Life & Work with Tara Lyn Emerson

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tara Lyn Emerson.

Hi Tara Lyn, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Daughter of a professional coach, I grew up around sports and the tone of inspiration to continually pursue your personal best in everything you do. Some would say that being a coach is in my DNA.

As a young girl, I enjoyed dancing and tennis, but I was never the best mover or athlete in the room. In my early teen years, doctors diagnosed me with a neuromuscular disease called Charcot Marie Tooth (CMT). This hereditary disease causes progressive nerve damage to the lower limbs and hands. Muscles atrophy, balance declines and nerve pain persist. This disabling diagnosis posed a dim light over my pursuit of athletics.

I remember standing in front of my bathroom mirror and talking to myself. I had a choice- I could spend my life looking in the mirror and seeing a person who couldn’t do things, or I could uncover all the things I could still do and keep pursuing my best. As my legs weakened in my 20s, I stopped running and I discovered indoor cycling classes. When you are living with a physical disability, attending group fitness can be very intimidating and scary. Yet, the bike gave me the sense of security I needed, with shoes that clipped in, and it didn’t matter how fast as I was going compared to everyone else. No one got left behind in cycling class.

I was working full-time as a restaurant manager in 2010, but I decided to get certified as a cycling instructor because I enjoyed it so much. I started teaching classes just a couple of times a week in addition to working the dinner shifts at the restaurant. It’s important to say that in 2012 I was named Zagat’s 30 under 30 Los Angeles and Eater LA’s Young Guns for my work as a restauranteur. Even with my restaurant success and physical limitations, I still felt drawn to fitness. My cycling classes were becoming popular and to my surprise, students weren’t turned off by my disability- they were inspired. Being a coach was never about me being the best athlete in the room. It was about encouraging my class to pursue their personal best. Just like my father encouraged me.

In 2015, I took my personal trainers exam and became an American Council of Exercise (ACE) certified personal trainer. I left the restaurant business to become a serious fitness professional. In addition to cycling, I was teaching strength training and TRX too. In 2016, Class Pass named me one of best cycling instructors in LA.

I used my social media to talk about CMT and also share my fitness knowledge. I connected with people from around the world and grew my Instagram following to over 100k.

I may have a physical disability, but I have become a fitness expert and on-camera personality. I have worked as a trainer with TRX, iFit, FabFitFun, Popsugar Fitness and Nucleus. In Los Angeles, you can also find me teaching live classes at Equinox Sports Club.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
On the road to becoming a fitness influencer, I have encountered many trolls and received negative comments about the way my body looks. Due to my disability, there is significant atrophy of the muscles in my lower legs. My calves are abnormally small. Social media can be a cruel world and the unkind comments about how disproportional my legs look made me question whether I wanted to be on camera or show myself to the world. Yet, hiding from the world can destroy a soul and heart. So I have to choose to be brave every day and know that I will need to swallow a few cruel comments here and there in order to inspire many.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
My classes and coaching style is energetic. I’m loud, animated and tough. I don’t expect you to be perfect, but I do expect you to be present and do the type of work that makes you proud of yourself. If you can focus on giving it a solid effort, trying for one more rep or five more seconds when you feel like quitting, you will walk away from your workout with your head up and chest held high.

People call me the Queen of Core! My Instagram is full of core exercises and circuits. A strong core became a game-changer for my battle with Charcot Marie Tooth disease. The disease was affecting my balance and even though I was losing my connection to my legs, I found that strengthening my midsection would help stabilize my body. Core work became my go-to and I have a six pack to prove it! In 2019, I put out my first eBook called “Core and More” which is a 5-week training guide with short 15-20 minute workouts to help people build their strongest core.

How do you think about luck?
You can say that life dealt me an unlucky hand with CMT, but it was because of this misfortune that I became obsessed with being strong. I made it my mission to feel strong in my own body and once I was on that path, I wanted to help others get on that path too.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.taralynemerson.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/taralynemerson
• Youtube: https://youtu.be/EBZ9FsaHuOw
• Other: https://tv.fabfitfun.com/partner/tara-lyn-emerson/xJNvDlBs

Image Credits:
Nordic Track Popsugar Fitness Hernan Sanchez Maggie Zulovic