The Story Behind EMBODY – Embodied Movement for Women’s Leadership & Wellbeing

The Story Behind EMBODY

For twelve years, I ran group personal training sessions for women. We called it 'bootcamp' back then — though anyone who came knows it was far from the traditional “push to your limits” kind of training. I had already started pivoting to something gentler, something that met women where they were at rather than demanding more from bodies already stretched thin.

But two years ago, I stopped.

Life became full to overflowing. I had stepped into a demanding executive role, had just been voted in as Chairperson of a not-for-profit board, one of my sons had begun playing representative basketball, and my other was in the process of being diagnosed with ADHD — with school refusal challenges still going on. My time, energy, and attention were stretched to the hilt.

Something had to give.

And sadly, the thing that gave way was the one thing I had that was just for me.

Fast forward two years to late August this year. As many of you know, I’ve done a huge amount of reflection this year — making significant changes to reduce stress, let go of constant performing, and begin honouring what truly feels aligned.

Then, as life would have it, I came down with a bad cold and was stuck in bed for four days. With nowhere to go and nothing to do, I had time to think — about life, work, and especially my health.

I realised that I’d been sick more often and less motivated to move since stopping my PT sessions. Movement — the thing that had always anchored me — had slowly disappeared from my routine.

So I planted the seed to start again.

At first, I needed to be sure I wasn’t just filling space in my schedule. I wanted this return to movement to be intentional — something that supported me, not something that demanded more from me. When I confirmed that this was exactly what I needed — and what I knew so many other women needed too — I couldn’t wait to begin.

But this time, I wanted to do it differently.

I wanted to build in safety instead of pressure. Calm instead of chaos. Integration instead of exhaustion.

And that’s how EMBODY was created.

In this post, I want to share how each session and term are structured, the science and energy behind them, and how it all beautifully aligns with my Natural Leader Model. Because EMBODY isn’t just a workout — it’s another personal leadership journey based on movement, and it’s truly beautiful.

The Intentional Design Behind Every Session

Every EMBODY session has been intentionally designed by me— not just as a workout, but as an energetic experience that supports the body, mind, and nervous system.

Each phase exists for a reason. Together, they mirror the natural rhythms of leadership itself — activation, action, reflection, and integration.

When we move through those phases consciously, we don’t just strengthen our bodies — we strengthen our awareness, resilience, and ability to lead from presence instead of pressure.

A woman moves gracefully in soft morning light - embodied movement, mindfulness, and feminine flow.

Here’s how each element works and why it matters:

Movement Activation — Awakening Energy and Awareness

We begin each session with gentle mobility, working consciously through every joint and awakening the body with intention. These movements draw inspiration from Tai Chi, Qi Gong, and other ancient energy practices — modalities designed to harmonise both the physical and energetic bodies.

As we move, we help ‘Qi’ (life force energy) circulate smoothly through the body’s meridian pathways, releasing stagnation and preparing the nervous system for deeper work. This isn’t a rushed warm-up; it’s a conscious arrival.

It’s the space where we shake off the day, ground through the feet, reconnect with our bodies, and remind ourselves: I’m here now.

This phase activates the body’s energy systems, brings blood flow to the muscles, and invites awareness into the parts of the body (and mind) that have been holding tension or fatigue. It creates the foundation for presence — where movement becomes mindful, and energy begins to flow freely.

Breath-Led Activation — Embodied Movement

Next, we deepen into the breath. Whether it’s Power Breath, Breath of Joy, or Qi Activation, each pattern is chosen intentionally to regulate the nervous system and connect movement with intention.

Through breathwork and gentle somatic exercises, we shift the body out of survival mode and into a state of play — the nervous system’s most creative and adaptive state. This is where learning, confidence, and connection flourish. It’s the space where we stop bracing against life and start flowing with it.

In this phase, effort meets awareness. The physical body and the energetic body begin working in harmony, and we move from grounded presence rather than reactive energy.

This is also where embodied personal leadership begins — when we can meet intensity with breath, stay attuned to the body’s signals, and remain open, curious, and responsive. The breath reminds us that power doesn’t come from force — it comes from flow.

Main Movement Format — Building Strength, Endurance, and Self-Trust

This is the action phase — the moment we channel energy into movement and invite the body to rise to meet us. Each week brings a different format — circuits, EMOMs, AMRAPs, accumulators, ladders — all designed with purpose to build strength, endurance, and confidence.

For many of the women who join EMBODY, this season of life brings profound hormonal shifts. During peri-menopause and menopause, estrogen levels decline, which can affect bone density, muscle mass, and energy regulation. Strength training isn’t just about fitness at this stage — it’s about supporting the body’s natural transition and helping it remain resilient, balanced, and vibrant.

