Molly, thanks for taking the time to be with us here today. Could you start by telling us a little bit about yourself?

Sure, Mike! Thanks so much for having me!

In terms of my professional life, I’m am a trainer and certified strength and conditioning specialist, co-founder and owner of Girls Gone Strong, and founder and owner of MollyGalbraith.com.

Basically I’m just someone who is extremely passionate about helping women look and feel their absolute best, and I use the platforms above to get my message to as many women as possible.

What originally brought you into the fitness realm?

As a child I competed in both gymnastics and cheerleading, and at the end of high school and beginning of college I became extremely sedentary.

I stopped moving, my eating habits stayed terrible, and I gained a ton of weight. It was at the beginning of 2004 when I decided that I wanted to “get in shape” (whatever that meant) and I started working with a trainer to help me reach my goals.

We worked together for a couple of months, and then a little while later I started dating a trainer who competed in both powerlifting and bodybuilding, and he introduced to the world of “hardcore lifting.”

Shortly thereafter I competed in a powerlifting competition and over the next several years I competed in a few figure competitions.

All the while he was introducing me to sites like EliteFTS and T-Nation. I was researching everything I could get my hands on in regards to nutrition, training, and all things strength and conditioning related… and an obsession was born. J

And taking that a step further, how did you move into the actual fitness world professionally?

I know you didn’t go the traditional route, so I’m always interested in how people move from fitness as an interest to that as a career.

You’re exactly right. I actually have a double major in Finance and Marketing from the University of Kentucky, along with my Masters of Business Administration (MBA) from UK as well, so I definitely didn’t go the traditional route.

As I mentioned above, I fell in love with “fitness” (for lack of a better term) in the beginning of 2004, so I was finishing my junior year of college, and had already switched majors a few times and was on a 5 year plan, so the last thing I wanted to do was to switch majors again. I decided to finish my undergraduate business degree, and I knew I would eventually pursue a Master’s so I decided to just go straight through.

During that time my obsession grew and I started dating another guy who had a strong passion for both business and health and fitness. While I was finishing grad school, I helped him start an online fitness software company that would build customizable nutrition and training programs based on a person’s specific needs.

It was an incredibly revolutionary idea 8 years ago (when we started building it; it eventually launched in 2008), but unfortunately we just couldn’t get the word out about it. All the while, I was still voraciously reading everything I could get my hands on, working with a few clients, and I was waiting tables at a popular bar in my town to make ends meet while I was doing the entrepreneur thing.

In 2010, a long-time friend asked if I would help him with some fitness “bootcamp” classes he was going to start, and after a few months of collaborating, we realized that it could be a lot bigger than “bootcamp” classes, and J&M Strength and Conditioning was born. We grew J&M pretty quickly and within 4 years we had 200+ clients and an awesome 7,500 sq. ft facility.

As if all of this weren’t enough, in 2011 I got together with 6 other awesomely bad-ass fitness friends and we started Girls Gone Strong, a website dedicated to providing the absolute best training, nutrition, health, wellness, and lifestyle content, period.

I also started my personal blog at MollyGalbraith.com and have been writing and building my own personal brand over the last several years as well.

These entities have led me create two awesome products, Bootcamp In a Box (with YOU and Jim Laird), and The Modern Woman’s Guide To Strength Training.

Bootcamp In a Box is a fantastic tool for anyone (trainers, especially) who want to learn more about intelligent group training.

The Modern Woman’s Guide To Strength Training is for anyone, from beginner to advanced, who wants to know exactly what to do every time they step in the gym for maximum results in minimum time.

So yeah – needless to say I’ve been slammed, but it’s been awesome.

Yeah it definitely sounds like it!

You often talk at length about training women – what are some of the biggest things you find that women need to hear about training?

Great question, MR!

First and foremost, women need to realize the value of lifting, and lifting intelligently. For years it was really hard to convince women to move over to the weights section of the gym. Now, with the rise in the popularity of things like CrossFit, more women are lifting, but now they think that have to crush themselves every training session, just to get results. Not true.

Next, training should enhance your life, not become your life. Well, I take that back. If you want it to be your life, that’s obviously your prerogative, but your life doesn’t have to revolve around training and eating dry chicken out of a Tupperware container six times a day to look and feel amazing. Balance, moderation, and sustainability are key.

Lastly, progression is so important. You cannot continue to improve and get results if you aren’t consistently (but intelligently) challenging yourself. Remember, the goal of training is not to be tired, it’s to get better. It’s to systematically apply stress to your body to force it to adapt, and then allow it to adapt, and repeat. Mindlessly running around a room, jumping, and high-fiving your partner is not going to allow you to get better over 20 years. Progressive and intelligent training programs will.

And maybe in a similar vein, what are some things you hear (or see) women doing that drive you absolutely nuts?

It’s hard to say it drives me “nuts” because I can totally relate to where they are coming from because I have been there, but it breaks my heart to see so many women getting all of their significance and self-worth from their appearance, or their gym performance.

I work with women on a regular basis who are training 7 days a week, sometimes twice a day and when I try to get them to back off, they tell me that “they can’t” and that “they love going to the gym” despite being exhausted and constantly battling injuries. These women literally DO NOT know who they are if they aren’t “that crazy workout lady.” They find themselves scared to death of certain foods or food combinations and they are generally living in a toxic, negative headspace that feels like an absolute trap.

Seeing this over and over again was a big part of the reason I created The Modern Woman’s Guide To Strength Training — to give women an intelligent approach to training — as well as my 28 Day Love Your Body Challenge to help women have more grace and compassion for themselves and their bodies.

You and I actually worked together for quite some time with regards to training. What did you take away from that experience (i.e. having a coach)?

And would you recommend that others get coaches to help them?

We sure did and I am forever grateful to you for that. When I first came to your gym 4 ½ years ago, I was doing great, or so I thought. I felt good and strong – I just done a powerlifting meet and deadlifted 341 lbs. and I was really just wanting some tweaks from you to help me reach my goals of lifting more weight. Little did I know that you would change everything.

You took my current knowledge of lifting hard and heavy, and “Mike Robertson-ized it,” helping me see that there was a way to do those things healthfully and intelligently.

Having a Coach was one of the best things I’ve ever done for myself. I learned so much from working with you, and having you as a Coach was critical for my accountability and focus.

I don’t care how much you know, everyone needs a Coach (even a Coach!), whether it’s in business or life or training or nutrition – having someone on your side who can walk you through exactly what you need to be doing to reach your goals is priceless.

That’s great advice, and I know when I’ve worked with a coach in the past it’s made a huge difference.

If someone were to look for their own coach, what are some questions they should ask? Or things they need to look further into?

Your process to finding a good Coach will differ slightly depending on whether you are looking to work with someone in person, or online. Online is often more affordable and convenient, and by not limiting your search to your geographical location, it gives you access to some of the best and brightest Coaches in the country (or world!)

Steps to Finding a Good Coach Online:

1. Do your research. Find someone who cares about form, technique, good movement, and intelligent programming. (Hint: if someone is consistently talking about making their clients puke or they hashtag words like #BEASTMODE or #NODAYSOFF, you’re probably looking the wrong spot).

It’s also a good sign when a person that you’re considering hiring is so good at their job that other trainers from all over the world flock to them for education, whether it’s through seminars, products they’ve created or interning/shadowing at their facility.

Finally, you’ll want to find a coach whose writing you enjoy who writes on topics that resonate with you. Not only should their knowledge and programming be a good fit for you, but their personality must be a good fit for you as well.

1. Reach out to them and ask questions. A Coach should be willing to answer your questions about their services, as well as provide you with references of people they have worked with in the past.
2. Set expectations. Figure out what your Coach is willing to do (and not do) in terms of how much interaction you will have with them, how they will design and evolve your programming over time, and make sure they align with your expectations.
3. Hire away! If you find someone who meets all of these qualifications, then snag a spot with them as soon as it’s available. I know MR usually has limited availability and personally, I’m not taking anyone else until January of 2015 at the earliest.

Now if a trainee can’t find a coach, I know you’ve worked long and hard on your “Modern Women’s Guide to Strength Training.”

What is that all about, and who would benefit from it?

Yes, I have Mike (with a team of others, of course!) In fact, it was more work than I ever imagined, but it’s been so worth it because this is the exact program I’ve been wanting to create for years.

Every year I receive messages from hundreds of women absolutely desperate to look and feel better and they don’t know where to turn. Maybe they live in a small town and don’t have access to a good trainer, or maybe they can’t afford to hire someone… regardless they are desperate for help.

Before The Modern Woman’s Guide To Strength Training, I didn’t feel like there were any completely comprehensive programs out there for women that would take a woman from start to finish and give her everything she needs to know about strength training. Sure, there are other good training programs out there, but none that I felt like covered absolutely everything, so that’s what we put together.

I always joke that I’m a “disciple” of the Robertson/Hartman/Cressey School of Thought, and I didn’t see any programs written BY women FOR women that implement your all’s philosophies, which include all elements required for a woman to be successful with her training, from breathing to foam rolling to a solid dynamic warm-up to strength training and energy systems work. We cover all of that.

In addition, we offer a manual that explains what strength training is, why it’s important, we provide a glossary of terms so you can understand what you’re reading, and we also explain progressions, the importance of recovery, and much more.

Oh, and we got the ever-awesome Dr. Cassandra Forsythe to write The Modern Woman’s Guide To Good Nutrition Manual for women who want to know more about how they can eat to support their training while achieving the health and physique they desire.

So yeah – I’d say it’s the full package for any woman who wants to look and feel her absolute best with minimal time and effort, and it can be customized to your schedule and your goals.

That sounds pretty legit, but let’s be honest, everyone is selling something these days.

What makes this product different from others on the market?

You’re right. The market is completely flooded with programs, but I can guarantee this is unlike anything anyone has seen before.

Most programs just include some low-res pictures of exercises, or maybe a 10 second clip of the exercises being performed. Not us. We had an Emmy Award Winning videographer shoot over 70 exercises in high-def for this program with me coaching Alli McKee through every single one.

I talk about proper setup, execution, common mistakes and pitfalls, and the exact cues you’ll need to make sure you do every exercise just right for maximum efficacy and safety. That alone is worth the price of admission.

