FS8 Strength Stories: Julie Mirliss – Redefining What Strength Really Means
At FS8, we believe strength is something deeper. It’s resilience through life’s transitions. It’s learning to listen to your body instead of fighting against it. It’s finding empowerment not just through movement, but through connection, to yourself and to the community around you.
That’s the heart of FS8 Strength Stories, a series dedicated to the real people who make up our community. Members from all walks of life who are redefining what strength looks like through their own experiences, challenges, and growth.
Strength isn’t just built in the studio. It’s shaped by the lives we live outside of it. Our first FS8 Strength Story features Julie Mirliss; therapist, positive body-image advocate, and FS8 member. Julie realized her high-intensity workout routines were increasing her stress and negatively impacting her nervous system. While navigating difficult life transitions, she turned to the welcoming community at FS8 to reconnect her mind and body through intentional, slow movements.
Read Julie’s powerful FS8 interview below.
Finding Strength Through FS8
In a world filled with expectations around how women should look, Julie’s work focuses on helping her clients shift that narrative. Her career as a therapist was deeply shaped by her own experiences growing up.
“Growing up as a woman, I think we all have a complex relationship with food and our bodies,” she explains. “Learning how to improve my own relationship with food and body image really inspired me to want to support and help others do the same.”
“I really try to advocate that body acceptance and strengthening our bodies comes from meeting yourself where you are, flaws and all,” she says. “Embracing who you are and taking care of yourself both mentally and physically so you feel empowered to navigate the world.”
That philosophy extends far beyond her work. It’s something she actively practices in her own life.
Why We Need to Slow Down to Speed Up
Julie first discovered FS8 during a period of personal transition.
“I was struggling with my own mental health and going through a lot of big changes in my life,” she shares. “I knew how important it was to take care of my mental health, staying connected to my therapist, my community, my support system, but I also needed an exercise routine that helped reconnect me to my body and mind.”
For years, Julie believed the common fitness message many of us hear: the harder the workout, the better the results.
“Before FS8, my relationship with exercise was all over the place,” she says. “I thought high-intensity was best for my body; dance classes, spin classes, boot camps, interval training.”
But something wasn’t working. “That intensity was actually increasing my stress and impacting my cortisol levels,” she explains. “It just wasn’t a good fit for my body.”
FS8 introduced her to a different approach. “Slowing things down and moving with intention had such a positive impact on both my body and my mental health. It really helped regulate my nervous system from the inside out.” states Julie
What began as a workout with FS8 quickly became something more.
A Different Kind of Strength
Julie still remembers her first FS8 class.
“I didn’t totally know what to expect,” she says. “I had done a few reformer classes before, but this one felt different.” The guidance was there, but so was independence. The class encouraged something many workouts overlook: presence.
“You’re guided to take your breath seriously and move intentionally,” she says. “By the end of the class I felt so strong in my body. The slow pace and intentionality… there’s something addictive about it.”
Instead of leaving exhausted, Julie left feeling empowered.
“I just wanted to get back on the machine,” says Julie.
The Strength of Community
While the movement initially drew Julie in, it was the people who made her stay.
“The community at FS8 surprised me the most,” she says. In the past, workouts had been something she did alone, a place to go, exercise, and leave.
“FS8 is completely different. I’m greeted by name. There are so many familiar faces in class.” Those relationships have grown beyond the studio walls, which is something FS8 is proud to hold as a core value; community.
“I’ve made friends here who are now friends outside of class,” Julie shares. “I actually hosted a game night with some of my FS8 friends last weekend.”
For Julie, someone who deeply values connection, that sense of community has been just as meaningful as the workout itself. Science proves that communities can provide us with a sense of belonging, safety, support in hard times, and give us purpose.¹
“Clearly there’s something really like-minded about the people who come here,” she says.
And that connection extends to one of her favorite things: food.
“I love food, I won’t be shy about that,” she laughs. “In my work helping others improve their relationship with food, it’s been important for me to also find joy in it.”
Her favorite way to do that? Sharing meals with the people she cares about most.
Strength, Exactly As You Are
At the heart of Julie’s work, and her personal journey, is a simple but powerful message.
“I hope my clients and anyone hearing this knows that embracing yourself exactly where you are is the strongest you can be.”
It’s a perspective that perfectly reflects what FS8 is all about. Strength isn’t about perfection.
It’s about presence, resilience, and showing up exactly as you are. If Julie has one hope for anyone walking into an FS8 studio for the first time, it’s this:
“I hope people feel embraced when they walk into FS8.”
To watch Julie’s full story visit: https://fs8.com/fs8-strength-stories/
Sources:
- https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/explore-mental-health/blogs/why-community-important-our-mental-health
