You’re doing the workouts, tracking the meals, and still wondering—why does this feel so hard? Why does my body resist change, even when I’m doing “everything right”?

In this conversation with women’s fitness coach Megan Hardy, we unpack the emotional cost of pushing your body from a place of self-criticism. Whether you're postpartum, post-burnout, or just stuck in the cycle of “fixing” your body instead of befriending it, this episode explores what really shifts physical results—hint: it’s not just macros or reps, but the state your nervous system is in when you take action. We get honest about the mental load of being a Type A woman in a body that’s tired of being a project—and how to finally stop self-abandoning in the name of discipline.

• Understand how unspoken stress and subtle self-rejection can block your physical results
• Learn the nervous system patterns behind why some clients thrive—and others spiral—even on the same program
• Get real, embodied tools to shift out of cortisol-driven hustle and into sustainable strength, joy, and confidence

Full episode: 

Podcast: The Muscle Makeover

Our Guest:

Megan Hardy is a proud wife, mom, dog mom, podcast host of The Muscle Makeover, and Founder & CEO of Fitness Uncharted with over a decade of experience as a women’s fitness and nutrition coach. After healing from years of binging and restricting food and going through her own body transformation journey, Megan’s mission is to help other women achieve their dream body and lifestyle too. She wants everyone to experience the CONFIDENCE and FOOD FREEDOM that she now has - and to help them do it in half the time that it took her. Megan received a Bachelor’s degree from James Madison University and has a background in dance, anatomy and somatic studies. She founded her 1:1 Fitness & Nutrition Coaching Company, Fitness Uncharted, to help women become the healthiest, strongest version of themselves inside and out.

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  📍 so you are doing the workouts, you are tracking the meals, and you're not seeing the results. You're wondering, why does this feel so hard if I'm doing everything right.  welcome to Sustainable Success, the podcast for emotionally intelligent professionals who have done the work that still feel burnt out and ask, is it my business? Is it my job? Or is it just me? But long to live with integrity without abandoning their sensitivity. I am Sheridan Ruth, a somatic therapist, burnout coach, bestselling author, and postgraduate psychology student.

in these short episodes, I'll be teaching you how to rebuild your capacity, make clear decisions, and finally feel like yourself again without needing to quit and burn everything to the ground or take a month off in Bali. 

 In today's conversation with Women's Fitness coach Meghan Hardy, we are unpacking the emotional. Impact of pushing and improving your body from a place of self criticism or underlying feeling of there's something wrong, there's something that I need to fix. You might be post burnout, you might be postpartum, or you might just be looking to feel a little bit better in your body.

This episode is gonna explore what really shifts physical results. It is not macros or reps. It's often the state of your nervous system. In. We're also gonna get really honest about the mental load of being more of a type A woman in a body that is tired of being a project, and how to finally stop self abandoning in the name of discipline.

I'm so curious. Do you notice a difference in the results that different people have when they're coming at it from a place of, I really wanna just kind of celebrate or love my body and versus I need to fix my body and make it like this? Do you notice a difference between like results? Yeah. A thousand percent.

Oh my gosh. Like not only. The mental side, which I'll touch on, but the physical too, and like they actually get better results physically, like when they're coming at it from the right mindset and head space versus like, I'm trying to fix myself. That's broken. I don't like my body. I. Like, you know, body dysmorphia.

It's like if we can flip, flip those things on their head and come from a place of like that self-love, if you will, like, but that energy of like, I want to be my strongest, healthiest version. I just want you, you maybe I do want to have a leaner waste or whatever it is, right? But it's not from a place of, because I hate who I am now.

It's from that, that healthy life giving energy and they genuinely get better physical results. And they, and a part of that might be because they're actually, uh, you know, maybe it's because they have more compliance, because they are enjoying the process more and they're committed to the long term and they're seeing this as a lifestyle versus the person who's like getting defeated 'cause they hate themselves still and they're not seeing results.

So it probably comes full circle back to compliance and the process and things like that. But hands down, they get better results. And then it's also, we were actually just talking about this, um, we have a, a weekly team meeting with my other coaches, and we were just talking about a client who's just like.

On Cloud nine right now, just like, she's like, I'm loving my body for the first time ever in my life. And she's in her fifties and like she still has a ways to go too and like to get to her end quote unquote goal, right? With her, what she shared with us, what her fitness goals are, but her mindset and about this whole thing, and she's just so fully embraced in the process like.

