Success Stories
CAL K.
A little background first: so I’ve been weightlifting on and off for the past 12 years. It started with high school football, then turned into a bodybuilding thing in the military (I was 5’9, 180lbs solid muscle!) and then past that, it was pretty much an attempt at maintenance I guess. I had never done any sort of “dieting” or cutting, counting calories, tracking macros, none of it. I got out of the Navy in 2019, moved in with my wife and started welding full time (more than full time). My weight lifting lifestyle slowly faded away, then we started having kids…one thing led to another and by June 2021 I was just shy of 240lbs and my beer gut was getting out of control.
So I started making changes on my own. I was at the gym 5-6 days a week, going early AM, late PM…working out around all the welding and around being a very present father in my kids lives. I still didn’t do any sort of dieting. I did that for a long time and I got myself down to 222lbs but I got stuck there for a while. No progress beyond that. I had a great routine going though, my motivation was awesome, and I was dedicating a lot of time to the gym. So I wanted to take it to the next level. I wanted to do a “competition cut” and I wanted to try a new workout routine, just to see what it’s all about.
I started searching for an online trainer (I live in the woods) and I found Kaila. We started working together May 1, 2023 - she wrote me a workout plan and I started tracking macros for the first time in my life keep in mind, I’ve basically been trash bulking for 12 years. Eating clean whole foods and tons of protein was a game changer for me. Paired with exercises that were new to my body, my results were amazing. Kaila guided me though it and I followed her 12-week cut to the T. In 12 weeks, I lost 22lbs and PR’d all of my lifts at the same time. My results were insane!
I’m currently 200lbs, taking a break from tracking macros, still training though and trying to maintain 205lbs or less. My wife and I have recently welcomed our third child (it’s a girl!) into the world. After the dust settles, I intend to do another cut with Kaila. Going to take it down pretty lean this time and look into a Men’s physique competition in Summer 2024!
CHRISTINE C.
Kaila: I can’t thank you enough for changing my life! When I first reached out to you in September I knew that I wanted to create healthier eating habits – both for my own personal journey but also to be a good role model for my two kids (ages 6 & 2). Of course you always hope that you’ll lose weight in the process but I was too worried to make that a goal. I was worried that I would fail, but in working with you, I’ve ultimately done both and more! I eat better and I’ve lost 15 pounds (and counting) and 5.56% body fat!!
You taught me that dieting can be flexible and fit into my life! You helped take foods that I was already eating and showed me how if I made a few changes it could make a HUGE impact! The best part about the dieting is that IT WORKS FOR ME! I don’t feel like I’m dieting. I just know that I am making healthier choices – healthier choices that make me feel better, give me more energy, and even look better. 😊
Because I eat better and I’m getting healthier, I sleep better and I have more energy and it’s making a huge impact in my CrossFit goals! When we first started working together, I did CrossFit 3 days a week. But I cherry picked those workouts and I had to talk myself into going. For the last month, I’ve really enjoyed it more than I ever did before because I see the progress there too! And now I go 5-6 days a week! The extra energy helps me keep up with my rambunctious 6 and 2 year olds as well which is SO needed. 😉
Thank you for giving me the tools and encouragement to reach my goals and more! I can’t wait to start our next session together! So many thanks!!
P.S. I put side-by-side pictures of when we first worked together and now. WOW! I’m still amazed!!
OLIVIA D.
I began working with Kaila in July of 2019 because I had spent the past year focusing on academics and noticed a fairly drastic decline in my health. In college, my diet, sleep, and exercise regimen were non-existent. I had never set foot in a gym, done a sport, or thought of myself as athletic in any way. I couldn’t have told you what a “macro” is, nonetheless how our body utilizes food. Today, Kaila has me executing (and understanding) an intensive bodybuilding program that allows me to lift six days a week, track my macros, do some cardio, work on mobility daily, hydrate abundantly, and sleep 8 hours a night. How does one go from being completely clueless about health to totally absorbed in it?
From the day we met, and every day since, Kaila has met me exactly where I am and strategically pushed me a little beyond it, usually without me even realizing. This is what makes Kaila such an exceptional teacher. She sees what you’re capable of well before you do, and lays the foundation necessary (whether it be strength, knowledge, or mindset) to systematically achieve your goals and beyond. And in the process, no matter how much time or passion you have for it, you will fall in love with the work, because she makes it so much fun.
