Strong Not Starving
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Feel strong, confident, and at home in your body. For life.
Build real strength, peace, and lasting habits that serve you for life – without unsustainable diets, punishing workouts, or programs that fall apart the moment life gets in the way.
Most people who come to Strong Not Starving have tried something else before, and somewhere along the way things took a turn...
For some people this looks like no longer being able to keep up the routines and sacrifices. For others this looks like an ongoing relationship with food, fitness, and body image that feels more like a cage than a source of strength, peace, and confidence.
Almost universally, the conclusion we come to at these points is: “I’m the problem” but this is a tragic misunderstanding.
Most well known food and fitness programmes are built around best-case scenarios; what you can accomplish when you’re “locked in” and really giving it your best. But life isn’t like that.
Not only is life not like that, but our mind and emotions aren’t like that. Traditional approaches to improving our health and fitness don’t take into account the parts of us that rebel, the parts of us that are self critical, the parts of us that are tired of feeling not good enough.
The reality of most health and fitness interventions is they’re built to sound simple, and compelling. They’re often intense or extreme by design because that’s what looks valuable and exciting.
Let’s be real here Reinvent Your Life in just 8 Weeks with these 3 Simple Diet Rules will get far more clicks and sales than the idea of learning to read the user manual of your mind and body, and changing your life from the ground up in the company of like minded people… But at Strong Not Starving, that’s exactly what we’re here to offer.
The goal at Strong Not Starving is to build something you can actually keep. Something that supports you as you live your best life, and gets easier as your skills and confidence develop. This is about using evidence-based practices and skills to discover who you can be, rather than sacrificing everything that you are to fit someone else’s mold.
Strong Not Starving is an approach to food and training that's built around your life, not the other way around. Strength, nutrition, stress management, and personal fulfilment coaching with a simple premise: Whatever you put energy into should leave you feeling better than when you started. Not wrecked. Not guilty. Not behind. Better.
Function first. Always
We acknowledge distress around self image, unfair comparisons, and social expectations are some of our biggest obstacles to cultivating true peace and strength. Rather than standing in front of the mirror, looking at the scales, or comparing yourself to others, we encourage you to explore what happens when that time and energy is invested in strength, and peace.
Life changes. Your plan should too
A bad night’s sleep, stress at work, trouble at home, illness, an argument with a friend, busy schedules; these things are part of life and are bound to happen sooner or later. A plan that can’t survive the ups and downs of life isn’t a good plan.
Practice curiosity over comparison
What might you be capable of if the only goal was to see what you can do, from the perspective of already feeling like you’re good enough as you are?
If you’ve ever wondered how some people live amazing lives, and find happiness and fulfilment, this is a big part of it; we’re curious about what’s possible rather than critical of what we are.
Spiral Upwards
Getting caught in the downward spiral of habits that provide temporary relief from stress while perpetuating long term suffering is an extremely rough experience. Creating upward spirals – practicing actions that improve our big picture – is a cornerstone of Strong Not Starving.
Growth comes from challenge, not overwhelm
We recognise that as humans we do not grow while experiencing overwhelm. It’s our job to set our goals and expectations with awareness so that we experience challenge, success, and growth. Not overwhelm, burnout, and shame.
What you won't find here...
A lot of coaching comes with baggage you didn’t sign up for. Here’s what Strong Not Starving deliberately leaves out:
Unsolicited comments about your body
No observations about your weight, your shape, or how you look. You didn't ask for it. You won't get it.
Disordered eating dressed up as coaching
No fasting protocols, elimination diets, detoxes, or mandatory macro tracking. No attaching your progress to a number on a scale. Just evidence-informed training that actually makes you stronger.
Workouts or training sessions that punish rather than build
Too many gyms and trainers provide intense workouts just to make people feel like they worked hard. It’s commercial fitness sales tactics, not sports science. Effective training should feel like practice, not fighting for survival.
The assumption you want to lose weight
Not everyone wants to lose weight. And even if you do, we’ll still encourage you to direct your energy towards skills and practices rather than scales or mirrors. You're more than a number on a scale, and SNS treats you that way.
