Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Chelsea LaGrasse. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Chelsea, we’re so appreciative of you taking the time to share your nuggets of wisdom with our community. One of the topics we think is most important for folks looking to level up their lives is building up their self-confidence and self-esteem. Can you share how you developed your confidence?
As a teenager, I had very low self esteem and confidence which was partially due to being homeschooled and somewhat socially awkward. I also never really felt like I fit in anywhere even though I knew a lot of people and had many different friend groups. After getting out of a bad relationship in my early twenties, I decided to start training martial arts. I mostly took jiu jitsu and Muay Thai classes with some boxing and wrestling sprinkled in. I never imagined I would fall in the love with the sport as much as I did but it changed my life in so many ways. My confidence and self esteem immensly improved over time with learning the things that I learned and putting my skills to the test in competition. It not only gave me more confidence in my ability to protect myself, but it showed me how strong and capable I really am. It allowed me to create real connections and friendships and gave a place I felt like I belonged. I always looked externally for validation in the past, but I didn’t need that anymore. I found confidence within myself.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
Combining my background in health and fitness with martial arts, I’ve been lucky enough to run my own personal training business for the last 5 years. I graduated with a degree in Fitness Management in 2011, have many fitness and nutrition certifications, and have been training as an MMA fighter for about 9 years. I’ve had the opportunity to travel all over for my MMA training and fights and have had 10 MMA fights,a couple boxing fights, and several jiu jitsu competitions. I plan on competing for as long as my body allows me to but I always have martial arts as a part of my exercise routine. For my full time job, I train clients one on one in a small studio gym setting and what we focus on depends on the clients goals and what type of training they are looking for. Working with clients one on one allows me to develop a strong relationship with them and I work with them to facilitate long term changes with their health whether that be strength training, self defense, mobility and flexibility, weight loss, competition training, or general fitness. All of my training is very individualized and looks different for each client. I also travel to teach self defense seminars at local businesses or community groups. I think that’s one of the most rewarding and fun parts of my job because I get to meet a lot of different people, share my knowledge with others, and help people feel safer. Being a domestic abuse survivor, I’ve realized how prominent this problem is and how many people don’t feel safe in this world we live in. If I can make one person feel safer or give them the skills to get out of a dangerous situation, everything I do is worth it. It gives me purpose and satisfaction with the work I do. It’s also allowed me to create social media content and reach more people all around the world. I’ve connected with other like minded individuals which allows me to continue improving and learning more skills for my own personal growth. I’ve also opened an online store that sells affordable self defense weapons to most areas in the U.S. including pepper spray, stun guns, safety alarms, and more. If you’re interested in following me on social media, you can find me on any platform under my handle @chelseakyann.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
When it comes to being a personal trainer, the most important thing I’ve learned along the way is that helping clients make real change is way more about their mindset and helping them work through mental struggles than it is about teaching them how to workout. Learning about psychology and how to facilitate behavoir change made a huge different for me in how I train and the success of my clients. Most people know that exercising and eating healther is good, they just don’t know how to make that a realistic way of living for themselves. In regards to fighting, the best thing you can do is surround yourself with good coaches and good training partners. That can make or break your career and plays a huge role in your skills as a fighter. Even if you don’t want to compete and you just want to learn, pick coaches and training partners that care about you and want you to improve as well. The last thing I’ve learned along the way is finding balance in all things whether that’s exercise, food, mindset, work, rest, or even relationships. I used to be very hard on myself if I missed a workout day or ate something I shouldn’t have and in reality, it wasn’t that big of a deal. It’s important for your physical and mental health to get exercise AND rest. Too many times I have pushed myself past the point that my body really needed and I’ve paid for it with injuries and setbacks. Balance is key in all aspects of life.
One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
I’m always open for collaborating with other like minded individuals especially when it comes to safety and self defense. If anyone ever wants to train together, bounce ideas off each other, create content, or have me host a seminar for your workplace or group, I welcome it with open arms. Creating a community of people who are educating and creating resources for everyone to feel safer is a huge passion of mine and we can all benefit from working together. I’m also open to networking with other small business owners and small content creators.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://kyannselfdefense.com/
- Instagram: chelseakyann
- Facebook: Chelsea Kyann LaGrasse
- Youtube: https://kyannselfdefense.com/
- Other: Tiktok: @chelseakyann
