Podcast
EmPowered Radio
Welcome to EmPowered Radio, a podcast dedicated to educating listeners on all things nutrition, training, mindset, and personal development. Each week, join host Emma Montgomery, founder of Macros with Em, as she empowers you and gives you tangible takeaways to take the guesswork out of your fitness and nutrition.
- Nutrition chart
- #28
- Episodes
- 196
- Releases
- Weekly
- Typical length
- 19 min
- On air since
- 2020
- Latest episode
- 1 day ago
Episodes
196 episodes, newest first
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23 min
Maintenance Purgatory: The Difference Between Being Stuck at Maintenance & Choosing It
Episode 196
Show notes
Emma breaks down "maintenance purgatory" — the frustrating cycle of trying to diet but unknowingly eating at maintenance. She explains how untracked weekend calories erase weekday deficits, walks through the calorie math with a real-world example, and shares her own experience breaking the restrict-binge-restart cycle by choosing intentional maintenance. The episode covers what to focus on during a maintenance phase (consistent eating, training hard, handling off-plan meals, and measuring progress differently), how to assess your own data before deciding next steps, and why spending time at maintenance can set you up for a better future deficit.
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28 min
Reverse Diet or Keep Cutting? How to Decide
Episode 195
Show notes
Emma breaks down whether you should keep dieting through the holidays or shift to a maintenance phase. She opens with a thought-provoking question: if you reached January at the same weight but stronger, more consistent, and able to enjoy the holidays guilt-free — would you call that progress? From there, she explains the real math behind holiday eating (4 meals out of 120 in November), separates reverse dieting from maintenance, and walks through how to increase calories, where those extra calories should go, and when to stop. She also addresses the mindset challenges of maintenance — which she calls harder than dieting — and wraps with a promo for her "Built for the Holidays" 6-week challenge.
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HAPI supplements (Final Sale: up to 70% off!)
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17 min
You Can't Reveal Muscle You Haven't Built
Episode 194
Show notes
Have you ever hit your goal weight and still not felt like your body looked the way you imagined? In this episode, we're diving into why building muscle — not just losing fat — might be the piece you ve been missing. Inspired by a client question about transitioning out of a calorie deficit, I'm sharing my own experience of losing 80 pounds without weight training (spoiler: / just became a smaller, softer version of myself, and breaking down why so many women chase a number on the scale when what they really want is shape and definition.
We talk about the truth behind "toning" and "long, lean muscle," why you should be strength training no matter what phase you're in, how maintenance calories can actually transform your body composition, and what it really means to train close to failure.
Plus, I share practical tips on protein targets, recovery, and how to know if you're actually making progress in the gym.
Whether you've been chasing fat loss for years or you're ready to start building muscle intentionally, this episode will help you rethink your approach.
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HAPI supplements (Final Sale: up to 70% off!)
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21 min
How to Get More Out of Your Workouts... Progressive Overload, RIR, Rest Times & More
Episode 193
Show notes
In this episode of Empowered Radio, host Emma Montgomery breaks down practical strategies to maximize the workouts you're already doing, no new program required. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced lifter, Emma walks through how to review your previous session data, choose the right weights using reps-in-reserve (RIR), film your sets for form feedback, apply progressive overload, and stick to your prescribed rest periods.
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HAPI supplements (Final Sale: up to 70% off!)
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18 min
You Got Your Dream Body. Now How Do You Keep It?
Episode 192
Show notes
In this episode of Empowered Radio, Emma tackles the question every woman chasing a fitness goal needs to answer: If you woke up with your dream body today, would you actually know what to do tomorrow? Emma breaks down why so many women excel at losing weight but struggle to keep it off, shares her own all-or-nothing dieting experience from competition prep, and offers three practical questions to help you build habits during fat loss that actually transfer to maintenance.
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HAPI supplements (Final Sale: up to 70% off!)
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17 min
Are You More Loyal to Your Discomfort Than Your Goals?