We were talking about it, we were like, it's so interesting. You could have someone who's like the epitome and the pinnacle of health and fitness with six pack abs and like, you know, your bikini model, still not happy with themselves. And then you have someone who still has a ways to go on their, on their journey to get to their quote unquote health fitness goals.

But their mindset and their, like their, the energy they're coming from is. So much healthier and so different, even though you would think the person who's quote unquote further along in their fitness would be happier with themselves and their bodies, maybe not the case. So yeah, to answer your question, I'm like, hands down, better results isn't like in every way.

Isn't that so interesting? My mind goes to the fact that if you are coming from that place, and this is a part of nervous system regulation, I think most people kind of skip over. It is maybe the most important part. It's like it actually doesn't matter what you do. If you do it with an idea of I wanna fix something about myself.

That is a small microaggression that's happening, which is your body perceives that, especially if you're sensitive, which I think most people are, especially women, and especially people who cope with that by being Type A. I think we're actually more sensitive than we want to admit. It's like. That little microaggression puts your body into, oh, there's some, there's something and someone that wants to change me, I need to protect myself.

So then we'll have cortisol increase, um, or that nervous system will go into a state of like, it, it doesn't actually. Want to change because it's like something is coming up against it and it's been so curious. I've noticed since I, I feel like I've like regulated my nervous system so much and there's still more, but I have started going back to the gym and.

This the way that my body has changed. Even without that, the more that I, I, I don't know what I was doing. Somebody messaged, they were like, wow, you look really great. I was like, yep. It's just living in a, in a place that I can relax in. It's okay. It's just that I'm happy. It's just happy. It's 'cause I'm happy.

It's because I'm happy and your body really responds to it and it looks better. It feels better. Oh, it really does. Oh my. We, this is, uh, there's several clients who come to mind right now where we have this conversation, like the, I think it's so easy, especially as the type A or alpha female or whatever you wanna call it, to just overlook the impact that the mental emotional has on the physical.

But like you said, like. Literally, we can have cortisol raised, right? And if we have, cortisol is a good thing in moderation, but if we have chronic high cortisol, it's only gonna hurt our fat loss efforts or weight loss efforts and fitness goals. And it all just comes full circle. But we're like, eh, like, you know, we think the mental, emotional stuff is just woo woo oftentimes where it's like, Ugh.

Like I just need to do the workout. I just need to eat the food. You know, like. But it's actually way more important. Like you, your experience, you're like, I'm just, I'm working out. Yes. But I'm also happy, like I Yeah. Feel, I feel good. And that's like the most important thing. Yeah. And it's so important. Oh my goodness.

It's just, yeah. That's, that's so good. Um, but yeah, actually one question before we kinda move into our, our more of our topic from burnout, from healing, but, um, if you were to even to give me, so like. You know, my trauma right now, if you will, it looks a little differently. I shared with you, I just had my baby recently in the NICU and had an emergency C-section.

It was a pretty traumatic, um, pretty surprising and traumatic delivery and entry into the world. Yeah. For my, my little guy. Um, and then for me, it's funny 'cause I think that Alpha Female in ME comes out where it's actually been several nurses or um, um, my pelvic floor therapists or different people who have mentioned like, wow, that's like a really traumatic.

Birth. And I was like, and I work with a doula, like, she was like, oh, like I wanna hear your birth story and this and that. And I'm like, in my head, I've almost like, I think I gaslight myself or downplay it where I'm like, I didn't even think of it. Or maybe I'm still just running on endorphins and adrenaline, but I'm like, I don't even think of it as traumatic.

And I'm like, yeah, you know what? That was a pretty traumatic, pretty traumatic experience, you know? But it's like, I just kind of like, Nope, moving on. We got things to do. You know? Um, so it's like even acknowledging or addressing like, let me just like. Do the nervous system work that I need to do to poof, get back to a good baseline.

Like, 'cause I can't ride that adrenaline cortisol cur, you know, forever. Like I'm gonna have to come back down from that and I don't wanna just crash when I come off of that. Right? Like, which is often what happens is people are like, yeah I have energy, but we're like, really? You're just riding cortisol?

My, my. My friend, like, yeah, the reason you have energy is because you're just riding that cortisol high right now. But when that tanks like, or when you just like literally all you have too low of cortisol, you're, you're just feeling that burnout because you're like, wait, where did my energy go? So anyway, what would be like your advice, like for me right now?

