Saying Goodbye to Fitness Coaching

So here I am, at a major pivot point in my business. Nervous, but excited.

As I write this, I've plunked myself at a cafe, straight from a laser hair removal appointment (ironically), drinking a dirty chai, thinking of the most efficient way to tell my entire (life) story in one blog post 😅

This feels life changing for me. And for so many of you.

So let's just cut straight to the news...

I'm making my grand exit from the fitness industry! 

I guess it's fair to feel a little nervous after 11 whole years coaching clients with their fitness.

But the excitement is dominating because I'm circling back to what brought me into this life of health and fitness to begin with... PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome).

I have loved every second of fitness coaching, but always find myself extra amped about my clients who gain full control of their health, especially hormone health. They get their periods back, their skin clears up, their digestion issues are a thing of the past, PMS resolves.

As I wrap up my fitness coaching by the end of 2024, I'm narrowing in to focus on what really lights me up lately and where I've found major success after 10+ years of coaching general health and fitness.

I'm developing a program (actually, it's only going to be the most amazing program EVER) to coach women with PCOS.

• Nutrition
• Movement
• Stress (anti-stress)
• Sleep 

By mastering these pillars together, your PCOS is going to feel 100% manageable. Simplified.

I was 16 when I was first diagnosed with PCOS. It only took 92850158 different appointments. Labs, ultrasounds, specialists, laser hair removal, you name it.

Three words that come to mind when I reflect on my early journey are:

Confusion.

Shame.

Defeat.

But three words to describe where I am now:

Achievement!

Pride!

So-excited-to-help-other-women-Simplify-PCOS (that's one word, right?)

Acne and PMS were my dominating PCOS symptoms. In addition to irregular periods, uneven fat distribution and hirsutism (I'm hairy!). But since I could more easily hide the latter, they didn't bother me as much, at least not on the outside. Internally, I  remember the weight they carried.

So in an effort to keep this blog to a short story and not a 30 chapter novel, let's just say that the million appointments I went to and doctors I were seeing weren't helpful whatsoever.

I was confused.

So I set off on my two decade mission to get rid of my PCOS symptoms.

I tried everything. Every diet, every supplement, every cream, every treatment.

Finally, proper nutrition & a few key supplements had me feeling like my anti-PCOS mission ended about five years ago. My symptoms resolved.

Acne was my fuel and I did everything to get to the point I'm at today with clear skin, regular periods, a body that I feel confident and beautiful in, and well, yes, still going to laser hair removal appointments...

...but now I'm going without the shame or guilt that I carried with me for a long time.

It's ironic that I write this as I come from laser, blasting to the world about being hairy, remembering when I used to sneak out of the house to my laser appointments, or intentionally schedule them when I would be home alone to avoid announcing where I was going, ashamed to admit that I struggled with hirsutism.

After my laser lady complimented my skin today, not knowing I had such a struggle with acne (and omg still the best compliment I can receive), as she was wiping the moisturizer off my face in preparation to laser my fuzz away, I asked her to dig through my file so I could see my skin in 2017 from a 'before' photo that I remember they took before a Clear + Brilliant treatment for acne and scarring. I barely have any acne photos that don't have a major filter on them, so I couldn't wait to see this! I remember cringing back in 2017 when they mentioned capturing a photo for my file, and today I felt nothing but compassion for the younger version of me who couldn't go a day without saying "I hate my skin."

The difference today going to laser is it's so much easier to lose the shame of being hairy or the hate for your skin when you feel in control of yourself and your health.

PMS isn't hijacking your mind.

Acne isn't taking over your face.

Your weight feels manageable with nutrition & exercise.

And your chin hairs are significantly less coarse (or gone) because you have a grip on your hormones.

My biggest takeaway from 20 years of livin' la vida PCOS is that PCOS doesn't have to be confusing and overcomplicated. One common denominator amongst us women with PCOS is walking out of the doctor's office with a prescription for the pill and whole lot of unanswered questions.

I'm so excited to help women manage their PCOS with proper nutrition, supplements a healthy lifestyle, and answered questions.

With the way I'm designing my protocols, it won't matter what "type" of PCOS you have. You won't have to spend thousands of dollars in extra testing or wait months to see different specialists.

I'm taking what works across the board, simplifying, and addressing it ALL:

Insulin resistance.

Inflammation, food sensitivities & poor digestion.

Excess androgens & hormone imbalance.

& more.

I've filtered through the PCOS information overload to keep it SIMPLE for you.

Together we're simplifying your PCOS to put an end to your symptoms.

If I could help my younger self with what I know now, if I could remove the shame, the confusion, the defeat, I would have saved myself a lot of what felt like low points in my life...

...but then, I wouldn't have the firsthand experience and knowledge that I have to help other women.

The silver lining in PCOS is that it's what encouraged my healthy lifestyle, healing my body from the inside out. And my healthy lifestyle is what encourages my entire life now - my hobbies, my career, where I live, the people I surround myself with, and even the way I feed my dog.

My PCOS affects and always will have an effect on everything, in such a positive way, because I love doing the things that make me feel my best.

Eating healthy food 🥑

Having a supplement routine that I know works 🥦

Getting enough sleep (I love sleep) 💤

Living a low stress lifestyle 🧘🏻‍♀️

And keeping up with self-care because it feels really dang good to feel good  💁🏼‍♀️

Because of PCOS, I'm not the girl who can get away with eating poorly and compromising sleep (or am I just getting old?). And I wouldn't have it any other way.

In the end, my PCOS has gifted me maximum health, and a chance to share that with you.

Stay tuned as the program evolves.

Together we will Simplify your PCOS 🤍

And THANK YOU to the many amazing bodies & souls I have encountered along their fitness journey!

Steph