My Personal Journey
FROM BARELY ALIVE TO THRIVING
​The first time I was ever introduced to “dieting”, I was 8 years old and my mother had just enrolled in Jenny Craig. Every night she would make dinner for the rest of the family and then sit down with us to eat her small microwavable meal that looked nothing like the pictures on the box. At the time, I couldn’t understand why she would subject herself to such small portions that barely looked like food. This was not the only diet my mother tried. There was Weight Watchers, a Curves gym membership, an Ab Sonic machine, you name it, she tried it. Finally, I realized how desperate my mother was to lose weight, helplessly watching her fail over and over again. Seeing her happiness suffer because of it has pained me until this day.
My early teens, was when I started having my own personal struggle with self-loathing. I hated my frizzy hair, and how my thighs rubbed together when I ran. After a routine visit, my doctor told my mother I needed to lose about 10lbs. I enrolled in my first gym membership in a desperate attempt to lose some weight. Unsuccessful, I continued to gradually gain weight until I left home for college on a full-ride softball scholarship. The stress of being hundreds of miles away from my family with no food restrictions and late night partying resulted in gaining 20lbs my freshman year. When my college career came to an end, while I was job seeking, I came across an ad for a personal trainer certification program. I had always been an athlete playing multiple sports and genuinely enjoyed helping people.
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Little did I know that becoming a personal trainer would be the first step towards the greatest changes in my life. I knew that if I could help even just one person feel empowered to change their health, then I would consider myself a successful trainer. In 2011, I founded my first personal fitness company Bodylicious Fitness.
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For years, I worked in a traditional fitness setting -- a big box gym where diet and fitness culture was evident in every nook and cranny of the place. I continuously received overhead pressure to sell diet plans and weigh clients to "hold them accountable" to their goals. It never sat right with me and it always felt very uncomfortable.
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Meanwhile, I was dealing with my own deep body image issues and terribly managing anxiety and depressive episodes. As a way to seek control in my life I dieted chronically which eventually led me into a disordered relationship with my body and eating. In 2018 I hit rock bottom. Not only was I a skeleton of myself on the outside, but I felt dead inside too. Every day felt like a struggle to live and there were many days I didn't think I could make it through another day. It was masked by compliments from other people saying things like "you look so good!" and "omg you lost so much weight, I want you as my trainer!" But little did they know I was struggling on the inside. This is when I started researching other ways of dealing with depression, anxiety and stress beyond medication. The abundance of information I found regarding dietary and pyscho-spiritual change paved my path towards becoming a Registered Holistic Nutritionist and eventually becoming an Emotional Eating Recovery Coach.
In April 2020, I re-branded my company to Healthy With Kelsey as a way to encompass all of the aspects of health that I have experienced through my journey to well-being. Well-being is more than just exercise. It's how you show up for yourself every single day and the choices you make that bring you closer to your most authentic self. It is the self-limiting beliefs you carry around with you every day and the how you cope with painful moments that are inevitable in your life. It is the difference between living and thriving in this life.
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Since 2011, I have helped over thousands of people improve their quality of life through both physical exercise, nutrition and practicing self-compassion and self-care. Seeing my clients shed tears of joy when they have completed one of my wellness programs is by far the most rewarding part of my career and I strive to continually make their experiences better and exceed their expectations. I believe that all of the struggles I have experienced in my life were not only moments for growth but that they were necessary. I am thankful everyday for them. They have shaped who I am, and I am so deeply passionate about helping other people discover their greatness. These learning moments that shift us into our most authentic self usually reside in the darkest moments in our life and I am here to help you bring them to light.
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Living a happy life begins with believing that you deserve to live one. I will honour your individuality and make sure you feel supported every step of the way. Whether your goal is to rebuild your relationship with food, improve self confidence, balance your mood, improve persistent health issues, increase energy or simply want to live a more balanced lifestyle, lets work together and started building your future. You do not have to continue living the same story. You can re-write your story and start living the life you've imagine today.
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Yours in Health,
Kelsey