A little about me…

Hi! My name is Stacie Mountain. I am a Master Certified Professional Life Coach, Health Coach & Behavior Change Specialist… and I am a 40-something-year-old single mom.

I began my career as a Nationally Registered EMT. I worked in EMS for nearly 2 decades. That career took a toll on my physical & mental health. It left me jaded & reactive to everyone and everything in my life. I dreaded going to work & I began having physical pain throughout my body from stress. After 18 years I decided to hang up my uniform for good & pursue a different path of helping others.

During my time on the ambulance, I earned my Bachelor’s in Dietetics at Missouri State University in Springfield, Missouri. It took me several years after I graduated to gain the courage to finally leave EMS to utilize my degree, but through a turn of events in my personal life, I ended up in Bentonville, Arkansas & did just that. I became a Certified Personal Trainer through the National Academy of Sports Medicine & a Certified Sports Nutritionist through the International Society of Sports Nutrition.

I had always loved fitness & had an interest in nutrition. So, initially, the idea of helping people get fit & healthy was exciting to me. However, over time, I became frustrated because my clients weren’t getting the results they wanted. I realized it was one thing to know about diet & exercise, but it was a completely different beast to help coach people in these areas. So, I became a Certified Behavior Change Specialist & learned how to help my clients implement lasting behavior change more effectively.

In my free time on the ambulance, I became a fitness competitor and even earned my Pro card. I loved competing, not because of how my body looked, but because I challenged myself & accomplished things I never thought someone like me could accomplish. I remember seeing my first fitness competition on T.V. when I was 20 years old. I was in awe of those women… for years I secretly wanted to compete myself, but the negative voice in my head (as well as some negative voices of family & friends) told me it wasn’t possible for me. Finally, at the age of 33, with a 3 y/o daughter, I hit the stage. I trained harder than I’d ever trained before… I looked better than I had ever looked before… I took the stage & I came in 2nd to last place! LOL… But, not one single part of me felt like a failure for my placing. I had accomplished more in my 16 weeks of prep for my competition than I had accomplished in the 13 years prior wishing I could compete. I went on to do other multiple competitions in Figure… then when I became comfortable in that division (and I started winning) I pushed myself out of my comfort zone one more time to compete in the Fitness Model division of the WBFF, which is where I earned my Pro status… I am not a person who likes to have the spotlight on her, but stepping on stage over and over gave me the confidence to tackle goals in other areas of my life… like walking away from EMS & starting my own business.

After my last competition, I started experiencing health problems. I was having autoimmune issues, and suddenly the bodybuilding life I had been living did not work for me… it made me sicker. I had chronic fatigue, chronic pain throughout my body, brain fog, GI issues, hormone issues, and I gained 30 pounds within 6 months that I COULD NOT LOSE… it didn’t matter how much I worked out or how little I ate - my weight wouldn't budge. It was a combination of hormonal issues & inflammation that kept me in this state. I finally had to surrender to the fact that I had no control of how my body looked anymore, so all I could control was how I took care of it. Suddenly, instead of focusing on looking a certain way, I focused on feeling the way I wanted to feel… it was a game-changer.

Through my own health struggles, I decided to take a deep dive in learning about holistic nutrition… let me tell you, it was the complete opposite information I had learned earning my degree, but as I incorporated it into my life, it changed my body, how I felt, and how I wanted to help my clients. In school I was taught that anything holistic was “quackery”, but I was desperate to feel better, so I put down my ego & leaned into holistic medicine… because conventional medicine did not help me with my chronic issues.

My quest for knowledge went beyond just nutrition… I learned that body & mind are one - they are not separate. Our mind plays a huge factor in our physical health, and our physical health plays a huge factor in our mental & emotional health. I also started incorporating spiritual practices into my health journey. It took about 5 years, but I finally lost the weight. I use a combination of Functional Medicine, Holistic Medicine, and a little bit of Conventional Medicine to keep my hormones in balance and to stay healthy today. I primarily use nutrition & lifestyle to keep my autoimmunity condition in check.

