My Fitness Journey & Why LIFT EAT Party Exists

I started my fitness journey at 14 years old - not because I wanted to be strong or healthy, but because I was tired of being what I thought was "fluffy." As I went through my teenage years, I wasn't fat but not skinny or in shape either, just in between. I thought fitness was the answer to getting skinnier, so for the next six years I started working out with my mom doing cardio and lightweight workouts at our hometown gym or in our basement.

And honestly?

I saw no real progress.

Looking back, it wasn't because I wasn't trying - it was because my nutrition was awful. Nobody taught me what food actually did for your body. There was no education around balance, portions, or fueling. I just thought working out harder would eventually fix everything.

First Time Nutrition Clicked

When I was around 20, my mom brought home a Whole30 book she picked up from a bookstore. That was my first look into nutrition and the first time I'd ever had anyone explain food in a way that made sense to me.

I started eating better and doing BodyPump DVDs at home. Those DVDs are what grew my love for weightlifting. The music, the pump.... it was fun. After a few months of consistently eating right and working out, I started to notice the scales going down. I lost 20 pounds and felt great, looked amazing, and really was loving the whole process of it all.

College, Dropping Out, & Losing Momentum

By 21, I moved to Morgantown, WV, to go to college at WVU. My high school friends became my roomies, and they noticed how much weight I had lost and wanted to join the movement. I shared with them what I had been learning about food and lifting. So, we started shopping for the right foods together, sometimes cooking together, and working out together if it fit in our schedules. After a few weeks they were seeing the results, but you know how college is...

The partying and drinking slowly took over and I ended up dropping out. My roommates slowly gave up on the healthy living as I did. I stayed in Morgantown for the next couple years anyway - living there, partying, and enjoying the nightlife more than anything. I lost momentum for eating right and working out and was starting to lose the body I had worked so hard for over the years. Fitness took a back seat, nutrition fell apart, and I started getting bored with BodyPump altogether. I was also getting bored with my job and eventually the nightlife scene there.

A Different Life in Ohio

I made the move to Lima, OH, with a completely different goal: automotive technology. Life was definitely a different pace there from what I had just come from. This chapter of my life was a different kind of party. Instead of the nightlife of Morgantown with crowds and fun chaos, it was hole-in-the-wall bars, fewer people, lots of cars and fishing. I tried getting back into eating right and doing some sort of light weight workout while being in school, but I also fell in love with something new - fishing. My house was right next to a walkable river and had 2 ponds in the back. So naturally, we started walking fishing parties and made lots of friends that way. Life slowed down, priorities shifted, and fitness happened every now and then.

I ended up with a hyperactive thyroid for a while which caused me to get really skinny - which I thought was great at the time - but in the end it came with a list of issues I spent the next year trying to figure out. Ironically, I figured out I could eat whatever I wanted and not gain any weight, so I stopped caring about nutrition altogether.

Pregnancy, Weight Gain, and Starting Over

At 26, I got pregnant with my first child and gained 72 pounds. I didn't workout and ate whatever I was craving in that moment the entire pregnancy - which was great, don't get me wrong.

But after my son was born, I spent the next 2 years losing baby weight through (you guessed it) BodyPump and by walking my son in his stroller around town. Eventually I got back down to pre-baby weight, and after being that heavy, I was genuinely happy with that.

Then at 30, I had my second child. Even though I ate better and worked out throughout this pregnancy, I still gained nearly the same amount of weight as the first time - putting me close to 200 pounds again. This time around, I knew I didn't want to lose the weight the same way as I had before.

Lifting Heavy for the First Time

Instead of going back to BodyPump, I found a newly started fitness influencer that I completely related to and started doing the workouts she posted on her Instagram. Eventually, she started an app that had all different kinds of programs you could follow along to at home. I ended up investing in a power cage so I could lift heavy at home - something I'd never done in my fitness journey - so I could still be with my kids.

Over the next couple years, I lifted heavier than I ever had before. My body changed - I was more muscular, stronger, and leaned out a little in some areas - but the progress felt slow compared to all the other times. I still held onto stubborn belly fat from pregnancy to the point where it looked like I was in the early stages of pregnancy.

I've always followed an 80/20 approach to food since discovering Whole30. I enjoy sweets and good food and try to make them into a healthier version, but for some reason what used to work... just wasn't anymore.

I felt stuck.

FMG Inspiration & Hiring a Coach

Around this time of me feeling lost and not able to lose the weight, I stumbled upon a bodybuilding bikini competition on Instagram. This woman had just done her first competition and it sparked my interest from there. I started following other people doing the shows and I became fascinated with the training and nutrition discipline behind it. All these bikini competitors had trainers, and I decided maybe I needed one too.

At the beginning of 2025, I hired a coach and I lost 20 pounds. Everything clicked again. I relearned portion sizes, how to properly fuel my body, and that eating clean isn't the same as eating enough. I felt confident, strong, and in control again.

But then life happened again.

Loss, Reflection, & New Direction

At the end of summer 2025, I lost an important family member. The loss it me hard and my newly found motivation disappeared. I stopped showing up for myself, lost consistency, and eventually drifted away from my coach (completely my fault).

But in that strange and quiet time period, something unexpected happened.

I realized I didn't just love training and nutrition - but maybe I should've been doing this all along. Back in the day, I liked showing people how to eat and train so maybe I should just carry on doing that. There's such a negative view on healthy living where I live that I just want people to see fitness and food don't have to be confusing, scary, or restrictive.

That's what sparked the decision to become a NASM personal trainer and nutrition coach.

Why LIFT EAT Party Exists

LIFT EAT Party wasn't built overnight. It came after years of trials and error, restarts, dropped paths, pregnancies, losses, and lessons learned the hard way. This is just a shorter version of all that.

This brand is for people who want:

• Strength without burnout

• Nutrition without obsession

• Results without giving up their life

You don't have to be perfect.

You don't have to compete.

You don't have to give up fun.

You just need a plan that actually fits real life.

I'm still on my own journey - and that's exactly why I believe I can help you on yours.

Welcome to LIFT EAT Party.

We're just getting started.