UpLift Women’s Wellness | Head 2 Toe Strength
UpLift Women's Wellness is a clinical resource that bridges human biomechanics and psychotherapy, challenging traditional medical and fitness models that treat women like miniature men. The podcast focuses on trauma recovery, sports science, and systemic burnout, offering a raw blueprint for structural resilience and nervous system regulation. Hosted by Bethany Busch and Auria Zahed, it provides free resources and discovery calls for women seeking holistic strength.
Episodes
In the Spotlight: Overcoming the Mind-Body Disconnect in Dance
Year-round competition, zero off-seasons, and non-stop rehearsals create an unsustainable and judgemental environment where dancers operate at peak volume physically and mentally. Physical therapist Claire Spivak joins the discussion to review why skill instruction and aesthetic ideals, without intentional physical and mental preparation, breaks young athletes. Claire shares how taking dancers out
Radical Selfishness: Protecting Your Peace in a Turn-and-Burn Culture
Burnout isn’t just feeling tired after a long week—it’s staying stuck in a state of chronic stress without ever giving your nervous system permission to complete the cycle.In this episode, Auria and Bethany sit down with licensed marriage and family therapist, yoga teacher, and recovery coach Kaylin Zabienski to unpack why modern hustle culture is keeping us stuck in fight-or-flight mode. We dive
Personalized Nutritional Health vs. Diet Culture Clickbait
Are you failing your diet, or is the blueprint you are using broken? The fitness and diet industries profit when women stay unwell and confused by misinformation.Welcome back to UpLift Women’s Wellness, the podcast that dismantles the toxic fitness industry and exposes the systemic gaps in women's healthcare. Hosted by Bethany Busch, MS, ACSM-EP, CSCS (Master's-level Exercise Physiologist)
The Overwhelmed Elite: Auditing the Gaps in Women’s Athletics
Why do 44% of female student-athletes report feeling constantly overwhelmed compared to only 17% of men? It’s not a lack of resilience; it’s the "workplace tax" of doing the same job with half the resources and double the scrutiny. Bethany Busch delivers a systemic deconstruction of the mental, medical, and economic barriers currently holding back the greatest athletes.
Survival Mode: Why So Many Women Don’t Even Know They’re Burned Out
Ready to rebuild strength without shame? Book your Strength & Support Audit here: www.head2toestrength.comBurnout does not always look obvious. Sometimes it looks like numbness, autopilot, irritability, disconnection, and feeling like you are no longer yourself. In this episode, Bethany, Auria, and Karen Canham break down the subtle signs of survival mode and why reconnecting with your body m
The Power of Positive Inclusion: Shattering Stereotypes in Media
Ready to rebuild strength without shame? Book your Strength & Support Audit here: www.head2toestrength.comTired of seeing the same limited representation? So are we. We discuss the demoralizing effect of not being seen and how media, often controlled by an exclusive few, fails to represent the true diversity of our world. Guest Antoine Elhashem shares Inspired Media's commitment to authent
The Self-Love Blueprint: Values, Identity, and Wellness
Ready to rebuild strength without shame? Book your Strength & Support Audit here: www.head2toestrength.comSelf‑love isn’t a mood or a mantra — it’s self‑respect. In this episode of UpLift Women’s Wellness, LMFT Ilona Varo joins Bethany and Auria for a grounded conversation about what it actually looks like to put your needs back at the center of your life.Together, they explore the difference
Red Flags, Real Talk, and Relationship Repair
Ready to rebuild strength without shame? Book your Strength & Support Audit here: www.head2toestrength.comDating in 2025 feels like a maze — apps, mixed signals, ghosting, and the pressure to “just know” who’s right for you. In this episode of UpLift Women’s Wellness, LMFT and relationship specialist Emily Kirkbride joins Bethany and Auria for a grounded, honest conversation about what it act
Unlocking Women’s Health: A Deep Dive Into How Healthy Should Feel
What does real health look like when you strip away aesthetics, pressure, and the noise of diet culture? In this episode of UpLift Women’s Wellness, Bethany and Auria answer your most common questions about digestion, metabolism, energy, and the signals your body sends when something isn’t working.Bethany breaks down why bloating happens, how digestion actually starts long before food reaches your
Empowering the Maternal Journey: Addressing Mental Health during Pregnancy and Postpartum
Ready to rebuild strength without shame? Book your Strength & Support Audit here: www.head2toestrength.comPregnancy and postpartum are often described as magical — but for many women, the reality is far more complex. In this episode of UpLift Women’s Wellness, perinatal mental health expert Alexa Levine, LMFT, joins Bethany and Auria for an honest conversation about preparing for parenthood,
Abuse in Women’s Sports: The Shocking Truth About Trauma, Power, and Athlete Safety
