Featuring Shannon Amberg

Episode Summary:

In this empowering and soul-nourishing episode of Coffee Talk with Lina Midla, Lina sits down with her dear friend and soul sister, Shannon Amberg, for a deep dive into what it really looks like to take up more space - physically, emotionally, and energetically - through strength training.

Together, they unpack Shannon’s transformative journey from a naturally lean frame to intentionally building muscle mass over the past few years. This isn’t just a story about gains, it’s a reclamation of self-worth, nourishment, and reverence for the body. Shannon shares how lifting heavy became her most profound expression of self-love and how the process challenged old narratives around femininity, aesthetics, and worth.

About Shannon Amberg:

Trained as a scientist and educator, Shannon spent 10 years in academia as a professor of human dimensions of natural resources. Also a natural-born intuitive and empath, she left academia in 2017 to pursue her passion for quantum metaphysics and helping people heal through mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual hardships. Walking between the worlds of science and spirit, Shannon sees the world around her as a continuous gift of lessons for soul growth. Her journey in strength training is not only based on the understanding that “moving your body moves the energy,” but more importantly that care for our physical container is an incredibly devout act of self-love; coming home to our self and spirit, and honoring the container that carries it through our life for us.

• Women’s strength training and muscle-building
• Body image, self-worth, and taking up space
• Nutrition and protein intake for muscle growth
• Shifting from aesthetics to embodiment and empowerment
• Overcoming fitness plateaus and building consistency
• The energetic and spiritual lens on movement and training

1. Prioritize Nutrition: You can’t build muscle if you’re undereating. Women need more protein than we think! Aim for 100–170g daily to support growth and recovery, especially with age.
2. Shift Your Mindset from Aesthetics to Self-Love: Instead of training for a certain look, train to honor and strengthen your body. Muscle is beautiful, functional, and empowering.
3. Commit to Consistency: Building strength is a long-haul journey: it happens over years, not weeks. Show up consistently, and trust the process.
4. Raise Your Personal Floor: Create non-negotiables around movement. Whether you feel motivated or not, keep showing up for yourself. The reps you don’t want to do often lead to the most growth.
5. Practice Body Reverence: Your body is not a project to perfect, it’s a sacred vessel. Train it, feed it, and love it like the powerful vehicle for your soul that it is.

• Instagram: @jedi.training.for.girls
• Instagram: @gratitudemaven
• Website: yourmetamorphosis1111.com

Shannon’s story is a powerful reminder that building strength isn’t just about what your body looks like, it’s about what it can do, how it can hold you, and how it can become a place of safety, empowerment, and love. This conversation...

Are we living our lives—or just scrolling through them?

Episode Summary

In this pour-over solo episode, Lina invites you to gently wake up to the ways technology is stealing your presence, scattering your attention, and dimming the depth of your everyday moments. With warmth, honesty, and a few personal confessions (hello, nighttime phone grab and mom guilt), she explores what it means to fully show up for your life, your people, and yourself.

You’ll hear about:

• The sneaky ways tech agitates our nervous system and lowers brain function
• What we’re accidentally modeling for our kids (yikes—and also, let’s fix it)
• Why our best ideas happen in the shower
• How a landline became one of the best boundary tools in Lina’s household
• The practice of choosing slowness, boredom, and presence on purpose

Plus, Lina shares simple, actionable ways to start reclaiming your attention—no shame, just grace and choice.

Whether you’re a busy mom, wellness coach, or just someone who needs a reminder to be here, this one’s for you. Because life doesn’t live in your phone. It lives in the pauses, the presence, and the people right in front of you.

• Set a phone-free time block each day
• Try a tech-free Sunday (or even just a few hours!)
• Communicate your boundaries around text, calls, and responses
• Replace “reach for your phone” with “reach for your breath”

🎧 Loved this episode?

Share it with a friend, subscribe so you never miss a pour-over, and leave a review if it resonated. Every listen helps spread the mission of limitless living through presence, breath, and intentional action.

Friends Don’t Let Friends Ab Crunch: The Truth About Real Core Training with Cory Cripe

Episode Summary:

In this eye-opening conversation, Lina Midla chats with her mentor and DVRT expert, Cory Cripe, about the myths of core training. They unpack why six-pack-focused workouts miss the mark, how traditional ab exercises like crunches can actually cause more harm than good, and what it really means to train your core.

Cory shares his journey from “chubby kid” to fitness leader, how he discovered Dynamic Variable Resistance Training (DVRT), and the game-changing role of hands and feet in stabilizing the body. Lina and Cory also break down functional strength, motor control, and how core stability affects real-life movement—especially for clients struggling with back pain, postpartum recovery, or poor posture.

You’ll Learn:

• Why your core isn’t just your abs—it’s a network of 35 muscles working together
• The difference between stability and balance (and why it matters)
• How every movement can be a core exercise when done right
• Why “strong hands and strong feet” is one of the best cues for core activation
• Why it’s time to let go of old-school ab workouts and embrace functional movement

Cory Cripe is the owner of Fitness Lying Down in La Crosse, Wisconsin, and a passionate advocate for sustainable strength training through the DVRT system. With a BS in Exercise & Sport Science from UW-La Crosse and over 20 years of experience across nearly every facet of the fitness industry, Cory blends science, faith, and fun to help people move better and live stronger.

Since founding FLD in 2014, he’s helped countless individuals grow stronger, move better, and feel more confident through a thoughtful, playful, and deeply intentional training approach.

Beyond the gym, Cory is a proud husband and father of three, a practicing Catholic, a guitarist-in-training, and someone who finds joy in both movement and stillness—whether in nature, at church, or connecting with his community.

• Website: fitnesslyingdown.com
• Instagram: @fitnesslyingdown
• Facebook: Fitness Lying Down
• YouTube: Fitness Lying Down on YouTube
• Podcast: The Fitness Lying Down Podcast (search on your favorite platform!)

• Instagram: @limitlesswithlina
• Website: limitlesswithlina.com
• Podcast: Coffee Talk with Lina Midla: Wellness, Wisdom, and Woo (available wherever you listen!)