197. Cardio won’t give you your best body: insights from 18-time marathoner and BBM client Stephanie Monteiro

The Monika A. Mazur Podcast

This week on the podcast, I’m chatting with Stephanie Monteiro, a longtime client and friend whose fitness journey started with me back in 2008. If you’ve ever felt stuck in your own fitness, you’ll find so much in her story that speaks to the struggles we all face when life shifts.

We talk about:

• Stephanie’s evolution from lifting with me to becoming an 18-time marathoner and triathlon finisher—and why, despite her incredible endurance, all that cardio never gave her the results she wanted. The best she felt, and the best she looked, was when she was strength training with me.

• The challenges of pregnancy for someone used to being an athlete—when you’re used to pushing your body to its limits, and suddenly your body has other plans.

• What it’s really like to return to fitness after having a baby, starting from scratch, and figuring out what works in a completely new chapter of life.

• Why she came back to BBM: because it’s livable, sustainable, and delivers amazing visual results—better than anything cardio ever did.

If you’ve been killing yourself with cardio, trying to “burn” your way to your dream body, this episode is a must-listen. Stephanie shares firsthand why that approach doesn’t work and how strength training changed everything for her. Her story is relatable, inspiring, and packed with lessons you can use on your own journey.