Abuse in women’s sports isn’t rare, it’s systemic. In this episode of UpLift Women’s Wellness, Bethany and Auria talk openly about the realities female athletes face from childhood through elite competition, where power imbalances, silence, and cultural bias create conditions that allow harm to continue unchecked.We examine the data behind interpersonal violence in sport, the pressure placed on yo
Healing the Inner Critic: A Deep Conversation with Holli Howard on Trauma and Self-Worth
Episode 23: Beyond Trauma & Silencing the Inner CriticAre you pushing through your workouts, or are you running from your trauma? The standard fitness and medical pipelines profit when women stay unwell, completely ignoring the psychological weight they carry every single day.Welcome back to UpLift Women’s Wellness, the podcast that dismantles the toxic fitness industry and exposes the systemi
When You Finally See Yourself: The Life-Changing Power of Representation in Media
Ready to rebuild strength without shame? Book your Strength & Support Audit here: www.head2toestrength.comRepresentation isn’t abstract — it’s the starting point for what we believe is possible. In this episode of UpLift Women’s Wellness, Bethany and Auria talk about how the images we grow up with shape identity, confidence, career paths, and the way women learn to see (or not see) themselves
Millennial Money: Why Wages, Debt, and Housing Keep This Generation Broke Not Lazy
Ready to rebuild strength without shame? Book your Strength & Support Audit here: www.head2toestrength.comMillennials were never the problem — the system was. In this episode of UpLift Women’s Wellness, Bethany and Auria break down the numbers behind wages that never kept up, housing that slipped out of reach, and wealth that concentrated at the very top while an entire generation was told to
Head 2 Tail: Navigating Dog Nutrition, Adoption, and Vet Care
Ready to rebuild strength without shame? Book your Strength & Support Audit here: www.head2toestrength.comMost people love their pets deeply — but very few understand what it actually takes to care for them well. In this episode of UpLift Women’s Wellness, Bethany and Auria sit down with Kim, one of only 36 Veterinary Technician Specialists in Nutrition in all of North America, to talk about
The “Perfect Woman” Lie — And How to Break Out of the Box
Ready to rebuild strength without shame? Book your Strength & Support Audit here: www.head2toestrength.comWomen are asked to carry expectations that were never designed for real bodies or real lives. In this episode of UpLift Women’s Wellness, Bethany and Auria talk openly about the pressure to perform, the quiet exhaustion of being “the reliable one,” and the way so many women learn to shr
Undiagnosed, Dismissed, and Still Showing Up: What it means to live, lift, and lead with autoimmune disease.
Ready to rebuild strength without shame? Book your Strength & Support Audit here: www.head2toestrength.comThe episode where everything finally gets said out loud.For years, Bethany lived inside a body that doctors dismissed, minimized, or blamed on her weight, her stress, or her imagination. She spent her twenties fighting for answers, navigating medical gaslighting, and being pushed into die
From Shame to Strength: Redefining Success for Working Moms
Ready to rebuild strength without shame? Book your Strength & Support Audit here: www.head2toestrength.comWhat does it really mean to “balance it all”? In this episode, therapist and mom of three, Kathia Aviles LMFT, shares her experience with parenting pressures, mental health, and why she started her own business after COVID. As she and Auria talk through the realities of burnout, identity
Behind the Vision: Bethany & Auria’s Story of Inclusive, Meaningful Wellness
Ready to rebuild strength without shame? Book your Strength & Support Audit here: www.head2toestrength.comBethany and Auria reflect on how a client-coach relationship became a revolutionary approach to healing. What began as two women navigating their own lived experience, gaps in care, and the impact of systems not built for them evolved into the foundation of Head 2 Toe Strength—a place whe
The High Cost of Being Likable: Narcissism, People-Pleasing & Lost Identity
Ready to rebuild strength without shame? Book your Strength & Support Audit here: www.head2toestrength.comSociety tells women to smile, soften, and put others first. But that pressure to be likable can make them vulnerable to manipulation, narcissistic abuse, and emotional collapse. Bethany and Auria share personal stories and unpack the psychology of narcissistic relationships to help others
Diet Culture: Who Benefits When You Feel Broken? Wellness myths and the systems that sell shame to women
Ready to rebuild strength without shame? Book your Strength & Support Audit here: www.head2toestrength.comDiet culture didn’t just teach you to restrict — it taught you to disown yourself. In this episode, Bethany gets real about the industries designed to keep you sick, exhausted, and insecure. For listeners beginning to rebuild trust with their bodies after years of external rules and shame
She’s Ready—The World Isn’t: Why Women Are Still Shut Out of Power
