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

Hi Kera, other than deciding to work for yourself, what else do you think played a pivotal role in your story?
The single most important decision I made that contributed to my success in the fitness industry is deciding to make specific necessary lifestyle changes before success came, and even independent of whether success would come or not. I’m a firm believer in the phrase “practice what you preach.” I believe you cannot lead someone in the most effective and efficient way until you’ve been down the road yourself. That road for me has been disciplining myself to make challenging changes that led me to the path and place that I am experiencing right now in major aspects of life. A lot of people I speak with view fitness as accumulated hours of exercise or a specific body composition. However, in my opinion, total fitness requires a far more holistic approach that includes mental, emotional, and spiritual tending along with the physical care. This is the driving reason I thoroughly enjoy coaching my clients and public speaking about important areas such as nutrition, self-care, and spiritual stewardship as well as occupational and relational health. When these aspects are all working together harmoniously, then life becomes so much more fulfilling, impactful, and fun!

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.
In my career thus far, I am most proud and excited about the time and memories I get with each of my clients as well as sharing in the experiences of their journeys. Listening to their challenges, wins, jokes, and individual walks of life gives me so much fulfillment. It is common to hear that a personal trainer edifies and helps an individual greatly, but one of the biggest truths I’ve come to find is that their comradery is just as edifying for me! Learning to respect relationship and fostering them intentionally, has definitely gotten me to where I am today professionally. Retaining and gaining clients based on word of mouth is just one of the ways I’ve seen just how powerful connection can be. I am grateful to be able to say that the challenging side of where I am professionally has not come from the job itself or the people I’ve been blessed to know. It actually came from within myself. There have been many challenges I’ve faced in the mirror from the day I decided to step into fitness to now. From the binge-starvation cycle, and comparison games to the loss of motivation and belief in myself, I have walked through and overcame some pretty dark nights of the soul. There are three lessons I’ve learned and meditate on daily. 1. In order to be whole, I knew I had to make effort to throw away any craving for praise and validation from others…even from myself at times. There are days where I appreciate how far I’ve come but also days where I disappoint myself. Growing up without a father was a big contributing factor for myself in wanting to fill a void of being desired and validated. But I’ve realized that, just like you and me, no one is perfect nor able to completely satisfy another’s need for affirmation, Human thoughts and emotions can be so fluctuating and dependent on various factors, like ideals that one has been conditioned to take on through their upbringing, for example. The truth is, there will never be a day that we are completely satisfied with ourselves and see no need for progression of some sort. This can seem frustrating but it is also one of the beauties of life. It fosters motivation, dreams, growth, and connecting with others! The important thing is to do what’s best for ourselves whether people are clapping for us or not.
2. I learned to avoid letting body composition be the sole purpose for my wellness efforts. When I first started exercising, my only goal was to lose fat. I soon realized how that fed into anxiety, depression, dangerous cycles, and obsession. I wasn’t lifting weights and doing cardio for a healthier body so that I could live to be around my loved ones for more years to come. I wasn’t eating a nutritious diet so that I could fuel my body properly as it worked hard to get me through every single day. I definitely wasn’t managing factors like stress and sleep so that my brain could function way better and enhance my decision making skills for the benefit of myself and others. One of the darkest times of my life is when I was homeless. However, it was also a time when a light bulb came on and revealed so much to me. We, as people, can have a tendency to concern ourselves more with the minors instead of focusing on the majors. How much money we can make, our body fat percentage, if we are attractive…those concerns can so easily consume us and take attention away from finding joys that each day brings and loving ourselves and others properly. My driving goal switched from looking good, to realizing the importance of just wanting to take care of myself and live for the sake of others.
3. The key is getting back on track. I changed my verbiage from “if” I mess up to “when” I mess up. I had to mature in realizing and admitting that a mess up is bound to happen because I’m human. I will not make the best choices 100% of the time! Setting high standards isn’t necessarily the issue – I mean, we should have good goals to aim for. However, thinking that I would meet my standards every day of every month of every year was what conditioned me to beat myself up far too often, lose a heart of gratitude, and be so self-focused that I lose sight of the importance of what is going on in the world and with others around me.
What I want the world to know about me and my story is this – without good people around me and without leaning on my spirituality, I would not have made it even a fraction of where I am now. I want my life to be a reminder that when we are experiencing an undesirable or confusing time, that love and possibility still exist and are strong at work if we can just open our eyes and look for it! I have walked through many days that I wished I hadn’t had to. But those are also the days that made me the best of who I am currently. The same happens for millions of others, and can for you as well in situations that you face. You’re not alone and I believe that you can overcome and excel in anything through love, patience, and connection with others! I want my brand to be a banner of the possibility for desired results achieved through love along with a holistic approach of all areas of life working together harmoniously for the sake of you as well as others!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If my best friend was in the city we would definitely do some outdoors activities! We would go hiking at Runyon Canyon, zip lining at Pacific Crest, and hit a salsa dancing club or the Santa Monica Pier for a beach day and maybe a ferris wheel ride. I have honestly never experienced so many interesting people as I have at the beach! As far as eating, Tendergreens and Coldstone Creamery are absolutely on the itinerary!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would like to dedicate this shoutout to N.A.S.M, Santa Monica College, my phenomenal clients, and my mother. Without her, I would’ve never been courageous and inspired enough to go for my dream and make progress toward the best me that I can be!

Instagram: kera_kester

Facebook: Kera Kester

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