What’s up, Hustlers!
Self-love isn't selfish.
Read that again.
The world will always ask for more of you. More time. More energy. More yeses.
Protecting your peace. Moving your body. Setting boundaries. Sleeping enough. Fueling yourself well. Saying "no" without guilt. None of that is selfish.
It's strategy.
When you take care of yourself, everyone around you gets a stronger version of you.
Don't apologize for making yourself a priority.
Xx Robin
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.WHO I’M LISTENING TO.
Four-time Olympic gold medalist. Emmy winner. Entrepreneur. Founder of MommiNation. Certified baddie. 🔥 This week on Project Swagger, I sit down with the incredible Sanya Richards-Ross to chat all about the pivot. We talk about what it takes to go from dominating on the track to building an entirely new chapter filled with entrepreneurship, motherhood, media, and more. We get into the mindset it takes to keep evolving, betting on yourself, and embracing what’s next.
If you’re in the throes of a pivot or feel a new chapter calling, this conversation is for you. Tune in on Spotify, YouTube, Apple, or wherever you get your podcasts. ⬇️
.WHAT I’M RECAPPING.
Books in my beach bag 🏖 Books came with me everywhere this summer. Some wrecked me. Some made me smile. Some were pure escape. Many of these came straight from YOU, so thank you for always keeping my reading list stacked! I’m sharing my summer reads + ratings below.
Now I want yours. What did you read this summer? Send me the book + your rating. I’m taking notes. 📝
The Covenant of Water — 8/10: A commitment, but worth getting completely lost in this world.
Theo of Golden — 10/10: Sobbed. Smiled. Loved this one so much. I cannot wait to see Tom Hanks bring it to life.
The Correspondent — 9/10: Cheers to letter writing! 💌 Beautiful & touching.
Yesteryear — 10/10: PHEW. Harrowing, disturbing, and incredibly timely.
My Husband’s Wife — 8/10: Twisty, layered, and told through a few different female POVs. Kept me guessing.
Skinny Dipping in December — 9/10: Really moving poetry. The perfect before-bed read when you’re tired but still want a few pages before lights out.
The Shampoo Effect — 8/10: Frothy, fun, and the perfect beach read.
American Fantasy — 7/10: Loved the boy band concept, but I had a hard time connecting with the protagonist.
Trust — 6/10: I wanted to love this one, but the format just never fully gelled for me.
.WHAT I’M SHARING.
My non-negotiables for race travel ✈ Whether you're heading to a HYROX race in DC or Boston or a fall marathon in Chicago or NYC, travel doesn't have to derail your performance. I've raced all over the world, and while not every trip has gone according to plan, these are a few of my non-negotiables:
Pack your entire race kit in your carry-on. Shoes, outfit, nutrition—everything. Never trust checked luggage with race day.
Bring extra electrolytes, vitamin C, and all of your gels and snacks. Airports and race expos are not the time to hope they have what you need.
Treat the flight like recovery. Compression socks are a must, and on long flights I'll get up and walk every hour if I'm awake.
Don't force a workout on travel day. Traveling is stressful enough on your body. Rest is productive too.
Arrive early if you can. Ideally, give yourself one day for every hour of time change to adjust. My schedule doesn't always allow for that, but whenever possible, I build in a buffer day before race day.
And if your travel goes sideways? Delayed flight. Bad sleep. Missed meal. Remember this: you don't have to feel amazing to race well. Trust your training. Stay flexible. Your fitness came with you.
If you're looking to get stronger and faster this fall, my Split+ Run program is your roadmap.
The program combines four days of progressive strength training with targeted running sessions designed to help you build muscle, improve your endurance, and become a more resilient athlete.
One reminder: track your progress. Strength isn't built overnight, and it's easy to miss how far you've come if you're only going by how you feel. Download this tacker and log your workouts each week. Record your weights, reps, and how you feel so you can celebrate the wins that don't always show up in the mirror. ⬇
Last week on Project Swagger, we made history. 🚀 I had the privilege of interviewing NASA astronaut Dr. Jessica Meir live from the International Space Station—making it the first interview a Vox Media show has ever recorded from space.
We talked about what it really takes to prepare for spaceflight, how she trains in microgravity, the mindset required to perform under extraordinary pressure, and how she stays connected to her three-year-old daughter while orbiting 250 miles above Earth.
If you've ever wondered what it takes to do the seemingly impossible, this conversation is for you.
Question: I wear a fitness tracker, but I'm not sure what I should actually be paying attention to. Any advice?
Answer: Zoom out.
One workout doesn't define your fitness. Your week does.
One of the most useful things to look at is how much time you're spending in different heart rate zones over the course of the week. Are you getting enough time in Zones 1 and 2 to build your aerobic base and recover? Are you spending enough time in Zones 4 and 5 to improve your cardiovascular fitness? Or are you unintentionally spending most of your workouts in Zone 3—that "kind of hard" middle ground where a lot of people get stuck?
That's where wearable data becomes incredibly helpful. It helps you see the bigger picture and understand whether your training is actually balanced.
The goal isn't to make every workout harder. It's to make your training more intentional. Protect your easy days, show up fully for your hard days, and let your data help you audit your week—not judge a single workout.
Got a question for me? CALL 1-877-ALL-SWAG and leave me a voicemail. ☎️
Thanks for reading, Hustlers. Go out there, pivot with power, and stay curious about what’s next.
Xx Robin Arzón
