The FitSister Podcast

Natalie Ford and Sarah Wilson

Natalie, a mom with no free time, has always called her sister Sarah, a buff certified nutrition coach, for help with fitness and nutrition. Now they're turning their conversations into an official podcast. Consider this your anti-influencer space that breaks down the truth behind the trends and helps you (and Natalie) make changes that actually work.

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20 episodes
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Avg 42 min
English

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September 28 · 1 hr 18 min
Informed, Not Afraid: Navigating Women's Health in Midlife with Dr. Shieva Ghofrany
Hello listeners! Welcome back to the FitSister podcast. If you are a woman in your 40s who is navigating the perimenopause space, this is the episode. In this interview, Moo speaks with Dr. Shieva Ghofrany, an OBGYN board certified physician who has been practicing medicine for 25+ years. She is also a cancer survivor. She brings her expertise and real life experience to answer so so many questions about: how to avoid the wrong people on Instagram, the vitamins that you might want to ask your doctor about, the truth about HRT, reducing perimenopausal symptoms without HRT, what to say to your doctor at the appointment, the nuances of the health insurance system and why they matter to US, the patients. The bottom line is we need an education on women's health now more than ever, but the information overload is not helping. Dr. Shieva breaks it down in a way that leaves you feeling empowered with language and information to get the help you need. Proactive, not paranoid. Thanks Dr. Shieva!
July 27 · 1 hr
Identity, Community and Purpose: A Conversation with Special Guest Shondelle Solomon
Listeners! Hello and happy summer. Welcome to the FitSister Podcast. In this episode, Sarah interviews her former Crossfit teammate and friend, Shondelle. Shondelle is a former Crossfit athlete and gym owner who recently pivoted away from the career she had most of her life to pursue a dream she was deeply passionate about. Shondelle has launched Black Woman Move; a movement focused on empowering black women to prioritize their health, honor their bodies and build lives grounded in strength, vitality, longevity and sisterhood. Listen along as Shondelle explains how she knew it was time for a career change, how black women face unique challenges that are often not addressed by the fitness industry, how behavior changes for all of us are rooted in our own beliefs about our identity and how any of us can make easy changes to make movement and health the priority that it should be.
June 1 · 47 min
Why Belonging Matters
What is the secret ingredient to developing fitness habits that last? Is it the outfit? Is it the expensive gym membership? Is it doing the thing that one fitness influencer told you to do? It is in fact none of those things. In this episode we explore the profound importance of belonging, specifically in the world of health and fitness. Moo and I discuss how a sense of belonging impacts motivation, confidence, and overall well-being, especially in midlife. As always, thanks for listening!
May 11 · 52 min
A Dream Realized: An Interview with NYT Bestselling Author Tiffany Crum
Listeners, this week you are in for a real treat. Moo sits down with New York Times Best Selling author, Tiffany Crum. Over spring break Moo read Tiffany's debut novel This Story Might Save Your Life. In addition to loving the book, Moo also loved the acknowledgements. Tiffany explains that she had the dream of writing a novel 18 years ago when her son was born. Too often we see the success of the bestseller, but we don’t ask about what it looked like to pursue a dream for 18 years. In this interview, Moo and Tiffany talk about what it takes to set a goal and stay with it for nearly two decades. Tiffany talks about the dream, the real life realities, the rejection (oh the rejection) and what it feels like to hold her book in her hands. You don’t want to miss this.
April 21 · 45 min
Letting Pilates Speak for Itself
Greetings listeners. For a long time, Moo and I have wondered about Pilates. But recently, something happened. We kept seeing articles and posts on social media that seemed to spark a Pilates controversy. Articles asked questions like who is it for really? Does it exclude a certain body type? But what was more interesting than these articles themselves, as we both quickly noticed, were the comments. No matter what the article said, people in the comments were overwhelmingly positive about their Pilates experience. Moo, the Pilates outsider that she is, wanted to know more. What is happening in these studios that so many people are not only enjoying, but willing to continuously defend on social media? On this episode, Moo interviews Rikki Heiken, owner of Sweat Studio in Miami, Florida. Rikki has been in the fitness industry for over 20 years. In addition to reformer classes and a Pilates teacher training program, Sweat Studio also offers its own strategically designed fitness method. Rikki answers Moo’s curious questions about Pilates, Pilates-inspired fitness and why strong is for everyone.
April 13 · 42 min
How to Think Less
