Body Confidence for Women: What We'd Tell Our 20-Year-Old Selves
Discover body confidence for women and how a healthy relationship with food shapes fitness, mindset, and life lessons in this inspiring 50th episode of Get Sculpted.
What would you tell your 20-year-old self about body image, fitness, food, and life?
The things we worried about most in our 20s – thigh gaps, endless cardio, saying yes to everything – weren’t the things that truly mattered long-term. Confidence, strength, and self-worth come from building trust with your body, fuelling it with the right food, setting boundaries, and believing you’re worthy of a full, vibrant life.
In this milestone 50th episode of Get Sculpted, we share the advice we wish we had been given in our twenties, and how those lessons shape the way we live and coach today. From overcoming body hate and ditching “skinny at all costs” workouts, to healing a broken relationship with food and learning to set healthy boundaries, this is an honest, empowering conversation about growth, strength, and self-belief.
Because sometimes the best wisdom comes from looking back so you can move forward with more clarity, confidence, and compassion for yourself
Here’s what we cover:
Why body confidence for women is built on strength, not shrinking
The workout mistakes women make in their 20s and the advice we’d give now
How to create a healthy relationship with food and let go of restriction, guilt, and binge cycles
The role of mindset and self-talk in building true confidence and self-belief
Lessons on boundaries, communication, and choosing relationships that support your growth
Big-picture life advice: why investing in yourself, taking risks, and believing “why not me?” matters
This episode is a mix of laughter, raw honesty, and practical strategies you can apply to your own journey. Whether you’re in your 20s now or looking back decades later, these lessons will help you build a sustainable fitness journey that fuels your body and your life.
Your body isn’t something to punish or shrink. It’s your partner. Work with it, not against it.
-Coach Marilynn
So, take a moment to ask yourself: what advice would you give your 20-year-old self—and how can you start living it today? Share your biggest takeaways with us over on Instagram @getsculpted.ca. We’d love to cheer you on as you sculpt the strongest, most confident version of yourself.
Connect with Get Sculpted
Thanks for joining us on this episode of Get Sculpted! If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review on Apple or Spotify to help us reach even more women ready to cut through the noise and get the real deal on fat loss, muscle building, and what it really takes to build their 2.0 sculpted self inside and out.
This podcast is brought to you in partnership with Leah Bryant Co.
More about the Get Sculpted Podcast
Welcome to Get Sculpted, the podcast for women who want to lose fat, build muscle, and reset their metabolism with science-based strategies and actionable advice.
We go beyond quick fixes and fad diets to give you sustainable fat loss strategies, strength training tips for women, and the mindset shifts that help you achieve lasting results. Think less guessing, more confidence, and habits that actually fit your lifestyle.
No matter if you’re just starting out or ready to level up your training, this podcast gives women the tools to lose fat, build muscle, and feel stronger in their bodies.
We’re your hosts, Jordanna, Marilynn, and Tijana, fitness pros with over 20 years of combined experience and 1,000+ client transformations, including a focus on helping women 40+ optimize their metabolism and build strength. You’ll get strategies designed for real bodies and real lives.
We’ll cover questions like:
Can you lose fat and build muscle at the same time?
What is the best way for women to lose fat without losing muscle?
How do I start strength training as a beginner woman?
Why am I not losing weight even though I’m working out and eating healthy?
How can I stop yo-yo dieting for good?
Is cardio necessary for fat loss?
If you’ve been searching for sustainable fat loss, women’s nutrition, and strength training that actually works, you’re in the right place. Join us every week to sculpt a stronger body and a more empowered 2.0 life.
Connect with us at @getsculted.ca on Instagram
The unedited podcast transcript for this episode of the Get Sculpted podcast follows:
50th Episode Reflections: Life Lessons to Our 20-Year-Old Selves
Jordanna [00:00:17]: Thank you to us. But thank you to you. Because without you listening in week over week, I don't know if we'd have gotten to episode 50... So today we're doing something really special. We want to, you know, slow down a little bit, take a moment to reflect on what we've learned and what we wish we could tell our 20 year old selves... We're going to go into like, relationships even and think of this as a conversation with our younger selves.Jordanna [00:00:58]: Hopefully with you too. If you're navigating some of the same lessons we had to learn the hard way, maybe you can take our lessons and apply them... So let's dive in. We're gonna go through some questions here. We're each gonna get a chance to answer and we'll see what we wanna tell our 20 year old selves...
