Chantel Oakley of Billings on Life, Lessons & Legacy

We’re looking forward to introducing you to Chantel Oakley. Check out our conversation below.

Chantel, we’re thrilled to have you with us today. Before we jump into your intro and the heart of the interview, let’s start with a bit of an ice breaker: What are you most proud of building — that nobody sees?
What I’m most proud of building isn’t something the world sees on the outside. It’s my marriage of 24 years and the relationship I have with my four boys, who truly are some of the most amazing human beings I know.

My husband and I met when we were just 18, got married at 20, and honestly we did a lot of our growing up into adulthood together. That takes humility. It’s required a willingness to say “I’m sorry,” to own my stuff when I’ve screwed up, and to keep choosing grace and growth over pride.

The joy that’s come from that, our deep connection, the laughter in our home, and the way my boys are growing into incredible young men, is what I hold closest to my heart. It’s not glamorous or visible to the outside world, but it’s the legacy I’m most grateful for.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hi, I’m Chantel Oakley. I’m a wife, a mom of four boys, a certified health coach, and a certified yoga instructor. I’m also the Director of Growth and a Master Trainer for Two8 Bands. At my core, I’m passionate about helping women find food freedom, build physical strength in a way that works with their body, and cultivate mental and emotional resilience. I don’t believe in glossing over the hard parts of life—I teach women how to embrace them and still discover joy, even when things feel chaotic.

Through my brand, Chantel Oakley Fitness, I’ve created programs like BodyMindJoy and Radiance that give women practical tools to recover from burnout, build confidence, and approach wellness with grace instead of pressure or perfection. My own journey with burnout and anxiety shapes everything I do, and I integrate movement, mindset, and faith into all of my coaching.

What makes my work unique is that I’m not just focused on fitness or food—I care about the whole person. I want women to feel strong, free, and joyful in every area of life. Right now, I’m working on scaling my programs nationally while continuing to serve the local community I love and expanding my work with Two8 Bands to help even more people experience the power of movement.

Okay, so here’s a deep one: What part of you has served its purpose and must now be released?
The part of me that has served its purpose and I’m learning to release is my need for performance and achievement. For the majority of my life, I found my worth in how much I could accomplish, how hard I could push, and how perfectly I could perform. It gave me a sense of control and identity, but it also left me constantly exhausted and never truly at peace.

I’ve had a lifelong struggle with depression, anxiety, and OCD—ever since I was a little girl—and that constant pressure to achieve only amplified the battle inside of me. It all eventually came to a head when I realized that no amount of success or striving could heal the deeper places of my soul.

Performance and achievement served their purpose for a time, but they can’t carry me anymore. Now, I’m learning to release that way of living and step into something new—one that’s rooted in grace, presence, joy, and connection. It’s still a process, but it feels a lot closer to freedom.

What have been the defining wounds of your life—and how have you healed them?
The defining wounds of my life have been deeply tied to my body and my sense of worth. From a young age, I struggled with disordered eating, always chasing an ideal that left me empty and ashamed. Later, I walked through the heartbreak of miscarriages—losses that shook me to my core and made me question both my body and my faith. And alongside those things, I’ve lived with depression, anxiety, and OCD for as long as I can remember.

Healing hasn’t been quick or simple. It’s been a process of learning to see myself through a lens of grace instead of perfection, of choosing to nourish my body instead of punish it, and of allowing myself to grieve what I’ve lost without getting stuck in the grief. Fitness and movement have been a big part of that, not as a way to control or fix myself, but as a way to care for the body God gave me. Faith has also been central—I’ve had to keep coming back to the truth that my identity isn’t in my performance, my body, or even my ability to hold everything together.

I can’t say I’m “finished” healing—it’s still ongoing—but I’ve found freedom in releasing the need to have it all perfect. The very things that once wounded me have shaped how I coach and connect with others, and they’ve given me a deep compassion to walk with women through their own struggles toward strength and joy.

I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. Is the public version of you the real you?
Yes, because what I share publicly really does come from the heart. Movement, food as nourishment, caring for mental health, building community, leaning on faith, and learning to receive grace—those aren’t just things I talk about, they’re what I try to live out every day. That part of me is absolutely real.

And no, because people often assume I’m much more extroverted than I actually am. The truth is, I’m a total homebody. I love quiet nights with my family, reading a good book, or watching a movie far more than being out in big groups. So while what you see is real, there’s also a softer, more introverted side of me that doesn’t always show up in public.

Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. If you laid down your name, role, and possessions—what would remain?
If I laid down my name, my role, and everything I own, what would remain is my identity in Christ. That’s unshakable. I’m first and foremost God’s daughter, fully loved and fully known. What would also remain are the people He’s entrusted to me—my husband, our four boys, and the relationships I’ve been called to pour into.

Titles, achievements, and possessions all come and go, but faith, character, and love are what last. That’s what anchors me, and that’s the legacy I want to live out.

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Image Credits
Jamie Blotske

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