In this solo episode, Maddy opens up about the mental and emotional shift of stepping away from bodybuilding, releasing old “safe” scale numbers, and learning to find peace in a body that supports hormone health, cycle restoration, strength, and true food freedom.

She shares what it looked like to move from rigid tracking and physique-driven metrics into a more intuitive, grounded relationship with food — while still honoring nutrition, protein, fiber, performance, digestion, and body awareness. Maddy also breaks down how old neural pathways around weight, body image, and control can keep us stuck in goals we no longer truly want.

This episode is for the woman navigating body changes, learning to eat intuitively, rebuilding trust with herself, or realizing that her healthy body may not weigh what her depleted body once did.

🎯 If you’re in a season of stepping away from dieting, rebuilding trust with your body, restoring your cycle, learning how to eat intuitively, or wanting to pursue physique goals without sacrificing your internal health, we would love to support you inside MPowered Coaching Collective.

Our 1:1 coaching blends physique strategy, functional nutrition, training, lifestyle support, and deep body awareness so you can stop chasing a body at the expense of your health and start building one that actually supports your life.Join HERE.

📲 Connect with @madsmichiefitness on IG with your biggest takeaway or topic requests

What if the strongest version of you isn’t the one who always pushes harder—but the one who knows when to pause, pivot, or rest?

In this episode of The Psyche Behind the Physique, Maddy sits down with Brandee, founder of Pinellas Run Club in St. Pete, Florida, to talk about mindset, running, and redefining what it really means to be “mentally tough.”

Brandee didn’t grow up loving to run. In high school and college, running was tied to punishment and weight loss. Training for her first half marathon, she hated the process and walked away from the sport for years. It wasn’t until later in life—after moving to St. Pete, finding community through run club, and doing a lot of inner work—that running found her again in a completely different way.

Together, Maddy and Brandee explore:

• How revisiting something later in life can feel empowering when you’re equipped differently mentally
• Why mindset is more than “just push harder”
• The power of 1% better, instead of chasing dramatic overnight change
• How to tell the difference between a discipline problem and true fatigue
• Why rest can actually be the more mentally demanding “rep”
• Showing up when there’s no big, time-sensitive goal on the calendar
• The importance of pause, quiet, and nervous system safety in deciding what’s next
• Brandee’s race story—rolling her ankle mid-marathon, choosing to keep going, and discovering she was far stronger than she thought

If you’ve ever hated something the first time you did it (running, dieting, lifting, prep…) and wondered if it could ever feel different—or if you’re in a season where you’re tired, between goals, or unsure what’s next—this conversation will help you see mindset, rest, and identity through a completely new lens.

🎯 Inside 1:1 coaching at MPowered Coaching Collective, we don’t just focus on your physique—we help you rebuild your body, your hormones, and your relationship with yourself from the inside out. Apply to work with us 1:1 below. Join HERE.

📲 Connect with @madsmichiefitness on IG with your biggest takeaway or topic requests

🔗 Find Brandee/follow her journey here

Local to 🌴 St Petersburg? Check out PRC here

What happens when the race you’ve built your life around… ends?

In this episode of The Psyche Behind the Physique, Maddy sits down with her friend Corin, a seasoned marathoner who went into her 13th marathon at the Glass City Marathon in Toledo, Ohio fully believing this would be the one that qualified her for Boston. She trained smarter, managed an injury well, tapered intentionally, and focused on mindset—only to have race day derailed by unexpected GI issues from new gels.

But this conversation isn’t just about a race that didn’t go to plan. It’s about what came after.

Maddy and Corin unpack the emotional crash that followed: low motivation, not wanting to leave the house, skipping workouts she’d planned, and feeling unmoored without the structure and identity of marathon training. They explore the fears so many women face after a big goal or intense season—whether it’s a show, a Hyrox, a wedding, or a major fat loss push:

• Who am I if I’m not “the runner” or “the fit girl”?
• What if I lose this level of fitness and conditioning?
• Can I actually trust myself to find a new rhythm I feel proud of?

Maddy breaks down how the brain’s Reticular Activating System (RAS), Default Mode Network, and amygdala can trap you in a loop of “I’m failing,” even when you’re actually doing the hard, necessary work of transitioning. Together, they talk about redefining what “hard” really is—how, for an endurance athlete, it might be easier to override your body and keep grinding… and far harder to slow down, honor recovery, try new forms of movement, and let your athlete identity expand beyond one sport.

This episode will help you:

• Normalize the post-race / post-show / post-goal crash
• Separate your identity from any single season, sport, or physique
• Understand how your brain’s filters shape what you see as “evidence”
• Gamify a new chapter so it feels exciting, not like a downgrade
• See rest, variety, and pivoting as growth—not failure
• Lean on community and the right people when you feel lost between chapters

If you’re in that weird in-between—no longer in the peak, not yet in your next thing—this conversation will remind you that you’re still an athlete, you’re still allowed to evolve, and you don’t have to navigate the “after” alone.

🎯 Inside 1:1 coaching at MPowered Coaching Collective, we don’t just focus on your physique—we help you rebuild your body, your hormones, and your relationship with yourself from the inside out. Apply to work with us 1:1 below. Join HERE.

📲 Connect with @madsmichiefitness on IG with your biggest takeaway or topic requests

🔗 Find Corin/follow her journey here