We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kaitlin Mazzei a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Kaitlin, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

The title “Personal Trainer” was always something I deemed cool and luxurious. In my mind these were individuals who radiated confidence and figured out a great alternative to working a 9-5 in a cubicle. Never did I anticipate that I would someday step into this title and then proceed to grow from it to an even bigger title. Coach. One of the biggest risks I took has led me to a life I didn’t know I wanted or needed.

Growing up I had always played sports and was a fairly active kid. I’m naturally strong and athletic but once high school arrived my interest turned to parties and being liked by my peers. I still played sports but more so for the social aspect of it all and I didn’t treat my body like an athlete whatsoever. I didn’t work-out outside of practice, bread and cheese were the two only food groups I was aware of, and underage drinking was a priority. Not much changed as I entered college and had more freedom. I chose to go to school for Fine Arts and as you could probably imagine sports wasn’t on anyone’s radar there. So, I stopped moving but kept eating and drinking and next thing ya know I had gained 20lbs. I was insecure about my weight, and I felt like crap. I tried crash diets, restricting my calories, tons of cardio that I hated, just leading me to eventually quitting. Ironically, I was the one in need of a personal trainer.

After 4 years of attending a prestigious art school in NYC, I thought my future was going to be filled with art galleries, studio visits, networking, perfecting my own craft, and random commission work that fell into my lap. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Although I did intern for two different artists, traveled overseas for an artist residency, and found small jobs that had anything to do with art, I wasn’t exactly enjoying myself. If I’m being honest, the process sucked, and I was frustrated that nothing was coming my way. Plus, I needed some money. After I got back from the artist residency I attended in France, I gained a couple more pounds. I mean c’mon, I was 22 and surrounded by fresh baguettes and wine that was cheaper than water. What else did you expect? Even though I had a blast over there, I needed a change. For my mental and physical health.

I got a job at a restaurant like most struggling artists do and the decent paycheck I was receiving consistently, led me to getting a gym membership. It was $50 a month and at the time that was not something I could throw away. Between my investment and want for change, it was enough to get me into the habit of working out again. Slowly but sure I started dropping weight. I actually couldn’t believe my eyes because this was something I struggled with for many years, and I was hardly thinking about this time around. A couple of months later I was down 30lbs. loving my time at the restaurant and stopped searching for jobs in the art world. WHAT WAS I DOING? I didn’t know who I was becoming but I really liked her. Since I was finally seeing results, I got deeper into the process and started focusing on my nutrition, my mindset, and my habits. I couldn’t believe the change I made and thought to myself “If I can do this, ANYONE can do this”. That’s when it hit me. I wanted to show other women who felt like me that it is possible to achieve the unthinkable.

I had a choice. Try and become a Personal Trainer (whatever that looked like) or continue to find a job in the art world. I mean I couldn’t just throw 4 years of education (and money) down the drain, could I? I had absolutely no training, education, or experience in the fitness industry and there were so many people that were more fit than I was. At this point I had only been working out consistently for 6 months. What did I know? I had years of training and experience in Fine Art and that’s the entire reason I was in NY in the first place. Logically it didn’t make sense. Yet, I took the risk anyway. I loved who I was evolving into and if I could make that feeling a career, it was worth the risk. Fast forward to a couple of completed certifications, a boss who took me under their wing, and a team who believed in me, I was able to call myself a Personal Trainer and I’ve never looked back since.

I was a personal trainer for 7 years, simultaneously a CrossFit Coach for 2 of those years, and I am now the CEO of my own fitness and nutrition coaching business. Nothing I have today would be the same if I had chosen the path with the least resistance. It was scary leaving what I knew and entering the unknown of a possible new career but extremely worth it. I work with my best friend and partner (who also helped get my first personal training job). I’ve been able to help and meet SO many wonderful people. I get to work from home now which led me to move to Miami and live in a climate I love. Most importantly I know how to and enjoy taking care of myself physically and mentally.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

As I mentioned earlier, entering the fitness industry wasn’t on my radar until after college in my early 20’s. At the time I had done a lot of self-reflection, changed my habits, and started educating myself more in exercise and nutrition. It led me to want to help other women have the same feeling of accomplishment I had. In 2015 I landed my first personal training job. For the next 7 years I worked in gyms, made house calls, and hosted zoom calls to work one on one with people and help them workout properly. I enjoyed what I did but there were so many other pieces of the puzzle, other than the workout, that I wanted to focus on. It wasn’t until last year in February of 2022 when I made the decision to build and operate my own online fitness and nutrition coaching business. My focus was on building a business that uses a holistic approach to emotionally, mentally, and physically transform women as a whole.