By lifting, pressing, hinging, and grounding into functional strength, we teach the body that it’s still adaptable — still powerful. These movements help regulate mood, stabilise blood sugar, and counteract the effects of stress hormones that so often rise during this phase of life.

But beyond the physiology lies something even deeper: self-trust.

This is where we learn to listen — to honour our capacity, to expand our edge safely, and to trust our own rhythm. Some days strength looks like power; other days it looks like gentleness. Both are valid.

In this phase, we practice meeting challenge without losing connection — a core skill in embodied personal leadership. Strength training becomes a metaphor for life: learning how to stay steady under pressure, breathe through resistance, and remembering that true power doesn’t overpower — it anchors.

Decompression & Integration

After the intensity of strength and movement, we shift into decompression and flow — the sacred bridge between effort and embodiment. Through gentle movement, stretching, and mindful breath, the body integrates what it’s learned while the nervous system returns to balance. It’s the moment where we move from doing to being.

Flow and breathwork naturally downshift the nervous system from fight or flight into rest and repair. This signals safety, allowing muscles to release, digestion to resume, hormones to rebalance, and the mind to soften. Over time, this builds true resilience — teaching the body that it can move fluidly between activation and calm.

As the body slows, the brain begins to map new patterns, translating strength into coordination, and effort into flow. Physical gains become embodied wisdom. Emotionally, the slower pace provides a container for energy release — so that what was stirred during movement can complete its cycle and leave the body lighter, calmer, and more open.

Decompression also honours the feminine rhythm of expansion and contraction, activation and surrender. Strength gives way to softness, structure to flow, and effort to grace. It restores hormonal harmony and invites us back into receiving mode — the frequency where healing, creativity, and intuition awaken.

Finally, breath and flow open a space for reflection: Who was I when I started this session, and who am I now? This mindful close brings coherence to body, heart, and mind — transforming movement from performance into presence, and presence into embodied leadership.

Nervous System Recalibration — Completing the Cycle

Every EMBODY session closes with intentional breathwork — a few minutes of calm, rhythmic breathing designed to bring the body and nervous system fully back into safety.

By this stage, the body has moved, released, and integrated. The breath now becomes the bridge that carries you home — from activation to rest, from effort to ease. Through slow, grounded breathing, we signal to the body that the work is complete and that it’s safe to soften.

This phase is all about coming down, rather than just cooling down. Muscles unwind, the heart rate steadies, and the nervous system settles into parasympathetic calm. It’s a physiological reminder that you are safe to rest, safe to receive, and safe to be.

In a world that constantly pulls women toward what’s next — the next meeting, the next task, the next responsibility — this moment is an act of reclamation. You leave not just physically lighter, but emotionally and energetically grounded.

By the end of each session, your body feels safe, your mind is clear, and your nervous system has exhaled. You walk out not in a rush to return to your to-do list, but with a sense of ease and presence that ripples through the rest of your day.

A woman with eyes closed and hand on her heart, bathed in gentle sunlight, embodying nervous system regulation, calm, and inner peace.

How It Connects to The Natural Leader Model

EMBODY isn’t separate from my leadership work — it’s the physical expression of it. Every movement, every breath, every transition mirrors the same principles at the heart of The Natural Leader Model: Growth, Transformation, and Essence.

Each session carries these three pillars within it, guiding women to move not only their bodies, but their energy, awareness, and identity.

GROWTH is the foundation — the moment of self-awareness that begins in the body. Through movement, you start to recognise your cues, rhythms, and patterns. You learn what grounded feels like, what resistance feels like, and what ease feels like. It’s self-discovery through motion — learning the language of your body so you can lead yourself with more clarity and compassion.

TRANSFORMATION happens as you move deeper into strength and flow. It’s where you practice trust — in your body, your instincts, and your timing. Here, leadership becomes less about control and more about alignment. You learn to soften when your body asks you to, to push when you’re ready, and to meet both with presence. This is embodiment in motion — the bridge between knowing and becoming.

ESSENCE emerges naturally through this process. As awareness deepens and trust strengthens, expression follows. You move with authenticity, grounded in who you are rather than who you think you should be. You begin to radiate from the inside out — calm, confident, and connected — leading not by force, but by frequency.

Across the ten-week EMBODY journey, these pillars spiral outward — expanding from self-awareness to self-expression, from the inner landscape of growth to the outer embodiment of personal leadership.

It’s a journey of becoming — not by adding more, but by peeling back layers until only your most natural, radiant self remains.

EMBODY and the Natural Leader Model overlap through the pillars of Growth, Transformation and Essence

“When you move with awareness, you don’t just change your body — you change your energy. And when your energy changes, your leadership changes too.”

