Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Cassie Hirschberg-Brown. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Cassie, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear about the best advice you’ve ever given to a client? (Please note this response is for education/entertainment purposes only and shouldn’t be construed as advice for the reader)
As a fitness professional, people usually seek out my help to make a drastic change in their lives. For the most part, it’s only when people wish to “overhaul” their health and fitness that they invest in professional help. That initial motivation and inspiration can be an incredible catalyst for change, but the reality is that it doesn’t last. “Perfect” routines are not bulletproof to the unexpected demands of life. So when my clients inevitably reach that crossroad where it becomes clear that their current fitness routine is going to be difficult to sustain, I always remind them that: “maintenance is an acceptable goal”. Whether they’re moving somewhere new, starting a new job or have an illness in the family, it usually sounds something like this:
“You have been incredibly disciplined and made phenomenal progress. However, it’s to be expected that there will be periods of time when progress in this part of your life can’t be the priority. Rather than give up entirely, it can help to shift your focus toward maintaining the progress you’ve made. While it’s no longer possible to dedicate as much time and energy toward fitness as you have been, if you stop completely you will regress and lose the results you’ve worked so hard to attain. One day, when life gives you the room for it again, you can come back to this routine if you’d like! But for now, let’s talk through how we can reduce the demands of your current routine, yet remain consistent enough to manage stress, support overall health, and hopefully maintain the results you’ve achieved so far. When we say “it’s a lifestyle” this is what we mean. The amount of time and energy we can dedicate toward this journey will always ebb and flow, so we simply commit to consistency – whatever that can look like at this moment in our life.”
This conversation is when I watch clients let go of all the societal pressures of being “fit” and finally embrace their fitness journey as the never-ending journey that it is, and it’s a beautiful thing to witness.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My entire life, I’ve watched people I love struggle with their quality of life and seen how it affects their ability to fully enjoy life’s simplest and most significant moments. Growing up, I watched my mother struggle with chronic migraines. I witnessed my elderly babysitter grow less and less capable of walking as arthritis destroyed her knees. Shortly after graduating college, my Dad was diagnosed with Leukemia and I’ve witnessed him struggle with countless health scares, aches and pains since his first round of chemotherapy in 2015. All this is to say I’ve been extremely aware of this truth my entire life: our physique is irrelevant in comparison to our body’s ability to function comfortably.
In my 12 years as a certified coach, the most amazing physical transformations I’ve witnessed were the byproduct of a far deeper reason “why” than something purely superficial. Don’t get me wrong, I believe it’s important to love what you see when you look in the mirror, but, as I’ve witnessed and experienced myself as I’ve grown older: how you feel physically can weigh equally, if not even more, on your emotional well-being. That’s why I never have been and never will be the kind of coach that will try to capitalize on people’s insecurities. Clients may want to change the way their body looks, and I’m more than happy to guide them toward achieving those goals – so long as it’s not at the expense of their health and quality of life.
I’m proud to have helped hundreds of people feel healthy and confident in their bodies through both my fitness and wellness coaching services. I’m a firm believer in dedicating our healthy lifestyle to our lives… instead of dedicating our lives to a healthy lifestyle. So my goal is always to help people find the middle of the spectrum between neglecting our well-being to the point of feeling miserable and obsessing over our well-being to the point of missing out on life.
I’m also proud to say that I stick to my scope of practice and prioritize empowering my clients with information instead of creating dependence on me and my guidance. Although I’m asked almost daily, I don’t write meal plans. First and foremost, that’s not within the scope of practice of anyone who’s not a Registered Dietician or Nutritionist. That said, I do help people with their diet and eating habits through wellness coaching, which I compare to getting a driver’s license. After attending drivers ed, we drive a minimum number of hours with an adult present to guide us. Then, when we get our license, most of us feel confident and experienced enough to drive independently. Unlike finishing a diet or meal plan, where people may feel lost and overwhelmed without “rules” to follow, after wellness coaching, clients feel confident and experienced enough to make the best decisions for their body and their health.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
A hard lesson I had to learn in my career is that I don’t need to make myself available all the time in order to demonstrate my work ethic and dedication to my craft.
There was a time when my recovery and sleep habits were nonexistent, and my diet was mostly hard boiled eggs and trail mix. I didn’t have time to sit down and eat, let alone cook. I woke up between 3:45 and 4:30am every weekday so that I could walk my dog Tucker before leaving him for 6-8hrs while I worked the first half of my day. I’d come home to walk him again in the afternoon, then go back to the studio for more classes and sessions. I usually got home for the night between 8:30 and 9pm, finally wind down enough to get to sleep around 11 or 11:30pm, then start it all over again at 4am the next day…
I love guiding people along their fitness journey, but I became so wrapped up in helping as many people as possible and prioritizing their convenience that I always sacrificed my own well-being and never prioritized what was best for me. It got to a point where I felt like a fraud because I acted as if I was still a healthy person who always gave everything their absolute best… but I wasn’t. I would tell my clients to prioritize their recovery with nourishing meals and ample sleep… but I wasn’t even doing that myself. I’d push them to give their best during sessions… even though I didn’t ask that of myself anymore. I didn’t like how it felt to live that way. It was inauthentic, draining and (worst of all, according to my deepest values) unhealthy.
I would love to say that it’s been easy, but setting and enforcing boundaries can be scary. Sometimes it can even feel like you’re being punished for it. But I can confidently say that it feels so much better to live aligned with my values – like my heart and soul are finally swimming with the current instead of against it. Once I started prioritizing my needs by setting and enforcing boundaries around my own well-being, I genuinely started to believe in my humanity and my right to rest too.
If you could go back in time, do you think you would have chosen a different profession or specialty?
This is an interesting question!
After 12 years in the fitness industry, 8 of them working full time, I’ve confronted countless harsh realities in the fitness industry. Exercise has so many health benefits, so I’m constantly frustrated by the focus on physique and weight loss. Fitness is defined by so much more than strength and conditioning, so I get aggravated by the current trend of pushing our bodies to their absolute limit with little regard for what makes a safe, effective program. We have one body, and the last thing I want to do is make people hate it or encourage them to disrespect it.
As a 5-foot-tall, young blonde, I’ve experienced my fair share of underestimation and undermining. I have a dual degree in Kinesiology, (exercise science), and Public Health Sciences. I’ve also been a NASM Certified Personal Trainer and AFAA Certified Group Fitness Instructor for more than a decade, yet I’ve had people direct their attention away from me and toward a male fitness enthusiast with big biceps more times than I can count. I’ve also had gym owners with no fitness background tell me my classes “lacked energy” because I didn’t use burpees and sprints in my warm-ups – something that would put participants at risk of injury.
For several years, I went against my better judgment – and my education – and tried to conform to the norms of the fitness industry. That, paired with the unsustainable work schedule I created for myself, led to serious burnout. Since I began working for myself, I’ve been able to stand firm in my values and I’ve been much more fulfilled because of it. While I miss the community and camaraderie of working in fitness studios, I’m grateful to have found a way to continue doing what I love without sacrificing my values and well-being. So yes, even though it took some hard times and painful lessons, I’d choose this profession again every single time.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.cassiebstrong.com
- Instagram: @cassiebstrong
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CassieBStrong
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cassandra-brown-26640b64/
- Twitter: @cassiebstrong
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYgnW-cMGW7GqQVsA6hVn7g