Fitness has always been a part of my life. Growing up, I played volleyball, basketball, and ran track, so being active came naturally to me. Life looked very different once I got married and started having babies at 22. After each baby, fitness became the thing that helped me feel like me again. I’d get back to feeling strong and confident, then get pregnant again. After my third baby, though, something shifted. I realized fitness was becoming about so much more than what my body looked like.

Those early years of motherhood were hard. We had moved away from everything and everyone I had ever known for a job opportunity for my husband. I was young, exhausted, incredibly homesick, raising three little kids, and trying to create a life in a place where nothing felt familiar. I eventually found a gym with childcare and started taking classes. At first, that hour was simply my chance to get out of the house, be around adults, and do something for myself. My kids loved going too, which took away the guilt I felt for taking that time. I met a trainer there who made a huge impact on me. She made me feel seen, welcomed, and capable during a season when I really needed it.

After another move brought us to the place we now call home, I found another gym and fell in love with training in a completely different way. I discovered how strong my body actually was and loved the challenge and community. After seeing me there almost every day for months, the owner asked if I had ever thought about becoming a trainer. I hadn’t. He told me he thought I could help a lot of people—that I loved the push, genuinely enjoyed people, and could bring some fun to something many people dread doing. That conversation changed the direction of my life. I got certified, started coaching classes, and the rest is history.

Over the years, fitness has given me confidence, friendships, community, purpose, and an outlet that is mine. I learned that taking an hour for myself didn’t make me a selfish mom or wife. It helped me show up better for the people I love. That lesson has stayed with me through every season of life. Now that my three boys are teenagers and young adults, I also get to show them by example that taking care of yourself, physically & mentally matters.

This is why I care so much about helping other women. I’ve been there. I don’t believe every transformation needs to be an “I lost X pounds” story. Sometimes the biggest transformation happens on the inside. Motherhood, hormones, perimenopause, aging, changing bodies. We go through a lot as women, but you don’t have to reach a point where you think, “ Well, I guess this is just it” You can feel strong again. You can feel confident again. You can make yourself a priority again. One of my favorite parts of what I do is getting to walk alongside a woman as she finds herself all over again.