STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING COACH: TO BE OR NOT TO BE

I was the kid who never stopped moving. That’s why I became a strength and conditioning coach.

At recess, while the other girls played princess, I was the one sweating through my clothes on the blacktop, convinced I was “dominating the court” (or at least that’s how I like to remember it).

I tried every sport I could: cheer dance, ultimate frisbee, tennis, track and field (heavy on field), and yes, the dreaded 800 meters. If you know track, you know that race is practically a sprint. I had no clue what I was doing, got a side stitch halfway through, and finished almost last out of 30 athletes. Embarrassing? Definitely. But it lit a fire in me.

The Love of Movement: A strength and conditioning coach is Born

Basketball became my first love. I spent hours in my driveway shooting until the porch light came on. Even though I never played past seventh grade, I couldn’t stay away from movement.

By eighth grade, I became a homeschool kid, and somehow running and lifting weights became a serious passion of mine. I stumbled across a quote that stuck:

“Every other sport’s punishment is the thing I train for.”

It reminded me of that 800-meter race and how unprepared I’d been. I didn’t want to feel like that again.

And so began my journey into becoming a strength and conditioning coach.

Adventure Became My Playground

As a teen, athletics and adventure were my language:

• Basketball, track & field (discus + 800m), cross country, ultimate frisbee, and dance.
• Belay certified and rock climbed the rock face of Mount Yonah.
• Backpacking the Maryland section of the Appalachian Trail.
• Class 5 whitewater rafting on the Ocoee River (and yes, I had a guide named Ducky—long blonde hair, Carhartt-meets-Patagonia, slightly questionable hygiene, and one of those free-spirited mountain souls you don’t forget).
• CPR certified at 13—originally so I could babysit while in high school, almost used to become a lifeguard when I was 20, but life threw me my first pregnancy shortly after getting married at 19! I wondered how on earth I could have slept through my 8 alarms for the lifeguard training because I was so excited to do it…

Leadership came naturally, too. I volunteered in Venture Scouts and later as a Boy Scout leader (soon to be Den Leader), because strength and leadership don’t just belong in gyms, they start at home and in the community. A strength and conditioning coach who only cares about their own little bubble, is not the kind of leader I want to be.

The Homeschool Hustle

In my homeschool days, I even started a running club for the theatre kids—because dramatic entrances don’t count as cardio. We trained for a 5K, and I couldn’t have been prouder when everyone crossed the finish line, from walkers to age-group winners.

Most days, you could find me running to Lifetime Fitness, playing pickup basketball against grown men, scaling the rock wall, and pretending to be an Olympic swimmer (spoiler: I’m terrible at swimming, but imagination makes everything more fun).

The Gap Year & My First Taste of Coaching

At 16, I graduated two years ahead of schedule and took my GED. College wasn’t an immediate yes for me, but I knew I loved movement and leadership.

That led me to a gap year leadership development program in Pennsylvania, where I became the head of the fitness program. It wasn’t just about working out, I was learning how to design workouts, coach others, and see the potential in people who didn’t see it in themselves yet.

That experience made me hungry for more.

NASM: THe national academy of Spectacular Marketing

When I came home, I thought NASM was the clear path to becoming a personal trainer. I wanted to learn how to coach real-life bodies—busy parents, people with injuries, and anyone feeling beat up by life.

But honestly? NASM failed me. It felt like memorizing a textbook instead of learning how to actually train people. I kid you not, I read the entire book 3 times through and took all the quizzes and still felt like all I knew about was fear mongering people out of movement. They have no idea what they are doing when it comes to strength and conditioning. NADA.

Show up fitness is the real MVP when it comes to training strength and conditioning coaches

That’s when I found ShowUp Fitness, and everything changed. Their hands-on, practical approach taught me real biomechanics, injury prevention, and how to program for everyday athletes, not just theory.

I took the online classes while pregnant with my 4th son, in between nap schedules, listening in on the road going from soccer practice, and getting to ask professionals questions in real time (nasm doesn’t do that) and officially became a certified personal trainer in May of 2023. In October of 2023, I went to the weekend seminar in Miami, Florida.

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That Experience Didn’t Just Give Me Knowledge—It Gave Me Confidence

I wasn’t just checking a certification box or memorizing protocols. I was learning how to actually coach humans, their movement patterns, injuries, stress levels, and messy, real-life schedules. While they teach trainers a lot about general population, they are some of the most knowledgeable strength and conditioning coaches out there. Elite. And they’re who taught me everything I know.

That training built more than skills, it built confidence. Confidence to walk into a gym and know I could help someone, no matter where they were starting from. Confidence to say, “You don’t have to do it alone, and yes, you’re capable.”

And I’m grateful.
Grateful for the mentors who challenged me to think differently, for every client who trusted me with their story, and for every setback that taught me how to rebuild—not just muscles but resilience.

Because now, when I coach someone who’s burned out, postpartum, injured, or just feels stuck, I don’t just give them workouts. I give them a proven path forward and the belief that they can handle it.

And all while…Managing Four Kids

Life threw me curveballs—four of them, all in diapers at one point.

Postpartum humbled me in ways sports never did. I knew what it felt like to be sidelined by exhaustion, core weakness, and back pain. I knew what it was like to look at a barbell and wonder if I’d ever feel strong again.

And I came back. Slowly. Intentionally. I rebuilt my own body while learning how to program for postpartum recovery, core health, and, of course, strength and conditioning for gen pop and athletes alike.

I’m selfish-but in the best way

I dove deep into learning everything I could about postpartum healing, first for my own recovery and then so I could help other women reclaim their strength.

Now, while I coach more than just moms, I’m also a diastasis and pelvic floor specialist. If you or someone you know struggles with pelvic pain, leaking, or that stubborn “mommy pooch,” you’re in good hands at River Ford Fitness. And if I spot any red flags, I’ve got trusted pelvic floor physical therapists in Toccoa I refer to.

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Why I am a strength and conditioning coach for gen pop and athletes alike

I know what it’s like to feel burned out, to feel like your body isn’t your own anymore, and to wonder where to even start.

I also know what it’s like to climb rock faces, to backpack mountains while carrying my own pack and someone else’s when their knee gave out (yep, true story), and to play pickup basketball against guys twice my size (I’m pretty sure I scared a few of them).

That’s why I coach the way I do now:

• Strength for real life. Parenting, shift work, or competitive sports—I train people to handle their actual life demands.
• Sustainability over extremes. Because your body deserves more than crash diets and burnout workouts.
• Grit with grace. I’ll push you, but I’ll also meet you where you’re at.

Whether you’re a postpartum mom, a first responder, or an everyday athlete, I believe you’re capable of more than you think—and I’m here to help you prove it to yourself.