The Strong Not Starving Community
Build a strong, capable, healthy body without getting pulled into aesthetic-obsessed, extreme fitness culture.
You want to feel strong, healthy, and capable in your body, and you may have already tried different ways to get there.
Maybe you’ve even joined a fitness program or worked with a personal trainer before.
And while some of what you learned in those spaces may have been helpful, somewhere along the way, you may have started to notice that you weren’t actually feeling good in your body anymore.
Maybe the training intensity ramped up too quickly, and instead of feeling challenged in a good way, you felt pushed past your limits.
Maybe the constant focus on body shapes, kilos, centimeters, and calorie counts made it hard not to compare yourself to others or question whether you were “doing enough.”
Perhaps the nutrition advice left you feeling drained, deprived, conflicted, or even anxious, and you started fearing and avoiding foods you used to love.
And despite a lot of talk about good vibes, inclusion, or community, it was still obvious that some people were treated differently than others.
Wanting to look good may have been one of the reasons you started exercising, but it probably wasn’t the main reason you joined a program or worked with a trainer.
What you wanted most of all, and still want, is to:
Challenge yourself in a healthy way and discover what your body is capable of
Stay mobile, strong, and independent well into your 80s, and beyond
Have a body that supports your life, whether that’s hiking, carrying groceries, rearranging furniture, or simply moving through the world with more ease and energy
Feel good mentally and physically.
You noticed that movement gives you more energy, clears your mind, and helps you feel more like yourself.
The truth is, most fitness spaces are not built around these values, which might be why something about your past experiences never fully felt right.
Right now, you might feel caught between two things:
On one hand, you value guidance, feedback, and knowing that what you’re doing is actually helping you progress.
You enjoy learning alongside people who are working toward similar goals and supporting each other along the way.
On the other hand, you may worry that joining another program will just lead to more of the same experiences you’ve already had.
That's why we created the SNS community!
This is why we created the SNS community
This space was built to help people build strength, energy, and confidence through movement that actually feels good to come back to.
Where exercise supports your life instead of becoming your life.
Where food and nutrition are approached with understanding rather than fear.
Where your body is seen as something to work with, not constantly fight against or punish.
Our stories...
A big part of why this community exists comes from our own experiences with fitness, body image, and the freedom that came from learning to approach movement differently.
Annabelle
Community leader
I first started working out when I was 13, not because I wanted to, but because I was told I needed to lose weight.
As a chubby kid who looked different from my peers, I learned very early to fear food and see exercise as something you do to make your body more acceptable.
Over time, that mindset slowly turned into an eating disorder that took over my life for 15 years.What helped me recover was realizing that my body was never meant to exist just to be looked at, praised, or approved of by other people.
My body was here to support me through life, and if I wanted that support, I needed to start supporting it too.That’s when my relationship with exercise started to change.
I stopped working out to make myself smaller, and started working out to feel stronger and more connected to myself.
Today, my relationship with food and movement comes from a place of respect, curiosity, and care rather than punishment.
I no longer tie my worth to how my body looks, and because of that, I move through most days feeling comfortable in my own skin.Getting here wasn’t easy, especially with how loud, confusing, and contradictory the fitness and nutrition world can be.
But I was determined to find a way to live peacefully with my body, because nothing compares to the freedom that comes with that.
And now, I’m on a mission to help you live with that freedom as well!
Marcus
SNS Founder & Coach
Pressure to perform well in competitive sport as a teenager quickly led me to body composition tests, restrictive diets, 5am training sessions, and constant mental noise around food and body image.
The short version of the next 15 years is that the whole journey was exhausting, frustrating, and disappointing.
After over a decade trying to get the body I wanted, the relationship I had with my body, with food, with the gym... it was all a mess.
By 2018 I had been a personal trainer for 10 years.
