The Journal

Notes on strength, health, and life — written for women who want to understand their bodies, not fight them.

This is not a fitness blog.

The StrongSelves Journal is a quiet space for thoughtful conversations about strength, confidence, hormones, nervous system health, pelvic floor, and what it actually means to care for your body as a woman — especially as it changes over time.

We write to educate, normalize, and support — not to overwhelm. We don’t publish on a schedule.

We publish when there’s something worth saying.

Quality over quantity. Depth over noise.

If something here resonates and you’d like to talk more about how this work could support you personally

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Stop Asking “Is This Healthy?” Start Asking “What Else?”

One of the biggest reasons nutrition feels so complicated is that we’ve been taught to look at food like a pass-or-fail test. Healthy or unhealthy. Good or bad. On plan or off plan. So you look in the refrigerator, see eggs, chicken, leftover rice, a bagged salad, some yogurt—and somehow still think: “I don’t have anything to eat.” But what if the problem isn’t the food? What if we just need to train our brains to see more possibilities? That’s where one of our favorite Stron

Aug 193 min read

The Two Questions That Can Completely Change the Way You Eat

Healthy eating can get complicated really fast. Is this healthy enough? Does it fit my macros? Should I be eating this? Is there enough protein? Too many carbs? What if I don’t like the recipe? What if I don’t have half the ingredients? Eventually, food starts to feel like a pass-or-fail test instead of something we get to enjoy. But what if, instead of asking whether a meal is “good enough,” we asked two much simpler questions: What else could I add? What could I change? Tha

Aug 163 min read

Stop Trying to Balance Everything: Choose Where Your Energy Goes

Women are really freaking good at carrying a lot. Careers. Kids. Relationships. Meals. Workouts. Appointments. Finances. Friendships. The house. Our health. And approximately 47 other things nobody realizes we're keeping track of. And somewhere in the middle of all of that, we're told we need to find balance. But maybe the problem isn't that you haven't figured out balance. Maybe we've been thinking about balance all wrong. Balance Doesn't Mean Giving Everything Equal Energy

Aug 103 min read

Food has Jobs

Hi StrongSelves Family, Thank you to everyone who joined us last night for this month's Eating for Listening to Your Body's Signals Masterclass. If there was one message I hope every woman walked away with, it's this: Your body is not working against you. She's communicating to you. The challenge is that most of us were never taught how to understand her language. Instead, we learned to chase calories, avoid carbs, ignore our hunger, push through exhaustion, and believe tha

Aug 53 min read

Last Night Changed the Way I Look at Healthy Food 🌱

Last night's Raw Food Experience with Jennie – The Raw Food Queen completely blew me away. I'll be honest... I walked into the evening with a little hesitation. I expected we were going to spend the night talking about fermented foods and eating plain, uncooked vegetables. I couldn't have been more wrong. Instead, we enjoyed incredibly flavorful chips, the creamiest walnut milk I've ever tasted, delicious pie, and some of the best dates I've ever eaten. Seriously... how can a

Jul 183 min read

The Girl Who Became my Reason WHY

The little girl who became the reason Strongselves Studio is what it is today. Tonight my little girl turns 10. And as I sit here writing this, I can't help but think back to the little five-year-old who unknowingly changed the entire course of my life... again. The first change was finding out I was pregnant by a total surprise during my last year of my Master Degree. I was 8 months pregnant when I walked the stage to accept my diploma, not realizing that because of her I

Jul 134 min read

This is what scrubbing toilets has taught me about all of this!

Sunday CEO Journal: What Cleaning My Own Studio Has Taught Me PS: I know it's not Sunday, but I am writting it anyways, imperfect and ugly, but committed to consistency! A few months ago, if you would have told me that one of my biggest lessons as a CEO would come from cleaning toilets, vacuuming floors, and wiping down equipment every Sunday night with my kids… I probably would have laughed. But here we are. Last year, I learned a lot of hard lessons as a business owner. O

Jul 64 min read

Meal Timing for Women Over 40: The Truth Nobody Talks About

If you've ever wondered whether you're eating too early, too late, skipping breakfast, or ruining your hormones because you ate dinner after 7 PM, you're not alone. Women come into the studio all the time feeling overwhelmed by nutrition advice. One expert says you need to eat within 30 minutes of waking up. Another says you should fast until noon. Meanwhile, you're just trying to figure out what to make for dinner and whether your coffee counts as breakfast. Here's the truth

Jun 103 min read

The StrongSelves Transformation Cycle: Becoming the Woman You’re Designed to Be

Transformation is rarely just physical. For many women, the journey toward strength, confidence, and true wellness begins long before visible results appear. It starts internally with the beliefs, habits, and identity you carry every day. At StrongSelves, we believe lasting change happens when you transform not only your actions, but also the woman you believe yourself to be. Because true growth isn’t about temporary motivation. It’s about identity. Understanding Your Current

May 83 min read

Rewriting Your Rest: How to Create a Bedtime Routine That Supports Your Mind, Body & Healing

