Pivot With Purpose Season 5 Episode 10 Isabelle (Izzy) Atkinson Full Transcript

Meghan Houle (00:00.57) Izzy Atkinson. Welcome to the Pivot With Purpose podcast. How are you my friend? I'm so excited for you to be here. Yes. Izzy Atkinson (00:08.261) I am like so, so excited. Ah, I'm doing so good. How are you? Meghan Houle (00:12.858) Yay, no complaints. We're diving right into 2024 and really trying to set some good boundaries. Ha ha ha. I know. The laugh is already coming out early on. I'm notorious for my flat out laughs. And I usually ask you five questions at once. You're like, which one do you want me to answer? And you would think, I'm a paid coach and I should be more specific. But I just, I like. Izzy Atkinson (00:25.57) Oh yeah. Meghan Houle (00:39.146) you know, go off the rails on the podcast. So welcome and we'll just tackle one thing at a time. But yeah, no, in the spirit of our podcast, all about pivots, I know just from following you and hearing your story, and I so appreciate how much you use and leverage your voice for good to share your messages around your struggles early on in your career. Body image, health and wellness. Excuse me, it was crazy. I was listening back to your first podcast the other night. And it's so funny how Boston in our fitness unit, it's so small, Izzy. You were name dropping some names. I was like, wait. And then Isagenix came up. I'm like, wait, do you remember Isagenix, everybody? I feel like I had so many of those shakes to the point. Do you know when you eat something? Izzy Atkinson (01:18.917) so small. Izzy Atkinson (01:25.121) Oh my god. Oh yeah. Meghan Houle (01:33.334) forever and you now you can't even like look at it also quest bar sorry quest like don't at me but like I Just really eat myself out of ever wanting to eat anything again at times especially like health bars Yeah, yeah, yeah Izzy Atkinson (01:36.805) Yes. Izzy Atkinson (01:46.541) Uh-huh. Oh my god, the Quest Bar. It's so funny. I used to, back in the day when I was like hardcore with isogenics and all that stuff, oh yeah, Quest Bars, I would like microwave them as my dessert. Oh yeah. Yes. Meghan Houle (01:59.97) Right, remember? So I love it, I feel like we always share so many people in common throughout fitness because it's just such a nice community. So to dive into pivots, and I think for you, with all that you share, I really love to talk about mindset shifts, not only within careers, and as we were chatting before jumping in the pod, I think really showing up and showing up. Izzy Atkinson (02:06.901) Hmm. Yes. Meghan Houle (02:27.53) your best and most authentic self. Like, you have to feel good, Izzy, right? And I know. I mean, I feel like listening to your story, and I went through really a same journey with body image things and all of that very early on, in 13, just like you, it is something that not only sits with you, for honestly ever, it's something you're always managing, but- Also, knowing the days where you just try to power through, but your energy is off and you just got a bad attitude. And then everything revolves around, what did I eat today? And I didn't exercise, and I'm a piece of crap, and I'm worthless, and it's crazy. So I think that I'm sure we're not alone in these feelings. So anyone listening in, diving deep into some deep topics in this podcast, because I feel like it needs to be said. Izzy Atkinson (03:10.093) Mm-hmm. Izzy Atkinson (03:17.133) Right. Meghan Houle (03:24.17) We all love talking about careers, but I think there's so much intertwined for you that really kind of leads you on the journey to where you are today. So yes, so before diving in, I always love to ask what is lighting you up right now? Like where are we catching Izzy beyond Liveite with a coffee cake smoothie? Shout out to Liveite. Take all my money, Tate and Liveite. It's in Brookline, we'll link it in the show notes. But give us an affiliate code. Izzy Atkinson (03:28.008) Mm-hmm. 100%. Izzy Atkinson (03:46.285) Oh my god. Izzy Atkinson (03:50.714) I was just there earlier, you know. Meghan Houle (03:53.92) But what are you up to? What's lighting you up? Yeah. Izzy Atkinson (03:57.365) Oh my gosh, I mean That's so funny. Yes, love I'd all day every day You know my podcast has really been lighting me up But I would say honestly their most recent thing that has been lighting be lighting me up beyond measure Has been diving into dancing Which has you know when you're even diving into talking about like body image and mindset and everything like that I have been called in this journey the last couple years to really connect my body in a new way Meghan Houle (04:14.062) Mmm. Mm-hmm. Izzy Atkinson (04:26.297) And that's come in the form of dance, which I did not grow up dancing. Like I had zero dance background. Um, so that's been something recently in my life that has quite literally been bringing me so much joy, freedom, liberation. Like it's been amazing. Meghan Houle (04:41.126) I love that. And also too, it's a it's a movement part of your body, but also something that is not feeling forced, like I can tell you're really coming from flow. And I was having this conversation last week with someone who really is shunning away from like these heavy like boot camp workouts and like constant like high adrenal like grind, grind and like flip to Pilates and dance and like honestly saw like a complete change in body. Izzy Atkinson (04:48.205) Mm-hmm. Yes. Izzy Atkinson (05:10.924) Yep. Meghan Houle (05:11.) And listen, I am not qualified to give any type of fitness advice, I'm only speaking my truth of what I know. So please people, don't shame me. But I do feel like there is something in finding joy in moving your body. So A, freaking meant to that, because after a long journey on Earth, and I still have a way to go, but I have had to learn that the hard way too, of being sick and injured. So I really love that. That's so amazing, I love dance. Definitely dance as a child, like tap. Izzy Atkinson (05:14.701) Yeah. Izzy Atkinson (05:21.869) Mm-hmm. Izzy Atkinson (05:30.225) Yeah. Meghan Houle (05:37.986) tap in jazz. I feel like there's some crazy outfits out there that my mom has when I was like nine. I'm like, mom, let's not look at those. So early on Izzy, before diving into some other juicy questions, is what you are doing today the path that you were on early on in your career? Tell us about early Izzy and some of those key pivotal moments of transition for you. Yeah. Yes. Izzy Atkinson (05:38.872) Mmm, so fun. Izzy Atkinson (05:43.777) Ha ha Izzy Atkinson (06:05.225) love this question. I would say yes, what I'm doing is what I envisioned and it might look different, right? Like it ends up looking a little bit different than maybe what we initially envisioned, but it's super in alignment with what I always saw myself doing. And so I guess to sort of give the high level of my story, you know, when I was super young, I was really into empowering women, but I, you know, I was young, like we're talking high school and I had, you know, a lot of obviously growth to do in my own right, but I was always drawn to having women share their voice, you know, share my voice. I was a singer growing up, so there was a lot of themes around my voice and standing in my power. You know, go to college. I was a broadcast journalism major, wasn't passionate about hard news, didn't really see myself going down that route. At the same time, I started dipping my toe into these fitness competitions. And these are like the blingy bikini, you know, zero body fat, the isogenics. Yeah. Meghan Houle (07:03.558) Right, the isogenics, the spray tan, right? Izzy Atkinson (07:06.377) Oh my God, it's like the world of the Wild West of fitness. And I did that for a couple of years. And while there was definitely a lot of challenges internally that I was going through at the time in that period of my life, what I continued to find myself in was this energy of women lifting each other up, supporting each other. We're all going through this process and there was so much internal work that we were all doing. in the process of these fitness shows. So that really helped me get clear on how do I start to tap into, you know, wanting to encourage women to be their authentic selves, use their voice, stand in their power, while also at the same time, I had this love for movement and fitness, which was also a healing modality for me in my own right with my body image journey. And so, you