The Pressure to Be Perfect Almost Broke Me — How I Found Self-Love as a Health + Fitness Coach♡🌱

Let me tell you something real.

Being a transformation coach, personal trainer, spiritual guide and a recovering human being is… a lot. I know people like to glamorize the “strong friend,” the fit girl with the energy, the vibes, the vision boards — but behind all the progress pics and pep talks, there’s a woman (me) who has had to learn to transform from the inside out while holding space for others to do the same.

There’s a pressure that comes with being “the one who helps.” The healer. The light. The guide. And I wear that title with honor — but it isn’t always light work. I've been told I am "human serotonin" yet I have to take L-methylfolate just to produce enough dopamine in my brain to manage depression.

Thick Fit Beginnings: Turning the Elephant in the Room Into My Brand

My first brand was ThickFit Fitness. It was bold. It was loud. It was me trying to own the part of me that I felt would disqualify me from the fitness world if I didn’t beat them to the punch (especially ten years ago when I started down this road).

Yeah, I said it.

I felt like if I didn’t say, “I know I’m not your typical trainer” with my branding, someone else would. So I flipped it, made it my superpower. I had curves, softness, muscle, and presence — and I turned that into a movement. But underneath that was a younger version of me screaming, “Do I really belong in this space?”

Imposter syndrome wasn’t just lurking — it was lifting weights with me, meal prepping with me, watching me film workouts like “Is she really about to coach someone else when she’s still healing herself?” I had the audacity to question myself and feel ashamed after accomplishing 100 lbs of fat loss in 9 months, naturally and independently! I felt insecure because my body may have lost the stored fat but it hadn't released the stored trauma and emotions that came with it.

But here’s the truth: every single coach, healer, and lightworker I know has walked (or is still walking) through the fire. The difference? I didn’t pretend I wasn’t. I studied the flames.

The Duality of Coaching While Healing

Here’s the plot twist they don’t always talk about: when you’re deeply intuitive and committed to your own evolution, your healing becomes your curriculum.

I’ve had to coach clients through binge cycles while lovingly reparenting my own nervous system through flashbacks of disordered eating. I’ve guided women through body image breakthroughs while standing in front of my mirror, practicing unconditional love for a body that sometimes still feels foreign.

Some days I’m the lighthouse. Other days I’m the ship in the fog. But I never let that stop me from showing up. The magic is that I do show up — whole, cracked open, messy, magnetic. And that’s why people trust me. Because I don’t sell perfection. I embody the practice.

Science, Spirit, and the Psychology of Real Change

Let me get nerdy for a second — when I felt like I had something to prove, I poured myself into learning everything:

Fitness physiology
Hormonal health
Trauma-informed coaching
Behavior change psychology
Gut-brain connection
Shadow work
Spiritual metaphysics
Somatics
Corrective exercise

You name it, I studied it, tried it, lived it. Not because I had to — but because the imposter syndrome pushed me to mastery, and somewhere along the way, I realized… I am her. I’m not a fraud. I’m a forerunner. I’m not behind. I’m becoming. And I didn’t come here to look like the archetype. I came here to redefine it.

Light, Dark, and the Sexy Middle Ground

People love to talk about light. But I learned to hold space for the dark too. I’ve sat with the shame, the rage, the guilt, the grief. I’ve cried in child’s pose and danced in the mirror five minutes later. I’ve eaten kale and craved chaos. I've detoxed from sugar and from people. I’ve coached through heartbreak and held space for myself the same night.

This is the dance. This is the duality. This is the alchemy.

Healing isn’t a checkbox. It’s an embodiment. And baby, I’m learning to wear it like my favorite gym set — curves, scars, softness, sass and all.

The Truth Behind the Transformation

Let’s talk about weight fluctuations, because oh honey — I’ve lived them (and full disclosure: still do). There have been seasons where I felt heavier than I liked, puffier, softer, like I was wearing a version of me I didn’t fully recognize. And ironically? The season I lost all the weight — the one people praised the most — was when I was the least happy. That was the plot twist that cracked me open: realizing that no number on a scale could ever weigh the same as peace in my body. I realized that pushing my body to the point of injury just to attain a certain physique wasn't healthy at all.

Healing had to be more than shrinking. It actually had to be expanding. It had to be reclaiming. Rebuilding. Remembering who I was underneath the performance of perfection. So now? I celebrate strength, softness, and everything in between. Because my worth doesn't fluctuate with my weight — and neither does yours.

So yeah, I’m a personal trainer. A health coach. A spiritual guide. But first? I’m a person. A woman. A soul who decided to do the work out loud.

And if that makes me “That Girl”? Then yep. I’m her.

The one with the green juice and the intrusive thoughts. The one who can drop fitness facts and intuitive downloads in the same breath. The one who will get you into shape — body, mind, spirit — but not at the cost of your soul.

Because I’ve lived the crash-and-burn. I’ve been the overachiever with the underfed body. I’ve been the coach with a full client list and an empty heart. I’ve been the queen of before-and-afters who forgot she was already divine in her “during.”

Now? I teach from wholeness. I lead from alignment. I train from embodied experience.

So if you’re in your own messy middle — baby, you’re not behind. You’re just becoming. And I’m right here, cheering you on, sweating beside you, reminding you…

You’re already enough. And you’re only getting started.

Want Help?

If you're reading this and feeling seen — like maybe your journey has mirrored mine in some way — know this: you don’t have to do it alone. Whether you're working through body image blocks, craving a full mind-body-soul glow-up, or finally ready to become your strongest self without the burnout, I’ve got you. I offer 1:1 coaching sessions that go way beyond reps and macros — we build your transformation from the inside out.

You can check out my services page to design your own custom package that aligns with your unique goals, lifestyle, and soul. I’ll be right there with you, guiding every step — as your coach, your hype woman, and your mirror. Let’s get you living your fullest, healthiest, freest most authentic life. ♡🌱

Xo,

Coach Corey