2 Girls 1 Bar Podcast with Mandi & Wanda

58. "Rolling With the Punches"

The girls are trying their damn best. Catch up with us. Be sure to share this episode with your friends and leave us a 5-star review anywhere you listen! Grab a 2G1B shirt/sweatshirt or an "I am a woman in strength sports" shirt. Shop the 2G1B Gear on Bonfire!!! [https://www.bonfire.com/store/2-girls-1-bar-podcast/] Join the 2G1B Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/cw/2Girls1BarPodcast] to support the podcast and fund ongoing scholarships for women in strength sports. JOIN THE 2 GIRLS 1 BAR EMAIL LIST [https://sparkling-bread-97231.myflodesk.com/liw7181q1t] Use the code 2G1B at Virus USA to save 10% off everything and support the podcast! [https://virusintl.com/2G1B] Follow the podcast on Instagram: @2girls1barpod [https://www.instagram.com/2girls1barpod/] Follow Mandi on Instagram: @mandimurakami [https://www.instagram.com/mandimurakami/] @meetweekco [https://www.instagram.com/meetweekco/] Get coached by Mandi - schedule an athlete interview! [https://calendly.com/mandimurakami/athlete-interview] Follow Wanda on Instagram: @wl.wanda [https://www.instagram.com/wl.wanda/]

57. Jess Montejo "UNIT"

The girls chat with Jess Montejo (who is a freakin powerhouse). Jess talks about everything from first meets to building a full-on strength sports hub. She also shares how a simple invite from her cousin turned into a decade-long journey in powerlifting, multiple records across federations, and eventually opening UNIT Strength Training with her husband. We also touch on "halftime entertainment" in strength sports so be sure to tune in. * Follow Unit Strength on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/unitstrength/] * Register for 6/6 First Blood Strongman Showdown at Unit [https://theunitstrengthtraining.com/events/first-blood-strongman-showdown-reloaded/] * Register for 7/25 USPA Mad Max Lifts at Unit [https://form.123formbuilder.com/6933391/uspa-tested-and-open-2026-mad-max-lifts] * Register for 8/1 LIftapalooza at Unit [https://theunitstrengthtraining.com/events/liftapalooza-2026/] Be sure to share this episode with your friends and leave us a 5-star review anywhere you listen! Grab a 2G1B shirt/sweatshirt or an "I am a woman in strength sports" shirt. Shop the 2G1B Gear on Bonfire!!! [https://www.bonfire.com/store/2-girls-1-bar-podcast/] Join the 2G1B Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/cw/2Girls1BarPodcast] to support the podcast and fund ongoing scholarships for women in strength sports. JOIN THE 2 GIRLS 1 BAR EMAIL LIST [https://sparkling-bread-97231.myflodesk.com/liw7181q1t] Use the code 2G1B at Virus USA to save 10% off everything and support the podcast! [https://virusintl.com/2G1B] Follow the podcast on Instagram: @2girls1barpod [https://www.instagram.com/2girls1barpod/] Follow Mandi on Instagram: @mandimurakami [https://www.instagram.com/mandimurakami/] @meetweekco [https://www.instagram.com/meetweekco/] Get coached by Mandi - schedule an athlete interview! [https://calendly.com/mandimurakami/athlete-interview] Follow Wanda on Instagram: @wl.wanda [https://www.instagram.com/wl.wanda/]

56. ANNA MCELDERRY "Spicy Uno and TSwift Takeovers"

The girls welcome Anna McElderry - reader, playlist extraordinaire, and Team USA weightlifter. Anna shares her journey from a field hockey kid with terrible hand-eye coordination to an international-level Olympic weightlifter training out of Garage Strength. She talks about qualifying for Youth Nationals early on, medaling at her first international meet, and growing up in the sport alongside teammates. Anna also gets into the real stuff on burnout and how she decided what to do with her weightlifting career. This one is FUN. Be sure to share it with your friends and leave us a 5-star review anywhere you listen! Grab a 2G1B shirt/sweatshirt or an "I am a woman in strength sports" shirt. Shop the 2G1B Gear on Bonfire!!! [https://www.bonfire.com/store/2-girls-1-bar-podcast/] Join the 2G1B Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/cw/2Girls1BarPodcast] to support the podcast and fund ongoing scholarships for women in strength sports. JOIN THE 2 GIRLS 1 BAR EMAIL LIST [https://sparkling-bread-97231.myflodesk.com/liw7181q1t] Use the code 2G1B at Virus USA to save 10% off everything and support the podcast! [https://virusintl.com/2G1B] Follow the podcast on Instagram: @2girls1barpod [https://www.instagram.com/2girls1barpod/] Follow Mandi on Instagram: @mandimurakami [https://www.instagram.com/mandimurakami/] @meetweekco [https://www.instagram.com/meetweekco/] Get coached by Mandi - schedule an athlete interview! [https://calendly.com/mandimurakami/athlete-interview] Follow Wanda on Instagram: @wl.wanda [https://www.instagram.com/wl.wanda/]

