Broads: The Bold & Badass Fitness Podcast for Women

Tara LaFerrara
  • 4.9 (194)
  • Fitness
  • Updated Weekly

Welcome to BROADS: The Bold & Badass Fitness Podcast for Women. I’m Tara and I’m here to empower you to feel strong in your body, be confident to take up space, and cultivate that badassery you’ve been holding back (yes, I did just make up the word badassery). You’re here because you know there is more to life and you’re ready to go after it … you just need some support and guidance along the way. So tune in, stay a while, and I promise to be right here alongside you as we figure this out, together.

  1. 1d ago

    163: Your Identity Hasn't Caught Up: Why You Still Don't Feel Strong

    How much evidence do you need before you're willing to believe something new about yourself?   Hold a real number in your head while you listen to this.   Because you've already got plenty. You strength train three times a week and still say you're not really athletic. You deadlift 150 pounds and still say you're not strong. You've trained consistently for a year and still say you've never been consistent.   The evidence shows up. The story doesn't move.   And at some point the evidence stopped being the problem, because you have plenty of it. The problem is what you're doing with it, which if we're honest is nothing. You collect it and set it aside like it doesn't count. Like it's the exception to the rule.   Your actions have already changed. Your body has already changed. The story you're telling yourself about who you are is still running on information from decades ago.   This one isn't about what your body is doing. We've covered that plenty. This is about what your identity hasn't caught up to yet, and what you're going to do about it starting right now.   In this episode:   Why this isn't a character flaw, a confidence problem, or self-sabotageWhat your brain is actually doing when it ignores the evidence in front of itWhy six months of contradictory behaviour can't beat thirty years of repetitionWhat one of our clients called "an old narrative that simply hasn't caught up yet"The notification that never arrives on the day you hit your first pull-upI only used 10 pounds. It wasn't pretty. I was using a light band.The hedge that turns every accomplishment into a built-in apologyWhat a man does when he adds 10 pounds to his bench, and what a woman doesGood thing I'm not trying to be f*****g averageHow to let a compliment land with nothing attached to the end of itWhy identity was never a reward waiting for you at the end of a body changeThe woman I coach who's embarrassed to tell people she strength trainsStronger at 37 than she's ever been, still waiting for someone to hand it to herWhy affirmations in a mirror don't work, and what doesThe evidence that has nothing to do with the gym  Your body changed a while ago. Your identity is allowed to catch up.   Not after the next PR. Not after someone finally notices. Today.   Timestamps   00:00  Cold open 00:49  Welcome to Broads 01:18  How much evidence do you need? 02:06  You're collecting it and setting it aside 02:53  What today is actually about 03:07  It's not a character flaw 03:39  Your brain runs the most familiar story, not the truest one 04:22  Six months against thirty years 05:13  Identity takes reps 05:49  That's the whole mechanism 06:07  If you were told you were bad at math 06:59  An old narrative that hasn't caught up 07:42  Compassion, not confrontation 08:23  I only used 10 pounds 09:30  The built-in apology 09:59  Taught to be palatable 10:38  What a man does with 10 pounds 12:10  Good thing I'm not trying to be average 13:09  Let the compliment land 13:58  Identity isn't a reward 14:43  What if an athlete isn't a body type? 15:07  Embarrassed to say she strength trains 15:47  Stronger at 37 than she's ever been 16:45  The moment you're waiting for isn't coming 17:33  Why we built Broads 20:31  Your progress is data 21:32  Watch the videos back 22:30  The evidence that isn't in the gym 23:44  Affirmations don't work, proof does 25:09  To the woman who's waiting 26:25  Certainty comes after, not before Learn more about Broads: broads.app Apply to BroadsCOACH: broads.app/broadscoach Connect with Tara: instagram.com/taralaferrara · instagram.com/broads_coach · youtube.com/@TaraLaferrara · tiktok.com/@taralaferrara

  2. Oct 13

    162: Stop Starting Over: Why Staying Consistent Has Nothing to Do With Motivation