I also suffered from Breast Implant Illness. At the ripe old age of 22 I decided to get breast implants. Looking back I immediately started experiencing health problems from them, but I didn’t connect the dots until I lost my health completely. In the summer of 2019 I had my implants removed via enbloc surgery. Almost immediately my symptoms started to improve. It took a couple of years to completely recover, but I have… my labs are normal & I keep my inflammation & autoimmunity in check with diet & lifestyle. Learning to love how my body looked in it’s natural state was a struggle at first, I admit… but, today, I love how I look so much more than I did when I had my implants… scars & all. What I’ve learned working with clients & through my own struggles is body image has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with the outside, and EVERYTHING to do with the inside.

During my health struggles, I quit drinking because my body could no longer tolerate alcohol... what started as a health challenge turned into one of the biggest blessings of my life. I was never a daily drinker, but the decision to get sober had a positive effect on every facet of my life. Sobriety, for me, has very little to do with alcohol, and very much to do with how I move through the world these days. It is presence…. it’s showing up fully & not numbing out with booze, social media, shopping, etc… it’s taking ownership of my part in relationships, forgiving & making amends when necessary… it’s not avoiding pain by overeating or over-exercising. Sobriety, for me, is living this life fully. Not drinking was the easy decision… getting sober was a life-changing decision. One decision can change your life… but, you have to make that decision over and over and over. I still take it one day at a time.

Today, I am happy, healthy & thriving. I’ve learned to live intuitively as to what is right for me… whether it’s my nutrition, my career, or anything else in my life. Gone are the days of #hustle culture & beating myself up for not achieving impossible standards I set for myself. Instead, I’ve learned to slow down & actually live my life full-out.

My health struggles were terrible to go through… I spent approximately $30,000 during that 5 years, I saw multiple doctors, I had multiple surgeries… it was mentally, emotionally, physically & financially draining - but, I am grateful for the lessons I learned. I learned how to love myself, regardless of how I looked. I learned how to shed layers of false identities I had created over the years (EMT, Fitness Competitor, etc) & step into who I was designed to be. I began to trust myself, my body & my intuition, even when “experts” told me I couldn't heal. Through my struggle, I found my purpose. Today, because of going through those challenges, I have a deep appreciation for life…. I felt my mortality & I realized I get one shot at this lifetime, so I intend to take advantage of my time here… I plan to die with memories, not regrets.

I’ve realized it’s not the wins in life that change you… it’s who you become through the process of working towards those wins. It’s the hard things that strengthen you. When I was competing, it was the act of challenging myself & following through on what I set out to do that changed me, not the trophy… I did not feel more accomplished when I won trophies vs not. In my health challenges, I learned to celebrate small progress, instead of just moving on to the next thing… that’s what makes life joyful - being present in the moment… appreciating the good things, as well as the hard things. I always say there is no such thing as failure… there are only lessons learned. A lesson will keep repeating itself until it is learned, and that is a gift because it makes us wise. ;)

I intend to live my life fully. To love & connect with others. To appreciate the beauty in this world… and create beauty in this world in my own little way. That is my purpose. That is what I want to help others do as well. In my Life Coaching, I do help my clients optimize their health… from my own experience I realized that if I didn’t have energy, it didn’t matter what I wanted to do in life - I couldn’t do it if I didn’t feel well. Health is the foundation upon which we can build the life we love. I use my knowledge & experience of Health Coaching, as well as my training for Life Coaching & Behavior Change to help my clients change their lives, so they can live a joyful, fulfilling life as well.

I’ve learned to appreciate every aspect of this magnificently, sometimes messy, thing we call life… and every piece of what it is to be human in it. Through my own challenges, I have learned to cultivate resilience, strength, and faith in myself & my abilities that weren’t there before. These traits have allowed me to truly experience a life that fulfills me in every way… a life that I love. My hope is to inspire others to do the same.