228: Insider Scoop: What Amber Is REALLY Like

Introduction 

You're listening to Biceps After Babies Radio episode number 228.

Hello and welcome to Biceps After Babies Radio. A podcast for ladies who know that fitness is about so much more than pounds lost or PRs. It's about feeling confident in your skin and empowered in your life. I'm your host, Amber Brueseke, a registered nurse, personal trainer, wife, and mom of four. Each week, my guests and I will excite and motivate you to take action in your own personal fitness as we talk about nutrition, exercise mindset, personal development, and executing life with conscious intention. If your goal is to look, feel, and be strong and experience transformation from the inside out, you, my friend are in the right place. Thank you for tuning in, now let’s jump into today’s episode.

 

Amber B  0:47

Hey, hey, hey, welcome back to another episode of Biceps After Babies Radio. I'm your host, Amber Brueseke. And this is going to be a little bit different of an episode. In fact, I'm not even really going to be hosting this. I would like to welcome my good friend and does-everything-in-the-business/partner, Carley. Welcome to the podcast, Carley.

 

Carley  1:13  

Thanks. I'm so excited to be here. 

 

Amber B  1:15  

Okay, so Carley, I call her my right-hand woman. She is the integrator of the business. Some people call it the OBM, the Online Business Manager, or Project Manager. There are lots of names for what she does. But essentially, I say, hey, Carley, I want to do this thing. And she says great, and then she goes and helps me make it happen. And so Carley is going to be hosting the podcast episode today. I'm going to be more of an interviewee. And I'm going to turn the reins over to Carly to kind of explain what the heck we're doing today.

 

Carley  1:48  

Yeah, okay. So I will say originally, this was Amber's idea. We were having a podcast planning meeting. And she's like, we should do like a behind-the-scenes kind of a thing. And originally, she prefaced it as like a burn, like look like a roast. Like nicely, but let's roast Amber. I don't foresee that really being how this goes. But the hope is that what you guys as listeners come away from this podcast, is understanding who Amber is maybe a little bit better on a personal scale or personable scale. Is she really like she appears on Instagram and Facebook? We'll find out. And is she the same person that you hear on podcast interviews as a coach, we'll see what she's like in real life. So that's really the point of this. Let's find out who Amber is I.R.L.

 

Amber B  2:45  

I like it. Okay, so how are we gonna do this? You're in charge.

 

Carley  2:48  

Okay, yes. So, what we did is we gave our Team– because again, it's not just Amber running the show, it's not even just me running the show, there's a whole slew of women behind us. So we gave them the prompts to well, they were to record audio of the following prompts either “A”, like fun or funny stories that they have about Amber. B– Wait, Did I say “one” or “A”? Because sometimes I forget.

 

Amber B  3:19

You said “A”

 

Carley  3:21

Ok. “A”. And then “B”. Sometimes I forget if I do numeric or alphabetical, and then I feel like an idiot. Ok, “B”, any funny quirks that Amber has cuz she's human, like the rest of us. And “C”, any preconceived notions that they had about Amber before they met her. So what we're going to do is we're going to listen to the audio clips that each team member submitted, and then we're gonna chat about them. And as a disclaimer, Amber hasn't listened to any of the audios–

 

Amber B  3:53  

– I haven't heard anything! I don't know anything. Carley's like, this will be more fun if you haven't heard them before. So I trusted her and I said, “Okay, I'm game.” So I don't know I haven't heard any of these things. This will be my first time hearing them.

 

Carley  4:05  

And I will say like, I've listened to them ahead of time and there's nothing like too shocking. I don't think you're getting too roasted. Then I will also have an opportunity to share some of my insights into who Amber is. So we will start with our first audio clip.

 

Amber Every 4:28  

All right, this is Amber Every and just a couple of things about Amber Brueseke. First, one time I was putting things together for Instagram and social media content and I was looking at videos from years ago, like when she taught fitness, and group fitness classes and then I was looking at videos like just recently her CrossFit gym and I realized she has the same tank top on. So Amber is very frugal and likes to wear things out and use them up. So we made a real kind of poking fun at that, that says, tell me, you're frugal without telling me you're frugal and like showing her in her tank top. And I don't know, 2012 or 16 or something, and then just recently, which is an awesome thing. It's a good quality. 

 

Amber Every 5:15 

And then another thing about her is one time we were at the rogue Invitational last year in Austin, so we were together like in person. And she, I'm sure other people will say this, but she just moves fast. And like we're, I was sitting there talking to another lady, we are walking to our seats, and all of a sudden Amber turns around and she's like, oh, sorry, guys, are you coming? Like, you know, she just had to, like, often stop and turn around to make sure that we were following her because she was always like, looking forward and just pulling it.

 

Amber B  5:44  

Okay, these are going to be funny. Like, I'm dying. I knew exactly what Amber was gonna say. Like, even before she started saying it. That story, like, it's so classic me. Like the workout shirt story. When she pulled those videos and like, showed them to me I was dying. Because it was like 2016 and here we are, I think it was like 2021. And it was the exact same tank top that I've been wearing since 2016. And yeah, what's also funny about that is, Amber is the team member who has like, bought me the most clothes like this, the shirt that I'm wearing. Like, she bought this for me. She sent me like the most like workout tanks and things. Anyway, it's just funny. She obviously recognizes that I'm like, terrible at dressing myself.

 

Carley  6:39  

Like I doubt it’s because she's like, Oh, Amber and she can't clothe herself, let me send her cute clothes.

 

Amber B  6:44  

Yeah, and then the walking fast thing is super funny because I got that 100% from my mother. My mother is like 5'3″, I'm 5'7″. And my mother walks way faster than I do. Like she is Speedy Gonzalez. And so I grew up, like always trying to keep up with my mom. My little like short, you know fast zippy mom. And so yeah, I still work super fast and it drives my husband nuts because I'll walk like ahead of him. Just like I obviously was doing with Amber. And he will like gently like pull me back down and walk next to me.

 

Carley  7:20  

Well, it's funny. So I'll share one of my insights which I've shared with you before, but the audience doesn't know this. And I relate to that too. Because like I grew up in a family. My dad is very tall. He's like 6'3″, and so I don't know why as a kid I always felt it was really important to keep up with him. So I'm actually a fairly fast walker myself. Because my little legs always trying to keep up with his really long legs. Often, by my friends by my husband have been like, “Okay, dude slow down. Like, we're not in a race here.” That's actually something my mom used to tell me. She's like, “Carley, we're not gonna race. Okay, slow down.” But Amber's faster. Like, there have been times when I've gotten to be like, “Okay, she's moving. Okay.” 

 

Amber B  8:02  

“Okay, we're going somewhere.”

 

Carley  8:04  

And like I said, I shared this with you. But the first time I met you, we were sitting down to do some work and I'm a perpetual leg jiggler. No one likes to sit next to me like at school or anything like that, because I'm just constantly like moving my leg. Amber does the same thing. But she does it at twice the speed that I do so that's a fun quirk about Amber. 

 

Amber B  8:24  

That definitely, yeah, I'm definitely a leg jiggler. Always have been, always have been.

 

Carley  8:30  

Okay. So that was Amber's. So we're going to the to next one.

 

Melissa  8:38  

My name is Melissa. And I am the Head Coach for Biceps After Babies. And my journey with Biceps After Babies started over three years ago as a client. So I've been able to work with Amber not only as a client, but now a member of the team for over two years now. And my perception of Amber has always been that she is like Superwoman. And when you think of superheroes, you think that nothing really fazes them, and they're just, they show up and they save everybody else, right? Like, nothing really affects them. And she and I say this all the time, she's like a celebrity in my house, like my kids know her and they see like, Biceps After Babies logo, and they're always like, it's Amber, it's Amber. So she's like, held on this pedestal in my house where she's just like our superhero, right. 

 

Melissa  9:42  

And I had an experience with Amber this year where I got to see that she is human. And she has emotions and she thinks things do get to her. And it was a really amazing experience to see that she can show up for everybody else. Right? And help people see their true potential which is amazing. But she's also human and she also has feelings and things can affect her the same way that it can affect anybody else. And so it's amazing to have had this experience with her this year to see that not only did something affect her and not so positive way. And when she realized that she was having this experience, she reached out to a couple of us on the team to talk through it. And she allowed us to help her. So it was a really good feeling to have my superhero, reach out to me, and allow me to help her through an experience that wasn't so pleasant.

 

Amber B  11:32  

Oh man, that's a good one, too. That is a super sweet one. And I appreciate it too, because it comes from Melissa, who if you guys have been clients, Melissa always like preface everything with saying that she's a crier, and then she was like, usually cries. So she's like, super, super sweet and super emotional. And I think not everybody gets to see that side of me. I think it is easy to say, “Oh, she's just like a robot.” And she just like, gets them done. And you know, that like focus and determination. And like that, I think comes through a lot on social media. But you don't always get to see that like, yeah, I had a rough couple of things that happened this year and had some really, really tough emotional moments. And you and Melissa specifically, were really there for me during those times and definitely I'm human. Definitely I cry.

 

Carley  12:29  

I have seen you cry several times. You are, you are real. You have emotions.

 

Amber B  12:35  

Yeah. And the Team has seen me cry a couple of times too. So, I do have emotions, which is funny, because sometimes I feel like I don't, I feel like I have less emotions maybe than some other people, but they're there. They're there and they come out.

 

Carley  12:52  

You are very analytical in a lot of ways that makes you unlike Melissa, where she's like, “I'm all emotions” and you were like, “I'm all logic”.

 

Amber B  13:06  

But I do have emotions in there. 

 

Carley  13:07  

You do have emotions.

 

Amber B  13:11  

We had a speaker come to one of our masterminds and he talked about the law of duality, this idea that none of us are one or the other, when it comes to any opposites that you can think about. And that in reality, we have both of those things in us. And one just becomes your star player and one becomes your benchwarmer, right, you can play either of those personalities. But you know, one tends to be like more of the default and then one is more of the bench player and I really do think like the analytical part of me is definitely is like my All-Stars what I play most of the time, but I definitely have that Bench Player and I play it sometimes. And like, I think it's important because I think sometimes I tell myself, I'm this way. And in reality, we're all both, we're all everything. And sometimes different parts of us come out. And that's the beautiful thing about being human.

 

Carley  14:03  

So I'm going to ask you a personal question. I'm not exactly sure how to, like, say it, so it's just gonna come out as I'm saying it, but like, when you do, like pull out that “Bench Player”, so to speak, when you do use your emotions, or your emotions come out. Is that like a hard thing for you? Or is it just like, No, it is just how the things it is?

 

Amber B  14:24  

I think that's a good question. I think it's a less familiar place for me to be. So there's always some discomfort in unfamiliar territory. But I have learned a lot about feeling and working through emotions. And you know, this instance that Melissa was referencing to was one of those times where like, I was in it and I knew that the way to get through it was to go through it. It wasn't to avoid it. And so I like felt those emotions and I process those emotions and I like sat in it In a way that I haven't, I don't know, that I ever have sat in the depths of like pain and, and sorrow and grief. And just like all the negative emotions that come with some hard things in life, and I sat with that, and I had a day that I like didn't get out of bed. And it was like, really, you know, I've never been like that. And it wasn't comfortable. But it allowed me to work through it and process those emotions. And so yeah, there's discomfort in there but I'm learning to lean into it a little bit more and get comfortable with the uncomfortable.

 

Carley  15:37  

Ah, so good. And I think I love that you opened up to that because I mean, you are a coach. As a coach, that's what you do, coach, but I think it's really important for those listening to understand that as a coach, you're not immune to having those times, those days where it's like, 

“I just need to process”, whatever that looks like for you whether it means I don't know, shutting the laptop and not doing anything, what it means staying in bed or you know, like we all have our own ways of processing things and you're not immune from that. 

 

Amber B  16:08  

Totally 100%. 

 

Carley  16:10  

Do the next one.

 

Cassie  16:11  

Hi, my name is Cassie and I work in Customer Service and answer all the emails sent to the support inbox. I'll never forget my interview to be a coach. I interviewed in early June 2020, hello virtual school for three kids. I remember bribing all my kids to stay out of the room stay quiet, etc. And sure enough, my three-year-old started popping into the screen and my five-year-old needed all the things. I was sweating but I remember Amber just waving to the kids like it was no big deal. Lessons Learned bribes don't work and Amber knew what 2020 virtual school was like. I knew I was starting with a company where it could be a mom when I needed to be even if it meant mid-interview or meeting. I was also thinking about some preconceived notions of Amber that I have, or had. Back when I got hired for customer service. I thought she'd be in the inbox looking at my emails each day that I sent critiquing my responses, but boy was I totally wrong. Ambers trusts her employees to do their thing and empowers us to make decisions in our own area of expertise and she's rarely in the inbox.

 

Amber B  17:20  

I'm not a babysitter. I'm not good at babysitting. I'm not gonna babysit you. That's really funny. Carley, do you probably know what I'm going to talk about with the kids thing? 

 

Carley  17:35  

Oh, yes, I do. 

 

Amber B  17:36  

You share it, you share it?

 

Carley  17:38  

Well, so we were at, it was a Mastermind it was an Integrator day. So you gotta bring me along for this day. And I can't remember the context of like, why this came up. But one of your fellow Mastermind Members was they were talking about professionalism or something like that, or like having contractors. And so they were talking about how they were working with this contractor and how she had kids in and out of the meeting. And she just thought it was so unprofessional, and Amber, and I just like looked up to her. Like, that's just par for the course for our team meetings.

 

Amber B  18:12  

You're not gonna like our team meetings. Well, that's a good example. There's just there's different cultures and different businesses. And in our business, it's like, almost everybody on our Team is a mom and so it is not unusual to have like kids popping in the screen and like having to be like, “Oh, sorry, my baby's crying. Let me mute.” And like, yeah, it's just part of our company culture that we just kind of roll with it. And I don't know, I just love that we have so many moms who are able to like, be at home with their kids and be able to stretch themselves personally and have the personal growth. So we welcome lots of kids at our calls.

 

Carley  18:51  

It's, I think very much a manifestation of our vision of empowering women. Like you are a mom, let's own it. Let's work with it. Let's roll it we're not going to sugarcoat what it is like I changed diapers on camera. I've nursed during meetings. It's–  Yeah.

 

Amber B  19:06  

Oh yeah. Like yeah, for sure. It's interesting because I think sometimes people have different experiences with like me being hands off versus like me… Like I’m thinking specifically when it came time to like me letting go of certain things especially to you like letting go of certain aspects of the business and letting you take control of them. I don't super like to micromanage but sometimes that comes out and sometimes that like the fear of like, “Oh my gosh, is it going to be good enough” comes out. So I don't know what your experience has been like with that?

 

Carley  19:41  

So it's interesting. There's twofold. One, in some ways, you're very much hands-off. I remember coming on board. So I first came on as Amber's Executive Assistant, and her giving me projects and being like, “Just go get it done.” And granted, for your guys' information, I have zero experience on digital online marketing, I didn't know any of these programs being used. I was like, “What is this? I don't even know.” And I was like, “Okay, this is what I need.” And I'm sure if I would have asked, she would have helped me like, I know she would have. However, I love solving problems, I love figuring out myself, I also am very, very conscious of other people's times, and so she would throw me into the deep end, like she handed me like a life raft or like flotation device, but was very much figured out yourself. Which, again, if I had asked for help, she wouldn't 100% would have given it. And so then making the transition over to me, where now I'm handing things off to other people, I think I tend to be less that way. Because I'm like, Okay, that was a bit extreme, I can-

 

Amber B  20:51  

– I probably could've used a little bit more handholding-

 

Carley  20:54  

Like, “By the way, this is how you build a landing page”, rather than, “Here's a login, have fun.”

 

Amber B  21:01  

Part of me was like, “Well, I figured it out. So like, yeah, you can figure it out.” You know, like, I didn't know what a landing page was, I figured it out. Not the best way to lead. I'm not saying that that is the right way to lead. I'm just saying that was kind of my mindest.

 

Carley  21:15  

It all worked out. And in all honesty for like, the position I have now. It enabled me to better teach because I could teach what I had figured out. 

 

Amber B  21:26  

You know what I'm surprised that Melissa didn't say in hers? Because I feel like this is like, a rough sticking point and rubbing point for her is that we always build our wings on the way down. That's something else is like, the team knows that a lot of times, like, I'll have ideas and will like, kind of have them kind of, like figured out, but like, I'm just like, “Let's dive into it. And we'll figure things out like as we're falling”, and yeah, and I know, Melissa, like several times has been like, “Oh my gosh, like, what about this?” but I'm like, I don't know, we'll figure it out. Like it all worked out. And that like, drove her nuts for a really long time. She's finally kind of embraced it and just, like been able to relax into it a little bit. But that is definitely-

 

Carley  22:08  

That's a good way because like, she's not, she doesn't love it still, I think. But I know she's definitely gonna happen. But she like, yeah, she rolls with it. Bless her. She's, yeah, I'm curious. If you remember Cassie's interview? Like if you remember.

 

Amber B  22:22  

No, not at all. Like it doesn't, it made zero impact on me and obviously, it didn't make any impact and whether or not she got the job. She got the job.

 

Carley  22:32 

I actually remember when I interviewed with you. I had that day on my husband come home because it was like, around lunchtime. I was like, “Hey, can come home like watch the kid.” Because at that point, I had like an almost one-year-old and an almost three-year-old and they cry a lot. And so he was up there doing lunchtime for them. I was downstairs interviewing with you by the end of it. And my one-year-old was not happy anymore and crying and by the end like you could hear her and I’m like, “Sorry, baby, Mommy’s almost done”.  Okay, Amber doesn't care.

 

Amber B  23:08  

Yeah, yeah, not at all. Totally normal. And my kids will pop in on coaching calls. Like if you are ever on our coaching call, like you'll see my pop kids popping in behind me and waving to the camera. And like my kids aren't small anymore. So thankfully, it's not like them crying or like anything. But, you know, that's like a part of being a mom. Very on brand.

 

Carley  23:30  

It is very on brand. And we're living up to that. So in case you're wondering, yeah, we live up to our brand. This is a good one.

 

Linnae  23:40  

Last year, I had the opportunity to travel to Texas with Amber, another teammate and a couple other amazing women and we had flown into Austin, and we are walking around the city. And as a little backstory, I came more so for a weekend away. I am not a Cross Fitter. I don't know much about CrossFit. I can appreciate everything that's out there, but I don't know the competitors or any much of the CrossFit world. But we're walking around Austin, on our way to get some fabulous doughnuts. And Amber was walking in front of the group on the sidewalk because it's kind of a narrow sidewalk. And all of a sudden she stops, dead in her tracks, and just as frozen solid. She turns around, and it has the widest eyes on her face. And somebody is walking toward us and I realized that this must be one of the competitors because Amber is in utter shock. The reaction was so out of character for the Amber I knew because I just had never seen her starstruck and she was utterly starstruck and didn't know what to say. We said hello. We took a picture and I don't think Amber said more than about three words in the entire experience. She was so flabbergasted and starstruck. It was extremely entertaining. And one of my favorite memories of being with Amber.

 

Amber B  25:31  

Oh, I'm dying. I was wondering if she was going to remember who it was. She didn't, but why would she? But it was Katrin Davidsdottir, come on. She was walking towards us. She was like walking here. It was the day before the competition. She's walking towards us. And like Linnae mentioned that I was walking ahead of everybody that's very, you know, goes with everything else in this podcast episode. But we're walking towards us and she's walking down the street and I'm like, that looks like Katrin Davidsdottir. Oh my gosh, I like turned around. Everybody was like, “Oh my gosh, you guys” like, we just like, totally fangirl moment and took pictures. Maybe that'll be the cover of this podcast is like our picture with Katrin Davidsdottir. Anyway, that's funny. Linnae did comment after that a couple times of just how fun it was to see me so starstruck. Cuz she's like, Linnae was like, she didn't know who that person was. She took the picture. In fact, she's like, “I don't really care to be in the picture.” Oh, but we were like, it was a pretty neat moment.

 

Carley  26:32  

I would have paid money to be there so I could: A) meet Katrin Davidsdottir, and b) see you in that position.

 

Amber B  26:37  

Yeah, cuz she was fabulous. She was super, super nice. Took a picture with us. And yeah, it was definitely a highlight moment for sure.

 

Carley  26:47  

That's fun.

 

Ann  26:49  

Hi! My name is Ann and I have worked with Amber as a coach in MACROS 101 and Beyond Macros 101 since 2019. I came in as a client in MACROS 101 and I had been a chronic deficit person exercising a ton and way undereating for about 20 years. So when I came into MACROS 101, I absorbed all the content. I said, Okay, great, but I just want to get my macros so I can eat ice cream and have everything I want and lose that last 10 to 15 pounds. Well, anybody who has been through MACROS 101 or worked with Amber knows that there are no shortcuts, and you really have to look at the data and make adjustments. So after a trial cut of me going up and down the same three to four pounds. Finally, Amber, advised me to go into my first ever reverse diet. So fast forward. A few weeks into my reverse diet, I think I was increasing by 50 calories at a time instead of 100. Because I was so scared to gain weight. I got a coaching call and I think like January of 2020, maybe. And she said how's the reverse going? I said, “I feel fluffy.” She said, “Look at your data.” I said okay, great. And I was religious about the data. So my waist and weight had not gone up at all and she's like, so are you fluffy. I said no. So working with Amber, it is the most refreshing because there is no shame, there's no guilt around food. It's just data driven. So good foods bad foods, there's no such thing. Good exercise bad exercise, no such thing either a lover's and there's data so you would just so since that kind of eye opening experience working with Amber and very data-driven approach I've been able to go through to very effective cut cycles than to reverse then a long period of maintenance where I've been able to grow a ton of muscle so that my next cuts can be that much more effective. And now I'm completely in maintenance with the results that I wanted. But I would not have gotten there with what I was doing before so one of my favorite Amber quotes is what got you here will never get you there and that is 300% true. I was some of that always game the system Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig pretty much anything you could think of I always game the system and guess who I was gaming, nothing. No one. I never got the results. Amber has the best approach because she is fact-based, data driven, and really just takes all of the uncomfortable emotions around food and dieting, and body image away. 

