Diversity and inclusion belong in all areas of the fitness industry. By accepting all body types and sizes, we can help foster a sense of community and inclusion in an industry ravaged by toxic diet culture.
I’m joined by Damali Fraiser, a Canadian kettlebell instructor, to talk about her mission of body acceptance in the industry, along with systemic racism and her non-diet approach to fitness.
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A Non-Diet Approach to Kettlebells
- See that there are other benefits to movement other than weight loss
- Design your programming for all body types, sizes, and goals
- Prioritize goals that are outside of weight loss
About Damali Fraiser
Damali Fraiser (she/her/hers) is a Canadian Kettlebell Instructor, Nutrition Coach, and author passionate about exploring fitness from an intersectional lens.
Founder of Lift Off Strength & Wellness, Damali is a compassionate coach and student of strength who teaches hardstyle kettlebell technique, inclusive fitness, and sustainable nutrition that supports you in meeting you wherever you are and confidently moving forward to where you want to be.
Dismantling Diet Culture in Kettlebell Coaching
The fitness industry is toxic regarding diet and weight loss culture.
Damali Fraiser explains why her mission to de-center weight loss is so important and how her experience growing up in the Slim Fast era initially shaped her beliefs.
Damali shares the story of how an injury led her to seek out functional fitness in the form of kettlebells.
Though she’s now healed, she has an improved and better quality of life thanks to her continued use of kettlebells, and her goal is to help other people feel that same sense of strength and vitality.
Inclusion and Diversity in the Fitness Industry
The kettlebell industry still has a way to go before it’s fully inclusive and diverse, but Damali is passionate about changing the narrative.
She explains some of the steps coaches can take to dismantle toxic diet and fitness culture – it really is about de-centering weight loss in their conversations.
Damali also talks about the racist roots of diet culture. It takes all of us working together to dismantle systemic racism to move forward collectively and help heal the damage caused.
How have you used functional fitness to overcome an injury or help your clients overcome injuries? What do you think of a non-diet approach to fitness? Let me know in the comments below!
In This Episode
- Why it’s important to have broader conversations about fitness and health with our your children [5:30]
- How kettlebells or other functional training can become a healing force in your life [13:15]
- The current inclusivity and diversity in kettlebell training [17:00]
- How to dismantle toxic diet and fitness culture [19:00]
- What a non-diet approach to fitness is [20:30]
- The challenges a non-diet approach to fitness presents [24:00]
- The relationship between racism and diet culture [25:00]
Quotes
“I started to explore functional strength training for my recovery, and that was where kettlebells helped me to reconnect with myself and my body and my identity outside of Muay Thai. I appreciated how kettlebells make you feel unstable, yet that feeling is empowering, and you can now re-envision stability throughout your life.” [10:20]
“With kettlebells, I can have an improved and better quality of life. I feel like I’m fully living when I’m strong in my body and moving well.”[13:25]
“It’s multi-faceted. It’s a challenge just to be there and be present. Wanting to do a good job and have people see my expertise but also to see my humanity and know that I’m just alongside them, dealing with the same things they are.” [32:38]
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Inclusive Kettlebell Training Transcript
The first time I ever saw a kettlebell in a gym, I thought this looks like a cannon ball with a handle. There is no doubt that kettlebell training is so powerful and can help you build amazing strength. But just like other forms of fitness kettlebell training isn’t always very inclusive or accessible. My guest today on the podcast is sharing her mission to make kettlebell training, accessible and inclusive, so that everybody can feel the benefit of kettlebells.