know, I got a job in corporate America not long after college, but at the same time, I was pursuing these things outside of my full-time job. So I was studying for my training certification. I was getting myself in rooms with other women that were doing similar things to me. I got a job at Lululemon to network. So I was always taking aligned action in some form that I felt was going to help get me on the path that I want to go on. And. Meghan Houle (08:18.893) Yeah. Izzy Atkinson (08:19.817) To sort of think now years later, I really am combining all of these different things that I love between using my voice, movement, fitness, empowering women through many of the different things that I do. So it's been a really interesting journey. I think that for me, I continue to show up in rooms and take steps that I thought made sense, even if they didn't fully make sense. I hope that makes sense, but it's something where Meghan Houle (08:42.638) Mm-hmm. Izzy Atkinson (08:48.881) I think a lot of people get really caught up in the end goal, right? How am I going to get there? I just want to be there tomorrow. But the reality is that when I look at my journey up until this point, I had to take a lot of interesting turns and pivots and all these things, but they truly were leading me to the next step every single time. And that's why I say it might look a little different than you thought, but it ultimately got me to exactly where I'm meant to be and where I wanted to be. Meghan Houle (08:52.919) Right. Izzy Atkinson (09:16.617) Like I never thought I'd work at a Lululemon, right? Like I never, there were so many things that I never saw myself doing, but it completely made sense. And on a universal level, was really putting out that energy. Like I'm taking a line to action in some form, right? I'm taking some type of step that's gonna move me forward. Meghan Houle (09:33.126) Yeah. What were some big obstacles then that you had to navigate throughout your career or some of the big ones that stand out that you're like, damn, I got through that and I'm super proud of myself? Izzy Atkinson (09:45.213) Yeah, I would say the number one that stands out for me is, I can't even remember how many years ago this was, maybe five, four or five years ago, I was working at a smaller studio, Burnin' by Ray. Some people know of it. They were in Belmont, Mass in Seaport for a little while. That was, yeah. Yeah. Meghan Houle (09:58.654) I remember the Seaport one. What was burning by race claimed to fame? Was it rowing or a little bit of everything, right? Yeah. Izzy Atkinson (10:04.817) It was like, yeah, it was it was, um, we had like all motorless cardio machine or they were like low impact. So there was the skier. There was um, oh my god, I'm blanking on the one where you're like climbing up it. Yes. Yeah. How could I forget? Yes. So Meghan Houle (10:12.81) Yes. Nice. Meghan Houle (10:18.09) Oh, Jacob's Ladder, right? Ha ha ha! Yes, girl. Izzy Atkinson (10:24.725) How that really happened is I, once I got my personal training certification, I started looking for fitness jobs. And I grew up in Belmont, Mass. I knew of Vernon by Ray and I was like, you know what, let me just pop in. And so long story short, this is years ago now, but I got offered a job to teach me a trainer at both of their locations. While I was there, I couldn't manage opening our Seaport location and keeping my full-time job at the time. And I was so gung-ho. on like, I'm gonna do the fitness thing, I'm gonna be successful, I'm gonna make it happen. And you know, I was in a relationship at the time and my ex was like, okay, this seems really far fetched. But I was determined to do it. So I quit my full time job. And mind you, I was in my like early to mid 20s at this point. So I didn't have like things in order the way that I would have liked to I wasn't financially set up for this transition. It was all these different things. So I dove into fitness full time. Meghan Houle (10:56.662) Yeah. Izzy Atkinson (11:21.917) we were a new gym opening in Seaport, there was a lot of false promises given there was a lot of things. And I would say that was one of the most pivotal and hardest moments in my career is because I went from having like a really comfortable salary, you know, the whole nine yards to when I tell you making no money working, you know, from 5am to 8pm every day, it was insane. And what I think was the biggest takeaway for me in that process was I ended up, when I left my full-time job, I left in a really, really good note and they said anytime you want to come back, we would welcome you. So I think it was probably eight months later, I was like, I have to go back. I can't sustain what I'm doing. And I just wasn't in a place to take on another fitness job. I was already experiencing burnout in the industry less than a year in. One of the hardest decisions at that time was to go back to my full-time job. I remember my ego being like... you're a failure, like this didn't work out, you shouldn't be pursuing this. People in my life that had doubted me, they were also of course being like, yeah, you did fail, yeah, you should be going back to your full-time job. And I remember at the time thinking like, this was, you know, I was shaming myself. And now I look back, mind you, I'm still at that full-time job now. I look back and that was such a blessing in disguise. It helped pivot me into all of these other things now that I'm doing. but that was a very pivotal moment going broke, having to put my ego to the side, go in some ways take a step back, even though it was ultimately a step forward. So there was a lot of learning at that time. Meghan Houle (12:50.681) Mmm. Meghan Houle (12:55.446) Yeah. Meghan Houle (12:59.622) Yeah, so and I appreciate that. I mean, you see the learnings in it, and it's so easy to shame ourselves when things don't work out, right? So what was that like going back to full time? And then after that, like you pivoted again, right? And here you are. So what was that turning point shift of going back and then kind of getting back on this path for yourself? Yeah. Izzy Atkinson (13:06.26) Mm-hmm. Izzy Atkinson (13:12.781) Mm-hmm. Izzy Atkinson (13:21.201) Yeah, I've been thinking about this a lot because I did recently talk about this with somebody too. And what I did is, you know, so much of the journey, I think, especially for women is really understanding our worth, right? Standing in our power. And so when I left my full time job, I had worked so incredibly hard to have an incredible reputation. I like was superseding within the role. And when I went back and I knew I was going to need to go back, I was like, I have to, you know, make more money. I'm not comfortable where I'm at. My life was, again, burnout already. I thought to myself, how can I get creative and making this work for me? So instead of finding myself going back and being in the exact same position I was before, how can I use this almost to my advantage of they didn't want me to leave? I do need to go back. But how can I leverage this to being? something that feels empowering for me as well. And so I pitched an entirely new position. No one was working remote at the time. So just for reference, I work in executive search. So we do high level recruiting. We have a couple of different offices and no one was working remote at this time. This was pre-COVID. And I pitched to my firm, I said, okay, here's the catch. I said, I wanna come back. You all know that I'm doing fitness. I know that I can make both work. I work really, really hard. I want to work for our Washington DC office. I want to work remote. I want to stay in Boston. I want to make my own hours." And they were like, let's give it a go. And it was amazing, but I think the message for anyone listening today too, is like I worked really hard to carve that path, but I also knew my worth. So I was able to advocate. And I think that that's so important as oftentimes, you know, we just get caught up in these narratives that we're not worthy or, you know. We don't know our worth, we don't know how to articulate that. And it was really uncomfortable. It was hard for me to go back, but I was able to do it in a way that felt empowering for myself. And that changed my entire career really within my firm and within my role at the firm, yeah. Meghan Houle (15:24.658) That's awesome. Yeah. And how did I not know this? From one executive recruiter to another, although mine is