Estimated reading time: 6 minutes

“If we complicate things, you’ve lost me.” Those words, spoken by a podcast host recalling his first steps into a gym at 500 pounds. What stayed with me was that single moment, as the host, Scott Switzer of Clydesdale Media, was trying to understand what was missing from the Level 1. What was missing from the nutrition conversation? What gap hadn’t been filled yet? His questions were honest, layered with curiosity, even a hint of confusion, but they were genuine. The answer he got? “It’s not designed to spoon-feed it to you in the most digestible way.”

Disclaimer: there’s context to everything and I respect that. Which is why I’d suggest going and listening to the full episode yourself.

And that’s when Scott shared his personal truth: “If we complicate things, you’ve lost me,” echoing my own journey. It sparked something I hadn’t thought about in a long time: I, too, walked into a CrossFit gym at nearly 500 pounds. I never knew the exact number; most scales didn’t go that high, but the number wasn’t the point. The point was how easily I could’ve been lost.

what I needed

I remember that first day as if it had just happened. Every step felt nauseating, and every breath was a struggle. What I needed was eye contact, simplicity, and a sense of safety. I needed someone who could meet me where I was and not make me feel like I had to “get it” before I earned the right to try.

I’m not against science, I actually love it. I’m a coach now, and I geek out on the “why” behind movement, behavior, and nutrition. But that came years down the road. That wasn’t day one. Back then, if you had come at me with all your knowledge, no matter how good your intentions were, I would have shut down. Not because I didn’t want to learn, but because I was already carrying enough weight.

I have a poster in my kitchen that lays out the CrossFit nutrition prescription. It’s simple, measurable, and easy to grasp. I’m sure there’s a mountain of science behind it, but the way it was communicated made it digestible. It made me believe I could try, and that’s what we have to remember.

ask yourself this

Go to your seminar. Get your certification. Study the mechanisms. But when you return, pause. Ask yourself: Can I explain this in a way a complete novice can understand? And more critically, should I?

Not everyone needs all the data and science. When Scott and I both conversed about this, we agreed on one fact: we would not have given two shits. Some people just need hope and the next step. Sometimes, the most profound thing you can do as a coach is hold back what you know until they are truly ready to receive it.

emotional weight comes first

If you want to help someone lose weight and reverse chronic disease, great. However, let’s discuss what actually helps. Initially, it’s the emotional weight that matters more than the metabolic one. Because when someone has spent years using food to soothe, cope, or escape, it’s not just their biology that needs healing. It’s their story, self-worth, and belief that change is even possible.

You can explain insulin resistance, glycemic variability, metabolic flexibility, and the nuances of metabolic adaptation all day long. But if that person is eating out of grief or survival, none of that knowledge will take root. You can track glucose curves and talk about hormonal regulation until you’re blue in the face, but if they’re wallowing in food at night because they feel invisible or unloved, the data won’t move the needle. Until you reach the heart, the habits won’t change. Until you understand the emotional drivers behind the choices, the science won’t have the desired impact.

this is who you’re coaching

Let’s take Sally. She steps into your gym at 500 pounds, carrying more than just body weight. She’s a mom of three with a husband who doesn’t support her desire for change, running on caffeine, stress, and little sleep. She’s working a job that barely covers the bills, checking homework between microwave beeps, and eating whatever’s left on her kids’ plates. Her doctor mentioned she’s prediabetic but offered no clarity. Her nervous system is fried, days are chaos, and nights are heavy with guilt and shame. And still, she showed up. That was the hardest part.

You, the coach, might be coming off a weekend seminar. You’re full of knowledge and fired up to help. But if you don’t stop to ask what got her here, what she believes, what she fears, and what she’s fighting through, then all that data isn’t going to make the slightest dent.

If you want to help her, you have to understand her. Not her weight. Her world, history, and wiring. She’s not just dealing with food. Food might be the manifestation of her struggle, but her behavior is the deep-seated root of it. If you can’t slow down enough to see that, you’ll miss her entire story and the opportunity to help her change it.

she needs to see it’s working

Tangible results matter. People need to see that their effort creates change. Not in theory. Not in six months. Now. Something that builds momentum. That momentum is how people heal and how they start to believe again.

When someone believes that one tiny change is possible, it plants the seed that all the other things can change as well. Every person has a different story, a different weight they carry, and different battles to face. That’s why curing obesity will never be a one-size-fits-all solution. It’s not just about the food, it’s about the life behind it.

know the science yes. but coach the soul. 

So please, keep studying and keep growing. But don’t forget who you’re trying to reach. Because if you make it too complicated, it’s like Scott said, “you lose me”. 

Keep things simple, practical, and digestible. If you’re studying the science of nutrition, take the time to also research psychology. Learn all the things. Not because one is more important than the other, but because if you don’t understand how people think, hurt, cope, and survive, you’ll never understand why they sabotage, give up, or cling to the very things that are hurting them. And if you can’t understand that, you are actually the one who might be lost.

So……

the truth Is standing in front of you

Whatever flag you fly, remember that the truth is not in the certification, the seminar, or the science alone. The truth is standing right in front of you. That person. That life. That’s the heart of this work.

Sally? She needs you…. and if she had the bravery to walk into a CrossFit Gym…..she’s a fighter.

Go do it well.