The Pulse: The Breakthrough at Mania - Returning to My Roots and Finding My Path
- Aug 2
- 6 min read
There is something deeply revitalizing about attending a conference for your craft. It’s been a long time since I’ve been in that environment—back in the early 2010's, when my professional life revolved around a completely different realm of pediatric nutrition and public health data. Being back in a room surrounded by people who care deeply about the same evidence-based work was refreshing and incredibly meaningful.
After a whirlwind week and a half of travel and just two nights back in my own bed, I hit the road again for Atlanta Mania, the SCW Fitness Conference, alongside two fellow instructors from the Y.
Coming from an academic background, I’m used to a specific conference format: business attire, notebooks out, slides handed out in advance, and back-to-back lecture series. This go around, I got to wear my coordinated activewear and fully express myself. This attire was certainly needed during the handful of active movement sessions at Mania, but I found myself instinctively drawn back to my roots: research-heavy lectures led by lead scientists, clinicians, and data experts. Lately, I’ve felt a strong pull toward grounding my current work in solid, evidence-based science. It was the perfect opportunity to sharpen my toolkit, evaluate what I’ve been doing as a trainer over the last 18 months, and identify where I can continue to evolve and set myself apart from others.
Holding Stability vs. Finding Purpose
Midweek, right before the conference, I had my regular call with my therapist. We started by unwinding our recent family vacation—discussing my "window of tolerance," my patience with my strong-willed kids, and the logistics of single parenting. Then, the conversation shifted to a much bigger question: Where do I actually see myself going?
I admitted something I often struggle to talk about openly: financially, between my post-divorce structure and my current work, I am stable. I am on good footing, and I am eternally grateful for that safety net. But stability isn't the same as fulfillment.
DON'T get me wrong - I love working with my personal training clients - this fills my cup on a certain level. It gives me the same fulfillment I had when I worked alongside pediatricians— you see real-time, meaningful shifts in people's lives.
When I was doing pediatric weight management, we didn't measure success strictly by BMI. We looked at process metrics, behavioral changes, and self-efficacy. I use that same lens with my adult clients today:
I don't necessarily care about the number on the scale - seeing me twice a week for 30 minutes isn't going to magically drop 20 pounds, and that isn't my goal for you anyway.
I focus on your strength and progression - I'm not thrilled about "heroin chic" popularizing again, especially at the expense of your bone density and muscle mass.
Gaining confidence and competence in the existing strength of your body and its capacity to develop additional strength.
Learning and trusting your body - you know it better than me - but sometimes we need our hands held a bit to rediscover how our bodies move, what muscle engagement feels like, and listening to what your body is telling you and no longer ignoring its messages.
I lift heavy—and train my clients to lift heavy—because I want you to feel strong, confident, and functional in your body. And sometimes to get there, success looks like running up to the attic to grab boxes without getting winded. It looks like carrying in all the groceries by yourself, picking yourself up off the floor if you trip, and unlearning the toxic pressure we grew up with that tells us we must always lose "the last 5 pounds." That your body is beautifully strong and if you're gonna diss it, there are lunges and tricep dips in your future. Give these hormonally crazy, ever-changing, and relentlessly criticized bodies (and we're our own worst enemies) the grace and appreciation they deserve.
Despite loving this work, I've felt like I'm spinning my wheels on the bigger picture. My client schedule is a well-oiled machine, but I haven't known where to direct my broader energy—the meal preps, the blog, the systems. I’ve been searching for how to bring my PhD, my data background, and my fitness career together into one cohesive mission without spinning in circles.
The Epiphany: Two Massive Gaps in Women’s Health
Early Saturday morning, during a lecture on fitness industry trends, the lightbulb finally went off. Everything I had discussed with my therapist collided with the data being presented in the room.
I’ve built high-dollar, highly successful contracts in the past. I know how to build program and evaluation systems that get results. I want to build that again. I want to be my own breadwinner on my own terms.
