The Leadership Muscle I Didn't Know I Was Building

By: Jennifer Ramthun

“Today is the day! We are going to push harder than ever. Today we WILL hit a personal record! You ready?!?”

That was my trainer, yelling over the pounding music in the gym that early morning. I watched as he stacked plate after plate onto the leg press and I wanted so badly to believe him. So I began by pressing my feet firmly against the platform, feeling the cold steel under my soles, and unlocked the safety handles. The weight dropped. Immediately, I felt it: heavy. Bone-deep heavy.

For a moment my confidence wavered. I could feel the difference in the weight today and that’s when my thoughts began to race. What if my knees buckled? Or worse yet, what if I got the weight down, but couldn’t push through and my trainer had to literally lift it himself and drag me out of the leg press. Horrified by the vision, I pushed those thoughts away because I had been here before and I knew this initial fear. That sinking feeling where all those awful things could happen, or I could push through to find that I really am about to hit a personal record and make myself proud. So that’s when I pushed. Slow. Steady. Controlled. I silenced that voice in my head and trusted myself. And bit by bit, the platform began to rise. Me. I did it. My knees held. My legs moved that plate. And no one had to step in to help.

That moment didn’t just change how I train. It changed how I show up as a leader.

Because in that instant, it wasn’t just the weight that moved. I did. I proved to myself that when the pressure is on, when doubt is loud, when the outcome isn’t guaranteed… I can still push. And that’s leadership.

Leadership is full of moments just like that—high pressure, uncertainty, and that voice in your head asking if you’re really ready. The difference is, now I know the answer.

I am.

Strength training has shown me what I’m capable of. It’s taught me to trust my preparation, silence doubt, and take action anyway. And when the moment comes—when it’s heavy, when it’s hard—I don’t hesitate.

I push.

And the more I’ve trained, the more I’ve realized something: I didn’t just get stronger physically—I started becoming a better leader.

Because strength training doesn’t just build muscle. It builds habits. Mindsets. Standards. The kind that show up everywhere else in your life—especially in how you lead.

It’s taught me resilience—how to stay in it when things get uncomfortable, when progress feels slow, and when quitting would be easier.

It’s taught me trustworthiness—not in big, visible moments, but in the small ones. Showing up. Following through. Doing what I said I would do, long before anyone else is watching.

It’s made me more visionary—because in the gym, nothing happens overnight. You learn to see beyond today, to commit to a long-term plan, and to trust that consistent effort will get you there.

And maybe most importantly, it’s taught me that I don’t have to have all the answers.

Just like I rely on my trainer to push me, guide me, and see what I can’t yet see in myself, great leadership isn’t about having it all figured out. It’s about bringing others in—leaning on their expertise, trusting their perspective, and building something stronger together.

That’s what investing in myself through strength training has given me. Not just the confidence to lift more weight—but the confidence to lead with resilience, earn trust through consistency, think long-term, and surround myself with the right people to go further than I ever could alone.