We recently connected with Kari Sullivan and have shared our conversation below.
Kari, so great to have you with us and we want to jump right into a really important question. In recent years, it’s become so clear that we’re living through a time where so many folks are lacking self-confidence and self-esteem. So, we’d love to hear about your journey and how you developed your self-confidence and self-esteem.
Confidence and self-esteem were something I did not have for the longest time. I struggled with body dysmorphia and disordered eating from 12-30. If you’re familiar with such, you know the cycles of these patterns are all consuming and vicious. I was pretty deep in it all in my late 20’s but desired a shift as I knew this was no way to live. I began to practice meditation and also reflected in my journal daily, something that wasn’t new to me but the tone in which I wrote and spoke to myself started to shift. I stopped allowing myself to write hurtful things about myself and instead replaced them with loving and compassionate words. I wrote daily gratitude lists, letters of apologies and love to parts of my body I once hated, and began a daily mirror practice where I wrote affirmations on the mirror and danced. I practiced exposure therapy, which for me looked like wearing shorts. For years I didn’t wear shorts because I didn’t like my legs. I’d suffer in the summers all because of this dislike for a part of my body. Again, being sick of living this way, I promised myself I’d wear shorts every day that summer. By the end of the summer, through a combination of all of the above practices, I was more confident than ever before. I actually loved my body and all it could do for me.
Fast forward to today and I am the most confident I have ever been. My self-esteem is notably higher than ever before and I am genuinely happy. I also credit this to my career, which is centered around helping other women find this freedom and power in their bodies.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I am a personal trainer who specializes in womens health, specifically those over age 35. I truly love what I do and often times have trouble finding the words to express how much joy it brings me to see women flip their stories and step into their power. When a woman feels confident in her body, she’s unstoppable. That’s what I am all about.
Some women come to me in preparation for the big life events like a wedding or pregnancy, some come to help train for their sport, others come with specific physical goals from something like getting their first chin up to improving body composition. More recently tho, women are coming to me with a strong interest in hormonal health and longevity. For those women in their late 30’s-early 40’s, we are preparing them for the smoothest transition through perimenopause into menopause via focused strength training, adequate protein, improving sleep hygiene, and stress management. For my clients that are already in menopause, we are focusing on training modalities that elicite estrogen like responses which help keep them feeling their absolute best and stave off muscle loss.
I believe that fitness should be available to everyone and one way I can extend my services is through remote training. I am very excited about a few upcoming program releases that anyone can do, either at home or in a gym, all affordably priced.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
3 areas of knowledge that have helped my career in numerous ways have been my degree in nutrition, my athletic background in gymnastics, and the work I completed in my recovery from disordered eating.
If there’s one piece of advice I have for those early in their journey it’s to embrace what you have long thought to be your shameful pieces or your wounds. These are what make you human and relatable. These are what are going to allow for deeper human connection.
Take your previous challenges or pain points and turn them into your strengths.
How can folks who want to work with you connect?
I am looking for opportunities to collaborate in the womens health space. I would like to offer strength based workouts along with discussion panels on womens hormones, the importance and benefits of strength training, along with biohacking.
For those interested in collaboration, please email me at Kari@303fitness.net
Contact Info:
- Website: karisullivanfitnessandwellness.com
- Instagram: @karisullivanfitness
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@KariSullivanFitnessWellness
Image Credits
@mthurk @nappyheadedmedia
