SHINE Stories: Chantel’s Journey from Anxiety, Perfectionism, and Self-Doubt to Empowerment and Instructor in Training

Content warning: This episode contains open discussion of body image, mental health, and disordered eating.

In this episode of SHINE Stories, Jess sits down with Chantel (she/her), a SHINE FIT member and registered nurse whose journey over the past year has been nothing short of transformational.

Chantel opens up about the toxic fitness habits and food restrictions that shaped her early adulthood — from fearing the treadmill to measuring her self-worth by how long she could last on it. Paralyzed by perfectionism and gym anxiety, she never thought she could feel confident in her body, let alone enjoy movement.

Then she found SHINE through a TikTok, took a chance on a giveaway, and booked her first class. That one decision changed everything.

Today, she’s not only thriving in her own fitness journey — she’s also training to become a SHINE FIT instructor.

Highlights of this episode:
💙 How movement and therapy helped her heal her anxiety
💙 Letting go of food rules and learning to love pizza again
💙 From being terrified to enter a class… to leading one
💙 The massive life shifts she made after joining SHINE: new apartment, new job, new degree
💙 What she’d tell her younger self (and anyone who doesn’t think they belong in a fitness studio)

Connect with Chantel on Instagram: @chantel.cody
Listen in and get ready to be inspired by her honesty, resilience, and the joy she brings to every room she walks into.