Today we’d like to introduce you to Patricia Lauritzen.
Hi Patricia, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
So, I have been an athlete all my life. I started playing soccer at the age of 4, and played all the way through the collegiate level at a D1 school. I’d want to say that I discovered the gym and became health-conscious around my time as a high schooler, but became passionate about it in college. My passion for the gym and “eating healthy” honestly did not really stem from a healthy mindset. I wanted to look like the other girls who had abs or defined muscles or just looked very lean without trying. That’s when my eating disorder and obsession with fitness began. Mind you, during college, we were practicing 4/5 times a week for soccer plus doing team lifts on top of that. It wouldn’t stop there, I would head straight to the university gym after classes and spend hours lifting weights or on the treadmill. When it came to nutrition, you best believe I tried all the fad diets but then binge ate every weekend. I continued this trend until I graduated and never got the body that I wanted. A few months after I graduated with my MBA, I moved to Austin to start my first big girl job at the Planning & Engineering Department at the airport. I would go to the gym after work, 5-6 days a week. A few months later, I had a friend approach me asking if I’d be interested in powerlifting. I have never heard of it until then. When he explained that the main point of it was to squat, bench press, and deadlift as heavy as possible, I was so intrigued. I will say that even though this journey had been rough in the past, I had always enjoyed lifting heavy. The weight room was my happy place and my escape. I also had a long history of men and women constantly asking me for advice in the weight room and the advice would come out so naturally for me. So fast-forward to 2020, my friend helped me prepare for my first powerlifting meet in December. After that meet, I was hooked. I dove into the world of lifting heavy and forgot about my ED and body dysmorphia. I started dabbling with online coaching after I got my certification through USA Powerlifting. I took a few online clients on. The clientele ranged from powerlifting to body transformation to nutritional guidance. This was a side gig at the time, but my goal was to eventually make it a career. A while after I got my certification, the LiftATX owner, Daniel Hinojosa, approached me and asked me if I’d like to be LiftATX’s powerlifting coach. I was hesitant at first because I wasn’t sure If I could balance 2 full-time jobs, but after giving it some time, I decided to hop on board and start in-person coaching. This decision was the best one I could’ve made. I was able to grow a large client base to the point where I would have to add people on a wait list. So finally, after battling the depression that my current job was causing me (crying after work, not being challenged or fulfilled, etc.), I decided to say bye to my office job and coach full time. I have been able to coach many men and women, helped them build confidence in lifting weights, and call them my friends. My heart has never been so full.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
There have been a few struggles. When it comes to my business, there have been slower traffic times, especially around winter. I think a few factors that play into this are like waiting on New Year’s resolutions, the temperatures (LiftATX is an outdoor gym), and of course the holidays. Thankfully client retention hasn’t been a problem. I’d say another struggle would be that lifting weights and the crowd that comes with it can sometimes seem intimidating and even deter people from stepping into a gym due to fear of being judged or getting injured. When it comes to this though, I can definitely say that getting a trainer would be a great way to overcome this! And honestly, LiftATX has one of the best member communities that I’ve ever come across. Everyone is welcome.
As you know, we’re big fans of Bar Benders Strength. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Bar Benders Strength (BBS) isn’t only a brand, it’s also a team, a fitness community. We specialize in providing online and in-person coaching in powerlifting, body transformation, strength training, nutrition, and many other personalized fitness goals. BBS takes pride in its mission: to help the client/athlete reach their highest potential, not only physically, but mentally as well. If you’re interested in training with us, we ask you to fill out the client questionnaire provided on our website: barbendersstrength.com. Once the questionnaire is received, Coach Patty will contact you to further discuss your goals in detail and create a training program based off of those goals. We offer monthly online coaching, monthly in-person training packages, group classes, and nutrition plans. We also offer student and military discounts. You can also follow Coach Patty on Instagram @coachpattycakes or the team page @barbendersstrength.
What are your plans for the future?
The main goal right now is to definitely bring a second coach onto the team. We will also be working on creating a few training templates and apparel which will be available for purchase on the website. I think those are great short-term plans. As for the long term, we definitely want to continue to grow the team and the community.
Pricing:
- Monthly Online Coaching $125/month
- Monthly Group Classes (12 classes) $300/month
- In-Person Training Packages Vary (Please go to the website for pricing)
- Nutrition Plans (Please contact Coach Patty for pricing)
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.barbendersstrength.com/
- Instagram: @coachpattycakes | @barbendersstrength
- TikTok: @powerliftingpattycakes
- Other: https://BarBendersStrength.as.me/
Image Credits
Carlos Gallegos
Kenny Dao
