GET TO KNOW YOUR COACH
HELLO!
I'm Ariel. Health and Wellness coach, lover of the ocean, and firm believer that dancing fixes everything.
My mission is to guide and empower people to sustainably transform their health and wellness as they uncover a vibrant life.
My passion for movement developed early in life through my love for dance. I was the kind of kid that just could not sit still, so my mom had no choice but to throw me into any activity that allowed me to get my energy out. Although the dance program initially drew me to Southern Methodist University, I don’t think it came as a shock to anyone that I decided to also study Applied Physiology. In my new endeavor, I quickly learned that very few things fascinated me more than the nuances of the human body and human behavior.
My world’s beautifully collided to create what has been a 15 year career as a personal trainer, professional dancer, and health and wellness coach.
Fresh out of college, I began working at one of the most highly acclaimed fitness brands in the world, Equinox. Within my first few months as an intern I realized how much this company valued educating their employees on all things health and wellness. I was committed to learning and growing with them, so when the opportunity arose to move to New York City where the company was headquartered, I dove straight in and began my eight year career with Equinox!
I was literally living my dream!
By day, I was teaching people to move well, feel strong in their bodies, and develop confidence. By night, I was getting to freelance and perform professionally for dance companies in this magical city.
But while all of this was going on, I was simultaneously fighting an internal battle without fully realizing it.
Just before moving to New York, I had been confronted with some medical challenges. The problem was that it took about a year to get to the bottom of what was going on. Unfortunately, once I had a diagnosis, a lot of the damage had been done. It’s interesting looking back, because had I been more connected and aware of my body, I likely could have prevented so much of the wreckage, but when you’ve been conditioned to push through pain, disassociate, and ignore what you’re feeling, both physically and emotionally, that is nearly impossible. Instead of needing a fire extinguisher to put out a burning flame in the oven, you end up with an entire house on fire that requires a crew to extinguish. What I didn’t realize was that the ashes from this fire would linger, creating a subtle soot across my entire New York experience.
In the meantime, I was in the city that never sleeps…so I wasn’t letting it hold me back! I might have been fighting insane breakouts and feeling bloated even if I ate only veggies and experiencing chronic inflammation that made every part of me puffy, but I wasn’t slowing down. I had a business to build and weight loss goals to kick.
I was going to “work” my way through it.
Fast forward 8 years, 12 medical doctors and 20 detoxes later, I now had slightly less acne and a few less pounds on the scale - but only because I had learned how to fear most foods and managed to become a self control expert that rarely consumed the “bad ones.” I still loved personal training, but I was exhausted with every fiber of my being. I just couldn’t understand how I was still navigating some of the same medical issues this far down the line.
At this stage, I had been fortunate enough to work one-on-one with some of the best health experts in the world: medical doctors, naturopaths, strength and conditioning coaches, sleep experts, breathwork specialists. You name it. And I hadn’t just been their patient; I got to sit with them, learn their methods, trial them on myself and clients. Yet, I noticed this trend - even with my commitment levels being near perfect, their methods were working incredibly for my clients…but not for me. Everyone around me seemed to be getting results from my wisdom, but I was stuck in the same place.
How in the world could I be doing all of the “right things,” yet experience little to no change?
In addition to their guidance, I experimented with endless methods for fat loss, leaning out, and - as a result of the dance world’s impossible body image standards - continuously attempted to lose muscle mass as well. Sounds crazy now, I know. I followed all the rules! Caloric intake lower than output. Periodized training programs where you’re always overcoming your threshold. HIIT training. Strength Training. High reps, low weight. Low reps, high weight. My mind was reeling. Why couldn’t I see the results I wanted??
Finally, I had had enough. I surrendered.
There was an opportunity to move to this enchanted place I had visited years prior and always said I would return to. I sold everything I had and traded the hustle and bustle I loved so dearly for the slowed down magic of Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia.
The next year and a half proved to be the most beautiful, tragic, nourishing years of my life to date. Confusing language I know, but the only way I can describe it, because that’s was healing is. It’s filled with high highs and low lows. Some days are gut wrenchingly painful and others you feel held by the heavens.
Ultimately, I learned what it meant to take a real rest. I discovered that less really can be more. I uncovered the painful reality that I didn’t trust my body and that it would take some time to repair that relationship. And I grew to know that the most mundane parts of life can be the most nourishing for your soul when you learn to be deeply present.
As my life slowed and I created space to listen to my mind, body, and emotions, I witnessed an external transformation as my body began to take new shape. The internal healing naturally produced the aesthetic I’d been fighting with every part of me to see. I can’t tell you how much of this was physical change and how much was rooted in a deepened appreciation for all my body had carried me through, but that self love everyone speaks about I seemed to own for the very first time.
A STATE OF BEING
ENERGIZED, ALIVE, PRESENT, RADIANT, AND FREE.
VIBRANT LIVING
The fire was real. It burned a great deal, but on the other side I had discovered how to cultivate the vibrant life I had been seeking all along - one where I felt energized, alive, present, radiant, and free.
RMS has been birthed out of that journey. It’s been my companion that guided me through the fire and it too took new shape as a result. The creation of it transformed my life and I trust that it will assist you in transforming yours.
Ultimately, it is the marriage of the knowledge I know in my mind and the wisdom I know in my body. It’s where scientific principles and the information gained through many experts meets the quiet of learning to listen and trust yourself. It’s where hard work meets deep rest. And it’s where you too can find your vibrant life.