We had the good fortune of connecting with Madison Hoover and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Madison, do you disagree with some advice that is more or less universally accepted?
I heavily disagree with the advice to always have a Plan B. This narrative was pushed heavily onto me growing up by my parents and their generation, and I was always ridiculed for not listening to it. However, not allowing myself to have anything besides a Plan A, is also the reason why I’ve pretty much always achieved any goal I’ve set for myself. If you are always allowing yourself to believe that you need a second option, you are already accepting failure as an outcome. On the other hand, when you put your full effort and belief into your Plan A, with no contingencies, you have no choice but to create the desired result. Even if that takes longer than expected. You only fail when you give up trying at that point.

What should our readers know about your business?
When I first started coaching, it was purely out of passion. I had personal experiences in the past with eating disorders, body dysmorphia, and having a toxic relationship with working out due to social media and things I would hear were “correct”…and I wanted to be the person I needed back then for my clients. I am very proud of that aspect of my coaching, because a lot of people online promote disordered eating and workout habits to young girls who don’t know any better. My goal has always been to teach them the healthier way to an overall lifestyle shift.

A few months into coaching, I actually hit a huge mental obstacle that almost threw me back into that disordered mindset. I gained 30 pounds in a month, developed chronic fatigue, was getting terrible cystic acne, experiencing mood swings and irregular periods – nothing “ordinary”. However, doctor after doctor kept telling me it was basically all in my head. I would get small pieces of info from each one, a referral to another, but no answers. One even told me to eat 1,000 calories and workout more because he knew how sensitive women were about their weight.

This time period really brought out a lot of insecurities in me as a coach. The doctors were all telling me that nothing major was wrong, so why was this happening? And how could I call myself a health and fitness coach if I couldn’t even help myself? It brought a lot of feelings of imposter syndrome, and I almost gave up. It was at this point that I turned to my social media community and asked for advice…and this is where I met my niche.

One of my clients to this day told me to research PCOS. I did, and once I realized I had all the symptoms, I went back to the doctors with ammo. I got my diagnoses, but I also realized that I was severely lacking fundamental knowledge as a coach. However, so was a majority of the population. When I was getting my certification, they taught us absolutely nothing about women’s hormones, metabolism, or how this impacts someone long term. So, I decided to go on a journey to fix myself, and share it with my community.

The result of this journey has lead to my new niche: PCOS weight loss. I’ve learned SO much from embarking on my own journey, and now I get to help women every day who have been told over and over by doctors like I was that “there’s nothing wrong with you, you’re lazy, eat less, cut carbs, just come back when you’ve lost the weight”. It makes my job SO much more meaningful, and I love every second of it.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
My favorite thing to do when someone I loves comes to Atlanta is to take them to Peidmont Park! We would rent bikes and bike along the belt line, stop at Krog Street Market for some food, and take lot’s of scenic pictures. On another day, we would take a drive up to Blood Mountain and hike to the top to see the views of the Appalachian trail. If we are talking about food, I would 100% take them to get sushi at Fudo – it’s always a wait, but worth it.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
1. My business coach Zakk Colburn deserves a HUGE spot in my story! My business was a shell of a concept before we began working together, and now its my full time job. I wouldn’t be anywhere near as successful if it wasn’t for him helping me figure out how to get from point A to point B.

2. Every single client I’ve ever had has made a huge impact on me as a coach. When I first started, I had the basics down. That was it. All of them helped me become the person I am today. They helped me see my flaws as a teacher, where I could improve, and what things were ACTUALLY important to someone who needed help, and not just what I thought they wanted.

Website: https://forms.gle/EBod3UweGL6c6hGk9

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mv_fitness_

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1973577182785080

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClGFjtU3QrupcyNZ4N84fng

Image Credits
Myself and Client Selfies (heads cropped out to protect identities/ permission granted to use progress pics)

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