Episode 191
Show notes
Emma challenges listeners to examine why they feel stuck in their fitness and nutrition journeys. The core idea: we often become more loyal to the discomfort we already know than to the goals we say we want. Emma breaks down how the brain's craving for predictability keeps us repeating familiar but unhelpful patterns, why discomfort exists on both sides of every meaningful decision, and how taking action — not waiting for confidence — is what actually creates change. She closes with three reflection questions to help listeners identify their familiar discomfort, name the new discomfort they've been avoiding, and commit to one small, repeatable action.
Join the Monthly Membership
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HAPI supplements (Final Sale: up to 70% off!)
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22 min
10 Fitness + Nutrition Rules That Keep Me Consistent
Episode 190
Show notes
Emma shares her 10 personal fitness and nutrition SOPs (standard operating procedures) - the rules that keep her consistent without relying on motivation. From never missing twice to eating the same core meals, following the plan instead of your mood, and understanding that maintenance is part of the strategy, Emma breaks down each principle with real-life examples from her own journey. Whether you're just starting out or looking to stay on track during a busy season, these practical rules remove the guesswork and help you show up for yourself every day.
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HAPI supplements (Final Sale: up to 70% off!)
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13 min
Balance Is Earned: The Season of Discipline That Creates Freedom
Episode 189
Show notes
Emma breaks down why real balance isn't something you're handed — it's earned through consistent habits, structure, and delayed gratification. She unpacks the difference between wanting balance and wanting relief from commitment, explains why tracking your food builds long-term intuitive eating skills, and shares how “seasons" of intensity create the foundation for sustainable maintenance. Plus, details on the Rebuild Fall Challenge.
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Join the waitlist for the BUILT for the Holidays Challenge
HAPI supplements (Final Sale: up to 70% off!)
Submit a question for the podcast
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17 min
Beat Procrastination: Small Steps, Big Momentum
Episode 188
Show notes
Emma breaks down why we keep pushing off the things we want to do — and gives practical, science-backed strategies to build momentum instead of waiting for motivation. She covers the "pebble method" for tackling overwhelming goals, why action creates motivation (not the other way around), and how to use the minimum effective dose to stay consistent even during busy seasons.
Join the Monthly Membership
Join the waitlist for the BUILT for the Holidays Challenge
HAPI supplements (Final Sale: up to 70% off!)
Submit a question for the podcast
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11 min
Consistency Over Perfection: Finding Your Minimum Effective Dose
Episode 187
Show notes
Emma breaks down why most people don't actually struggle with consistency - they struggle with trying to follow a "perfect" plan every day. She introduces a simple but powerful framework: the minimum effective dose, a fallback range for your habits steps, workouts, protein, etc.) that keeps you moving toward your goals even during chaotic weeks. Instead of an all-or-nothing gold standard, you'll learn to build a realistic range so you never feel like you're “starting over."
Join the Monthly Membership
Join the waitlist for the BUILT for the Holidays Challenge
HAPI supplements (Final Sale: up to 70% off!)
Submit a question for the podcast
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24 min
5 Mindset Shifts I Had to Make to Lose Weight (And Keep It Off)
Episode 186
Show notes
Emma breaks down the five core mindset shifts she had to make to lose weight and actually keep it off - from all-or-nothing thinking to redefining what "maintenance" really means. She also shares a personal, vulnerable look at how her relationship with food scarcity was shaped growing up, plus an announcement about her new fall fitness challenge, The Rebuild.
Join the Monthly Membership
Join the waitlist for the BUILT for the Holidays Challenge
HAPI supplements (Final Sale: up to 70% off!)
Submit a question for the podcast
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21 min
Should You Lose Fat First or Build Muscle First?
Episode 185
Show notes
Emma breaks down one of the most common fitness dilemmas: should you prioritize fat loss or building muscle first? She walks through five key factors - current body fat levels, training experience, dieting history, performance goals, and timeline — to help you identity the smartest starting phase for body recomposition, using real client examples and her own experience along the way.
Join the Monthly Membership
Join the waitlist for the BUILT for the Holidays Challenge
HAPI supplements (Final Sale: up to 70% off!)
Submit a question for the podcast
-
22 min
Why "Toning" Your Body Requires Two Different Goals
Episode 184
Show notes
In this episode of Empowered Radio, Emma dives deep into body recomposition - can you actually build muscle and lose fat at the same time?
