Being An Active Participant In Coming Out Of A Dark Season with Lindsay Craig
In this episode of Get Sculpted, Tijana speaks with Lindsay Craig about the importance of self-care and putting yourself first during tough times.
What if you stopped believing that putting yourself first is selfish? What would change in your life if you realized that the key to supporting those who need you most is taking care of yourself first? In today’s powerful episode, you’ll hear how one mother's journey through her child's cancer treatment revealed that putting yourself first isn't just about survival; it's about taking your power back when everything feels out of control.
Join Tijana and special guest Lindsay Craig, a resilient coach and mother who faced an unimaginable challenge when her son was diagnosed with cancer during her own fitness transformation journey. Rather than abandoning her health habits during this dark season, Lindsey discovered that maintaining her physical and mental well-being became her anchor. Through her story, she reveals how "controlling the controllables" and refusing to let go of healthy habits became her pathway through trauma and transformation.
Here’s what we cover:
The surprising truth about motivation during dark seasons and why necessity is a more powerful driver than willpower
What true resilience really means, and why it's less about endurance and more about adaptation
The mindset shift that transforms self-care from a luxury into a necessity during challenging times
Why taking "messy action" and imperfect steps forward is more powerful than waiting for perfect conditions
How to break down overwhelming situations into manageable, hour-by-hour decisions that keep you moving forward
When life throws you into a dark season, remember that putting yourself first isn't just about survival – it's about creating the strength to emerge even more resilient. Every small step forward, from getting in your daily movement to prioritizing proper nutrition, becomes an act of reclaiming your power.
Resilience isn't always just about enduring. It's about adapting and showing up even when you feel completely broken inside.
-Lindsay Craig
What small step will you take today to show up for yourself, even in the midst of challenges? Join our supportive community on Instagram @getsculpted and connect with the Get Sculpted team for more guidance on transforming your body and life, especially during life's toughest seasons.
More About Lindsay Craig
Lindsay is a Certified Personal Trainer (CPT), Fitness Instructor Specialist (FIS), and Healthy Eating & Weight Loss Coach (HWLC) turned online fitness coach, dedicated to empowering women to take back their power in the gym, the kitchen, and life. Through her coaching, she helps women achieve sustainable results without restrictive diets or endless cardio, teaching them the "why" behind their transformation to build lifelong habits.
A survivor of stage 3 Wilms tumor cancer, Lindsay has been cancer-free for over 30 years, a milestone she now shares with her 2-year-old son, Logan, who was diagnosed with Rhabdomyosarcoma in 2023. Her resilience in the face of life’s challenges has fueled her drive to inspire and support others, even through difficult times.
Today, Lindsay combines her personal experiences, education, and love for fitness to help women rewrite their stories.
Her message is clear: Life is messy and there will always be ups and downs. No matter where you’re starting from, transformation is possible when you show up, do the work, and focus on controlling the controllable. The rest will fall into place.
Connect with Lindsay:
Connect with Get Sculpted:
Thanks for joining us on this episode of Get Sculpted! If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review on Apple or Spotify to help us reach even more women ready to cut through the noise and get the real deal on fat loss, muscle building, and what it really takes to build their 2.0 sculpted self inside and out.
This podcast is brought to you in partnership with Leah Bryant Co.
More about the Get Sculpted Podcast
Welcome to Get Sculpted, the podcast designed for women ready to transform their bodies and level up their lives with science-based strategies and actionable advice.
We dive into the essentials of fat loss, muscle building, and metabolism optimization by helping you work smarter, not harder.
This isn’t about quick fixes or fad diets; it’s about creating sustainable habits and stacking wins. We’ll help you fuel your body, strengthen your mindset, and build your 2.0 sculpted self from the inside out.
We’re your hosts, Jordanna, Marilynn, and Tijana. We have over 20 years of collective experience in the training, nutrition, and body transformation business, with over 1000 transformations and counting.
Ready to get stronger, more empowered, and embrace a healthier, more resilient you? Join us every week and start sculpting the life you deserve!
The unedited podcast transcript for this episode of the Get Sculpted podcast follows:
[Lindsay] Thank you so much for having me. I'm so excited to be here and I can't wait just to chat again about everything that happened this past year and just moving forward.
