ANEW Body Insight
ANEW Body Insight aims to revolutionize the way we think about health and wellness. Co-hosts Dr. Supatra Tovar explores the symbiotic relationship between nutrition, fitness, and emotional well-being. this podcast seeks to inform, inspire, and invigorate listeners, encouraging them to embrace a more integrated approach to health.
Dr. Supatra Tovar is a clinical psychologist, registered dietitian, fitness expert, and founder of the holistic health educational company ANEW (Advanced Nutrition and Emotional Wellness). Dr. Tovar authored the book Deprogram Diet Culture: Rethink Your Relationship With Food, Heal Your Mind, and Live a Diet-Free Life to be published in September 2024 and created the revolutionary course Deprogram Diet Culture that aims to reformulate your relationship to food and heal your mind so you can live diet-free for life.
Occasionally co-hosting with Dr. Tovar is Chantal Donnelly is a physical therapist, bestselling author of Settled: How to Find Calm in a Stress-Inducing World, and founder of the wellness company Body Insight, a company dedicated to finding solutions to many of your body’s physical ailments. Chantal created the videos Pain Free at Work and Strong Knees.
ANEW Body Insight
Breaking the Gym Mold: Dr. Darian Parker on Real Fitness, Relationships & Anti-Diet Culture| ANEW Ep 53
Welcome to another powerful episode of the ANEW Body Insight Podcast with Dr. Supatra Tovar! This time, we’re diving deep into the world of fitness, mindset, and holistic well-being with Dr. Darian Parker, the 2023 IDEA Personal Trainer of the Year, co-owner of Epic Leisure Management, and host of The Far Side of Fitness podcast.
In Part 1 of our conversation, Dr. Parker shares why he never entered fitness out of a love for working out—but rather a passion for authentic human connection. He reveals how relationship-building, movement accountability, and companionship are the true cornerstones of sustainable health, rather than restrictive meal plans and punishing gym sessions.
We also debunk toxic fitness myths and explore how mainstream gym culture and excessive protein consumption are fueling anti-environmental and anti-longevity trends. Dr. Parker opens up about the real dark side of personal training that nobody talks about—including the pressure trainers put on clients, the misconceptions about meditation, and why many trainers ignore the emotional and mental aspects of wellness.
🔥 In this episode, we discuss:
✅ How gym culture and diet culture are shaping unrealistic expectations
✅ Why fitness isn’t just about getting “in shape”—but about connection
✅ How personal training sessions are more about support & companionship than extreme fitness
✅ The harmful marketing of high-protein diets and its impact on global sustainability
✅ Why most clients don’t actually want to be shredded—they want accountability
✅ The cognitive dissonance in fitness professionals promoting factory-farmed protein
✅ The truth about meditation—why it’s not for everyone
✅ How luxury fitness consulting is evolving to meet real wellness needs
Dr. Parker’s unfiltered honesty and refreshingly realistic take on fitness are a must-hear for trainers, gym-goers, and anyone struggling with body image, diet culture, or fitness burnout.
For more details About Dr. Darian Parker visit his social media account here are the links: https://doctordarianparker.com/, https://www.linkedin.com/in/darianparker, https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-far-side-of-fitness/id1463806552.
🎧 Tune in NOW for an eye-opening conversation that challenges fitness industry norms and offers a more sustainable, compassionate approach to health. And don’t forget to join us for Part 2, where we go even deeper into these critical topics!
👉 Follow & Subscribe for more expert insights on fitness, psychology, nutrition, and emotional well-being.
Thank you for joining us on this journey to wellness. Remember, the insights and advice shared on the ANEW Body Insight Podcast are for educational and informational purposes only and do not constitute medical advice. Always consult with a healthcare professional before making any changes to your health routine. To learn more about the podcast and stay updated on new episodes, visit ANEW Body Insight Podcast at anew-insight.com. To watch this episode on YouTube, visit @my.anew.insight. Follow us on social media at @my.anew.insight on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Threads for more updates and insights. Thank you for tuning in! Stay connected with us for more empowering stories and expert guidance. Until next time, stay well and keep evolving with ANEW Body Insight!
