Today we’d like to introduce you to Olivia Derry.
Hi Olivia, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, you could tell our readers some of your backstories.
I always joke around and say that I was born into the fitness industry. I have spent my entire life in a gym, watching my mom teach group fitness classes. Growing up, I was a competitive athlete, and when I stopped playing sports, I knew I needed some athletic outlet. I began taking my mom’s group fitness classes at Woodside and immediately fell in love with Les Mills Bodypump. As soon as I knew it, I was certified in Bodypump at 21. This was when I devoted my heart and soul to the group fitness space in the KC community. I got four additional Les Mills certifications (Core, RPM, SPRINT & GRIT, if you’re familiar with Les Mills) under my belt and started to pave my path.
During this time, I also attended UMKC as a Nursing major, which ended up with me graduating with a Health Sciences degree. I was offered to work full-time at Woodside with a group of trainers that I looked up to, but I had already accepted a full-time position with Cerner as a HealthCare IT consultant. When I started my corporate job, I knew that this would not be something I did forever. My dad is a local entrepreneur, and ever since I was a little girl, I had a gut feeling that I would follow in his footsteps. I knew it would be in a space I was utterly passionate about, but I didn’t know when or how that would happen. I continued working in corporate America and teaching group fitness classes. Nothing and I mean nothing, made me feel more alive than coaching group fitness. When covid hit, it felt as if my group fitness platform was ripped out from underneath me. I truly didn’t know what to do and lost my community.
At this point, I received my Health Coaching Certification from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and my Training Certification from NASM. I know that this was my chance to take a scary leap. So I did it. I launched my online health coaching business so that I could educate and empower people, women specifically, in the health and fitness industry. Never in a million years did I imagine how incredible and hard this journey would be for me. In December of 2022, I had successfully built my business to a point where I could comfortably leave my corporate job, and now I have the pleasure and honor of working with women from all over the United States. I have always felt like a square peg in a round hole in this industry. I like to go against the grain, think outside the box, and be unapologetically me. And I always hope to inspire others to do the same. I am passionate about getting real people and real results, but I am also passionate about helping people navigate their way through a very “loud” and growing industry. One of my biggest goals as a coach and business owner in this space is to help women achieve lasting results, heal their relationship with food, implement consistent habits, enhance and shift their mindsets, and help them feel comfortable and confident inside and outside of the gym. I have big, scary goals and aspirations for this business, and I’m excited to conquer them. I know that this is just the beginning.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Not exactly, lol! Now, remember, I started my business while working full-time at Cerner. There were, and still are, extremely long days, long nights, long weekends, and many tears. In January 2022, I pushed the gas pedal down to ensure that I would not be working at Cerner by January 2023.
- Did it happen? Yes, it did
- Did it happen overnight? No
- Was it hard? Oh my goodness, you have no idea. Online coaching is the trendy thing to do right now, and everyone is doing it. It was more than hard for me, even as someone who has lived and breathed this industry for as long as I can remember.
But I tell you what, 2022 was one of my life’s toughest, most transformative years. Running and building a business is not for the faint of heart. It has brought up incredible self-doubt, imposter syndrome, uncertainty, and comparison. I’ve experienced extreme burnout and have put my health on the back burner. I’m always reminding myself of why I’m doing what I’m doing. I’m constantly putting my blinders on to dig deeper to keep my vision clear. This coaching business stems from a lot of unwavering passion, belief in myself, never giving up, and taking consistent, hard, messy action every day. I have been challenged in more ways than I could’ve ever imagined, but I’m so proud of building a sustainable and successful business from the ground up. Every day I wake up and feel overwhelmingly grateful that this is my life. I have never felt so aligned with my purpose. It still blows me away that I am living the life I have prayed for since I graduated college. All the hardships and challenges I’ve experienced so far have been 100% worth it.
Thanks for sharing that. So, you could tell us a bit more about your work.
I am a health and fitness coach specializing in macro nutrition and strength training. My one-on-one coaching program primarily focuses on helping women (and some men!) break free of dieting and find freedom with their nutrition and lives. Fad diets and quick fixes have no home here! I am avid in helping people find consistency in their journey because, a lot of the time, consistency is the missing puzzle piece. I have conversations with people weekly who say they have no issues sticking with their plan for 1-2 weeks. Still, then something comes up, whether it be the weekend, a holiday, a birthday party, or an outing, and they end up “falling off the wagon” with my coaching program, which stops for good. I help my clients implement foundational habits and educate them on all aspects of nutrition, macros, and, ultimately, how to achieve their goals. I have a holistic health coaching background that sets me apart from other coaches because I never want to be the coach that hands clients a set of macros and walks away from them. I want to be with my clients every step of the way, ensuring that they understand why we are doing the things we’re doing and educating them on how to maintain their results for the long haul. I am also highly passionate about women becoming confident with lifting in the gym and not being afraid to have muscle. I created a strength training program called LIFTWITHLIV that focuses on helping women develop confidence in the gym and get strong AF. Can I say AF? lol
LIFTWITHLIV was born out of the desire to build a community of women working toward similar goals. I’ve noticed that something people lack in their health and fitness journeys is being surrounded by a supportive community, and that is exactly why I created LIFTWITHLIV. LIFTWITHLIV will one day provide thousands of women with the community and superior, results-driven, science-backed programming. My one-on-one coaching and LIFTWITHLIV strength training program truly feel like my heart and soul’s work. I’m excited to continue evolving in my work and with my client results! We are just getting started!
Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
Not that I can think of! Thank you so much for allowing me to share my story with more people. 🙂
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oliviaderry/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/oliviaderrywellness
- Other: https://marketplace.trainheroic.com/checkout/payment?team=liftwithliv
Image Credits
Cindy Yeh Photography: https://cindyyehphotography.com/