Body Image: Embracing & Partnering With Your Body
Jordanna [00:01:43]: Yeah. She was strong and brave. Let's kick it off with the first one. What would you tell your 20 year old self about how she thinks about her body? Take a sec to let that settle in...[Marilynn, Tijana, and Jordanna walk through their struggles with body image in their 20s—obsessing over being skinny, comparing themselves to others, and learning to treat their bodies as partners rather than enemies. A big focus is self-acceptance, confidence, and moving beyond external standards of beauty.]
Fitness & Workouts: Build Strength, Not Just Burn Calories
Tijana [00:05:13]: I tell myself that any age. Yeah, I love it.Jordanna [00:05:16]: So let's move into the next one T. Wanna ask it?
Tijana [00:05:19]: Yes, guys. So what would you tell your younger self about workouts and fitness?
[The hosts discuss how their 20s were filled with the desire to get smaller through cardio, working out for the wrong reasons, and not understanding the value of building muscle. Advice centers on shifting to strength, fun, working with your body, and starting early to establish a lifestyle that lasts. There’s also practical encouragement: don’t self-navigate endlessly—seek good mentorship sooner.]
Nutrition & Relationship With Food: Ditching the Guilt, Fueling for Life
Marilynn [00:08:33]: That's really good. Really good. All right, you ready for the next question? So we're gonna go into the zone of food and nutrition. So if you were to tell your 20 year old self something about food and nutrition, what would you tell her?[This is an emotional segment. All three hosts open up about disordered eating, intense restriction, guilt and food phobia. They emphasize developing a healthy relationship with food, seeing it as fuel and friend—not something to fear. They discuss the importance of healing, letting go of shame, and focusing on nourishment instead of punishment.]
Mindset & Self-Belief: Choosing Worthiness Over Perfectionism
Marilynn [00:13:04]: No, I can relate. Are we ready to move on to the next one?Jordanna [00:13:07]: Go for it.
Marilynn [00:13:08]: Okay, so, ladies, what would you tell your younger self about mindset and self belief?
[The conversation turns to perfectionism, comparing oneself to others, and the power of self-talk. Key takeaways: Stop putting everyone else on pedestals, choose to believe in yourself, and remember that confidence is built—not something you wait for. Your own opinion matters most, and action outside your comfort zone is where growth happens.]
Relationships & Boundaries: Learning to Say No & Honor Yourself
Tijana [00:16:47]: All right, T, I think it's your turn to ask some questions.Tijana [00:16:50]: All right, so what would you tell yourself, your 20 year old self about relationships? And we're talking like all relationships, right?
[Discussion focuses on boundaries—learning to say no, teaching others how to treat you, and not letting others’ expectations steer major life decisions. On the romantic front, Tijana shares about marriage, communication, alignment of values, and recognizing that you have to fill your own cup first. The core message: honor your needs, use your voice, and don’t let people walk all over you.]
Big Picture Life Advice: Become the Creator of Your Own Life
Jordanna [00:20:17]: Awesome. So this is more of like a big picture life advice type question. If you could give your 20 year old self just one piece of advice about life as a whole, what would you say to her?[Each host shares their wisdom—about embracing agency, investing in yourself, not waiting for perfect timing, and fully committing to your big decisions. Jordanna jokes about investing in Apple or Bitcoin but lands on the importance of trusting yourself to boldly rewrite your story at any moment.]
Recap, Reflections & Celebrating 50 Episodes
Jordanna [00:24:47]: Oh my God, I love that. Well, if there's one thread in all of this, it's that the things we worried about Most in our 20s weren't necessarily things that mattered long term... Things like investing in your health and your mindset and your self belief. It pays off in every single area of your life. And I'm so grateful that all of you listening have been part of our first 50 episodes...[They invite listeners to reflect on what advice they’d give to their own 20-year-old selves, and encourage taking action now to sculpt your next level, 2.0 self. Cheers to 50 episodes, and to continuing to grow together!]