Mind|Body|Spirit of Fitness

Finding My Way Back Through Movement

My body has been through a lot — birth, death, injury, healing. Fitness for me isn’t about looking a certain way; it’s about reclaiming my body as a place I can live in again. Whether I’m coaching CrossFit, talking about chakras, or just figuring out how to move through pain, this is where all those pieces — mind, body, spirit — come together.

motherland book

Motherland: A Memoir

by Barb Higgins ・ Proceeds go to The Molly B Foundation

Episode 82: Repeating Patterns From My Childhood

My life felt like it was exploding as I was living 3 major life crises: Roy, Robin, and Kenney. They were all happening at once. My social life imploded and became non-existent, Roy and I “broke up” and got back together, and Kenney moved into an...

Episode 78: Picking my Life up Piece by Piece

Losing my job was devastating and I had to pick up my life piece by piece. I worked a million jobs, spent tons of time with my daughters, and navigated a tricky relationship. I was left with many feelings when I felt like no one in my life supported...

Episode 77: Being Suspended From Teaching

Between July to November of 2010 I was constantly called into meetings for misbehavior in my job and was suspended. I never went back to teaching. Constantly being harassed, freezing at all the wrong moments, and dealing with a complex relationship...

Episode 76: Beginning a Secret Relationship

As my life financially kept getting worse, I began a relationship with Roy. Itt had amazing times, but was also filled with gaslighting and love bombing. I debated leaving my marriage, thinking about my kids, and how my life could have alternatively...

Episode 75: Trying to Cut Ties

As I started my sabbatical professionally things were going great. I connected with the children and created a curriculum that I was proud of. My relationship with Amy and her family was dwindling, when Roy came back into the picture and it turned my...

Episode 73: Escalation and Trying to Step Away

As the situation with Amy escalated and I tried to step back, my life felt like it was a dumpster on fire. My household finances were a mess and I was constantly being pulled into 50 different directions. As I learned more about the situation, I felt...

Episode 72: Navigating a Complex Friendship

My first 2 years of my friendship with Amy were a gift, but I didn’t know how it would change the trajectory of my life. We truly did click as friends as our friendship was largely centered around motherhood. But our communication styles and how we...

Episode 63: The Calm Before the Storm

Elementary school and the 60s feels like the last time I felt okay before I began 4th grade. My mom was a young mom, my dad worked all day, and I spent my summers outside at the public pool. When school was in session I dealt with sexist teachers and...

Episode 62: Trauma Showing up in Patterns

Trying to find my way in the workplace was not an easy task for me. Dealing with coworkers and bosses who didn’t like me while trying to manage my life behind the scenes made my head spin. In this episode, I discuss how trauma impacted my...

Episode 59: Finding my Place in College

My sophomore year was a fantastic year for me. I finally started staying at BU on the weekends and I had found a group of friends. I broke up with Jay and began a healthy relationship with David which has had a substantial impact on my life. To top it...

Episode 58: Freshman Year: A Tough Transition

The first semester of my freshman year of college was a difficult transition. It was an odd time in between being a teenager and an adult who had to handle things themselves. Learning time management skills, dealing with a coach that pushed me too...

Episode 55: The Lows and Highs of my Sophomore Year

My sophomore year was full of ups and downs. I went into the year not knowing where to sit at lunch, and unsure of myself. I ended up going to Germany, quitting gymnastics, joining the cheer team, and becoming a track star. As all these amazing things...

Episode 54: I Struggled to Fit in at School

Junior high school was a trying time for me between admitting I was being sexually abused to my mom to finding out who my biological father was. Through all the chaos and craziness I was trying to find my way and a group of friends to fit in with. It...

Episode 51: I Spent 15 Years Redefining Myself

Connecting with siblings I didn’t live with, creating a track camp, and going through a 15 year period where I worked to redefine myself was a lot. In the 90s I spent a ton of time connecting with my siblings that I never really got to know and I...

Episode 48: What is a Family?

Family is a complicated word that has so many meanings, but I think that at the end of the day it’s about creating a community. Over the years I have worked to create my chosen family, alongside my biological one and I encourage my children to do...

Episode 46: The Birth of Gracie and Molly

Remembering the birth of Gracie and Molly has brought up raw emotion within me. I envisioned this white picket fence life: 2 kids, a loving husband, and a big house in a good neighborhood. That is not how life turned out in the slightest. Dealing with...

Episode 44: I got Married After 11 Weeks of Dating

After 11 weeks, I got married - to a narcissist. I didn’t recognize the signs: I was his third wife, younger than him, and he isolated me from family and friends. Marrying him was an impulsive choice accelerated by trauma bonds left unhealed. As I...

Episode 42: I Turned Down Nike to Live in Concord

In the fall of 1989 I returned to Concord after almost 10 years in Boston. I needed a fresh start: to get sober, to get into a good relationship, to get out of debt, and to start my career as a teacher. In order to achieve all that, I turned down...

Episode 40: Setting Goals and Finding my Chakras

As I find out more about the energy within my body I am compelled to better myself through my diet and exercise. While I look inward, I also look at the past to see how the people around me have grown and changed. Processing these emotions has been...

Episode 28: I Filmed a TV Commercial

I often feel like I’m living a parallel life with the different faces I put on for different people. This week I especially felt that when I went to film a commercial for a hospital. I spent an amazing week in Utah telling my story about having Jack...