Attuned Philosophy

Movement with an All-or-Something Mentality

What do you need in this moment? What movement will feel good for your body today? What are your goals? These are some of the guiding questions that shape the Attuned Philosophy.

The fitness and "wellness" industry is often so focused on aesthetics and profit that it ends up causing harm. Sometimes that looks like a trainer making unwelcome comments about your body, touching you without permission, disregarding your hesitation due to previous injuries, or being too focused on numbers to be connected to you and your experience. Or the gym itself having hurtful advertisements, sending the messaging that you need to change to be accepted and respected. There are so many ways in which walking into a typical gym can feel threatening, inhospitable and triggering. These dynamics cause such a barrier to accessing something that could otherwise be a huge act of self care.

We all show up with a history that impacts the way we interact and engage with each other and our body. Intentional movement, especially resistance training (weight lifting), provides a unique opportunity to connect to your body, feel empowered, and rebuild trust within yourself all while lifting heavy things and feeling like a badass. Movement can be a way to heal, but it requires vulnerability, respect and safety to actually be a source of healing.

Attuned Strength aims to create a supportive space and guidance to help you move.

Meet Your Trainer

Certified Fitness Trainer & Personal Coach

As a NASM certified personal trainer, my goal is to create a customized training plan that works for your body and goals while teaching you how to successfully complete the movements and hopefully enjoy yourself while doing so.

As a trauma-informed practitioner, my goal is to do as little harm as possible, be aware of what you might be bringing to each session, and to provide a safe space to do so.

I want to help you accomplish your goals and would be truly honored to be another person on your team as you navigate life.

Welcome, I'm Sara!

More about Me and My Vision

I have worked as a licensed therapist in private practice for more than a decade. I believe that talk therapy is important, but it has its limitations. I have learned through my mental health career just how important body-based work is for healing and taking care of oneself. While I don't offer therapy at Attuned Strength, I do offer movement and connection both of which have proven to be therapeutic.

While I've been a therapist for more than a decade, I have been a woman in a larger body for most of my lifetime. Being "plus sized", I have experienced how damaging existing in our world can be. Especially when entering a fitness space.

I began weight lifting as a means to care for myself but found that existing in a larger body in the fitness realm can be very tricky (to put it nicely). Though often well-intentioned, I have had many interactions at gyms throughout the years that have challenged my relationship with movement and my body. For years, exercise became punishment and was used solely to change the way my body looked. So rarely was I encouraged to celebrate what my body could do, only to make it smaller.

I have learned to remain cautious when entering new fitness spaces. It took years to reclaim movement and in doing so, I have truly seen how lacking the fitness industry is. Through the experience of working with different trainers in different settings (many harmful and some lovely), I realized that I had not found a trainer who's body or mentality felt representative of mine so I decided to fill that gap and become that trainer for myself.