Brooke Simonson, CTNC thought teaching English was her dream job. But after years of trying everything in the book to lose weight and get healthy, with little to no success, she dug into health and nutrition research on her own.

She ended up losing the weight and feeling better at 35 than she ever did at 25 and wanted to shout her success from the rooftops! Now she’s a Certified Transformational Nutrition Coach (CTNC) helping people lose weight, keep it off, and finally regain their health.

We reached out to Brooke so she could tell her story, and here’s what she had to say.

ITN STUDENT SUCCESS STORY: BROOKE SIMONSON

How long have you been coaching?

I quit my job as a high school English teacher in June 2019 and have been building my business as a nutrition and weight loss coach, public speaker, and podcast host ever since!

What’s your niche?

I help people get unstuck so that they can lose weight, keep it off, and feel truly healthy—without dieting, fads, or other trends that simply don’t work.

What is your story? How did you get into coaching?

Just last year (and for 11 years before that), I was working with teenage boys on their reading and writing skills.

I thought teaching high school English was my dream job, but I was wrong!

After college, I was 20 pounds overweight, constantly hungry (more like “hangry”), always fatigued and bloated. I was a wreck.

So, I did all of the things I thought I should do to lose weight and feel great.

• I bought expensive juice cleanses.
• I went to the gym 6 times per week.
• I counted calories.
• I ate low-fat foods.
• I deprived myself of sweets and treats.
• I tried having better self-control and willpower.
• [Insert a dozen more things here].

You name it, I tried it.

Sometimes I’d lose a few pounds and feel a little better. But, no matter how many pounds I lost and how many tactics I tried, I always gained the weight back and returned to feeling crummy.

Those years of rollercoaster-ing, living in a hamster wheel, yo-yo dieting – whatever you want to call it – were exhausting.

With all that, I refused to accept the fact that borderline misery was a necessary evil to my “healthy” existence.

I was determined to find a better way.

That’s when I found a new hobby – nutrition and health research!

For two years, I spent the majority of my free time reading medical journals, books, and articles; listening to podcasts; and completing coursework through the Institute of Transformational Nutrition.

After soaking up as much info as possible, I finally cracked the code.

I finally figured out what actually works.

I finally lost 20 pounds, kept them off, had sky-high energy, said goodbye to bloat, and felt better than ever.

And, the best part is my results have lasted. I feel better at 35 than I did at 25!

Wanting to scream my discoveries from rooftops and help as many people as possible, I quit my teaching job to pursue my dream job as a nutrition coach, public speaker, and podcast host.

Now, I’m able to devote 100% of my time to my true passion – helping others get unstuck so that they can lose weight, keep it off, feel truly healthy, and never diet again!

What do you consider a success of your coaching career?

I’m proud of the traction my podcast—The Health Investment—has gained in just a few months!

I released my first episode on November 11, 2019 (my birthday). Since then, I’ve released one episode per week. The week episode 27 dropped, I’d already reached 5,000 downloads!

Getting my podcast off the ground was certainly not easy, especially since I was determined to do every piece myself from the outreach, the interviews, and the editing to the artwork, marketing, and more.

It has been incredibly rewarding to read/hear listeners’ reviews and feedback.

One listener wrote, “Brooke is so knowledgeable about nutrition and offers very helpful, and more importantly realistic, advice on how to incorporate healthier habits into your day today! This podcast will change the way you eat!”

Another wrote, “Brooke makes it easy to understand concrete ways to invest in your health for the long-term. With all of the misleading information on social media regarding ‘healthy’ products and fad diets, it’s refreshing to listen to a podcast that avoids the popular BS! Keep the great content coming!”

Podcasting has also been a great way to continue my nutrition/health education. Each interview, I’m able to learn from the best of the best like Dr. Bret Scher, Dr. Cate Shanahan, Dr. Trevor Cates, and celebrity trainer Vinnie Tortorich. I’m always discovering new insights that I can share with my clients and social media followers.

What would you tell someone if they told you they were interested in becoming a coach at ITN?

I always say that even though I’m a “Certified Transformational Nutrition Coach,” I don’t think nutrition is the be-all, end-all.

That’s why I developed my “N+ Approach,” which stands for nutrition PLUS sleep, stress management, movement, and mindset.

ITN is certainly one of the reasons I came up with this approach, which has been tremendously successful with each of my one-on-one clients.

I love how ITN covers many aspects of wellness—like the psychological and spiritual—not just the physiological.

That’s why I continue to recommend ITN to anyone who asks about my experience!

Anything else you’d like to share?

I’m currently developing my first course, which I’m pretty excited about! I haven’t decided on the official name yet, but it will be something like “Diet-Free Weight Loss That Lasts.” So, stay tuned for that!

Plus, if anyone is reading this and wants help getting their podcast launched, please feel free to reach out to me! I’d love to help!

You can follow Brooke on social media by clicking here.

Tune into her podcast by clicking here.

And stay up to date on her products and offerings on her website here.