By Camilla Sarra. Cover image: Margie Mitchem for I’M Firenze.
«I aim to offer women the tools to feel strong, powerful, supple, and have a balanced control in the body by focusing on our smaller micro-muscles. I let the music inspire my sequences to evolve and blossom into motion that feels poetical, fun, and liberating”. Emilie Goldblum is a rhythmic gymnast, aerialist and contortionist, three-time national champion of Canada, the Pan American Champion of 1999 and the only individual representative at the 2000 Sydney Olympic games for the entire American continent. Wife of superstar actor Jeff Goldblum, she has performed as an aerialist in music videos for Justin Bieber, in films such as La La Land as a student double for Emma Stone, live performances with Taylor Swift and The Weeknd, and travelled on tour with Cher. Now happily married with two children, her next venture is to inspire personal expansion and greatness in others through physical well-being and movement.
Emilie Goldblum designed the Maison Goldblum Method (MGM), fusing various elements from her training in acrobatics and rhythmic gymnastics to create a workout method that holistically sculpts the body, fostering strength, flexibility, and inner balance. The workout is not solely focused on achieving aesthetic results for the body, but it also aims to provide freedom for both the body and mind. Emilie encourages participants to let go of judgment and relieve tension and stress through movement. This collaboration will be held in the magical spaces of The22, a holistic wellness club in Florence that serves as a sanctuary for self-care, exploration and growth.
How Emilie Goldblum empowers your freedom
It’s often difficult to carve out a moment for ourselves, but the physical and mental benefits are plentiful. What are the most immediate ones with the Maison Goldblum Method?
It’s energising, uplifting, toning, strengthening all of your smaller stabilising muscles, stretching your limits, and tranquillity making. You sweat out the toxins in your body and feel full of a focused kind of energy. I also feel immense joy after class because we accomplish something difficult together as a group, and it’s gratifying when you’ve made it through on the other side of the challenge. In that way, I think it subconsciously tells us we ARE capable of anything.
How important is the energy of a community that shares the same understanding of wellness?
It’s one of those things that when you’re surrounded by other individuals who are equally great in what they do, you automatically feel inspired to try your best. We all come from different backgrounds, with a different past in movement, fitness, sport or even dance, so I always encourage my students to move exactly how their body is meant to move and not to try to move like me or anyone else because I want everyone to embrace their unique style of movement, and feel confident in how they move.
What are the most common mistakes people make when trying to achieve their fitness and wellness goals?
I think “mistakes” can be a good thing because I’ve always grown out of my “mistakes”, so I believe that the only mistake would be to not learn from your past “mistakes”. I would suggest starting out gently; if sport and fitness were just never your thing, then try committing to once a week instead of pushing yourself too hard and then feeling so sore that you can’t go for another week. It also helps if you’re in a group and having fun, which I think my classes are a lot of fun because the first sequence is dance cardio, which I show modifications for ( if people do not want to jump or have that impact on their joints).
Is motivation learned and fuelled by engaging in activities?
That’s an interesting question, and it makes me think about the time I had these blood tests done to see if I was low on iron and all these other things like my cortisol, testosterone, and estrogen levels. When the tests came back, it showed that I was low on iron and testosterone, so I think a part of the answer to your question is genetics, but in our day and age, we have great science that can help us along. The second part to that question, though, I believe is in a person’s personality, their will to persevere, their determination, and the grit it sometimes takes; if you’re training to be an Olympic athlete, it’s not for everybody because the mental aspect can be demoralising.
What is your opinion on the use of social media to promote a healthy lifestyle?
I use social media as inspiration, a creative outlet, and for letting people know about my classes. I think it’s nice that we can connect with people we don’t even know and impart a bit of wisdom that helps keep us active and healthy. I do think it’s best when we use social media in moderation so that we can also live in the moment and be present without thinking about an end result for a great picture and caption. I’m happiest when I’m moving, jumping, playing tennis, dancing, doing handstands and not on my phone.
How do you balance physical training with rest and recovery to maximise results?
For me, it all comes down to a good night’s sleep. I know that in Italy it’s strange when I tell people our kids go to bed at 7:30 or, at the latest 8:00 pm, but unless there is a special event, we eat early and go to bed early and then wake up feeling fresh as a daisy without an alarm. I have this Oura ring (you know it?), and I’ve noticed I feel my best when I get at least 7 hours and 45 minutes of sleep or, better yet, in the 8-hour range. Lately, since I’ve been very active, I have no trouble falling asleep early either.
How much has sport taught you in managing life challenges?
It has taught me everything, really! How to be on time, how to prepare, how to listen to my body but still push it to its limit without hurting it to the point of injury. In sports, when you train, you’re with some of the people you bond the closest with (like coaches, teammates etc), and you learn to analyse and critique in a way that moves the needle forward to maximise your potential. You learn humility and how to accept defeat, knowing that you still have your own success story. It’s not always about being number one, it’s about knowing you did something brave by trying your hardest. True courage comes from when you sacrifice parts of your life to put everything on the line for this athletic objective, and to me, it is that part that is the prize because your work ethic will serve you for the rest of your life, and that’s not the case about a medal or a trophy.
Florence. How much does the beauty of this city help fuel your sense of well-being?
Ah Florence! It’s a magical city, the perfect size, where you can walk everywhere. Not too far from us is the building where Dostoyevsky wrote The Idiot, so just walking around or looking at the landscape from Piazzale Michelangelo is simply breathtaking. I will tell you what really inspires happiness here is the interaction with local artisans. How happy they are to share their talents and gifts with us in detail. This chocolate shop called Oronero, for example, has the most creative chocolates and tea, but the ladies are always so happy and kind to everyone who comes in there. The same thing with this other gem, Passera Gelateria. You walk in, and they are warm and inviting. You can’t help but feel this contentment for life and for how they contribute to everyone’s happiness!
Is the Mediterranean diet a type of nutrition you consider functional and healthy?
To be honest, I don’t follow any diet, so I’m not familiar with the Mediterranean diet. I think, like with life, everything is good in moderation. For me, I try to add more vegetables into my diet consciously, so if I’m ordering a pizza, I try to order the vegetarian pizza, or if I feel like my body is craving meat, then I order a simple insalata mista to start. That’s more my kind of vibe because I love food, and I have had to work hard and not feel guilty when I eat carbs or dessert. As you may know, growing up in a sport like Rhythmic Gymnastics, there was constant pressure to be very thin and not eat bread or cakes, things of that nature, so now, in my adult life, I try to practice moderation and a happy balance when it comes to food.
What is your definition of well-being?
My definition of well-being is having a moment just for yourself in a 24-hour period where you can relax or be doing something you love. We all lead very busy lives, and we have many responsibilities, but if you can take 10-15 minutes (minimum) for yourself every day, I believe you will be happier with colleagues, friends, and family than if you didn’t carve out those 15 minutes. For me, when I had our two boys, and they were both under 2 years of age, my 15 minutes looked like waking up earlier (5:45 am) than our boys and reading a chapter of my book at the kitchen island with a cup of tea before the chaos of the day started. I really looked forward to those mornings at the end of each day, and I realised how much joy I got out of seeing the sunrise in the morning.
