Dancer turned powerlifter, Emily Socolinsky, joins Jackie and Zoe to discuss her incredible career. When degenerative disc disease threatened to take dance away from her, she found healing through lifting. Her journey has culminated in her deciding to start a gym, Fivex3 Training in Baltimore, where she empowers others through strength training and also hosts fundraisers in honor of her late sister, Charlotte.

Her story is at once very relatable and also incredibly powerful. In this episode, Emily talks about her young adulthood as a dancer and teacher, her back spasms and years of pain and how frustrating it was to not know what to do about it, how she found strength and started the gym, and what running it during Covid was like. She also tells us the story of her sister’s cancer diagnosis and eventual passing, and how that shaped her relationship to community, charity, and life. She ends with advice for anyone looking to get started with strength training, no matter their age or current strength status.

Full show notes available on our substack, https://aftermash.substack.com/

If you want to learn more about Emily, check out her website www.fivex3.com.