deep and fashion and all things. God, we could do a whole podcast on the 101 of do's and don'ts in terms of recruiting. What did you recruit on? What were your job specs? Yeah. Izzy Atkinson (15:29.421) I'm sorry. Izzy Atkinson (15:34.059) Yeah. Izzy Atkinson (15:38.399) Yup. Izzy Atkinson (15:42.177) Well, so I initially started out like more an administration. So it was, I first worked in ad agency and then found myself at the firm that I'm at now. And then I ended up developing into a senior project manager position. So I work with our recruiters all day long. I could certainly recruit if I wanted to, but I loved the project management side of it. Specifically was higher ed for a really long time. And now my team we focus on nonprofits and arts and culture. So it's yeah, it's super cool. It's really it's actually really fun. Meghan Houle (15:46.143) Okay, cool. Meghan Houle (15:50.743) Yeah. Meghan Houle (15:56.914) Awesome. Meghan Houle (16:08.578) So cool. Yeah, and you're still doing that to this day. Yes. Wow. OK. Yes. And then you're like, everyone, you can be this and that. So yes. And I love that. And going back to your messaging, I think asking for what you desire, standing in your worth and your voice, Izzy Atkinson (16:14.093) I'm still doing that to this day. I know, I don't. Everyone's like, you have a full-time job. I do. Izzy Atkinson (16:24.393) Yes! Yes. Meghan Houle (16:38.85) bring to the table. And I think that comes from a work ethic of them trusting and believing and obviously having confidence in you, which is so amazing. So it's amazing. It's amazing to hear that you're balancing. I mean, it seems like you really love what you're doing on all sides. And I know you do a lot of also meaningful work in the community and whatnot, but going back, why fitness? What has this journey been like for you just overall? Izzy Atkinson (16:43.585) Yep. Izzy Atkinson (17:07.804) Mm-hmm. Meghan Houle (17:07.818) You know, what really, was it early something early on where you just like, were in sports or just like love working out. I mean, I remember me and my stepperobics machine. Oh my God, remember stepperobics? Yes. Yeah. Izzy Atkinson (17:16.812) Thanks for watching! Izzy Atkinson (17:20.501) right, right. Oh my gosh. So my story with fitness, it's an interesting one. I did not grow up playing sports. In fact, I didn't make a single sports team. And I always say this to people. They're like, what? You're a trainer now? Like, yeah, I did not make one sports team I made. I made cross country and track in high school by pity, like they didn't have cuts. So if you couldn't, you know, make a team, that's what you were doing. But where it really started for me is I want to say at the time I was probably 16 and I was really struggling with Bidensporphia. Like I was in therapy, my parents were like, we don't know how to help her. Like where did this come from? And of course, I'm young. I was trying to process within myself, where did, where is this coming from already at a pretty young age? And so my mother at the time suggested, well, maybe working with a personal trainer could actually be really beneficial. And so this is the Boston Sports Club in Watertown, Mass. And you cannot believe that my trainer was Katrina Scott, the founder of Tone It Up. So for people that know her, yeah. Meghan Houle (18:20.614) It's awesome. Yeah, I heard that in your podcast. I was like, yeah, I remember her being so local back in the day Right. Yeah. I mean, yeah, you were working with her. So cool Izzy Atkinson (18:27.997) Yes. And just for I party why I say that and share is because for anyone that has followed her journey and the work she does now and who she is, that was the energy I was getting at a pretty young age, like from a female mentor, essentially. And so I remember being really moved and inspired by her and the energy she was giving me. And then really throughout that process, high school, you know, wasn't a super fitness person did sports to get by with what I could. And then when I got to college, Meghan Houle (18:38.03) Mm-hmm. Izzy Atkinson (18:57.277) That's when I was really deep in struggling with body image and body dysmorphia. It was like really manifesting pretty aggressively, yet again. And that's when I said, let me try these fitness competitions. And again, it's like there's two sides to it. There was a ton of it that was tremendously beneficial and empowering and taught me discipline and just meeting other amazing women, so many that are still in my life now. And then there was a lot of it, of course, that was reinforcing the disordered eating and the obsession of being thin and all those things. And so it was during those moments. that as much as I was struggling with body image, I remember when I was prepping for fitness shows and I started to understand what strength training meant for me emotionally as a woman, right? Like picking up a barbell and being like, wait a second, like I am a badass. I'm strong. I'm powerful. That is I remember that was the moment that I was like, I need to get into fitness somehow. I need to help other women experience what I'm experiencing. And then it was really through my own healing journey that I decided when I go into fitness, I want the narrative to be different than what I've experienced, which was obviously in the fitness shows, you know, no body fat, eat less, you know, obsessed about doing high intensity training. And so I've taken a lot of pride in the fact that in the Boston fitness industry, I've really been consistent with my messaging of you know, empowering yourself doing the inner work feeling strong community based like really changing that narrative of while we all have goals, you can absolutely want to make changes to your body. It's really about how you feel. And ultimately, that's going to be what sustains the journey and makes you want to keep showing up for yourself. And so that's really how it started for me. Meghan Houle (20:43.634) Yeah, I love that. And as we know, I mean, for somebody that struggled with eating disorders also very, very early on, those moments of severe limiting of food, limiting intake. And I remember being so young and not sugar people, but like always being cold and always being tired. But it's crazy, Izzy. And I know you've done so much work in me, too. Izzy Atkinson (21:00.778) Yep. Meghan Houle (21:13.608) but it's nuts how much information is out there now that was not there, thank God, when we were growing up with Instagram and all these like, unfortunately unhealthy accounts that are very impressionable to a younger population growing up and God, if I could just take like, 13 year old Megan where, you know, anorexia, seventh, eighth, ninth grade, you're talking like 1992, 93. Izzy Atkinson (21:21.982) Yep. Izzy Atkinson (21:25.515) Yep. Mm-hmm. Izzy Atkinson (21:42.955) Yep. Meghan Houle (21:43.546) we really didn't understand that back in the day. Like the skinny kid, like I was called like Skeletor and they're like, why are you so skinny? And you know, it was something where, yeah, the nurses would like weigh me and they're like, oh, you need to go to therapy, but there wasn't really no action. Like I really give myself some credit for not self- Izzy Atkinson (21:45.964) No. Izzy Atkinson (22:00.187) Mm-hmm. Meghan Houle (22:07.938) uh, soothing or healing, but, um, I, something just snapped in me one day Izzy where I was like, I don't want to feel like this anymore. And at a young age, you know, I think you get tired from not being able to ride your bike as long as your friends or do this. And there's a whole, all different things that went into like what happened to me. But I feel like now in this day and age, like, Izzy Atkinson (22:23.916) Okay. Meghan Houle (22:29.942) Oh my gosh, like where do you think as a society we have like literally gone off the rails with this topic? Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Izzy Atkinson (22:36.905) Oh my god, I'm like, that's such a so many thoughts on that. I think and thank you for sharing part of your story too. Um, oh my god, there's so much where we've gone off the rails, right? And I think this is even like you said, with social media and the internet and everything, it's like, while there's so much information, that's powerful and beneficial and educational, there's equally as much that's detrimental, right? And I really feel for younger generations, especially because Meghan Houle (22:44.171) Yeah. Izzy Atkinson (23:06.857) again, luckily for us, we didn't have this yet. And we were, we know enough almost pre this time to sort of say, I mean, I'm going to take this with a grain of salt. This isn't realistic. Like there's, I feel for these younger generations, because now we're seeing like these AI images, like there's just so much that's not even real. I can't even imagine it. And I think that I think there's just so much information about like, Meghan Houle (23:23.146) Right. That's not even real. Right. Yeah. Crazy. I know. Izzy Atkinson (23:34.421) You know, I think of the world of TikTok and there's just, there's just nonsense. I mean, it's just nonsense. These crazy diets we've seen, these weird products people are trying, and something that, you know, a part of my healing journey has been that I got diagnosed with PCOS, I think maybe three or four years ago now. And I had to change my entire relationship with food, with everything, I mean, everything. Meghan Houle (23:40.416) Yeah. Izzy Atkinson (23:57.273) And I look at all these like quick fixes and these kind of strange products or these weird trendy diets that are going on and even these aesthetic looks. And I just get frustrated because I'm like, there is going to be a lot of work that's going to have to happen after this. Like you, anyone that's gone down this path, no, even though we go back to isogenics, like I had so many health issues after the fact, like you have these things come back later on and you're like, shoot, how did I get here? So I think that the crazy trends for me are just. Meghan Houle (24:22.094) Mm-hmm. Izzy Atkinson (24:26.697) Again, the AI stuff has been even for me, it's triggering. Like I'm like, this is not even a real person and it's so unrealistic. And I just think it's in general, there's just, we are in information and consumption overload, whether it's in a positive direction or not. So I find that even in the health and wellness and fitness journey, that there's barriers. A lot of my clients are like, I open up Instagram and every account that I even do like and resonate with, They're telling me I have to do these 15 things to start the journey. Right. And I'm like, it's really in reality. It isn't that complex, right? It's about making small 1% increment changes every day that are going to move you forward. So there's a lot to unpack with that question. Meghan Houle (25:10.718) Yeah, yeah, but no, I think it all I think it does start with socials. And I agree. I think that is really, unfortunately, something we can't control. But for anyone listening, and I know there's a younger community that will that tunes in and we'll go down the comparison game path in a bit. But we are so easily doom scrolling and like, oh, she's so skinny, whatever. OK, like PSA, nobody at our end of days is going to be like, Izzy Atkinson (25:19.445) Right. Izzy Atkinson (25:34.689) Yep. Meghan Houle (25:39.692) so skinny, you know, so let's just move on from that. But how do you help people coming to you, maybe asking for training support, where maybe you are balancing someone too that is seeking? Izzy Atkinson (25:40.53) I'm sorry. Meghan Houle (25:52.982) body image issues or body image insights, like what's some advice that you give to even people that work with you or just in general to share with the community of those, maybe a small action they can do to start or something easy to flip, to move forward, yeah. Izzy Atkinson (25:54.005) Mm-hmm. Izzy Atkinson (26:08.581) Yeah, yeah, I mean I think and to be frank and I think it's just coincidental right is that every single woman that I do train whether it's personal training or whether it's coaching is every single one of them is in this spot when they first work with me and The biggest thing that I initially say to them is you know What is it in your life right now when they say like, you know, I need to change my body I need to be thinner or I hate my body, you know these words that we use I'm like, okay What? How do you feel about yourself as a person? Like, tell me a little bit about you. Like if I were just to say, you know, to, you know, Sue, like Sue, tell me about yourself a little bit. What do you like to do? What are your favorite things? I try to get to know people a little bit. And why I'm sharing this for anyone listening is this is really important actually, because I would say nine times out of 10, the women that I've worked with thus far in my career, the body image obsession and the struggle and the need to shrink ourselves, it really comes from this disconnect to who we are or the shame about who we are, right? Maybe your whole life you were told you weren't good enough. You were in abusive relationships. Your parents told you had to lose weight. Maybe your identity was tied to you know, being a college athlete. And now you're out of college and you're like, Who am I? So much of it is actually about pausing for a second and quite literally asking yourself, you know, who am I? What do I like about myself? And when there is nothing that shows up there? To me, that's the answer of, okay, fitness and this journey you're about to go on, it's an amazing one, but it's ultimately the byproduct of actually turning into yourself. And I think such a powerful message in the fitness community, and you're such a part of that yourself, is you're showing up for yourself. You're saying, I matter. I deserve to take this hour for myself. I deserve to prioritize myself. I deserve to feel good. Izzy Atkinson (28:05.421) I need to change my body. I hate my body. I need to get smaller. I need to lose weight. I mean, think about even the energy. It's totally different. And so those are the things initially I start to work with my clients on of how can we start to pivot from, I need to change, change. I hate, I don't like to, this is empowering me. This is helping me set boundaries for myself. This is helping me learn different parts of my personality. And There's a really beautiful ripple effect internally that happens when you start to make those shifts. Meghan Houle (28:39.494) Mm-hmm. No, I mean, all of that is so powerful. And yeah, at the end of the day, oh gosh, I remember the days. And I think food is a huge motivator, too, Izzy. And we're coming out of the holidays. And I think summertime, people are triggered as like, you overeat, you're at all the parties, you're at Sunday fun day. And then you're like, oh, Monday, I need to do three gym classes. And no, you're actually hurting yourself. So it's all routine. But I do agree. Izzy Atkinson (28:57.482) Yep. Izzy Atkinson (29:04.862) Yep. Meghan Houle (29:09.428) with the mindset and you know, truly standing in your worth and saying like, Oh my gosh, like I'm a human being not a human doing I have a lot to offer. And this fitness journey is going to make me you know, just feel better not just from a looks point of view because that can't just be the end game. Strength like think about it. I'm sure you have clients that like have hit a PR for like a deadlift or like you go in and train with you but maybe you take a berries class and you're doing like 30 Izzy Atkinson (29:19.357) Yes! Izzy Atkinson (29:27.421) Yep. Right. Izzy Atkinson (29:32.525) Mm-hmm. Meghan Houle (29:38.71) pounds, like chest presses. You're like, I'm strong. You know, no more. I see less and less like those cute weight. And like not shaming the low weights we need to touch, but like the fives and the eights. Where it's like, you're not gonna get bulky, lift some damn weights, like all the myths of fitness. So I love that you do that. And I know you do a lot of one-on-one work with individuals coaching wise, which is so beautiful. But tell me, what is your purpose behind? Izzy Atkinson (29:39.986) Yeah. Izzy Atkinson (29:46.965) Mm-hmm. Yep. Yeah, right. Meghan Houle (30:04.766) some of your other projects, because I know you have a lot of other organizations that you support. Yeah, tell us a little bit about those, because there are so many spokes in your wheel, for sure. Yeah, that's what I always say. Izzy Atkinson (30:09.333) you Izzy Atkinson (30:14.141) I know. I know. It is. I was, I, like I even, when we were prepping for this episode and I was thinking, I'm like, how do I describe, you know, all the things, the different hats that I wear? So I mean, one of the big things I do is I'm the board president for the soul project, which is a nonprofit that really our overarching mission is to empower