Sleep should feel like restoration. Yet for so many women, bedtime becomes another source of stress - racing thoughts, mental to-do lists, overthinking, or quietly avoiding sleep altogether. If you’ve ever found yourself exhausted but still scrolling, replaying your day, or mentally preparing for tomorrow instead of resting… you are not alone. At StrongSelves, we believe true wellness goes deeper than workouts and nutrition. Your healing begins with awareness and your sleep s

May 13 min read

From “Trying” to Becoming: The Shift That Changes Everything

There’s a big difference between trying to take care of your health… and actually becoming someone who does. Most women live in the “trying” phase:“I’m trying to work out more.”“I’m trying to eat better.”“I’m trying to be consistent.” And while that sounds productive, it often keeps you stuck in a cycle of starting, stopping, and starting over again. Because trying is temporary. Becoming is permanent. The Identity Shift Most People Miss Real, lasting progress doesn’t come fr

Apr 193 min read

Planting Seeds, Picking Up Pennies, and Growing Stronger Every Day

At StrongSelves, transformation isn’t just about the workouts you crush or the meals you prep. It’s about the tiny, intentional moments you create each day—the ones that compound into long-term change, resilience, and strength. We’ve been exploring a powerful concept lately: compound interest—not in your bank account, but in your life, your habits, and your identity. Think of every small win, every intentional choice, every effort to show up for yourself as a “penny.” Alone,

Apr 103 min read

Reset, Refocus, and Grow: A Simple Monthly Practice for Your Health Journey

At StrongSelves , we believe real transformation doesn’t come from perfection—it comes from reflection, small adjustments, and consistent effort over time . Every new month gives you the chance to pause, look back, and decide how you want to move forward. Instead of rushing into new goals, try starting with a simple reflection and reset practice . This can help you build awareness, strengthen your habits, and approach your health with a calmer, more confident mindset. Here’s

Apr 34 min read

Listen to Your Body: How to Create a Rhythm That Supports Your Health

One of the most powerful skills you can build on your health journey isn’t a workout or a diet. It’s learning to understand your body’s language. Your body is constantly giving you feedback—energy levels, hunger signals, cravings, sleep quality, digestion. The challenge is that many of us have spent years ignoring or overriding those signals. At StrongSelves , we help women reconnect with their bodies so they can stop guessing and start responding with intention. Let’s talk a

Mar 274 min read

🌸 Cultivating Self-Love: How to Fill Your Bucket and Glow from Within

At StrongSelves, we believe self-love isn’t just about bubble baths, pedicures, or indulgent treats (though those are fun too!). True self-love is an ongoing practice—a way of showing up for yourself physically, mentally, and emotionally every single day. It’s about filling your own bucket with actions, emotions, and choices that truly nourish your body and spirit. 🎨 Express Yourself Beyond Words Sometimes, the best way to understand your emotions isn’t through journaling or

Mar 203 min read

Stop “Trying” to Be Healthy — Start Training to Be Her

If you’ve ever said things like: “I’m trying to eat better.” “I’m trying to work out more.” “I’m trying to be more consistent.” First of all — we see you. And we’re proud of you for caring enough to try. But here’s a little mindset shift we love to teach at StrongSelves that changes everything: Stop trying. Start training. It might sound like a small difference in wording, but the shift from trying to training completely changes how you approach your health, your habits, a

Mar 133 min read

Become the Woman You Design: Aligning Your Actions With Your Identity

Lasting transformation doesn’t start with a number on the scale. It starts with identity. Instead of asking, “What do I want to achieve this year?” a more powerful question is: “Who do I need to become?” When you define the woman you’re building, your daily decisions become clearer, more intentional, and more aligned. Define Your Identity Outcome-based goals focus on results.Identity-based goals focus on who you are becoming. Examples of identity statements might look like:

Mar 43 min read

She Stopped Guessing: What Happens When a Woman Finally Asks for Help After 35

If you’re a woman over 35 and your body feels different lately, you’re not imagining it. The workouts that used to work don’t. The scale feels unpredictable. Energy crashes hit harder. Sleep isn’t as restorative. And most women respond the same way: They try harder. More cardio. Less food. More restriction. More pressure. But what if the breakthrough doesn’t come from trying harder? What if it comes from stopping the guessing? What Happens When a Woman Stops Guessing About He

Mar 33 min read

Stop Trying to Change Your Life — Start Training to Become Her

A mindset shift for women who want lasting change. Stop “trying” and start training your identity for sustainable fitness, strength, and confidence. By Amanda Matos, CEO I had a powerful conversation with one of our current members recently — the kind that makes you pause and rethink how real transformation actually happens. We weren’t talking about workouts or nutrition plans. We were talking about language — and how one small word can determine whether a woman keeps going…

Feb 82 min read

Why Women Cry During Hip Openers: Fascia, Trauma, and the Body’s Need to Release

Sometimes a woman cries during a workout—and she has no idea why. Last week, it happened during a joint mobility session. We had just finished hip openers and fascia release work. During weighted butterflies against the wall, she felt a familiar lump rise in her throat. By the time she finished one side of her psoas traction, the tears came pouring down—and didn’t stop until she finally screamed it out. She wasn’t sad. Nothing “triggering” had just happened. And yet, her body

Jan 253 min read

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