    You know what consistent people have that you don’t? Nothing. They’re not more motivated than you. They don’t wake up excited to train. There’s no personality trait, no chip in their brain, no secret discipline gene that makes this easier for them. I don’t wake up wanting to train either, and this is my whole life. The difference between a woman who’s been training for three years and a woman who’s been restarting for three years isn’t motivation. One of them just stopped resetting the clock. So this episode is about building the version of training that survives your actual life. Not the fantasy version of your schedule, where nothing goes wrong and every day has two extra hours hidden in it. In this episode: Why the version of you who wants this more doesn’t existThe client who never decided to train, looked down, and was already in her leggingsMonday perfect, Tuesday perfect, Wednesday missed, Thursday “this week is ruined”What’s actually underneath the Thursday thought, and why it was never about the workoutWhy the all-or-nothing woman is perpetually at week one no matter how many years go byMinimum Viable Consistency — not a downgrade, the actual planWhat it looks like in practice: hotel rooms, fifteen minutes, two sessions instead of fourThe fear that permission to do less becomes permission to do nothing, and what happens insteadThe bench press I’ve had on a list since 2018The pull-up that took one of my clients more than two yearsWhy “still training in 2036” is a better filter than any thirty-day challengeFifteen minutes done is worth more than sixty minutes imagined. A smaller plan that keeps going beats a perfect plan that resets. Write that one down somewhere you’ll see it on a Wednesday. Timestamps00:00  Cold open 00:18  Welcome to Broads 00:53  Consistent people have nothing you don't 02:09  What we're building today 03:25  I don't wake up motivated either 04:13  The day that's never coming 04:36  Already in her leggings 06:22  Closer to brushing your teeth than a marathon 07:05  Monday perfect, Wednesday missed 07:38  Thursday: this week is ruined 08:41  What's underneath the Thursday thought 09:30  The boring version 10:03  Perpetually week one 12:03  Imperfect and continuous beats perfect and interrupted 12:23  What survives your busiest month 13:23  Minimum Viable Consistency 13:49  What it looks like in practice 15:56  The plan bends so you don't break 16:28  But won't I use it as an excuse? 17:28  Stop measuring in weeks 18:07  Eight years and a 105 bench 18:56  The pull-up that took two years 19:40  Still training in 2036 21:32  What to do with this Learn more about Broads: broads.appApply to BroadsCOACH: broads.app/broadscoach Connect with Tara:instagram.com/taralaferrara · instagram.com/broads_coach · youtube.com/@TaraLaferrara · tiktok.com/@taralaferrara

  3. Sep 29

    161: Rocio Cortez: Performance Over Aesthetics and Why It's Never Too Late to Start

    Rocio Cortez had never played a sport. She'd never been in a weight room. At 27 she walked into a jujitsu gym, and three and a half years later she's training wrestling, striking, MMA and Muay Thai, and she's competed at Apex twice. The number that matters in this conversation is not the 275-pound deadlift she pulled at a bodyweight of 119. It's three and a half years. That's how long it took to build the body she has now, and she never once trained for it directly. She trained to get faster, to jump higher, to get stronger. The body followed. Tara and Rocio get honest about what that stretch actually felt like: the days she took progress photos and hated them, the clothes that stopped fitting, the body dysmorphia that showed up right as she was making her best gains. In this episode: Why the people you train around change what you believe is possible for youHow to build a circle when you're the shy one in the cornerGrieving friendships that fade when your lifestyle changes, and why the real ones modify the hangout insteadStarting at 27, and how Rocio stopped mourning the years she didn't trainWhat actually makes you an athlete, and why Tara says you don't have to compete to be oneWhy being a beginner is an advantage, not a liabilityTraining for performance and letting the body sort itself out103 pounds to 120: learning to use a body that's changedDiet culture, double zero pants, and 100 crunches before bedInjury, warming up, and why pushing through isn't a planStarting martial arts as a woman when the room is mostly menHow to know you're progressing when the weight on the bar has stalledScreen time, comparison, and curating a feed that doesn't cost you anythingTimestamps:00:42 Welcome to Broads01:35 You are who you surround yourself with04:24 Building your five people07:11 When friendships fade09:53 Starting at 27 and grieving lost time13:00 What makes you an athlete14:41 Why Rocio likes being a beginner18:02 Where the intimidation actually comes from21:18 Training for performance, and the body that followed23:40 Diet culture and high school25:26 103 to 12027:16 Injuries and the machismo mindset29:09 Being a woman in a male-dominated sport30:18 How to start jujitsu when you're intimidated32:31 "I work out but I don't look like I work out"33:20 Three and a half years of reps35:44 Progress when the weight stalls37:25 Perfectionism, imposter syndrome and screen time42:34 Curating who you follow44:36 For the woman focused on how she looks46:53 Get a coach Connect with Rocio:https://www.instagram.com/rockin_rocio/https://www.rociocortez.com/ Learn more about Broads: www.broads.app