There is a lot of misguided information out there when it comes to weight loss and proper nutrition. Most fit pros are speaking to the masses for one individual’s solution. The problem is that what works for some may not work for others. An individual’s likes, dislikes, genes, metabolic efficiency, lifestyle, current habits, past experiences, and available resources all play a role in the process to seeing results. My partner and I, Lyndsey Crofoot, solve this problem by building a custom road map for our clients that they can rely on to get them consistent results. We understand that our clients need more than just a 12-week plan to follow. Instead, they need to learn how to integrate their custom plan into their day to day lives to maintain the results they have achieved, and we help them do just that.

It’s hard to speak on one thing we are most proud of but if we had to pick one it would be the hard work our clients put forth in their program. We understand how difficult it can be to act on ideas that seem out of reach and will force growth from the unhelpful yet familiar patterns we get comfortable in. The women who choose to work with us are not just starting another diet or weight loss program. They are deciding to become the best version of themselves, ridding their lives of the false beliefs and bad habits that has gotten them to where they are today. Exercise and nutrition are just the vehicles to that result. We want the world to know that our brand, FORMTraining, not only represents health and fitness but that we represent the women who take ownership of their lives no matter how hard or scary that process is.

How’d you meet your business partner?

My business partner, Lyndsey, and I met in 2015 shortly after I lost a significant amount of weight and changed my lifestyle. At the time we were both working at a restaurant together enjoying the NYC hustle. We clicked instantly. We became close friends and eventually she learned more about my weight loss journey and newfound passion for fitness. Ever hear the saying “everything happens for a reason”? Well, if our friendship isn’t a test to that, I’m not sure what is. Along with working at the restaurant, Lyndsey was also a group fitness instructor at a new Crunch gym located in popular area in Brooklyn. She was in the process of getting certified to become a personal trainer and mentioned that the gym was looking for female trainers for their new location. She got me an interview with the fitness manager, I got certified, and the rest is history.

Lyndsey and I worked together for 2 years at that gym, and we took ownership of the space and community. She quickly climbed the corporate ladder and became manager, and I was her right hand (wo)man. Those two years together we became the top trainers out of all locations in the country. We made the best team. It was always a dream of ours to start our own business one day, but since life doesn’t always go as planned, our circumstances at the time didn’t allow for it.

We both eventually left Crunch and moved on with other opportunities life presented for us. We worked on expanding our education pursuing certifications in Pilates, Animal Flow, USA Weightlifting, Original Strength, Pain Performance, L1 CrossFit, Pre/Postnatal Training, and Nutrition Coaching. We expanded our knowledge separately, together. Luckily no matter where life took us, we always stayed close friends and supported one another on our journeys. Fast forward a couple more years and eventually our friendship turned romantic. It was clear we had a bond that couldn’t be broken and a foundation strong enough to build upon.

Lyndsey and I now live and work together, coaching busy, professional women, like ourselves, how to avoid the downward spiral of their health and step into a mind and body they love. We are totally immersed in our mission to support women in their development of healthy habits, allowing them to feel strong, confident, and in control of their bodies.

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

Our field is very personal. We talk to women about their weight, the habits they want to change, what they want to change about their bodies, how their digestion is, what their stress levels are like, possible trauma that has led to overeating. So, it’s important for us to be vulnerable too. To succeed in this business, at times you must forget that you are running a business. Connecting to our audience and our community is crucial for both parties’ success. We could have all the knowledge and training in the world but if people do not feel connected to us in some way, our knowledge is useless. Without connection our clients wouldn’t open up or trust our process.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://formtraining.myshopify.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kaitbythepound/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/606959237220982/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaitlinmazzei

Image Credits
Photos with colorful striped wall background= Jessica Hernandez