Kaila is there with words of understanding and support when you fall short, and is your biggest cheerleader when you succeed.
Kaila will be the first to remind you that while it’s ok to strive for perfection, balance is the key to a sustainable lifestyle. I went from feeling like crap to being the most energetic and strong version of myself. Additionally, I went from being a shy girl who felt apologetic for taking up space in the world to training confidently right alongside the big boys at the gym, and usually doing harder stuff than them anyway. ;) I'm eternally grateful for the changes Kaila has made and continues to make in my body, mind, and soul--working with her is without a doubt the best thing I've ever done for myself!
RYAN B.
Kaila was my personal trainer in a one-on-one setting three times a week for just over a year. At my initial training session I weighed in at 357 pounds. Kaila pushed me while at the same time providing the right amount of encouragement. As the weight started to fall off week after week I felt that I could not let Kaila down because I could tell she cared about my results. She literally changed my life and for that I will always be grateful. At my final weigh-in the scale read 213 pounds for a total weight loss of 144 pounds. Kaila is an incredible trainer and the results speak for themselves.
G.B.
Kaila’s work with me changed my life for the better. As you can see from the photos, I’ve of course made some significant progress in my weight and body-fat percentage, and that alone would be enough to sell you on her services — while I was not a very healthy person, I watched what I ate to some degree and exercised regularly. Kaila helped me take both of those things to the next level in a way that I could not have done on my own, and in so doing, I was able to lose, as of this writing, about 30 lbs. since we began working together (I’ve lost about 50 lbs. total in my journey, though the weight I lost before her literally took years to lose).
What the photos don’t directly reveal is that I have also managed to basically totally erode a set of functional diseases that I’ve been struggling with since I was 20 (I’m about to turn 30). This set of muscular-digestive-psychological problems hampered my ability to run outdoors, to even stand and lecture for more than an hour at a time without a break, to eat food without immediate severe bloating. Now that I’ve strengthened my core and really my entire body, returned to running in the fresh air almost exclusively, and gotten my macronutrient balance nearly perfected, I have only a very weak set of symptoms that distantly resembles the pain that I used to feel.
Beyond that, Kaila is a remarkably kind, attentive, and supportive person — emotionally intelligent, well-versed in the natural sciences relevant to personal training, and always a bright presence in my inbox. I can’t recommend working with her highly enough. “Life-changing” is not hyperbole but the most literal, prosaic description I can think of.
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H.K.
My initial goal for training was just to start to feel better physically in my day to day life. I felt Kaila understood my situation and goals and she started me on a simple and accessible weight training routine while providing a lot of encouragement...within 6 weeks I was already experiencing less hip pain as I started to regain strength. I really geeked out over her system for documenting and tracking workouts in Google Drive, and I appreciate that all of the resources she shared with me are available even now. I developed a 3-4x/week gym habit, and don't think about whether to go to the gym or not -- I just go. Because Kaila taught me how to put together a workout, I feel comfortable substituting or adding exercises depending on what I need that day, and I can always refer back to the comprehensive list of exercise options she provided me with. Being so much more active, and with some diet recommendations from Kaila, my weight and size has dropped back to a more normal range and stabilized. All of this completely turned my mental and emotional outlook around.
I now have no qualms about jumping into a big yard work project, tackling the snow pile at the end of the driveway, or picking up my 8 year old. I can again engage fully in the dancing I do, too! It's hard to quantify all the ways that a successful exercise regimen (and the right trainer) can impact your life, but when your overall well-being improves, everything else benefits exponentially!
O.V.
My favorite part of the online coaching process was discovering how adhering to a routine would help me feel excited and productive about all the other aspects of my day; getting my oatmeal in encouraged me to run/lift, which made me feel positive about fueling with a healthy lunch/dinner, which culminated into an endless stretch of continuing to make positive choices. I feel better now than I can ever remember feeling. Taking the reins after so many weeks of your encouragement to help me stay determined & consistent inevitably made this transition feel pretty effortless.
It was reassuring to know that this time, my results will stick around, because my lifestyle changes are now for good. I could never go back to the way I was living before. I have felt so much more like myself since starting to work on this program with you, and it’s really been the best thing I’ve invested in doing for myself in years. Genuinely.