Ep 8 From Starving Herself to Turning Pain into Profits with Ken Strampel Health & Biz Coach
Updated: Jan 27, 2023
Show notes:
Hello, everyone, I am so excited to be here with Kendall Strampel. She her business is totally launched after a recovery freshman year of college. And this girl did not even need to finish college because she was quantum leaping. And now she's your quantum leaping like two more businesses it feels like yeah, for the first one. So I'm so excited to dive in. And let's start off with like, where you are now and then like we're gonna dissect it backwards.
Yeah, sure. Okay, cool. So what's up everyone? I'm Ken, you guys can always call me Ken. That's the new name that my clients have given me. But I'm 24 years old, and I live in San Diego, California. And I own both. Here's to fit coaching, which is an online health and fitness coaching company where we serve women with just stepping into their highest self so that they can eat more freely, intuitively love their body. And then I also am the founder of the wealthy Women's Business Coaching Academy where we help women with self mastery and business mastery. So I started because I'm kind of go more and more into like, where I'm where I'm at now how I got here. I started my fitness company first back when I was 18 years old after recovering from an eating disorder. And I did not expect my life to end up where it is now in any way, shape or form.
So that wasn't like a vision. That wasn't a vision. Did you have a vision of what you wanted to be when you grew up? Or anything like that?
Yeah, you know, it was like the very traditional like growing up, I was like the straight A student like I came home from school, it was like, make sure you get an A plus on everything, make sure you do really well in school. And I was very driven by the validation of getting good grades. Especially for my parents, because that was like the one point for them that was like, yes, like you did a good job if you got good grades, you know. And so I always thought I was going to be like a nurse or a doctor or a dietitian, which is what I intended to go to school for. And that definitely was not not the case. You know, as soon as I was always kind of that weird, like entrepreneurial kid, though, you know, like the one who has like the lemonade stands. And really Yeah, like tries to clean the house for a few extra bucks. Like that was definitely me growing up. So my parents knew I was destined for something a little different. But definitely never thought I would get to where I'm currently at now with owning two businesses and living out in California either. So Oh, where are you from? So I grew up in Tampa, Florida. My parents pretty much lost everything in when I was what freshman in college and my parents moved up to Pennsylvania. So I graduated from high school in Pennsylvania and I went to a year of community college there and then decided I don't like it here. This is not for me. And yeah, when I when I started my business, my freshman year of college, I dropped out and decided I had always wanted to live in California. That was one part of my vision that I knew, like I needed to go to California, it was just my place it was calling me. And yeah, when I when I dropped out of college, that's where I went.
I love it, you fall. You follow the you follow the calling the heart. So good. Okay, so eating, eating, let's go there eating disorder. It was like if you is there like a theme around that. What started that?
Yeah, this is always this is such a great question. Because when I was like 1819, and I had recovered, I've always asked myself this question like, Why did I have an eating disorder? Like what perpetuated me having an eating disorder? And it was always so so hard for me to answer this question until honestly, this last year. I did a lot of hypnotherapy. I've done a lot of work just like a lot of evolution over the last year, especially in the last six months. And when I look back at when I was 15. When I got my first I got my diagnosis of my eating disorder. I essentially had, I was diagnosed diagnosed with anorexia, but I essentially had what's called orthorexia nervosa, they didn't come up with the diagnosis until two years after, and then when you read it, like hands down is for sure what I was suffering with. And it really is just like obsessive compulsive disorder towards foods. So rather than not eating, I would eat but there were a lot of rules around when I could eat, what time I could eat, how much the kind of food I could eat. And, you know, stemming back to what I look at is, both myself and one of my siblings also struggled with an eating disorder. And so you kind of look at like, what is the root of that happening? And like, I love my family, I'll never blame anyone in my family or anything like that. But at the same time, you kind of have to be aware of like, what was your environment? What were the surroundings and I just had a very like image driven family and so for me it was really perpetuate perpetuated anything from like seeking validation from just other other things like the way that I looked. Another big part of it was actually social media too, because I actually had gotten into posting on social when I was really young when I was like 13, or 14, and I fell into the trap of like looking at a lot of bodybuilders and what they ate, and it was like really clean food. And so I was like, Oh, if I want to be strong and get muscles and you know, look look jacked like I have to the foods they eat, but they're also like in bodybuilding competition shows barely eating anything close to their show date. And I did that for two years. So that's why I just kind of perpetuated habits as well.