  4. Sep 23

    160: Nutrition for Women: Intermittent Fasting, Protein, Macros and Food Freedom

    Episode Notes Nutrition advice for women is loud, contradictory and usually built for someone else's body. In this solo Q&A, Tara answers the nutrition questions you sent in, and keeps it real about what actually matters. In this episode: Intermittent fasting for women: who it can work for, and why stress, poor sleep and under-eating can make it backfire on your hormones, energy and cycleWhether you need to track macros, and why protein is the one number worth knowingThe protein math: 0.7–1 gram per pound of body weight (or goal body weight), and how to build up gradually instead of doubling overnightEasy high-protein options at home and on the goWhat to look for in a protein bar: 15–20g of protein, under 5g of added sugar, and fiber to keep you fullHealing your relationship with food: dropping the good/bad labels, getting out of the all-or-nothing trap, and why mindful eating starts with slowing downGoing alcohol-free when your partner drinks: boundaries without blame, NA swaps that make date night easier, and coming back to your whyYou don't need to weigh every bite forever. Give it three days of looking at what's actually on your plate, find the protein, and build from there. Tara is a Precision Nutrition–certified coach, not a registered dietitian. This episode is for education, not medical advice. Resources mentioned:Macronutrient Guide: broads.app/macronutrient-guideLearn more about Broads: broads.app Connect with Tara:instagram.com/taralaferrarainstagram.com/broads_coachyoutube.com/@TaraLaferraratiktok.com/@taralaferrara If this one helped, leave a five-star review. It's the fastest way to get Broads in front of more women who need it.

  5. Sep 15

    159: Erica Lowery: Strength Training for Women — The Plyometric and Isometric Tools Most Programs Are Missing

    For women who strength train consistently and feel like something is still missing, it is probably not the program or the effort. The tools that elite collegiate strength coaches use with their athletes — plyometrics, isometrics, contrast training, tempo work — are almost never included in general fitness programming. In this episode, Erica Lowery breaks down exactly what those tools are, why they work, and how any woman can start adding them to her week without overhauling what she is already doing. Erica Lowery, MS, CSCS, is the Director of Athletic Performance at the University of South Alabama, where she oversees strength and conditioning for volleyball and women's soccer. A former Division I volleyball player at Texas A&M and Liberty, Erica has spent her career on both sides of the barbell — competing at an elite level and coaching young female athletes through the fears and patterns that hold most women back from ever touching a weight they actually need to be lifting. She is also an APEX athlete and has trained for the USA Bobsled team. What's Discussed: What it is actually like to coach freshmen athletes coming in scared on day one — and how Erica builds the relationship before she builds the program   Erica's own athletic background: D1 volleyball, how the weight room at Texas A&M changed everything, and the moment she realized training was the one thing she could always control   What Erica tells young female athletes who are scared of getting bulky from lifting — and the "toned" reframe that actually lands   Why nutrition and recovery account for 75% of results — and what that means for women who are working hard in the gym but not seeing it translate   Plyometrics and the 9'4" broad jump: how foundational strength — not endless jumping — is what actually built Erica's explosive power   Why women should add jumping to their training even if they are not athletes — durability, daily life, injury prevention, and why being scared of stepping off a curb is a training problem not an age problem   How to start adding sprinting and jumping to a three-day strength week without increasing injury risk — the progressions, the order, and how slow is actually fast enough   Sprint progression timelines: four to six week blocks, short to long, slow to fast, and why Erica pulled her hamstring multiple times before she followed her own advice   What isometrics actually are, why they speed up soft tissue recovery faster than rest does, and how Erica used them to train around injuries instead of stopping completely   How to use isometric holds when you are not injured — warm-up applications, tempo work, building strength at the bottom positions most people skip entirely   Why isometrics build muscle and why they are one of the most underused tools for women who have plateaued on standard rep schemes   Isometrics for travel and bodyweight training — how collegiate athletes train on the road with no equipment and still make progress   What most general training programs are missing: tempo work and athletic movement — and why just doing three sets of ten forever is quietly capping your results   Following a plan, tracking your training, and why switching programs every few weeks is one of the most common ways women accidentally stall their progress   Erica's personal training right now: Apex prep, sprinting focus, and what she is going after once the competition season is done   Recovery, mobility, and why sleep and nutrition are still the 75% — even for an elite-level athlete   The perfect warm-up structure: 10 minutes max, foam rolling to mobility to low intensity to max effort, and why more is not better here   What it actually means to fail a lift — and why it is a sign you are pushing yourself, not a sign you are bad at this   Creatine: safety, energy output, cognitive recovery, and why Erica has been taking it since her freshman year Ready to have programming that builds on itself the way it is supposed to? Apply for BroadsCOACH at https://www.broads.app/broadscoach. Learn more about Broads: https://www.broads.app/ https://www.instagram.com/broads_coach/ Check out more from Tara LaFerrara: https://www.taralaferrara.com/ https://www.instagram.com/taralaferrara/ YouTube: @TaraLaferrara TikTok: @taralaferrara Check out more from Erica Lowery: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ericalowerystrength/ Links: https://linktr.ee/ericalowery