Like what would be, would it be like. Eat the food. Get the sleep, do those things or what would be like some advice you would give me for, um, for nervous system regulation if you were like, okay, I want you to go do this and this. Well, you are in the crisis of it and we don't necessarily know when the crisis will finish.

Right? So this goes for any type of thing where somebody is in the crisis of it. What makes an event traumatic and it leaves a mark on our psyche, where then later on we have maladaptive tendencies. So we start doing things or we have beliefs that are not helpful for us, is if we do not have enough support during the traumatic experience.

As long as we are validated and we have support and. We feel and receive that support most likely. You know, there'll be a difficult period, you'll feel some emotions, but you'll kind of walk away from it like, oh shit, that was really hard and we got through it. So you just have to let yourself receive support.

And I think, I don't know, part of me especially, 'cause my mind is like this and I like to do lots of things too. Part of me feels like. The world wants us to stop and they want us to like slow down and they want us to feel our feelings. I actually don't think that that's an option or healthy like you.

Like if what you need to do right now is keep yourself busy, make sure you're eating literally three meals a day, hydration, change your underwear, make your bed, and sleep those. If you only do that, like you're good and. If you want to be busy and you want to do things, just do it until you don't want to.

And then later on when you feel like you have more space, go back and revisit the feelings and then carve out the time to sit with it. And then, you know, maybe go to like a slow yoga class where you can just kind of breathe a little bit deeper. Then do the meditation, then take longer walks, and then, but you are in the middle of it, so let yourself.

Do it however the hell you wanna do it. Sleep, eat, hydrate, move, and most of all receive support. People wanna support you and you've just gotta receive it because that will make the difference the whether or not this ends up being a really big life, changing in a painful way or a really big life changing in a beautiful way.

I. Mm. It was so good. Mic drop. So good. No, that, does that resonate? Yeah. Yeah. It's really, that's so good. And even, I love what you said about like if you wanna stay busy in the season, stay busy. Like if that's what feels good and energy wise like it, because I think it's, sometimes we even do blanket statements for this kind of stuff where it's like, no, just like drop everything you need to take care of yourself right now.

Don't have any kind of schedule, like even right now, like we're recording this podcast with you. Someone might go. Like, wait, what? What? Why are you doing that? Like, just, just, just focus on your baby. And I'm like, I, I literally just came from the NICU just now. I, I'm with my baby all day every day, but this is actually, I'm like, this is life giving and energy, like gives me energy.

So I'm like, if someone is just the blanket statement of don't do that, you need to not be busy. It's like, well, that feels forced to like not do anything. Exactly. Like, yeah. You know? So it's like, yeah, it's, I love that you point that out and it's like. Sometimes that may not actually be the most helpful thing for that person, but you do have to be really in tune to yourself to know, 'cause for someone else, like doing this podcast recording might have felt forced and, you know, maybe wasn't a good option.

Or they need to not put anything on their schedule. Right? So I'm like, I love that. 'cause it, it's more of the customized approach to the person versus like. A blanket statement for everyone, which, yeah, people love blanket statements because they're easier, but there's, everyone loves a formula, right? Yeah.

But then it's like also we have to keep in mind for the other person listening after the crisis has changed, or if the crisis is really ongoing, you know, you're in a special scenario because you know, time in NICU will be over at some point you guys will come home and then it'll be it. Praise the Lord.

Yes. But sometimes. The, it's like a running and doing, 'cause I wanna not feel something. I had a client and she's like launched a business and then she's also working full time, and then she decided to start run this fundraiser. I was just like, why are you running this fundraiser? It's insane. And then she's like, it's fine.

And I'm like, okay, you guys, you do that. And then we sat with it. She's like, you know. I think I may have picked this up so that I'm running from this like feeling of I'm failing and I just thought if I stay really busy then I could avoid feeling like I'm failing. But it's been a couple of weeks and like I still feel it.

It's like, okay, let's look at that together.

📍 This is a small piece of a larger interview that I did over on Megan's podcast. I'm gonna make sure that you have the link for that below, and I really recommend that you check it out.

You can find it by Googling or putting into your podcast thing The Muscle Makeover, or by finding Meghan Hardy. Her YouTube and Instagram are at Fitness Uncharted. I will see you over there.