Shannon’s Story

I was always an active kid, involved in sports from a young age and a provincial then collegiate level athlete as I grew. Personal Training was a simple career choice for me and I started at GoodLife Fitness in 2015.

In 2019 I took my first stab at bodybuilding. I vastly overestimated my knowledge and coached myself through a 6 month diet to compete on stage. I got shredded, and I ruined my health.

This led me to go back to school and become a Holistic Nutritionist. I knew I needed to learn more about nutrition and how it impacts overall health, not just weight. I fixed all my health issues and maintained a healthy body weight.

Until Covid hit.

I was working at Movati Athletic, managing their personal training department. To say this was a stressful time in my life is an understatement. I was going through the ending of my 10-year relationship, navigating COVID restrictions at the gym and manager client and trainer concerns.

Almost every night I would go home to my new bachelor apartment and eat (and drink) my feelings. It was not a healthy coping mechanism and I put on a lot of weight. I hated how I looked, I felt like a fraud, and I just didn’t have the bandwidth to change it. Until I found support.

Therapy and delegating my training to a fellow coach did wonders for me, but I didn’t really get back on track until I learned how to manage my stress in a healthy way. Once I didn’t feel like I was drowning anymore I could put the effort I needed into weight loss.

It is truly my calling and passion to help my clients achieve these same results. I know how you feel. I did it, you can do it too!

Florence’s Story

For me fitness has been a journey of self-love and freedom.

I grew up very insecure about my body as I was always the tallest and biggest in my grade. Gym class was by far my least favorite subject, so much so that I risked failing the class several times.

It was never about not wanting to participate but rather paralyzing insecurity.

My relationship with food was also a struggle. While healthy eating was always top of mind, portion sizes were not, I had a lot to learn about what healthy eating truly looked like.

My passion for horses is what led me to the gym, I was looking to improve my core strength to become a better rider. As my training progressed, my love for the gym overpowered my passion for horseback riding.

Since then, I have explored different styles of training, ranging from powerlifting - with a top deadlift of 385lbs - all the way to yoga where I learned the importance of a strong connection between mind and body. I even trained through my pregnancy. I truly believe that training and good nutrition is what helped me have a notably healthy and joyful pregnancy as well as excellent delivery and postpartum period.

I have now adopted bodybuilding as my current training style with the goal of competing in the Fit Model division. In doing this I have learned to track food accurately which for me has drastically reduced stress and “food focus” creating more space in my mind. The peace of mind that comes with knowing I have healthy prepped meals in my fridge that will fuel my body optimally has been life changing.

Young Florence would have never predicted this 180 degree change. From being too insecure to participate in gym class to now stepping into the spotlight in heels and a bikini.

I am very grateful for what my journey has and continues to teach me. I wish to help others reach this level of freedom where their bodies do not hold them back and they can begin to believe that nothing in this world is out of reach.