We had the good fortune of connecting with Caitlin Hatzenbuhler and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Caitlin, what do you attribute your success to?
The single most important factor behind my success and the success of my brand has been finally showing up as my authentic self. When I first started my business I took a very corporate approach to the way I showed up. Coming from the corporate world I believed I needed portray an image of myself, my business and my brand that was very guarded and serious. It was what I thought I had to be not what I truly was. During the pandemic when my brick and mortar studio was closed I didn’t have that to hide behind anymore. I had to step into my own personal brand and the way I did that was by authentically sharing my perspectives, my reality, my struggles and triumphs. And with that people began to relate to me and wanted to hear more, whether it be fitness or motherhood or life or relationships or food. And that has helped me expand my voice and impact so much farther than I ever thought possible.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Today I am a Pilates Instructor, own a Pilates studio and am a Certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach. But if you would have asked me 5 years ago if this is where I saw myself, the answer would have been absolutely no. I am a Corporate America dropout. My past life was a 15 year career in corporate marketing after I got double Bachelor’s in Sociology and Communication Studies and a Master’s in Journalism. I wanted to be a marketing executive. But the corporate world I was in was toxic. I worked 80+ hours a week to prove myself to an invisible crowd. The promise of more money and more clout kept me going. Until it didn’t anymore and my health started to fail. When I was 28 with a 9 month old son I was diagnosed with Ovarian cancer. It didn’t spread so only had surgery and didn’t have to do chemo. I got pregnant with my second son a year later. Through all this I worked myself literally to the bone. Despite the cancer being gone my health continued to get worse and worse, until one day as my hair was falling out and I had a 3rd miscarriage I decided it just wasn’t worth it anymore. And I left!

At that point I knew this was my chance to follow my dream to help others with their health and wellness. Pilates was the thing I went to through all my health issues and it saved me so I had always wanted to become a Pilates Instructor. And so I did. And then I knew I didn’t want to be at the mercy of someone else ever again so I started my business. And I chose to focus on pre and postnatal women because it was so apparent to me how underserved moms were. I wanted to be a part of the solution to help women be strong, confident, capable and vibrant in motherhood. And now just recently I completed my certification to be an Integrative Nutrition Health Coach because I have been helping women get strong physically but I know from experience that total wellness comes from so many other factors like the food we eat, the job we have, the relationships we are in, etc. And when I was struggling I wish I had a guide to help me, so now I get to be that guide for others.

This wasn’t an easy journey at all. But the thing that really changed everything is when I decided that working for just the money wasn’t worth my health and family anymore and following my passion that fulfills my soul everyday meant everything. I am a better worker, woman, wife, and mother because of it now.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Honestly my happy place is the beach and I love everything about Malibu. Staying at the Surfrider Hotel is a must. The property is so cozy, the rooms are immaculate and perfectly designed and the rooftop restaurant and bar offer the most amazing views of Surfrider Beach and the Malibu Pier. Also doesn’t hurt that the food and cocktails are top notch. A quick hop across the street and you have the beach, the pier, and Malibu Cafe. I couldn’t think of a better weekend!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I couldn’t have done any of this without the support of my husband. From encouraging me to leave my well paying corporate job for my health, to being my first Pilates client, to redoing my entire studio, referring friends and co-workers, letting me experiment with new recipes and overall just rooting me on as I stepped into my passion and followed my dreams. He’s been my best cheerleader!

Website: www.consciouscore.co

Instagram: @conscious_core_caitlin

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuWn4vJsCehHzSnEkazAEeg

Other: This is my signature program: Postnatal Core Kickstart https://consciouscore.mykajabi.com/postnatal-core-kick-start-1-b17ec903-3f8c-49b2-bc9e-ad32d7dd2044

Image Credits
Monica Linda, Girl Squad Inc Maggie Zulcovic Lauren Warbington

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutLA is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.