and celebrate women and girls in all avenues of their lives, all stages of their lives to show up and be celebrated as their authentic selves. And when I think about, you know, the different things I'm involved with in coaching and things I'm excited about, and even my podcast, that is really the overarching mission of everything I do is that I as Izzy. show up authentically as myself in every platform, every endeavor that I'm involved in. And how do I continue to spread that ripple effect to other women? Like, do the same thing. Use your voice, show up vulnerably. And I also believe with vulnerability, there is immense internal power. And so that's a big piece of the work that I do and all the things I do. You know, the soul project, That's like a whole other entity in and of itself, but that really started. It's tied to what we're talking about. Gosh, years ago, the founder, Christy, was a friend of mine that I met doing fitness shows and talk about two women quite literally lost in their lives at the time, struggling with confidence, struggling with who they are, what's their purpose in the world, body image issues, all these different things. And I continued to candidly sort of share my journey on social media as I was healing. Meghan Houle (31:32.403) Oh, wow. Yeah. Izzy Atkinson (31:49.609) And then Chrissy reached out to me and she's like, I want to get coffee with you and talk more about this. My personal journey through that conversation, she was looking herself, how do I step into this new layer I can or level of myself? I'm feeling called to step into sharing my voice, standing in my power, celebrating all of who I am. And so it started from really encouraging women to storytell. meaning that we interview women, we asked them to share their story, they get a beautiful photo shoot out of it. And it just took off. And one of the questions was, what would you tell your 12 year old self? And so we kept, you know, having conversations and we're like, we need to work with young girls. Because this is where it starts. I mean, that's the thing. This is where it starts even when you're sharing when you were young, like, this is where all this stuff started for me, all the struggle all of the like, Meghan Houle (32:31.582) Yes, oh my god. Izzy Atkinson (32:40.437) block it blockages in my life out all the self hate like that's when it started and so Meghan Houle (32:45.555) I know it. Yeah, and I feel like this day and age, the kids are meaner than ever. There's so many like asshole kids. There's parents that don't know how to parent, don't parent. And then you have these incredible young souls letting someone else early on define their worth and who they are. And that just like carries us through life. So I love that. And I love working also in mentoring, you know, some of these up and comers because gosh, I wish I had an Izzy growing up. Izzy Atkinson (32:50.149) Oh. Yep. Izzy Atkinson (33:04.041) Right? Izzy Atkinson (33:16.361) Right? Yeah, 100% it's really fulfilling. And it does feel like a lot of times you're talking to your younger self. And like you said, I think the current younger generations, there's just so many different struggles and what we went through. Even like we talked about with social media and technology and just giving, you know, girls tools, right? Like had someone when I was young, said to me when you for me, my, my like, Meghan Houle (33:16.376) you know so yeah good for you Meghan Houle (33:25.161) Uh huh. Izzy Atkinson (33:45.161) all my struggles that I kept finding myself in really abusive relationships. And had someone truly told me at a young age, like why you keep finding yourself in this situation is probably because of X, Y, and Z. That would have been so beneficial, but there was actually back then a lot more shame around those things, at least now I will say, while there is again information overload, we're also right now in a time where there is more openness and there is more sharing of the struggles and the shame and the body image and abusive relationships and all those things. And so yeah, my whole mission is like, I hope I can help someone else feel empowered in their life and prevent them from, you know, having to go through some of the really hard painful moments that I had to experience. Meghan Houle (34:28.414) Yeah, yeah. And how beautiful that you're using some of that trauma and all of it to help for the greater good, to really impact other lives. So I love that so much and pivoting to societal expectations. As I know, you and I went on a 27 minute rant through Insta voice note chats. Izzy Atkinson (34:39.085) Mm-hmm. Izzy Atkinson (34:46.941) Yeah. Meghan Houle (34:56.099) for someone stressing about where they are not in life today. I know you probably get this often. I mean, I know those training sessions, I've had trainers for years. It also is like therapy sessions, Izzy, and that I know you have such a great community. What would you say to... Izzy Atkinson (35:09.539) Oh yeah. Meghan Houle (35:14.55) the community out there who is struggling to see all their friends getting married and see all their friends having the kids and being in love and the houses and I don't have this and I mean beyond body image, right? We're like, it's this like Lego block of hell that we're creating where we're putting all of this pressure on ourselves. And then you spiral, right? Like at the end of the day, you spiral and it just leaves all kinds of bad things. So. Izzy Atkinson (35:28.382) No. Izzy Atkinson (35:36.789) Mm-hmm. Meghan Houle (35:43.71) So what are you seeing out there? And how are you sharing your voice around these topics? What is your hot take? What are your thoughts? Let's stop checking the boxes, everybody, because no one cares. Live your damn life. Izzy Atkinson (35:51.713) Yep. Izzy Atkinson (35:57.949) 100% could not agree live your damn life all day long. Love it. Love it. Love it Oh my gosh, it's I have so much to say on this topic anyone that's yeah We're laughing because we're like we've already dove into this Anyone that's you know been following along my journey and listening my podcast to you like I share that at 30 which Societally is like a milestone age for women for whatever reason It's like there has been this narrative that we believe at least for me at 30 I should have been at least engaged if not married planning when I want to get pregnant or should have been pregnant, right? like And at 30, I basically went through I always say it's a divorce style breakup because I had everything but the ring our lives were fully like we were married, but we just weren't engaged. And I was like, um, okay. Like all those societal things just I drowned in it for a while, right. But what it taught me in the journey, and I think kind of my hot take is that I know many women that do check off these boxes and there is no shame or shade to what I'm saying. But the reality is that a lot of women I have known that felt that pressure that acted accordingly only based off of the structures, right? Like, I have to do this by this time, I need to settle down. Like, this is what I'm quote unquote, supposed to do. They are not fulfilled in their lives. And I think that Again, society as women, we're not encouraged to I think even be fulfilled by ourselves, like from who we are, or by our career or if we want to take a different path. I mean, I just had this conversation with a client this morning. And it's like, we, we should be encouraged to pursue what feels aligned for us, even if that's a different path than someone else, even if it's a different timeline than someone else. There's nothing wrong. I mean, it's so crazy. We're talking about this because Meghan Houle (37:31.451) Mm-hmm. Izzy Atkinson (37:47.153) my client this morning, I want to say she's like in her mid 40s. And she's like, I don't know if I want to have kids, right? I've been with my partner for almost 12 years. I don't know if that feels aligned for me. And I'm so sick of feeling judged. Because I might not want that. She's built a beautiful career. She's been sober five years, right? Like she's had amazing things that should be celebrated. And the point is, is that why societally do we just ignore all those things? And I I think that I have such an issue with that. And I have such an issue with let's say you are wanting the love you're of course you want those things maybe you want to check off all those boxes. I had another client of mine