Today we’d like to introduce you to Lauren Powell.
Lauren, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I was not athletic growing up and only became interested in health and fitness 15 years ago. I was 50lbs overweight and realized that I needed to make a big change. I started running and decided that my first race would be a half marathon. After that, I was hooked and over the years have completed more than eight half marathons, multiple 30k trail races, a 21 miler and four Spartan races.
Ten years ago, I made the decision to turn my growing passion for health and physical fitness into a career and became a Certified Personal Trainer. After passing my test, I was offered a job at a chain gym but still felt like I had no business telling people how to move their bodies. Instead, I took an internship at a personal training studio where I had the opportunity to work and train with some of the best Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialists in Northern CA. My thirst for knowledge grew from there and ever since I’ve been continuing my education in this field to better serve my clients and myself.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Since beginning my career, I have only chosen jobs with private studios and athletic development facilities. My main fear was going to one of the big gyms and having to focus more on sales and not on my clients. I’ve moved a few different times in the past (before coming back to SoCal) and had been lucky to find some great places that fit my training mindset. When I decided to go independent a couple of years ago, I had already established relationships with other health and fitness professionals and have developed a great referral network.
My own personal progress has not been linear. I’ve struggled with depression and addiction since I was a teenager and have to keep close watch on my habits and behavior so I don’t fall back into the rabbit hole. Exercise has been a great relief for me but in recent years, I’ve learned that I can’t use it as a substitute for addictive behavior. In part, this led me to my massage therapy schooling. I wanted to learn more about healing and recovery from a holistic perspective. This training has allowed me to understand when the body needs to rest and recover and when we have the green light to train and go hard.
Please tell us about Lauren Nicole Fitness – what should we know?
It is my goal to have every client that walks through the door leave feeling stronger, pain-free and empowered. My background in strength and conditioning and manual therapy training allow me to instruct clients not only on how to get stronger, move better and decrease pain, but also take a hands-on approach to recovery and stress management.
I am definitely not what you would call a “transformation specialist” from an aesthetic perspective. I believe that improving your movement and movement quality, eating for your health, and decreasing stress levels will transform people from the inside out. I have seen it happen to myself and many clients! I will never put a client’s health at risk with unsafe diet or exercise advice. If you come to me to lose weight we are going to do it in a way that it stays off for good, not with a 30-day crash diet and intense exercise program.
I also want fitness to be inclusive- I offer private training, partner training and small groups. As well as 30 or 60-minute massage therapy sessions. A lot of people choose a combination to fit their price point.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Connection. Connecting to my clients and connecting with other health and fitness professionals. Being honest and open about my own personal struggles and learning how it can help me relate to others.
Quality over quantity. You can guarantee that I will always prioritize learning as much as I can about the mind and body and how I can help people bridge this gap and become stronger, healthier humans.
Contact Info:
- Address: Lauren Nicole Fitness
1205 W. Morena Blvd., Suite B San Diego, CA 92110 - Website: www.laurennicolefitness.com
- Phone: 626-675-2410
- Email: info@laurennicolefitness.com
- Instagram: @laurennicolefit
Image Credit:
All photos by Stacy Keck- except Spartan photo (downloaded off their website-they give all race photos to participants free of charge) and selfie with pup by me.
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