About Rachel aka RAD Kitty
From a young age, I had a deep desire to impact millions of lives. Growing up was the exact opposite of what I deeply desired in my heart. Every day felt like a struggle in a dysfunctional family. I felt like I was walking around on eggshells worrying about whether or not I was going to get yelled at. It always felt like I was doing something wrong. I was conditioned to feel lots of guilt, shame, anger, and resentment. I thought other people’s reactions were my fault because of outward projections placed upon me. Whenever I spoke my truth, I was told that it was selfish to want to put myself first. I would be shamed for it and sometimes punished, which lead to more guilt and shame. I was under the illusion that my true self was bad and should act differently in order to see others happy. The vicious cycle continued for decades. I had no idea about the ramifications of people pleasing. I lost myself and the happy, laughing child in the process. Life became more serious and full of worry. Food became a huge source of happiness because I was only living to make others happy. A smile on my parents’ face meant I wasn’t getting in trouble that day. It was my sense of relief and ease. If I wasn’t meeting their standards, I felt like I wasn’t good enough for love. It felt like I was constantly trying to swim upstream only to get thrown down the waterfall.
By the time I was 21 years old in 2012, I found myself overweight, unhappy, constantly stressed, and exhausted. Whenever the feelings that I internalized came up, I would crave something to eat or drink (alcohol). I drew my line in the sand when I found my clothes no longer fit me. Immediately, I knew that I was ready to change my life. I no longer wanted to see this crazy chaos as my reality. I began eating healthier, exercising, and slowly gaining confidence. When I graduated college in 2013, I continued this journey as I began my path into the corporate world. I witnessed people on my team put in 50-60+ hour weeks, drank tons of caffeine to keep themselves going, and their health suffered. There was no way in hell I was going to do that to myself. I hired a personal trainer right out of college to help me with my movement patterns and to get stronger. As I kept training, I felt stronger, healthier and had more energy. I began laughing more and my mood drastically improved. I was able to express myself authentically and as a result, I found myself walking into the doors of a pole dance studio for the first time in 2014. My progress has been remarkable and it feels easy to let go of every mistake made. I had no idea that all this was going to change as a result of simply wanting to change my diet and adding exercise into my routine. Not only that, but I ended up reaching and surpassing my goal weight. I saw my trainer making a living while doing something he enjoyed and not having to work a desk job. *Gasp* I had no idea that was even possible. When I found that out, I was lead to an amazing program through one of his colleagues that incorporates diet and exercise along with gaining balance in my lifestyle. In 2016, 3 years into my corporate journey, I was led to the Institute of Integrative Nutrition (IIN) where I began to make the impossible become possible. From there, I obtained more certifications to enhance my knowledge such as:
Bachelor of Science in Information Systems w/ Minor in Business Administration Illinois State University (05/2013)
IIN Certified Holistic Health Coach (08/2017)
NASM Certified Personal Trainer (02/2020)
Certified Level 1 Pole Dance Instructor (04/2022)
I knew from middle school that I wanted to run my own business and I dove into the program head first. With pole dancing, I felt like I began to put the pieces back together of my life.
What was the root cause of my addictions and people pleasing?
Why did I disconnect from my feelings?
How can I reconnect to my feelings and my purpose?
What are my disconnected feelings from my true and authentic self?
What do I get to do now that allows me to love and accept myself fully?
I was introduced to many mentors, friends, and spiritual teachers as a result. Some of my old friendships fizzled out as I shifted into a new version of myself. I have been forgiving my past mistakes and the people who caused them. My reality has shifted more into a version of acceptance and unconditional love. This means being able to let go of thoughts and feelings that are holding me back, honoring those thoughts, and accepting that these were a part of the old me. The exact same as with my diet and exercise program. Best of all, I have been able to look within and hold myself responsible for my thoughts, feelings, actions, and reactions. I am in charge of how I want to create my reality and it no longer has to be ruled by the reactions of others. I have been able to shift my thoughts of worry and stress into love. I chose to treat the symptoms I was experiencing with love instead of going to the doctor and getting a pill for every symptom. As I continue to release more guilt and shame from my past, I step into the person who I am truly meant to be. I live life by my own rules, which allows me to have the freedom in my life that I desire. This is how I have decided to live my life from now on. As a result of this new lifestyle, my relationships have changed, I have been sleeping better, I have much less anxiety, and I am traveling around the US carrying my light wherever I go. Best of all, I have been able to use food as fuel for my health instead of a poison.
As a pole dance instructor, this is how I work with my clients. I hold them the space to feel safe and express their true, authentic selves. I guide them to figure out what in their life has taken them off course from the lifestyle they truly want with all of their heart. I provide them the confidence to speak up to those that have been triggering emotions of guilt and shame while seeing the person (or people) with love. I give action steps, journal prompts, and recommendations to how they can go within and release what is no longer serving them. With a specialization in health and wellness, I provide awesome recipes to help them see food in an all new way. Food gets to taste amazing while providing tons of health and nutrition to them and their families. I guide them to recognize their addictive patterns that are holding them back in order to reconnect to themselves and those who they are meant to have in their life. They become a vehicle of love and light while allowing themselves to have the freedom they desire. Most of all, I show my clients the amazing capacity of their bodies and how they heal themselves by getting to the emotional root cause of their symptoms instead of taking a pill. I get to take clients on my life journey to find their true selves just as I have. Every human being is worthy of love no matter what and is capable of having the life they want.
I’m ready to show you the way through the door of your desires. If you’re looking to own your power and shine your light into the world, the portal of love awaits.