testimonials from clients
Please Note: Humans are infinitely unique and so Individual results will vary.
“Rachel enabled me to accomplish a goal I have always wanted to achieve, and that was running a marathon.
I decided late in the game to actually commit to a training program, just 12 weeks out from race day.
I contacted Rachel knowing she was extremely knowledgeable and experienced in the field of sports programming and psychology, but more importantly, habit formation and lifestyle coaching. She provided personal care and attention to every step of the training process, emphasizing a weekly mindset that was a small building block of a bigger picture for goal attainment.
Not only did Rachel provide me with an approachable program that got me to the finish line with a smile on my face, she also provided me with tools and strategies to employ throughout the tough weeks of training, and more importantly, in everyday life.
She helped me develop not only physically, but mentally and emotionally as well – allowing me to connect deeply and visualize the life I want to live going forward.
This woman has a gift of enabling people to see what they are truly capable of and to go after life sliding into home.”
“I am 53 years old and I am the president of a multi-billion dollar public company with 10,000 employees, and we make software tools for healthcare providers. I first met Rachel two years ago right after my executive physical, which was the first I had taken in several years. I think we all have a tendency to see ourselves in the light we want to see, so there is nothing like cold, hard, sobering facts from blood tests, endurance tests, strength tests and flexibility tests to shine the light that we should really see. I knew my pants were getting a little tighter and I was not hitting the gym like I used to five years earlier, but the results from my physical were appalling and almost depressing. It was the kick in the pants I needed to show up at Rachel’s training session the next day.
Early on in our sessions working together I asked Rachel one day what she liked about coaching. Without hesitation she said, “I am constantly surprised by how people with such professional success fail themselves personally by not taking care of themselves.” She was not directing that to me personally, but for me that was 100% accurate and it was critical with the perspective I needed to begin to change my life around.
Rachel is all about strong mind/strong body, and her coaching delivers a balanced approach focused on building strength, building conditioning, improving flexibility, and improving positive thinking. After almost two years I have lost 30 pounds of fat, I have gained 8 pounds of muscle, lowered my blood pressure 30 points, and I am stronger than I was in my 20’s. Same guy! Thank you, Rachel!”
“Rachel has been a guiding light in my fitness program for the past year.
When I think about Rachel, the first thing that comes to mind are passion and excellence. Passion for her profession and the work associated with each client and excellence in her approach to form and technique, not simply for show but more importantly to allow each student to work the appropriate muscles and avoid strain or injury.
Rachel is clearly dedicated to each individual achieving reasonable goals as she teaches. She is constantly making the small adjustments to maximize the benefits of our work. She has extensive knowledge of her profession and has written individual programming for dozens of clients who do not use the SHIFT facility regularly.
My workouts embrace breathing, yoga, focused stretching as well as pushing/pulling weights I could not move a year ago year. I do aerobic and anaerobic workouts throughout the week in class and every day the program is slightly different. The reason I mention this, is that like many people, I get bored and distracted easily. With each day being different, I always need to stay focused and move differently. I think that is one reason Rachel’s clients don’t simply come for a month or so and then repeat the workouts on their own. They keep coming back as they continue to learn about their bodies, how they move and what they can do to improve themselves.
As a student, Rachel is always learning too. In just this past year, Rachel spent her vacation time and money at a Yoga workshop improving her own skills and expertise.
I don’t live to be in the gym; I’d rather be somewhere else. I am a Chef by trade and have struggled with my weight for years. I have worked with several trainers in various gyms and at home. When I came to SHIFT, Rachel was assigned as my primary trainer and has worked closely with the dietitian and my doctor to help me think of my health and wellness differently. This has been fundamental to my work. Seeing my exercise and nutrition choices linked together while trying to get over the barriers of diet and restrictive eating. We meet often enough to look closely at my choices and not get emotionally stuck in the success and failure days. I feel encouragement and empathy for the struggles I am experiencing; I know Rachel is on my side. I know I am feeling better even when the scale shifts a bit in the wrong direction. I am very grateful to have had the first year of my wellness recovery with Rachel. I know I am set up to maximize my results in a short period of time (1 hour , 5 days/week when possible, in the morning.) The workout simply sets me up for a better, more energized day.
I can highly recommend Rachel for any coaching or training you desire. Rachel can help guide you to to improving yourself. Whether one is looking to improve flexibility or strength, improve nutrition, general wellbeing or simply keep active and interested in fitness at the gym, Rachel is the best I and many others have experienced.”
