Tell us about your career in the fitness and nutrition industry?
I have always been a lover of fitness, spending most of my teen and young adult life in the gym, on the field or at the track. However there was a time in my life some would say I lost my way. About 10 years ago I experienced a huge loss through the death of a family member and my personal choices and habits took a turn for the worse. I was a 22 year old kid with no career, no direction and no ambition to make anything of myself. After battling addictions and poor choices for a couple of years, my family suggested I try CrossFit. It was new to our community and it was exactly what I needed to snap myself out of my spiraling existence and back into reality. A clean slate, along with something to once again engage my mind and my body in a positive way. My passion for the sport and love for the community quickly grew and in 2013 I became a CrossFit level one instructor. I took on the roll of coaching daily WODs, working one on one with clients, as well as creating and running a kids functional fitness program where I got to interact and teach the importance of health and fitness to the young minds of my community. I was later approached by the owner of the gym to help run a nutrition program, and I soon realized my real passion in the health industry was for nutrition.
In 2014 I was introduced to the Balanced Habits program and was instantly hooked on the science and foundation of proper nutrition. I started with improving and developing my own nutrition habits with the knowledge I obtained after taking the Balanced Habits certification, as well as completing my Precision Nutrition Level 1 coaching certification, and quickly came to realize just how big of a role proper nutrition plays not only in the physical aspect of fitness and ascetics but also the positive effect it has on mental health and our over all well being.
What inspires you?
I’m inspired by the success I see in the people around me. I feed off of the joy and happiness that comes with a client or friend reaching a milestone or accomplishing a big goal. As well as the fight they endure reaching those goals, when I see someone working so hard towards something they believe in, it inspires me to push myself towards my goals as well.
What do you enjoy most about your work?
I love the relationships that are created between myself and clients, the community it brings together and the support found amongst us all.
What special qualities do you bring to your coaching?
My ability to relate to and understand a wide variety of people. I come from a huge family of 46 aunties and uncles, 62 cousins and countless nieces and nephews. Surprisingly we are all very close. Whether it’s my 84 yr old granny, an auntie that works long hours of shift work and has continually struggled with weight, an obsessive calorie counting cousin or a brilliant athlete of a brother, I’ve seen the trials and tribulations that come with balancing all types of nutrition and exercise. Not to mention being a busy mom of two, running my household and balancing my personal nutrition and exercise goals. I’d say I’ve developed a very wide understanding of the struggles a lot of different individuals go through when it comes to diet and exercise, and with that I’ve also developed many ways to help individuals over come those struggles.
What are your most memorable client experiences as a Food Coach?
One of my most memorable clients is a women who at one time weighed in close to 300 lbs. She had put in the hard work and with her determination lost 140 of that all on her own. When I met her she was a very active, very obsessive individual who punished herself through exercise and limited herself when it came to nutrition. She was afraid of food, and given her history and where she came from it wasn’t hard to understand why. Calories in VS calories out was a big belief in her mind and she was in my opinion abusing it, and her body. Understanding that food was a touchy subject for this individual, it became a slow and respectful adjustment in helping her understand why fuelling her body properly was not only important for her health but beneficial to her maintenance and progress. After working with her closely she eventually adapted a healthy mind set around food as well as new healthy habits she continues to execute. The biggest accomplishment here was not a number on the scale, but a 100% mindset change as well as establishing a good, healthy relationship with food. And at the end of the day that’s truly what I hope to accomplish with all my clients.
What was your favorite Nutrition Hack?
Always have protein prepped and portion for quick and easy access. Carbs and fats usually come easy, don’t get caught with no protein on hand!
Food prep, food prep, food prep. Keep it simple!
Tell us something that not everyone knows about you?
I love to paint! Pop art portrait painting while listening to old records is something you’ll find me doing whenever I need some “me” time, it’s my favourite way to escape the world for a moment.
Click to learn more about Balanced Habits Food Coaching Programs.
Yours in Health,
Balanced Habits
