SUCCESS STORIES 

Louise Hawley, Malton 
Tracey Haley, Malton 

Overall I feel slimmer, fitter and healthier. 

Louise Hawley, from North Yorkshire, leads a very busy life combining senior management responsibilities in the Nestlé workplace with being a wife and a mum to two children at home in Malton. 
 
“I was undertaking a holistic leadership development exercise at work, which involved looking at your whole wellbeing in and out of work,” Louise explained. “I realised that my work-life balance was off-kilter, I was working too many long hours and not leaving enough time for myself and my family.” 
 
Louise had previously spent four years living in Switzerland where she enjoyed running and skiing in the Alps. She said: “I’d moved back to the UK and got to a point where I really wanted to feel fitter and healthier again, but realised I needed the motivation of having someone there who would be a commitment for me. I knew I would leave work on time if I had an appointment to keep.” 
 
The idea of a personal trainer sprang to mind and, one Google search later, Louise contacted Katherine and arranged to meet on a Sunday morning to discuss how they could work together. Very quickly, they agreed on a programme of two one-hour workouts a week plus nutritional advice with a food plan. 
 
“I was skipping meals, particularly breakfast,” added Louise. “Katherine has been a really positive influence on my diet, I no longer miss meals and appreciate how important it is for me to eat well and eat regularly.” 
 
Sampling chocolate is essential to Louise’s role at work and even though she is only consuming bite-sized pieces, her nutrition – and especially her sugar intake – was something she wanted to manage better. She said: “I focus on eating healthier now with more protein and good carbohydrates. Overall I feel slimmer, fitter and healthier.” 
The workouts that Katherine devised for Louise include a mixture of body conditioning exercises and high intensity interval training (HIIT). As well as getting into shape, Louise believes her fitness and nutrition programme have had a positive impact on her working life: “I’ve not just gained a fitter body, my mental capacity has become stronger and I feel more alert and focused.” 
 
She has now signed up for another training package with Katherine and is looking forward to taking part in the Harewood House 10k event in February. 
“I’ve not just gained a fitter body, my mental capacity has become stronger and I feel more alert and focused. Katherine is friendly, approachable, pragmatic, and fun. Every session is different and enjoyable, she engages with you as an individual and is always focused on your goals.” 

Decided to try a personal trainer 

Earlier this year, Tracey Haley left the hustle and bustle of city life in Leeds behind for the rural peace of beautiful North Yorkshire. With her husband working away during the week and her son fleeing the family nest for university, Tracey found she had a lot of spare time on her hands in a new place where she knew very few people. 
 
Gyms are of course plentiful in Leeds, and Tracey had been very keen on keeping herself fit with regular gym visits combined with a fair bit of running outdoors. But there were no gyms nearby at her new home and she was out of practice with her running. 
 
“I decided to try a personal trainer as I thought it would be good to have someone to exercise with,” said Tracey, “I found Katherine online and realised she wasn’t far from my new home. She suggested we meet for a coffee and a chat and she was so friendly and easy to talk to, and not at all intimidating. We discussed what I wanted to achieve, which was mainly to improve my core strength and tone up in general. 
 
“Katherine talked me through the packages she offers, and I decided to opt for 24 sessions including nutrition analysis and advice. At first I had one session per week then upped it to two. She is very flexible with her diary and was able to fit me in whenever it was convenient for me.” 
 
Katherine tailored Tracey’s programme to suit her objectives of achieving improved strength with a combination of high intensity interval training, kettlebells and free weights. “No two sessions are ever the same, it’s never boring,” said Tracey. “I like to train outside in the garden, Katherine provides all the equipment and she understands what I’m capable of so will push me that little bit further to improve each time.” 
 
Tracey added: “I have seen fantastic improvements in my fitness and strength, I’m amazed how using light weights has made such a difference to my core. It’s more than that though, Katherine has become a friend and is almost like a life coach, she’s genuinely interested in you and your life and is such a supportive person.” 
 
Since Tracey’s first package of sessions she has continued making regular bookings and is now seeing Katherine twice a week. Summing up, Tracey said: “Getting up for an early session really sets me up for the day, it never feels easy but I always enjoy it!” 
“I have seen fantastic improvements in my fitness and strength, I’m amazed how using light weights has made such a difference to my core. It’s more than that though, Katherine has become a friend and is almost like a life coach, she’s genuinely interested in you and your life and is such a supportive person.” 
Chrysta Newman, Skipsea 
Kirsty Bortoft Rudra Devi, Scarborough 

Mid 40s and fitter than ever 

Chrysta Newman, Co-director of Village Farm Marquees and the Village Farm B&B in Skipsea, is one of my greatest success stories. 
 
Like a lot of people, Chrysta came to me because she felt generally uncomfortable in her own skin. Having quit her high-flying corporate career and moved to East Yorkshire with husband Tony to work for themselves and strike a better work-life balance, the stress was creeping in again. She’d also put on weight and was struggling to keep pace with the demands of running two businesses. 
 
Thanks to our twice-weekly personal training sessions, Chrysta is now a shadow of her former self. She has dropped two dress sizes and two stones and has more energy than she ever imagined. So much so, that she is now planning to trek the Great Wall of China to raise funds for the Alzheimer’s Society. 
“I was 47 when I started training with Katherine,” said Chrysta. “I’d started to think that, because of my age, I couldn’t do certain things any more. But as a result of her support and encouragement, I’ve amazed myself and I actually feel fitter, healthier and more energetic than I ever have done, at any age.” 

Matter and mind in harmony 

Kirsty Bortoft Rudra Devi is a fibromyalgia coach who specialises in helping people to overcome the debilitating pain they suffer as a result of this modern malaise caused by stress and other lifestyle factors. 
 
She was inspired to become a fibromyalgia coach by her own brush with ill health – after an overactive thyroid almost landed her in surgery and on strong medication for the rest of her life. 
 
Meditation and other techniques she uses with her own patients helped her to get her health back on track and now she’s keen to ensure it doesn’t veer off again, through her personal training with me. 
 
Kirsty and I get together twice a week. She didn’t have a lot of weight to lose, but has trimmed up and improved her core strength, as well as dramatically increasing her energy levels. 
“There’s nothing like the threat of long term ill health to focus your mind,” said Kirsty. 
 
“Having had my own near-miss in 2015, I no longer take my wellbeing for granted. As a mum to three boys, my sessions with Katherine are my time to invest in myself and re-centre. I feel incredible – with limitless self-confidence and the energy and stamina to take on anything life throws my way.” 
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