Hello and welcome to the ANEW Body Insight podcast. I am Dr. Supatra Tovar and I am thrilled to have the 2023 IDEA Personal Trainer of the Year, Epic Leisure Management Owner and Far Side of Fitness Podcaster, Dr. Darian Parker, or as I call him, Dr. D with us today, Dr. D welcome. Darian, Dr. D, and then we'll get right into our questions. Dr. Darian Parker, or Dr. D, is the 2023 IDEA Personal Trainer of the Year and co owner of Epic Leisure Management, LLC. As the owner of Parker Personal Training, LLC, and the host of the Far Side of Fitness podcast, Dr. D brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the fitness and wellness community. Let's do this. You have had a really impressive journey through the fitness industry. Tell us what inspired you to go into fitness and what are the key turning points that led you to found Epic Leisure Management also tell us what that is and Parker Personal Training. Yeah. Yeah.
Dr. Darian Parker:I've been doing this forever. And then Epic Leisure Management was um, Uh, I co own that with my business partner, Alan Jackabowskis, and we worked for the same company for a really long time, um, and he was my supervisor for like 11 years, and a great mentor really brought me up in the leisure management, you know, luxury, um, fitness and wellness environment. And eventually both left the company to do our own thing and basically, um, consulting for luxury fitness and wellness spas, uh, private residential communities, corporate facilities, things of that nature. So, um, staying busy on that front too. I have like a lot of different things I'm interested in, but then fitness. yeah, that's kind of where I started actually the first time I trained someone was uh at a university and as a Graduate student my master's degree and um, it was at the faculty staff fitness facility in James Madison University And uh, it was just there that I just really I've always enjoyed the academic environment uh, like talking to people, connecting with people. and give them like the
Dr. Supatra Tovar:Yes. So I am sure, you know, just as how easy you are to talk to as just a human being, it must be so easy for your clients to just be with you and to help have you help them guide their bodies to where they want to go. And I'm sure that this, these kind of topics have helped to, uh, inform your podcast. I want to talk about the Far Side of Fitness because I know you talk about topics that you don't always expect in fitness discussions. I think we're missing the point, um, is that need to delve into things that I believe are really different, but actually just common sense. Like literally just common sense and I think working with people is so much about, let's discuss alternative ways of, of, or I don't think they're alternative. That's the thing with me. I just think these are like, we're not talking about them. So I got a recent one was on the anatomy of a personal training session. And I, cause I never hear anybody talking about their sessions. They just talk around their sessions or, dude, I'm doing push, pull exercises, or we're focusing on lifting heavy. I'm like, anyways, like what actually happens? Like what's when you meet with your client, how are they feeling? What are they talking to you about? How are you selling during your session by being yourself? Are you playing a character? Are you not just like no one talks about this session. They talk around their sessions I don't like that like I so I want to talk about stuff that I just think is like really different like let's get to the detail that I think we're skipping because I think we just assume this happens in a session or that happens But if like you really pay attention to personal training sessions Honestly, it's just a lot of BSing during it, like it's a lot of talking, a I think we're missing the point, um, is that need to delve into things that I believe are really different, but actually just common sense. Like literally just common sense and I think working with people is so much about, let's discuss alternative ways of, of, or I don't think they're alternative. That's the thing with me. I just think these are like, we're not talking about them. So I got a recent one was on the anatomy of a personal training session. And I, cause I never hear anybody talking about their sessions. They just talk around their sessions or, dude, I'm doing push, pull exercises, or we're focusing on lifting heavy. I'm like, anyways, like what actually happens? Like what's when you meet with your client, how are they feeling? What are they talking to you about? How are you selling during your session by being yourself? Are you playing a character? Are you not just like no one talks about this session. They talk around their sessions I don't like that like I so I want to talk about stuff that I just think is like really different like let's get to the detail that I think we're skipping because I think we just assume this happens in a session or that happens But if like you really pay attention to personal training sessions Honestly, it's just a lot of BSing during it, like it's a lot of talking, a
Dr. Darian Parker:It's just meditation triggers some people. Sometimes being with your own thoughts is actually very triggering for people. And there's
Dr. Supatra Tovar:view of meditation. I think meditation can be whatever you want it to be. You can be sitting, you can be lying down, you can be walking, you can be focusing on your breathing. There's so many ways that you can actually open up your definition of meditation. And I always really shy away from anyone who says you have to meditate this way, because I don't, I know that, you know, I got into it because, uh, I was so stressed out in my, uh, nutritional science master's program. And I think that that's so, so important. I love that you have that kind of topic along with the anatomy of a personal training session, and that it's really not about, um, you know, going from this to this, to this, it's really about how you're formulating the relationship.
