ROCHELLE HEYWOOD
​(OWNER)

I have always struggled with my weight. I put myself on my first “diet” when I was 15. I went through a depressing time in my life when I really stopped talking care of myself. I was working a sedentary job that I hated, pushing paperwork and sitting at a desk for 8 hours a day. I got up to 220 lbs. I found myself in my doctors office being told that I was well on my way to becoming a diabetic if I didn’t change my eating habits and lose some weight. That was my wake up call. So, I started walking. Everywhere. I stopped eating take out and pizza and started cooking for myself. I lost over 100 lbs, but that triggered something inside me and made me think it wasn’t enough. So, I swung the opposite way... I went from binge eating daily to eating nothing but an apple and some cereal every day. I was diagnosed with every eating disorder... anorexia, bulimia, binge eating, excessive exercise. I was diagnosed with Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (EDNOS) meaning I had them all. I was in a toxic and abusive marriage and I gave up on life and on myself. I weighed 99 lbs. I went to inpatient treatment and IOP for years to learn how to eat again and cope with my Eating Disorder thoughts. I got pregnant and left that abusive relationship. I found me again. I started working again as a personal trainer and continued therapy to overcome my eating disorders. Once I felt I had my Eating Disorder under control, I decided to compete and I won my figure pro card. I worked with a coach (because even coaches need coaches) and I worked really hard to fix my body and restore my metabolism after the years of damage I had done to it. It took me years of lifting and doing macros to put on the muscle I have now. Now, I am maintaining at a healthy weight and getting back to doing the things I love for fun, like hiking and hitting the weights. Not as a way to punish my body for eating but because I want to. Because I love to. I have learned to manage my Eating Disorder. It will always be there, but it doesn’t control me anymore. It doesn’t run my life. I am happy. I am healthy. I am strong. And I know that YOU can be too. 

MIKE HEYWOOD

Mike Heywood has a great passion for helping people through fitness and physical therapy. He received his undergraduate degree in Exercise and Wellness from Arizona State University and then earned his Doctorate in Physical Therapy from A.T. Still University. Shortly after graduation, Mike enrolled in the COMT program through the Phoenix Manual Therapy Group. This program focuses on extremity and spinal treatment. He has a passion for working with a wide array of orthopedic and neurological conditions. Mike also has an immense amount of knowledge under his belt about the human body and how it operates, and uses that knowledge to assist not only his patients at his Physical Therapy practice, but also his clients in achieving their health and wellness goals. Mike himself has a love for fitness and nutrition and began his own transformation journey through fitness several years ago. He truly believes that you have one body, and that you must take care of it. He can help you do just that. 

RACHEL FINKELSTEIN

​I have been very passionate about all things fitness related since 2014. It all started 7 years ago when I weighed just over 180 pounds and not only was I physically unhealthy but I was mentally unhappy. I had tried meal plans, herbalife, keto… you name it, and all of them created an even unhealthier relationship with my body and with food. That’s when I discovered macros! I have been tracking macros for about 4 years consistently and coaching others on how to do the same. I have sustained a healthy weight and body fat percentage and the relationship I have with food is much healthier. I no longer see it as a way to cope with stress in my life but rather, as fuel for my body. I truly believe macros are the most sustainable and last program you will ever need. I have an extreme passion for helping people look and feel their best, because that is what this is all about!

SARA HENRY

I grew up in house hold and family full of restrictive eaters and eating disorders.  I was always very active but also grew up with the mentality to “work off my food” and became a binge eater in my 20’s.  This worked for me until it didn’t.  When I hit my 30’s no matter how active I was and how much I restricted, I stopped seeing progress from my workouts at the gym.  I realized I needed to do something different because I was no longer getting the results I had previously. I came across this program about 5 years ago and figured “why not?” I liked the RISE message and philosophy of eating more without gaining weight and improving your metabolism.  There was a learning curve but my body started responding quickly. Since starting the program I have been through many phases (cuts, builds and reverses).  I have had multiple goals (lose weight, gain muscle, and now compete).  This program has completely changed my relationship with food and my mentality towards food.  My body composition continues to change and I have learned how to properly fuel my body to maximize my results. This program has allowed me to reach my goals while still being able to have a life.  I work full time in healthcare, I travel the world and all while sticking with this program.  I truly believe in this program as a lasting and sustainable lifestyle and am extremely passionate about helping others reach their goals while living life and enjoying every moment of it!

SAMANTHA BANNON

I am like most of you... just out here trying to live my best life. I was always self conscious about my weight and uncomfortable because I didn't look like most of the girls I knew. I danced and was very muscular but also "thick". I started noticing what other girls ate when I was in high school and thought, well sure I will just eat what they eat and I will be skinny too. Nope... not so much. I started "dieting" and not eating bread or pasta or things that are sooo good because I was sure that would be my fix. Shocker... it wasn't! I got my first job at a restaurant when I was 15. It was where I found my passion! It was also where I could eat for free and didn't have my parents telling me to make sure to eat my veggies! I gained weight and didn't think twice about it because everyone else I was around ate the same things. I went to college at Northern Illinois University and got my degree in Hospitality Management. Working in restaurants fed my soul. I loved making connections with people and celebrating with them. I loved cooking and understanding what it took to manage and run a kitchen. I also enjoyed training people, making sure we had some of the best customer satisfaction in the company. But then I became a mom and what was once important to me, changed in the blink of an eye. I found myself missing out on so much because of the hours I worked. I ate my feelings and then some! I had horrible postpartum depression and being away from my family did not help at all. I made one of the hardest choices of my life, leaving a career that I loved and had dedicated so much time to. I found a job that allowed me to be home with my family and make the memories I so craved to be a part of, but I always felt like I was missing something. I wanted a career I loved and was passionate about. To be totally honest, I didn't even realize how much I wanted that until I found Rise! Once I started working the program, I felt that spark again. I wanted to learn and understand everything about it. I really wanted to help others the way Rochelle helped me.  

I am a client turned coach because I was able to experience how this program can truly transform not only your body but also your mind. I was tired of never sticking to whatever I decided would be the fix this time around. I always swore this diet would work or be the "one" that would change everything. I tried them all... keto, Atkins, Whole30, low fat ... you name it, I tried it and failed. Nothing was sustainable. I didn't want to make different dinners for my family that I couldn't enjoy with them. I was just so tired! I found macros and strength training at a time when I needed it most. I started with Rochelle and jumped right in and to say my life has changed would be an understatement. Once I got my nutrition in order, tracking my macros, I felt so much stronger and more confident in the gym. After months of tag teaming those two things, my body started to transform and continues to do so. That though, was not the most important change for me. My whole mindset changed. I was happy and confident but also, determined! I started dreaming about what I really wanted my life to be and what it would take to get there. I took Rochelle's coaching program and started my course work with NASM to become Personal Training Certified as well as get my Nutrition Certification. I dared to dream what I could do because I finally found something I was passionate about again! Losing 30 plus pounds and building a body I am confident in has been a major plus though! So yes I know it seems crazy to say this program changed my life, but it truly did. What are YOU waiting for?