The Ready State Podcast How Muscle Shapes Who We Are: Bonnie Tsui on Strength, Resilience, and Her Newest Book On Muscle
Nov 27, 2025
In this engaging discussion, Bonnie Tsui, an award-winning journalist and author of On Muscle, delves into the profound connection between muscle, identity, and resilience. She explores how muscle acts as an endocrine organ, communicating with the brain and shaping our understanding of strength. Bonnie shares insights from her uniquely athletic upbringing, challenges cultural myths surrounding women’s strength, and stresses the importance of play and movement at all ages. Her key takeaway? "Lift something heavy for you" to boost both physical and mental well-being.
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Raised In A Home Muscle Academy
- Bonnie grew up in a home where her father's art studio doubled as a workout space and drafted the kids into training.
- Her father called them his 'little ninjas' and made movement joyful and integrated into daily life.
Strength Ideals Are Cultural And Political
- Cultural ideals of strength and beauty have shifted but remain politically charged and historically contingent.
- Expanding acceptance of female athletic bodies coexists with regressive currents and mixed signals.
Language Reveals Muscle's Role
- Everyday language reveals how muscle metaphors map to emotional and mental states.
- Small muscles like those that make goosebumps literally signal how your body is feeling in real time.