But if you didn't give yourself a break to like, breathe or not, there was no competition. And it was, I'm curious if there was like a thing about control in here, too. Like that was your way of being able to control something?
Absolutely. I think that was a big part. For me, too. It's like even being an entrepreneur now is like almost can say like, I can take that same energy of heart, like the hard work and the dedication and the obsession, unless it's like you shuttle that energy into something positive, right, and it's back then. It was a lot of control. For me, I didn't want to be told what to do, I would lie about my circumstances to make sure I could get my way. Like, there were a lot of crazy things I did back when I was like 1516 years old, just to keep myself in that situation, you know, and there was a lot of isolation, too, I didn't really want to be like the other kids in my high school. And I knew that and I didn't want to be around them. And so it was really easy for me to just kind of like lock myself away. And I learned a lot during that time, I will tell you that much. Read a lot did a lot of studying
like business, or what do you mean learn a lot.
A lot about fitness and nutrition as much as like I was eating for myself, the amount of food I needed to be I knew everything there was to know about what was in different kinds of foods, ingredients, macronutrient, breakdowns, micronutrient breakdowns, like all the things that I needed to learn, which is actually what made me want to become a fitness coach, because I didn't want other women to go through what I went through. But I also had accumulated so much knowledge. And I've worked with coaches after I had recovered to which I was like, wow, this is I never want anybody to feel the way that I felt back when I was like 1516 years old. And it really was the thing that made me go full throttle into wanting to become a PT and become a fitness coach, too.
Wow. So what were you in community college for? I'm curious. Yeah. So
I my parents wouldn't let me go to a university, which was really tough for me, because I had tried so hard throughout college.
Is this to support you to make sure you were okay.
They want to stay home, you know, and I think it was almost kind of a control factor for them to which I'm so grateful for because I wouldn't, I probably wouldn't have dropped out if I went to a major university just because I would have been paying for it. And it would have been a lot harder to leave. So everything happens, you know, and the way that it's in the way that it's easy to play. Literally so divine, I think back to it all the time. I'm like, I'm so grateful for everything that lined up to get me where I'm at so many things. And yeah, I stayed at my community college. And I was like making training programs. I had already been social posting on social media for like three years at the time. So I had had like almost 100,000 followers when I was in community college and started reaching out to me about making training programs, nutrition protocols. And at this time, I was in person training, and I had already gotten my personal training certification. So I was like, Well, let me entertain this. And let me see if I can do this whole, like online thing that I'd never heard of before didn't even know existed. Yeah, and lo and behold, by the end of my freshman year, I was making like 3500 bucks a month, but like for an 18 year old, that's bank, you know, like, that's good. That's a lot of money for for an 18 year old. That's like, let's see if I can do this. Let's see if I can make this happen long term. And I just went like that and went in the kitchen one day with my parents was like, Look, mom, dad, they were like what? I was like, I'm dropping College. Like, you're, you're doing what? And I was like I'm dropping out of college and I'm moving across the country peace out. I literally just moved I just
What did they say? What did they say?
You know, what's crazy is like my dad was the one who had gone to college and my mom had it. So my mom grew up in England. My mom's like, very, like bury Englishwoman love her. She's She's so funny. But she looked at me and she's like, there's no way like, you have to go to school like you have to because like I I'm kind of in that phase in that generation where it was like, You were really cool. If you went to a top school, you're like really cool. You like, you know, you're able to like, make it to a place where people can like, I guess it's more of like a stress thing. There's like a lot of people where they have a lot of stress to go to like a really awesome college and for me, I just didn't really care. Like it just wasn't about and my mom was really on me about it, but my dad was like, You're gonna make it work like you don't feel like you don't fail. Yeah, and he was like, and when you do fail, like you get right back up and you use it to to help you get to where you want to go. And so my dad was on board and my mom was like, There's no way but I think care. I was like, I'm gonna go in. So I left and I went anyway.
