Beautiful summer days are perfect for long walks with Baby and Sirius, our black lab/Catahoula leopard “puppy” (he’s a solid 60 pounds and almost two years old). Sirius might love our walks the most, but Baby is a champ at chilling in his stroller, chewing on his toys, and taking in the neighborhood sights. It’s great to get outside, breathe in the fresh air, soak up some sun, and fit in a bit of mild cardio. I also use our walks to sneak in some “me time” by listening to podcasts as stroll. One of my favorites is The Jillian Michaels Show. A self-funded side project, Jillian and her producer, Janice Ungaro, splice together short segments to make each weekly 40-60 minute episode. The show starts with an anecdote about something happening in their lives or commentary on recent news, usually with some sort of empowering moral at the end. For example, Jillian talked about severe back pain she was having due to her unaligned pelvis, a result of her skimping on leg and glute exercises. Moral of the story: there are no shortcuts.

Other segments include tips and new research on food, fitness, and happiness, interviews with related experts, and responding to questions from listeners’ emails or calls. I started listening (skeptically) after seeing the podcast on the iTunes charts, and subscribed because Jillian and Janice’s banter is really fun and engaging to listen to regardless of the content. Slowly though, some of the lessons sprinkled throughout the shows started to sink in. “When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.”

Over and over, Jillian talks about how her message is not about diet and exercise, but instead based on personal transformation. We each have to figure out what our own repetitive negative choices are affording us. What do we benefit by keeping on the extra pounds? What fears are we avoiding? Are we stretched so thin everywhere else, that food (or another outlet) serves as a deserved “treat,” an affordable and accessible way to reward ourselves? It sounds (and can be) deep, but Jillian has a way of taking these issues out of the darkness of our unconscious minds and making the person she’s talking to own up.

Aside from some heartfelt moments with callers, the overall podcast is usually upbeat. This is probably why I could listen to different episodes almost daily for a few weeks before the core messages really started to sink in. As a listener, I can relate to the issues being discussed. The podcast repeatedly helps me to identify and own up to my own baggage. Jillian notes again and again that if we do not face the root of the problem, which is never really about the food, we will not be able move forward and sustain positive change.

If we truly want to live our lives to the fullest, we have to “do the work” (one of Jillian’s most mentioned mantras). It means we must face both our demons and our dreams, identify the reasons behind any self-destructive behavior, and then do the work emotionally and physically to get (back) on track. There are no shortcuts.

Does “do the work” resonate with you? How will you use it to maximize your life?