Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Rachel Dellefield. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Rachel thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Was there a moment in your career that meaningfully altered your trajectory? If so, we’d love to hear the backstory.

The snatch test is a rite of passage for a certified kettlebell coach. It’s 100 snatches in under 5 minutes with a kettlebell determined by your weight and age. For me, that’s 16kg. I’ve done two official snatch tests – the first being after a four-month kettlebell coach intensive and my second being at StrongFirst, a globally recognized kettlebell certification. I fell into the kettlebell during Covid – I had quit my corporate job one month before going into lockdown to pursue fitness full time (my timing was admittedly less than ideal) and I was really struggling. I felt like a failure – I was no longer affiliated with a gym, I was having a hard time finding clients, and I was lonely. I even considered going back to my corporate job for the stability and community. I started using a kettlebell because it was the only equipment my clients and I could get our hands on at the time.

Around this time, I found an online four-month kettlebell program called Kettlebell Coach University – everyone seemed friendly and moved so well. I wanted that for myself. I signed up without hesitation and those four months were transformational. I met people who are now colleagues and I completely leveled up my own coaching game.

I finished the program the last week of May 2022 with my first official snatch test. My hands ripped, I could barely walk the next day because my quads cramped, my lungs felt like they were on fire, but I felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude and accomplishment.

In June of 2022, I had my best business month yet. I doubled my income just by getting really clear on my offerings and using the kettlebell with my clients more. My second snatch test was a little less than a year after that. My business has only grown from there. Coaching opportunities in rehab, sports performance, and among other coaches have opened since that first snatch test. My self-confidence has only grown from there as well. I feel confident in what I have to offer and I feel proud to tell other people what I do.

The snatch test isn’t something you can just do one day. It is a test of strength, endurance, and cardio (among other things). It takes smart preparation, consistently showing up to do the things that you might not want to do and understanding that it can’t be accomplished overnight. It’s the same thing with business. As soon as I let go of the unrealistic expectation that my new business should be wildly successful and started investing in myself and putting in consistent work, I saw things start to incrementally improve. The goals I had set for myself didn’t seem so far off. I can proudly tell people I’ve built something quite literally from the ground up with smart preparation and consistently showing up.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am a certified Kettlebell Coach and personal trainer in the Los Angeles and Orange County area. After receiving my NASM CPT and teaching group fitness part-time for two years, I left my corporate job in February 2020 to begin working as a personal trainer and coach full time. I had about a month of normalcy before Los Angeles went into lockdown and the gyms shut down. I started training clients with kettlebells out of necessity – they were easy to travel with, easy to set up, and easy for my clients to obtain during that time. In May of 2022, I completed a four-month kettlebell coach mentorship and in April of 2023, I obtained my StrongFirst Level 1 Kettlebell Certification learning from worldwide industry leaders. I am also a Dynamic Sports Performance Certified Coach and a 200-hour registered yoga teacher with an additional 150 hours of training under my belt. In the last year, I’ve had the honor of hosting multiple kettlebell foundation workshops, assisting a weekend long seminar with my mentor Hunter Crine, and coaching clients at the physical therapy clinic LA Sports and Spine under the guidance of Dr. Craig Liebenson.

I offer one-on-one strength training in person or virtually. These are customized private sessions and additional programming beyond our time together. Both are tailored to each client’s goals, equipment/interests and pain points, with accountability built in for the rest of the week.

I also offer Kickstart Kettlebells, which is my virtual 8-week program designed to teach my clients the foundational kettlebell skills so they can move confidently and safely.

I work with clients in all walks of life but primarily those who are new to strength training, are just beginning their wellness journey and are nervous to start, and those who are experiencing pain. My aim is to empower my clients towards resiliency and allow them to discover for themselves all that they can do. For some, working together might be the first time they have ever considered themselves an athlete or woken up without pain. It is so rewarding to see someone do something they never thought possible and to see their confidence in themselves and their capacity grow.

Training and knowledge matter of course, but beyond that what do you think matters most in terms of succeeding in your field?

Fitness is so, so personal. To succeed, I really think it is imperative that a coach master communication and interpersonal skills. Fitness considers someone’s daily habits, their stress levels (arguments with a partner, what’s happening at work, travel, food quality, and sleep quality the night before), their interests, and their self-confidence and beliefs about aging, appearance, and strength. In my sessions with clients, we rarely ever just talk about the exercises at hand. We get personal. It is crucial to listen to each person’s story – their history, their why, their goals. While my job is definitely to provide smart programming and training, it is also my job to create a safe environment for my clients to feel empowered and comfortable with me. It is my job to listen to each client, understand what makes them tick and what motivates them, and give them the tools so they can trust themselves to succeed beyond the hour or two that I see them week to week. I think it is so important for coaches to harbor that trust so we can be our clients’ cheerleaders while they are implementing consistent changes in their personal lives that can feel scary.

Do you think you’d choose a different profession or specialty if you were starting now?

My dad majored in music and organ performance and would always encourage me to pursue something I loved because it wouldn’t feel like work. For the longest time, I thought that was music but my time working in the industry was less creative than I thought it would be. For a bit, I thought it would be teaching high school English. But if I think back to my time in competitive sports and rehabbing an ankle surgery (twice), I really do think I’m doing exactly what I’m meant to do and my job as a coach is a combination of all the things I think I am strongest in. I am getting to be creative in the ways I approach my clients’ programs – what will bridge the gap between where they are currently and where they want to go. I am getting to teach in some capacity every day. I just finished assisting a kettlebell seminar and seeing people who have never touched a kettlebell walk out of the weekend moving more confidently than when they walked in is the coolest thing. The fact that my arena is fitness is that much better – I truly believe that the ability to move is transformational and empowering, and I feel so lucky to share that with others.

Contact Info:

• Website: racheldellefield.com
• Instagram: racheldellefield
• Facebook: racheldellefield
• Linkedin: racheldellefield
• Youtube: racheldellefield

Image Credits
Chris Carter