“I am a 51 year-old female business professional that had been sidelined due to a running injury. Hip surgery followed, and I needed to find a new fitness program that would help me return to a place of feeling good about myself and still provide me that sense of satisfaction that I would get from running.
For the two years post-surgery, I was attending miscellaneous group classes, lifting weights on my own and doing minimal cardio. I wasn’t getting any traction, and I was causing some minor injuries since I wasn’t following a plan that was right for where I was at the time. Then I met Rachel. She listened to me about my fitness goals and crafted plans that were a kind and gentle introduction for my body that focused specifically on the areas that needed strengthening post-surgery.
We gradually built up, and she helped me to identify a challenge fitness goal that I trained for. I love hiking so I wanted to prepare to hike a fourteener. We set an interim goal of an indoor stair climb in the John Hancock building in Chicago. I had always loved races and giving me a specific event to prepare for was helpful to me. She was always there for encouragement, answering questions, and tweaking of our plans based on what was working. I began to feel toned and strong and I fell into an exercise routine that was working for me.
I learned in this process to embrace where I am physically at that moment of time to allow my body to react in its own time. It was hard to realize that I am not physically what I was 10 or 20 years ago, however I can still set fitness goals and still work to realize them. Rachel made that happen.”
“I first met Rachel at the Goal-Setting Seminar she hosted at Crossfit Chicago, and her enthusiasm for and knowledge of fitness/nutrition/goal-setting were immediately apparent. Right off the bat I was intrigued and eager to work with her because I was anxious to improve myself and could tell her expertise and passion would be invaluable.
I reached out to her to meet one-on-one to discuss my nutrition and weight-loss goals. She responded immediately and we set up a time. During our first one-on-one I was pretty much floored as to the amount of knowledge, detail and experience Rachel has in the aforementioned areas. I walked out of our meeting not only with a renewed excitement for my weight-loss goals, but with a new respect for the amount of time and effort Rachel has obviously put into this practice.
Since our first meeting, we have a met a second time to discuss my progress and have maintained a periodic email correspondence. Rachel always responds in a timely fashion both with detailed suggestions and consistent positive reinforcement.
I couldn’t be more satisfied with my experience thus far. Not only is Rachel’s experience and expertise a huge asset, but I can tell she loves what she’s doing and loves helping people.”
“Rachel is an incredibly caring and dedicated coach who truly cares about her clients and wants to instill true change to reach a greater collective goal. But it is never as simplistic as “lose weight” or “look better.” She has an inherent ability to know how to go beyond to get to the deeper issues to really understand the cause. I found this to be the case with me. I am an extremely busy CEO and spread thin in many directions. I don’t have the answer yet to solving how to stop this, so she patiently worked with me to start small and pick a few baby steps to begin with. I loved her approach and felt by carving small things in my life I can dig into I could celebrate the wins and create change gradually instead of feel failure from being overwhelmed and giving up.
When life gets in the way and challenges arise, she is always so positive and helpful to get back on the wagon and keep going. I love her outlook on fitness and achieving goals overall. She is very talented, and I would highly recommend her as a motivational coach in any capacity as I believe working with her can truly be life changing.”
“After years of dedication to my family and my career, I decided to recommit myself to my health. But I was stuck. Every gym I joined I left; every diet I picked up I abandoned; every self-help practice I began I ended. I was more than willing to provide the effort and desire needed to grow but I needed support and knowledge to help me succeed.
Rachel consistently provides the proper motivation for the given situation as needed – not more, not less. Whether it was a motivating supportive cheer, a challenging kick in the ass, a detailed and thorough explanation as to why, or an ear for understanding, Rachel has consistently listened and provided the support I needed to help me live a healthier and more fulfilling life. Over the past ~3 years I have witnessed Rachel doing the same with all personality types – from sarcastic to the shy, uber athlete to the person just getting started, Rachel seems to mesh well with everyone. Much like them, I have emerged with a greater sense of self, knowledge of what works for me, and ability to get myself out of neutral (if it ever comes to that point again). I am stronger physically, mentally, and have more energy than I did a decade ago. And while my journey is far from complete, I know now I will succeed, and it is in no small part attributable to the guidance Rachel has provided me.”
“I don’t need a trainer. I don’t have time for a trainer/coach. Who needs a trainer? I’m the one who has to drag my ass out of bed to drive to the gym. My trainer’s not going to do that. I’m the guy who’s got to push more weight at the end of the bar. It’s me who’s legs and arms are burning while I’m dying for breath but still has to row for another minute. I don’t see how a trainer/coach is going to help.
