Stronger by Design for Women with Michelle MacDonald

What if the reason your lifts, runs, or rotational power feel off has nothing to do with motivation—and everything to do with pelvic floor coordination?
Michelle MacDonald sits down with pelvic health and performance specialist Rachel Selman for a conversation that bridges the gap between rehab and real athletic training. Together, they explore how the pelvic floor functions in loaded movement, why Kegels alone are not enough, and how women…especially midlife female athletes, can progress from foundational control to strength, rotation, deceleration, and power. Rachel breaks down the role of breath, pressure, thoracic rotation, hip internal rotation, and movement coordination in a way that is practical, evidence-based, and immediately useful. This episode is especially valuable for women interested in Women’s Health and Fitness, a stronger Fitness Mindset, and long-term Personal Growth in how they train and move.

Favorite Moments
1:47 The Pelvic Floor Is a Dimmer Switch, Not an On/Off Button
6:00 "Strength Gives Permission to Soften"
19:57 The Four-Phase Progression: Control, Function, Strength, Power
36:13 Once a Month: The Pelvic Floor Check-In Protocol for Symptom-Free Athletes

"Strength gets permission to soften. If I strengthen a muscle that's overactive, what I actually notice is that it will follow by softening." – Dr. Rachel Selman

GUEST: DR. RACHEL SELMAN, PT, DPT, CERT-DN, CSCS, CPSS, TPI CERTIFIED
Website | Instagram | LinkedIn | Synthesis App
Full Guest Bio:
Dr. Rachel Selman is a pelvic health and performance specialist who helps women connect pelvic floor function to strength, movement, and athletic performance. Her work focuses on practical, evidence-informed strategies that go beyond traditional pelvic floor training, helping women improve coordination, stability, and confidence in everything from lifting and running to everyday life. She is known for making complex pelvic health concepts accessible and relevant for active women, coaches, and athletes.
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Full Michelle Bio:
Michelle MacDonald is the creator of the FITNESS MODEL BLUEPRINT™ and host of the Stronger By Design™ podcast. Known globally for her transformation programs, Michelle empowers women to redefine aging through evidence-based strength training, nutrition, and mindset practices. Since 2012, she has coached thousands of women online, leveraging her expertise as a Physique Champion and ISSA Strength and Conditioning Specialist. She co-founded Tulum Strength Club and established The Wonder Women (TWW), inspiring countless transformations including her mother, Joan MacDonald (Train With Joan™). Michelle continues to lead the charge in women's fitness, launching the Stronger by Design™ fitness app in fall 2024.

Where to Watch/Listen:
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Your shoulders are not invincible and waiting until something breaks is not a strategy !
Michelle MacDonald sits down with Dr. Patrick Denard, board-certified orthopedic surgeon and founder of the Oregon Shoulder Institute. This episode is for every woman who is serious about building strength and wants to keep training for life. Dr. Denard breaks down what damages women's shoulders, why 50% of people over 65 have a rotator cuff tear without knowing it, when physiotherapy is enough and when surgery is the smarter move, and the truth about PRP and stem cell therapies. You'll leave with the knowledge and permission to take radical ownership of your shoulder health before it's too late.
Favorite Moments
4:09 Why many women are arriving at their sixties with no muscle training history?
8:32 What training habits are silently destroying women's shoulders?
17:29 How do you catch shoulder warning signs before it's too late?
29:34  Dr. Denard explains what women must know about cortisone injections
40:11 Dr. Denard's top three must-dos for shoulder health over 40

"If you have the right mindset, good nutrition, and a good surgeon, your shoulders are going to be in a really good spot." - Dr. Patrick Denard
 