The Role of Archetypes

When creating EMBODY, I anchored each session in a goddess archetype — an energetic guide that shapes the mood, focus, and intention of the session. These archetypes are not just symbolic; they represent qualities and emotions that many women have forgotten, suppressed, or felt they needed to hide.

Through movement, breath, and presence, each archetype awakens something different within you — strength, sensuality, rest, intuition, creativity, or power. Together, they form a 10-week journey through the full spectrum of feminine energy — from grounded foundations (Growth) to embodied expression (Essence).

Each archetype becomes a mirror — a way to meet a part of yourself you didn’t even know you’d lost.

Week 1 – Foundations

🌍 GAIA – Grounded creation; the earth beneath your feet reminding you of your own stability and power.

🏹 ARTEMIS – Focused freedom; movement guided by instinct and independence.

🌙 SELENE – Reflective flow; the wisdom of cycles and rest.

Week 2 – Emergence

⚔️ ATHENA – Strategic strength; power refined through clarity and purpose.

🔥 KALI – Fierce transformation; burning away what no longer serves.

🪽 ISIS – Breath of rebirth; balance through ritual and restoration.

Week 3 – Radiance

🦁 SEKHMET – Courageous compassion; the harmony of strength and heart.

💃 HATHOR – Joyful sensuality; pleasure and movement as nourishment.

🎶 SARASWATI – Creative flow; self-expression through rhythm and voice.

Week 4 – Expression

💖 FREYA – Liberated love; unapologetic play and magnetic confidence.

🌋 PELE – Creative fire; transformation through passion and movement.

🌸 QUAN YIN – Gentle power; compassion as strength.

Week 5 – Empowerment

⚡ SHAKTI – Primal life force; awakening the energy that moves through everything.

🌹 APHRODITE – Radiant self-love; embodying beauty, magnetism, and joy.

🌅 EOS – New beginnings; rising into light and possibility.

Week 6 – Integration

🔥 BRIGID – Inner flame; endurance, devotion, and steady purpose.

🤝 HERA – Sacred connection; the power of partnership and unity.

🕉 DURGA – Fearless presence; calm courage in the face of challenge.

Week 7 – Momentum

🏆 NIKE – Victorious momentum; strength through consistent action.

⚔️ BELLONA – Courage and drive; advancing with focus and determination.

🌈 IRIS – Bridge of light; flow, colour, and communication.

Week 8 – Ascension

🌾 RHEA – Natural rhythm; growth through stability and flow.

🌬 AURA – Breath of clarity; lightness and renewal through air and stillness.

🌌 NYX – Night wisdom; peace found in the dark and unknown.

Week 9 – Transformation

💫 HEBE – Renewal and joy; reconnecting to youthfulness and vitality.

🌕 HEKATE – Threshold power; standing confidently at the crossroads of change.

🌾 DEMETER – Harvest and abundance; nurturing wisdom and grounded care.

Week 10 – Completion

🔥 PHOENIX – Rebirth and embodiment; rising renewed, powerful, and free.

⚖️ MAAT – Truth and harmony; strength through balance and integrity.

✨ SOPHIA – Divine wisdom; illumination, gratitude, and wholeness.

Across these ten weeks, each goddess holds a key — a quality that, when embodied, unlocks deeper awareness and alignment. By the end of the journey, you don’t just know these archetypes — you become them. Their energy lives through you — grounded like Gaia, fierce like Kali, radiant like Hathor, wise like Sophia — reminding you that every part of you has a place, and every version of you is sacred.

Abstract collage representing goddess archetypes — blending earth, fire, water, air, and light to symbolise the full spectrum of feminine energy and embodiment.

Closing Reflection

At its heart, EMBODY is more than movement — it’s a remembrance. A remembering of strength that doesn’t need to shout, softness that isn’t weakness, and power that flows from within.

It’s a practice of coming home to yourself, over and over again — through breath, through presence, through the rhythm of your body. When women move this way — in safety, in awareness, in connection — something shifts. We stop performing and start listening. We stop chasing balance and start being balance.

Every session ends not in exhaustion, but in exhale — a nervous system at peace, a mind that’s quiet, and a body that feels safe again.And that’s where true leadership begins: not in striving, but in presence. And I have to say, even as the one leading this practice, after only five weeks, I already feel amazing. It's like my body has woken up again and I get excited to go to each session.

For those who can’t join in person, I’m exploring the idea of an online version of EMBODY — a way for you to move, breathe, and integrate from home. While it won’t hold the same in-person community energy, it will still bring you the essence of the practice — grounding, movement, breathwork, and guided reflection.

If this speaks to you — if your body is craving reconnection, or if your nervous system is asking for calm — I’d love to hear from you. Let me know if you’d like to see EMBODY Online become a reality.

Because this practice isn’t just about moving your body. It’s about remembering who you are when you do.