About This Episode

What happens when the body you’ve trained for years suddenly stops cooperating? Kelsie was a competitive bodybuilder, personal trainer and single mom, deep in prep for what she called her “redemption show,” when strange symptoms started. She thought it might be an electrolyte imbalance. The hospital visit ended in a multiple sclerosis diagnosis. On this episode of Invisible Strength, Kelsie joins Karin and Chris to talk about losing and rebuilding her identity, the voice that calls rest “lazy,” and why “slow cooking” her goals beat giving up.

Key Takeaways

• Kelsie ignored early symptoms because of an all-or-nothing mindset and a show that meant everything to her.
• At the hospital, doctors initially prepared her for the possibility of brain cancer before she was diagnosed with MS.
• Her diagnosis made her realize how much of her identity was tied to bodybuilding.
• She hasn’t given up her goals. She’s “slow cooking” them, with a redemption prep still in the works.
• She’s learning to answer the voice that says rest is lazy: “You’re listening to what your body needs.”

Pushing through for the redemption show

Kelsie had an all-or-nothing approach. She was prepping for a show that mattered deeply to her, because the season before hadn’t gone the way she wanted. When symptoms showed up, she ignored them. “I said, ‘Body, you’re not allowed to be doing this, so let’s just keep pushing on,’” she remembered. “Honestly, if it weren’t for my son, I would have kept going.”

The hospital visit and diagnosis

The days in the hospital were some of the hardest. “Initially, they were preparing me for brain cancer,” Kelsie said. The diagnosis turned out to be MS, and in that moment she knew prep was over, at least for now.

“Who am I anymore?”

Bodybuilding is a 24/7 job, and Kelsie had built her whole sense of self around it. “It made me realize, wow, I almost lost my entire identity,” she said. “I just saw myself as a bodybuilder, and in the blink of an eye, I lost it. I had this intense grief, because I was like, who am I anymore?”

Karin and Chris point out how common this is in our community. A diagnosis can take away the identity you built before you’ve had time to imagine a new one.

Training with MS: slow cooking the goal

Kelsie didn’t walk away from fitness. She changed the timeline. “I don’t want to say that I put it on the back burner, because it’s not on the back burner, but let’s just say we’re slow cooking now,” she said. As a single mom, she’s restarted her fitness journey many times before. “There’s many ways to get to the finish line.” Her redemption prep and show are still coming, and she’s embraced the longer road.

The “lazy” voice on rest days

For someone used to pushing, slowing down is the hardest part. “There’s this voice in my head that is telling me that I’m being lazy,” Kelsie said. She’s practicing a new answer: “No, you’re not lazy. You’re listening to what your body needs.” Rest days now look like lying down for a bit and baking with her son instead of chasing 10,000 steps.

Grief and acceptance aren’t opposites

Kelsie also coaches clients through their own setbacks, and she talks about holding grief and acceptance at the same time. You can accept your diagnosis and still grieve the life you planned. Both can be true.

Follow Kelsie on Instagram at @kelsielonsocoaching.

Free resource: Grab the free RESET workbook mentioned in this episode: https://invigorateyourjourney.com/reset-workbook/