EP 180 — From Ballet to Barbells: Starting Again, Getting Strong & Saying Yes to Life | Natalia

From choosing ballet over university and building a career teaching and performing across Southeast Asia, to suddenly losing that career during Covid and having to completely reinvent herself, this episode is about what happens when life doesn’t go to plan — and how you build something new from it. We talk about Natalia’s eight years living abroad, the fear she had before ever getting on that first plane, transitioning from ballet into strength training, becoming a PT, returning to the UK and going through some of the hardest years of her life. Natalia opens up about starting again in her thirties, therapy, relationships, rebuilding confidence and finding strength both inside and outside the gym. We also get into why she created Bristol Gym Girls, the importance of female friendship and community, training for adventure rather than aesthetics, burnout and our relationship with social media, buying her first home, rediscovering her love of travel, and now bringing women together for adventures around the world. We cover:Ballet, perfectionism and body imageEight years living in Southeast AsiaLosing her career during CovidGoing from ballet to strength training and coachingStarting again in your thirtiesTherapy, confidence and resilienceWhy lifting can change far more than your bodyBristol Gym Girls and female friendshipTraining for life, not just aestheticsBurnout, phones and switching offIndependence and learning to enjoy your own companyRediscovering adventure and travelDoing things before you feel readyWhy Natalia believes women need to stop shrinking themselves to fit inA conversation about strength, adventure, reinvention and having the courage to build a life that actually feels like yours.