Confidence Classic: Build Unshakable Confidence Through Movement, Mindset, & Micro-Habits with Robin Arzón
In this episode of Creating Confidence, Robin Arzón discusses her path from corporate law to fitness, which began after a life-changing incident during her college years. She explains how she transformed her career by building a social media presence as a fitness blogger, eventually joining Peloton, where she combined her professional background with her passion for wellness.
The discussion covers Arzón's methodical approach to personal development through vision boarding and goal-setting practices, breaking down her aspirations into specific life quadrants. She also addresses her experience maintaining an active lifestyle during pregnancy, sharing insights from her children's book "Strong Mama" about challenging conventional attitudes toward fitness and pregnancy while emphasizing the importance of movement and self-care.
This is a preview of the Shortform summary of the Dec 2, 2025 episode of the Creating Confidence with Heather Monahan
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1-Page Summary
Personal Journey and Career Transition
Robin Arzón shares her remarkable transition from law to fitness, sparked by a traumatic incident during her senior year at NYU where she was held at gunpoint. Following this experience, she discovered running as a healing tool, which eventually led her to reimagine her career path. After eight years as a corporate litigator, Arzón leveraged her growing social media presence as a fitness blogger to join Peloton, successfully blending her professional background with her passion for fitness.
Confidence, Vision Boarding, and Goal-Setting
Arzón describes her systematic approach to personal development through daily vision boarding practices, breaking her life into quadrants covering personal life, business, physical health, and home renovations. She dedicates 10 minutes daily to journaling and exploring aspirations, turning dreams into actionable steps. Her success, including her position at Peloton, stems from this dedicated approach to goal-setting and maintaining a feedback loop with trusted critics.
Fitness and Wellness Advocacy, Including During Pregnancy
In her children's book "Strong Mama," Arzón challenges conventional attitudes about pregnancy and fitness. Despite facing judgment for maintaining her active lifestyle and teaching at Peloton while pregnant, she advocates for pregnant women to focus on their capabilities rather than limitations. The book, written as a love letter to her daughter Athena, emphasizes the importance of self-care and movement as medicine, aiming to help both parents and children understand the value of personal wellness and empowerment.
1-Page Summary
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Actionables
- You can use transformative life experiences as a catalyst for personal growth by reflecting on past challenges and identifying the strengths you gained from them, then brainstorming ways to apply these strengths to new areas of interest or career paths.
- For example, if you've overcome a significant personal obstacle, take time to write down the skills and resilience you developed during that time. Consider how these qualities could be beneficial in a different field or hobby you're passionate about. This could be the first step in a career pivot or the development of a new skill set.
- Create a personal vision board that encompasses various aspects of your life to maintain focus and motivation toward your goals.
- Start by selecting images and phrases that represent your aspirations in different life areas, such as career, health, relationships, and personal projects. Place your vision board somewhere you'll see it daily, and use it as a visual reminder to take small, consistent actions towards your goals. This could mean scheduling weekly check-ins with yourself to assess progress and adjust your approach as needed.
- Develop a habit of daily journaling to articulate your goals and track your progress, using prompts to guide your reflections and action plans.
- Begin each journaling session with a prompt related to your goals, such as "What is one small step I can take today towards my career transition?" or "How can I incorporate more physical activity into my daily routine?" Use your journal to celebrate successes, no matter how small, and to plan for overcoming obstacles, thereby creating a personal feedback loop that keeps you accountable and motivated.
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Personal Journey and Career Transition
In a compelling tale of transformation, Robin Arzón shares the dramatic career shift from the legal profession to the world of fitness, highlighting the role of trauma and movement in her life's redirection.
Robin's Shift From Law to Fitness: A Journey Through Trauma and Movement's Power
Robin Embraced Running For Healing and Self-Discovery, Becoming Passionate About Fitness and Wellness After a Traumatic College Incident
Reflecting on her background as a top student with parents in high-achieving careers, Robin Arzón recounts her pivot from an academic-focused path to one of physical activity and movement following a traumatic incident. She intimately describes how running served as a critical tool for healing and self-discovery after surviving a horrific ordeal where she was held at gunpoint during her senior year at NYU.
This turning point not only led her to engage with the NYPD as a hostage negotiator but also marked the beginning of an internal narrative of survival. She decided not to let this be the end of her story and instead used it as a powerful catalyst for change. Although she wasn’t an athlete as a child, Arzón began running in law school, about a year after the incident, allowing her to process the trauma and embrace movement as a form of medicine.
Robin Left Her Law Firm to Build Her Brand and Expertise In Fitness Opportunities
After close to eight years of practicing as a corporate litigator, the call for change grew irresistible for Robin, fueled not by a single event but by many small moments that indicated a need for a new direction. Her passion for athletics, sparked in the aftermath of her traumatic experience, grew into a love for fitness and wellbeing.
She boldly stepped away fro ...
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Personal Journey and Career Transition
Additional Materials
Actionables
- You can use a personal challenge to kickstart a transformative journey by choosing an activity that's new to you and committing to it for a set period, like 30 days. For example, if you've never painted but always wanted to, commit to creating one small painting each day for a month. This can help you discover new aspects of yourself and build resilience.
