I'm passionate about helping people find an approach to nutrition that works in their real lives, not just during the easy seasons.
I'm Coach Lauren
I grew up in Owatonna, MN and was always active. I played hockey for 10 years, competed in multiple sports, and never thought much about nutrition or structured exercise. I figured staying active was enough. That changed in college when I saw a picture of myself that I didn't like. Wanting to make a change but not knowing where to start, I jumped to extremes—eating around 1,100 calories a day, cutting out entire food groups, and doing endless ab workouts. While I saw some initial success, I quickly found myself stuck in the cycle of restriction, bingeing, and frustration that so many people experience when they're trying to improve their health without the right guidance.
Everything changed when I walked through the doors of CrossFit Holdfast in 2016. For the first time, I learned that fitness and nutrition weren't about being skinny, jacked, or fitting into anyone else's box. I learned about strength training, macros, and sustainable habits, and became fascinated by how nutrition can help people feel, perform, and live better. The more I learned, the more passionate I became about helping others avoid the confusion and extremes that I experienced.
As a coach, I love helping people connect their goals to something bigger than a number on the scale. Maybe losing weight means finally signing up for a 5K with your daughter, booking the cruise you've been putting off, or feeling confident enough to say yes to opportunities you've been avoiding. Yes, we'll work toward the weight-loss goal, but the real win is getting to live the life that's waiting on the other side of it. My favorite part of coaching is watching clients build the confidence and habits that allow them to stop letting a scale determine whether they're happy.
These days, my own health journey looks a lot different than it did when I first started coaching. As a mom, I've learned that health doesn't have to be perfect to be effective. You'll usually find me meal prepping simple family meals, freezing pancakes for future breakfasts, and bringing my toddler with me to the gym. It's not always pretty, but it's real life—and I believe that's where lasting health is built.
I'm passionate about helping people find an approach to nutrition that works in their real lives, not just during the easy seasons. My goal is to help clients build the knowledge, confidence, and habits they need to feel their best and fully live the life they want.
A little about me
I'm Coach Karen!
I'm passionate about helping people realize they already have what it takes to make lasting change — they just need the right accountability, guidance, and feedback to dial it in.
I'm a full-time working mom, and between my career at Federated, my husband Josh, and our three kids — two girls and one very active boy — life is full. It's also taught me one of the biggest lessons I bring into coaching: health doesn't have to be perfect to be effective. It has to fit your actual life.
My own habits were built one small shift at a time. Once I decided I needed a change I was all in! What's made the difference for me — and what I love helping my clients discover — is that the daily habits and lifestyle choices are what actually move the needle. Not the all-or-nothing extremes.
You'll usually find me starting my mornings with CrossFit at Holdfast alongside my tribe, or out with my run club on Monday mornings with some of my favorite people. Summers are spent up north at the cabin — on the water, and outside as much as humanly possible. Staying active isn't a chore for me; it's genuinely where I feel most like myself.
My superpower as a coach is helping people identify exactly where their habits are falling short — and showing them how simple, realistic changes can fit into the life they're already living.
Whether it's increasing your steps, eating more vegetables, or building a morning routine that actually sticks, I focus on the handful of things that will make the biggest difference for you specifically, instead of overwhelming you with everything at once.
What I love most about coaching is watching clients realize they didn't need to overhaul their entire life — they just needed someone in their corner helping them see what was already there. I'm all in on my clients, because I know firsthand that when the right support meets the right habits, real, sustainable change happens.