Tone It Down

Welcome to Tone It Down, your new weekly ritual for exhaling, exhaling again, and remembering you’re not supposed to have it all figured out. Hosted by Karena Dawn, cofounder of Tone It Up and your favorite wellness bestie, this is the girlfriend group chat you actually want to be in. The one where we laugh so hard our mascara migrates, unpack the stuff that’s been sitting on our hearts, and walk away feeling—finally—seen.Every episode is an invitation to step out of the relentless “do more, be more, achieve more” swirl and slip into something softer. Here, we explore what it really takes to feel good in our bodies, steady in our minds, and connected in our lives. Think fitness and nutrition with a side of real-life evolution, the quiet self-care practices that actually stick, and the private girl talk rarely shared in public. No posturing. No perfection. Just honest conversations about the glow-ups, the growing pains, the rituals we love, and the resets we desperately need.Tone It D

Tone It Down is a health podcast hosted by Unknown Host, with 30 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Unknown Host hosts Tone It Down, a health show with 30 episodes published.

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  Tone It Down

  Reclaim Your Relationship’s Confidence & Connection with Sexual Wellness Coach Gabriella Espinosa

  Aug 11, 202653 min

  This week Karena welcomes Gabriella Espinosa — certified women's health and sexual wellness expert, host of Pleasure and the Pause, and executive producer of the documentary Hot — for the joyful, empowering conversation the Tone It Up community has been asking for. Gabriella shares how she went from feeling disconnected in her 40s to becoming one of the leading voices in women's pleasure and hormone health, then she and Karena dive into "pleasure snacks," how to communicate what you want with a partner, and why prioritizing your own pleasure is one of the most powerful wellness tools you have. Plus: a community voicemail question, answered live. How Do I Reconnect With Pleasure and Discuss It Without Shame? [00:00] Coming Next [01:50] Karena’s Intro & TIU Updates [05:47] TIU App [07:30] Pleasure Is Wellness Gabriella reframes the whole conversation from the jump: sexual wellness isn't separate from your health, it's part of it, just like skin, muscles, and bones. Her own turning point came from choosing curiosity over silence during a season of change in her 40s. Her mission now: help women feel confident, informed, and unashamed talking about their bodies. [17:45] Pleasure Snacks: Small Moments, Big Impact Gabriella introduces "pleasure snacks": tiny, everyday moments that build your capacity to feel good. Simple examples include feeling the sun on your skin, dancing in your kitchen, savoring a meal, moving your body. The takeaway: filling your own cup first widens what's possible with a partner. [24:42] Community Voicemail: Supporting Your Hormones Listener Dawn calls in with a question about navigating an estrogen patch shortage. Gabriella shares practical, doctor-conversation-ready options including alternative forms of estrogen worth asking about. You have more options than you think, and your doctor can help you find the right one. [30:43] Know Your Body, Own Your Confidence Gabriella brings hands-on models to break down vulva and clitoral anatomy in a clear, judgment-free way. The empowering stat: the clitoris exists purely for pleasure, with thousands of nerve endings dedicated to it. Her encouragement: getting familiar with your own anatomy is one of the simplest confidence-building steps you can take. [40:37] Build Your "Yucks and Yums" List Gabriella's favorite communication tool: writing out what you love and what's a pass, solo or with a partner. It's a low-pressure way to open the conversation — grab a notebook, a glass of wine, and get curious. Her reminder: your partner wants to hear this from you, and naming your desires is a gift to both of you. [47:41] The Empowering Truth to Remember Gabriella closes with a stat worth sharing: most doctors won't bring up sexual health unless you do Her closing message: pleasure has no age limit and no expiration date. It's yours for life. Connect with Gabriella: A gift for listeners: Receive Gabriella’s FREE Pleasure Upgrade Bundle (https://www.pleasureinthepause.com/gift). Includes 7-Day Pleasure Body Journal + Guided Visualization + Pleasure Checklist. @gabriellaespinosa on IG (https://www.instagram.com/gabriellaespinosa/?hl=en) Pleasure in the Pause podcast (https://www.pleasureinthepause.com/) HOT! Documentary (https://www.themilkhaus.com/hot-documentary/) Let's Connect: Karena Dawn — @karenadawn on IG (https://www.instagram.com/karenadawn/) THE BIG SILENCE PODCAST (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-big-silence/id1607181597) Join the #1 Fitness App for Women: Tone It Up App (https://my.toneitup.com/pages/tone-it-up-app) Tone It Up YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@toneitup/featured) Tone It Up Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/toneitup/?hl=en)

