Q&A: weight loss, your cycle, and more

What happens when you stop trying to do what everyone else is doing and start creating something that's actually yours?In this episode, Mario joins me for a conversation about bodybuilding, content creation, and the importance of staying true to yourself while pursuing something bigger.We talk about the changing landscape of bodybuilding media, why the sport needs more storytelling, and how athletes can connect with audiences beyond the stage. From the Olympia to YouTube, we explore what makes content meaningful and why originality will always matter.We also get into the more personal side of pursuing your goals: balancing a 9–5 with creative ambitions, overcoming the fear of judgment, taking risks, and making the decision to go after what you want.One of my favorite takeaways from this conversation? The most valuable part of bodybuilding isn't necessarily the physique you build. It's the lessons you take with you into the rest of your life.A conversation about doing more, comparing less, and having the courage to create your own path.

A few months ago, I released an episode about our culture's obsession with being skinny. After listening back, I realized there were a few things I wanted to clarify, expand on, and take accountability for.My stance hasn't completely changed, but I think the conversation deserves more nuance.In this episode, I'm revisiting my thoughts on GLP-1s, the pressure to achieve a certain body type, and the difference between pursuing health and chasing external validation.I'm also talking about why I believe personal responsibility and self-awareness still matter, why our bodies shouldn't be treated like trends, and how we can pursue physical goals without sacrificing our relationship with ourselves along the way.Ultimately, I want to challenge you to ask yourself a question: Are you building a body that serves your life, or are you chasing a body you believe will make you more worthy?You can want to look good. You can want to lose weight, build muscle, or change your physique. But I believe your reasons matter just as much as your results.As always, I'm open to hearing perspectives different from my own. Let's keep the conversation going.Stay relentless.

Four years ago, one of the very first episodes of this podcast was about what it meant to be relentless.Back then, my answer revolved heavily around bodybuilding: doing more, working harder, being disciplined, never giving up, and going all in on one goal.That version of relentlessness helped me earn my IFBB Pro card and shaped a huge part of the person I became.But four years later, my life looks very different — and so does my definition of relentless.In this episode, I’m reflecting on how my perspective has evolved through different environments, relationships, seasons of life, health challenges, bodybuilding, business, and simply growing up.Being relentless isn’t just about how hard you can push anymore.It’s about relentlessly pursuing your own evolution. Keeping promises to yourself. Letting go of people pleasing. Shutting out opinions that don’t belong in your decision-making. Doing the work when no one is watching. And realizing that you can decide at any point in your life to become someone different.I also talk about why I still believe fitness is one of the best places to discover that part of yourself — and why becoming relentless can start with something as simple as hitting your step goal every day for a week.Four years later, this podcast is still here.Through every version of me, every season, and every change in my life.And maybe that, in itself, is what Becoming Relentless is all about.Until next time, stay relentless.

Want to compete? That doesn’t necessarily mean you should start prep yet.In this episode of Becoming Relentless, I’m breaking down the do’s and don’ts of contest prep — and the things I wish more aspiring competitors considered before choosing a show.We’re talking about the wrong reasons to prep, why contest prep won’t fix your relationship with food or your body, financial readiness, major life changes, and why you should learn to live the lifestyle before taking things to the extreme.I also get into what you SHOULD have in place before prep: consistent nutrition and training, the right coach, open communication, a strong support system, realistic expectations, and a lifestyle that can actually support the demands of competing.And maybe most importantly, we’re talking about mentality.You cannot control who shows up on show day or what the judges decide. You can control your daily actions, the work you put in, the coach you choose, and the physique you bring.Train like you’ve never won. Compete like you’ve never lost.If competing is on your radar for 2027, start here.https://calendly.com/elenoa-mccabe/30min

Let’s talk Bikini Olympia.In this mini episode of Becoming Relentless, I’m breaking down what I saw from the 2026 Bikini Olympia — including Jazzy Gonzalez taking the title, how Maureen, Aimee, and Lauralie compared in the top four, and what their physiques tell us about where Bikini is heading.I also get into the evolution of Bikini posing, why core control and presentation can make such a massive difference onstage, and why I think we’re seeing the division move toward slightly more muscle and conditioning without losing the feminine shape and balance that define Bikini.Plus, I break down the increasingly clear distinction between Bikini and Fit Model and what that means for women who are thinking about competing.If you compete, coach competitors, or just love following the evolution of bodybuilding, this is my take on one of the most interesting Bikini Olympia lineups we’ve seen.