 

Ann  29:23  

The other great story about Amber is one time I was on a coaching call. It wasn't me but it resonated. She said “Stop with the smaller jeans, buy the jeans that fit now that feel good. It doesn't mean you're giving up on your future self in those jeans. Buy something that fits.” And I'll tell you for about 10 years I was trying to squeeze into these pre-pregnancy jeans which now more than fit, but now they're way out of style but knowing that I could invest in something because I wasn't my most perfect self at the time. It just was so freeing and felt so great and I bought a bathing suit that summer that was one size up and I wasn't like a little stuffed sausage in a sausage casing, I just felt great because it fit. But it didn't mean I gave up. I just felt good in the skin that I was in until I was in a new skin. So I would say quirks. I know we're going to talk about quirks. I don't think Amber has really a quirk. But I will say she's quick. So if you're talking about something that doesn't track with what is the vision, she'll let you know, very quickly, I appreciate that because efficiency is like, my favorite thing in the world. And inefficiency is my biggest pet peeve. So the fact that she'll stop and be like, no, no, that's not we're talking about here or no, no, no, that's not on track. I love it. So that's Amber. She doesn't waste time. She does not get into the emotions, she'll help you work through your emotions, but doesn't get into the emotions of food or exercise. It's facts, data, and coming up with a plan that works for you. So I've loved working with her.

 

Amber B  30:53  

I feel like people are getting a real sense of how fun I am. Haha. Fast, tracking data, efficiency, gonna tell you into to pivot right now. But it's I mean, it's all true. 

 

Carley  31:07  

And I think that I think that speaks to like, Melissa, like, you still do have emotion you’re not like full-on efficiency robots. 

 

Amber B  31:15  

Yeah. But I do move fast.

 

Carley  31:18  

Yeah, you move fast. Which we appreciate. I appreciate.

 

Amber B  31:23  

Yeah, yeah, no, that was – I love what Ann had to say. And you know, and Ann someone who's been with me. A lot of the team honestly, I think everybody except for you. Is that right? Has been a client first before becoming a team member. And Carley passes because, you know, by now she's like, gone through, like all of our programs, and she listened to the podcast before she applied.

 

Carley  31:48  

That's how I drink the Kool-Aid while listening to the podcast. 

 

Amber B  31:53  

That's right. Okay, that was one. Got another one? 

 

Carley  31:57  

I sure do.

 

Ellen Oates  31:59  

When I went through MACROS 101, I thought Amber was the coolest person I've ever met. And then I got hired on to work with her. And she still is the coolest person I've ever met. She is awesome. One quirk about Amber is that when you are in a meeting with her and she's not the one talking she furrows her eyebrows and usually bites on the end of a pen. 

 

Amber B  32:25  

Is that true?

 

Carley  32:29  

You know it’s funny because I listened to that and I was like, I've never noticed that. I wouldn't say you do it all the time. You do it though. 

 

Amber B  32:35  

But for sure, I do. I like I usually will have a pen that I'm playing with for sure. And maybe that's just like, again, my like ADHD, like coming out of like wiggling my leg while playing with the pen. Which is funny, were you going to talk about the thing that you told me about that was like, remember when we did that, like back and forth, like giving each other feedback? 

 

Carley  32:56  

Oh yeah. 

 

Amber B  32:57  

I feel very well into this like whole topic. 

 

Carley  33:02  

Yeah, no, we can talk about that, though. 

 

Amber B  33:04  

So just to set the stage, hold on, just to set the stage. Carley, and I have been really working in the business on feedback, and how valuable feedback can be both, you know, us giving each other feedback. Also, eliciting feedback from the team and being able to share that feedback, we just know, as a team that we are going to grow more if we create a culture where feedback is acceptable and is expected. That's the only way that we're going to be able to grow. And so as Carley and I have been having those conversations, we realized that that needed to start with us. We can't expect the team to like feedback or elicit feedback from the team if we ourselves are not willing to get uncomfortable and give and receive feedback freely. And so Carley had this idea where we like wrote down a whole bunch of like the great things about the other person and then some of the things that like, you know, maybe we notice or that maybe aren’t our best attributes and then we shared that with each other and had a great conversation about those topics. But the one that Carley like came up with for like the not so great, was like so spot on. It just made me laugh. But anyway, so you share what you came up with.