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  Tone It Down

  Beating Skinny Culture & Conquering Fitness Slumps with Strength Coach Jacqueline Kasen

  Aug 4, 202636 min

  Part 2 of Karena’s conversation trainer and fitness industry veteran Jacqueline Kasen picks up right where we left off — and this half goes even deeper. Karena and Jacqueline talk through the future of fitness (and why Jacqueline feels genuinely hopeful about where the industry is headed), the three real things that beat a motivation slump, and a live "workshop your why" exercise using Jacqueline's goal-tree method. Then it gets personal: dating in Miami, Karena's decade of marriage, why every good relationship (and every good goal) takes real work, and the importance of self-accountability when you mess up. [00:00] Coming Next [01:36] Intro & TIU Updates from Karena [06:29] TIU App [08:18] Welcome back Jacqueline [10:00] Skinny Culture, Then and Now Karena and Jacqueline discuss body positivity The pressures of social media on today's kids Why "doom scrolling" makes skinny culture harder to ignore than the magazine-era pressures we grew up with [06:59] The Future of Fitness Jacqueline shares why she's hopeful about the future of fitness The medical and fitness worlds are starting to merge with doctors leaning on nutrition and movement before medication. [11:25] Workshop Your Why: The Goal Tree Live exercise: Jacqueline walks Karena through her "tree" method for breaking a big, undefined goal into specific, actionable steps [~20:00] Ten Years of Marriage & Being a Good Damn Person Karena reflects on nearly a decade of marriage Jacqueline connects successful relationships back to integrity — "how you act when nobody's watching" Connect with Jacqueline: @kasenfitness on IG (https://www.instagram.com/kasenfitness/?hl=en) Let's Connect: Karena Dawn — @karenadawn on IG (https://www.instagram.com/karenadawn/) THE BIG SILENCE PODCAST (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-big-silence/id1607181597) Join the #1 Fitness App for Women: Tone It Up App (https://my.toneitup.com/pages/tone-it-up-app) Tone It Up YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@toneitup/featured) Tone It Up Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/toneitup/?hl=en)

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  Tone It Down

  Live from Miami: Karena Answers Your Questions on Workout Snacks, Motivation Slumps and Vacation Mode in Your App

  Jul 28, 202624 min

  We are LIVE from Miami and Karena and Des are fresh off a Walk & Talk with local Tone It Up gals. Today, they’re digging into YOUR community questions: what to do when motivation disappears, why building muscle feels harder after 40, the "lazy but effective" workouts that still count, and how to stay on track while traveling. Plus a huge announcement about where Tone It Up is filming next. Drop your own question at karenadawn.com/message and you could be featured on the pod! [7:06] Motivation Ebbs, Flows & Showing Up Anyway Karena gets honest about founding Tone It Up at 27 out of a passion for fitness, after living through her "decade of darkness" Her go-to fix: show up for just one small step — a 5, 10, or 15-minute workout in the app — and let the feeling of doing it rebuild the motivation. Big takeaway: lacking motivation is normal, especially with hormone shifts throughout the month, and an accountability partner can help. [9:55] Building Muscle After 40 & the Power of Protein Karena explains that muscle loss after 40 is real (hello, sarcopenia) and connects it to perimenopause and menopause and shares that she's building a program specifically on gaining muscle. Her practical advice: prioritize protein throughout the day, and consider creatine and aminos alongside consistent weight lifting. [11:26] Workout Snacks, Travel Routines & Vacation Mode Karena's favorite "workout snacks": squats every bathroom break, dumbbells kept on the kitchen island, and walking phone calls instead of sitting. Des shares how walkable cities like New York and Montreal turn exploring into built-in movement The app's Vacation Mode program (7 days, no weights required) is built to keep a light routine going without sacrificing the fun of a trip. [16:34] Big News: Filming in Saint Vincent After years of requests for beach workouts, Tone It Up is headed to Saint Vincent in the Caribbean to film, plus a surprise beyond the workouts themselves. Karena and Des close with an open invitation: DM your ideas for future guests and topics, including more lighthearted, pop-culture conversations. Let's Connect: Karena Dawn — @karenadawn on IG (https://www.instagram.com/karenadawn/) THE BIG SILENCE PODCAST (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-big-silence/id1607181597) Join the #1 Fitness App for Women: Tone It Up App (https://my.toneitup.com/pages/tone-it-up-app) Tone It Up YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@toneitup/featured) Tone It Up Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/toneitup/?hl=en)

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  Tone It Down

  Strength Coach Jacqueline Kasen on Lifting Heavy, Peptide Culture, & the Truth About "New Healthy"