Do you constantly feel like your brain is a cluttered mess of thoughts? Do you ever walk into a room to get something while also looking at Team Snap to see what the latest message is about only to realize you totally forgot what you’re looking for? Do you find yourself scrolling through social media just so you can quiet the nagging reminders and the simultaneous realization that you’ll never get everything done? If so, this episode is for you. Moo recently had four days to herself in her own house and she loved how the countertop of her brain finally got cleared off. But how can we do that more regularly? Moo and share stories of how we have succeeded and failed at getting our brains to do less. Thanks for listening!
April 6 · 38 min
When Goals Take Decades
In this episode Moo and I discuss goal-setting in your 40s. Moo recently read a book and in the acknowledgements the author discussed how the dream of writing a novel took 18 years. 18 years?! We are all old enough to know that real goals take time, like decades! So yes, live your best life, but also, we are wise enough to realize the logistics of chasing our dreams are actually really complicated. So what do we do with that? Moo and I explore the nuanced realities of setting and pursuing long-term goals in your 40s and it involves the importance of process, personal values, and private victories over social media validation.
March 30 · 32 min
When Stress Sabotages Your Success
Hey hey, fit listeners. Welcome back to another week of the pod. In this episode, Moo and I explore the complex relationship between stress and emotional eating. I share a personal story involving Trader Joe’s Ketchup chips while Moo shares scientific insights and practical strategies to manage binge eating and stress responses effectively. Before you go rolling your eyes, just know that sometimes the strategy is to actually eat the chips, but also know that the chips do not control you. Say it with me, the chips do not control us! Happy Monday. Let’s do this!
March 16 · 37 min
Let's Talk Lentils!
Greetings listeners! I recently discovered a plant-based cookbook with really great pictures that taught me how delicious cooking with vegetables could be. Now, I know a lot of you are thinking, oh good for you Natalie, but I don’t have time to chop vegetables with my busy schedule. Well, this may sound crazy, but this plant-based journey actually made my life easier. How, you ask? Well, listen along as Moo and I discuss lentils and other plant-based ponderings. Are we newly vegan? Suddenly vegetarian? No, we’re just two curious cooks who love good food! Get curious with us!
March 9 · 37 min
Working Out for the Right Reasons
Listeners, let us engage in a thought experiment. What would happen if we imagined that exercise was not associated with body transformation? Then, why would we exercise? In other words, what happens when we think about the why beyond what we look like. In this episode Moo explores the benefits of getting away from body goals and instead exploring the soulful reasons why we might keep moving. Working out is sometimes not that much fun, I am the first to admit this. So what happens when we go to the gym with reasons that don’t revolve around changing how we look? Moo argues that we might end up keeping the habit longer than we think. Woohoo! Have a great week and thanks for listening!
March 2 · 35 min
Nat and the Outfit Overhaul
Listeners, you are in for a treat. In this episode, I tell the tale of my wardrobe makeover. You heard that right, wardrobe makeover. First I have to tell you the history of me being a terrible dresser and the embarrassing moments where I was called out on two separate occasions by my superiors for not being dressed appropriately. Did that stop me from buying all the wrong clothes for decades? No, shockingly, it did not. But things have changed. I am a new woman in heels-- some days at least. Clothes matter to me now more than ever. A statement I never thought I would make. But hey, getting older sometimes means getting better at things. And I am here to get better at getting dressed. Thanks for listening!
February 23 · 36 min
The Role of Rest
Greetings listeners! On today’s episode Moo and I discuss rest. What is rest again? I’m not quite sure, but I know I’m not getting enough and I need more. Moo shares how annoying she finds rest and yet how necessary it has become. I talk about a recent LifeKit episode that explores seven kinds of rest! 7 kinds! We get into our own relationships to rest (especially at this age... in bed by nine anyone?), what kinds sound most helpful and how we can make small, real changes in our own lives to help us rejuvenate. My face is aging exponentially if I don’t get some rest. See below for the LifeKit episode link. It's a great episode. And thanks for listening! 7 Kinds of Rest (other than sleep) from NPR's LifeKit
February 9 · 37 min
Q and A with the FitSister
Hi guys! This week on the FitSister Podcast, we go old school and I bring Moo a list of questions. Some are health and fitness related (what is the point of squatting with your heels raised?) and some are not (where do you go for an affordable, quality sports bra?) We talk workouts, food, hydration, supplements, good books and more. Join in for the fun!
February 2 · 32 min
More Myths, Half Truths and Confusing Advice
