By Colleen O’Brien
Photo by Rafa Saavedra
T
wo years ago, Debbie Roman weighed 281 pounds. She
was at the top of her profession in corporate America but
her job was her life. Her marriage of 22 years had ended and her best friend from high school, Crystal, had
unexpectedly died. Feeling miserable, Debbie took a look in
the mirror and said to herself, “Name one thing you like about
yourself.” She couldn’t name a thing. That’s when she decided
it was time to turn her life upside down. Since that epiphany,
Debbie has lost 117 pounds with the help of her business partner and trainer, Tyler Turner; and because of it, they have made
it their mission to help others flip their lives around as well.
It all began in August of 2013 when Debbie searched on Google for a personal trainer and picked the first establishment she
saw. She signed up with a trainer but upon arrival for her first
session, Debbie was informed that her trainer had quit the day
before. For a brief moment she was disappointed but that all
changed when her trainer’s replacement introduced himself.
“I’m your new trainer,” said Tyler Turner. He then interjected,
“You’re stuck with me!” Neither Debbie nor Tyler realized at
the time how prophetic those words would become!
The corporate change manager was about to undergo her
own changes through Tyler’s intensive personal training program. Passionate about what he does yet attuned to other’s
feelings, Tyler’s first impression of Debbie was that she was in
need of help but also apprehensive about the program. Because of her uncertainty, Tyler felt it was quite important in
making Debbie feel as comfortable as possible.
In addition, Tyler taught Debbie that losing weight and dieting are more than just about eating habits. Instead, it’s more
Tyler & Debbie believe that regular exercise is a must and can be fun too!
Photo by Rafa Saavedra
about one’s mindset toward their life habits. “You’ve got to
have your mind fit before you can have your body fit,” Debbie
now states. In 18 months, Debbie went from a size 24 to a size
10. “I love shopping now,” said Debbie. Her regimen today is
CrossFit training six days a week and two days a week doing
strength, flexibility, and mobility training with Tyler.
Maybe it was Tyler’s extra care in putting Debbie at ease or
maybe it was divine intervention but a bond formed between
them that kept growing stronger and stronger as each month
passed. Tyler recalls, “My training with Debbie gave me a greater
sense of purpose in my life. It became about so much more than
just weight. There was an ‘aha’ moment one day back in March
of 2014 involving a particular movement called the box jump.”
Debbie recalled, “I was terrified of box jumps. On a previous
day, I had hit my shin on the box used in the exercise during a
CrossFit workout and this time Tyler could see that I was balking at his instructions.” With each repetition, Debbie continued to steel herself to jump and on the seventh one in, her foot
hit the box and she knew she was falling. Not accustomed to
having people follow through on their promises (in this case,
Tyler had promised to not let her fall), she was shocked at what
happened next. “We call it ‘The Catch’”, explained Tyler. “And I
didn’t go into the mirrors,” exclaimed Debbie! “Tyler was there
to catch me. That’s the day I learned to trust again.”
Tyler can’t say enough about the change that’s come over
Debbie after ‘The Catch’. “Debbie’s workouts are all tinged
with intensity; she takes more risks. She’s more active and she
exudes more confidence.” That confidence and desire to help
others turn their lives upside down motivated Debbie to form
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