What you can expect from Strong Not Starving:
Coaching and resources focused entirely on how you feel and function; energy, strength, clarity, quality of life.
Principles and practices that work anywhere rather than rigid plans that break under stress.
Support that extends to life around food and exercise to help you overcome obstacles
An environment where your body is respected rather than critiqued.
Honest, straightforward, evidence informed guidance.
Testimonials
We don't include photos, and name's have been changed to protect client privacy. If you'd like to hear live coaching calls with SNS clients, visit the Strong Not Starving podcast and look for our LIVE COACHING CALL episodes.
Becky...
I thought, "Well, why not give this dude a try, I've done everything else". Turns out, Marcus is legitimately the real deal!
Emma...
I was hesitant to start coaching with Marcus because I'd already tried other counselling/coaching methods and felt that nothing worked. Marcus helped me navigate the middle road - still pursuing my goals but in a way that I could still enjoy life. Highly recommend.
David...
I never thought in million years I could ever get to the place I am with food right now.
Veronica...
I was very happy to find someone who has these two coaching skills: fitness coach, and a deep understanding of disordered eating.
Gus...
Marcus created a judgment-free space where we could have truly honest conversations around nutrition and fitness.
Michelle...
Marcus has given me my life back. Since our first session, I felt someone understood my experience fully and compassionately, from a place of profound empathy and understanding, with the deepest active listening skills I have ever seen
Simple to start. Built to last.
How this works and what to expect in 3 steps:
Step 1: We have a conversation. A relaxed, no-pressure call to understand where you are, what's got in the way before, and what you actually want from this. No fitness test. No food journal. No commitment required.
Step 2: We’ll start by understanding what you’d like to get out of your work, and what the obstacles you’re facing are. From there we identify key actions and practices to begin overcoming those obstacles, and begin providing you with the right combination of support and resources.
Either private 1-1 coaching, or group community membership options are available. For details on both those options head to the working with us page:
Step 3: We pay attention to what works, what’s getting in your way, and what we can do about it. Whether you’re a part of the Strong Not Starving community group, or getting weekly 1-1 coaching sessions, our goal is to pay attention and invest our time and energy where it’s going to count.
For example, if you’re struggling when it comes to food, or getting enough training and movement into your schedule, we won’t just give you a pep talk and send you back out there. Our goal is to identify specific barriers, and take actionable steps.
You’re eating in ways that leave you feeling not so great?
You like the sound of regular exercise but something’s getting in your way?
Your last diet or exercise program left you feeling like you failed?
There’s just a lot of stress and confusion around all this and you don’t know where to start?
We want to know about it!
Not sure if Strong Not Starving is right for you? That's exactly what the call is for.
About Marcus...
I saw people regularly being given diet and exercise programs that more reliably led to disordered eating, anxiety, and body image issues than fulfilling, sustainable results.
Hi! My name’s Marcus, and I started Strong Not Starving because I noticed the diet, wellness, and fitness industry causing more problems than it’s solving.
As I was navigating my own food and body image issues while working as a coach and trainer throughout my 20s, I saw people regularly being given diet and exercise programs that more reliably led to disordered eating, anxiety, and body image issues than fulfilling, sustainable results.
This was something I felt I had to change.
It’s rare to see one platform providing reliable coaching and guidance across key subjects like health, training and exercise, fulfillment, and stress management without unhelpful, or pseudoscientific philosophies infiltrating the space. Most trainers and strength coaches don’t understand how nuanced navigating something like disordered eating really is, while many professionals who are well informed on struggles with food and body image haven’t spent time in the trenches of strength training and sports science.
As a strong first certified instructor and trainer with 20 years of industry experience, certifications in nutrition coaching, disordered eating informed fitness, stress management & recovery, sleep, and relationship coaching, it’s my personal goal to be as useful as possible for the people who place their faith and trust in me.
This will sound like a cliche, but it’s not enough for me to sell a program or product; for me to feel good as I go to bed at night, what I’m providing needs to be genuinely helping people. And that’s how Strong Not Starving has come to exist.
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