Steph: America’s Most Inspiring Trainer Finalist

In light of her exciting nomination as a Finalist for “America’s Most
Inspiring Trainer” by Well+Good and Reebok, Steph takes us through the
milestones of her body positive, #Shameless journey. She talks about
why she opened up about her struggles with body dysmorphia and what
she plans on doing to spread her important message…

“I still can’t believe this is happening to me!”, exclaims Steph. I
got an email a few weeks ago that I had been nominated for Well+Good
and Reebok’s competition to find America’s Most Inspiring Trainer. I guess
my story resonated with my clients and they thought I would be
eligible. It was extremely humbling. I would have never imagined being
chosen as a finalist of 12 out of about 5000 nominations nationwide.
So when I got the e-mail that I had been chosen as a Finalist, I
cried!

I started talking about my struggles with body dysmorphia a few months
ago. It was pretty terrifying at first. I had been feeling really
hypocritical considering that I was a spin instructor who was
promoting health, wellness, and positivity, but deep down I was body
shaming myself for as long as I could remember. Growing up, I was
always really self-conscious about the way I looked. I went through
serious bouts of depression and anxiety throughout my high-school,
college, and early to mid 20’s. I’ve experienced different types of
Eating Disorders, ranging from Anorexia to Over-Eating. I was the
expert of dieting, over-exercising, and internal body shaming. I had
been through enough. Taking spin class and, ultimately, teaching spin
class was the only thing that took my mind off of the shame. But once
class was done, my thoughts went back to the negativity and guilt I
felt about myself.

I’m not sure how exactly it clicked, but one morning not too long ago
I decided I had had enough. I took that picture above and decided to
surrender myself to all my insecurities, the horrible shame I felt
about my “imperfections”, and decided it was time to accept myself
just as I was. Everything changed since that moment. I’ve been posting
my journey through my social media and speaking up about it during
class. The amount of support that I have received since being honest
about my struggles has been more than I could ever imagine. I knew I
had the platform to reach out to many people and speak up about an
issue that many of us face. But I never thought I could actually make
a difference. One of my amazing clients, who happens to be an
inspirational author, put together an event bringing together
motivational speakers from all over and I was fortunate enough to be
one of the keynote speakers. Being up on stage and speaking about the
disconnect I had always felt, being that I was a fitness instructor
who was secretly insecure about how I looked, allowed me to let go of
so much internal baggage. I think a lot of people who listened to my
speech were able to take away something good from that day. Due to my
honesty, I think I’ve become a better person, a better instructor, and
a much better role-model. I love that clients are now opening up to me
about their stories, whether they’re about body image or something
else. It feels good that they trust me because they can relate to me
now. It has always been my dream to become a mentor and make a
difference in peoples’ lives.

So what are my plans after this? I’m really hoping I win this competition
because it will allow me to reach a much larger population of people
who can follow my story and learn a little more about body dysmorphia.
A lot of people don’t understand what body dysmorphia is and how
negatively it can affect someone. My ultimate goal is to tie in
fitness with the idea that no body size is perfect. Spreading the
message of body positivity is so important to me and I strive every
single day to put the message out there, whether it’s by talking about
it, posting my personal stories, or emphasizing it in my classes. I
teach with the purpose of making my clients feel good about themselves
no matter what they are going through. Whether I win or not, I feel so
humbled and honored to even receive this type of recognition. I’m
currently working on putting a blog together and I’m hoping that one
day my name will be on the cover of an actual book. This is only the
beginning!

Please take a moment to read Steph’s story and don’t forget to cast your vote!

How a spin instructor with body dysmorphia became a motivational powerhouse