Episode 87Jun 30, 2026· 8:31

Day 365 Is Coming: The Full Story of How More Movement Please Started

▸ Show notes from the creator

No show notes.

About this episode

Ashley Grant recounts the origin of the More Movement Please podcast and her year-long fitness streak approaching day 365. The story begins July 14th, 2024, when fitness instructor Rhonda Good told her exercise is a choice — a comment that hit differently amid personal and family health problems. Ashley challenged herself to attend all of Rhonda's classes, ended up doing 19 classes in the first week across Pilates,…

Listener reactions

💡0

🤝0

🔥0

😄0

0 reactions

Share your reaction

Pick how this episode landed — then leave a public review or a private note to the host.

You

Your name will appear with your review

0/300 Visible to everyone

Who this episode is for

This episode may resonate with you if:

You've been 'dabbling' at fitness for years — gym memberships, good intentions, occasional bursts — but you've never actually gotten serious, and some part of you wonders if you ever will.

You're in your 40s and your body is starting to send signals you can't ignore — your own health, or watching family members deal with theirs — and it's making you feel like time is running out.

You need external pressure to follow through — you know that if you keep something private, it quietly disappears, and you're looking for a reason to go public with a commitment.

Someone said something to you — a throwaway comment, a challenge, a 'you can't do that' — and it's still sitting in your chest, unresolved, making you want to prove something.

You feel like it's too late for you — too old, too far behind, too out of shape — and you're not sure if starting now even counts for anything.

Questions this episode wrestles with

Why does the same advice suddenly hit differently one day when it never did before?

open question

Ashley doesn't explain why it landed differently this time — she just names that it did, pointing to a 'perfect storm' of personal health problems and family health problems happening at the same moment Rhonda said what she said.

"did, she had talked to me that way many times, several, several times. But for some reason, in that moment, when she said what she said, it shook me up. to my core. And the interesting"

Can one conversation really be the thing that changes everything?

answered

For Ashley, it was — she describes that Monday of July 14th as the start of what she calls 'maximum effort,' saying 'I was dabbling in fitness and trying to work out, but I didn't get serious until that week.'

"dabbling in fitness and trying to work out, but I didn't get serious until that week of July"

How do you keep going when the reach is smaller than you expected?

answered

Ashley reframes what counts — she admits the downloads weren't what she hoped, but says people coming up to tell her they're working out because of the show is 'all I need.'

"we have not gotten nearly as many downloads as I hoped we would, but some amazing things have happened. I've inspired people to go to the gym, and I've even had people come up to me and tell me that because of this podcast, they are working out. And that that's all I need, y 'all. I need"

Setting expectations: This episode is not a fitness guide, a workout plan, or an explanation of how to build an exercise habit. It's Ashley telling the backstory of how a single comment from her instructor Rhonda on July 14th — about exercise being a choice — set off a chain of events that led to 19 classes in one week, a podcast, and an approaching 365-day milestone.

Tone & style

Ashley starts as someone dabbling in fitness but not serious about it; Rhonda Good's words about exercise being a choice hit differently on July 14th amid personal and family health struggles, pushing Ashley to show up to every class that Monday and keep going — 19 classes in the first week. That compulsive showing up became public Instagram accountability, then a Medium article at day 100, then a podcast, then a growing community. The episode closes on the eve of day 365 as a celebration of sustained commitment, with Ashley framing it as 'maximum effort' and expressing genuine joy that real people are working out because of the show.

Personal lived experience and origin storytelling. Ashley explicitly paraphrases quotes and admits fuzzy memory on details. Not fitness instruction or advice.

toneWarm & celebratory

focusAshley tells the full origin story of how a single class with instructor Rhonda Good on July 14th turned into 19 classes in a week, a daily Instagram habit, a podcast, and now an approaching day 365 milestone she's calling 'maximum effort.'

stylesolo_monologue

energymedium_high

complexitybeginner

pressure Levellow

emotional Textureearnest, enthusiastic, grateful

Notable quotes

"shook me up. She basically said to me that exercise was a choice and that everybody had the same number of hours in a day and that it was a choice whether you chose to move your body or not. And"

— Famous Ashley Grant

"to just show up to all her classes. And she basically said to me that I couldn't do it. She told me that she didn't think I could make it. She wouldn't recommend it. And I was like, OK, bet. Let's"

