Mary Talieh

As a kid, I always dreamed of being athletic (I basically wanted to be Evel Knievel), but it never quite panned out. I was clueless about fitness back then.

My fascination with how the body works and all things biology has been there forever. I mean, in 8th grade, I even whipped up a workout plan for my teacher! I always knew I wanted a job in the health field that would let me have a family life, so I went from biochem in undergrad to starting med school. But you know what hit me halfway through med school? I realized I didn't want to be boxed into one specialty. I wanted to be the go-to person when you leave the doctor's office, someone who could really help you, not just with your health but with everything. Med school was great, but it was too narrow-focused for me. I wanted to be more like a life coach, helping people in every way possible. I finished school, passed part 1 of my board exams, then bam - I had a kid!

Fast forward to having my second child, and I found myself gaining more weight after giving birth, and not feeling great about my body - as I know many people experience. Then, I moved to Ann Arbor and stumbled into personal training. I got my hands on a personal training textbook and started digging in. It was my own personal trainer who pushed me to take the test. Once I passed the test I realized I loved this stuff! The one-on-one aspect, the hands-on teaching - the same things I enjoyed about homeschooling. It's all about that close guidance, and making an impact on someone's life.

Next thing I knew I was training people out of my home, which let me have the family life I always wanted, while using my medical background AND my mom background at the same time!