If you’re an athletic 40, something woman who loves lifting weights, challenging yourself and doing hard shit, the fuel your strength podcast is for you. You’ll learn how to eat, train and recover smarter, so you build strength and muscle, have more energy and perform better in and out of the gym. I’m strength nutrition strategist and weightlifting coach Steph Gaudreau. The fuel your strength podcast dives into evidence based strategies for nutrition training and recovery, and why once you’re approaching your 40s and beyond, you need to do things a little differently than you did in your 20s. We’re here to challenge the limiting industry narratives about what women can and should do in training and beyond. If that sounds good, hit subscribe on your favorite podcast app. And let’s go
Steph Gaudreau 1:31
Hey there, and welcome back to the podcast. Thanks so much for being with me today. I really appreciate it. Be sure you hit subscribe on your podcast app. It’s a really simple but powerful way to show your support for the fuel your strength podcast. My special guest today is non diet kettlebell coach Damali. Frazier Damali has been coaching kettlebells for a few years, and she’s really on a very important mission. And that is to make kettlebells and kettlebell coaching, more inclusive, and more accessible. On this episode, she’s talking about how that mission plays out what inspired her to create this coaching that she offers, and the different ways in which diet culture shows up in the fitness industry, and what we can do to start on learning that influence. This is a really powerful podcast, and I’m really so grateful to Denali for sharing her expertise and her point of view and lived experience here with us on the show. Before we hop into this episode, a reminder that if you are ready to start addressing your nutrition, you know that that nutrition piece is so key to your strength, and building muscle and having more energy and performing better in and out of the gym. Then go ahead and check out our program strength nutrition unlocked. We’d really love to chat with you and see if you’re a great fit for the program and what we do. You can find out more and book a call with us over at Steph gaudreau.com/apply. Okay, let’s go ahead and jump into this episode with Damali Frazier. Damali welcome to the podcast.
Helping Women Build Strength Over 40
Damali Fraiser 3:08
Hi, how are you?
Steph Gaudreau 3:10
I’m so well. I’m really excited to have you here today.
Damali Fraiser 3:15
So I love meeting more women will appreciate up in the 40. Yes. Thank you for setting up. Yeah, I
Steph Gaudreau 3:28
feel like oh my gosh, I don’t know growing up and in sort of looking at like, who were the women that we’re doing the things that we want to do now. I feel like there just weren’t as many women doing this kind of thing. So it’s cool to kind of be coming up together. And all being part of that community.
Damali Fraiser 3:50
Yes, I just love it. I love to be able to see people having strength and, you know, really encouraging each other because it is hard out here. We’re kind of like trailblazing it. As you said, my mom was like fixated on WinFast I think, you know, it’s a bit real life right now.
Diet Culture in the 1990s
Steph Gaudreau 4:12
It is I was thinking about growing up like, you know, essentially being a teenager in the 90s. Yep. And just like wow. I mean, we’ve lived through some really horrible trends. Right, in terms of fitness and in diets, and I was thinking earlier, you know, a lot of us learned about even nutrition from dieting.
Damali Fraiser 4:36
Yes, that was my only version. I mean, for myself, I didn’t come into like coaching and teaching and fitness until my 30s So like all of it was brand new. I thought fitness was just a whole bunch of cardio weight loss than that It’s diet from lemon cayenne. And so it’s been really an exploration of myself. And for my daughters, I have to So, you know, I’ve enjoyed the journey and sharing it with like minded women. Hmm.
Steph Gaudreau 5:18
You’re saying you know you’re thinking about your mom in the slum, there’s definitely like the SlimFast generation, the Special K I you know, the about your daughter’s now in that sort of way that you’re thinking about? What is fitness? What is strength? Like? What does it mean to you to have a different conversation than potentially you had with your female relatives or other influential women in your life? It makes me
Damali Fraiser 5:49
so proud to be able to have these open conversations and to see my kids Laura, she, my daughter, my oldest daughter is 19. Now, she was in her first powerlifting meet at 14 Breaking the national and world records. Their youngest one is a drama fanatic loves to dance African dance, so like, just flooring these big and brand new and seeing them look at it totally differently. makes me proud. I’m terrified. Yeah, yeah.
