Where do you currently work and what do you do? I work at Barry’s Bootcamp in Minneapolis as a fulltime group fitness instructor, teaching about 12 classes a week. The classes are high intensity interval training, which is the original HIIT workout. I’m very into fitness personally, so when I started coaching at Barry’s I was a personal trainer with my own clients. Although I still work with clients one on one, I have decreased the amount of in-person clients but it’s transitioned to more online training, nutritional guidance and building exercise programs. I also have a full-time podcast called Straight Candid, where we like to talk about everything and we never sugarcoat the truth. Go check it out for more juice! When you’re not coaching, what activities or hobbies keep you busy? Ha! Well all of my other jobs! I’m a big foodie, so I love trying out new restaurants, playing around with music- which is another reason why I love coaching at Barry’s because you get to be your own DJ! I love creating new content such as making videos for the podcast or Barry’s and pulling out my creative side. In regards to your training journey, how did you get started and what would you do differently if anything? Growing up, I’ve always been in sports such as track and field, soccer and gymnastics so I’ve always been pretty active and genuinely attracted to the health and fitness world. However, during my freshman year of college I got obsessive with exercising and dieting, so my start to my fitness career was a bit rocky. When I finished college, I got my first job as a healthcare advisor as I had studied public health and nutrition. Although I was more into health and fitness, I did spend some time in the corporate 9-5 healthcare setting. But I soon realized I wasn’t happy so I got my personal training certification, started teaching group fitness classes, working with my own clients…and now I’m here! If I could go back and do it differently, I would have sought therapy and focused on a balanced life. I also wouldn’t have put so much pressure on myself to have a “big girl job” because I would have been years ahead of where I am now. What helped you get out of the disordered eating phase in college? I’m passionate about working with those who may have had a history of undereating and overtraining. I love showing them that sometimes eating MORE and working out less is actually what their body needs to hit their goals. I was dating someone in college who would track his calories so I thought I would try it too. But for someone who already had a naturally smaller frame, in addition to doing silly crossfit style workouts and was more obsessive with tracking calories I began to look sickly. When I was home over the holidays, my dad actually told me I looked sick. That is when it finally hit me. After that, I tried to put on weight as fast as I could which led to a binging issue for a couple of years, but to be honest, the only way I got out of it was allowing myself to completely let go of it, let go of wanting perfection. I didn’t focus on nutrition or workouts and I just tried to enjoy the rest of my college experience. I soon found balance again by realizing that I was allowed to have what I wanted, whenever. Since then, I’ve been really passionate about helping women find that balance so they don’t feel like they have to go through restrictive eating. What is one piece of advice that has changed your life and why? I pride myself in being vulnerable and open to sharing experiences such as my eating restrictions even though I thought it was embarrassing. So now the more I talk about it and share it with other people, the more they feel like they can open up to me so I’m able to help them even more. That’s one thing and along the line of being candid that I’ll always take with me. You have to talk like no one is listening because sometimes you’re afraid of the one person knowing you talked about a specific thing like restrictive dieting when you know it could help so many. For me that’s how I live my life and continue to be authentic, on or off the podcast. Are there any other causes you’re passionate about? Helping women become strong and empowered. Instead of comparing and judging I want women to be more supportive of each other and I believe that comes from feeling confident. I’ve been judged as a typical blue eyed, blonde haired girl more times than I can count and I know it can come with a lot of privilege, so I try to turn that into something productive. I want to share my story because I’m not what I seem. Sometimes I overcompensate by sharing more than I should to make others feel comfortable but I think that is what has made me who I am, someone candid. What would you tell your younger self if you had the chance? I worry about the future a lot as I’m a very anxious person. But, if I were to have known where I’d be at this point, I’d be so proud of myself. I would just say take one step at a time, things will work out, it always does. If you continue to follow things you’re passionate about it will bring you to success, money and/or happiness. And also always have a side hustle and see what comes of it. What’s your thought process when you build your programs for clients? I base my programs heavily around strength training. I don’t like a lot of cardio and I know my clients don’t either. I like to build around my client’s personal preferences of movement. If they feel strong doing certain exercises then I make sure to incorporate those. I also typically use 6-week phases to allow adaptation before changing it up. What are some of the ways you best motivate yourself? Listening to certain music with banger songs! For me, it’s not about looking a certain way, it’s about consistency which I know will always make me feel better. If I don’t work out, I can’t sleep well at night. Even when I don’t feel like doing a workout, I know it’s good for my health and my mind. Making it a routine like brushing your teeth is the easiest way to ensure it! What does success mean to you and how do you know when you’ve attained it? Success for me is more about having a calm mindset than any other type of success such as money because I personally deal with a lot of mental health issues. When I feel more relaxed, happy and fulfilled I feel more successful although that can come in waves. But for me, I feel most happy when I’m helping others. Do you have a dream job? This might sound funny, but I’m actually working my dream jobS! I’ve been able to create my own community within the podcast, training, and creating motivational playlists at Barry’s. I truly love what I’m doing, Any last comments? Be candid. Be open, real and vulnerable. Comments are closed.
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