GUEST: DR. PATRICK DENARD, MD | BOARD-CERTIFIED ORTHOPEDIC SURGEON, SHOULDER SPECIALIST 
Website | Instagram | LinkedIn | Facebook | X | YouTube 
Full Guest Bio:
Dr. Patrick Denard is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon and founder of the Oregon Shoulder Institute, specializing exclusively in shoulder surgery and performing over 800 procedures a year. One of the highest-volume shoulder specialists in the country, he publishes extensively on rotator cuff repair and shoulder arthroplasty and lectures internationally on advanced techniques. He is the surgeon who performed Joan MacDonald's shoulder replacement, restoring her ability to train pain-free at nearly 80 — and he brings that same commitment to every active patient who refuses to let injury define the rest of their life. 
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Full Michelle Bio:
Michelle MacDonald is the creator of the FITNESS MODEL BLUEPRINT™ and host of the Stronger By Design™ podcast. Known globally for her transformation programs, Michelle empowers women to redefine aging through evidence-based strength training, nutrition, and mindset practices. Since 2012, she has coached thousands of women online, leveraging her expertise as a Physique Champion and ISSA Strength and Conditioning Specialist. She co-founded Tulum Strength Club and established The Wonder Women (TWW), inspiring countless transformations including her mother, Joan MacDonald (Train With Joan™). Michelle continues to lead the charge in women's fitness, launching the Stronger by Design™ fitness app in fall 2024.
Where to Watch/Listen:
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What if the problem isn’t discipline, but outdated health advice?
Michelle MacDonald sits down with Dr. Gabrielle Lyon, board-certified physician and leading voice in muscle-centric medicine. Dr. Lyons explains why muscle, not weight, is the foundation of healthy aging for women. They cover protein targets, carb tolerance, type II muscle fibers, and why strength training matters for lifelong independence.

Favorite Moments
1:41 Muscle Is Agency, Not Just Fitness
7:10 Why Muscle-Centric Protein Guidelines Changed
35:56 How Muscle Determines Carbohydrate Tolerance
40:00 Type II Muscle Fibers: The Strength Women Lose First

“Muscle isn’t about fitness. It’s about agency.”- Dr. Gabrielle Lyon

GUEST: DR. GABRIELLE LYONS, BOARD-CERTIFIED PHYSICIAN SPECIALIZING IN MUSCLE HEALTH, AGING, AND LONGEVITY
Website | Instagram | LinkedIn | YouTube | The Forever Strong Playbook | TikTok
Full Guest Bio:
Dr. Gabrielle Lyon delivers science-backed strategies to help people build strength, energy, and resilience so they can perform at their best at work, home, and in life. Featured on Diary of a CEO, Huberman Lab, and the TEDx stage, she also hosts The Forever Strong Summit. A Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and New York Times best-selling author, Dr. Lyon is trusted by organizations including John Hancock, Keller Williams Realty, Shaklee, Parker Seminars, and Oprah Daily.
CONNECT WITH MICHELLE
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Full Michelle Bio:
Michelle MacDonald is the creator of the FITNESS MODEL BLUEPRINT™ and host of the Stronger By Design™ podcast. Known globally for her transformation programs, Michelle empowers women to redefine aging through evidence-based strength training, nutrition, and mindset practices. Since 2012, she has coached thousands of women online, leveraging her expertise as a Physique Champion and ISSA Strength and Conditioning Specialist. She co-founded Tulum Strength Club and established The Wonder Women (TWW), inspiring countless transformations including her mother, Joan MacDonald (Train With Joan™). Michelle continues to lead the charge in women's fitness, launching the Stronger by Design™ fitness app in fall 2024.
Where to Watch/Listen:
Website Apple Podcasts Spotify YouTube

You’ve trained every part of your body—except the one that matters most.
Michelle MacDonald is joined by pelvic health expert Kim Vopni, also known as The Vagina Coach. Together, they dive into the often-overlooked world of pelvic floor health and its essential role in female strength, performance, and longevity. From incontinence and back pain to breathwork and bracing, this conversation breaks down the myths and gives women empowered tools to train smarter, lift confidently, and age powerfully...and a compelling case for why pelvic floor work belongs in every fitness plan. 

