Anna Shoultz

A Bit About Me

I am a licensed mental health therapist obsessed with getting strong. My strength training journey began with my dad when I was two years old, helping him lift weights in the gym. I have fond memories of watching my dad compete in amateur powerlifting competitions when I was a child, and fonder memories of him beginning to train me in my teen years.

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I now have over a decade of experience refining my lifting technique and programming to continue building strength. Along with this, I have over a decade of experience teaching dance classes for adolescent girls, which has been paramount in my ability to teach this same demographic how to lift weights and build strength.

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By far, the largest benefit of my strength training journey has been the strengthening of my mental health. Like many females, my poor body image took a huge toll on my self-esteem and mental health during my teen years. I wholeheartedly believe what healed my relationship with my body and myself was strength training: I was able to focus on, and feel proud of, what my body could do, rather than what it looked like. It allowed me to build up resilience, to look forward to challenges, and to practice being present in my body rather than ruminating in my head.

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Over the course of my education and work in the field of mental health, it became more apparent that so much of what I do in therapy – challenging negative mindsets, building self-esteem, fostering resilience and motivation – can be developed in the gym. I no longer need to separate my two passions of mental health and lifting weights; instead, combining them and passing it on to others fills a gap in both mental health needs and the growing interest females of all ages are showing in strength training.

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Join me on my journey to build a community of strong and empowered girls!