So much of mainstream fitness culture is built on control.
Control over bodies, control over food, control over how we measure our own worth, and even control over how we’re taught to view and judge other people. It tells us there’s one “right” way to move, look, and live—and if we can’t keep up, it must be a personal failure.
Today I’m releasing the second half of my conversation with Ilya Parker, founder of Decolonizing Fitness. We dig into how fitness culture has been shaped by systems of power—ableism, anti-fatness, white supremacy, capitalism—and how those systems keep us disconnected from joy in our bodies.
And then, we start imagining something different.
(If you haven’t yet, make sure to listen to part one of this conversation right here.)
We talk about what movement can feel like when it’s rooted in care and community instead of punishment and conformity. We talk about joy as resistance. And we talk about what it means to reimagine fitness as a tool for liberation instead of another system of control.
If part one of this conversation was about Ilya’s personal story and how Decolonizing Fitness was born, part two is about possibility—what we can build together when we refuse the narrow boxes the fitness industry hands us.
It’s a reminder that movement isn’t about discipline or aesthetics—it’s about compassion, connection, and the freedom for all bodies to move in ways that truly feel good.
Gentle reminder to hit that “like” button, leave a comment, and / or share this post if you enjoyed it. It’s for the Substack algorithm — I’m not just being annoying, I promise. It truly helps support the show and this newsletter, so thank you! xo
If you missed last week’s episode, part one of this conversation can be found here:
