Today we’d like to introduce you to Allison Kelley.
Hi Allison, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Before I started coaching full-time, I was a high school biology teacher for 6 years in Dallas. I grew up doing a variety of sports, played soccer through high school and was on the equestrian team in college. My 2nd year teaching, I became the assistant soccer coach and by the end of the first season, I realized I wasn’t taking care of my body properly and hired a nutrition coach. Unfortunately, I was one of many people that was given very poor nutrition advice and a lot of misinformation, and once I realized that I decided to become a certified nutrition coach. I continued teaching and coaching and was doing nutrition coaching on the side. During this time, I dove heavily into strength & conditioning and started Olympic weightlifting. Over time I realized that I love educating and having a positive impact on people’s lives and pull to do that in the fitness realm kept calling to me. So, summer of 2022 I decided to dive headfirst- I quit teaching with no job prospects nor a solid plan of what I was going to do. I became an assistant soccer coach at a small HBCU and got a job at a strength and conditioning gym coaching classes. During this time I ramped up my social media, posting recipe videos and taking on more nutrition clients. Once the soccer season ended, I started doing more personal training at another local gym, slowly expanding my network and client base to what it is now.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Diving into fitness coaching full-time has been quite the ride so far. Especially at first, when I was just trying to get enough class hours and clients to get by, and we were traveling for soccer, I had a lot of long days and late nights followed by very early mornings. Doing that for months on end took a toll on me, but it ended up being worth it because I learned a lot and my work ethic was seen and rewarded with more clients and classes. The one thing that is a continuous struggle is fighting my imposter syndrome. I don’t look like a stereotypical fitness coach or athlete, and this can be hard because some people don’t take me seriously at first because of that. But it’s also a core piece of my identity as a coach; physique doesn’t necessarily equate to your qualifications, credibility, how healthy you are, or your fitness level. So, helping change that outdated social norm is very rewarding, but it can be a barrier at times.
Additionally, most of the coaches I know have been doing this for years, and I got into this profession later than most of them. I will be the first to say I know I have a lot more to learn so I can be the best coach I can be, but I am learning to give myself more grace as I navigate this new career and more credit that I did earn my right to be where I’m at.
Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am certified in Strength & Conditioning and Nutrition. I am also a Level 2 Advanced Olympic Weightlifting Coach. I am definitely most known for Olympic weightlifting because I also compete in it myself, so I really love training people (even beginners) in the Olympic lifts. Aside from that, I love coaching from a functional fitness standpoint; creating sustainable habits around both food and exercise is extremely important to me.
I think the thing I am most proud of in my career is empowering my athletes and clients to believe they are capable of achieving more. I love helping shift their mindsets around their bodies, strength, and skills which really helps their self-image and self-worth. I think this is what also sets me apart; I am much more concerned about what my clients and athletes can do with their bodies, rather than what their bodies look like. I think my values and methods regarding fitness and health help create a more wholistic, functional mindset.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
I believe to be a successful coach, you have to be open-minded, open to learning more, admitting when you messed up, and being willing to change things when they aren’t working for a client. A training or nutrition plan can be the “best plan” in the world, but if a client can’t adhere to it, then it’s not actually the best plan. You have to be willing to adapt to whatever the current situation is to best fit your client and meet them where they’re at.
Pricing:
- Nutrition Coaching (minimum 3 months): $120 first month, $100 all following months
- 1 Hour Nutrition Consultation: $150
- In-Person/Online Personal Training: varies based on training location
- Workout Programming with virtual weekly feedback: $100
Contact Info:
- Instagram: coach__alli
Image Credits
Shelby Williams