I'm curious how, like so you said you got to like 3500 a month? How would like did you have a savings built up? Like, did you get to a certain point before you decide to leap?
Yeah. So this is the big thing for me. And I hope that like everyone listening like play, I made it Tick Talk about this other day, like, please take, there's one thing you take from this podcast. It's this part right here. I worked at McDonald's, all of my high school even though I had an eating disorder, I also on the side, and they also worked at Chipotle. And then on the weekends, I would throw birthday parties for the sports center, and I would work my butt off to just get tips. And so I saved a bunch of money for what would be considered a lot of money for a high schooler, it was like maybe seven, eight grand, something like that. And I worked my butt off. And two days before I decided I was I was moving, I had packed everything, like, everything was on the road, I was like, I'm leaving, like, I'm gonna leave. I backed into my dad's brand new Buick with my car. And I took it to the shop two days before I was supposed to move, my parents knew they were like, Finally on board, like, they didn't really support it, but they were like, you're gonna go do it anyway. So just leave like we can't. And the total I had about I think was like seven or $8,000. The total was like 6500 to fix both cars. And I was like, that's all my money. That's literally all of my money. Like, I saved all this money. So I could go live my dream moves across the country, and I don't have it anymore. And I basically waited an extra two weeks because I was like, Okay, I need to get the cars fixed. And I made sure I got my own fixed, my dad was like, you can leave as long as you pay to get mine fixed while it's in the shop. And I left after that after I got my car fixed. I left and I was like, I don't have money. But you know what, I'm just going to make this work as as well as I can. So I was a really ballsy 18 year old like, I don't know,
fearless fear list.
I was, I was super fierce. I was fearless. I just went for it. And I think I just come to New in the back of my head, like I got to like I have myself like, um, if I kind of had a kind of had a little bit of a cushion with which was like going back to my parents house. But I was like, I don't want to do that. I don't want to go to college. And as much as I love them, it just wasn't an environment for growth for me. So my plan B really wasn't a plan B for me. It was like you have a cushion. But also like we don't want to go back to that. So just get out while you can. Because if not now when. And so yeah, I just left, then I made it happen.
So did you drive all
the way to California. So I will say I kind of had an intermission I had, I went down to Florida. And I worked for two months, but two and a half months at a gym down there to make money back because my sister, my sister lived in Florida at the time. And so I lived with her paid her rent, he was my first time paying rent. And I was like, you know, I was like terrified. I was trying to figure out this whole adulting thing. And I moved out like my parents, they were so great throughout high school, like pay for my gas, like pay for my car insurance, but they were like you decide to leave college cool, like you're no longer on any of them, or like go figure it out. So I had to adult and learn how to adult very quickly. And the three months, two and a half, three months that I was down in Florida, I just saved everything up. And then that's when I moved out to Los Angeles actually at the time.
So you saved while you were living at your sister's? Was that money coming in from like, the socials or was it mostly from the gym?
It was both. So I started getting brand deals because I had grown my whole thing. I started getting online clients, I had a pretty full online client roster. While I was also working at split shift at the gym, which was so hard. I almost gave up online coaching. And I was like why I have to choose one. And I don't want to be tied to the gym all day every day. So I decided to give that up and went part time and then eventually just went full time with coaching.
Did you have any fears here at all, or you were just like full throttle? You know, I
think back to this time in my life, and it's sometimes it still feels like a blackout phase to me where I think I was overcoming so much from my recovery still. And I just wanted to I think I almost wanted to have control over my life. I didn't want anyone telling me what to do. And I was going to do whatever it took for me to do that. Because I had a lot of rules on me when I was back home because my parents cared that was it. They just cared like they wanted to be to be healthy and safe. And it also put a lot of restriction on me. And I think this is why I'm also an entrepreneurs because I don't like being told what to do. And I think back to that time and I was definitely afraid. But I also was really just excited because I was like this is the first like internet and social media. It's so new. This is just The beginning and I think I knew there was going to be a massive like just evolution of social media. And the way that people talk to me like all the mentors I had back then that I didn't never, I never paid for anything. It was just brand, people who own brands that were like, Oh, you're gonna crush it. Like I had so much affirmation from brands and from people around me and I was like, I'm gonna, I'm going to trust them. Like, I'm gonna listen to this, and I'm gonna go do the thing. So
beautiful. So many people actually have trouble receiving if someone is acknowledging them. They don't really absorb it. And you are like, I welcome this and I am gonna run with it. This is fuel.
