Shaunna Marie

How Fitness Changed My Life

I think being successful at anything requires a strong “why” behind it. I’m frequently asked “how I stay motivated”, or “what keeps me going” and my answer is simple: my “why” is so deeply meaningful to me.

My career in the fitness industry began in February 2013. I’ll never forget taking my first photos and how I felt in that moment. Frustrated, upset, and honestly hopeless for the first time in my life. I went from being gluten-intolerant and lactose-intolerant, to not being able to eat anything without being in severe pain. I’m talking pain so severe that I would wake up crying and couldn’t get out of bed some days.

At that time I was in college finishing up a bachelor’s degree and I was working full time. My life started revolving around doctor and hospital visits for testing, with no answers. The last gastroenterologist I saw gave me a generic diagnosis of IBS, and prescribed me medication to stop the spasms in my stomach, told me I needed to stop working out, and that holding a career would be near impossible for me. I remember that day so clearly responding with “but why?” His answer was that “unfortunately it was just the card I was dealt”. I left that day in tears. I refused to believe I was a 25 year old that couldn’t finish school or hold a job. I had so many goals and dreams and refused to resort to medication and just give up.

I took the exact opposite approach from what I was told and vowed to beat what I was faced with by making my body strong, and my mind even stronger. The gym became my “therapy”. The harder I worked, the better I felt. Getting through an intense workout numbed the physical pain I was in and made me feel strong.

I immersed myself in research to find answers behind the pain I was in. I wasn’t interested in just treating symptoms with medication, I wanted to treat the actual problem. I ended up stumbling across a blog post written by a girl who described having similar symptoms to myself. She explained having low stomach acid, and how ACV before each meal helped her by stimulating stomach acid to properly digest food. I followed exactly what she said and I was in shock. For the first time in over a year I was pain free. I immediately reached out to her to let her know how much she impacted my life. I realized in that moment that I had the ability to help others too and started sharing my own journey.

I’m the type of person that if you tell me I can’t do something, I’m going to do it. I made the decision to enter my first NPC bikini competition. Getting up on stage was a true celebration of what I overcame. From being told I needed to stop working out, to literally being able to take it to the highest level, was a moment I’ll never forget.

Fitness “saved my life”  and for that reason I am extremely passionate about it. The physical progress is amazing, but the best part about it is the mental strength that you gain. Today I dedicate my days to giving others the strength I’ve gained through fitness. The ability to transform others’ lives through proper nutrition and training is a blessing to me. Online coaching has allowed me to work with both clients of all ages across the US and Internationally.

Whether you’re looking to lose weight, build muscle, learn bettering eating habits, or just looking to build confidence – I have a plan to get you there. Email me today to get started! Shaunna@shaunnamarie.com

Subscribe to my newsletter + to be notified about new blog posts!

* indicates required

Client Testimonial: Stacey C.

Client Testimonial: Online Competition Prep Package

Stacey C. – Ogallala, NE

Describe your experience working with SHAUNNA.MARIE.

Where do I start? It has been a blessing to work with SHAUNNA.MARIE for my first competition. From our very first email I knew we would be a great team. She understood my love for fitness and was there to answer any and every question I had. SHAUNNA.MARIE did not give me a cookie cutter meal plan or a cookie cutter workout. She individualized it for me. SHAUNNA.MARIE made sure to avoid foods that I was allergic to and paid extra attention to muscle groups that were weaker. Each week during check-in she asked how I was feeling, my mood, and made sure I was doing well both physically and mentally. A few weeks out before the show SHAUNNA.MARIE gave me a run down on what to expect with peak week, and the flow of things day of show. Even though my show was many states away and she was not able to attend, she was by her phone, both day and night, to answer any questions I had. I got multiple texts from her the day of my show, stating how proud she was of me and to rock the stage. I am blessed to say, thanks to SHAUNNA.MARIE, I placed fourth place in my very first show!! I am now off-season training with SHAUNNA.MARIE and cannot wait to see my improvements next show.

SHAUNNA.MARIE Client Testimonial

How did you find SHAUNNA.MARIE? What made you want to work with her?

I first found SHAUNNA.MARIE on Facebook and followed her for a good year or two before making the decision to compete. The best part about it is I knew I wanted her as my coach! Following her for a year I was able to watch her grow as a person and see how she trained/her nutrition plan. I sent her an email asking a few questions about food allergies, past knee injury, how many weeks out I should start, and so on. SHAUNNA.MARIE was very informative and believed in me from the start!
SHAUNNA.MARIE Client Testimonial

SHAUNNA.MARIE Client Testimonial

What was your favorite part about prepping for your first competition with SHAUNNA.MARIE?

My favorite part about working with SHAUNNA.MARIE is the faith she had in me and the great friendship that was gained. Being in competition prep, especially in a very small town/middle of “nowhere” I was kind of doing it alone. The gym I work out in is the high school weight room. There was one, maybe two people there working out when I went. I had not one workout partner and no one to really connect with. Thankfully I had SHAUNNA.MARIE to answer all my questions, listen to me when I needed to vent, and believe in me every step of the way.

SHAUNNA.MARIE Client Testimonial

Transitioning out of a competition prep plan into an offseason plan can be mentally hard. How has SHAUNNA.MARIE helped you do so?

In my opinion, transitioning out of competition prep is a million times tougher (mentally) than prep itself. It being my first competition, I was extremely hard on myself post show with gaining weight back, increasing fat, and the list goes on. I honestly can say if it was not for SHAUNNA.MARIE, I am not sure where I would be. SHAUNNA.MARIE slowly increased my calories, decreased cardio and made sure my body fat was getting back to normal range. She continues to check in and see how I am feeling, my mood, and how meal plans are going. I still have tough days, times where I feel and think I need to be leaner. But SHAUNNA.MARIE motivates/reminds me that being competition lean is not realistic year around for me, especially since I am trying to build more muscle to bring a better physique next competition!

Stacey Chudomelka

How has been a continued client of SHAUNNA.MARIE impacted your life?

SHAUNNA.MARIE has impacted my life in many ways. She has strengthened me both mentally and physically. She has taught me not to sweat the little things, to never give up and always believe in myself. There are days during off season that I have not ate 100 percent on plan, but she reminds me the importance of balance. The importance of being able to enjoy supper with friends and family and not mentally beat myself up. SHAUNNA.MARIE has been my coach just shy of one year, and never in my life did I think I could build muscle like I have. She has showed me that anything is possible if you truly believe and never give up!

Stacey Chudomelka

What is the most valuable thing SHAUNNA.MARIE has taught you?

TO LOVE AND BELIEVE IN MYSELF. “If you believe in yourself, anything is possible.” Whether I am prepping for a competition or building muscle in off season, SHAUNNA.MARIE does an amazing job reminding me of all the positive changes I have made both mentally and physically.