I was born and raised in Hamilton, Ontario by a single mother who came to Canada to provide a better life for her family. My mom owned a karaoke bar, which was where I discovered my passion for music. I played competitive piano my whole life and aspired to be a professional singer. I sang at weddings and local Vietnamese nightclubs at the age of 12. At 15, I caught a lucky break and had the opportunity to sing professionally for a well-known Vietnamese production out in California. Unfortunately, being in the spotlight had provoked my insecurities with regards to my body and how I looked at a very young age. At times I felt self-conscious, defeated and overly critical of myself, which then lead to years of disordered eating and endless of amounts of improper dieting and workout regimens. I went through constant weight fluctuations yet was never happy with the way I looked. I eventually decided to seek some counselling, which was where my health and fitness journey started.

I started practicing yoga for about 1.5 years and was then introduced to resistance training, specifically functional and strength-training. This was where I found my happy place. I  was able to witness my own body’s capabilities. I developed self-confidence and took pride in the strength and mental resilience I never knew I had. It was so much more than just about the looks and aesthetics, but more so how training had made me feel on the inside. I felt strong, in control and capable. I felt healthy, energized and self-aware. I learned to live and move with purpose. During all of this was when I had also experimented with a reverse diet, which helped restore my metabolism after years of under-eating. This helped with my body’s ability to recover from training, progress in strength, build lean muscle mass, and improved my body composition - all from properly fueling my body. I felt so empowered. 

I am now at a place where I am the happiest, most confident and grateful for my body. I am eating more than ever, and I have so much confidence in my approach. I enjoy my life and I know how to make fitness fit into my life rather than make my life all about fitness. I am passionate in being able to apply what I have learned to help others with their own fitness journey. For me, it is never about intensity, but rather consistency, patience, and self-belief. Discipline comes from self-belief and rejects the idea of entitlement and hopeful expectations. It is not about what we do all the time, but what we do MOST of the time that counts. Life can be complicated, but living a healthy active lifestyle does not need to be. That is what I am here for: to strategize with you, support you and keep you accountable.