Emma breaks down the five key requirements for recomposition, explains why most women will get better results by focusing on one primary goal at a time, and clarifies exactly who is a good candidate for true recomp. Whether you're new to strength training or you've been lifting for years, this episode will help you stop spinning your wheels and start making real lasting progress toward the body you want.
Join the Monthly Membership
Join the waitlist for the BUILT for the Holidays Challenge
HAPI supplements (Final Sale: up to 70% off!)
Submit a question for the podcast
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17 min
Why You Struggle To Lose Weight Even When You Know What To Do
Episode 183
Show notes
In this episode of Empowered Radio, Emma dives into the psychology behind weight loss struggles — going beyond calories and workouts to explore the real mental blocks holding people back: comfort-seeking brains, identity mismatches, self-sabotage, emotional eating, all-or-nothing thinking, and the challenge of delayed gratification. She shares practical mindset shifts to help listeners break old patterns and build lasting habits.
Join the Monthly Membership
Join the waitlist for the BUILT for the Holidays Challenge
HAPI supplements (Final Sale: up to 70% off!)
Submit a question for the podcast
-
12 min
You Might Be the Problem: Taking Ownership in Your Fitness Journey
Episode 182
Show notes
Emma breaks down one of the most uncomfortable truths in fitness: sometimes the program isn't the problem - you are. She shares her own past struggles with consistency, and why execution (not more information) is what actually drives results.
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Join the waitlist for the BUILT for the Holidays Challenge
HAPI supplements (Final Sale: up to 70% off!)
Submit a question for the podcast
-
10 min
Tracking Macros vs Hitting Your Macros
Episode 181
Show notes
Emma breaks down why tracking your macros isn't the same as hitting your macros. She explains that logging your food only creates awareness it's consistently hitting your targets that drives real results. She shares a personal story about her early days tracking macros.
Join the Monthly Membership
Join the waitlist for the BUILT for the Holidays Challenge
HAPI supplements (Final Sale: up to 70% off!)
Submit a question for the podcast
-
14 min
Why Losing the Last 5-10 Pounds Requires A Different Strategy Than the First 20...
Episode 180
Show notes
On this episode of Empowered Radio, Emma explores why losing the last 5-10 pounds requires a completely different strategy than losing the first 20-30 pounds, and why it feels harder.
Join the Monthly Membership
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HAPI supplements (Final Sale: up to 70% off!)
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-
20 min
My 5 "Nutrition Rules" For Staying Consistent During Summer
Episode 179
Show notes
Emma shares her five practical, no-restriction "rules" for staying consistent through the summer without dieting rigidly — covering weekend mindset, alcohol strategy, mindful splurging, calorie cycling around events, and protein-first eating. She also shares updates on her upcoming August Shred program and the closing of her supplement company, HAPI.
Join the Monthly Membership
Join the waitlist for the BUILT for the Holidays Challenge
HAPI supplements (Final Sale: up to 70% off!)
Submit a question for the podcast
-
19 min
Stop Winging It This Summer, Create A Strategy Instead
Episode 178
Show notes
Summer doesn't have to derail your fitness goals. In this episode, Emma breaks down her four-step summer strategy to help you stay consistent - even when schedules are chaotic, vacations are back-to-back, and motivation dips. Whether you want to lose fat, maintain your results, or just stay connected to healthy habits, Emma gives you a realistic, grace-filled game plan.
Plus, she shares a relatable late-night Whopper confession that proves no one is perfect - it's all about how fast you recover.
Join the Monthly Membership
Join the waitlist for the BUILT for the Holidays Challenge
HAPI supplements (Final Sale: up to 70% off!)
Submit a question for the podcast
-
15 min
4 Habits That Change Your Body the Fastest
Episode 177
Show notes
In this episode of Empowered Radio, Emma cuts through the noise and gets back to basics. If you've ever felt like you're doing all the things but not seeing results, this episode is for you. Emma breaks down the four foundational habits that consistently drive the fastest body composition results — no gimmicks, no supplements, no complicated protocols. Just the basics, done consistently.
Join the Monthly Membership
Join the waitlist for the BUILT for the Holidays Challenge
HAPI supplements (Final Sale: up to 70% off!)
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