My back and elbows were in constant pain from workout plans I'd bought from well-known YouTubers promising physique transformations. Every weekend I'd eat my way through a mountain of pizza and ice cream alone, then spend the rest of the week trying to make up for it.
Food and working out took up almost all my mental space, and even when I did look good, I was too stressed and hungry to enjoy it.
So I decided enough was enough, and went searching for answers outside the world of YouTubers and fitness magazines.
The next 8 became a deep dive on how to be strong and healthy, while living a fulfilling life, which is what Strong Not Starving is all about!
In the SNS Community, we support you with building strength in a way that actually fits into your life long-term
In the SNS Community, we support you with building strength in a way that actually fits into your life long-term
That means:
Learning how to make exercise feel more approachable on the days when your brain is trying to convince you not to do it, even when you know you’ll feel better afterward.
Finding a pace that feels sustainable, so you don’t end up stuck in the cycle of going all in, burning out, and feeling like you have to start over again.
Exploring forms of movement that feel enjoyable and supportive, rather than forcing yourself through workouts that feel rigid, draining, or disconnected from real life.
Focusing on the small wins and foundations that matter, especially during the phase where progress can feel slow or hard to notice.
Creating routines with less friction, so taking care of yourself feels easier to return to, even during busy or overwhelming seasons of life.
Simplifying the process, so you’re not overwhelmed by endless information, conflicting advice, or feeling like you need to do everything perfectly.
Building consistency through self-understanding and support, rather than blame, guilt, or the belief that you’re simply “bad at sticking to things.”
If you’re looking to be a part of a fitness program where:
You can train your body without getting pulled into comparison or aesthetic obsession
Exercise is approached as a way to support your energy, strength, wellbeing, and everyday life
You’re encouraged to work with your body instead of constantly fighting against it
Rest, flexibility, and real life are considered part of the process, not signs that you’re failing
You can show up as you are, without needing to already be fit, confident, or experienced
The people around you care more about feeling strong, capable, and healthy than chasing extremes and quick fixes
We’ll be happy to have you join us!
If you’re looking to be a part of a fitness program where:
You can train your body without getting pulled into comparison or aesthetic obsession
Exercise is approached as a way to support your energy, strength, wellbeing, and everyday life
You’re encouraged to work with your body instead of constantly fighting against it
Rest, flexibility, and real life are considered part of the process, not signs that you’re failing
You can show up as you are, without needing to already be fit, confident, or experienced
The people around you care more about feeling strong, capable, and healthy than chasing extremes and quick fixes
We’ll be happy to have you join us!
What you'll find in the community...
Guidance
Weekly training calls led by Marcus where we talk about nutrition, training techniques and structure, stress management, and answer any questions that come up for you along the way
Community
Weekly community calls led by Annabelle. Where we talk about the things that impact consistency and wellbeing beyond exercise, while also getting to know each other, sharing what’s going on in life, and building real connection as a community
Tutorials
A library of workout videos to help you learn proper exercise form, feel more confident in the gym, and support your training safely and effectively.
Resources
Nutrition resources to help take the guesswork out of what to eat and support your workouts in a realistic and sustainable way.
What you'll find in the community...
Guidance
Weekly training calls led by Marcus where we talk about nutrition, training techniques and structure, stress management, and answer any questions that come up for you along the way
Support
Weekly community calls led by Annabelle. Where we talk about the things that impact consistency and wellbeing beyond exercise, while also getting to know each other, sharing what’s going on in life, and building real connection as a community
Tutorials
A library of workout videos to help you learn proper exercise form, feel more confident in the gym, and support your training safely and effectively.
Resources
Nutrition resources to help take the guesswork out of what to eat and support your workouts in a realistic and sustainable way.
On calls, and in our community chat, we do things differently...
We love celebrating your wins, and because of the nature of this community and our values, we don’t share before and after photos or focus on body shape changes. While we acknowledge that physical change can be part of progress, that is not what this space is centered around. Instead, we encourage you to share what you're noticing about your practices, what’s shifting in your life, what you’re learning, and what you’re focusing on beyond exercise.
