Hi! I’m Karen Smith. 
Welcome to my site, coachkarensmith.com where I will teach you how to live a healthy fit lifestyle through focusing on efficient training methods and positive mindset.

My passion is to help as many people as possible reach their true potential by training smarter. This will allow you more time for things you love to do, plus more time for your family, friends and your career.

My mission is to create an educational space where you can learn while also connecting with other like minded individuals. My goal is to help you reclaim your time by teaching you to approach your training more efficiently.

The Coaching Corner is one of the offerings that will save you time, as all the weekly workouts are provided for you to just follow along.

They have also been tested in class setting for those that are coaches/trainer looking to reclaim time normally spent on programming.

My Mission

Karen’s Story

Thank you for being here and open to allowing me to assist you in journey to greater strength and fitness. In 1998, I decided it was time for a career change. I was in my early 20’s working 50+ hours a week doing a sales job in the telecommunication industry. While I loved the company and all the friends I had made, I was tired of the long hours and feeling like I didn’t have a life. In the beginning it was great because it kept be busy while living in a new state. After finishing a long days work I would head straight to the gym for 1-2 hours of training per night rather than head home to an empty house. This became my work, train, sleep and repeat routine. I began to realize that my life was passing me by and that life is too short to not be enjoying it.

In 1999, I pursued my first personal training certification. It seemed like such a logical direction as I was spending all my non-working hours in the gym, plus I had been into fitness in some form or fashion since childhood. I was a gymnast, then a cheerleader, a track athlete and then a gymnastics coach to children during my teens. After graduating high school I found myself in full blown adulthood stressing over bills and jumped right into a career while most of my classmates where off enjoying being a teen off at college. A few years later I got married and moved to San Diego. I had always been a driven individual but the stress and loneliness of being a young married military wife with a husband who constantly deployed in the SEAL teams helped me to make the leap So after getting my personal training certification I took the leap to quit my 7yr career and started a mentorship at a private training facility in La Jolla, CA. After shadowing other trainers for a few months I began my new career where I helped my clients reach their goal. This was one of the best decision I had made. I continued training until 2004 when I had my daughter.

In 2004, I decided to leave the gym and focus on being a mom. This was a very rewarding break that allowed me to spend every waking moment with my daughter in her early years. I kept up my coaching skills by occasionally teaching mommy and me classes at the local park for other playgroup moms. When my daughter was 3 (2007), the military moved us to the opposite coast. Once arriving in DC and finding myself learning my way in a new state again, I spend most of my days at the local Gold’s gym. This was a place that I can say changed me and my training. I kept seeing this trainer teaching the thing called a “Kettlebell”. This was a modality that I had never used before so I hired him to train me. He felt I picked this skill up very quickly and ask me to go to a certification with him. I signed up thinking well this should be a fun trip. I had not gone away on a trip since my daughter was born. And I had no idea that my life was about to drastically change from this one decision. That weekend set me on the path that I never imagined would take me to this place I am today.

After returning from the Kettlebell Certification, my trainer ask me to open a gym with him. There was no doubt, I was all in until I got news that the military decided otherwise. In 2008, I was informed we were moving yet again. This time I would be starting over in Virginia Beach, VA. The great thing is I was still on a high from attending the certification and thought to myself, you can still open a gym it will just have to be on your own. So after getting settled and building a small clientele of neighbors who trained with me in my garage, I moved forward with becoming a gym owner. While this was an extremely exciting time, it was in no way an easy time. I was not just going back to work after 4 years of being a Stay at Home mom, I was now a business owner and what felt like a “single” mom due to my spouse still being deployed regularly. I owned the gym from 2009 – 2014. During that time there are many highs and lows, just like most everyone’s lives. I coach many amazing students/clients from kids to moms/dads to military and law enforcement. I attended every certification/course I could fit in while still running a business, being a mom and military wife. Over the years I was continually blessed by the amazing people that came into my life and allowed me the opportunity to coach them. And thanks to my boss Pavel Tsatsouline, I was promoted many times over the years within the kettlebell organization now known as StrongFirst.

In 2011, life took another unexpected and drastic changed. My marriage was coming to an end. This time was one of the most difficult and dark times in my life. I had been with my now-Ex since I was 18 years old and it was the only life I had known. During these dark times, I dove deep into my work and began traveling to teach workshops all across the US. The travel was a way to distract my mind from all the time I was missing due to split weekends with my daughter. The plus side to the travel was that it began to grow my business rapidly. Fast forward to 2014, my ex would soon be retiring from the military, and we agreed to move yet again. This time back to Texas near family. I closed the gym and set my goals on my next stage of life and career which has been an amazing ride that I am happy to say brings us to current times. I am first a mom, then a business owner, a coach, a mentor, a write and a presenter.

2024 – Most recent add to my story, in Jan 2023 I found the Adaptive Training Foundation which has added a new level to my coaching. ATF is a non-profit organization that trains adaptive athletes post injury. We train athletes with TBI, SCI, Amputation and other various injuries. This has been life changing and incredibly inspiring to see the growth achieved in such a short time. This year I have also began training Veterans with TBI at Resiliency Brain Heath with the non-profit organization, Semper Stronger. While I continue with my certs and online coaching, I love adding the Adaptive Coaching and Veteran Coaching to my schedule when I am home in Dallas.

Like many, I have had other setbacks over the years that keep me growing and learning as a person and as a coach, which I am happy to say each obstacle gives me a greater insight into being a better coach for each of you.

I, like so many of you have experienced the highs and lows of relationships, injury, surgery, deaths, and through my strength and mindset training I have continued to forge forward living my passion of helping others reach their true potential. I am blessed you are here and would be honored to help you along your journey.

Karen Smith