55. JESSIE JOHNSON "Storyteller"

The girls finally chat with the amazing Jessie Johnson - Director of the Final Attempt, documentarian, weightlifter, photographer, videographer extraordinaire (among a million other facets). We love Jessie more than we know how to describe, and we're so excited to have her share some of her life with all of you. Jessie talks about being a documentarian and a weightlifter, what it looks like to evaluate your progress in sport during different stages of life, and what capturing sport means. We encourage you to support Jessie's work by: * reaching out to her and HIRING her here [https://www.jessiebjohnson.com/contact-1] * following Jessie on Instagram here [https://www.instagram.com/jessie.b.johnson/] * watching The Final Attempt [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcDS0ZxINGnvRyQWST5TOxA] * cheering on everything she does currently for USA Fencing Grab a 2G1B shirt/sweatshirt or an "I am a woman in strength sports" shirt. Shop the 2G1B Gear on Bonfire!!! [https://www.bonfire.com/store/2-girls-1-bar-podcast/] Join the 2G1B Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/cw/2Girls1BarPodcast] to support the podcast and fund ongoing scholarships for women in strength sports. JOIN THE 2 GIRLS 1 BAR EMAIL LIST [https://sparkling-bread-97231.myflodesk.com/liw7181q1t] Use the code 2G1B at Virus USA to save 10% off everything and support the podcast! [https://virusintl.com/2G1B] Follow the podcast on Instagram: @2girls1barpod [https://www.instagram.com/2girls1barpod/] Follow Mandi on Instagram: @mandimurakami [https://www.instagram.com/mandimurakami/] @meetweekco [https://www.instagram.com/meetweekco/] Get coached by Mandi - schedule an athlete interview! [https://calendly.com/mandimurakami/athlete-interview] Follow Wanda on Instagram: @wl.wanda [https://www.instagram.com/wl.wanda/]

54. JEN THOMPSON "Mail-In Registration"

The girls are joined by absolute powerlifting legend Jen Thompson, and honestly… we're still not over it. Jen takes us all the way back to her start in the late '90s, when she literally stumbled onto a competition at Muscle Beach and thought, "yeah, I can do that." From lifting in a basement gym with college friends to becoming an 11-time IPF World Champion, her story is equal parts grit, curiosity, and just sticking with it over time. We get into what it actually looked like to grow up in strength sports as a woman when there were barely any women competing, and how she's watched that shift to nearly a 50/50 split today. Jen talks about the role strength played in transforming her confidence and shares how mental training, visualization, and honestly just getting mad enough to push through helped her overcome competition nerves early in her career. Jen will convince you that you are capable of so much more tha you even thought. Follow Jen on Instagram here [https://www.instagram.com/jenthompson132/] Grab a 2G1B shirt/sweatshirt or an "I am a woman in strength sports" shirt. Shop the 2G1B Gear on Bonfire!!! [https://www.bonfire.com/store/2-girls-1-bar-podcast/] Join the 2G1B Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/cw/2Girls1BarPodcast] to support the podcast and fund ongoing scholarships for women in strength sports. JOIN THE 2 GIRLS 1 BAR EMAIL LIST [https://sparkling-bread-97231.myflodesk.com/liw7181q1t] Use the code 2G1B at Virus USA to save 10% off everything and support the podcast! [https://virusintl.com/2G1B] Follow the podcast on Instagram: @2girls1barpod [https://www.instagram.com/2girls1barpod/] Follow Mandi on Instagram: @mandimurakami [https://www.instagram.com/mandimurakami/] @meetweekco [https://www.instagram.com/meetweekco/] Get coached by Mandi - schedule an athlete interview! [https://calendly.com/mandimurakami/athlete-interview] Follow Wanda on Instagram: @wl.wanda [https://www.instagram.com/wl.wanda/]