Dr. Darian Parker:I formulated it for me just based off of observational data. I don't think that anything I say is, like, mind blowing. It's just paying attention. It's like, okay, Oh, we care about our bodies we care about the emotional toll of all these different things, then why are we pumping this anti planet message all the time? This anti
Dr. Supatra Tovar:And we talked on your podcast. about how it's an irresponsible message, especially coming from nutrition and fitness professionals who should know what the actual protein requirements are for a person. But talk to our listeners about how that's an anti environmental message.
Dr. Darian Parker:Your choices are your choices. You're going to do what you want to do. You have the freedom for those choices. But at least have some critical thinking about those choices. And if you really boil it down and think about it, If you're pumping, let's say, whether you want to eat meat or not, that's your prerogative. But let's say you're going to eat meat. Shouldn't as part of a healthy, well being based lifestyle, you know where that meat comes from? How it is produced? Where it is produced? The welfare of the animals or lack thereof? Isn't that part of a holistic understanding of taking care of yourself and other people? when the Sysco truck pulls up to the grocery store is getting this factory farmed meat. to you. Why are you not thinking about that? Right? Go ahead. Eat meat. It's totally fine. But like, source it better. instead of just being mass consumption of whatever you're eating, think about it. And for nutritionists, shame on nutritionists who don't understand that part of it.
Dr. Supatra Tovar:yeah, and I, I think a lot of people don't necessarily want to know that because they enjoy the fact that their meat comes to them relatively cheaply, and they don't want to necessarily spend the extra money, but you have to be thinking about where are your dollars going? How are we spending our money, especially in diet and gym culture? to these animals and that when you ingest that animal, you are also, you are correct ingesting what they ingested and we have to, I think, be a little bit more discerning on top of that, if you look at these factory farms, they're one of the greatest contributors to global warming and the deforestation of our planet. And it is much. more beneficial to our body because of the vitamins, the minerals and the fiber. So if we can open up our eyes to the possibilities of protein outside of animal protein, I think we're not only helping our bodies, but we're helping the planet. Would you agree?
Dr. Darian Parker:that how the animal's coming to you is coming in a really stressed, stressed out state. Besides all those other substances getting in there, it's the stress homones the animal produces before it dies as well in this way, just be discerning. It's all I'm saying. And listen, this is it, man. This is the, let's just be objective here.
Dr. Supatra Tovar:It's such a beautiful planet. Yes. I absolutely agree, I think. If there's any time to open our eyes and wake up to the reality of global warming, it is now. And they, you know, a lot of people think, well, there's nothing I can do. Well, there's plenty that you can do if you really, you know, do educate yourself and being discerning about where you get your food is one of them.
Dr. Darian Parker:I would say the majority of people are not looking for that, actually. And I think they don't know that either, a lot of times, the clients, for that. But I think it's this, it goes back to our educational system and kind of this whole kind of, I honestly feel like a really a mirage is that you're going to go out there and we're going to get all these people fit and we're going to change their lives and make their bodies really tight and all that. I don't know, that's not the world I live in. We're working with people, the majority of people, they want movement accountability and they want companionship. That's what they want. That's my business. Movement accountability, companionship. That's, that's what I'm, I'm in. I'm not fooling myself thinking I'm going to go in there and we're doing, you know, three sets of 12 or we're doing German volume workouts.
Dr. Supatra Tovar:I do think that there are, you know, a lot of people who do need that extra gentle push to get them moving every day or most days of the week and having somebody that they can connect with, that they can talk to about their lives. It becomes a therapeutic event for them and encourages them to continue.
Dr. Darian Parker:and for me it's, know, so many new trainers, their whole dream is to go and work with athletes. I honestly don't know why, why you'd want to work with a bunch of athletes. I'm like, one, uh, it's actually pretty boring to me, there's not a lot of challenge to it. Two, it's a very small segment of population. three, I think the majority of people you're going to work with are going to be just regular people who are struggling to make your sessions. And struggling, they're just keeping their head above water in life. They're managing their families, maybe some elder care, uh, you know, children, their job, they're just trying to make it to their session. I don't have these like,