Steph Gaudreau 6:24
I was gonna say, you know, in a way, right, I think the, it feels like there’s progress in certain areas. And then, I mean, I was joking earlier about being a high school kid in the 90s. And, and all the horrible, like diets and stuff that we saw. And then on the flip side, we didn’t have social media, and filters. And yes, yeah, I mean, can you do you ever stop to think about what it would have been like, and how it would have been different or harder for you? Um,
Damali Fraiser 6:57
I try not to very, very, very, but I don’t think I couldn’t manage it. I mean, it was hard enough as it was, being you young black girl through high school, always being bigger, or being muscular and being told, I look like a man. You know, if I had social media, and all these accounts, and, you know, was trying to compare myself, I don’t know if I could have made it especially given like our parents were just not as aware. So they didn’t really talk to us about these things. Or, you know, survival mode was there in terms of their own traumas. So they were more inclined to say like, here’s what you should do, you can leave that couple of pounds for your freshman team, and kind of aid us on the road, the more diet culture and more of these unfortunate, disordered eating patterns and such.
Steph Gaudreau 7:58
Hmm. Yeah, I think about it sometimes, too. And then I quickly divert my brain because I think it was hard enough, like you said, and then to imagine this extra added layer of comparison and unrealistic expectations and how we have like, so much more access to see those things. It’s just a lot. How did you you said you didn’t really get into fitness and strength until you were in your 30s into teaching? How did you come to that? And then how did you come to kettlebells.
How Damali Got Interested in Kettlebells
Damali Fraiser 8:32
So as a mother of two, I was actually looking for martial arts for my daughters, I was looking for a way for them to be active. And I wanted them to have some self defense. So I met someone who had a Muay Thai school in my area, and they encouraged me to bring my kids in to teach them with Tai and then they said, Oh, you know, the parents usually was like, oh, moms can can do class do to lose the weight. But parents could pop in. And I was really depleted at the time. Like I would really just feeling drained, wondering like how to balance things out and I started attending Muay Thai classes with my kids, and absolutely fell in love with one time.
Fast forward like a year and a half, and I was competing as an amateur Muay Thai fighter, and spent three years competing in my time in till 2016 When I tore my ACL and medial lateral meniscus, so that was my first ever major injury in my life, other than the trauma of vaginal childbirth. He really hadn’t had any other injury, especially sports specific, and I had really really been very invested in my identity as an athlete at that, at that point, like moving from, I’m not just a mother to an athlete, and then all of a sudden, I was injured. And it was pretty crippling for me like feeling emotionally. And I started to explore functional strength training for my recovery.
And that was where kettlebells really helped me to really connect with myself, reconnect with my body, and reconnect, connect with my identity outside of Muay Thai, and to really appreciate how kettlebells make you feel unstable. But yet, that feeling is empowering. And you can now re envision stability throughout all of your life. Yeah, that’s
Steph Gaudreau 11:02
amazing. And thanks for mentioning that the athlete and identity piece, especially around injury, I think that that happens to a lot of people, especially listeners to this podcast, something has happened to me as well. And it’s a really can be really uncomfortable thing. But also this like interesting catalyst for change and growth in a transformation in a really strange way that you’re like, I didn’t know I wanted this or needed this, but it was, it was something that helped me it sounds like that maybe was the case for you? Absolutely. I,
Damali Fraiser 11:39
I didn’t realize some of the things that I had been even masking in my athleticism in my competition in my, in my yearning for competition, and yearning for the next fight. In that moment, I had to really come, like, fully turn around and take a look deeply at some of those things. And, you know, separate from that identity. And it was it was, it really was heartbreaking. But it was kind of like, you know, that feeling of like, I need to burn it all down in order to build it all back up. That is exactly where a been. My my logo has my butterfly. So I always feel like it’s a transformational process. Some folks might see it like Phoenix Rising, but it was definitely an awakening for me. Hmm. I love that.
What Inspired Damali to Become a Kettlebell Coach
Steph Gaudreau 12:45
What in what inspired you to then take kettlebells from something that was really important, in essence, like your rehab from your injury, and they sort of like new way of exploring movement in your life, what inspires you to take it to the next level and become a coach and an instructor?
Damali Fraiser 13:06
Well, I, I really feel like a heavy dose. But I mean, let that literally be though, of kettlebells and self compassion was even know a healing force in my life. And with kettlebell, I can have an improved and better quality of life. I really feel like I’m fully living when I’m strong in my body. And when I moving well, and making that more accessible to more people became so important to me. I went to certification after certification. I was originally certified in 2014, but started training with kettlebells while I was doing wait time, and I never saw people who look like me.
