Meet Caitlin Barth of Macros & Metcons

Today we’d like to introduce you to Caitlin Barth.

Caitlin, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
It took me a long time to find my love for fitness and nutrition. I was an athlete growing up but had quit sports in high school to pursue theatre. It wasn’t until my sophomore year of college that I started working out again. I had watched my dad lose about 40 pounds, and started going to the gym he went to, The PITT in Chandler. It was group fitness, so it was fun again to push myself to compete with the other members in workouts. I was introduced to high-intensity training here and loved it.

I moved up to Scottsdale after I graduated from college, a little too long of a drive to make it to The PITT, which I had been going to off and on for about three years. I tried a couple of boot-camp style workouts in the area but didn’t feel like it was challenging enough. I was introduced to CrossFit late in 2012 and was totally hooked. I had quit my after-college day job to go back in to restaurants, which had been my regular source of income for years. I loved the flexibility of the hours, the quick cash, and made lifelong friends – I even met my husband working in a restaurant.

One of my friends there suggested I check out CrossFit PHX in Scottsdale. I joined him for a 7 AM workout, and I think I handed the owner, Mycal Anders, my credit card after my very first class. After about a year of regular training at PHX, I talked to Mycal about what else CrossFit had to offer. I told him I wanted to coach and possibly compete. I tried a few competitions and didn’t love them, but I did start interning for him in January of 2015.

By mid-year, I had taken over coaching the noon classes and totally fell in love with seeing the lightbulbs go off for our athletes after coaching them through a tough lift or complicated gymnastics movement. I was still working in restaurants to fully make a living, even though I know I didn’t want to do that forever. I had a very lucrative serving and bartending job in north Scottsdale when in late 2016 out of what I felt was nowhere, I was fired. It was the first time I had been fired from a job.

I was devastated, embarrassed, but also surprisingly relieved. It was then I realized restaurants were not my lifetime calling, though I didn’t actually know what was. I pretty quickly picked up a job at another restaurant, but with a totally different mindset that this was not my end goal. I was still training hard and regularly, but my nutrition had changed quite a bit – I adopted a vegan diet in May of 2016 – so I started working with a nutrition coach through a program called Working Against Gravity, which is pretty huge in the CrossFit community.

I had experimented with tracking macronutrients, also known as flexible dieting, for years, and was floored by what a few weeks of diligence did for my body. In March of 2017, a local nutrition coach came to CrossFit PHX to hold a seminar, and I had my own lightbulb moment – this is what I wanted to do. I wanted to teach people how they could transform their diet without compromising their lifestyle and build the bodies and strength they wanted. I signed up for a certification through Precision Nutrition and founded Macros & Metcons in May of 2017.

The first year was tough. Clients would come and go, I had no idea how to keep track of any of the money coming in, and I was trying to do all of that while still restaurant-hopping to stay afloat. Finally, in May of 2018 my boss at PHX, Mycal, stuck his foot in my ass (so to speak) to really give this business my attention. He saw the potential in me, the business, and the clients I had to really get this thing off the ground. He took under his wing as my mentor and helped me change my mindset.

I was always a B+ student in school, so I knew how to do just enough to pass classes – I had been doing the same thing with my business. I started reading books about mindset, entrepreneurs, leadership, social media, and everything else that might pertain to Macros & Metcons. The entrepreneurial landscape has changed, with so much opportunity online and plenty of business to go around.

I had to shake – and still do regularly – the imposter syndrome that I wasn’t ever going to be as big of a business as this person or have as many clients as that person. I surrounded myself with other entrepreneurs and creatives who’ve helped me with more than they know, even if it’s a simple text saying something like, “You’re doing good shit coach, keep it up,” (actual text I’ve received!).

The best part about what I do isn’t just teaching people how to track their macronutrients – it’s helping others change their mindset around their bodies and food. Nutrition isn’t one-size-fits-all, but I’m showing people that the goals they have are achievable. We have been taught to demonize specific foods and whole groups of foods, thinking that if we eat them, we’ll be unhappy with our bodies forever. Not the case!

My clients eat the foods they enjoy, go to social events, weddings, vacations, dinners, and still hit their goals. I want to help everyone eliminate food fear, one carb at a time.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The biggest bump was getting fired from my lucrative restaurant job in December of 2016. However, as with any bump, it leads me to founding Macros & Metcons six months later, and as of November of 2018, I no longer work in restaurants.

The first year of Macros & Metcons was definitely tough, as I had no idea what I was doing (though most business owners will tell you they still don’t, regardless of how long they’ve been established).

Finally, a year in I hired an accountant, opened a separate business bank account, set up regular meetings with a mentor, and started hanging out with other entrepreneurs for inspiration and the occasional “Come to Jesus,” talk.

Macros & Metcons – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
At Macros & Metcons, we are one-on-one, individualized nutrition coaching. We teach people how to track their macronutrients, which is also known as Flexible Dieting.

Macronutrients are protein, carbohydrates, and fats, and when we eat these in specific ratios, we can accomplish body composition changes, strength gains, better energy, and more. We also emphasize good sleep habits, prioritize recovery and rest days, encourage conscious water intake, and teach you about proper vitamin and mineral consumption.

However, we don’t just tell you to eat this or that. Flexible dieting is about still making decisions and still being human. We’ll teach you how you can go to your daughter’s birthday dinner and still make good choices. We’ll teach you how to be on a week-long vacation and how to enjoy it without food fear. We celebrate every accomplishment with you and help re-direct if you’ve had a not-so-great week.

My clients get to know me, and I get to know them. I’m not a robot giving out automated responses to every check-in. In fact, my husband would tell you that I lock myself in my room to answer check-ins because I give every person my thoughtful, personal responses.

What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
My proudest moment was leaving the restaurant industry. I had been so scared to give up that extra income to fully rely on Macros & Metcons, and it’s growth to support myself. That, and for a long time, I really enjoyed working in restaurants.

Finally, after months of frustration and exhaustion, my husband looked at me and said, “You’ve been surviving being unhappy, why don’t you try surviving being happy?” I submitted my notice the next day.

I’m very proud now because I’ve taken on my own mentee, and I’m showing her the ropes of nutrition coaching and all it entails.

Pricing:

• Personalized coaching is $139.97/month

Contact Info:

• Website: www.macrosandmetcons.com
• Email: coachcaitlinb@gmail.com
• Instagram: @macros_metcons
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/macrosandmetcons/
• Other: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxe7gZKBzuVdTrXUxAYhFmw

Image Credit:
Josh Weinberg, Eric Greenhalgh

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