Psychology, why people do things and how they do them – has always fascinated me.
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During my Sport Science Degree at The University of Leeds, I studied four disciplines - psychology, anatomy, physiology and biomechanics.
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Psychology captivated me then and it still does today.
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After university, I travelled and lived in Australia. When I returned, I fell into the corporate world, but something never felt quite right.
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In 2018, I decided to put that degree to good use and follow my passion, becoming a PT and Pilates teacher. My Mum was a PE teacher, so I grew up around sport. I wanted everyone to love moving their body and exercising as much as I did.
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That's when Classes with Cara + Personal Training was born.
Welcome
"I never thought I'd be able to do this."
"For years, I'd finish everything on my plate no matter what.
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It was just what you did, wasn't it?
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Now I can push the plate away halfway through and it feels... fine.
Actually fine. Not guilty, not anxious. Just done."
Lucy C - Shrewsbury
"Dessert used to be the thing I thought about most at dinner."
"I'd plan my meal around it.
What could I have so I'd 'deserve' pudding.
Last week at my sister's, she brought out a beautiful cheesecake and I just had a small spoonful and stopped.
Because I was full.
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That's it. No drama, no negotiation with myself."
Ashleigh B - Wem
"I booked an all-inclusive and felt genuinely excited.
"A year ago that would have sent me into a panic.
The buffet, the free drinks, the pudding bar, it would have been all I thought about for weeks before.
This time I just enjoyed it. Ate what I fancied, had a glass of wine, went back to the pool.
I didn't 'make up for it' when I got home. I just... carried on."
Sophie M - Shrewsbury
​Then came a pandemic shortly after becoming self-employed (thanks Boris). I had to adapt quickly, working remotely with my clients (which worked surprisingly well).
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A house move from Telford to Wem followed, along with a full renovation and all the life stuff that comes with your early thirties (and well late thirties now too!)
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Watching my clients navigate their lives, the juggling of work, family and trying to stay healthy. I could see exactly why the women I was coaching struggled with losing weight, feeling healthier and fitting it all in.
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This is where I went deep into coaching - the psychology of why people struggle to do something even though they say they want to and how to change that for them.
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Here's what I uncovered.
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My clients weren't lacking knowledge (they're all incredibly smart). They weren't lacking willpower (they excel at other areas of their life - they are great at life).
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The real issue holding them back?
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Their relationship with food.
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Years of diet culture conditioning, telling them to eat this, avoid that, become like those people.
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Years of being told to finish everything on their plate because "children are starving in Africa."
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Years of using exercise as punishment instead of moving their body for health and enjoyment.
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It had all come back to weight loss.
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And it wasn’t working for them.
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I studied more.
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Learned deeper.
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Became a EIQAccredited Nutritionist.
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And fell completely in love with educating and changing women's relationship with food.
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Because once we sorted that out?
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The weight came off. They became consistent with exercise. They enjoyed food again without guilt.​
​After having my toddler two years ago, I decided to do this work entirely remotely from my home in Wem – just like during the pandemic, it works beautifully over calls.​
Now I transform women's relationship with food in the comfort of their own home from mine.​
When you understand the psychology of why you struggle, you stop fighting yourself. ​
You start working with yourself. And that's when everything shifts.​
It's the most rewarding work I've ever done.
Based in Wem, Shropshire, I work remotely with women who are tired of dieting and ready for lasting change.