My journey started in September of 2019 when I joined a virtual bootcamp program with a Trainer across the country and decided to go all in and make my health a priority. Taking a few steps back, I grew up in a house with my parents and brother and we ate all the regular kid things- macaroni and cheese, grilled cheese, pizza, milkshakes, and of course some veggies and fruit, but that wasn't the highlight :) I ate just about any type of food and always remember growing up loving the Food Network and pretending to be on a cooking show. When it came time for high school and college, I gained a bit of weight. I started to become self-conscious of my body and look at other girls wishing I l0oked like them. At the time I was also battling acne and stress from school and relationships. It started to weigh on me and it was all I could think about.

In August 2019, I went on a trip with my girlfriends to the beach and was so uncomfortable with myself. Not only did I not feel good in my body, I had still been carrying the weight of an unhealthy relationship and starting my life over again. I was also yo-yo dieting, was not consistent with exercise, and did not feel like I could be my true self around those I loved. Right then, I decided it was time to take charge of my health. I had been looking at a bootcamp program for many months (was hesitant because of the price), but I knew that the only way I would be 100% committed was if I invested my money in it- I also love using the word invested instead of spent. It sounds crazy, but it worked! I printed out every last page of notes, made a quote board, kept track of my nutrition, water, and exercise...everything you can think of.

Over the course of about a year, I ended up losing weight and leaned out in my body. However, the real transformation was learning how to have a healthy relationship with food, feeling confident & gaining a purpose and passion in life. When I say it was a journey- I'm not kidding. There were many ups and downs, but there were two things I attribute that to- an accountability partner and learning that it's ok if you fail, just get right back on track the next day.

I was so excited about how I was feeling that I wanted to tell everyone about it. I have always loved helping and teaching others so this seemed like a natural step for me. I did my research on all different types of coaches and thought about which one was the best for me. I decided to choose the Institute for Integrative Nutrition because of their holistic view of health. IIN focuses on each person as a bio-individual and understands that health is so much more than just the food we put into our bodies. I studied for a year, graduated in January 2021 (covid times) and began coaching clients 1:1. The IIN program gave me education and the credentials to go out there and feel confident helping women in their health journeys.

Learn more about IIN here & use my code KATIEBANCHEK20 to receive 20% off all IIN and Chopra courses. Message me with any questions- I'm always happy to chat!

If you have gotten this far, thank you for reading. If you can relate to any part of my story, I encourage you to sign up for a health coaching consultation with me. This will be all about your journey and me being that accountability partner I needed when I was struggling.

If you are curious about how health coaching can help you... let’s talk. Schedule a consultation below!