My name is Karlee Gilliam and I am a 26-year-old personal trainer. Just like any other fitness story my journey started through insecurity and wanting to be ~that girl~ that everyone looked up to. I grew up eating Ramen noodles and pb&js so you can definitely say I wasn’t always in shape. From as young as I can remember I was obsessed with being fit and strong, but didn’t necessarily have the tools to do so. I ended up joining track and gymnastics when I was really young, thinking it would be the only way to get me in shape. Except, I hated competing (I still hate competition to this day) so that didn’t last long. One day, when I was old enough, I asked my mother for a gym membership. I felt like it would be me against me. No competitions. No crowd watching me. No one yelling at me to run faster or to be better than the next girl. When I tell you, that’s when my life changed. I’m not even kidding, my life CHANGED! It was the greatest thing she could’ve ever done for me. Mind you, this was back in 2010 before we all really knew what lifting was. Being a skinny cardio queen was at its peak! If you lifted heavy weights you were mostly likely a body builder. So me being 13-14 years old, I asked the body builders to show me how they used the equipment. They were nice enough to guide me. The gym soon became my escape. Growing up, I didn’t have very much, but one thing I did have was my fitness and my health. No one could take that away from me. Fitness drug me out of my darkest times, and guided me in the direction of health, happiness, enlightenment, and success, and it still continues to provide me with these things. When you have a strong body, you have a strong mind. It didn’t matter what I had going on. I’d find a way to make it to the gym because I knew it was always going to make me feel happy and empowered. I want the same for my clients; no competition, no pain, no judgment just you and your own mind and physical self. Only competing for a better you.