 

Carley  34:17  

So Amber is a chronic multitasker. So tight. So actually, I'll share it a real-life example of this. One of the times I went to visit her, because I've actually been to Amber's house a couple of times, for work trips and stuff. And I remember one night I was sitting there I think I was doing some work stuff just like at their kitchen and stuff and Amber's getting dinner ready. So she's getting dinner ready. She's listening to either a podcast or like a recording of like a coaching call or something and helping kids with homework, all at the same time. Like… I'm just sitting here watching this and thinking, this is her reality. And then her husband comes in and it's funny, okay, this full disclosure, I know that he kind of gives you grief for being a chronic multitasker. He was doing the same thing. Like listening to a meeting and you guys were having a conversation. Like, I will say part of that is parenthood. But, like on meetings, Amber will be writing stuff down. And I can tell as soon as she like, is on… like she'll kind of glaze over. And so do you want me to share the story about the…? 

 

Amber B  35:25  

Yeah.

 

Carley  35:26  

Yeah. So one of that same mastermind meeting that I got to go to with Amber, they had a student exercise where we were talking about active listening. And so James Wedmore, Amber's mentor, telling us, “So we're practicing active listening, we're, you're just going to take turns where one of you is going to be the active listener, we're just going to sit there. And you're just gonna be so focused and so intently listening to what they're saying, while the other person is telling you about anything, it doesn't matter what they're talking about.” So we take turns, and Amber goes first, talking, and so I'm sitting here, I'm being an active listener, super engaged. And then we switch. First thing comes out of my mouth and Amber. Boop! She's gone. Like, she's off on that tangent. And I'm like, and so we've done this exercise several times. And she's like, “I'm such a good active listener,” like I, like we've got this down-

 

Amber B  36:15  

–got such self-deception, right, like completely self-deception.

 

Carley  36:20  

And so finally, one day, I was like, Amber, you suck at active listening-  

 

Amber B  36:23  

You actually aren't very good at it. 

 

Carley  36:26  

Not because I can tell the moment that you are off, like on your own little tangent —

 

Amber B  36:32  

And you know why it's so good to hear those things is because there is really that like self-deception, where I'm like, I know, I really do feel like I'm good. But as soon as she said that, I'm like, “Oh, dang”, she actually can see it, you kind of tell yourself, “Oh, yeah, I'm only like half listening. I'm thinking about something else. But nobody can tell like nobody can tell that I'm like, not right there with them.” And obviously, it's very obvious, when my mind starts going somewhere else. And you know, it's just it was a good reminder that multitasking is something that tends to be my default, and it's something I'm aware of, and I continue to practice that. But like, that, like focused attention is, my mind just goes a bunch of different places and I'm thinking.

 

Carley  37:15  

Yeah, so Amber's called the Visionary of a company where she provides the vision for where we're going. And she often talks about how she's not like the poster child for being a visionary because she has a harder time stepping into that creative space. But as a multitasker, I think that's one of your gifts is that you are able to say like, what about this? You go this way and all that place. So it really I think it pairs well with your role. 

 

Amber B  37:40  

Yeah, I am. I've gotten better at that visionary role for sure. Okay, who's next?

 

Carley  37:49  

Okay, we got two more.

 

Crystal  37:52  

Hi, my name is Crystal, and I'm the Social Media and Podcast Manager. And what is Amber really like? I've actually yet to meet Amber in person. But like, many of you probably feel I feel as though I have met her. But that being said, I think that one preconception I have about her that I know isn't true is her height. That's kind of a silly one. But I don't know, I just I imagined her as, you know, six foot or 6'1″, I don't know, just like a very tall, very tall woman. And I know that isn't true, because I've seen that on her social media. And I've seen her talk about that, how she thinks it's funny that people think she's so tall. But I'm 5'4″ and for some reason, I just kind of imagined meeting her and her hitting a whole head higher than me rather than I think, being somewhere around my height. I'm not sure, she'll have to confirm or deny this. But I think she's like 5'5″ or 5'6″? So, you know, that's not this incredibly tall person that in my head I've made her out to be. 

 

Crystal  37:52  

And another thing about Amber, preconception I had maybe before joining the team, and now as I'm getting to know her better, I kind of expected her to always be in Coach Mode. And I do think that's partially true. I mean, she's this phenomenal coach. And I think it comes through in so many things that she says and the way she presents projects to us, or, you know, the way she kind of pushes us to grow. But it's not just like, Coach Amber always talking, you know, it feels a lot more natural than that. As we've seen through some funnier Reels, and some funnier things, you know, she does have this goofy side of her. And I just remember one team meeting during one of our launches, we would have daily meetings and we would be playing music to kind of start the meeting to kind of, you know, just get spirits up and whatever. And one specific meeting Party In The USA by Miley Cyrus was playing and I log on to the meeting and you know, I was thinking about tasks and thinking about all this work I had to do, and Amber's just like in the corner, fully dancing it out to Miley Cyrus and I was just like, “This is so awesome”. Like, I love that she can really balance that kind of goofier silly stuff with, you know, a more serious side. So, I wouldn't say that something I didn't expect, but it's just really fun to see that kind of light-hearted side of her work so well in tandem with her coaching, Coach Amber side, I suppose. And my only thing would be, she comes off as a taller person, than I believe she is. So yeah, so those are some of my takes on Amber Brueseke.

 

Amber B  40:33  

That's funny. I'm 5′ 7”. But lots of people think I'm taller than that. Even people at the gym like people who see me in person. Just the other day, I was like saying something about I'm 5′ 7″, I think we were talking like bar heights on the pull-up rig, and I was like, I'm 5′ 7″. And they're like, “You're 5′ 7″? Like, that's how tall I am.” I'm like, “Yeah! We're the same height.” But like people see me I think it's like my body type, it appears that I'm taller than I than I actually am. So yeah, I get this all the time on social media of people thinking I'm taller than I really am.