About two and half years ago I had just turned 62 and after spending the last 40 years working hard and traveling my ass off (too much food, too much drinking and too little activity), my doctor convinced me that I needed to get back in the gym on a regular basis. It had been a long time since I had been in a gym. I had a treadmill at the house, and a few free weights from the distant past, but I was only using the stuff sporadically. Which is to say, hardly at all.
The trainer who was assigned to me was Rachel Fisher. She and I were introduced and I was certain that this was going to be a waste of time. I may have even said some things to that effect. But Rachel was patient and let me express all my misgivings, while at the same time gently encouraging me to push myself and get started on a program, and goddamn, I started to listen and became a believer. Rachel is smart, and knowledgeable and has the ability to find your limits, and then push you beyond them. After two and a half years I can tell you unequivocally that it may have been my doctor who got me in the gym, but it was Rachel who kept me there. She’ll tell you that I’m thinner, stronger and more flexible after our time together. All that is true. I’m healthier. I’ll also tell you that I’m more aware of my body – what and when I eat, and how and when I work out. She encourages when you need that, and kicks your ass when that’s the right approach. I’m in a better place because of her. Mostly, I’m happier. Thanks Rachel.
And on the negative side, don’t expect her to count your reps. If she’s counting, you’ll never finish your set.”
“I feel very fortunate to have had Rachel as my advisor for the past 18 months. During that time, I’ve been impressed with her deep commitment to improving my well-being through targeted, thoughtful, attainable, sustainable, and effective strength and fueling programs.
Immediately after my initial assessment session with Rachel, during which she asked about my goals and challenges, she customized a plan to start me on a lifelong journey to a healthier and stronger version of me. At 60-years-old, I wanted a plan to keep me healthy and avoid chronic conditions, like diabetes. The plan included logging activity and food intake. Any reservations I may have had about Rachel’s recommendations disappeared quickly as results started to manifest. Getting stronger, improved stamina, better sleep, and weight loss were among the many benefits I realized under Rachel’s guidance. And, with her enthusiastic feedback, my self-confidence also improved. The results, including weight loss, are sustainable because Rachel guided me to make healthy lifestyle changes over time.
My journey continues, but it’s easier and healthier because Rachel enabled me with mindful, long-lasting tools and with the confidence to keep going.”
“As a female in fitness, Rachel embodies the skills to treat the mind, body and soul. Her free spirit and loving hugs make her someone that is easy to trust but even easier to love! Rachel’s knowledge in the field of fitness ranges in a variety of areas from yoga to weight lifting to muscular endurance. Rachel’s knowledge of the health and wellness field is amazing, however what stands out the most to me in Rachel is her genuine and effortless ability to make others feel comfortable and confident in their own skin.
I remember one of the first few weeks training with Rachel she told me something that has shifted the way that I view myself, she told me “Hannah instead of focusing on the things you don’t like about your body try and focus on all of the amazing things that your body does for you.” Rachel has helped me to not only keep my body healthy but has encouraged me to love the skin that I am in.
This brief story is one of the many ways that Rachel has used her talents to inspire the people that she works with. Her ability to connect and motivate others is unmatched and is something that I have been lucky to experience.”
“I retired 18 months ago from an active leadership job in the service industry. While I wasn’t in bad shape physically or had any serious health problems, I was noticeably losing muscle, tone and feeling a loss of stamina, energy, balance. I was hovering around 200lbs. Before I retired I was reasonably active, going to the gym (but inconsistently) and mindful of what I was eating (also inconsistently). I also wanted to reduce my cholesterol numbers and avoid having to accomplish this with medication.
I’ve been working with Rachel since I retired. After an initial assessment, we came up with goals and more targeted workouts with more of a focus on improving fitness versus simply losing weight. After the first 6 month I had a noticeable decline in body fat and increase in muscle mass and some improvement in Cholesterol. We met at the 6 month mark and made adjustments in my workout routine after another assessment, and in the next 6 month I began seeing some weight loss along with improvement in balance. My stamina was getting better, my clothes were fitting better and overall I was feeling better too.
At the beginning of year 2, we did another assessment and made yet another change in my routine now that I had built some muscle and reduced fat. These constant changes in routine have made a big difference and at the mid-year check up I had lost weight (about 20 lbs total in 18 months). More than the weight loss, my cholesterol dropped to it’s lowest point in many years, I feel stronger and healthier – for example I had given up carrying my golf clubs several years ago, my back wasn’t strong enough and it would be to tiring. This year I started carrying again when I play 9 holes and was surprised at how effortless is was.
