💛 Finding the Right Health & Fitness Coach (And Why I’m Finally Sharing My Journey)

Finding the right health and fitness coach feels a lot like finding the right therapist — it’s a process. You need trust. You need connection. You need someone who understands that they’re stepping into one of the most vulnerable parts of your life:
your weight, your identity, your habits, your beliefs, and your history.

Before I found the two therapists who changed my life, I had to meet with several others who I knew instantly weren't the right fit. But once I found my people? Gold.
That’s exactly how this health and nutrition journey has been — except honestly, it’s been so much harder to find the right coach than it ever was to find the right therapist.

🔄 The Last 5 Years: A Slow, Steady, Confusing Climb

I’ve been gaining weight consistently for five years.

My daughter was born the week before quarantine. My entire lifestyle shifted overnight. I was already about ten pounds above what felt good for my body, and during that pregnancy — my last — I let myself fully enjoy it.

I also wasn’t working out like I did with my first pregnancy.
A toddler + being a kindergarten teacher + pregnancy = pure exhaustion.
I basically had 27 kids 24/7. My only goal was to survive each day.

Self-care wasn’t a priority. I didn’t have capacity for it.

Since then, I’ve tried everything:

• Orange Theory

• Alloy

• YMCA

• A dietician

• Three macro coaches

Some things helped for a week or two.
Maybe a month.
But eventually, I’d slide right back into the same habits, the same patterns, the same discouragement.

I was ready to give up — to accept that this was my new reality.
50+ pounds overweight. Avoiding mirrors. Avoiding pictures. Shrinking myself emotionally because I couldn’t shrink myself physically.

✨ And Then Instagram Did Its Scary-Magic Thing…

You know how Instagram just knows what you’re thinking?

That’s when Holly Leonard appeared in my life.

When I told my husband I wanted to spend more money on something I fully expected not to work, I swear he almost passed out. But something inside me said:

This is it.
This time it’s going to work.

And I was right.
Holly is my coach.

⭐ Why I Chose Her (And Why It Finally Worked)

Honestly?
It was her guarantee.

Holly promises that if you don’t lose a specific amount of weight within 3 or 6 months, she will keep working with you for free until you do.

Someone with that level of confidence in their coaching made me feel confident that I could finally change.

Her plan isn’t wildly different from what I’ve heard before:

• lift weights 3x a week

• calorie deficit

• focus on protein

• hydration

• consistency

But she is different.

She listens.
She cares.
She communicates in a way that finally clicks for me.
She makes me believe I can do this, and now…

I actually am.

📉 My Progress (The Numbers + The Truth)

I’m almost done with my third month.
Have I lost a ton of weight?
No.
I’ve lost 5 pounds — but hear me out.

It’s the first time in 5 years I’ve lost fat.

And not just fat — visceral fat.
The dangerous kind.

My Hume Health Pod Scale had the visceral fat number frozen in place for YEARS. I genuinely feared what that meant for my long-term health.

But in three months?

Down two points.
That’s huge.

The scale hasn’t dropped dramatically, but I have begun changing. 

• My inflammation is lower.

• My mindset is different.

• My energy is changing.

• My confidence is returning.

And honestly? More than anything:

I feel better about myself.

💪 What I’m Learning About Myself

I’m learning how to make balanced meals.
I’m learning I don’t actually like alcohol that much.
I’m learning I am strong.
It feels amazing to lift heavy weights and move my body consistently.
I’m learning to love myself again.

Not the 20-year-old version of me.
Not the “bounce back” version of me.

The me I’ve worked so hard to become.

🎂 My Road to 40

I turn 40 in April.

Growing older has never scared me. I genuinely welcome it. Every year has brought me closer to the life I dreamed of:
my family, my career, my purpose, my joy.

I have everything I ever wanted.
(Except being a world-famous singer — but some dreams are meant for karaoke.)

I am entering my 40s healthier — inside and out — and more in love with myself than I’ve been in years.

My coach is documenting her “Road to 42” with her clients.
It inspired me to share my own journey.

So I’d love to invite you on my Road to 40.

❤️ Walk With Me

If you’re on your own health or healing journey, I would love to hear about it.

Tell me:

• What are you working on?

• What are you craving?

• What are you grieving?

• What’s exciting you?

• What’s heavy right now?

We don’t have to do this alone.
I’m here — truly.
And I’m open to connecting with you on a deeper level.

Here’s to strong bodies, strong minds, and loving ourselves at every decade.💛