- Start a "Strength Diary" where you document moments of personal strength or resilience daily. This could be as simple as standing up for yourself in a conversation or as significant as starting a new fitness routine. Over time, this diary will serve as a reminder of your growth and the power of cumulative small victories.
- Blend your curren ...
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Confidence, Vision Boarding, and Goal-Setting
Robin Arzón cultivates a unique approach to building confidence through vision boarding, setting ambitious goals, and maintaining a mindset of possibility and self-determination.
Robin Cultivates Confidence Through Vision Boarding, Setting Ambitious Goals, and a Mindset of Possibility and Self-Determination
Robin Spends 10 Minutes Daily On Vision Boarding, Exploring Dreams and Identifying New Opportunities
Robin Arzón discusses her process of vision boarding, which involves breaking down her life into quadrants to focus on different areas such as personal life, business, physical health, and home renovations. She considers vision boarding essential for crystallizing her dreams and goals into a visual and verbal form. Beyond just visualizing, Arzón ensures to name her dreams as a way to claim them, acknowledging that her desires evolve.
Anchored In Values, Guided by Feedback, Robin Pushes Boundaries With a Driven Mindset Fueling Success
Arzón realizes the importance of having aspiration-guided routines, like spending 10 minutes daily on journaling and exploring her aspirations through actions like sending out emails and meeting people. Such activities have helped her plant seeds for the future, fueled by motivation and persistence, even in the face of rejection. Her driven mindset is anchored in her values and sustains her push for success.
As someone who believes in the power of the stories we tell ourselves, Arzón demonstrates the profound impact of personal narratives on our identity and self-determination. This perspective likely informs her dedication to vision boarding and continuous goal setting.
By doing vision boards a few times a year, Arzón kept her dreams i ...
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Confidence, Vision Boarding, and Goal-Setting
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Counterarguments
- Vision boarding may not be effective for everyone; some individuals might find it less practical or too abstract, preferring more concrete methods of goal setting and confidence building.
- Spending 10 minutes daily on vision boarding could be considered a luxury of time that not everyone can afford, especially those with demanding schedules or multiple responsibilities.
- The process of crystallizing dreams into visual and verbal forms might not necessarily lead to actual achievement; execution and adaptability are also crucial components of success.
- While aspiration-guided routines can be beneficial, they must be balanced with the ability to respond to unforeseen challenges and opportunities that may not align with one's initial vision.
- A driven mindset and persistence in the face of rejection are important, but so is the ability to recognize when a goal is unattainable or no longer serves one's best interests, which may require a strategic pivot rather than continued pursuit.
- The belief in the power of personal narratives is significant, but it's also important to recognize external factors and systemic barriers that can impact one's ability to achieve certain goals.
- Aligning business practices and personal relationships with principles of hustle and grit may not alw ...
Actionables
- You can create a "Possibility Playlist" with songs that inspire a mindset of possibility and self-determination, listening to it during your daily routine to reinforce your aspirations. Music has a powerful impact on mood and motivation, so by curating a playlist with tracks that resonate with your goals and values, you can create an auditory vision board that keeps you focused and inspired.
- Develop a "Goal Garden" in your living space where you plant a new seed or flower for each goal you set, nurturing it as you work towards your aspirations. This tangible representation of your goals can serve as a daily reminder of what you're working towards, and the act of caring for your plants can mirror the nurturing of your ambitions.
- Start a "Critique Club" with fr ...
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Fitness and Wellness Advocacy, Including During Pregnancy
Robin, a Fitness and Wellness Advocate For Pregnancy, Wrote a Children's Book, "Strong Mama," to Empower Parents
Heather Monahan expresses her gratitude for Robin Arzón's book, "Strong Mama," which reassures pregnant women that staying active is beneficial, a sentiment she agrees with based on her own experience.
Active Pregnancy: Robin Defies Judgment to Redefine Fitness
Robin Arzón discusses the importance of working out while pregnant, a practice that often attracts differing opinions. Arzón faced judgment for remaining physically active and teaching at Peloton during her pregnancy. Despite this, she seeks to shift the paradigm towards less judgment and more curiosity about what pregnant women are capable of doing. She encourages pregnant women to focus on their abilities rather than limitations.
"Strong Mama" Highlights Parenting, Self-Care For Mothers' Well-Being
Robin's first children's book, "Strong Mama," was written as a love letter to her daughter, Athena, celebrating the journey they took together during her pregnancy. The book, which she refers to as a love letter to her "little training partner," centers on the caregiver, an often overlooked perspective in children's literature.
Robin's aspiration for "Strong Mama" was to impart the values ...
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Fitness and Wellness Advocacy, Including During Pregnancy
Additional Materials
Actionables
- Create a family storytime routine where you read books that highlight diverse experiences, including those about active parenting, to your children to foster an environment of understanding and acceptance around self-care and physical activity.
- By incorporating literature that showcases different aspects of life, including the importance of self-care as seen in "Strong Mama," you normalize these concepts for your children. For example, after reading, engage in a family yoga session or a walk, demonstrating that movement is a natural part of life.
- Start a journal to document your personal achievements and moments of self-care, focusing on how these actions make you feel physically and emotionally.
- This journal serves as a personal reminder of your capabilities and the positive impact of self-care on your well-being. For instance, if you take a brisk walk or complete a workout, jot down not just the activity, but also how it empowered you and contributed to your day.
- Use social media or a personal blog ...
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