Rachel has helped me understand what I’m doing and why, why what I was doing before was inefficient and at times counter productive. She also helped me stay inspired to keep doing, start doing or make changes along the way.
If you are motivated to improve your health and do the work, Rachel will help make sure you are getting the most out of your effort.”
“I cannot say enough great things about my trainer, Rachel Fisher. She is motivating, careful, and observant. She challenges me to do things outside my comfort zone to increase my endurance, strength and flexibility. After 2 compression fractures in my spine, I was nervous about working out hard. Rachel listens to my concerns, researches the various exercises she plans for me and helps me maintain proper form to avoid injury while building strength. I am happy to report that in the 6 months of working with Rachel I increased my muscle mass by 5 pounds – quite an accomplishment for a 49 year old woman!
In addition to all this, Rachel is a fun person to be around. Her positivity and motivation are inspirational and keep me coming back even through some of the toughest workouts I’ve ever done. It’s hard for me to believe, but I actually enjoy workouts with Rachel!
“Rachel Fisher worked at Shift Life as a fitness coach and motivator. She served as my lead coach for over two years while I worked towards making a significant, healthy lifestyle change.
In those two years, Rachel showed over and over again why she was uniquely qualified in her role as a fitness coach and motivator. As an athlete herself, Rachel could speak and relate personally to the benefits and challenges of living a purposeful, healthy lifestyle. In assisting motivated professionals like me in making a lifestyle Shift, Rachel was able to meld the worlds of fitness, nutrition, recovery and coaching seamlessly together in a digestible, comprehensive manner.
That’s one of the things that’s so remarkable about Rachel. She demonstrates not only mastery for her fitness coach role, but also the ability to take on just how difficult, yet critical, a lifestyle shift is to an individual. In fact, she is uniquely qualified to easily discuss, understand and overcome our emotional and psychological challenges throughout. I and other professionals she coached had the desire to shift lifestyles. But I believe it was her past education, professional research duties and scientific writing capabilities all combined together that made her a fantastic motivational fitness coach. She was able to better understand discuss self-control and goal balancing, applying pragmatic assessments to succeed throughout.
While I am sure Rachel’s work will continue to pay dividends for me long past her tenure as my fitness and motivational coach, I certainly will miss working out with her every day. I can only be extremely optimistic for Rachel and her career trajectory from here. I feel very blessed to have worked with and gotten to know Rachel Fisher.”
“It is both a privilege and honor to be able to write this testimonial for Rachel Fisher.
I met Rachel during my health evaluation at Shift and was impressed. I immediately noticed a difference in working with Rachel from other trainers. That is because she is not just a trainer or coach, but a health designer. As a 57-year-old out of shape man she didn’t just give me a routine fitness plan and tell me to have at it. Instead she took my whole medical background into account and designed a well-structured regiment that she then integrated into other areas that I was working on including nutrition and physical therapy.
Once my plan was designed, Rachel then did a wonderful job in insuring that I achieved success. She was always following up with me and monitoring my progress on the different workouts she developed for me. Rachel introduced me to the Bridge App in which she was able to monitor my progress. But even more importantly she called me regularly to ensure that I was progressing with the plan that had been developed.
However, the thing that I’m most indebted to Rachel for is the support she gave me when I was diagnosed with cancer. It would have been easy to just send an email wishing me well, but she went above and beyond to check-in with me before and after my surgery. In addition, after the surgery, she started developing a recovery plan early on getting back my strength.
In conclusion, Rachel is highly professional and knowledgeable about all things fitness. But it’s her “you can do it” attitude that makes you want to strive and come back for more. Caring, supportive and encouraging I truly enjoyed working with Rachel and would highly recommend her!”
“When looking for a life and fitness coach, I was looking for someone that was going to be a driving force in my life. Someone that would teach me new tips, tricks, and pieces of information that would help me along the way to get where I wanted to be physically and mentally. Someone that would be willing and able to answer the many questions I had with a wealth of knowledge regarding a concept that was foreign to me. Someone that would ultimately push me out of my comfort zone. Someone that would be a support system for me. Rachel checked all those boxes.