who's in her late 20s. And my podcast episode about this topic was inspired by her because she went to this party, all of her friends are engaged. She's the only one not in a serious relationship. She's had a very unique journey of her own really focused on her career and her health the last few years. she went to this party and felt like she didn't add any value to the room or the conversation because she wasn't talking about what wedding cake she wanted right like and I don't say this to shame those things I want to get married I want to have a family like I want those things but I think society we've been taught as women that that's what's important that's your identity that's what that's what makes you and have value in these settings um So that's kind of my hot take on it. And I think maybe the last little hot take is going through these big shifts at the age of 30 and now I'm 32 and a half. It's like, I had to really rewrite my story of what my personal milestones for Izzy were, how I could celebrate myself. And it also really highlighted for me the way people do show up for me. I realized that, unfortunately, a lot of people weren't gonna show up for me the same way. Meghan Houle (39:16.246) Yeah. Izzy Atkinson (39:43.961) And that's, I think, something we also don't talk about enough, is that as the single woman, meaning maybe you're not married or maybe you're not engaged or maybe you're married but don't want kids or whatever the narrative, like, I've had to learn that. I don't know if you feel this way, but I've had to fill my own cup in a lot of areas because I'm not checking out those boxes in the timeline that people expected me to. Meghan Houle (40:01.13) Yeah. Meghan Houle (40:05.086) Yeah, well, and I think too, because I deal with this myself, you know, at my age, not having kids and something like I've outwardly chosen. A lot of my friends, like from high school and ever, everyone's got three, four plus kids. Amazing! We love kids. If you don't have kids, it doesn't mean you hate kids. You know, Jennifer Aniston is like my spirit animal. But I also feel like... Izzy Atkinson (40:16.594) Mm-hmm. Izzy Atkinson (40:23.261) Right. Yes. Right. Meghan Houle (40:33.326) Flipping the script of your mind for anyone listening, that's walking into a room. And I've been to many children birthday parties. There's been a lot of jump ball situations. If everyone's seen Four Christmases, I've been attacked in the jump ball thing. And whatever, a good sport about it. But I think for me, it's almost this energy of showing up your best damn self, feeling like, all right. Izzy Atkinson (40:39.189) Mm-hmm. Izzy Atkinson (40:43.867) Yep. Izzy Atkinson (40:48.579) I'm sorry. Izzy Atkinson (40:58.974) Yes. Izzy Atkinson (41:02.399) Yeah. Meghan Houle (41:02.486) congratulations on your wedding, like here's what I got going on. And instead of like making yourself small, and listen, there are those people that will talk over you and then, you know, it's the kids diatribe. And again, I've been there and I'm just like, that's amazing, I'm so glad your kids are doing well. But like flipping the conversation. Izzy Atkinson (41:08.73) Yes. Mm-hmm. Izzy Atkinson (41:16.67) Yep. Meghan Houle (41:22.878) you know, hey, what do you guys watch right now? What are we reading? Like, what are we doing? You know, and I think like showing up your best self and not showing up already because this happens to in career pivots where if you're in any bad situation, a situation you hate a situation where you're unworthy, you're bringing that energy to the situation, right? And I'm like, Oh, girl, go in there with your best outfit. If you are in a crappy job, and you want to make a job move, you'll do it. Izzy Atkinson (41:24.787) Right. Izzy Atkinson (41:39.057) Yes, yes, 100%. Meghan Houle (41:49.13) But show up every day not saying like, oh my god, I hate my job or like, oh my god, I hate my life. Be like, you know what? I'm grateful for a lot of stuff. I know I'm gonna get this in life and it's gonna happen. But yeah, by putting that negative energy behind it, it only continues to like, breed almost like that negative and drama because like, that's what you attract, right? Like the power of attraction, the law of attraction. So attract what you like. And I will tell you too, for anyone out there that Izzy Atkinson (41:51.295) Right. Izzy Atkinson (41:56.799) Yep. Izzy Atkinson (42:05.057) Mm-hmm. Izzy Atkinson (42:09.886) Yes. Yep. Meghan Houle (42:19.03) is struggling to like find the one. I will tell the story of like finding my husband, also like you Izzy, nothing but abusive relationships. Like crazy ass stories will tell offline, like for it was scary. And I remember crying in my car one night, and this kind of conflicts what I'm gonna say because I wasn't putting good energy around it. But I feel like I was like, when am I gonna find a good guy? This is like never gonna happen. Izzy Atkinson (42:20.737) Mm-hmm. Izzy Atkinson (42:29.911) Yeah. Izzy Atkinson (42:46.142) Yeah. Meghan Houle (42:48.578) And I had an awesome job, just like you. I mean, I was working in this great job and a lot of things were going great. And I just was like, all right, Megan, you've been here before, you're gonna pick it up, it's gonna happen. And I kind of released the force behind and I remember one snowy night after a very long day of work. Izzy Atkinson (43:03.625) Yes, I was just gonna say that. Meghan Houle (43:11.926) showing up and you ever go out and you just want to like eat ugly, like I'm like, let me put like 8000 fries in my mouth and nobody wants to look you and like please don't talk to me. Like, I'm gonna get the buffalo chicken sandwich with like lots of ketchup and I always spill stuff on me. I'm like a six year old person. So Izzy Atkinson (43:15.05) Yeah. Izzy Atkinson (43:24.926) Hmm. Meghan Houle (43:31.278) That was the night and I remember my husband being in that same restaurant, same time, same place, and it's just so crazy that, you know, he decided to take a chance and chat with me and here we are 15 years later. So honestly, that was probably two months after the car cry when I just released it and I was like, I'm going to be okay for whatever happens and the power of the energy that you can show up in and like what you're asking the universe and then making sure that headspace is in line. And I know it's not easier said than done, but Izzy Atkinson (43:43.173) Mm-hmm. Yeah. Izzy Atkinson (43:49.619) Yep. Izzy Atkinson (43:57.696) Yes. Meghan Houle (44:00.523) You're going to get it. Whatever anyone out there seeking, it's already done. Right? Izzy Atkinson (44:02.973) Yes. I oh my god, I could not agree more. And I love it's so funny. As you were talking, I was thinking to myself like loosening your grip, like letting go of the force. And I can speak for that myself because yeah, coincidentally enough as well. I'm actually I am on a relationship. And the irony of it all is that I met him. He's from Boston, but he lives in California. And I met him. Meghan Houle (44:13.228) Yes! Izzy Atkinson (44:26.621) I technically met him in Boston, but it was when I went to California about a year and a half ago on the soul searching journey and similar to you like I had loosened the grip and fact actually had no expectations and I was out in California in this really vulnerable like he pray love healing space and I met this guy you know, are we reconnected from Boston on a totally different way like when you're talking about the eat ugly like I was in the like emotionally ugly like it's like I just was showing up in my most like stripped down self. I mean, I can't even tell you I had. It's like there was no I was just like I'm only available for friendship. I'm on a healing journey, blah, blah. And you know, a year and a half later, like it well year later, we decided like this is definitely beyond a friendship. But the point is, it happened naturally, partly because yes, I finally was like Meghan Houle (45:02.155) Thank you. Izzy Atkinson (45:14.417) Okay, I'm releasing this need to like find a husband tomorrow and fall in love and like do these things and no, I didn't think I was gonna be in a longest relationship, right? Like no, there's certain things you don't expect. But to your point, like, I don't know, it ends up aligning in the way that it's meant to as long as you can trust and put that energy out there. And I really think to honoring Yes, feeling sad wanting those