Meet Coach Arprentiss Haye

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Coach Arprentiss Haye a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Coach Arprentiss, we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?

I can still see my mother clearly, hands raised, singing loudly and unapologetically off-key as she praised God. Or sitting on the end of the sofa, the glow of a single lamp illuminating her lap, covered in Bibles, journals, and well-worn books. My mother didn’t just take my brothers and me to church; she showed us what it meant to walk with God in everyday life.
Many of those books came from Al-Anon and other 12-step programs. She was learning how to live with what she called a “dry alcoholic” and how to care for herself in the process. Watching her seek support, reflect, pray, and keep showing up taught me early on that resilience isn’t about avoiding pain, it’s about meeting it with honesty, faith, and help.
That lesson followed me into adulthood. After my parents’ divorce, I carried unresolved pain into relationships, searching for healing in the wrong places. Because of what my mother modeled, I eventually chose therapy over avoidance. That decision, to do the inner work, quietly built the resilience I would one day need the most.
On August 28, 2019, my husband and I heard an unusually loud banging at the door. Two police officers stood outside. Once they entered they began asking questions about my firstborn son. Confused and growing more anxious, I finally asked, “Is he okay?” One officer looked at me and said, “He’s deceased.”
Nothing prepares you for that moment.
In the days and years that followed, grief came in waves. But something else surfaced too, clarity. My youngest son was twelve at the time, and I remember looking at him and thinking: He deserves a mother who chooses healing. As whole as she can be.
Years of walking with God and doing the work in therapy carried me through the loss of my son, and through losing my mother just three and a half months later. Those same practices became the foundation for how I rebuilt my life and my business.
What I’ve built is rooted in resilience: caring for the whole person, honoring both mind and body, and showing up consistently even when life hurts. My work is not separate from my healing, it is an extension of it.
Resilience, for me, isn’t about bouncing back. It’s about standing firm, choosing wholeness, and continuing forward, again and again, even after unimaginable loss.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

My mother suffered a major stroke eight weeks after my son’s celebration of life. Six weeks later she passed. She was my first best friend, and he was my second. Losing them both so close together has been beyond devastating, there’s no language that fully captures that kind of loss.
Both of my sons were and are student athletes. My youngest is currently in college on a basketball scholarship. At the time of his passing, my oldest son was a personal trainer and professional model. We were both filled with excitement about what 2020 would bring. More than anything, we shared a deep passion for helping people transform their lives through fitness.

It would have been easier to give up after losing them. Instead, I felt a deep pull to continue, not just for myself, but to honor the dreams my son and I shared and to carry forward the legacy he believed in so deeply.
It’s been six years now. In that time, I made the decision to walk away from a 29-year career at UPS to fully step into my purpose. After nearly 22 years as a single mother, I am now married, and deeply grateful for the partnership and support we’ve built as I continue walking in my purpose.

My son was my number one cheerleader. Even at a young age, he recognized the sacrifices I made to give him every opportunity to chase his dreams. Holding onto the knowledge that he believed in me, and that we both believed you never give up, has carried me through countless obstacles.
Part of my work today includes sharing my own journey with weight, body image, and diet culture. Like so many women, I spent years chasing a number on the scale or a certain pant size. I tried several diets, saw temporary success, and then found myself stuck in the same cycle. Everything changed when I stopped focusing on weight alone and began prioritizing strength. Building muscle became the biggest game changer—not just physically, but mentally.
I learned why all those diets “worked,” why they eventually failed, and how to eat in a way that supports sustainable fat loss and long-term maintenance without restriction. Now, it’s my passion to help other women break free from that same cycle.
This commitment to sustainability, strength, and self-trust is what led me to recently launch the Vibrant Body Method, a group coaching experience designed to help women build strength, care for their bodies, and create lasting change—inside and out.

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?

Looking back, three qualities have had the greatest impact on my journey: the willingness to ask for help, discipline paired with vision, and a commitment to continued learning.
First, I learned the power of asking for help. I hired coaches along the way, and that decision accelerated my growth in ways I couldn’t have achieved on my own. Coaching provided perspective, accountability, and clarity—especially during moments when I felt uncertain or stuck. For anyone early in their journey, my advice is simple: don’t try to do everything alone. Asking for support isn’t weakness; it’s often the smartest move you can make.
Second was discipline—paired with taking my business seriously from the very beginning. I didn’t approach this as a side hobby. I trademarked my business, hired a brand manager, and invested in building a full brand. I applied the same discipline I had learned through fitness to entrepreneurship, understanding that progress wouldn’t happen overnight. Just as I coach my clients, I had to stay consistent, trust the process, and keep showing up even when results weren’t immediate.
Finally, I committed to education. I’ve continually invested in learning—not only in fitness and nutrition, but in coaching and business development. That education has allowed me to serve my clients at a higher level and provide meaningful value. My advice is to stay curious and committed to growth, because the more you learn, the more confidently you can lead.
At the heart of all three is the same lesson I share with my clients every day: lasting success comes from patience, consistency, and the willingness to do the work long before the results are visible.

To close, maybe we can chat about your parents and what they did that was particularly impactful for you?

The most impactful thing my parents did for me was model perseverance, responsibility, and faith, through both love and complexity.
When I was young, my mother remarried, and that man became the father who raised me and my middle brother. Soon after they married he adopted us, and from him, I learned the value of hard work, discipline, and showing up consistently. He believed deeply in providing, honoring commitments, and doing what needed to be done—even when it wasn’t easy. That work ethic has stayed with me throughout my life and continues to shape how I approach my marriage, motherhood and business.
My mother taught me something equally powerful. She showed me what it looked like to walk with God in real life—not just in words, but in daily practice. She modeled reflection, prayer, and the courage to seek support when life was hard. Watching her navigate challenges with honesty and faith taught me that strength doesn’t mean avoiding struggle; it means facing it and continuing forward.
Together, they gave me a foundation I rely on to this day: faith paired with discipline, compassion balanced with responsibility, and the belief that you don’t quit when things get hard. Those lessons have guided me through loss, single motherhood, entrepreneurship, and the life I continue to build.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.trainerize.me/profile/vibrantbodyfitness/Coach.Arprentiss/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vibrantbodyfitness
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vibrantbodyfitness
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/arprentiss-haye
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@VibrantBodyFitness

Image Credits

Shan Roberts Photography