Seeing the direction the industry is moving, I realized my unique background in nutritional sciences, program design, and strength training sits right at the intersection of two massive unmet needs:
1. The Menopause & Hormonal Shift Gap
The vast majority of women I train are pre-menopausal, perimenopausal, or post-menopausal. Hormones, fluctuating cycles, and changing chemistry dictate everything—how our bodies recover from workouts, where we store fat, how we maintain bone density, and how our brains process satiety. Women’s health in this stage of life is finally getting the research and focus it deserves. I want to actively support women navigating it through strength training, mobility, and targeted nutrition.
2. The Anti-Obesity Medication (GLP-1) Support Gap
There is a massive cultural shift happening around GLP-1s, semaglutides, and anti-obesity medications. Media claims only 6% of the population uses them, but in reality, nearly 1 in 5 adults are utilizing these medications in some capacity.
Let me be clear: There is no shade or shame in using these tools.
Coming from pediatric public health, I know firsthand that if willpower, simple diet, and exercise worked linearly for everyone, nobody would struggle. Weight is bound up in genetics, food security, income, trauma, and access. When we shaped pediatric interventions, we measured whether families reduced sugar-sweetened beverages, added whole foods, or moved more—not just what the scale did. GLP-1s are simply another tool in the toolkit to manage complex metabolic barriers.
However, there is a major problem: Mass muscle loss.
When people drop weight rapidly on these medications without proper coaching, they lose critical lean muscle tissue along with fat, wrecking their metabolic health long-term. And this is particularly compounded in our 40+ women, where muscle mass and bone density are instrumental to their quality of life.
This is where my path clicked: Coaching individuals who are utilizing weight loss tools (including GLP-1s) on how to preserve muscle mass, fuel their bodies with high-yield nutrition, and build functional strength.
It ties everything I do into one neat bow:
My PhD & Program Evaluation roots (tracking real behavioral metrics, fiber, protein, and progressive overload).
My Grocery Grind systems (high-protein, cost-effective meal preps to support suppressed appetites).
My Strength Training background (protecting bone density and muscle mass during weight loss and life shifts).
Scared, Excited, and What’s Next
Seeing this path clearly is both thrilling and intimidating. I am working on how to package this concept—potentially partnering with my fellow Mania attendees to pilot a holistic coaching model where I serve as the strength, nutrition, and accountability resource for clients on this exact journey.
I don't have all the answers mapped out yet, but for the rest of Q3 and Q4, this is where my focus is shifting. I’m going to be picking brains, asking questions, and building out tools. I want to hear from you: What soft and hard skills actually help when you're navigating a body shift? What kind of empathetic, evidence-based support do you wish you had?
So what does this mean for me? Well, my first steps are to wrap up all the little projects: meal prepping post, ACE personal training certification, updating my current client training sheets, and getting my house in order. The work, website, and home items that take up brain space, and I continually push them to the side for another day. It also means I'll be reworking some of my lifestyle as well - if I'm practicing what I preach, what better example? I'll continue to put my body first: fixing its ailments, prioritizing my strength and lifting regularly again; working on dietary goals of meeting fiber and whole grain recommendations, and ensuring I meet my daily caloric intake; and more frequent checks on my hormonal status and sleep quality.
I don't want to lose the excitement and momentum from this weekend, but I do know that with too many plates in the air I will overcommit, give more of my time, and lose part of myself. My goal as I wrap up all the things is to sprinkle in mapping out of my personal mission and values, what I hope to see for this future work, and seek out continuing education and experience to cement this path.
You'll continue to see regular posting on this site and maybe a bit more of me on socials. I'll regularly be at the gym for clients and spin but perhaps more intentionally. And as always, embracing time with my loved ones. So with that, I'll leave ya with our ride list for tomorrow!
Monday’s Spin Playlist: We are heading straight back to our millennial drama roots! Think nostalgia, 2000s WB energy, and The Vampire Diaries soundtrack vibes. See you on the bike!
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