Never saw any other elders or people you would consider mentors who were black women who were strong and pickup faith and, and, you know, we’re not shy about their power in the ring or outside of the ring. And that was disheartening for me. I didn’t feel good. I didn’t feel privileged to be the only one but I really felt like this was an opportunity for so many more people. And that’s what really bred like kettlebells for every body, like all bodies have a different way that they can approach strength training and with kettlebells are so many nuanced ways to train. Because it’s so versatile. That became really important to me, and I’m really passionate about about that.
Steph Gaudreau 14:53
Absolutely. I’m sure we’re gonna talk a little bit more about that. I’d love to get your thoughts on. You know, when you’re saying You’re going through your certification and kind of looking around and not seeing a lot of our presentation or people that looks like you. And sort of getting an inclusive vibe. I mean, kettlebells, at least when I first learned about what a kettlebell was, was probably about almost 15 years ago. And it seems like at that time, the community had this almost like, you know, if you’re not the most, like hardcore of the hardcore, then don’t even bother sort of vibe to it. Have you seen that in sort of people’s reluctance to get involved with kettlebells? Even now? Or do you think things are changing?
Damali Fraiser 15:41
I think it’s still ever present. And I will totally, you know, be transparent and honest, like coming from a martial arts background with especially something as I always say brutal, and avoid fi can be the underpinning of like, I’m the baddest, and I want to be the most elite. And so there was a kind of a resonation, like, resonated between the two, the kettlebell enthusiast who was, you know, the most elite, the strongest, but this, that, and the martial arts community that I was in, and so alongside my injury, and that, you know, look into myself in my identity came with it, like, oh, this kettlebell community is not welcoming to a lot of people. And what have I done to change that or to make there be a pathway or trail for people to, to really come into this community and feel like it’s available to them to.
What is Inclusive Kettlebell Coaching & How is it Different?
With kettlebell training, a lot of it was like, marked is marked on like a strength testing, as well as gender based testing. So a lot of those things, put people into a box, where they feel now limited, like, if I can’t do 100 batches, in five minutes, I must not be a great coach. Which I don’t, I don’t believe that’s true at all. I teach kettlebell coaches, who lead with compassion, and are there to support their people from moving from point A to point B, and I always give like, my, my people I love like Serena Williams, or that’s the most vile the example like, nobody’s going to be at point B with them. There’s no code, nobody who is is able to say, Oh, I mastered it, so I’m teaching it for that. But they need coaching, they need a village to contribute to their success and to their growth into their well being. And all those people have a purpose on their journey. And so we have the privilege of joining people on their journeys, their kettlebell journeys, and it doesn’t mean that you have to be the master over them or have proven yourself at this level in order to be a successful kettlebell coach.
Steph Gaudreau 18:18
That’s a very different approach than what a lot of the fitness industry would take, right? Where, like you said, there are certain benchmark tests or things have to be done in a very specific and very narrow way. And that’s what qualifies somebody. So it’s really cool to hear that you’re meant you’re forging your own path in terms of helping people realize their potential as coaches and that they don’t have to fit inside that narrow mold. I think there’s a lot of
Damali Fraiser 18:46
unlearning that we all like and how we internalized a lot of unfortunately, toxic fitness culture, into even how we structure training and education and curriculum for our coaches and instructors. And dismantling that is a big part of how I practice my kettlebell practice and community, but also, you know, day to day, sort of like, I put myself in that uncomfortable position of realizing like, I don’t know what all you are, the person I’m working with is the expert of their body. I am here to support them. And it is always with gratitude that I’m taking that on that they given me an opportunity to learn from their body and that’s a very vulnerable place to be. And, you know, I think we as a community fitness professionals overall I would, you know, evolve and transcend if we took that approach over in all things Hmm, yes.
What is a Non-Diet Approach to Fitness?
