In this episode of The Psyche Behind the Physique, Maddy sits down with St. Pete–based PA, fertility specialist, and functional women’s health practitioner Hannah Newman to unpack one of the most misunderstood topics in women’s health: the quiet, chronic inflammation that can quietly sabotage ovulation, hormones, and your ability to conceive—even when you’re “healthy” on paper.

Together, they zoom out on allostatic load—your body’s cumulative stress bucket—and break down how under-fueling, perfectionism, overtraining, gut issues, autoimmunity, blood sugar swings, and even your water bottle and cookware can add up to a body that doesn’t feel safe enough to reproduce. From Hashimoto’s and PCOS, to birth control, GLP-1s, and the vaginal microbiome, this conversation bridges conventional medicine, functional testing, and real-life lifestyle shifts that actually move the needle for fertility.

You’ll hear practical strategies for:

• Understanding allostatic load and why stress is more than just your job or workouts
• Spotting subtle signs of low-grade inflammation in your gut, skin, cycle, and immune system
• Using labs smarter (thyroid beyond TSH, glucose + insulin + A1C, hormones with correct cycle timing, BBT, HRV)
• Nourishing fertility with enough carbs and fats instead of hiding behind “high protein” and volumetric eating
• Knowing when HIIT, long deficit phases, and being “too lean” start to work against your hormones and ovulation
• Supporting autoimmune conditions (like Hashimoto’s, IBD, rheumatoid arthritis) in a fertility-conscious way
• Building a supplement toolkit that actually serves you: magnesium, omegas, antioxidants, vaginal probiotics, inositol—and when to test before you take
• Navigating birth control and GLP-1s without tanking your hormones, gut, or chances of conceiving
• Reducing environmental toxins (plastics, fragrances, water, air) without driving yourself crazy
• Using strength training and reverse dieting to rebuild a more resilient, fertile metabolism

🎧 If you’re a high-performing, Type-A woman who “does everything right” but is battling irregular cycles, unexplained infertility, hormone chaos, or burnout from chronic dieting and training—this episode will change how you see your body, your stress, and your fertility.

🎯 Join MPowered Coaching Collective for lifestyle & contest prep — where physique goals meet functional health and community.

📲 DM @madsmichiefitness with your biggest takeaway or topic requests. Connect with Hannah here.

In this episode of The Psyche Behind the Physique, Maddy sits down with St. Pete performance coach and HYROX specialist, Coach Caleb, to unpack the mental side of going hard in the gym, on the road, and on the race course. Fresh off her HYROX Chicago race, Maddie shares how a former ballet dancer and wakeboarder discovered she’s actually “kind of good” at sport—and how much of that breakthrough came down to mindset, not genetics.

Together, they break down why your brain taps out before your body, what the central governor theory actually means for your training, and how to know when to keep pushing vs. when to back off to protect your joints, hormones, and long-term progress. From redlining in group fitness, to building true endurance, to recognizing the subtle “whispers” of burnout and adrenal fatigue, this episode is a masterclass in mental toughness with boundaries.

You’ll hear practical strategies for:

• Rewriting what “hard” actually looks like in your training
• Using breathwork and micro-goals to get through mental walls
• Training at lactate threshold without frying your nervous system
• Pushing to failure safely for strength, hypertrophy, and performance gains
• Navigating fear of looking stupid, being “the slow one,” or doing it wrong in class

🎧 If you’re a runner, hybrid athlete, group fitness regular, or lifter who knows you’ve got more in the tank—but your mind keeps hitting the brakes—this one will change the way you show up for your workouts.

🎯 Join MPowered Coaching Collective for lifestyle & contest prep — where physique goals meet functional health and community.

📲 DM @madsmichiefitness with your biggest takeaway or topic requests. Connect with Caleb here

In this episode of The Psyche Behind the Physique, Maddy sits down with friend and fellow athlete Rosie—a semi-pro soccer player and recent half-marathoner—to unpack the quiet crisis of female athletes: training like a pro while fueling like a hobbyist. Together they explore the identity shift from perfection to performance, how to spot under-fueling (hint: your brain knows first), and why carbs and fats are the unsung heroes in a protein-obsessed culture.

You’ll hear real talk on nervous-system regulation as the new pre-workout, the tightrope between discipline and obsession, and how “optimal” becomes unsustainable when it ignores your actual life. If you’ve ever hit your numbers and still felt foggy, flat, or fried—this one’s your permission slip to eat for clarity, capacity, and consistency.

You’ll learn:

• Fueling as mindset (not math) and using hunger as data—not danger
• Why cognitive fatigue shows up before physical fatigue
• The role of carbs + fats in hormones, thyroid, recovery, and mood
• Red flags that “discipline” has slid into obsession
• How 80% consistency beats 100% control for long-term performance

🎧 If this helped, share it with the teammate who’s learning to soften without slowing down.

🎯 Join MPowered Coaching Collective for lifestyle & contest prep — where physique goals meet functional health and community.

📲 DM @madsmichiefitness with your biggest takeaway or topic requests. Connect with Rosie here