Get in loser. We’re lifting.
Grad school didn’t prepare me for being a therapist in 2025.
When my clients take that pregnant pause after I ask them how they’re doing, raising their eyebrows to the ceiling, looking out into space before letting out a deep sigh, I gently remind them that no one is doing “great.”
Good days just don’t feel as good as they used to. We have to grade our mood on a curve. An A+ in 2025 is a C- in 2015; and that’s on our best days.
But let’s rewind a few years. My caseload exploded in 2020. I don’t need to explain why. Everyone had the same fears and no one had any answers. The usual tools I used to cope with my job stopped working. I knew that exercise could help. But there were mental barriers. I carried a lot of internalized fatphobia. I also didn’t know exactly what to do in the gym or if I could even do certain exercises.
I needed to learn the basics and unlearn the negative messages that lived in my head rent free. So I hired a personal trainer and it changed my life.
Strong body -> Strong mind -> Strong mind -> Strong body =
Mind/Body Strength
That’s how Mind/Body Strength Training was born. I was one of those people who rolled my eyes wherever I heard about exercise and endorphins and blah blah blah. I thought “how can fighting for my life trying to breathe, and getting all sweaty and stinky make me feel good?” I went searching for answers to this question and they were fascinating.
According to researchers at the University of Illinois – Urbana-Champagne, our muscles contract when we do a bicep curl or squat. Those contractions send various compounds into our bloodstream that travel to the brain. These compounds are found to strengthen neural connections which help decrease symptoms of various mental health disorders.
Earlier this year I received a certificate in Trauma Informed Weightlifting from the Center For Trauma and Embodiment. Their research showed how resistance training can help regulate the nervous system and increase overall resilience in clients diagnosed with PTSD along with a wide range of mental health conditions.
This research and my own experience inspired me to create Mind/Body Strength Training. However I knew this evidence alone would not be sufficient to get folks to sign up.
While shaping the program, I noticed the same refrain from my clients. Many of them expressed a desire to move more and even had gym memberships. They knew it would be helpful for their mental health as well as their physical health. However, toxic messages from diet culture took over. I completely understood because I believed those messages as well.
I heard clients talk about how they equated being healthy and fit with being thin. Several people said they get discouraged from working out when they don’t lose weight at a fast enough pace. Folks felt embarrassed to go to the gym because they didn’t fit a certain beauty standard.
So before we could even begin the work of moving our bodies, we needed to do the work of liberating our bodies from the fitness industrial complex. That’s why a significant part of the MBST program is about dismantling toxic narratives around body image and fitness.
Liberating the body means embracing a lifestyle change that is sustainable and fulfilling. This is found by adjusting for your unique needs. It’s hard to make time to workout when you’re struggling financially, have food and housing insecurities, limited access to safe outdoor areas, and limited access to the gym. Not to mention that many fitness spaces aren’t seen as welcoming to many LGBTQ+ and BIPOC folks.
The best foundation I can give my clients is the belief that sustainability and fulfillment are foundational to finding a consistent fitness routine. Exercise doesn’t have to be punishing. There is no one exercise that is better than others. Some movement is better than no movement, and exercise is NOT just for weight loss.
Fast-forward to 2025 and I’m still working with a trainer, going to the gym three times a week, and not only that. I’m biking, boxing, doing 5Ks and I’m still lifting heavy shit.
I would be remiss if I didn’t give a shout out to my first trainer Cheryl. I remember Cheryl preaching about functional fitness and that what we do now will determine how independently we’re able to live later in life. That stuck with me.
My current trainer/ MBST co-facilitator Justine does a great job of leading by example. Her energy is that of someone who just assumes you can do the thing. “Lift this eleventy-billion pound barbell. You got this.” I complain and say several curse words. I lift the weight. I put the weight down, sigh and say “Yeah, I guess I do got this.”
My name is Taryn Hodison. I’m a licensed professional counselor and owner of Anchor Counseling and Consulting Services and the creator of Mind/Body Strength Training. I’m here to help you discover all the things your mind and body can do. Thanks for reading and I hope you’ll stick around a bit more.
The Mind Body Blog 