Yeah. Oh, it was so like an egoic era for me to like, it was feeding my ego so hard back when I was like, eating and I was like, yes, like, I'm gonna feel like a queen. And thank you. I took
it for sure. So fast for it. You made it San Diego, is that where you went first.
So went to LA live there for Okay, for months over in Parque La Brea. And Senator Hollywood, it was not the best experience for me. Like I wasn't funny. I wasn't 21. So I couldn't like, go out or do anything. It was really hard for me to meet people. I actually lived there with my partner and moved there. And he lived in LA. So that was like, kind of what pulled me out to Wait, where
did he show up in this?
So I actually met him through social media when I was working at the gym in Florida. And yeah, so you know, obviously no longer together. We're not not together, but at the time. And yeah, he was like, You should come visit LA, I got a one way out to LA. That's when I went from Florida out there. And I was like, I guess I gotta quit my job. And I just moved out. And then I hated LA. And I basically told him look like, I can't stay here. I'm moving down to San Diego, you can come with me, or you can stay here but like, I'm not giving up my life to like, stay in
what you're doing. And, like, I feel like a big theme of all of this is people that are quantum leaping are they're really led by what feels good. And they honor that like 100%.
Yeah, yeah. And I'm super grateful at the time he was he wanted to move down to San Diego. So we were like, well, let's just make it happen. And perfect. Yeah, it worked out. So.
So you had you had additional support in that, which is beautiful. Okay, so now, I mean, so 100,000 followers, I mean, you've, I think tripled that or something?
Yeah, like, close to almost like 300,000 followers, and
you've like, gazillion x the 3000 a month or 3500? I mean, you have employees, right? You have people that work with you or for you now? Yeah. So I'm coaches.
Yeah, I have I've, yeah, it's crazy. I have two teams, we have marketing division, we have a coaching division, we have a sales division, I'm pretty much pulled out of the fitness coaching business. For the most part, I'll be taking like a little bit of a bigger step back after this year as well to just fully go all in on the wealth Academy and actually bringing in a successor, and operating director to just take over, which is really cool. I already have those people, which is also the best part about it, because they've been in the business for like three years, and they're amazing what they do. So it's been fun leading a team. It's scary, but it's fun. So
yeah, yeah, total. So you guys can see she's a total badass, obviously. Okay, so I'm curious, like, even just taking on employees or people to work under you. Like that's a quantum leap in itself, I feel like because you're taking on responsibility for other people. Anything you want to share about that. The amount
of like, identity shifts, and like, I feel like even ego deaths, where I'm like, I have to quite literally shed a layer of who I am as a human being an individual because leadership, or I believe good leadership is really being heart centered and having a lot of humility. And I think especially providing a workplace where people feel like they can grow is so key. And so you have to drop a lot of the the ego to be like I don't, I'm not the only one building this anymore. Like it's not about me, it's about the clients and helping the clients. But now it's also about also essentially providing a layer of personal development for the team that you build. Because when you grow as a leader, you create a gap between yourself and the team. And so then you have to try and help the team fill that gap. And so for me with building out a team, I was really young when I hired my first person that was 20. And I had no idea what I was doing. And I did not hire properly. I didn't hire effectively. I didn't care about values back then I didn't know what principles were. And I think as a leader, it's really crucial to look at, you know, what are my values? What are my principles? What is my vision for the company, but also do you have a cultural vision for the company as well? And I think what's really cool is almost everybody on my team is under the age of 26. So we have How old are you? I don't even know. I'm 24 so far guys crushing it. And then we have 27 people between the two companies. So pretty big teams. But it's like the most amazing thing is obviously coaching and providing a client with a transformational experience, but giving somebody a paycheck, and then also being able to provide livelihood for them, and a growth experience for, like self expansion. Seeing that everyday because that's what my main job is, as a CEO is to talk to my team members is like, like I've had to, I've almost like been forced to grow more just to be able to help support my team, which has been so
Oh, totally. Yeah. Because it's the reflection of you. Yeah. Is there anyone that was instrumental besides you, because you're obviously a force to be reckoned with that supported your growth? Would you say, poof, well,
I could like sit here and list off a bajillion. I will say like, just just to keep it short, multiple mentors, I think the biggest thing for me was, I was really resistant to mentorship, it was a very egoic thing for me. Whereas like, I don't want anyone taking credit for my success. And so the first three years of business, I never actually hired a mentor. I was always really resistant. And then every mentor I hired, I was like, I don't really want to get on calls with you. I don't really care to do this.