Here on the FitSister Podcast we have not really embraced the world of body-driven New Year's resolutions, but we have seen gym goals emerge as a topic on social media and other outlets. Earlier this week I heard two ideas in the health and fitness space that I wanted to take up with my fit sister. We also get into the pros and cons of going to classes instead of standing looking at the free weights and treadmills and wondering what in the world to do. If you are moving or exercising regularly and it’s 11 degrees outside, you are winning. You are the champion of the world. Much love to all! Thanks for listening!
January 26 · 33 min
The Roads Are Bad And So Is Everything Else
If you live in the Midwest, winter is a beast. Like a house guest that stays way too long, she has moved in, taken over every inch of my life and makes all daily tasks more challenging. I start this conversation with Moo listing a lot of legitimate reasons why I am less active and how I do not want her Miami, Florida insights on how to cope with winter. But Moo gently and expertly gets me to the place where I can find solutions to keep moving and build in some boundaries so that I don’t completely give up on health and fitness this winter, which, to be clear, I am very tempted to do. Can you blame me? The weather is brutal. It is screaming at me to stay inside, stay in my pajamas, snuggle down, make another cream-heavy coffee, eat cookies and stay in bed until spring. But I know this is not the path and Moo helps me find a new one. Stay warm out there, people!
January 19 · 41 min
Hope and Humor: An Interview with Author John Kenney
Listeners! Welcome back for a special guest episode with author John Kenney. John is the author of I See You’ve Called in Dead, a novel about a middle-aged man who is forced to redefine his identity after a very public (and very funny) self-sabotage experience at work. Moo and I both read the book and loved the themes of redefining self in midlife, specifically in the midst of loss and change. What do we do when things don’t go our way, when we question our life choices and when we are not sure how to find a way out. I See You’ve Called in Dead seeks to explore those questions while also making the reader laugh along the way. In this episode, John discusses male friendship in middle age, the life events that inspired the book, and of course, why humor is essential in the face of grief and suffering. Life is hard! But good books make it better. John, thanks for joining us! Readers and listeners, thanks for being part of our first unofficial FitSister Book Club meeting. Enjoy!
January 12 · 32 min
What To Do When It's Gray All Day
The time of year has arrived when the sky is the same color as the faded snow and we look at our weather app only to realize that it’s not going to be sunny until next Thursday. At least if you live in the midwest. For Moo in Miami, winter means darkness at 5PM, which can still be a challenge. Regardless of where you live, we are all fighting the urge to put on our pajamas at 4:30 and go to bed. In this episode Moo and I talk about our best ways to combat the winter blues. It’s a long gray season everybody, so we all need some strategies! Thank you for listening! Also, if you have a great strategy for beating the winter blues, please report to Moo on social media at FitSisterOfficial. Have a great week!
January 5 · 34 min
Tiny Resolutions
Happy New Year! As we all know, the start of January brings with it the idea of resolutions and revisions. And honestly, I am ready for some change. I have been on a diet of mostly coffee and sugar cookies and I am ready for regular gym visits, more water and seasonal vegetables. But instead of making big promises that I know I can’t keep, Moo and I are making tiny resolutions. What are the smallest changes we can make that will move us forward? What is the small habit that we know we can fix but we just haven’t yet. Moo and I share our three tiny resolutions and we invite you to think of your own. Thanks for being with us as we begin the new year!
Dec 22, 2025 · 39 min
Real Goals in Real Life
Have you ever set a goal and then reached it and then realized that balloons did not drop from the ceiling and there were no confetti canons like you imagined? I set a goal at the beginning of the school year to establish a consistent gym routine. Moo and I discuss how I am doing and how managing expectations around goals is necessary and kind of annoying. We all know we could achieve more, but there’s that small problem that we have very real restrictions on our time and money. Real goals and real life can be unglamorous even when we achieve them. We end with a philosophical discussion about daily miracles. Thanks for listening and happy holidays! We will be off next week, but get ready to dive into the new year with FitSister!
Dec 15, 2025 · 54 min
The Great Self-Help Debate
Guys, no one is more of an expert at self-help than me. I have read all of the books, listened to all of the podcasts. I am the eternal student of self-optimization. Oh, but wait, did I mention, I’ve never really changed all that much in my self-help adventures. I still have a drawer full of single socks with no match among other issues that annoy me and most likely the people I love. In this episode, Moo and I talk about self help-- does it work or is the illusion of a solution? Does anything work? I think therapy works. Go now, everyone. And Moo loves a good life coach. We disagree on this! Hit us up on social media to give us your take.

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