Conversations with the Inspiring Bethanie Stephens

Today we’d like to introduce you to Bethanie Stephens.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Bethanie. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
“Yeah, I want to look good but I’ll never be one of those people that LOVES fitness” – me, four years ago.

My story starts out like many in the fitness world- I was overweight. I had been an athlete all my life, so when I started school at ASU and I stopped playing sports I gained the freshman 15. Except for me, it was more like the freshman 25.

I was miserable and uncomfortable in my body. I was used to eating whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted. I was self-conscious about my body, especially in the sea of skinny petite blond girls that is Arizona State.

I wanted to lose some weight, and I knew the basics- eat less, move more. So I joined a gym. Now, I was a broke college student at the time and I had NO expendable income but I promised myself that I would use that gym EVERY DAY to really get my money’s worth.

I had NO CLUE what I was doing- I looked up workouts on Pinterest and I started trying every diet Google showed me.

Not surprisingly, this strategy didn’t yield the best results. Pretty soon I found myself in a vicious cycle of binge eating and restricting. I wouldn’t eat much of anything for as long as I could, and then I’d end up binge eating the entire contents of my fridge. And the pantry.

I felt even worse. I was spinning my wheels and not getting any results, yet I was putting in a ton of work at the gym. Still, I was HOOKED into fitness.

I guess I needed something to satisfy the athlete in me, so I decided to take up competitive bodybuilding. I started researching everything about diet and exercise. Most importantly, I started looking for information in the right places. I stopped looking at Pinterest and Instagram for my diet and training advice and turned to academic articles and scholarly research.

I spent approximately one bazillion hours pouring over research on everything from strategies on optimizing hypertrophy to the thermic effect of food and gut health. I actually even changed my major to Nutrition! I started to actually understand health and fitness and what it takes to get into the best shape of your life.

I did end up doing a bikini competition- and took dead last. Yikes.

Even so, I knew I’d found my passion.

My friends and family all started reaching out to me asking if I’d help THEM get into shape. Eventually, it turned into strangers from the internet that was asking for help. I started building my clientele, doing a mix of in-person training and online training.

And that brings me to now! I’m an online health coach, and I work primarily with female entrepreneurs. I help women maximize their impact in their own businesses by helping them to become happier, healthier women. I believe that the greatest limiting factor we face as humans are our own bodies- if you’re not healthy, you can’t do what you want to do.

When women know how to create a healthy lifestyle, lose fat, build muscle and increase their energy and overall well being they become unstoppable. It is my goal and mission to help as many women achieve this as possible, that way THEY can spread their own goodness out into the world.

A lot of people think that fitness is superficial- that it’s somehow egotistical to care THAT MUCH about your body. I look at it this way- I will always wake up in my body so I want to take care of it! It’s not just about losing weight- it’s about honoring yourself!

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Absolutely not!

Fitness itself has its challenges for sure. And then, come struggles of trying to build a successful business with no business background.

As far as health goes, it’s not easy to completely change your habits and lifestyle! However, to me, fitness is a science and all you have to do is set yourself up for success. And that is only a matter of understanding how weight loss works and being honest about your strengths and weaknesses.

The hardest part of my story has definitely been the entrepreneurship aspect. Building a business is hard AF, for anyone wondering. I always say that entrepreneurship is like self-development on steroids- it will WRECK you and you’ll love it at the same time.

The best advice I can give to other women in a similar spot is- don’t ever stop trying and don’t be afraid to ask for help. We’re not meant to get through life on our own and it’s a strength, not a weakness, to ask for help. Get a support system- not the popular kids, not the people you think you “should” be around. Find people that actually LOVE you and want the best for you and are living lives YOU are proud of.

Other than that, get comfortable with being on a continuous emotional roller coaster. Owning a business is not for the faint of heart.

Please tell us more about what you do, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
I love training and meeting with clients in person, however, a bulk of my business is actually done online!

This is super confusing for a lot of people initially. How can you train someone you never see in real life?

In reality, my clients LOVE online training- they get all the benefits of having a trainer without having to sync up their already packed schedules with another person’s packed schedule. They can get their workouts in on their own time, and learn the process at their own pace.

How it works is simple- after a client and I decide to work together, we collaborate to design a program that will work for them and their schedule. They get access to my app that houses all their workouts, nutrition protocols, progress pictures, everything. We periodically check in through email, or FaceTime or Skype to make sure they are understanding the program, and getting the results that they want.

What sets me apart from other trainers is that I don’t just hand out workout programs and meal plans and expect my clients to be successful. I teach them the WHY behind everything we do together, how it all works and what they’ll need to do in the future to replicate their results. I always tell my clients- I want to be your LAST trainer. After working with me, you’ll know everything you need to know to stay in shape for the rest of your life.

I primarily work with other female entrepreneurs- I had the realization that once I started my own business my own health started to suffer. I realized that my priorities had shifted from “fitness all the time” to “business owner” and I didn’t have the time to dedicate to the gym that I once had.

Knowing the impact that fitness had on my life- not just feeling great in my body, but the mindset and discipline that comes with it- I knew that I had to share this with other women! Having a strong healthy body is invaluable to anyone’s business success.

For good reason, society often focuses more on the problems rather than the opportunities that exist, because the problems need to be solved. However, we’d probably also benefit from looking for and recognizing the opportunities that women are better positioned to capitalize on. Have you discovered such opportunities?
The fitness industry can feel like a boy’s club at first, but in my opinion, being a woman in this field is a HUGE advantage.

It’s a fact that more women are trying to lose weight than men are. Teen girls start dieting before their male counterparts. Women are more likely to struggle with disordered eating than men. I could go on and on.

As a woman, I have an easier time relating to other women than any man would. There are certain problems that you don’t understand unless you’ve lived them. I know the struggles of what it’s like as a woman trying to lose weight, and this gives me a unique advantage to be able to help other women. There’s a level of relatability that you don’t get with someone of the opposite sex.

Contact Info:

• Email: bstephensfit@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bstephens_fit/
• Facebook: facebook.com/bethaniestephens.fit
• Other: https://bethaniestephens.typeform.com/to/OFhgt9

Image Credit:
Chris Kuzman

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