In addition, most programs offer 12, maybe 16 weeks of programming. Not us. We have 4 levels of programming at 16 weeks each for over a year’s worth of programs for all ability levels from beginner to advanced trainees.

Finally, most programs leave you to fend for yourself in terms of how to make substitutions based on equipment or other factors. Not us. We categorize each of the movement patterns in our program and list alternative exercises in order from easiest to hardest so that you can modify the exercises your program if necessary without any guesswork.

All in all, you get:

1. Getting Started Guide: step-by-step checklist to avoid paralysis by analysis! It tells you exactly what to read and what to watch in what order to make sure you get the most out of your program.
2. The Modern Woman’s Guide To Strength Training Manual: the what’s, the why’s, and the how’s of women and strength training. This is also where our Glossary of Terms lives, as well as our information on progression and recovery.
3. The Modern Woman’s Guide To Strength Training Program(s): Four of ‘em. Yes, four 16-week programs. (Yes, you can say “Dayyyyyyyum!” I wouldn’t blame you one bit!)
4. The Modern Woman’s Guide To Strength Training Video Library: 70+ high resolution videos with extremely easy-to-follow and thorough cues for every single exercise. There’s also a thorough warm-up video, and a video on recovery tips.
5. The Modern Woman’s Guide To Strength Training Exercise Glossary: a glossary with high resolution pictures of all exercises for when you need to reference something quickly.
6. The Modern Woman’s Guide To Strength Training Progress Tracker: a booklet that allows you to not only track your workouts, but also your physical progress. From measurements to pictures to scale weight to mood, sleep, stress, and energy levels… it all matters, and measuring your progress helps keep you focused and motivated.
7. The Modern Woman’s Guide To Good Nutrition (Gold and Platinum Packages): a wealth of information from Dr. Cassandra Forsythe about all things related to women and nutrition. From how many calories you should be eating, to what your macronutrient breakdown should look like, to the best food and beverage sources, to medications that can affect fat loss and more… Dr. Cass covers everything you need to know about nutrition.
8. The Modern Woman’s Guide To Good Nutrition Super Shakes (BONUS!): almost 20 awesome protein shake recipes chock-full of nutrient dense whole foods, and divided up into meal-size shakes and snack-sized shakes.
9. The Modern Woman’s Guide To Core Training (BONUS!): how to train your core properly at-home using just your body weight.
10. The Modern Woman’s Guide To Conditioning (BONUS!): a manual explaining the two main types of conditioning I recommend for women along with 5 sample workouts for each type. I also include very specific conditioning recommendations for women based on their goals: time-crunched, fat loss, strength and muscle gain, and general health and wellness.

In short, this thing is absolutely chock-full of incredible and useful information that’s easy to follow.

Yeah, that’s definitely a ton of stuff, and I can say it looks fantastic, too.

Now that you’re done with that project, what’s next on the horizon for you and Girls Gone Strong?

Other than World Domination? Not much. 🙂

But seriously – it’s my goal to spread the message of Girls Gone Strong to as many women as possible. By putting out high-quality content that relates to all aspects of a woman’s overall well-being, we can improve the quality of life of so many women.

From information about strength training, nutrition, and supplements, to body image, perspective, and mindset, to fat loss, hormones, and pregnancy… we want women to feel like we are a trusted resource for anything and everything they want to know about looking and feeling their absolute best from the inside out.

Yes, many people equate “Girls Gone Strong” with weightlifting, but we know it’s about so much more than that. It’s about being mentally and emotionally strong as well.

Being strong is a universal message that can unite and empower women everywhere. In fact, we currently have women in our community from over 50 countries. How cool is that?

That’s an awesome message!

Last but not least, what is one mistake you’ve made along the way (it could be training, business or life-related), and what have you learned from it?

Ummm… how much time do you have?

The one mistake that I have made along the way is thinking that I “knew a lot,” which is hard to admit, but it’s true.

In 2004, when I was 6 months into strength training, you couldn’t teach me anything. I knew it all, and I would’ve made sure you knew it, had you asked me.

Then in 2008 after my multiple Figure Competitions, I was convinced that I had it figured out. I was a pro.

Then in 2010, when I came to see you, I distinctly remember thinking that you’d probably be impressed with how strong I was (I believe in your words, you said that I “thought I was ‘hot sh*t.’”)

This is all really hard to admit and quite embarrassing, actually.

But to be clear, it wasn’t coming from a bad place. I was just so excited to have the information I had and every time I learned something else I thought, “Yes! That’s it! Now I’ve got it!”

Truly it’s just been over the last few years that I see that even with as much experience as I have with my own training, training others, and learning from brilliant mentors like you… there’s still so much to learn, and I can’t wait to learn it.

So that’s it – always keep learning. Attend seminars, read articles and manuals, listen to podcasts. Never stop learning.

That’s awesome advice, Molly. Thanks so much for being with us here today!

And if you’re interested in picking up a copy of the Modern Woman’s Guide to Strength Training, Molly is offering it up at $40 off the suggested retail price for a few more days. Please pick up your copy ASAP!