Steph Gaudreau 20:00
Absolutely. So I would like to maybe ask you a couple questions about, you know, how your approach is different. And I think, you know, on your social media on your Instagram, for example, it says non diet chemical coach, right? Some people might be like, wait a minute, she’s just coaching fitness. So how do those two things for you? How are they related, I guess, to sort of like fitness and a non diet approach, what would that mean, if somebody were to come and work with you, or they’re going through your Instagram, what might they see? That’s different, or a different message than what is in the mainstream.
Damali Fraiser 20:39
So first off, like diet culture in itself, we all have a diet, but um, you eat your diet. Make sure people understand that not blaming, you don’t have a diet, it my girls are lactose intolerant, and my other daughter is allergic to dairy. So there’s no dairy for diet, right? Anything that you’re going to do to help you support your health, I’m not, I am not a medical professional. So I’m gonna leave that to the doctors and registered dieticians. But when it comes to what we see in diet culture today, it’s really around the prioritization of weight loss above any other characteristic of your health and well being. So that includes your mental health. And that includes physical health, that includes your social community well being and keeping that factor out of play. When it comes to being a credible coach, that prioritizes antibody culture, one, I’m looking at being anti racist on a daily basis.
So taking action toward dismantling racism and anti black racism, and identifying where I’ve internalized anti black racism, as well as helping people to see that there’s other benefits to movement other than weight loss, and be putting myself first in terms of my own marketing my own sales that they like, Can I do this without putting weight loss into play at all? At all, it is very, very challenging. Because whether you’re not you’re listing a whole list of 10 benefits of strength training, somewhere down the line, someone’s gonna say, Oh, you can also lose weight. And they may not even realize why you’re doing it. And that’s because culture is so pervasive that we feel like we’re obligated to weight loss at every direction. So for me, when it comes to kettlebell training, I’m designing your programming for all body types, all body sizes, and all goals and prioritizing goals that are outside of weight class.
Steph Gaudreau 23:07
I can really appreciate how difficult it is to your to amplify what you said, to talk about fitness, even strength, right? Like, how do we build muscle like those sorts of things being strong in your daily life? You said earlier, better quality of life, better movement throughout your day. It is so hard. When the world the first thing because of diet culture the world looks for it’s like well, what’s the weight loss promise that I’m gonna get from this? Uh huh. What’s, what’s some of the maybe the pushback you’ve received? On that message? Because I feel like if somebody’s been in our bubble for a while or been in our community, we’re intentionally, you know, editing or who we’re following. We’re like, yes, like, we’re very much invested in learning and unlearning and furthering this, but if, you know, somebody were to kind of step into your world and this is a big shock to them, like what are some of the things that you hear or some of the pushback that you get on a non diet message
Damali Fraiser 24:17
that ultimately, improving body composition means getting leaner. That means that in order to actually demonstrate that you’re stronger, you have to be physically see muscle definition, which comes with losing body fat and becoming leaner. So, how do you articulate or demonstrate that you have results in if you are not at least changing the way the body looks? And that ultimately, people A lot of people do not believe that there is an underlining of racism in by culture and, and weight stigma and that bias. So it’s very hard for people to see how over time, historically speaking, things move from being luxurious to be curvy and have a different type of body to it being aligned with, oh, black people specifically, are larger or have the shapes of bodies, and that is what is undesirable. But we will create this kind of barrier between our bodies that aligns being that rather than to being black.
And that’s a hard conversation for people to have. It’s hard conversation for me to have, especially after years of being buoyed by and weight cuts and, and fighting and looking back at those times, and really wondering, like, what was I trying to pursue in getting smaller and getting smaller and getting smaller? And how much of that was tied to my identity as an athlete? Was it really my performance as an athlete? Or was it the identity of being, you know, perceived as fit and healthy and thin? And everybody wanting to know how I had done it? That I was seeking out? It’s, it’s really hard for people to have this kind of like Heart to Heart conversation about, you know, what it takes to set yourself outside of that
world anymore? And
I generally just start off with why, why are you trying to lose weight? I don’t find a lot of wise, if you’ve heard that, like, you know why. And then why, again, because there’s some comfort, or there’s something that we are pursuing that is really, you know, connected to how the outside world perceives us. Our joy or happiness, and those are the things that I really want to seek out. Yeah,
Steph Gaudreau 27:23
I think Sonya, Renee Taylor talks about the body hierarchy. Right? And yeah, it’s, it’s hard when you start to you start to, like you said, ask why and get deeper into it. And then, a lot of times, when I ask, why to people, there’s a moment of hesitation, because it’s like, oh, wait, now we’re about to dive into the really deep stuff. Yeah. And it can get deep, pretty, pretty fast. Absolutely.
