Welcome to CHALK TALK with TRAINING2XL - a podcast for coaches, trainers, athletes, and movers that want to train and live in an intentional way, and want to excel in all facets of school, work, sport, and life. Join us for bi-weekly episodes of digestible and practical education, and inspiring conversations with impactful individuals in the world of sport, strength & conditioning, entrepreneurship, and life. Whether you are an athlete in sport, athlete in life, S&C coach, personal trainer, or someone that wants to get 1% better each day, CHALK TALK is here to educate and empower you to excel.
Coaching Observations & Being a Professional Vibes Reader
In this week’s episode we discuss some underrated aspects of coaching along with some observations and my own reflections. Maybe underrated isn’t the word choice for these, but these are things that absolutely impact the delivery, flow, and facilitation of a training session (or practice). Things like providing autonomy, spatial awareness, and reading the room.
We dive into the importance of providing autonomy and how that can be impactful for an individual (as per the Self Determination Theory) along with long-term skill acquisition. We discuss the importance of spatial awareness and knowing when to be more hands-on vs. when to give the athlete/ client space. Finally, we discuss the concept of “reading the room” when it comes to how we’re communicating, coaching, and facilitating (and essentially how we read the VIBES of the room).
I also share a little more information about some upcoming in-person continuing education opportunities like the NSCA Ontario Clinic (https://www.nsca.com/events/state-and-regional/ontario-provincial-clinic/) on Saturday May 23rd at McMaster University and the McMaster Performance and Wellness Workshop (https://mcmaster.universitytickets.com/w/event.aspx?id=1721) held the next day on Sunday May 24th.
CONNECT WITH TRAINING2XL:
Website: www.training2xl.com (http://www.training2xl.com)
Email: alena@training2xl.com (mailto:alena@training2xl.com)
Instagram: www.instagram.com/training2xl/ (http://www.instagram.com/training2xl/)
Coaching Foundations Course: https://www.training2xl.com/coaching-foundations-course (https://www.training2xl.com/coaching-foundations-course)
1:1 Remote Programming + Coaching: https://www.training2xl.com/shop/remote-programming-coaching (https://www.training2xl.com/shop/remote-programming-coaching)
1:1 Mentorship Intake: www.training2xl.com/11-mentoring (https://www.training2xl.com/11-mentoring)
NSCA Ontario Clinic: https://www.nsca.com/events/state-and-regional/ontario-provincial-clinic/ (https://www.nsca.com/events/state-and-regional/ontario-provincial-clinic/)
McMaster Performance & Wellness Workshop: https://mcmaster.universitytickets.com/w/event.aspx?id=1721 (https://mcmaster.universitytickets.com/w/event.aspx?id=1721)
13 Mar 2026
EPISODE 51: The Concept of Duality and How it Pertains to Coaching, Sport & Life
In this week’s episode we discuss the concept of duality and how it pertains to coaching, entrepreneurship, and life. Duality is understanding that things can co-exist (especially opposing thoughts, feelings, emotions, interests, etc). It’s actually a really awesome concept that I’m working on embracing in both my professional and personal life.
I think this is actually something that should be discussed more in the coaching world because I feel like it’s a common misconception that you need to act, dress, or be a certain way in order to be respected and seen as professional. I’ve spent many years not showcasing certain aspects of myself out of fear of not being taken seriously in a male-dominated field, but the older I get, and the longer I’ve been in this industry, the more I realize that it’s actually an asset to be myself.
When we show up in a way that’s authentic, we give permission to others to do the same and that’s a powerful tool for building culture and community.
As always, feel free to comment below or send me an email to chat further!
CONNECT WITH TRAINING2XL:
Website: www.training2xl.com (http://www.training2xl.com)
Email: alena@training2xl.com (mailto:alena@training2xl.com)
Instagram: www.instagram.com/training2xl/ (http://www.instagram.com/training2xl/)
Coaching Foundations Course: https://www.training2xl.com/coaching-foundations-course (https://www.training2xl.com/coaching-foundations-course)
1:1 Remote Programming + Coaching: https://www.training2xl.com/shop/remote-programming-coaching (https://www.training2xl.com/shop/remote-programming-coaching)
1:1 Mentorship Intake: www.training2xl.com/11-mentoring (https://www.training2xl.com/11-mentoring)
25 Feb 2026
EPISODE 50: This One’s for the Girls (and men that want to be better)
In this week’s episode, we discuss something that is currently circulating in the social media world about the US men’s hockey team mocking the US women’s hockey team with their president in the comfort of their locker room.
It’s not so much that they laughed … it’s the principle of it. It’s the fact that their women fought hard to win a gold medal on the same stage they did but became the butt of a joke, and no one was there to defend them or stand up for them in that room. It’s that women everywhere have experienced this and feel exhausted constantly trying to defend themselves in different situations.
I wanted to use this space to share more about where my own rage is stemming from after doing some reflecting and want to open up the conversation to share some perspective as a woman in a male-dominated industry.
If you want to continue the discussion, please email me at alena@training2xl.com (mailto:alena@training2xl.com) - my inbox is always open!
CONNECT WITH TRAINING2XL:
Website: www.training2xl.com (http://www.training2xl.com)
Email: alena@training2xl.com (mailto:alena@training2xl.com)
Instagram: www.instagram.com/training2xl/ (http://www.instagram.com/training2xl/)
Coaching Foundations Course: https://www.training2xl.com/coaching-foundations-course (https://www.training2xl.com/coaching-foundations-course)
1:1 Remote Programming + Coaching: https://www.training2xl.com/shop/remote-programming-coaching (https://www.training2xl.com/shop/remote-programming-coaching)
1:1 Mentorship Intake: www.training2xl.com/11-mentoring (https://www.training2xl.com/11-mentoring)
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Spotify
5.0 / 5
11 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 34 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
48
Social presence
0
YouTube
0
Engagement
51
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Questions about CHALK TALK
Who hosts CHALK TALK?
ALENA host the show. Published by TRAINING2XL.
How often do new episodes come out?
The show publishes weekly, based on its RSS feed.
Does CHALK TALK take guests?
Yes. Guests have been identified in episode analyses.
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