— Famous Ashley Grant

"I got to a point that I just became absolutely addicted. I think that what that first week I did 19 hours, 19 classes with her. And by the end of it, I was absolutely fatigued. But at the same time, it had lit a fire under me. It"

— Famous Ashley Grant

"we have not gotten nearly as many downloads as I hoped we would, but some amazing things have happened. I've inspired people to go to the gym, and I've even had people come up to me and tell me that because of this podcast, they are working out. And that that's all I need, y 'all. I need"

— Famous Ashley Grant

"it maximum effort because the truth is I was dabbling in fitness and trying to work out, but I didn't get serious until that week of July"

— Famous Ashley Grant

Episode transcript

Organized into 4 chapters — open any part to read the full text.

0:001. What Day 365 Means and Why It StartedAshley introduces the episode for new listeners and recounts the July 14th class with instructor Rhonda Good, whose words about exercise being a choice hit differently amid Ashley's personal health struggles and sparked a turning point.1:592. The First Week: 19 Classes and Getting AddictedAshley describes showing up to all of Rhonda's classes that first Monday, then continuing through the week across Pilates, low impact cardio, and cardio drumming — totaling 19 classes — and becoming addicted to working out despite the pain.4:133. Going Public on Instagram and Launching the PodcastAshley explains how daily Instagram accountability check-ins led to a Medium article at day 100, the podcast announcement, and eventually going all-in on promotion after interviewing Rhonda — realizing the show was bigger than a personal audio diary.6:584. What Day 365 Actually CelebratesAshley reflects on the impact of the podcast so far — fewer downloads than hoped but real people working out because of it — and frames July 13th as the 'maximum effort' anniversary, closing with a push for listeners to join the Patreon and keep moving.

Open full transcript

Mentioned in this episode

personRhonda Good

Ashley's fitness instructor whose comment about exercise being a choice on July 14th sparked the entire 365-day movement challenge — she teaches around 22-24 hours of classes per week and told Ashley she didn't think she could keep up.

websiteInstagram

Where Ashley started posting daily accountability check-ins about her workouts, doing it publicly to keep herself showing up.

websiteMedium

Platform where Ashley published an article at day 100 about lessons learned, which also served as the announcement for the More Movement Please podcast.

websitePatreon

Ashley launched a Patreon (at famousashleygrant.com/group) to grow the podcast into a broader community movement beyond just her personal audio diary.

Key themes

A single moment that changed everything

Ashley describes how instructor Rhonda's words about exercise being a choice — said many times before but landing differently on July 14th amid personal health struggles — became the specific trigger that started the whole year.

Rhonda Good's role as the catalyst

Rhonda is a recurring presence throughout the episode — the person whose words sparked the challenge, who doubted Ashley could keep up, who taught the classes Ashley kept showing up to, and whose interview made Ashley go all-in on the podcast.

Showing up despite pain

Ashley kept returning to Rhonda's classes across multiple days despite being in significant physical pain, asking Rhonda how much she'd have to work out before it stopped hurting so badly.

Getting addicted to working out

Ashley describes the first week of 19 classes not as discipline but as becoming 'absolutely addicted' — a fire lit under her that made her excited about moving her body and its possibilities.

Public accountability as a forcing function

Ashley started posting daily Instagram check-ins not primarily for others but for herself, explicitly saying she knew going public would make her more likely to keep showing up.

The podcast becoming bigger than a personal diary

Ashley recounts the moment after interviewing Rhonda when she realized the show was 'more than a thing about me' and shifted from quietly releasing episodes to actively promoting it.

Fewer downloads than hoped, but real people moving

Ashley openly admits the podcast hasn't gotten as many downloads as she hoped, but frames hearing that specific people are working out because of the show as the metric that actually matters to her.

Getting fit in your 40s

Ashley frames the entire year as an attempt to 'finally get fit in my forties,' positioning age as part of the context and wanting to keep sharing what that experience is actually like.

Calling it 'maximum effort'

Ashley distinguishes between her prior dabbling in fitness and what started July 14th, naming the year-long commitment 'maximum effort' and framing day 365 as the celebration of actually sustaining that effort.