things, right? But at the same time, continuing to show up and fill your own cup. Meghan Houle (45:32.031) Yeah. Izzy Atkinson (45:43.701) I have seen this in every avenue of my life, whether it's career, relationships, you know, whatever it is, if I'm showing up and pouring into Izzy, my external environment will start to reflect that. Meghan Houle (45:44.83) Mm-hmm. Meghan Houle (45:56.414) Yeah. Oh, amen. And no, I'm the same with routine boundaries, habits. I mean, I give myself a lot of credit over the years for learning how to say no a lot louder. And because I know if I'm not going to do X, Y, and Z, then I'm a train wreck, I'm a mess. And you probably don't even want me in your sights. So God bless and good luck. So fill your cup. Izzy Atkinson (46:09.057) Mm-hmm. Yeah. Izzy Atkinson (46:17.053) Yep. Izzy Atkinson (46:22.474) yep mm-hmm yeah Meghan Houle (46:23.082) Release the force and just trust. Trust the process for whatever you want, career pivots, kids, marriage. Everything in desire is just on the other side of believing that it's already there. So I love that so much. All right, let's pivot to your podcast. Make it make sense. Oh, what is the meaning behind the title? And what are some of those messages you share in the podcast? I know it's pretty powerful. You talk about a lot of different things. Yeah. Izzy Atkinson (46:36.07) Mmhmm. Yes! Izzy Atkinson (46:40.929) Ah! Izzy Atkinson (46:49.269) Mm-hmm. Oh my gosh make it make sense the reason it's called make it make sense is so as I shared a little earlier in this episode I Went through this huge breakup at 30 like and the universe I wasn't even really a spiritual person until this happened and the universe basically I feel like they took me and they just like threw me and we're like figure it out girl, and it was so hard, I hit rock bottom probably 20 times in one year, like, on my face on the bathroom floor crying flat broke like all the things and it was through this soul searching journey and almost this rebirth, right? I was trying new things and all these crazy universal things were just happening. Like, like we said, trust it's already happening. But I was starting to see that where I'd be in the right place at the right time where I'd have this like divinely guided experience. And I would call my girlfriends I would be like, make this make sense in that exact voice. I'd be like, make it make sense. How is this happening to me? I don't get it. And then the more that I was in my own healing journey, I was like, this is what it's all about is it's making these things make sense, right? It's making healing make sense. It's making you know, the body image struggles, why you're in these relationships, you know, divine timing, like I just was like part of what my journey has been the last few years. Meghan Houle (47:47.306) Oh, I love it. You're like. Izzy Atkinson (48:09.453) is making sense of all the things that I'm learning all the things that I've gone through how I'm implementing it into my life and into my journey and my work and my healing. And so my podcast really so far has been, I would say a mix of storytelling of a lot of the experiences I've just had and gone through the last few years that I believe are very powerful and someone will resonate and need to hear it. And it's like my it's my take on healing. It's talking about body image. I really like to dive into the topics that resonate for me, right? And just showing up vulnerably, like I consistently will get on the mic, when I'm in fact feeling vulnerable, whether that's in a powerful way, or even an emotional way of something that's coming through to me right now, I know needs to be heard. And that's been a very cathartic experience for myself, like even if no one ever listens to my podcast. Meghan Houle (48:56.762) Yeah. Izzy Atkinson (49:02.797) I want to say that for me, my voice was so stripped down in my relationships and the the after effects of that breakup were so painful and heinous, like truly for so long that to find my voice again in a whole new powerful way was just it's been such a gift to myself. And so that's really been what the podcast has been about, like sharing my journey and hoping that it helps. Just other people feel seen and heard and inspired to trust their life, trust themselves, trust the experiences they're going through, find their voice, find their power, know you can heal. It's just been such a delight to do it. It's like, it's a long journey. I've wanted to do this for a very long time, so I'm really happy that I finally am. Meghan Houle (49:49.298) Yeah. And I think, like you said, sometimes just saying the things that are heavy on your heart out loud is such a release. I mean, whether you have a podcast out there and you are already doing this or I sometimes will get in the shower, Izzy, and I got something hot on my soul. And I'm just in there talking to myself. My husband's like, I'm sorry. Is someone in there with you? I'm like, it's me and my five personalities. Beat it. We got some stuff going on in here. Izzy Atkinson (49:55.693) Yes. Izzy Atkinson (50:00.013) Mm-hmm. Izzy Atkinson (50:09.037) Yes! Meghan Houle (50:19.172) I'm trying to get them get mad. And then I'm like, but I think like there are people that need to hear at times, and this is like your community, and I know you support so many people, like what you have to say, because I think in sharing that vulnerability, people don't feel alone. And I think if anything good has come out of the buildup. Izzy Atkinson (50:33.933) Right. Meghan Houle (50:40.018) of social podcasts and finding authentic connections and community, it's the support where they're like, oh, she's feeling that too. For sometimes people that will put you or individuals on pedestals and icons of the fitness community or otherwise or local celebrities and like, oh, they got it all. They probably don't deal with anything. Their lives are perfect. And it's like, actually, we're most likely all tornadoes behind the scenes with nothing figured out, Izzy Atkinson (50:40.653) Mm-hmm. Izzy Atkinson (50:48.493) Yes. Izzy Atkinson (50:54.093) Mm-hmm. Yep. Izzy Atkinson (51:08.109) Yep. Meghan Houle (51:09.912) And sharing that, I think, and having somebody not feel alone, it's so powerful. And I'm sure people listening in can say, if Izzy can do it, so can I. So I just, I think that's so amazing. And thank you for sharing your voice and for all that you do to support the community. And before I let you go and ask some fun questions, what impact do you want to make on your community today and beyond? What do you want to be known for, Izzy? I know. Yeah. Izzy Atkinson (51:18.349) 100%. Izzy Atkinson (51:34.189) Oh, I know. I mean, yes, on a high level, it's make the world a more positive place. But it really is to encourage people to be their authentic selves. Like, what a gift. Not only are you giving to yourself, but to others and the ripple effect that that creates, I just I want to continue to inspire and encourage people like, be you, I don't want you to be me, right? Like, I don't want you to try to be someone that you're not. We all have these beautiful gifts within us and they're meant to be heard, they're meant to be shared. And I believe that life, it is a ripple effect. I mean, think of like, we talk about the fitness community, like there is this ongoing ripple effect within community. And so how can I continue to elevate and inspire all of those around me to do that for themselves to then inspire someone else and just have that continue to have a really positive ripple effect in the world? Meghan Houle (52:30.354) And how do you feel like someone's network is important to their journey to healing? I mean, I always say like, do the friends edit, the cliche of unfollow people, but what would you say as I'm sure you've had to shed some individuals throughout your time, what advice would you give for somebody to take some action if maybe they are feeling a little inauthentic or out of alignment or ready for a big career move and yeah. Izzy Atkinson (52:40.205) Yep. Izzy Atkinson (52:44.621) Mm-hmm. Izzy Atkinson (52:55.693) Yeah, I would say I mean number one if your intuition is calling you to it like start to really listen to that I think taking stock of when we talk about energy, right? Like how are you feeling around certain people? That's such an important thing to take inventory of within yourself If you are around whether it's a job or a friend and you're