Sep 17, 2012 Posted by Amy

How Judgment Keeps Us From Recognizing The Humanity In Others

The other day, I was doing front squats with “man” weights. On the 45-pound bar, I loaded two 10-lb plates on either side. For you CrossFitters out there, you know this ain’t no thang for a lot of girls who lift regularly. I took a few deep breaths, pressed play on Muse’s “Madness,” and flipped on Beast Mode. Apparently, 65 pounds is more than guys are used to seeing a... read more

Sep 4, 2012 Posted by Amy

How to Be A Good Friend: What to Do If You’re The One Getting Fired

In a way, this post is about how to be a good friend. More importantly, though, this post is about why you should be. Fire Your Friends: Drop the Negative People in Your Life is my #1 most popular post on this site. It gets a pretty good amount of traffic every day from people searching for: cutting people out of your life how to cut people out of your life negative friends …and a lot of other... read more

Aug 13, 2012 Posted by Amy

5 Surf Lessons for Life

I went surfing with my buddy, Srini from Skool of Life and BlogcastFM on Sunday down at Huntington Beach. It was choppy. I got tossed around a lot. But it was great fun anyways. Every time I go surfing, I feel like I learn tons of life lessons. I wish I could bring a notebook out with me on my board! Let’s go over five of them… just in case you’re not going out today ;) 1. You gotta... read more

Aug 9, 2012 Posted by Amy

That Thing You Should Be Doing: DO IT

Welcome, welcome, welcome to everyone coming over from my interview on YourGreatLifeTV! I hope you enjoy the site! (Haven’t checked out my interview? Go see what I’m talking about by clicking here!  I’ve been struggling with increasingly tight shoulders for the past few years now. They pop when I reach overhead. They don’t bend in certain directions. I always put off foam rolling... read more

Aug 2, 2012 Posted by Amy

In The Grind: Balance Vs Burn-Out

Someone recently told me that I’m “in the grind” in this state of my life. Having discovered what I want to do and pushing to get my message out there, I’m constantly working, whether it’s training, coaching or writing. That’s all fine and good and it actually makes me feel a little bit better because it justifies a lot of the work I’m putting in, but how long... read more

Jul 30, 2012 Posted by Amy

The 6 Rules I Live By

While reading Craig Ballantyne’s “The 12 Rules I Live By” post on EarlytoRise.com, I thought to myself, “Well that’s cool! He’s so driven and structured!” Which inspired me to start thinking about what my rules are. Here’s the thing: I HATE rules.  I still have that punk rock rebel in me that hates conforming to any set of rules… even the ones I place... read more

Jul 16, 2012 Posted by Amy

5 Lessons from 1 Year of Blogging (& A Contest!)

Strong Inside Out officially turned one year old yesterday! A year ago, I had no idea what to expect.  I thought I was just starting another fitness blog.  I had no idea how much it would evolve over the span of one year… or how much it would change my life. Now, after opening up about my past, releasing my first ebook and beginning online coaching, I am much wiser, productive and... read more

Jul 12, 2012 Posted by Amy

I’m Not Dreaming Big Enough

I just got back from the World Domination Summit in Portland, Oregon.  The first one ever was last year, and it changed my whole life. This year, it was during Chris’s final speech that the need to dream bigger hit me like a punch in the face. Chris Guillebeau, author of The $100 Startup and the host of the conference, stood up on stage and slowly rolled up his sleeves while tactfully placing a... read more

Jul 10, 2012 Posted by Amy

How Losing My Dream Made Me Stronger

Hi there, boys and girls! Today, it is my pleasure to introduce to you my BFF/twin-separated-at-birth-but-somehow-turned-out-blonde, Andrea Speir. Andrea’s a kick-ass pilates instructor with the most amazing vibrant personality.  You can’t be with this girl and frown. It’s impossible. As I got closer with Andrea over the years, I learned how she came to be the positive, inspiring person... read more

Jul 2, 2012 Posted by Amy

Stickin’ It to The Negative Nancies

So I’m getting married. Yay! Woohoo! …is most people’s reaction when they hear the news. But there are some of those other people out there who pull this one: “Oh, are you sure you want to do that?” “Weddings are soooo expensive!” “You’re gonna be engaged for how long?  You’re just prolonging the stress, you know.” “Marriage changes... read more

Jun 21, 2012 Posted by Amy

Lessons from The Grind

WOOOOOOOO! *pass out on couch* …is pretty much how I felt on the night of June 4th, after my first day of launching Make This Your Moment. I had done so much preparation for launch day, had been prepping a bootcamp for the local Lululemon, and was putting in some serious programming time for brand new coaching clients. And then it was done. It was out there.  There was nothing more to do to perfect... read more

Jun 14, 2012 Posted by Amy

Inspired By: Andrea Niven

Welcome to the third and final post of my “Inspired By” series: stories from people that made the choice to change without hitting rock bottom first, and have maintained their success ever since.  My book, Make This Your Moment: A Step-by-Step Guide to Changing Your Life… for Good, has been inspired by what motivates people to suddenly change, to make the choice once and for all to stop living a... read more

Jun 11, 2012 Posted by Amy

Inspired By: Kay Aston

Welcome to the second post of my “Inspired By” series: stories from people that made the choice to change without hitting rock bottom first, and have maintained their success ever since.  My book, Make This Your Moment: A Step-by-Step Guide to Changing Your Life… for Good, has been inspired by what motivates people to suddenly change, to make the choice once and for all to stop living... read more

Jun 7, 2012 Posted by Amy

Inspired By: Benny Hsu

Welcome to the first post of my “Inspired By” series: stories from people that made the choice to change without hitting rock bottom first, and have maintained their success ever since.  My book, Make This Your Moment: A Step-by-Step Guide to Changing Your Life… for Good, has been inspired by what motivates people to suddenly change, to make the choice once and for all to stop living a... read more

Jun 4, 2012 Posted by Amy

Make This Your Moment: My First Book

The other morning, I received an email from a new client. …canceling her newly-scheduled program. When I read the email, my heart sank.  She really wanted help; she lacked the knowledge, technique and motivation to change. But she was scared. The first thing I thought? I can’t wait to send her a copy of my finished book. The truth about the matter is this: most people I meet fear change.... read more