Intersectionality and Fitness
Damali Fraiser 27:52
Cuz we all want to be loved. We want to be liked. We have that need for social connection. So we’re now looking at what is intersectionality? It’s all it’s all intersecting. So when you prioritize your social connection, as well, as part of your health and well being, then there’s a reality there that you have people who like more, because you’re thinner, smaller, you look the part. And you would be losing that. If you if you separate from from those things. Yeah.
Steph Gaudreau 28:33
It’s, it’s a big thing. And and tear tear point, it’s like, starting to see that for the first time can. I think for some people I know it did. For me, I was just like, when I first learned about a lot of these issues, I was like, whoa, okay. I mean, obviously, I didn’t see it. And that’s part of how the system works. And having the privileges that I do as the person that I am in the world, it’s it’s like, Whoa, there’s a lot to unpack here. So I appreciate you sharing all of that. And I know that we were also talking recently, I was talking to Coach RT, three, about how social media and the way that the algorithm works, sort of, you know, biases towards certain kinds of posts and certain kinds of information. Are there things that you see happen when you talk more about the non diet aspects of your coaching versus the technicalities of you know, swinging kettlebells and those sorts of things, you know, do you see a difference in how those posts are received?
Why Social Media Apps Amplify or Reduce the Reach of Certain Posts
Damali Fraiser 29:41
Absolutely, I’m, I’ve had my posts, face discuss racism or fat phobia reported. I’ve had people multiple times telling me that you know, I’m promoting obesity and that’s they’re not seeing any value in and what I teach. I also think that because I am intentional about discussing some of these issues up front, and I don’t just bring a kettlebell and press the kettlebell and demonstrate how great I am every day. Because of these things, because I want to make sure that we have an understanding of like, like, what fitness means for different people, and that there are barriers to fitness for many different people. And, and I know that that means that I won’t be the algorithm, I won’t be, you know, always at the top of engagement, I think, you know, you can have a certain amount of followers, and it’s always interesting to me, like, how very few people are seeing my method and, or seeing, you know, my content that I create, and it can fluctuate so greatly.
And I’m very encouraged when I see people sharing and spreading the message, because despite what views is there, people are taking the time to, you know, explore the discussion with me and share it with their friends and family. So I’ll say thank you to people who have taken the time to do that. You know, I was, I was talking with folks about, you know, my personal health journey includes injuries, but also includes years of dealing with fibroids. And many black women have to deal with fibroids, which can lead to heavy menstruation, pelvic floor issues, pelvic pain, back pain, as well as just the side, your side of the thyroid. For folks who don’t know, fibroids are non cancerous tumors in the uterus and around uterus. So they can be in the uterus, uterus itself in the wall outside and can grow to the size of even a grapefruit or you can have multiples of them. So seeing like your abdomen descending and growing, and knowing that you’re dealing with this illness that has many side effects, but then also that people aren’t seeing us just the fact that you know, it’s multifaceted. It’s, it’s a challenge to just be there and be present, and wanting to do a good job and people to see my expertise, but also to see my humanity and know that I’m just along alongside them dealing with all of these things, raising a family dealing with my health altogether. And that’s an important part of speaking up about a diet culture that it’s not all, you know, perfect bodies and abs and shakes. Mm hmm.
