The Barrier Breaking Blonde Baddie You Need To Meet
Sometimes life takes us on unexpected detours before bringing us exactly where we're meant to be. For our newest fitness consultant Kat, the journey to West Coast Fitness began with a comic book and an 8-year-old girl's fascination with strength.
Breaking Barriers
Long before women's strength training became mainstream, Kat found herself drawn to weights. "I wanted to lift weights since childhood," she shares, thinking back to the famous comic strip where a scrawny guy gets sand kicked in his face before transforming through weightlifting. But in those days, society had different ideas. "Women didn't lift weights. I thought that's not something I could do."
Nevertheless, by 17, Kat couldn't resist it anymore and made her way to the weight room—pioneering in an era when women's mere existence there sparked controversy.
Full Circle
If you've been a long-time member, you might remember Kat from the 90s, when our facility was part video store (ah, nostalgia). Life, as it often does, eventually pulled her in different directions. The demands of shift work and raising a family meant fitness took a back seat, and like many during COVID, a career upheaval left her really looking deep at what she actually wanted.
Facing this crossroads, Kat asked herself a fundamental question: "What am I passionate about?" The answer had never changed—she loved working out, and she loved this gym. It was time for reinvention.
The Road Back
In 2021, Kat got serious about her comeback, hiring a coach and beginning preparation for her first bodybuilding competition. Twenty weeks out from the Vancouver Pro show, disaster struck—a herniated disc left her unable to walk for three months.
Lesser spirits might have given up. Kat spent the remainder of that year in rehabilitation and 2023 in recovery mode. The setback was substantial, but it only made her double down on realizing fitness is a journey, not a destination.
An Affinity for Fitness
Although Kat's home life outside of lifting at the gym is equally active with four cats, two dogs, and regular hikes at Kelly Point Park, she's dabbled in quite a few sports over the years.
Previously, Kat could be found paddling with the Amazon Dragons Paddling Club, a women's dragonboat racing club she joined in 2015. "Think Amazonian women," she laughs. The club changed her life in more ways than one—it's where she met her wife.
Before that, she hit the slopes as a snowboarder, and cruised the road as a cyclist and skateboarder. "When I was 11, I saved my allowance for a whole month to buy my first skateboard" she reminisces. And although it was only $10, it gives us our first glimpse at a lifetime of determination.
I personally love the image of this 11 year old Kat shredding around the Bay Area at 11 years old. She's always been an icon.
Coming Home
"I'm excited to meet all the members," Kat says. "I feel honored to be part of the West Coast Fitness family. It feels exactly like where I'm supposed to be."
Her mission now is straightforward: "I want to help members reach their goals, give them the tools, and remove the obstacles." Having navigated her own fitness journey—complete with its cultural barriers, life interruptions, serious injuries, and triumphant returns—Kat brings a rare authenticity to her role.
Maybe you're just beginning your fitness journey or looking to break through plateaus or setbacks, Kat understands the path because she's walked it. Stop by and introduce yourself to the newest member of our team who's been waiting in the wings for this moment since she was eight years old.
Welcome home, Kat.
Your West Coast Fitness Family