From the first day at Shift when she was teaching, and she jumped on the sled I was pushing that already had multiple plates on them and she told me to keep pushing, I knew she was the coach I needed. After laying out my goals of where I wanted to be physically and mentally to Rachel, she put me on a path on how to achieve those goals. I knew it wasn’t going to happen overnight and that it wasn’t going to be easy, but that is exactly why I had Rachel. During our weekly check-ins, Rachel was genuinely interested in hearing about my week and seeing what progress I had made. I took away many lessons from her that I can now use within fitness and life.
The examples above just scratch the surface as to what Rachel was able to help me improve on and achieve. Her knowledge within the field of health and fitness is unprecedented and I am honored that I got to the chance to experience what she has to offer.”
“I have been consistently athletic over my 46 years. That being said, I have had a history of physical limitations due to chronic back pain, and I have struggled to balance my strength and endurance work so they complement each other. I knew it was time for a change…
Two years ago I switched my training to a new facility and Rachel was assigned as my fitness coach.
I have worked with numerous personal trainers that are one trick ponies. They are either great at building strength, improving endurance or making you more efficient at CrossFit. It wasn’t until I started working with Rachel that I understood the difference and overall value of a fitness coach. She took into consideration all the different facets of my life. We worked on my chronic lower back pain by working on muscle imbalances created by movement patterns I neglected. We improved my exercise capacity by adding differing aerobic workouts that complimented my strength program. We constantly discussed my nutrition and sleep to see the net effect. I am currently in my overall best fitness level. This has all been accomplished by Rachel’s expert understanding of what my body needed while facilitating my personal goals.
In the 2 years we have worked together, I have never felt better. Rachel has introduced positive lasting lifestyle changes as my coach.”
“Thank you so much for all that you have done to help me take control of my health. I couldn’t give a more glowing review of my experience working with you. You always worked with me as an individual person, even when there was a whole classroom full of people, and you made everyone feel that way. Your constant positive attitude and ability to tailor each person’s training to their individual needs and bodies made working with you a life changing experience for me.
When we started working together 12 months ago, I was in terrible shape. I was 44 years old, 328 pounds, and couldn’t do much of anything without running out of breath. I was on a path towards multiple health disasters, with blood sugar levels, triglycerides, and blood pressure that were all at dangerous levels. One year later, through working with you and the team, I have lost 75 pounds. All of my medical numbers are not just passable, but very good. I am also doing things physically that I wasn’t even able to do in high school or college. Working with you has changed my life for the better, and yet this hard change that I made was made so much easier by your nurturing style that helped me both mentally and physically change my entire lifestyle.
For anyone who is considering working with a trainer to help them improve their health, their fitness, and their life, I highly recommend working with Rachel Fisher. If she hadn’t moved away, I would still be working with her. You would benefit from doing the same.
“Hello! My name is Bart and I am CEO and Founder of Digital Direction, a 17 year old Chicago based IT consulting firm. I just turned 50 and I must tell you up front, I feel like I am in amazing shape both mentally and physically. However, that wasn’t always the case.
I have been very active and in good physical condition the majority of my life but work and pizza and wings and beer caught up to me in my early 40s. I am 6’4” and ballooned up to 270lbs. I tried many diets and workouts through my 40s but I just couldn’t seem to get consistency in my food intake and workouts. I was lacking education, direction, and accountability. Fortunately, that’s when Rachel entered my life! Her guidance through the design and implementation of the right training program for me has changed my life in so many amazing ways. One thing I did learn is that the only way to success is your own accountability…only I could make the change to create health as my top 3 values. However, without the right roadmap and direction and especially with out the accountability check ins, I would have never been able to achieve the health standard I have now. The only real negative was the cost of new clothes…since my body changed a couple times through out the past year, clothing was a challenge…a small price to pay for real health!!”
“I am a busy corporate lawyer with frequent travel and had been unable to tie myself to a single gym or schedule. My weight, flexibility and muscle strength reflected both the challenges of a desk driven career and my inability to find a way to create a meaningful fitness “routine.”
Rachel met with me and considered these challenges, evaluated my physical condition with great care and thoughtfully considered my objectives for a training regime (flexibility and cardio conditioning). She developed a set of exercises and pacing that allowed me to accomplish my goals in her facility, my gym at home, or in a hotel workout room. The exercises were basic yet worked multiple muscle groups and enhanced both strength and flexibility, and the cardio routines were variable enough to keep me interested , yet did not exhaust me. She read me and my needs and goals well and truly customized my workouts.
A year later I stand straighter, swing the golf club better, have dropped material weight and have much greater cardio endurance in all of my activities. Thanks to Rachel!”