09/01/2026
CLIENT SPOTLIGHT: ✨TESS✨
Some clients become so much more than clients.
And Tess is one of those people for me. ❤️
When she first came to me, I don’t think she needed another person telling her how to lose weight.
She needed someone to believe in her.
Someone to listen to her. Someone to care about more than a number on the scale. Someone who wasn’t going to give up on her when things got complicated.
Because there was a lot we needed to untangle.
Food wasn’t just food. Her body wasn’t something she felt safe or confident in. Past experiences—with trainers, with people in her life, and with herself—had left their mark.
And as someone who has had my own struggles with an eating disorder and my relationship with food, there are parts of that I understand on a very personal level.
You can’t hate yourself into becoming someone you love.
And you can’t heal a damaged relationship with food by giving someone another list of things they’re not allowed to eat.
So we took our time.
We learned her body.
We figured out what foods made her feel good and what didn’t. We worked through digestive issues and insulin resistance. We taught her how to fuel herself instead of constantly trying to eat less. We reverse dieted. We built. We cut when her body was ready. We learned how to navigate eating out, traveling, busy days, family life, and all the imperfect parts of being a human.
But somewhere in all of that, something much bigger was happening.
I watched her start trusting herself again.
I watched food become fuel instead of something carrying so much fear and emotion.
I watched her start appreciating her body for what it could DO instead of only looking at what she wanted to change.
I watched her get strong.
Like… really freaking strong.
The woman deadlifts 340 pounds now. 😂
She’s a powerlifter. She’s built an incredible amount of muscle. She’s lost nearly 40 pounds (and an insane amount of inches), yes—but that number feels so insignificant compared to everything else she’s gained.
Confidence.
Strength.
Freedom around food.
Respect for her body.
A completely different understanding of what taking care of herself actually looks like.
And she’s doing all of this while being a mom and showing her family something I think is incredibly important:
You can choose to take care of your body because you love it—not because you hate it.
There have been so many times throughout this journey where Tess couldn’t see in herself what I could see in her.
So I just kept believing enough for both of us.
And I’ll keep doing that for as long as she needs me to.
Because Tess, you can do hard things. You can do REALLY fricken hard things.
I’ve watched you do them.
I’ve watched you become this strong-ass, powerlifting badass of a mom while also becoming softer and kinder toward yourself.
And THAT is what makes me emotional.
Not the weight you’ve lost.
The life you’ve gained.
The relationship with yourself you’ve rebuilt.
The example you’re setting.
And the woman you’ve allowed yourself to become.
I’m your coach, but I’m also incredibly lucky to call you my friend.
And getting to stand beside you while you realize just how powerful you are has been one of my favorite parts of doing what I do.
I’m so fricken proud of you, Tess.
For all of it. ❤️
_________
From Tess:
Three years ago I walked into CZ Fitness broken, in more ways than one. I needed a change but more importantly I needed a trainer to understand my body and believe in me. Over these last 3 years, Cassie has helped me grow from the inside-out and along the way I learned how to trust myself. I’m so lucky to have such a great trainer and friend in my corner whom continues to push me everyday to become a better version of myself. Not only have I lost inches and pounds, but I’ve gained confidence and an immense amount of strength. To all the people that have doubted me or mocked me, you’ve only lit a fire in me and keep watching because I’ve only just begun. Here’s to living the Good Life!
