Hi! I'm Kelly and This is My Journey....

Trust me, I get it and I've been there. As a Wife, Mother of 4, Business Owner and Woman on a Mission to lead a purposeful life I know we all play a lot of roles. It seems sometimes that there are not enough hours in the day.

However, I've figured some things out over the years. It is not about perfection or following someone else's "rules". It's about stepping into your power and giving yourself PERMISSION to say "Me First" to live the life of your dreams.

In my Holistic Health & Wellness Coaching, I have helped thousands of women achieve fitness, weight loss and the belief patterns that set them up to lead a stronger and more confident life.

  
I haven't always been the picture of health, fitness and being comfortable in my skin. In fact the truth is that I spent nearly 20 years in a body I wasn’t comfortable in.
     So I understand when my clients tell me that weight has been a long time struggle for them!



Starting at age 12 I became really self conscious as my body was changing and entering puberty. My coping mechanism became hiding and eating which led me to gain 50 lbs in one year when I was in 6th grade! That very quickly led me to feel confused, out of control and just plain miserable in my body.  I didn't even realize how I was also in a pattern of beating myself up with negative self talk that lasted through most of my teen years. I also had really low energy and never made the connection to how the foods I was eating were affecting my moods.

After 6 Years I'd had Enough
When I went to college I became really motivated to make a change as I was finally SO fed up with being overweight and feeling terrible about my body. I decided to start exercising and clean up my diet. Of course in the mid 90's that meant that everything I ate was HIGHLY processed, pre-packaged, "Fake" food.....but as long as it was "FAT FREE" I felt like I was doing great! And it would work....for a little bit. I still felt tired and sluggish, but I could see that these changes were working and I lost 30lbs my freshman year. The only downside is that I couldn't keep up this way of eating all the time and it led to years of yo -yo dieting and my weight fluctuated up and down the same 10-15 pounds for many many years...
 After college I did end up “falling in love” with exercise, running specifically, but what I was doing by running one or two marathons a year was trying to “out exercise” my bad diet and thinking it gave me "permission" to eat anything I wanted.. Boy was I wrong!!! As soon as my body got used to all that cardio endurance training I was not only struggling to keep my energy up but also struggling because I kept gaining weight!
For most of my 20's I was trying to "out exercise" my bad diet.
I was getting more and more down on myself because I was feeling very weak and tired and I couldn't get my body to look the way I wanted it to. I kept thinking MORE exercise and eating less was the answer but I couldn’t bring myself to keep that up for very long. I didn’t know why it seemed so difficult so I would beat myself up for not having the “willpower” to stay on which ever diet I was trying at the time.
And then all the emotional eating returned.....
Everything changed for me in 2006 when I found out I was pregnant. At first I used it as a license to eat whatever I wanted, and boy was that fun….for a little bit. I had "loosed the reins" on my strict dieting and gave myself permission to eat whatever I wanted. I gained about 15 lbs in the first 4 months, which didn't worry me too much. Then, we got some unexpected news....I found out my unborn child may have health risks which put me on modified bedrest with limited activity for the remainder of my pregnancy. While my husband was the positive light in my life that told me everything was going to be ok, I was secretly so stressed with fear for my daughters health. I spent HOURS each day researching possible conditions or explanations for her abnormalities and it stressed me out beyond belief! Once again, as I had done as I child I turned to food. If you’ve ever found comfort in friends like Ben & Jerry….I’ve been right there with ya.
As you can imagine, I felt out of control of my body and my life and to add fuel to the fire I was eating foods that made me feel sluggish and depressed. 
"I Will Never Forget How Dark Life Seemed For Me That Summer."

Thankfully with a lot of prayers, a few surgeries, and amazing doctors my daughter is a normal, healthy 12 year old today.
However, I will never forget how dark life seemed for me that summer. Looking back it wasn't only the fear, but the terrible food choices, lack of exercise and lack of purpose just made it all worse.
As I fought to regain control of my health and weight after she was born I learned some valuable lessons that I will take with me the rest of my life.
In My Attempt to Be Lean, I was Secretly Miserable and Felt Out of Control...
In 2010 I had another major life change when my husband , Jay and I decided to open a fitness facility and I started teaching boot camp classes 6 days a week. I had been completely committed to exercise for nearly a decade and I wanted to share my passion with the community.
One thing I didn't expect is the pressure I started to put on myself to "look the part" of a fitness and fat loss expert.
This picture is from a time in my life where I was consumed with eating for fat loss and getting as lean as possible.
I remember when this picture was taken I felt that I wasn't "lean enough". I'd spent so much time worrying about what I was eating, how I could be social and still eat the way I wanted to eat to a point that I basically became OBSESSED with following the perfect diet plan.
And when I allowed myself a "Cheat day" I would go completely overboard, eat until I felt sick and beat myself up for days , trying to "get back on track".
After about 2 years of living like this I realized that this way of eating was not good for my body.....and it was WORSE for my mind. 
I was ready to break out of this pattern and start achieving my goals on my terms!
These are my reasons "WHY" I do what I do...
I want to show my kids , especially my 3 daughters, how to have a healthy relationship with food and their bodies.
I never want them to see me restrict food in order to look a certain way- i want to show them that I am an advocate for my health and make choices so i can feel my very best. 
Now I'm on a mission to help other women discover how to make changes to positively affect their lives.
It has been so empowering to discover the secrets to feeling not only comfortable in my own skin, but also to feel strong, powerful and capable of achieving my goals. 

It has taken me YEARS of practice to get to a place where I:
  • Am free from the "diet mentality" and just focus on eating foods I love that give me energy
  •  Exercise LESS , but am stronger, fitter and feel better than I have in my entire life 
  •  Accept my body for exactly what it is, curves, cellulite and all 
  •  Create routines in my life that set me up for success 
  •  Am truly proud of who I am and feel like I have the right mindset to conquer any goal or dream
My Mission
As a coach, speaker, and writer, I want to help women feel strong and confident in their lifestyle choices so they can live their best life. I want to help woman to lose weight, but more importantly how to keep weight off so they aren't stuck in the "diet trap" for the rest of their lives. I am passionate about helping people find the right fit for their life when it comes to routines that make themselves a priority.
It is a MUST for us to SHOW UP in our own lives and I want to help you figure out how to make that a priority.
Things I love...
My 4 awesome kids, My husband Jay, My supportive family, mornings & sunrises, Going to bed early, a stiff and homemade margarita,running, yoga, lifting heavy weights, tacos, smiling, Tommy Boy, SNL, boating, my friends, girls weekends, traveling, reading, podcasts, Life& Learning.....and of course.....coffee 
Who am I?
A Woman that is constantly learning, growing and adapting to all the changes in life and trying to be the best version of ME that I can be.  
Where To Find Me...
Click the “contact” tab above for inquires on speaking engagements, workshops, seminars, or contributions. I love traveling for speaking gigs and would definitely love to come to your city. If you have any questions, feel free to ask them there as well!