I was really resist, I want to do it my way. Yeah. And
I think that's good, right? Because there's like that innovation layer. But there's also that layer of like, well, let's talk to someone who's actually been in the position that you want to be in. And I think the hard part for me was, I was like, there's no one who's in that position, because I want to create it. And you know, but there are also things that you can take from mentors that maybe aren't even in that position, but they've had experiences that can help support you. And last year, I was at a live event, and a man came and sat next to me, his name is Artemis. And he was like, I felt really cool to sit next to you. And like I hadn't done any, like I hadn't done much personal development work or hadn't learned about self awareness levels of consciousness. None of that stuff. Is a little creepy dude is weird. Coming to the next day. I was like, Yeah, sure, like, take the seat. Yeah. Okay. And then the whole day, I was at like an ADS event. So it's about ads, which we only do organic marketing. So I was already kind of resistant, but all day just sat and listened to him talk to me. And I learned more in like the five hours I sat next to this man than I had, like, in years of doing business. And I ended up going home and hiring him. And we did a lot of like super conscious recoding a lot of ego or like self mastery work. And he was a huge pillar in helping me just develop as a leader and introducing even some of the frameworks that we use in some of our programs now. So he's a huge pillar. And then also I have these two beautiful, amazing women who are my operators on each business. And all day, every day, we just go back and forth spitting bars at each other about just Entrepreneurial Development leadership. And they have just been huge pillars in my own personal development, which I'm so so grateful for. So yeah, it's been there's so many people I get to think, but my mentors have been incredible. My team has been incredible. You know, amazing friends. I have wonderful friends, too, who are entrepreneurs, which helps a ton. So
yeah. And I mean, you probably, you kind of end up meeting people at you're like doing what you're doing.
Yeah. It's really easy to meet people.
Three Steps to Quantum Leap
Yeah. So okay. So if you were, it's really easy to not easy. But if you were to look back, what would you say for somebody else that's listening? Who's in business, a business owner? About how to quantumly? What would your three keys to what's in your tool belt?
So the first one and love this question. I love this question. The first one for me is go the opposite direction. I think nowadays, there's like a lot of this like, especially with content, right? Because a lot of us as business owners are content creators, we just, we have to almost fit in that to be able to survive and do what we do. I think there's so much like dopamine spike content going out on socials where it's like, let's see how we can follow a trend. And so it's like, why don't we start running the other direction, like make yourself polarizing because I think conformity is so comforting for people. And I think for myself, personally, that was the key element that helped me get away from getting stuck in that loop of going to which there's nothing wrong with school, what
are you doing this polarizing?
I think for me, it's the biggest thing was like leaving college at 18 moving across the country doing something that's just different, talking about my own personal story. Like if you bring your own personal story or opinions in on things, it's polarizing, and I think a lot of people are terrified to give their perspective. And your perspective can't be wrong. It's just your perspective. At the end of the day,
they're gonna like it or not, and yeah, and you know, it's
great. It's like, if someone doesn't like it, and then they project back onto you. It's like, oh, let's dig into that. Like, it's a great opportunity. You know, so I I think that's the really cool part about not conforming is sometimes you do ruffle people's feathers a little bit,
but I don't mind it at all, maybe entertaining,
need to be ruffled a little bit, you know yet, if someone's gonna do it, or they're just gonna stay the same. So I think that's like the one, the number one thing I will say is if you really want to take that quantum leap, like do that. The second is I think, really just like the Self Mastery piece, if people can work to elevate their level of consciousness, and start to just become more aware of not just not just your own behavior, but other people's behaviors, understanding to be a good listener, not just listening to people to be able to respond or react, it's actually trying to understand that person. I think in business nowadays, emotional intelligence is like a key pillar in anything you do, and just elevating your level of consciousness. Because until I started to understand the world, and started to understand that everyone is entitled to their own reality, I had a lot of ego towards a lot of things, that wasn't necessarily the best, because sometimes it's good for you to have that and protect yourself. But for me, it was holding me back so much, because I was super resistant. So if you can work on just start asking yourself the questions, you know, that's something I wish I would have done a lot earlier.