 

Carley  41:10  

Well, you have very long limbs like-

 

Amber B  41:13  

I have a long torso and I have long legs. In fact, I was comparing with Natalie just recently and her torso is way shorter than mine. So she has a really short torso, but her legs are just as long as mine and her arms are longer. Anyway, it's just like body proportions are just a funny thing. And we were talking about what lifts are better for us than others because long legs are great until you try to deadlift or squat and then long legs are not great.

 

Carley  41:41  

Yeah, I actually was always interested in why you did conventional versus sumo when you did deadlifts.

 

Amber B  41:48  

Yeah, you know why I did it is because the program that I was in was really heavy like promoters of conventional. For some reasons that may or may not actually like really be valid reasons but they were very much like this is the way you do it, like this is the way you deadlift. So I never got super good at sumo deadlift but yeah, I mean it does shorten the range of motion so for us long-legged people it can be a better lift.

 

Carley  42:20  

Those few inches make a big difference. But Miley Cyrus, you're a fan?

 

Amber B  42:31  

Well.. I use… Party In The USA used to be a Zumba song that I like did back in the day when I taught Zumba. And it's always funny to me when like the Zumba songs come on is like I'm right back into like class, I'm right back into like teaching class I don't know that I was actually doing like Zumba moves for that. But we'll hear a Zumba song – actually, we will hear like a High Fitness song – I’m certified in High Fitness, too–  and we'll hear a High Fitness song come on at CrossFit and Natalie will be like, “Let's go!” and we will like kind of break out like the steps and do it. And just recently we were at up at Aspen Grove and one of the songs came on that I like had it. It was a Zumba song that I had choreographed a Zumba dance to and I did it and kind of like taught everybody on the dance floor. Like Zumba dance. So it comes back it just as part of me. 

 

Carley  43:21  

Do you ever embarrass with your kids with your dancing skills?

 

Amber B  43:24  

Oh, yeah. All the time. 

 

Carley  43:27  

Good. That's just the route of parenthood. 

 

Amber B  43:28  

Yeah, for sure.

 

Amanda  43:33  

Hey there! My name is Amanda and I am Biceps After Babies copywriter and have been with the team for almost seven months now, I think. And this is a really fun question for me to reflect on and what Amber is really like. I found BAB's podcast, I think in 2020, and just started listening every single morning, early morning on my walk with my dog. And Amber joined me in my ears every single morning. And right away, I was just taken aback by how personable and relatable and honest and genuine she came across as like I just felt like the content was always what I needed to hear. And it was in a really pivotal part of my life and I just felt like I could trust her. And that was just really, really huge for me. And so when I joined MACROS 101 everything was just as it was on her podcast. She was real, she was genuine, she was honest, she was caring, just everything that you would think she would be just from listening to her on her podcast. She was in coaching sessions and the content that's provided in MACROS 101, just all of it and then when I applied and got the Copywriting position and we had our first meeting, we started with wins. And if any of you have been and through MACROS 101, you know, that's a big part of how we start every call that we have is celebrating wins. And I remember just thinking, “Of course we are, why in the world wouldn’t start with wins?” And so that was just like a super cool thing to experience.

 

Amanda  46:35 

I remember too when I was having my interview with her and a couple of the other team members that she started at home with the interview, and then, you know, popped the Zoom onto her iPhone, put her sunglasses on, got in the car and took off and I can't even remember where she was going. But it was just like, the interviews gonna carry on. And I just thought that was so cool. And again, it just spoke to Amber's just Amber. And like, what you see truly is what you get. And I just love that. I think if I think about any of like the preconceived ideas that I had about her before working for her, I think I just expected her to be as she was, because they really just took her at face value, there was just something about her that made me think I can trust her. So there really wasn't anything that was different. Coming from just being a podcast listener to going through MACROS 101 and now being a part of the team. And maybe part of that is because we share an intense, genuine love for anything, chocolate and peanut butter. Like, as soon as that was out in the open. I knew everything was gonna be a-okay.

 

Amber B  46:37  

I love how we are like, “Okay, let's roast Amber.” And then the team's like, “She's so genuine and honest and caring”. It just… they're just so nice. 

 

Carley  46:49  

They are so nice but so are you. And I mean, I've had very similar experiences, and I've shared this with you. But there's one time I was on a walk with a friend and I was telling her about what I do. Like, it's embarrassing how much I don't tell people what my job is. Yeah, I was telling her what I do and she's like, okay, so like now that you work for Amber, like, what's the inside scoop? Like almost like since I have like a behind-the-scenes look like if, like things would be different. And I was like, Nope, she's exactly as she appears on social media and in the podcast. So sorry, spoiler alert, or just like sorry, if that's like sad news for anyone. But Amber is exactly the same in person as she is on social media and podcast all the places. 

 

Amber B  47:38 

That was so funny. And I think I actually do remember, Amanda's interview, I think I was on the way to like pick up a child or something like that. But it's just funny. I mean, it just kind of, again, it's that, like, our culture of like, women doing a lot, wearing a lot of hats, doing a lot of things. But, you know, part of that is coming together as a team to be able to empower other women. And we do that on the way to school. And we do that when kids need diaper changes. And I think that's one of the things that I love about our team. And like, at the gym! People take team calls, and they're at the gym, and they're lifting weights. And like, I mean, it just it's like it's real life. And we want our team members to bring their whole real life to work with them because we think that that is the best way for us to all show up.

