Monica grew up running cross country and track and loved it. However, in high school, she developed disordered eating patterns that followed her into college. She was yo-yo dieting, binging, and restricting, but continued to gain weight. Along the way, she lost her passion for exercise, suffered some inevitable injuries based on the unsustainable pattern she was stuck in, and suffered from severely low self-esteem. By the time she got into college, her health felt so out of reach she felt like giving up completely. She studied Social Work and took a job in Vermont. Unexpectedly, the stress of the job ended up being a turning point that led Monica to practice yoga and meditation as a form of stress management. These two things seemed to relieve her stress more than anything else, and that inspired her to pursue a yoga certification. During this time she began to gain self-confidence and enjoy being present in her body, and over time (and after working with therapists and mindset coaches) her relationship with food and exercise began to heal.
Studying and teaching yoga also led her to experience different diets; plant-based, vegan, juicing, etc. None of them stuck, but she did pick up things that worked for her along the way. (Fun fact, she even owned and operated a juice business in Maui for several years!) Eventually, her desire to help others through the same struggles she had dealt with led her to become a personal trainer. She also went back to school to attain her Masters Degree in Holistic Nutrition. Now a wife and a mom to a sassy toddler, she has had to learn how to maintain a balance between family, work, fitness, and life (and it isn’t always easy)!
Monica’s passion is to empower people to see their strengths and find that they have the capability within them to achieve their biggest goals and dreams. Her experiences shape how she coaches – she loves to help clients navigate the ups and downs in their own journey, and support them in adapting to life’s unexpected challenges so they can be proud of what they’ve done. Having been through three knee surgeries, she also has experience helping people work around injuries or pain and modifying exercises so they can be successful in their workouts, whatever their starting point is. Monica will meet you where you are at, and help you find the habits, workouts, and mindset changes that will move you towards your goals.
Credentials and Certifications
- Master of Science in Holistic Nutrition
- Certified Nutrition Coach, NASM
- Certified Personal Trainer, NASM
- Pregnancy and Postpartum Corrective Exercise Specialist, Core Exercise Solutions
- Indoor Cycling Instructor, Keiser
- Certified Yoga Instructor, National Yoga Alliance
Star Wars or Lord of the Rings?
Star Wars, all the way.
Favorite video game of all time?
The original Mario Bros. (for the first Nintendo) – the one where he makes the “boing-boing” when he jumps!!
What are you passionately nerdy about?
I LOVE writing, but especially poetry. My idea of a perfect evening is one spent sitting with a pen and paper and writing. I love the way you can play with words to mirror emotions, thoughts, and even places in time. I am a total poetry geek!