  6. Sep 8

    158 How to Stay Consistent Without Needing Motivation

    Most women who are not seeing results from their training are not failing because of their program, their supplements, or how hard they are pushing. The problem is consistency — and not in the way most people think. This episode breaks down seven specific ways to build the kind of consistency that actually holds, so you can stop spinning your wheels and start making progress that compounds. If you have been training for months and nothing is changing, the answer is almost never a new program. It is almost always the gap between what you are doing and what you are doing every single week without negotiating. Consistency is not a personality trait. It is a system. And once you have the right one, everything else — strength, body composition, confidence — follows. What's Discussed: [00:55] The hard truth about why results are not showing up — and why it is almost never the workout plan [03:30] The one thing most women overlook that silently costs them progress week after week [09:15] Why measuring success on the scale is keeping you from seeing what is actually changing in your body [14:40] Why motivation is not a strategy — and what to build instead so you show up even when you do not feel like it [22:05] What perfectionism in the gym is actually costing you — and why imperfect workouts always beat no workouts [30:10] The shift that separates women who quit from women who stay — and how to get to the other side of it   Ready to stop figuring it out alone? Apply for BroadsCOACH at https://www.broads.app/broadscoach. Learn more about Broads: https://www.broads.app/ https://www.instagram.com/broads_coach/ Check out more from Tara LaFerrara: https://www.taralaferrara.com/ https://www.instagram.com/taralaferrara/ YouTube: @TaraLaferrara TikTok: @taralaferrara

  7. Sep 1

    157: Dr. Mamina Turegano: Skincare for Women — Sunscreen Myths, Wasted Money, and What Your Skin Actually Needs

