Broads: The Bold & Badass Fitness Podcast for Women

Training harder and moving faster doesn’t automatically make you stronger, especially when your progress has stalled. For many women, the real issue is that reps are rushed, stimulus is cut short, and effort looks intense without actually driving adaptation.
We dive deeper into this in the latest Broads Podcast solo episode. We also chat about why slowing down builds more strength, why rushing reps makes people feel weaker than they should, why you are actually stronger during the lowering phase of a lift, and how tempo training works best when used strategically instead of everywhere.
If your workouts feel hard but your strength is not moving, or you keep chasing heavier weights without feeling more solid or confident, this episode will shift how you think about effort. 
What's Discussed:
(02:24) Why tempo training increases results without longer workouts
(03:26) The four phases of every lift and why each phase matters
(04:02) How to read tempo prescriptions like 3110 in real training
(09:14) Where tempo fits best, accessories, deload weeks, and plateaus
(15:18) Why tempo should be limited to one to three exercises per workout
(15:55) Example lower body programming using tempo selectively
(16:58) Example upper body programming with tempo for accessories only
(17:49) Why using too much weight defeats the purpose of tempo training
Check out more from Broads:
Website: https://www.broads.app
Check out more from Tara LaFerrara:
Website: http://taralaferrara.com  
Instagram: @taralaferrara
Youtube: https://youtube.com/@TaraLaferrara

Training starts to feel heavy when the goal is shrinking instead of becoming capable. What began as a viral moment around a meatball sub exposed something deeper: how diet culture, fear of “bulking,” and quiet food rules slowly erode confidence and self-trust long before real change has a chance to stick.
We dive deeper into this in the latest Broads Podcast with Jessica Burke. We also chat about why “toning” is misleading, the real difference between exercising and training with intention, what actually drives gym intimidation, and why taking up space changes far more than just the body.
Jessica Burke holds a Master’s degree in Kinesiology and is CSCS certified. She is the host of The Strength Chick Podcast and works as a strength and conditioning coach. Her work centers on dismantling diet culture and encouraging women to take up space in the gym and in strength and conditioning.
What's Discussed:
(03:39) The meatball sub moment, diet culture, and the food guilt women live by
(09:19) Why training to be smaller limits what women’s bodies can do
(11:16) The truth behind “toning” and how language shapes fear around building muscle
(13:34) Fear of bulking as a form of avoiding discomfort and justifying inaction
(17:42) The male gaze, gym intimidation, and reclaiming the right to take up space
(19:33) Why exercising feels productive but training creates lasting change
(34:41) Redefining effort, intensity, and what “hard” actually means in the gym
(52:00) Taking up space as an identity decision, not a confidence trait
Check out more from Broads:
Website: http://broads.app
Instagram: @broads.podcast @broads.app
Check out more from Tara LaFerrara:
Website: http://taralaferrara.com
Instagram: @taralaferrara
Youtube: @TaraLaferrara
Tiktok: @taralaferrara
Check out more from Jessica Burke, CSCS, M.S.:
Instagram: @coachjburke
Tiktok: @coachjburke
Youtube: @coachjburke

You’re training hard and pushing through, yet your energy is crashing and your body feels more resistant than ever. The problem isn’t effort, it’s that your body has outgrown the strategy you’re using.
In this Broads Q&A episode, I answer the questions you keep asking. We get into why HIIT is keeping you tired, sore, and wired, why training like you’re 25 while living like you’re 45 stops working, and why rest isn’t lazy. It’s how your hormones stabilize.
If you feel exhausted, inconsistent, or like your drive disappeared, this episode connects recovery, nervous system regulation, and real strength so you can stop forcing progress and start adapting to the body you’re actually living in.
What's Discussed:
(03:28) Why energy crashes are not a motivation problem but a recovery issue
(07:04) Why your body stopped responding to chaotic workouts after 30
(08:35) HIIT, cortisol, inflammation, and why always training hard keeps you tired and wired
(09:42) Strength training as a higher return signal without frying your nervous system
(10:01) Motivation explained through dopamine, blood sugar, sleep, and safety signals
(12:20) Training like you’re 25 while living a 35 to 45 year old life
(13:46) Why rest supports hormone regulation and nervous system downshifting
(14:15) What real self-care looks like in midlife and why it is not selfish
Check out more from Broads:
Website: https://www.broads.app
Instagram: http://instagram.com/broads.podcast http://instagram.com/broads.app
Check out more from Tara LaFerrara:
Website: http://taralaferrara.com 
Instagram: http://instagram.com/taralaferrara 
Youtube: http://youtube.com/@TaraLaferrara
Tiktok: http://tiktok.com/@taralaferrara

Consistency doesn’t fail because of bad programming or weak discipline. It breaks down when stress, fear of failure, and identity-level beliefs override decision-making before habits ever have a chance to form.
We dive deeper into this in the latest Broads episode with Kasey Jo Orvidas. We also chat about why identity drives exercise habits more than motivation, how stress shuts down self-control at the brain level, and why “I’m too busy” is usually a signal problem, not a time problem.
Kasey Jo Orvidas, PhD, holds a doctorate in Psychology and is a certified health and fitness coach. She has published extensively in peer-reviewed scientific journals on mindset and health behavior change. She is also the creator of The Health Mindset Coaching Certification.
What's Discussed:
(06:04) Fitness identity and why seeing yourself as “not an exerciser” keeps you stuck
(10:28) Intrinsic vs extrinsic motivation and why wanting results isn’t enough
(18:12) The prefrontal cortex and how overload shuts down self-control
(22:05) Why willpower fails under chronic stress and emotional fatigue
(26:41) The real reason people ghost their coach and how shame kills consistency
(31:54) Authority vs psychological safety in coaching relationships
(36:48) Why “I’m too busy” is usually a signal problem, not a time problem
(41:32) Reducing friction for habits that stick and increasing friction for the ones that don’t
Check out more from Broads:
Website: www.broads.app
Instagram: @broads.podcast @broads.app
Check out more from Tara LaFerrara:
Instagram: @taralaferrara
Youtube: @TaraLaferrara
 
Check out more from Kasey Jo Orvidas, Ph.D.:
Website: www.kaseyorvidas.com
Instagram: @coachkaseyjo
Facebook: @coachkaseyjo

Trying to “undo December” with extreme dieting and nonstop cardio is one of the fastest ways to mess up your metabolism. Most women don’t realize those January quick fixes quietly spike cortisol, drain energy, and make fat loss harder instead of faster.
We dive deeper into this in the latest Broads episode. I get into the biggest post-holiday mistakes that look productive on the surface but actually slow fat loss and break down muscle. We also chat about why extreme calorie cuts backfire, how skipping strength training lowers your metabolic engine, and why daily scale obsession creates worse decisions. 
If you want fat loss that actually sticks without wrecking your energy or hormones, this episode shows you exactly what to stop doing first. 
What's Discussed:
(02:18) Why trying to “undo December” fast actually backfires
(04:33) How drastic calorie cuts slow your metabolism and spike cortisol
(07:31) The real reason cutting carbs or fats wrecks energy, hormones, and training
(09:41) Why more cardio and daily HIIT can stall fat loss instead of accelerating it
(13:17) How skipping strength training leads to muscle loss and “skinny fat” results
(18:42) Why the daily scale obsession creates worse decisions and slower progress
Check out more from Broads:
Website: www.broads.app
Instagram: @broads.podcast @broads.app
Check out more from Tara LaFerrara:
Instagram: @taralaferrara
Youtube: @TaraLaferrara