like always drained, right? Or you're like feel down about yourself or you leave and you feel negative. That is feedback like that's important feedback and so I think that when you're shedding people or almost layers of yourself in your journey, there's also grief that comes with that I've had to shed a lot of friendships that at one point in my life did serve me. They were important at a at a certain moment in my life, but I outgrew them because I've continued to grow I've continued to evolve and You have to sort of when you're on this journey, like get comfortable with that. That's going to be a part of the journey. And so allowing that space to grieve almost that old version of yourself. That's what I found, at least for me, it's, it's letting go of a version of me as well. Um, and then I think on the flip side, surrounding yourself with people that have the energy you want or that inspire you, I can't tell you how many people. Meghan Houle (53:57.319) Yeah. Meghan Houle (54:00.606) Right. Izzy Atkinson (54:10.349) in my, you know, career thus far, it's like I just slid into their DMS and said like, I'm I mean, that's even really how we've all connected, right? Like, you just plant the seed of like, I would love to get to know who you are, or I feel like we have things in common, or I'm really inspired by you. People love that, like Meghan Houle (54:17.396) Yeah. Izzy Atkinson (54:27.757) People wanna connect with like-minded people. And so I say this to a lot of women I work with too, of like start showing up in those rooms, go to those workshops, go to those spaces where people are already doing what you're hoping to do or energetically, it's where you wanna go. Because yes, it's very important energetically with who and what you surround yourself with. Meghan Houle (54:42.686) Yeah. Meghan Houle (54:47.294) Mm-hmm. Oh, yeah, those texts that come in for that friend that we all have that never is like, how are you doing? It's like, I have a crisis, and I have this, and we're all dealing with our own stuff. And you can't expect to hold space for other people all the time. So I love that take stock of the energy that is around you and how you're showing up in front of those people. And Izzy Atkinson (54:50.573) Yup. Yep. Izzy Atkinson (55:00.557) Yes. Meghan Houle (55:10.75) If you're dreading going to something or whatever, just say no. And if people get mad at you, it is because they're mad at the loss of the person that they once thought they knew and were friends with, but you're on to bigger and better. So hallelujah. Take those steps in this new year, everybody. So before I let you go, fun things about Izzy. Is there anything like a secret talent or something that maybe Izzy Atkinson (55:13.869) Exactly. Izzy Atkinson (55:23.917) Yes. Yep. Meghan Houle (55:39.446) we don't know about you that you just love to do or hidden talent or what's some like fun, juicy, personal Izzy talents or loves or likes or vices or fun things? Yeah, yeah. Izzy Atkinson (55:47.341) Oh my God. Izzy Atkinson (55:51.853) That's such a good question. I'm like, what are they? Um, I mean, I've obviously now shared dancing has been a big part of my life. That would have been maybe something more hidden before. I grew up singing a lot of people don't know that I used to like rock out singing on my microphone. I did jazz singing all the time. Meghan Houle (55:58.75) Yeah. Mm-hmm. Meghan Houle (56:08.511) Oh cool. Yeah. Izzy Atkinson (56:08.845) Oh my god, a random thing about me because I was just watching it last night. I would say shows that I love to binge watch. I'm super into Bravo and the Real Housewives. And I also random guilty pleasure is I love the holiday baking championship Food Network. Like I can watch it for hours. It gets me into a Zen place and I absolutely love it which I feel like a super random what are other like random things I have 20 ear piercings Meghan Houle (56:16.337) Mm-hmm. Izzy Atkinson (56:37.165) That's always like a random fun fact to share. Meghan Houle (56:37.898) Yes. I love that. Yeah. Izzy Atkinson (56:42.445) Oh, I learned sign language this year. Like I'm really into just, I was just called to it. I'm really into language. So, and I'm obviously into using my hands. And I was like, how do I combine these two? So that's been something new that's been, like I've been kind of nerding out on it big time is that sign language has really been a cool new thing. Meghan Houle (56:46.788) Oooo Meghan Houle (56:51.438) Cool. Yeah. I love this. Meghan Houle (57:02.478) So cool. I love that. And I love watching those Zen shows. I always say, I love Bravo. But I was just talking about this yesterday. You also need those shows where you watch and like, it doesn't give you anxiety because sometimes those like, how's my shows like everyone's fighting and you know what's coming and then you're like, Oh my god, I just had a stress related work. Let me watch. Let me watch a baking show. Mine is like Gilmar Girls for everyone follows me. I'm like, just go somewhere where your mind can just like, soothe itself and you get ready for bed or whatever that routine is. Izzy Atkinson (57:14.061) Right? Izzy Atkinson (57:21.293) Yes. Izzy Atkinson (57:28.557) Mm-hmm. Yes. Yes. Meghan Houle (57:32.432) So that's so cool. So tell us, how can we work with you, Izzy? I know Izzy, everybody is based in Boston, but do you offer like virtual coaching? And I know you could do in-person coaching. Like what type of clients are you taking on? Like promote what and how we can work with you. Yeah, in what ways? Yeah. Izzy Atkinson (57:43.309) Mm-hmm. Izzy Atkinson (57:50.189) Yeah, so if you are in the Boston area, I do offer personal training and in person, I mean really in person personal training Um, I teach fitness classes in the city as well in terms of coaching and there's a couple Kind of avenues to this some women I work in more like a life coaching container other It is much more focused around body image struggles and just really struggling with disordered eating both of those I offer virtually i'm Consistently taking on clients. So that's something you can go right into my website and reach out to me on Instagram set up a conversation Currently I'm taking on clients and those are kind of the main things I'm up to outside of like growing my podcast You know continuing to grow the soul project the other things that I'm involved in but I I love I love coaching women to help them feel their best selves. It's list. It's the ultimate gift. So Yeah Meghan Houle (58:30.922) Yeah. Meghan Houle (58:38.174) Yeah. Well, good. We'll link everything in our show notes. And any good events or anything fun coming up in this sort of first quarter of the year, what are you looking forward to in 2024? It's just overarching. Yes. Izzy Atkinson (58:50.477) Yeah, it's a great question. I mean, I am looking forward to continuing to expand more workshops. I did a lot of workshops in 2023 and got more clarity and like the kind of angle I want to go with more of those in the city. I am definitely starting to lead a bi-coastal life, I believe. So I'm really excited to see how that manifests. this year, it's gonna be really interesting. So those are kind of the things that I've been leaning into is more in-person community spaces, coaching, and then just trusting intuitively why the universe keeps bringing me to California. Ha ha ha. Meghan Houle (59:28.394) No, I will I will follow you. So I am right there California girls with you. That is so wonderful. Well, I know how incredible you are. It's been so great getting to know you to over the years we've been connected and just seeing you out and about and I love all the in person things that are really continuing to pop up. I just feel like we need this in person. Izzy Atkinson (59:48.525) Yeah. Meghan Houle (59:51.386) so much more than ever now. I'm really ramping up last year and now into this new year. So I cannot wait to see what is in store. So thank you so much for sharing your heart, your vulnerabilities, your challenges, your struggles, and for anyone listening, like break those societal norms, trust the process, go with the flow, and show up your authentic self. So thank you Izzy for being here with us. We love you, yes. Izzy Atkinson (59:52.589) I'm sorry. Yeah. Izzy Atkinson (01:00:09.133) Yes. Go with the flow. Yes. Thank you so much. This was such an honor and such a fun conversation. Thank you. Meghan Houle (01:00:23.35) Yay, thank you.