Favorite Moments
5:10 Back Pain’s Surprising Connection to Pelvic Health
10:14 Why Every Woman Should See a Pelvic Floor Therapist
27:31 Pelvic Floor and Aging: The GSM Conversation
44:03 Strength Training Without Sacrificing Pelvic Health

"Tight isn’t strong. Strength is knowing how to contract and let go."– Kim Vopni 
GUEST: KIM VOPNI (THE VAGINA COACH), WOMEN'S PELVIC HEALTH AND MENOPAUSE SUPPORT PRACTITIONER
Website | Instagram | LinkedIn | YouTube | Between Two Lips Podcast
Full Guest Bio:
Kim Vopni—also known as The Vagina Coach—is a certified fitness professional and pelvic health expert. She specializes in helping women improve core and pelvic floor function across every life stage. Kim is the creator of the Buff Muff Method and host of the Between Two Lips podcast.
CONNECT WITH MICHELLE
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Full Michelle Bio:
Michelle MacDonald is the creator of the FITNESS MODEL BLUEPRINT™ and host of the Stronger By Design™ podcast. Known globally for her transformation programs, Michelle empowers women to redefine aging through evidence-based strength training, nutrition, and mindset practices. Since 2012, she has coached thousands of women online, leveraging her expertise as a Physique Champion and ISSA Strength and Conditioning Specialist. She co-founded Tulum Strength Club and established The Wonder Women (TWW), inspiring countless transformations including her mother, Joan MacDonald (Train With Joan™). Michelle continues to lead the charge in women's fitness, launching the Stronger by Design™ fitness app in fall 2024.

Where to Watch/Listen:
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Leave a rating for this podcast with one click https://ratethispodcast.com/michellemacdonald

What would happen if you treated your midlife like the start of your athletic prime?

Michelle MacDonald sits down with longtime client and PR executive Jodi Echakowitz to uncover how one woman redefined her relationship with health, aging, and ambition. From a scary brush with brain fog during perimenopause to transforming her body, mindset, and daily habits, Jodi shares how prioritizing her health not only gave her a new physique but a new life. Together, they unpack what real consistency looks like for women who travel, work, parent…and still make time to train like athletes. They also discuss Jodi’s decision to pursue cosmetic surgery after extreme weight loss, what self-discipline actually feels like in real life, and how chasing excellence, rather than perfection, is the most joyful form of self-respect. It's a masterclass in midlife reinvention.

Favorite Moments
1:48 Redefining Consistency on the Road and Under Pressure
5:21 “I thought I had early-onset Alzheimer’s”
11:24 The Trifecta of Transformation: Mindset, Nutrition, and Strength
43:40 Why the Gym is Her Meditation Now

"Change happens when the pain of staying the same is greater than the pain of change." – Jodi Echakowitz

GUEST: JODI ECHAKOWITZ, FOUNDER & CEO OF BOULEVARD PUBLIC RELATIONS
Instagram | LinkedIn | Website | X | Website
Full Guest Bio:
Jodi Echakowitz is the founder and CEO of Boulevard Public Relations, a leading tech PR agency based in Toronto. With decades of experience in strategic communications, she’s built a career helping innovative companies tell their stories.
In her 50s, Jodi transformed her own story—losing 55 pounds, reclaiming her health, and embracing strength training as a non-negotiable part of life. Now a passionate advocate for women’s health in midlife, she leads with the mindset of an athlete and proves that it’s never too late to reinvent yourself.
 
CONNECT WITH MICHELLE
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Full Michelle Bio:
Michelle MacDonald is the creator of the FITNESS MODEL BLUEPRINT™ and host of the Stronger By Design™ podcast. Known globally for her transformation programs, Michelle empowers women to redefine aging through evidence-based strength training, nutrition, and mindset practices. Since 2012, she has coached thousands of women online, leveraging her expertise as a Physique Champion and ISSA Strength and Conditioning Specialist. She co-founded Tulum Strength Club and established The Wonder Women (TWW), inspiring countless transformations including her mother, Joan MacDonald (Train With Joan™). Michelle continues to lead the charge in women's fitness, launching the Stronger by Design™ fitness app in fall 2024.

Where to Watch/Listen:
Website
Apple Podcasts