 

Carley  48:33  

Well, and I mean, we share this with our team, it's like nothing we do is life or death. Right? This is and so families first and that's a pretty big deal for us. 

 

Amber B  48:42  

Yeah, for sure. 

 

Carley  48:44  

So yeah, so those were the team's thoughts. I was thinking a lot about what I would share about you because selfishly, I probably have had way more, well, I have way more touch points with you just the nature of my position with you. But I've also met you in person. I don't know, Linnae may have me beat because she lives close to you. But I've had a lot of access to you, so to speak. And so I thought maybe sharing some impressions that I had. The very first time I met you. So this was in November of 2019. I flew out to California to just be with Amber in person. So we just could meet first, I'd been working with her for about four or five months by that point. And then so we could plan for the upcoming year. And so I fly out there, by the time I get to California, it's really late my time so I'm exhausted. I'm also a sweaty mess because a) I don't travel well, and b) I'm about to meet Amber who is like, you know, this person and I listened to on podcast for so long, but it's also like my boss. And so I was like yeah, so I'm standing outside of the airport, and she drives up in a minivan. So that's the first thing in case you guys are wondering. Amber drives the minivan. 

 

Amber B  49:55  

Yeah, super cool.

 

Carley  49:57  

Super cool, mom and she jumps out of the car and she hugs me. So she's a hugger. And I don't know if that was surprising to me, but in some ways, I think it was just because you are very analytical and logical and you don't necessarily lead with emotion, you are still like, you are a hugger and you are very self-proclaimative that way. And so it's like, “Oh, okay cool.” So we hopped in your van, and we drove back to your house. And it's a lovely house. It's just a wonderful, normal, everyday house. You know, and I hope that's not a dig. It's not meant to be a dig. It's like, oh, Amber doesn't live in a mansion. That's not what the point I’m trying to make here is. Sometimes I feel like we look at these, like, lives of people we see on social media and be like, “Oh, they have fancy things and all this.” Like no, Amber has a very wonderful, beautifully modest home. And I walk in and she has four kids, and those kids are awesome. She's got an awesome family. But they are kids. She has a house just like anyone else. It's messy, it’s dirty, it's wonderful. And so that was really my first impression. And then oh, and that night for dinner. We had leftovers. I was like, “Dude, this woman is so down to earth”.

 

Amber B  51:20  

Obviously not putting donw any airs. Like, come have leftovers, Carley.

 

Carley  51:26  

It was great. You know, it was awesome.

 

Amber B  51:30  

That's really funny. Yeah, I didn't remember that. But that's really funny is like very par for the course.

 

Carley  51:36  

Yeah, and you're just it's real. You're living a real life. Sometimes it's just how it goes. Picking me up was not necessarily means to cook a fancy meal. It was cool. I loved it. Also, sometimes, you don't have a fancy recording studio, for anyone who ever thought that you are recording right now, I know, from your bedroom. You also record from your daughter's bedroom. So no fancy tool-

 

Amber B  52:08  

And sometimes in the closet. Carley is actually in the closet. That was my hint. I said Carley, you should go in the closet. It'll sound better. Because I yeah, I will sometimes record my closet. Yeah, I record. Lots of I don't have anything fancy. Just like take my mic in my laptop and go somewhere that's quiet. Oh, we've recorded my car before. Especially when the renovation was going on. I would like it was so loud in my house. And I had podcasts that I had to record. So I went and recorded my car. I remember one time I was actually recording my car and it was so hot. It was the middle of summer and I was dying. But if I opened my window, it was like loud, like you could hear that like traffic and like all the things, and so I would like open the window like get some like breath of air and then like close it and then like hit record and like go as long as I could and then get a sweaty like could and then stop and then like open the door and like air out and anyway. Yeah, there's been some funny recording in places over the years.

 

Carley  53:09  

So you're just making it work.

 

Amber B  53:12  

Just it's just like messy and make it work. Resourcefulness. 

 

Carley  53:17  

Yeah. Also, in case anyone was wondering if Amber looks as strong in-person as she does on social media. She does. Yep, she's strong. I don't think that was ever in question. 

 

Amber B  53:31  

It's not photoshopped. We don't Photoshop any of our stuff. Yeah. That's fun. Okay, so this was way more fun than– I was a little nervous about it. This is way more fun than I thought it was going to be. And the team was all very nice in the things that they said. So big shout out to the team. And to you, Carley for being willing to host this. This was Carley and Crystal's idea. I said, “Hey, let's have like some stories about me.” And then Carley's like, I think it'd be fun if I like played them for you and like interviewed you. She thought that that would be a lot of fun.

 

Carley  54:04  

This was fun. Yeah. 

 

Amber B  54:06  

All right. Well, thanks for hosting Carley. And to those of you who are still here, still listening. Thanks for listening. I hope that it gave you a little insight into me as a person. I know a lot of you guys say– I've gotten DMs on Instagram and you know emails that say that you guys feel like you're like we're friends. And like we hang out all the time and because I'm in your ear and you're listening to me. So I really do hope that this makes it feel like we're even a little bit more friends like we got to know each other a little bit more. And I do love that idea of you listening in the car, you listening while doing the dishes or at the gym, and really, you know, forming that relationship. We've talked a lot about wanting to have an in-person Meet and Greet someday and I do, I hope that I get to meet some of you. But I know for a lot of you we’re already friends and that this episode hopefully helped you get to know me a little bit better. So that wraps up this episode of Biceps After Babies Radio. I'm Amber, now go on and be strong because remember my friend, you can do anything. 

 

Outro

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