The Beginning of the Dark Season
[Tijana] Yeah, absolutely. You’re such a source of inspiration for so many people. So I think the appropriate thing is to lead with how this all started.Take us back to October 2023, because we’re in 2025 now. What was happening that really changed the trajectory of your life at that point? [Lindsay] Well, so you and I had been working together for just about five months. We were almost ready to go for photo shoot prep—I think I was literally three weeks away. And all of a sudden, out of nowhere, we noticed swelling with our son and acted very, very quickly. We got him into the hospital, where they did an ultrasound and said, “There’s something there. We don’t know what it is, but come back tomorrow so we can look further.” The next day, they confirmed there was a mass visible. Even then, it hadn’t clicked for me that it could possibly be cancer. But everything started so quickly. Within eight days, his surgery was scheduled, and then we had the two-week wait for biopsy results.
Receiving the Diagnosis
[Lindsay] I specifically remember mid-October, I was driving home from work and chatting with a friend. She asked if I’d heard anything about Logan’s biopsy results. I said no, and then—literally during that conversation—I got a call. It was his surgeon. He told me the biopsy confirmed it was cancer, and we would be transferred immediately to plan the next steps for Logan.[Tijana] You actually heard while you were driving?
[Lindsay] Yes, just me by myself. I was talking to my friend when the call came in. It’s like I put it into the universe, and the universe answered. There’s that saying, “You never get good news at night from a doctor,” and that was true in our case. His surgeon, though, was wonderful—he took care of everything and ensured communication with the oncology team started immediately.
Life Turned Upside Down
[Tijana] So, like you said, you were prepping for a shoot, everything was going well. Within weeks, everything changed. What was going through your head?[Lindsay] When Logan was diagnosed, our world flipped upside down. Everything changed—appointments, chemo, uncertainty. It was overwhelming. But training became my anchor. It wasn’t about aesthetics or vanity anymore—it was about survival, physically, mentally, and emotionally. Training was the one thing I could control.
Fitness as an Anchor
[Tijana] I think most people would react to devastating news by putting their own needs on hold and focusing solely on the crisis. But the problem with that is you destroy your own health. So what was your thought process when fitness became your anchor?[Lindsay] A saying I live by is control the controllable. Training was literally the only thing I could control. It gave me routine and stability in a very unstable time. If I wasn’t physically and mentally strong, how could I support Logan, my husband, my daughter, or even my clients? Training wasn’t about motivation—it was necessity. Movement helped me process everything and gave me the strength and energy to keep going.
Resilience Through Fitness
[Tijana] When we started together, you mentioned being a childhood cancer survivor. Do you think that experience propelled you toward fitness and resilience?[Lindsay] Absolutely. Fitness became part of my identity. It wasn’t just about looking good—it was about feeling strong and capable. Of course, life ebbs and flows—I had two children, and there were seasons where fitness looked different. But I used those experiences to move forward, not pull me back.
Coming Out of a Dark Season
[Tijana] One of our team standards is being an active participant in coming out of a dark season. You embody this better than anyone. How would you distill your approach into advice for listeners?[Lindsay] Control the controllable. When life feels paralyzing, focus on small, tangible actions. For me, it was getting my steps in while Logan got chemo, prioritizing workouts, drinking water, and prepping meals. Small wins added up and gave me a sense of control. Coming out of darkness isn’t about perfection. It’s about choosing, however imperfectly, to take your life back.
Lessons in Resilience
[Lindsay] This experience taught me true resilience. As a child cancer survivor, I thought I understood resilience, but this was different. As a mom, I carried the weight for Logan. Resilience isn’t just enduring—it’s adapting and showing up even when you’re broken. The light at the end of the tunnel does come back, and leaning on support systems is crucial.
Supporting Others in Their Journey
[Tijana] You’ve connected with oncology moms and are now coaching some of them. What’s that been like?[Lindsay] It’s a privilege and an honor. Some moms are still in treatment; others are finished. It’s hard for moms to choose themselves when they want to prioritize their child. But I remind them that taking care of themselves is the most powerful way to show up for their families.
Overcoming the “F*** It” Mentality
[Tijana] What if you’d given in to a “f*** it” mentality—stopped training, ate poorly, and let everything slide?[Lindsay] I wouldn’t be here today. There were days I missed workouts or hit a drive-through, but I made the hard decision to keep showing up—even if it was hour by hour. Letting it all go might feel easier in the moment, but it makes the long haul harder. Taking care of myself gave me the mental clarity and strength to handle everything.
[Tijana] This has been so powerful. Do you have any final advice?
[Lindsay] When life hits hard, don’t let it splatter all over your progress. Life ebbs and flows, but staying strong and stubborn is key. You’re tougher than whatever is trying to take you down.
[Tijana] Thank you, Lindsay. You’re an incredible coach and inspiration.
[Lindsay] Thank you, T. It’s been an honor.
Takeaway: Even in life’s darkest moments, focus on the small actions within your control. Progress doesn’t have to be perfect—it just has to keep moving forward.