Ready to rebuild strength without shame? Book your Strength & Support Audit here: www.head2toestrength.comDespite measurable success and relentless drive, women—especially mothers, women of color, and those outside dominant norms—are still underrepresented in leadership, misjudged in the workplace, and undervalued across industries. For listeners trying to navigate these pressures while stayi
Feminism’s Past & Present: From First Vote to Future Hope
Ready to rebuild strength without shame? Book your Strength & Support Audit here: www.head2toestrength.comWhy do so many believe in gender equality—yet shy away from the word feminist? In this powerful roundtable, Bethany Busch, LMFT Auria Zahed, and educator Isabelle Comtois unpack the real history of feminism—from suffragette wins to interconnected healing—and why reclaiming the “F word” st
Reclaiming Your Body: The Quiet Rebellion of Becoming Yourself
Ready to rebuild strength without shame? Book your Strength & Support Audit here: www.head2toestrength.comReclaiming your body is not a trend — it’s a rebellion. In this episode of UpLift Women’s Wellness, Bethany and Auria talk about what it means to finally breathe in your own skin after a lifetime of being told who to be, how to look, and what parts of yourself to hide. This isn’t a conver
Beyond the Grind: Work-Life Balance, Purpose & Wellness in a Hustle Culture
Ready to rebuild strength without shame? Book your Strength & Support Audit here: www.head2toestrength.comAmerica worships the grind — and women pay the price. In this defining episode of UpLift Women’s Wellness, Bethany and Auria dismantle the myth that constant productivity is the measure of a meaningful life. They talk honestly about burnout, survival jobs, chronic stress, and the pressure
Beyond the Silence: Strength, Recovery & Real Conversations on Breast Cancer
Ready to rebuild strength without shame? Book your Strength & Support Audit here: www.head2toestrength.comBreast cancer is never just a diagnosis — it’s a before and after. In this powerful episode of UpLift Women’s Wellness, Bethany and Auria sit with a story that exposes the truth behind the medical charts: the fear, the grief, the body you lose, the body you wake up in, and the strength it
Strength for the Women Healthcare Forgot: Belonging, Bias & Breaking Barriers
Ready to rebuild strength without shame? Book your Strength & Support Audit here: www.head2toestrength.comRace shapes everything — who is believed, who is welcomed, who receives care, and who is quietly pushed to the margins. In this defining episode of UpLift Women’s Wellness, Bethany and Auria step into one of the most honest conversations of the season: what it means to grow up unseen, to
When Mother’s Day Hurts
Ready to rebuild strength without shame? Book your Strength & Support Audit here: www.head2toestrength.comMother’s Day can be beautiful — and it can be brutal. In this deeply personal episode of UpLift Women’s Wellness, Bethany and Auria open a conversation that so many people carry quietly: what it feels like when motherhood is marked by loss, distance, estrangement, or stories that never
Your Friends Shouldn’t Make You Anxious
Have you ever left time with a friend feeling more exhausted than when you arrived?In this episode of UpLift Women’s Wellness, Bethany Busch and Auria Zahed, LMFT, talk about female friendship, people-pleasing, boundaries, trust, and what healthy support actually feels like.Both Bethany and Auria have experienced friendships that were painful, one-sided, competitive, or difficult to walk away from
You Don’t Have to Be a Mother to Matter
Why Does Dating Feel So Exhausting Now?
What happens when dating starts to feel less like connection and more like a full-time emotional job?In this episode of UpLift Women’s Wellness, Bethany Busch and Auria Zahed, LMFT, talk candidly about dating apps, rejection, boundaries, burnout, objectification, and the strange pressure to perform a version of yourself for people you barely know.Bethany shares what it’s like re-entering the datin
Why Do Women Feel Like They’re Never Good Enough?
What happens when you spend your whole life being taught that how you look is part of how much you’re worth?In this episode of UpLift Women’s Wellness, Bethany Busch and Auria Zahed, LMFT, unpack the way beauty standards, advertising, family messages, aging, social media, and everyday comments about women’s bodies can quietly shape self-worth.They talk about why women can become so skilled at noti
More Than a Workout: Why I Built Head 2 Toe Strength
Bethany Busch didn’t take a straight path into exercise science and Head 2 Toe Strength wasn’t built because she wanted to open another gym.In this episode of UpLift Women’s Wellness, Auria turns the microphone on Bethany to unpack the experiences that shaped how she coaches today: growing up in softball, working full-time while trying to build a career, returning to school for exercise science, n
Why Women Need More Than a Workout
How did a strength coach and a therapist end up building a podcast—and eventually a company, together?In the first episode of UpLift Women’s Wellness, Bethany Busch and Auria Zahed share how conversations during training sessions turned into something much bigger.Auria first came to Bethany as a client. What started in the gym became a relationship built around unusually honest conversations, curi
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