Joovin' with Lacey Stone, Wall Street Journal's Hottest Female Trainer in America

The Wall Street Journal’s “hottest female trainer in America” talks about staying strong in body, mind, and soul—and how the Joovv enhances her personal routine.

How has a failure, or apparent failure, set you up for later success? In other words, do you have a “favorite failure”?

I believe that everything happens for a reason. The good and the bad are meant to take you in the direction you’re destined for...I think people have to believe that so they don’t lose their sparkle. The shitty things that have happened to me have given me the drive to continue building my brand and learning what qualities I want the people in my life to have. The bad has changed me from a girl into a woman—and one that I’m proud of. Failures have taught me to stand tall and live my life with courage and hope in what’s possible, as long as I don’t give up on the hope in my heart.

My favorite failure...oh, there are so many to choose from! I think my divorce? It brought me to LA and showed me that nothing can break me.

In today’s world, we see a lot of social media “trainers” with no qualifications or training background. What are 2-3 of the worst recommendations you hear most often?

Haha, EASY!

1. "This diet will work for everyone." Everyone is different and no one thing works for everyone. That’s bogus.
2. "This workout is better than that workout." No workout is inherently better than another; it depends on your goals and what makes you happy. Running is highly effective but I hate it. So, if I ran, I would hate working out—and then I wouldn’t do it. If you don’t like running, find a similar workout that gives you the same benefits. For example, I love spin!

If you could wave a magic wand, where do you see your personal brand, Lacey Stone Fitness, 3-5 years from now?

I would like my virtual platform that’s launching this summer to change the way people view health. I want to be America’s coach and travel across the world teaching people my methods and improving their lives from the inside out. I feel like I could have a lot of off-shoots from this platform—such as books, speaking tours, and much, much more. That’s the dream!

You often talk about the three key aspects in keeping a long-term fitness goal: personal, professional, and physical. Can you elaborate on what those are and why they are important?

Life is about finding happiness through working at creating balance every day. If you have a great body but your professional and personal life are off, then you’re not going to be happy. If you have a great job and you don’t like your relationship and are unhealthy, you’re not going to feel good or happy either.

You have to figure out what drives you in these three areas of your life in order to create well-rounded and long-term health in all areas of your life. That’s what Lacey Stone Fitness is all about. For me, fitness is a lifestyle of being your best self from the inside out—it’s not just about how you look on the outside. If that’s what you’re focusing on, you will not get the results you seek. A great body without a happy heart is worthless.

You’ve had the opportunity to be one of the featured trainers on Revenge Body With Khloe Kardashian. What are 1-2 success stories that really stand out to you?

My client from the first season, Tiffany Morgan, is now the COO of my company and continues to find happiness in all areas of her life.

My other client, Ashley, was super shy. But through being on the show, she has now done lingerie modeling...I mean, talk about growth!

I think Dexter from season one is amazing, too. He was lost and gained a lot of weight after his football years were over. After working with his trainer, he is now in the best shape of his life! If you follow him on Instagram, you’ll see that fitness has become his way of life.

You definitely believe in cheat meals/snacks. What is your favorite?

I’m all about living life. If you’re constantly restricting yourself and trying to be “perfect,” you will fail. Eating food that’s not the best for you in an appropriate portion size 1-3x/month is totally OK!

I love hamburgers, tequila, and cupcakes!

What exercise do you hate doing the most, but yields the best results?

I hate running with a passion but it’s undeniably a great workout.

What do you mean when you say “fitness starts in the mind”?

See the above! If you’re not motivated to work out, then you’re not going to work out—and if you don’t work out, you won’t get results. Where does motivation begin? In your mind. Those 5.5 inches between your ears is the most important part of your body, in my opinion.

If you could only give one piece of advice to young fitness trainers, what would you say and why?

Don’t get caught up with the bullshit around celeb clients, making money, being a brand. First, start with the why—why do you want to be a trainer? And if the answer is always that you are doing it to help people, you are in the right career.

Then, base your business off of who you are and how you can contribute to making people’s lives better. The healthier your clients become, the more successful you will become. Always remember that you go into a fitness career to help people. That needs to be your focus—then the success will come.

You’ve recently incorporated the Joovv into your daily routine. What are your thoughts on light therapy and would you recommend it to others?

Anything that gets me to slow down and stop doing, doing, doing is a major win for me! I love using my Joovv because it is a noninvasive, completely painless way to improve elements of my wellness. I combine it with meditation—so it's time set aside to not only biohack my body, but also my mind and thought patterns. Two birds, one stone!

The views and opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Joovv. Any content provided by our guest collaborators are of their opinion and are not intended to diagnose, cure, or prevent specific diseases of medical conditions.