Aubrielle Brennan knows firsthand that motherhood changes more than your daily routine. It changes your body, your priorities, and often the relationship you have with yourself. Afterspending years pursuing fitness and serving as an FBI agent, she found herself facing a
challenge she hadn’t anticipated after becoming a mother. The routines that once worked no longer delivered the same results, and the confidence she had built over years of training began to disappear. Instead of accepting that reality, Aubrielle chose to start over. That decision not only transformed her own life but also inspired her to become a fitness and nutrition coach dedicated to helping other mothers rebuild their strength and confidence.
Her fitness journey actually began much earlier, during college, when she struggled with body image. “Lifting weights was the magic that changed everything and gave me confidence,” she recalls. Later, she shifted her focus toward distance running and stepped
away from strength training. It wasn’t until a year after giving birth that she rediscovered the
value of lifting weights.
“I’d floundered that first year, trying the things that worked before but didn’t work in my new life,” she says. Feeling frustrated, she hired a fitness and nutrition coach, hoping to regain the confidence she had lost. That experience reshaped far more than her workout routine.
Changing the Mindset Around Fitness
Working with a coach introduced Aubrielle to a completely different philosophy. Instead of chasing weight loss by eating less and trying to become smaller, she learned to focus on building strength while fueling her body properly.
“My coach shifted my mindset from trying to eat less and get smaller into building muscle and strength while eating to fuel the build,” she explains.
That change became the foundation of her coaching philosophy today. She believes successful transformation requires three equally important components: personalized training, proper nutrition, and a healthy mindset.
“There are apps out there to help you with workouts, but customized ones work so much better,” she says. “Nutrition changes as our bodies change, so moms really need someone working alongside them. And the final piece is mindset. If mindset doesn’t change, then the results don’t last.”
Her goal is to spare other mothers from experiencing the same frustration she felt during her postpartum journey.
Balancing Fitness and Family
As both a wife and a mother, Aubrielle has learned that health should support family life rather than compete with it. While she naturally tends to approach challenges with an all-or- nothing mentality, her family has helped her develop a healthier perspective. “My family teaches me daily that truly living doesn’t look like adhering to a regimen at all costs,” she says.
That mindset influences the way she approaches both fitness and nutrition. Some days, family memories take priority over completing a workout. Other days, a strength session includes dancing with her son between sets. Sometimes, it simply means sharing a donut together.
Those everyday moments even inspired her transition from tracking macros to intuitive eating.
“My kid loves donuts and he was starting to notice that I wasn’t eating donuts with him because they didn’t fit my macros,” she says. “I want my son to live joyfully and intentionally, so I need to model that.”
For Aubrielle, teaching healthy habits is just as important as teaching discipline.
Making Fitness Part of Everyday Life
Today, Aubrielle follows a routine that fits naturally into her family’s schedule. She lifts weights four times a week in her garage, runs twice a week, and walks whenever possible. As her son has grown older, her workouts have evolved alongside him.
What was once quiet naptime training has become family time. After completing heavier lifts while her son has quiet time indoors, he joins her outside for accessory exercises using his own child-sized barbell.
“I try to model that moving our bodies is fun and is just part of taking care of them, the same as brushing our teeth every day,” she says.
Her nutrition has also evolved. Although she no longer tracks every macro, she still applies everything she learned about balanced eating. She prioritizes protein at every meal, includes plenty of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, and finds that intuitive eating has eliminated
the scarcity mindset that often accompanies restrictive diets.
Investing in Yourself Matters
Perhaps the greatest challenge Aubrielle faced after becoming a mother wasn’t physical. It was believing she deserved to invest in herself.”When I heard how much a coach would be, I was ready to give up,” she says. It was her husband’s encouragement that convinced her to move forward.
Looking back, she believes many mothers make the mistake of putting themselves last, assuming that sacrificing their own well-being somehow benefits their families.
“But the cost of that is high,” she explains. “When mom isn’t happy, the whole family feels that energy.”
She also points to the long-term health benefits of strength training, noting that women naturally begin losing muscle mass and bone density around age 35 unless they actively work to preserve it through resistance training and proper nutrition.
“A happy mom taking care of herself is a mom also taking care of her family,” she says. “Moms are people too, and they deserve the same investment they want to give their families.”
Living the Example She Teaches
Running a coaching business while raising a young child requires intentional planning. Aubrielle structures her days carefully, scheduling workouts, work hours, quality family time, and evenings with her husband. Her clients know weekends are reserved for family, allowing
her to be fully present in every area of her life.
“Bottom line: I am disciplined so I can show up for all the people that matter to me.” Fitness has also become something the entire family enjoys together. Whether working out in the garage, hiking local trails, or learning to rollerblade, staying active has become a shared lifestyle rather than an individual pursuit.
For mothers considering their own health journey, Aubrielle offers simple but powerful advice. “There is no perfect time. There will never be a perfect time where you have enough time or enough money. The time to invest in yourself is now.”
She encourages women to think beyond the next few weeks and instead consider the person they want to become over the coming years. With the right support, realistic habits, and a mindset focused on long-term progress, she believes every mother has the ability to become
stronger, healthier, and more confident while still prioritizing the people she loves most.