Steph Gaudreau 33:07
Yeah, absolutely. And, you know, health even being such a multifaceted thing, right? With social determinants of health and a lot of things that we we might not be able to even directly change, or it’s very difficult to change or impossible to change, we can’t really change our genetics, right. So there’s just a lot that goes into it. And I appreciate the the richness of your message and the things that you talk about, and how, you know, like you said, we’re talking about whole people who have lives and a whole, you know, thing outside of the content area that they’re experts in and how it affects, then how you show up and teach your content to Yeah, yeah,
Damali Fraiser 33:53
when I’m teaching like kettlebells, and working with folks who are just like, tackling life, as it were, like, the greatest achievements for me, and the joys in my life are like those moments when, you know, a client of mine was like, you know, my child has autism, and they were refusing to walk at the store. And I carried them. And I did it without losing my breath. And I felt strong and capable. And I was able to move through this world just a little bit easier when everything felt hard. And I feel like those are the messages that are mapped out when everything else is prioritized to weight loss and physique, and aesthetic. I don’t know looking good may did or or some sort of being in like, we are losing track of our community care and our collective well being overall in the fitness industry, absolutely.
Damali’s Inclusive Kettlebell Program, Coaches Corner
Steph Gaudreau 35:06
Please tell us a little bit more about Coaches Corner, why you created it, what your your mission and message are with what you’re doing there.
Damali Fraiser 35:16
So I created Coaches Corner in 21 one, it was kind of like my baby since I following my Achilles row, my ACL reconstruction and I ruptured my Achilles I was still trying to fight just as always, I and I ruptured my Achilles that it kind of became a Baby of mine of like, How can I help people to see that kettlebells are just so worthwhile, you can use them for physical therapy, you can use them for mobility training is over flexibility you can use them to get strong as back whatever it is you want, and that you are not also limited by your abilities, which is a hard methods to put forth that the people that you can be a great coach, even if you haven’t yet mastered those. The Coaches Corner is a introduction to kettlebell teaching, focused on teaching kettlebell.
So we are be prioritizing your performance of the kettlebell skills and focusing on how do you introduce the technique and form to different bodies, different shapes of bodies, different sizes of bodies, so that they feel safe and confident in those movements. We focus on the deadlift and hinge breath, what clean wing and lunge and specifically keeping some of the more advanced kettlebell techniques off the table in order to keep us focused on what we can bring forward, even with just a very low level of introduction of kettlebells and everyday functional movement patterns. So kettlebell kettlebells, for eight week, every week, a new skill and using that group as kind of incubator, and it’s the haven to learn amongst a group of people with common values, who want to take an anti racism as well as inclusive coaching approach to teaching kettlebells
Steph Gaudreau 37:33
sounds incredible. I’ve heard so many wonderful things. Where Can folks learn more about you about your offers that Coaches Corner in everything that you’re up to?
Damali Fraiser 37:44
So you can always find me on Instagram, the Molly dot razor that there’s an ad before the and, or at Lyft docs, right. So I am in Brampton, Ontario, Canada, and I do offer virtual and online training. One on One group fitness as well as kettlebell teaching. at Coaches Corner, I have a waitlist though, if you are interested in you don’t get into the next cohort, feel free to check out that link, then sign up. And Level Two goes into those advanced drills, as well as really diving deep into anti racism, kettlebell diversity, so kind of up for and all the different ways that we can use kettlebells. sounds incredible.
Steph Gaudreau 38:37
Thank you so much for being here on the show. Thank you for sharing more about your story that inspires you to make the fitness industry and the kettlebell world, a more inclusive and accessible place. I really appreciate your perspective. And it’s just been wonderful to get to connect with you and chat with you here.
Damali Fraiser 38:53
Thank you so much for having me on. Jim. I’m so grateful to be able to meet you. And it’s been great.
Steph Gaudreau 38:59
Thank you. Thank you so much for tuning in to this episode. I hope that you found it as inspirational and powerful as I did. And again, so grateful to Damali for coming on the podcast and sharing her really important mission and point of view. The show notes for this episode are available at Steph gaudreau.com and that includes links to all of the resources, including social media, and programs that Damali offers. And while you’re there if you’d like to find out more information, and book a call about strength nutrition unlocked, this is my program for athletic women over 40 Then go ahead and find out more at Steph gaudreau.com/apply where you can also book a call. Thank you so much for being with us today on this episode. I’m really looking forward to next week. And until then, stay strong