Is there like a specific question that you would throw out there?
Yeah, I think this is the number one question that I asked myself starting, probably beginning of 2021 is like, if I were to do exactly the thing that I wanted to do today, regardless of anyone's opinion, what would it be? Like, if I wanted to do more of what I love today? What would it be? So if you can shed back that layer of judgment and fear of what other people think, like, what would you be doing? Would you quit your nine to five? Like, would you get on social media and talk differently about different things? Or are you just doing the same thing over and over? Because you feel like you need to do it? And I think a lot of people get stuck in that loop? With
limit? Yeah,
yeah, I would say those are like two really big ones. I think that's those two are like the really big pillars. For me, I think. When it comes to quantum leaping, I think a lot of people try to push for it, and push in a way that it's like, I see other people doing it, I see other people doing it, but your quantum leap comes with a perfect time when you do the work. And when you it's all divine timing, like everything comes in the perfect time in the perfect order. And so sometimes the more you push into it and push into it, push into it, there's that persistence layer. And so following your intuition, like follow intuition and slow, I guess, actually, we'll add a third one in here, because this is something I've been talking about a bunch recently, especially for business owners, and especially for female business owners is there can be harmony between structure and flow. And I think flow is a lot of that intuition in business. So when you create structures like revenue goals, KPIs and your business sales, targets, things like that, create the structure because it allows you to pull your intuition and to be like, Oh, do I need to launch something Do I need to do something to get more people on calls with me this week. And I think there's a lot of like resistance to having both of those things, a lot of people will go super into the flow side of business or super into the structural side. And so if you want to take the quantum leap, I think a big part is like, reverse engineer the goals that you have, so you know how to get there and what's necessary but also be able to pull your intuition and to be like, This is what I love to do. This is how I like to post you know, this is what feels good for me. And I think for me recently once I learned to not be so hyper masculine in business, I started to do a lot better and my clients started to do better and I started to love the content I was putting out which made it a lot easier for growth to
Yeah, I always use also like the framework of the river because people were like, I don't want boundaries or I don't want a system I want to be in the flow and I'm like yeah me too but like by putting up the walls of the river it's able to flow so good
that's such a good yeah into the ocean
please There you go. Yeah. Well, why don't you share really quickly about Yeah, the the opportunities that you have available and where people can find you?
Yeah, sure thing so if you guys want to find me over on my main page on Instagram is primarily where I post most of everything it's just Kendall sample my full name so @KendallStrampel. If you guys are looking to just expand in terms of self mastery, business mastery, follow our business coaching page. It's @wwbizacademy, just for those out there who might be looking for it. And we have so many resources as soon as you go to link in our bio over there. I also have my own podcast which is a stripe for strength podcast where we talk more about millennial entrepreneurship and wealth which is pretty cool.
Yeah, so that's kind of my goodness you You're seriously sets in such an inspiration and I love how like I feel doubt and fear which is so crippling to so many people doesn't even exist. I mean, I'm sure it does at some level, but it doesn't feel like it. It doesn't really exist for you.
Yeah, I definitely have impostor syndrome from time to time and I think more so now than back then because it wasn't as much competition. But I think the big thing for me, it's like, I just told myself like, get it done. Like, just get it done. The vision is more important than the fear
though good yourself. Amazing. Yay. Yes. Thank you so much for joining us and pray that whoever needs to hear all the words of wisdom gets this podcast in their hands and turns into yours as well. I didn't even know you hadn't. Okay, so how to check out your podcast. Amazing.