Today we’d like to introduce you to Catherine Bradshaw.
Hi Catherine, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I am currently based in Los Angeles, California. I am a certified personal trainer, yoga teacher, nutrition coach, and Holistic Health Practitioner. I also work as a professional fitness model. I am a volunteer coach and board member for a nonprofit called Girls on the Run. I coach fourth through sixth-grade girls on running, the importance of mental and physical health, respect, inclusivity, why it’s important to stand up for others, and how to deal with bullies.
I was raised by a single father in the Marine Corps. My little sister and I grew up in Hawaii, Ohio, Cuba, Japan, and San Diego, California. From a young age, I was always an athlete participating on the cross country, track, basketball and swim teams. The majority of my nutrition came from pre-packaged, processed foods, restaurants, and drive-thrus.
While attending college in Vermont, I worked in a warehouse and eventually desk jobs, all of which took a toll on my body, causing me debilitating low back/sacral pain that I battled with for almost a decade. After trying all of modern medicines solutions, I turned to alternative modalities of healing. I quit my desk job and enrolled full-time at the Natural Healing Institute in Encinitas, California. I studied nutrition, medicinal herbs, aromatherapy, yoga, and Reiki for two years, and in 2012, I became a certified Holistic Health Practitioner.
Later that year I moved to LA to pursue careers in both holistic medicine and modeling. It was way more stressful than I could have ever imagined and my health and happiness paid the price.
In 2014, I decided to take a Crossfit class because the first class was free and I wanted to look good in a bikini in two weeks. Though intimidating at first, I loved the variety in the workouts and the mental and physical challenges. I didn’t get that “beach body” in two weeks, but I found my calling. After a few months of working out consistently, I noticed that my back/sacral pain was gone! By focusing on using proper body mechanics (that I had learned from yoga) with bodyweight movements, gymnastics, and weightlifting, I developed strength that I had never experienced before.
Fitness and nutrition quickly became my new lifestyle, which led me to achieving certifications as an ACE Personal Trainer and CrossFit Level 1 Trainer. At the same time, I started receiving exciting opportunities in fitness modeling including working for brands that I love like Lululemon, Athleta, and 5.11 Tactical. Since then I’ve helped numerous people of every type of background work towards reaching their health and fitness goals. I’ve worked with a wide range of clients from the person who is brand new to training to the athlete looking to take their performance to the next level. I’ve trained both men and women ranging in age 13 to 81. My clients are teachers, students, doctors, small business owners, Fortune 500 company CEOs, lawyers, and actors. I love my job! It gives me great satisfaction knowing that I am a part of a person’s health and fitness journey.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Prioritizing a work-life balance is the key to achieving excellence. I’ve had times in my life where my focus was 100% on work and I would take any and every job that came my way. I would allow potential and existing clients to text me at all hours of the day (and night). And before that, I’ve had periods of time where I’ve felt paralyzed by the pressure of choosing a career path where I would work a lot less and find myself meandering in a sea of hobbies while not truly committing to any one of them. Today, I have work-life balance. What that looks like for me is a moderately full schedule of high-quality personal training and nutrition clients with enough flexibility in my schedule so that I can go to castings and do photo shoots from time to time. The evenings are mine. Some of my evenings consist of personal growth and development classes that I take online and other times they are simply for relaxing and recuperating. Because the number of hours I work in one day varies so much, I am able to work seven days a week and still have lots of time for me.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I care about each and every one of my clients. It’s no wonder why so many of my clients become my closest friends. I approach their training holistically so it’s not as cut and dry as just giving someone a workout program. It’s so much more than that. I take into account their entire lifestyle from the way they eat to how well they’re sleeping to how they manage their stress. Before I became a personal trainer, I received my certifications as a Holistic Health Practitioner, Yoga Instructor, and Reiki Master. I incorporate all of these different skill sets into my training sessions. I address every aspect of my clients’ lives because everything is connected. If one area of their life is out of balance, you better believe it’s going to affect other areas of their life. I’m not a doctor nor a therapist, but I’m a good listener; I’m honest and I genuinely care about my clients. I’m also very direct. No BS.
I got to where I am professionally by practicing what I preach. I’ve allowed myself to make mistakes along the way and learn from them. It hasn’t always been easy but I’ve discovered that I’ve learned the most from my most challenging clients. I used to train anyone, but now I’m much more selective. A friend once asked me, “Who do you want to spend your time with?” I still think about that question every time I talk with a potential client. It’s not only about if that person wants to train with me; it’s equally about if I want to spend my time and energy training them. I give so much of myself to my work that I have to be selective with who receives my time and energy. I’ve experienced a lot of personal and professional growth over the years and that’s going to only going to continue. I’ve trained every type of personality imaginable and I treat every moment, whether challenging or pleasurable, as an opportunity to learn. Today, I feel extremely confident in my abilities as a coach. Along with being patient and empathetic, I’ve learned that you really have to care about someone in order to help them change their life. You have to genuinely believe in them. Your desire to help them achieve their goals must be real.
My proudest coaching moments are when I get to witness transformation in my clients. They start with wanting to achieve a short-term goal and ultimately end up shifting to a mindset that prioritizes their health and happiness for the long run. They make a commitment to THEMSELVES and they keep showing up and putting in the work. They don’t allow life’s daily challenges to stop them. They keep trying and never give up because they know that’s an essential part of the process. And when they achieve their goal, they are a different person. They truly understand how strong they are not only physically but mentally because they realize all the hard work, the challenges, the setbacks, the frustrations, the pain, and the determination they’ve endured through it all. They are genuinely proud of what they’ve accomplished. They understand that there are no limits; there are only the limits they put on themselves.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.catbradshaw.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/catbradshawtraining/?hl=en
Image Credits
Zadran Wali, Evan Worthington, Ian Spanier
