We recently connected with Rachel Weinstock and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Rachel thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. If you had a defining moment that you feel really changed the trajectory of your career, we’d love to hear the story and details.

Prior to breaking into the fitness and health industry, I was a marketing professional working mostly freelance jobs in between raising my two small children. I was exhausted, burnt out and likely suffering from some post partum depression. After thousands of dollars spent on doctors, specialists and tests, I had a gut feeling that I was lacking in movement and food. Every doctor assured me what I was experiencing was much more severe than just “diet and exercise.” I decided to trust my intuition and try an at-home workout program and start with a small step by drinking a protein shake as a meal replacement. The first at-home workout I did, I was only able to complete 7 minutes of it before I felt light headed and ill. It was disappointing for sure, but I used this as fuel to show up. It took me nearly 2 weeks of showing up daily to get through the entire 20 minute workout. In this time, I also learned to drink the protein shake which I initially hated (I poured the first one down the drain). While I was working on these two things, there was a significant shift in my health; I was able to sleep through the night, I had energy throughout the day, my mood was more stable, the chest pains had stopped, etc. This was nearly 7 years ago, and I’ve never experienced those symptoms since. Life changing feels like an understatement. It was during this time that I dove deep into nutrition and getting as much education as I could. A seed had been planted when I was young, about 12 years old, with the desire to help others through my own story. I’d been diagnosed with an autoimmune disease–fairly uncommon over 25 years ago–and it was lonely going through something that made me quit pursuing athletics because I was physically unable. Fast forward to my early 30’s and I was doing fitness things I’d never felt I could and I was becoming the strongest, healthiest version of myself. I wanted to scream from the rooftops what I’d been doing to help others and hopefully inspire those who were just regular people like me. In 2020 I became a Certified Holistic Nutrition, and Health and Wellness Coach. in the following year I’d add on certifications as a Holistic Autoimmune Nutrition Specialist, Personal Trainer, Corrective Exercise Specialist and Function Movement Screening professional.

Rachel, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

As mom of two young kids, I found myself depleted and overweight. I was uncomfortable in my body on every level. For my kids, I was committed to healthy foods and feeding them well, but my own food was a combo of what the kids didn’t want and fast food. I grew up a very picky eater and fear of trying new foods–much to my mom’s dismay. In college, I’d learned to eat more working in restaurants, but I never developed good eating habits. As a struggling mom, I had a nagging feeling I was missing something in my health and had symptoms that confirmed this. Upon realizing I needed to add movement and start changing some eating habits, my life changed. I am now a 40 year old woman in the best health of my life and the strongest I’ve ever been. I’m a sharer by nature so sharing what I did to get here is easy for me, and became a passion starting with nutrition. Our food fuels us, but there is so much information out there, it makes the barrier to begin nearly impossible for so many. I want to help people sift through the information to create meaningful, healthy, sustainable change. Becoming a Holistic Nutritionist is such a gift! I’ve been able to help clients take control of their health, rather than feel a victim or passenger to it. One of my biggest accomplishments thus far is helping clients with creating conversations with their medical providers to take a closer look into medications, finding foods that no longer trigger symptoms of IBS and gut issues, and giving people autonomy over their food.

As a Holistic Nutritionist, I look at the body as a whole and after working with clients specifically on food, I felt I was lacking a key element for overall health; movement. Movement and food go hand in hand, you cannot have one without the other. While I became certified as a Personal Trainer, I worked with a professional who had 20 years of functional movement training experience. I learned how to help clients move optimally so they could live the life they wanted. It is meaningful and enjoyable work for me because I love looking at movement patterns and helping pinpoint areas to maximize functional movement.

Through fitness and nutrition, I’ve helped clients make incredible changes. Those changes also come from guided coaching; identifying roadblocks, co-creating habits and routines, providing accountability, spiritual approaches with mediation and mindfulness practices, celebrating wins and so much more. These are just some of the things I provide as a Wellness Coach. I love Wellness Coaching because I get to utilize all aspects of wellness including some more “woo woo” I thoroughly enjoy!

As I age, I realize more and more the importance of helping women age well. No, not in vain, but in truly leaning into their bodies, their inner knowing and letting themselves shine. I am currently working on more education around women’s cycles, hormone changes as we age, bone density, and other female-specific unique areas of health and wellness.

I am a work in progress and part of that progress is sharing my experience. As a coach, I get to help others through my own experience. Eating health in our home came from a combination of my husband teaching me to read nutrition labels over a decade ago (no, I’d never even looked at that before him), having children and wanting them to eat better than me, and creating healthy recipes that took out many foods my husband could not eat with Crohns’ but that our whole family would eat. I am a huge believer in self-reflection and awareness, and I work with professionals to help me show up as my best self. I work with my guru who is a women’s coach, an art therapist whom I adore and other professionals who help me in my process so I can show up my best.

Other than training/knowledge, what do you think is most helpful for succeeding in your field?

For me, it’s personal experience. I am a person who constantly is looking to know more, be better, embrace my inner knowing and share everything I can along the way. I am a living, walking, breathing example of the work I do. As a coach, I am also being coached. As a trainer, I take other trainer’s classes and ask for feedback regularly on my own work. Each time I find a new resource or helpful way of getting nutrients, I put it in my arsenal of tools. I believe these things make me relatable which helps people feel able to be vulnerable and supported in their struggles. I will never make it seem like “we all have the same 24 hours in a day” because each person deserves for their coach/trainer to meet them where they are in their journey. Appealing to people’s heart is incredibly important to me. Being an open book in my own journey and struggles has very much helped me succeed by connecting with my clients.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

A couple of years ago, I had a person close in my life try to destroy my career by spreading false rumors about me. This person had access to the studio I worked at and did things I never thought I’d ever experience. Without getting into too many details because the story is not about what was done to me, but rather how I rose up. Within a matter of days I decided to pack my office up and move to a new studio while this person spewed terrible things to my friends, family and co-workers. I put my head down and focused on forging forward. I asked the same incredible friends and co-workers for any connections with nearby gyms. Through a friend of a friend, I found where I am now. I could’ve easily thrown in the towel and said “I quit.” Honestly, that would’ve been understandable given what I was up against, but I didn’t. I trusted people in my life knew the real me and that the truth would prevail and I would rise up. Every single client I had stayed firmly by my side and moved with me; offering time to chat over coffee or walks on top of training and coaching. My co-workers who were my friends as well have become some of my biggest supporters. I had a team of people rally around me which gave me extra strength. It may sound “woo woo” but I believe the honest, open energy I put out to the universe led me to the gym I am at now, Rocky Mountain Strength. From the day I set foot in the small garage gym we started in, I felt home. Even now, I smile every day as I drive in. I found my professional home with a mentor in our owner, Zach Petrone, and so many opportunities to grow and learn from amazing professionals. I look back on that situation meant to destroy me and I find gratitude because it was the catalyst for so much growth! I have so much joy, freedom and happiness in what I get to do in my profession and a place to land that supports all of it.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.bwellholisticnutrition.com
• Instagram: the_rachel_w
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachelrene/