9 Lives Cassia Tierney Clarke

If I were to start my fitness journey from scratch - here’s what I would do and the mindset I would adopt. Whether you’re lacing up your trainers for the first time in your life, revisiting fitness after some time off or maybe simply starting to consider making changes to your lifestyle and build healthier habits - this episode is for you. I hope to give you some pearls of wisdom or help you begin to tune into a process of change with advice I would give the “me” of 4 years ago.



I hope this inspires you to view fitness journeys a little differently and gives you some tools to keep with you throughout what will be such a challenging yet completely rewarding transition. 



Love always

Cass xx



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(01:18) London Marathon recap 

(04:18) Intro

(04:41) The Human Spirit

(07:28) Slow down and enjoy it more

(8:43) Try not to get overwhelmed by all the information

(13:32) Learn about the functions of the body and brain

(15:18) Reading and researching

(17:30) Work with my mental illness, not against it

(19:39) Eat more 

(24:04) Stop following fitness influencers 

(27:36) Lift weights more 

(30:50) Lean into the delusion because you’re manifesting your dream life without even knowing it

(33:20) Don’t aim for perfect

I know so many of you are working towards running goals and whether it’s a 10k, a half marathon or a full marathon, I know how important and helpful it is to hear first-hand experience and tips from someone who has been in your shoes. Today I brought my friend - and producer of 9 Lives - Rhyanna, onto the podcast to talk about her experience going from beginner to marathon runner in 7 months. 



Thank you for submitting your questions - I loved recording this episode! Let me know in the comments below whether you’d like to see more AMA and Q&A bonus episodes from me! 



Love always

Cass xx



(01:56) why did you decide to do a marathon?

(05:50) Sticking to your goals in life outside of running

(08:45) How does running get easier?

(10:10) Did you have to give up anything to train?

(13:30) Fondest memory in preparation for the race

(15:02) Back yourself! 

(16:49) How do you get over race day nerves as a new runner?

(21:19) Rhyanna’s race experience

(23:30) Nutrition tips for first time runner

(28:06) Have a plan for immediately after the race

(29:15) The best piece of advice for recovery

(30:20) What was the most surprising thing about the training block for both of you?

(36:00) What kept you motivated throughout the training block and how did you avoid “the fear”?

(40:10) How did you make a training block work with a busy schedule?

(44:49) Your first run ever

(47:14) Did you have fun?! New goals

We've covered habit building in a number of episodes but this week I wanted to discuss how to break the bad habits that are no longer serving you. One of my most asked questions is "Cass, how did you quit smoking for good?" In this episode I break down my own experience and give you 7 tips that you can apply to any habit that you feel is holding you back from reaching your goals.



Let me know if you found this episode helpful - my DMs are always open!



Love always,

Cass x



(00:05) I’m back from Paris! Thank you for last week’s feedback

(01:43) Intro - Can we create new habits while breaking old ones?

(02:06) My smoking backstory

(05:00) In order to change our habits, we need to understand habit cycles

(09:10) Stress levels and our dopamine systems 

(14:10) Habit replacement

(16:30) It’s okay to do it in stages, it’s okay to do it cold turkey. Just start

(19:10) Can you be a smoker and a long distance runner?

(21:14) You can change your behavioural patterns at anytime - they are not your identity

(30:40) How stress impacted romantic relationships

(33:00) Distract yourself during urges or cravings

(33:13) Reward yourself for your progress

(35:09) Forgive yourself for your slip ups

I took on Paris Marathon last weekend with the goal of a sub-4 completion time. I missed out on that goal but this "failure" ended up teaching me the greatest lesson.



I hope you all enjoy hearing my recap of the race as well as some of my reflections on running, races and setting goals. Hopefully my experience can encourage you to take on a new perspective and be more gentle with yourself.



Love always,

Cass xx





(01:09) How do I feel about my Paris marathon performance?

(04:50) Thank you for the feedback on last week’s episode

(06:23) Breaking down how the training block and race itself went

(14:24) It’s okay to opt out of the comparison trap

(16:28) When I decided to slow down…

(19:13) The shake out run

(19:57) Race Day - the run itself

(28:00) Every runner has a different story

(30:20) I was relieved that I didn’t sub-4 - this was the real test..

(38:10) The power of saying “no” and rejecting validation from others

(43:10) Doing something stressful on occasion can teach you lessons, but so can slowing down

(44:00) What’s next for me…

We spoke in Series 1 about The Black Dog - the metaphor I feel perfectly represents the relationship I have with depression. In today’s episode I wanted to revisit that topic but speak more specifically about how you can find - and navigate - a fitness journey while working through mental health conditions. We chat about how essential it is that you press on and grab opportunities to improve your wellbeing, even if the action feels unbearable in the moment. Start now with what you have, do not wait for motivation to come knocking. Change does not happen by accident and you deserve it - why *not* you?



All my love,

Cass xx



(02:20) Intro - finding wellness within depression or a mood disorder

(04:13)  Content Warning - conversation around depression

(05:11) My earliest memory experiencing depression

(06:32) Revisiting the metaphor of the Black Dog

(11:30) Acceptance - forcing things will feel unnatural

(14:35) Putting motivation before action is like putting the cart before the horse

(17:20) Playing down the changes that you make 

(17:46) Giving up because of one bad experience - if one method doesn’t work, try another!

(22:38) “Why not me?”

(24:46) Why exercise makes us feel better when we’re struggling 

(28:52) The physical symptoms of depression

(33:28) Start where you are, with what you have

When you think of the word "brave" you might think of big, bold acts with huge, transformative reward that follows, but today I wanted to talk about how you can be brave in your everyday - I give 9 tools to become braver in both big and small ways that will ultimately build confidence and see you change your life for good.



How have you been brave recently? Let's chat in the comments.



Love always,

Cass xx





(00:00) - Hello! My update

(05:06) - When I think of the word “Brave”

(06:56) - Harnessing courage

(08:13) - 9 ways you can grow and be brave as a person…

(08:37) - 1. Building Optimism (gratitude, self-talk, pre-planning pathways to your goals, visualisation)

(17:20) - 2. Finding Courage (comparison, finding your “brave”)

(20:38) - 3. Increasing Confidence (keeping promises to yourself, affirmations)

(26:09) - 4. Accumulating competence and knowledge (learning, reading, growing)

(30:41) - 5. Engaging in physical fitness (feeling physically able to meet your personal needs)

(34:09) - 6. Practice (consistency, making it automatic, reinforcement)

(40:40) - 7. Accepting responsibility (prosocial motivation)

(45:54) - 8. Surrounding yourself with people you see as brave (be ruthless with who gets your brain space, group positive effect)

(50:13) - 9. Speaking with a professional (knowing when to see help, this can sometimes be the bravest thing of all)

(53:01) - Asking for help can be one of the bravest things a human being can do.