Do I need to commit for a minimum period?
This is a monthly membership, and you are free to opt out at any time. We want you to be part of this community because you genuinely want to be here, not because you feel stuck or forced to stay.
*Cancellation does not remove access immediately, it remains active until the end of the billing period you’ve already paid for.
Do I need experience in the gym to join?
No. We will teach you everything. You will have access to a bank of workout videos to help you learn proper form, the exercises you’re doing, and the order in which to do them. Even if you already have experience in the gym, you’ll likely still come across new ways to train here.
What if I struggle with consistency?
Consistency is a struggle for many people, so you’re definitely not alone here. This is exactly why we have community calls and a group chat. On the calls, we not only connect as a community but also look at what tends to get in the way of consistency, like time management and other real-life blocks, so you can build more consistency in a realistic way. In the chat, we check in with each other, support each other, and help keep each other in the game.
Is this suitable if I’ve had a complicated relationship with food or exercise?
Yes. Marcus is an *eating disorder-informed coach who has undertaken training from Dr. Jake Linardon (PhD) — one of the world’s leading researchers in Binge Eating Disorder. Both Annabelle and Marcus know firsthand what it means to have a complicated relationship with food and exercise. This space was built from that lived experience, with the intention of helping people approach fitness and health in a way that’s aligned with mental wellbeing.
*Eating disorder informed coaching is coaching with a heightened awareness of struggles associated with eating disorders. It is not a substitute for approved eating disorder recovery programs.
What makes this different from other programs?
We love high quality training, programming, and nutrition, and we also understand the psychology of a healthy relationship with food, exercise, and your body.
We’ve refined fitness and health down to what actually serves you, and left behind diet and fitness cult dogma.
We support each other as humans first, not as bodies, and we also want to get to know you beyond training – who you are, what you enjoy in your life, and what we can help you get more of!
I get that this is about feeling good, but what if I want to challenge myself?
Feeling good and finding out what you’re capable of go hand in hand. We encourage people to move at their own pace, and if for you that means a challenge, we get it!
Can I go at my own pace?
Yes. In fact, we encourage it as everyone’s pace is different! We provide guidance & support calls, tutorial videos, and downloadable resources – what you do and how fast you do it is totally up to you, we will be here to support you in every step of the way, no matter how fast, or slow you’re going.
What kind of workouts are included?
Our programs are designed to help you get the absolute most out of life. This means strength, stamina, and longevity. Depending on what you’d like to achieve and what equipment you have access to, we give you options that include barbells, kettlebells, resistance bands or cables, and bodyweight exercises.
Do I need equipment or a gym membership?
What equipment you need, or whether you require access to a gym, depends on what you’d like to get out of your sessions. If you want to feel strong and physically able to do everything daily life requires of you (and far more) we can show you how to do that with a few key pieces of equipment that fit under a coffee table. If you want to feel strong enough to flip cars and wrestle bears, we can help you get there with access to a barbell, weight plates, a sturdy squat rack, and good quality resistance bands – at home, or at a gym, the choice is yours.
Is there a nutrition plan included?
SNS offers nutrition coaching rather than rigid meal plans or restrictive diets.
That means we provide guidance, structure, meal ideas, educational resources, practical strategies, and support to help you build a healthier, more sustainable relationship with food.
We also help you navigate common traps like all-or-nothing thinking, food guilt, perfectionism, and confusing online nutrition advice.
So rather than handing you a strict set of rules to follow, we help you learn how to eat in a way that supports your energy, training, health, and real life long-term.
If you require highly individualized medical nutrition support for a specific health condition, we recommend working with an appropriately qualified registered dietitian alongside the community.
At SNS we’ve seen enough times that diets and nutrition plans fall apart, while skills and a great relationship with food is for life.
© 2026 All Rights Reserved.