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Tone It Down

Tone It Down

What If It All Goes Right? TIU Trainer Angela Gargano on Resilience, Confidence & Starting Over

Tone It Down · Jun 30, 2026 · 22:34

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This week we're back with Tone It Up trainer, 6x American Ninja Warrior, and motivational speaker Angela Gargano and this conversation is pure fuel. Angela opens up about tearing her ACL on national television (her second tear!), the mental side of her comeback, and the moment she decided to go all-in on motivational speaking after manifesting it a year before. We talk confidence vs. courage and Angela answers your community questions, from building your first pull-up without a bar to her honest take on fitness foundations and trends. 

[00:00] Coming Next

[01:00] Intro

[02:07] New Workouts & Meet Your Trainer





Karena welcomes Angela Gargano back to the show after filming new progressive-overload workouts for the Tone It Up app.



New workouts hit lower body, glutes, upper body, and quick total-body/core sessions you can repeat.

[03:48] The ACL Comeback & What Resilience Really Looks Like 





Angela revisits her American Ninja Warrior journey — including tearing her ACL on national television, her second tear ever.



It took two seasons of rejection before she made it back on the show.



Her biggest takeaway: resilience is mental far more than it's physical.

 [07:42] The Hallway in Between & Confidence vs. Courage





Angela shares the concept behind her upcoming book, The Hallway in Between — the five steps to move through when you're not certain what's next.



Her keynote audiences tell her, "I'm in the hallway, Ange" — it resonates because everyone's hallway looks different.



Angela's reframe: you don't need confidence to start — you need conviction, and confidence builds as you go.



All it takes is a small spark of courage to propel you forward.

 [13:44] Angela's 4 F's Foundation





Fitness: just three 30-minute workouts a week (1.5 hours total) is a great starting base.



Fuel: start small — aim for ~30g of protein at breakfast and build from there.



Focus: take a few intentional breaths and a moment present, away from social media.



Fun: Angela shares a powerful personal story about a therapist's advice to simply "go have fun again" during a hard season — and how it changed everything.

 [17:22] Fitness Trends & Myths, Honestly Addressed





Angela and Karena share their honest, supportive take on the GLP-1 conversation 



The trend they're loving right now: building strength and muscle is officially "in" — and that's a win for women's health at every age.



Quick myth-busting round: weights won't make you bulky, an hour-long workout isn't required, and why cardio alone won't get you there



Connect with Angela:





Website (https://www.angela-gargano.com/)



@angela_gargano on IG (https://www.instagram.com/angela_gargano/)



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)

Episodes: Tone It Down

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