  Jul 21, 202636 min

  On today’s episode, Karena is live from Miami with part one of her conversation with trainer, gym executive, and fitness industry veteran Jacqueline Kasen. Jacqueline grew up behind the scenes of the at-home fitness world (her dad's company helped launch Denise Austin), studied exercise science with plans to go the medical route, and lasted exactly 10 hours as a trainer before she knew fitness was where she belonged. Karena and Jacqueline dig into the current peptide and extreme-lean culture, why lifting heavy matters more than ever (especially on GLP-1s), supplement basics, and why "back to basics" beats chasing the next trend. [06:56] How Fitness Has Changed Over 20 Years From the Arnold Classic bodybuilder era and supplement-brand booth culture to calisthenics, the COVID minimalist-workout boom, and 10,000 steps. Where the industry is now: an "odd phase" of extreme leanness driven by the peptide boom. [11:05] The Peptide & "New Healthy" Conversation Jacqueline shares her honest, non-judgmental take on GLP-1s and peptides in the fitness industry, and the long-term health concerns she sees. [14:15] Simple, Non-Negotiable Basics Move daily, lift heavy and often, get quality sleep, eat well, spend time outside — Jacqueline's no-frills formula for feeling better fast. Karena connects it to "workout snacks" and short Tone It Up app workouts for low-motivation days. [18:31] Lifting Heavy, Explained What "heavy" actually means (RPE — rate of perceived exertion), why bone density and strength training matter especially for women as they age, and the muscle/bone loss risk tied to GLP-1 use. Form and technique over ego — and why trainers should step in to help, not judge. [23:21] Supplements, Protein & Wearables Jacqueline's take on creatine, protein targets, and why she's wary of over-measuring and fitness trackers creating unnecessary stress. [29:20] Back to Basics & the Medical-Fitness Divide A candid conversation about prescriptions vs. root-cause care, including Jacqueline's personal experience navigating a family member’s treatment. Where Jacqueline sees medicine and fitness merging — more in Part 2. Connect with Jacqueline: @kasenfitness on IG Let's Connect: Karena Dawn — @karenadawn on IG THE BIG SILENCE PODCAST Join the #1 Fitness App for Women: Tone It Up App Tone It Up YouTube Tone It Up Instagram

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  Tone It Down

  Lisa J of BK Beauty on Beauty After 40, Finding Your Confidence & Building a Brand

  Jul 14, 202648 min

  In this conversation with Lisa J, founder of BK Beauty and longtime beauty creator, Karena Dawn explores how great tools (not more product) transform your makeup routine, why real confidence takes years to build, and how she and her husband built a self-funded beauty brand on their own terms — plus, the honest, hopeful story of how fitness and self-care helped both women come back to themselves. What if the secret to feeling beautiful has less to do with what you're wearing, and everything to do with how kind you are to yourself? Great tools, honest confidence, and a whole lot of self-kindness — this conversation has it all. [04:28] Building BK Beauty: From YouTube to Beauty Empire Lisa's five years making YouTube makeup tutorials before launching BK Beauty in 2019 Why she started with brushes instead of products, and the difference the right tools make Building the business alongside her husband Paul, and how they divide roles without stepping on each other Staying self-funded and what that freedom has meant for the brand [11:11] Makeup as Self-Expression & Teaching Her Daughters Confidence Lisa's earliest memory of falling in love with makeup at twelve years old Choosing the name BK Beauty for her daughters, and the lesson she wanted it to carry Why she teaches her girls that beauty is kindness — to others and to yourself How makeup, like clothing, became less about hiding and more about expression [16:49] Beauty Tips for Every Stage: Skin, Brushes & Confidence After 40 The most common concealer mistake — and why less is more Why dense brushes aren't your friend after 40, and what to look for instead Lisa's tinted-SPF hack and her go-to layering routine for hydrated, glowy skin The real difference between bronzer and contour [36:11] Finding Yourself Again: Fitness, Motherhood & Coming Back to You Karena on how fitness became her therapy and helped her through a hard chapter Lisa's own journey into fitness after losing her best friend Karena's honest take on weight changes, perimenopause, and getting back on track Why both women believe you have to take care of yourself before you can take care of anything else Guest Resources Follow Lisa J on YouTube Follow Lisa J on Instagram Check out BK Beauty Find Lisa on TikTok: Lisa J Makeup If this episode made you feel good, please consider supporting the show and exploring our resources: Let's Connect: Karena Dawn — @karenadawn on IG THE BIG SILENCE PODCAST Join the #1 Fitness App for Women: Tone It Up App Tone It Up YouTube Tone It Up Instagram

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