I am 100% Italian, and if you’ve ever heard the stereotypes of Italian parents and grandparents “wanting to feed everybody,” the stereotype is true! I was overweight as a kid. In fact, I was 200 lbs at age 12. By the time I graduated high school, I was no longer overweight; however, I lost the weight with a combination of running and every fad diet out there. Eventually, I discovered weight training and kickboxing, which is really where my story started to unfold.
In 2021, my mother passed away. I was 29 years old at the time. It absolutely destroyed me emotionally. I was in so much pain that I found myself in the gym 7 days a week. For the first time in my life, I was at the gym not caring about what I looked like, not caring about other people, and not caring about waking up to get there. I was in the gym because I was grieving. It took my pain away. The gym was the one place where I could put my headphones in, focus on myself, not cry, and experience healthy physical pain. In summary, I think the physical challenge of weight training helped to combat the mental challenge I was facing. About a month after my mom passed away, Abby Travelina, the owner of CKO South Philly, found out that I had recently moved back into the area (I moved in with my dad due to the circumstances), and she asked if I would teach Kickboxing at her Philly location. I knew Abby well because I worked at her West Chester location the previous year. While I was working at CKO, I went on stage for the first time at the Fitness Atlantic show in Connecticut. It was honestly the best experience I’ve ever had. CKO was my sponsor, and almost everyone who worked at the gym attended or participated in the event. It’s almost like this new fitness career found me and changed my life for the better. No joy comes without pain.
City/Country:
I moved to Statesville, NC (USA) this past year. I lived in New Jersey prior to that. I’m pretty much a city girl living in the country now! It’s a big change, but I’m growing to like it.
Occupation?
I wear many hats, but my primary occupation is a personal trainer. I have my Master’s Degree in Behaviour Analysis, and I also teach Kickboxing in South Philly as a pop-up trainer. I run the social media for CKO South Philly, too!
What’s the most challenging situation you’ve faced as a personal trainer, and how did you overcome it?
Let me start by saying I am a Momma! I have a 1 ½-year-old son whom I love more than anything. The most challenging situation I’ve faced as a personal trainer was being pregnant. We found out I was pregnant about 6 months after the show. I pretty much went from being in the best shape of my life to the “new” worst shape of my life. It was hard to even walk at one point because of the extra weight, and my workouts followed suit. The body dysmorphia didn’t help either. I am still overcoming pregnancy because my body will always be at least 5% different in some way or another after creating a human. I’d say the way to overcome pregnancy, or anything else that may interrupt your life, is by getting back to consistency. Regardless of how much time in between you feel stagnant, and no matter what obstacles you have to navigate in the process, get back to consistency. I think lessons come from any sort of hardship. Pregnancy reminded me how hard it was to do simple things while carrying extra weight. It humbled me, and it allowed me to connect with clients on a different, more personal level. I overcame the extra weight and lost strength from pregnancy by getting back into the gym, eating healthy, and staying consistent most days.
How would you describe your training philosophy?
My philosophy as a trainer is that I just want to help people. I want to help people be happy. I want them to become happy with themselves, with their life, with their personal goals, just everything. I am good at this career because of what drives me to do it.
Training Plan:
I work at least 5-6 days a week with a combination of strength training, and I create my clients’ plans based on what they can do and how many days a week they can work out. There really isn’t a cookie-cutter training plan because everyone is different.
Nutritional Plan:
I eat a macronutrient-based diet, but I also abide by the 80/20 rule: 80% of the time I am on point and 20% of the time I treat myself. This plan can be individualized by day, week, month, and events (e.g. wedding). I give clients nutritional guidance based on their goals (e.g. do they want to gain or lose weight). I love to cook as well, so I am constantly trying out new healthy recipes! Many of them can be found on my Instagram.
Supplement Plan:
I take omegas, glutamine, a probiotic, aminos/BCAA, and sometimes creatine. I do drink/ eat protein powders from time to time, but I try to stick with real food for protein/ nutrients.
Do you prefer to take and recommend all-natural (no sugar, no artificial colours/flavours/sweeteners) supplements or supplements with artificial flavours and sweeteners? And Why?
Recently, I’ve been changing my palette to the all-natural option for supplements. When I became a mom, I started reading the ingredients rather than just the nutrition facts. There are a lot of ingredients in the artificial stuff that I would never give my son, therefore why should I eat it? However, I used to only go for the best-tasting supplements, so I can’t say it is not difficult at times when it feels like sacrificing taste. I think cleaner is always better, but if you’re a person who is new to supplements, then I would say go with the option you are most comfortable with after you do some research on both.
If you could ask Status Fitness Magazine Editor-in-Chief Rodney Jang any industry question, what would that be?
I’d love to know what Rodney Jang’s favourite quote is. I would also ask him if I can talk with him personally on his Podcast and thank him for this interview opportunity.
What are your long-term career goals as a fitness trainer, and how do you plan to continue growing in this field?
My long-term goal as a fitness trainer is to change as many lives as possible. I want to grow remotely, meet more people, do another show, and learn more about the other (less familiar) areas of the fitness world. I will keep growing by staying open to trying new things. For example, recently I’ve been trying out powerlifting. which is much different than bodybuilding – but who says you can’t do both? Networking with other professionals is the best way to grow in your field.
What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned?
The biggest lesson I’ve learned is to stay present because it’s all temporary and can be gone in the blink of an eye.
What does success look like for you?
Success to me is more than the form of money. Success is being able to live comfortably, live happily, and feel proud of how far you’ve come. I think money can make people happier if it’s used properly. Material happiness can sometimes act as a quick fix. Internal happiness is true success.
Your favourite quotes?
Stay purpose-driven, not feelings-driven.
This is my favourite quote because people often ask, “How do you stay so motivated?” and my answer is always the same – I’m not always motivated.
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