We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Heather Boddy a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Heather, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. So, let’s start with trends – what are some of the largest or more impactful trends you are seeing in the industry?

My biggest gripe with the fitness industry as a whole is that it teaches people that they are a problem that needs to be fixed. It leads with shame and makes people feel bad about how they look and forces them to want to make changes from a place of punishing your body for the way it looks right now.

I got started in the fitness industry because I wanted to help other people see that fitness didn’t have to be some big punishment for the way your body looked. It could feel good, be fun, and make you feel more empowered in your everyday life.

However, once I was in the fitness industry, I fell into what I call “the diet culture trap.” I was pressured into believing that my worth, not only as a fitness professional but also as a human being, was tied into how much I weighed.

I got more job opportunities when I was in a smaller body. I was treated with more respect in a smaller body. Because of this, I fell into disordered behaviors such as food restriction, fasting, and over-exercising.

At the time, I thought I was at peak health. I was the smallest I’d ever been in my life and people were praising me for my weight loss. However, I was tired ALL the time and I had completely lost myself. I was so obsessed with food and exercise that I didn’t make time for much else (except for an emotionally manipulative partner, which I now realize contributed to my disordered behaviors).

My waking point was when I almost passed out while teaching a HIIT class. I had just gotten through the warm up and my vision started getting spotty. I got dizzy and had to sit down. The class was worried for me but I told them to keep going and laughed it off as “make sure you eat and drink enough water before intense exercise, folks!”

I hadn’t been taking my own advice. That was the moment I realized something was wrong with my behaviors and I started making sure I was getting enough food. I started eating carbs again. I was really scared when I started gaining weight but I quickly realized that it was what was best for my body.

I was *not* my healthiest at my smallest body size. I was striving for the arbitrary BMI goal weight. I never made it there and I will never try again because what it took to get me there was NOT good for my body.

This is a common misconception in the industry. You can be healthy at any size. Weight Loss does not have to be the goal. My mission is to truly help people who want to move their bodies do so and have FUN and FEEL GOOD while doing it. It can be very toxic to post before/after photos, weigh yourself, and even track calorie intake. So I help people find what works for them. I give people tools without making them feel like their body is a PROBLEM.

And that is my biggest problem with the industry. It’s that it teaches us that our bodies are problems to be fixed. You are not a problem. You and your body are inherently good and allowed to exist as you are right now.

Heather, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am a classic multi-hyphenate! I have a Bachelor’s Degree in Theatre and I went to a performing arts school growing up. My dream was to be an actor and I do still consider myself an actress but my degree also gave me many of the skills I need for the other things I do today.

I started my career as a fitness professional back in 2016 and I teach live exercise classes at gyms in NYC. However, I also have my own workout program called Geeknasium. Geeknaisum is an online virtual workout library (think Netflix but for fitness) with over 80 workouts themed in pop culture and fandom. The workouts immerse you into the worlds of the characters you love so that it feels less like working out and more like play. However, the workouts are also challenging so it’s not just a walk in the park. The workouts are fun, help you feel strong, allow you to feel like the characters you love, and challenge what you are capable of.

I am a cosplayer mostly known for my portrayal of She-Hulk in the cosplay community. I like to cosplay strong, empowered characters but there are some I do just for fun as well. Cosplaying allows me to enhance my favorite qualities through the characters I love. It also allows me to express qualities I wish I had, which helps me breed more confidence in my everyday life. To me, cosplay is incredibly empowering and I channel that energy into the workouts I create for Geeknasium as well.

The content I make as a cosplayer and the workouts I film for Geeknasium have turned me into a digital creator. Fun fact, I was asked to be on a panel about being a digital creator at Dragon Con last year and I emailed them back saying they had the wrong gal because they couldn’t mean me! In his response, the moderator said “aren’t you the one who has the nerdy workouts online?” And I was like “oh yeah that’s me!” And he said, “then yup, you’re a digital creator!”

Speaking of, I am also a host and public speaker. I host trivia all around NYC and I have 2 podcasts (one of which is on indefinite hiatus). The podcast currently up and running is Mental Health Multiverse. I co-host it with my good friend and trauma-informed recovery coach Marisa (known to dedicated listeners as LB). In Mental Health Multiverse, we discuss pop culture and media through the lens of mental health and healing and it is available anywhere you listen to podcasts.
I also speak publicly at events as both a moderator and a panelist. I mostly go to comic conventions but I’ve also spoken on theater and health and wellness panels. I also guest on podcasts and other channels and have spoken about everything from body image, to fitness, to my love for cosplay and more.

If you’re reading this and would like to reach out for a speaking engagement or are interested in finding out more about Geeknasium, you can find me on instagram @heatherboddy or @geeknasium – I’ll also be listing out the cons I’ll be attending in 2024 on my instagram too, if you’d like to try and catch me in person. If you’re in NYC, you’re in luck! I have a couple of live Geeknasium workouts planned for 2024 in the city. You can also check out the Geeknasium library and find a 14-day-free trial on my website: www.heather-boddy.com

You can also feel free to reach out if you have any questions. I love connecting with people. DM me on Instagram or use the contact form on my website!

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

I don’t have the largest social media following but I DO have advice for people just starting out who might not know where to start.

My key advice is to BE YOURSELF. People are attracted to authenticity. Post your opinions, your ups, your downs, whatever it is you feel like sharing because people will connect to that!

A lot of people say that social media is a highlight reel, and for the most part that is true. But when you share your struggles, your truths, your passions, etc… the right people will be drawn to you.

It’s all about quality over quantity in the social media world. If you have a bunch of followers but none of them want to engage with your content, what even is the point?

An example for me is that I love sharing about my struggles with anxiety and body image in both the fitness industry and the cosplay realm. People find this relatable and connect with me because they get a sense of community from the type of content I share. I share that I am not perfect. I share my struggles. I share my highs and my lows. People relate to that.

So BE YOU. Share as much as YOU are comfortable sharing. Have opinions. Have something to stand for or to stand against. And wear your passions proudly on your sleeve for everyone to see.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

I have SO many stories I could share that illustrate my resilience. Being a business owner is hard work and it takes a lot of mental strength when you feel like you are failing.

I have failed so many times in my business. I continue to fail to this day. Each failure is a learning experience. What could I have done better? What needs to change? Is this something I have the capacity to keep doing in the future?

For example, last year I led a massively successful Mario themed cardio workout. It was one of my first in-person Geeknasium events outside of a convention. I was feeling really excited and inspired. So I planned another event for a few months later with a Barbie theme. The Barbie workout was met with lots of excitement but not quite as many sign-ups. We ended up losing money on the event and I was really bummed about it.

However, I still showed up and gave 100% of my energy to the people who DID attend. AND we had a BLAST.

To me, sometimes success isn’t in the financial makeup of an event… but in how people left the event feeling. Those who DID come to the Barbie workout had nothing but positive things to say!

I took a long break from hosting live events after that to think about how I want to be showing up. I am about to host a Broadway themed cardio workout at a new venue and so far, no one has signed up for the in-person event. It feels like the Barbie event all over again.

But I have faith that it will still be 100% worth it in the end.

You just have to keep showing up. Keep trying. Keep failing. Keep learning. The rest will fall into place.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.heather-boddy.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heatherboddy
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/482957442471972
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@mentalhealthmultiverse
• Other: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/mhmthepodcast,

  https://mailchi.mp/25952ee55238/join-geeknasium

Image Credits

Paul Larch, Jacob Moats, Laura Jewell, David Reyer, José Izquierdo