Another Q&A, mostly about growth!

You want bigger glutes, rounder shoulders, and a more muscular physique—but you don’t want the scale to increase, your waist to grow, or your abs to disappear.At some point, you have to decide which goal you’re actually pursuing.In this episode, I explain why body recomposition is real but isn’t always the most effective strategy, especially for experienced lifters. We’ll talk about what a productive growth phase looks like, why stage-lean is a temporary performance state rather than a sustainable lifestyle, and why gaining weight does not automatically mean gaining the same amount of body fat.I also break down training performance, progressive overload, deloads, mini-cuts, and the metrics you should use to determine whether your growth phase is working.But the hardest part of building muscle often isn’t the food or training—it’s tolerating the identity shift of no longer being at your leanest while you’re still building the physique you want.There is a season for revealing your physique and a season for building it. If you constantly interrupt the building phase because you miss seeing the finished product, you’ll keep revealing the same physique.

This episode wasn't planned—and apparently I had some things I needed to get off my chest.Lately, I've been thinking a lot about what I actually want.I'm working a 9–5, running my coaching business, bodybuilding, creating content, maintaining relationships... and somewhere in the middle of trying to do everything, I realized I've been avoiding fully going after one of the things that matters most to me.And I think part of the reason is uncomfortable to admit:If you don't tell anyone what you're trying to accomplish, nobody gets to watch you fail.So this episode is me doing the opposite.We talk about overwhelm, overthinking, protecting your energy, learning that you can do anything but can't do everything well at the same time, and why I'm learning to become much more intentional about where my energy goes.I also share a goal I've been scared to say publicly:By January 2027, I want to be coaching full-time again.More than anything, this is a conversation about identity, failure, taking action before you feel completely ready, and realizing that sometimes you're not going backward—you're meeting an old chapter of your life as a completely different woman.And maybe that's what becoming relentless actually looks like.If you're ready to build a strong body and a healthy lifestyle that doesn't require your entire life to revolve around fitness, apply for 1:1 coaching below.→ https://calendly.com/elenoa-mccabe/30min

If you want to feel strong, lean, confident, and in control of your health without your life revolving around food, macros, the scale, or constantly “starting over,” this is exactly what I help women do inside my 1:1 coaching. Apply for 1:1 coaching here → https://calendly.com/elenoa-mccabe/30min

Skinny is “in” again. But give it another decade and the ideal female body will probably change all over again.In the early 2000s, women were chasing size zero and thigh gaps.Then came the BBL era: tiny waists, bigger glutes, curves.Now, with the rise of GLP-1s, “skinny” is becoming aspirational again.And I think we need to talk about what happens to women when our bodies are treated like trends we're supposed to keep up with.In this episode, I’m unpacking the constantly changing female beauty standard, why building your identity around your appearance can become such a dangerous game, and the difference between wanting to change your body and needing your body to validate you.Because I'm not here to tell women they shouldn't want to lose body fat, build muscle, or look a certain way.I’m a fitness coach. I care about building muscle. I care about health. And yes, I think you're allowed to have aesthetic goals.But I also believe your physique should serve your life — not become your life.We get into questions like:If social media disappeared tomorrow, what body would you actually want?Would you still want to be smaller if nobody could see you?Are you pursuing health, or approval?What happens when your body becomes part of your identity?And who benefits when women constantly feel like they aren't enough?Because maybe the goal was never to have the trendiest body.Maybe the goal is to have the healthiest relationship with the body you're building.If you want to feel strong, lean, confident, and in control of your health without your life revolving around food, macros, the scale, or constantly “starting over,” this is exactly what I help women do inside my 1:1 coaching. Apply for 1:1 coaching here → [LINK]Don't make the CTA just the final paragraph.Put this near the very top of the Spotify description:Ready to stop starting over with your fitness? Apply for 1:1 coaching → https://calendly.com/elenoa-mccabe/30min