    For women who care about their health and are already paying attention to what they put in their bodies, skincare should be straightforward. It is not — because the information online is loud, contradictory, and often more driven by fear than evidence. In this episode, triple board-certified dermatologist Dr. Mamina Turegano cuts through all of it: the sunscreen myths, the ingredient fears, the products not worth spending money on, and what your skin actually needs to stay healthy long-term. Dr. Mamina Turegano is a triple board-certified dermatologist, internist, and dermatopathologist based in New Orleans — one of the only physicians in the country who holds all three certifications. She specializes in medical, cosmetic, and integrative dermatology, blending conventional and holistic approaches to skin health. With over 2 million followers across social media, she co-hosts the Skin Deep MDs podcast, has been published in leading medical journals, and brings the same evidence-based, no-fearmongering approach to everything she touches. What's Discussed: The one skincare step that outperforms everything else — and why consistency is the only metric that matters   SPF 30 vs. SPF 50 vs. SPF 100 — what the actual coverage difference is, what Dr. Mamina recommends for daily use, and the honest answer to "which sunscreen is best"   What three separate board certifications give Dr. Mamina that a standard dermatologist cannot offer — and why the internist lens changes how she reads skin from the inside out   The skincare categories you never need to spend money on — cleansers, moisturizers, and sunscreen do not need to be expensive   The face-washing take that would make most of the internet mad — and why she stands by it completely   What stress does to your skin at a biological level: cortisol, oil composition, inflammation, and why the cascade matters for women who are chronically under load   The benzene-in-sunscreen scare of 2022 — what actually happened, what the levels meant in context, and why the fear grew bigger than the evidence warranted   The sunscreen-causes-skin-cancer myth — debunked, with the ice cream and shark bites analogy that puts it in perspective   Chemical vs. mineral sunscreen: the endocrine disruption concern, what the animal studies actually show, and who should consider switching to zinc-based   Why sunscreen does not cause low vitamin D — and what is actually driving the low vitamin D epidemic   Toxic and problematic skincare ingredients — what to look for and what to avoid   Bacne and skin issues specific to women who train   Fungal breakouts — how to tell the difference from bacterial acne and what to do about it   What movement does for your skin at a cellular level   The link between metabolic health and skin   Ready for coaching that builds around your training and your health? Apply for BroadsCOACH at https://www.broads.app/broadscoach. Learn more about Broads: https://www.broads.app/ https://www.instagram.com/broads_coach/ Check out more from Tara LaFerrara: https://www.taralaferrara.com/ https://www.instagram.com/taralaferrara/ YouTube: @TaraLaferrara TikTok: @taralaferrara Check out more from Dr. Mamina Turegano: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr.mamina/ Website: https://www.drmamina.com/ Consultation services: https://app.futureclinic.com/clinics/drturegano/profile

  8. Aug 25

    156: How Overtraining Impacts Muscle Growth and Fat Loss

    For way too long, I thought training more meant training better. Six or seven days a week, sometimes twice a day, because if I wasn’t pushing my limits, was I even making progress? I see this all the time now. People grinding through back-to-back workouts, ignoring the signals their bodies are screaming at them. Constant fatigue, stubborn plateaus, weird little injuries that just won’t go away. And for what? More isn’t always better. In fact, sometimes, it’s the very thing holding you back. I used to think I had to train like an athlete to see results—until my body literally forced me to slow the hell down. The truth is, real progress happens in the recovery, not just in the reps. And if you’re stuck, exhausted, or just not seeing the changes you expected… it might be time to rethink your approach. In today’s episode, I’m breaking it all down. We’ll talk about the signs of overtraining—like constant fatigue, plateaus, and mood swings—and why they happen in the first place. I’ll explain how too much exercise can actually mess with your strength, metabolism, and hormones, making it harder to see results. And, most importantly, I’ll show you why rest days are just as critical as your workouts and how you can train smarter (not just harder) to get stronger, feel better, and actually make progress. If you’ve ever felt guilty for taking a rest day, or wondered why your workouts aren’t hitting the same way anymore… this episode is for you! Because here’s the deal: training smarter > training more. And learning to listen to your body? That’s where the real gains happen. I Also Discuss: (00:00) Fitness Q&A (10:46) Effective Strength Training and Fat Loss (24:42) High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) & Mobility (32:07) Footwear for Strength Training Ready to work with a coach who integrates training and nutrition the way it was always meant to be? Apply for BroadsCOACH at https://www.broads.app/broadscoach. Learn more about Broads: https://www.broads.app/ https://www.instagram.com/broads_coach/ Check out more from Tara LaFerrara: https://www.taralaferrara.com/ https://www.instagram.com/taralaferrara/ YouTube: @TaraLaferrara TikTok: @taralaferrara

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Welcome to BROADS: The Bold & Badass Fitness Podcast for Women. I’m Tara and I’m here to empower you to feel strong in your body, be confident to take up space, and cultivate that badassery you’ve been holding back (yes, I did just make up the word badassery). You’re here because you know there is more to life and you’re ready to go after it … you just need some support and guidance along the way. So tune in, stay a while, and I promise to be right here alongside you as we figure this out, together.

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