A friend said the same when she got home. Jen describes being genuinely surprised both times. I connect this back to the broader point - you can go on the vacation before you feel ready but you will not truly enjoy it until you feel worthy of it. Jen felt worthy of it.
ADVICE FOR WOMEN ON THE FENCE
Jen's advice is to come in with an open mind and a willingness to receive help. She notes that the program works for women from all walks of life in all kinds of different situations. She also says you have to be at a place where you are ready to ask for help - and that readiness looks different for everyone. She shares that she fired off an angry message about a workout she hated, calmed down, and now wants it back on her plan.
CLOSING
I close by telling Jen that even though she did not feel like her story was good enough to share, it is more than good enough - because it is going to inspire someone to become who they are meant to be. Jen looks and sounds like a completely different person from the woman who first reached out. And that is the whole point.
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