By Chris Olsen
Lindsey Ramundt’s Whyography is one of more than 30 stories featured in the “Whyography: Building a Brand Fueled by Purpose” book.
Lindsey Ramundt was on her way to the gym and her stomach was in knots. Just the thought of walking into the building made her anxious. In fact, everything about the gym was terrifying. She had gained and lost weight over the years, and her recent pregnancy had exacerbated that. Losing weight this time seemed daunting, and when things got hard, Lindsey often gave up. But on this day, she was determined things would be different. And then, as she thought about being judged at the gym, Lindsey threw up in the car.
A few weeks earlier, Lindsey had been looking through images on her phone. Instagram had recently launched, and she was curious how photos of her son might look using the filters. But after she downloaded the app, rather than posting her own images, she found herself checking out hashtags that seemed interesting—particularly those that included the word “transformation.” That’s when she stumbled on an account belonging to a woman who had used weightlifting to transform her body.
Before that, Lindsey had never considered weightlifting. Something was different this time. A physical transformation was appealing, but it was more than that. Lindsey felt a desire for a total life transformation, in a way she’d never experienced before. It was strong enough to motivate her to start weightlifting, which she did, despite vomiting on the way to the gym that first day.
Little by little, weightlifting did transform Lindsey’s life. She eventually experienced a complete shift from who she’d been previously. She started doing things that were hard and actually enjoyed it. And when one of the most difficult things she could imagine happened—her marriage ended—fitness was Lindsey’s lifeline.
Lindsey ended up moving across the country from Texas to Minnesota. Now a single mom, she needed to go back to work. She took a variety of jobs to make ends meet, but she kept gravitating toward fitness-related work. It started when an acquaintance asked for her help opening a gym and culminated with a full-time position with a wearable fitness device company.
While she loves all things fitness, weightlifting remains Lindsey’s passion. It inspired her to get her personal training certification and launch her personal training business. She is committed to helping women become less intimidated by weightlifting and improve their overall health. Every session includes a fitness, nutrition and mindset component, and her program is delivered through an app, so it’s available anytime for busy women.
Beyond helping them achieve better health with the app, Lindsey is creating a community where women can feel empowered. Her program includes a Facebook group, where she provides live trainings and tips to help members stay focused on their goals. For Lindsey, weightlifting has transformed her interior even more than her exterior, and that’s what she wants to do for her clients. “I want women to have that internal transformation they didn’t even know they needed, like I did.”
Photo credit: a.m. photography for Publish Her Story
About the Author
Chris Olsen is a broadcast media veteran turned communications consultant, educator and the author of “Whyography: Building a Brand Fueled by Purpose.” The founder of Publish Her and Publish Her Story, Chris has helped thousands of women tell their stories and publish their books.
About Publish Her
Publish Her is a female-founded and focused publisher dedicated to elevating the words, writing and stories of women. We are passionate about amplifying the voices of women of color, women with disabilities and members of the LGBTQ+ community. We aim to make publishing an attainable, exciting and collaborative process for all. Publish Her specializes in print-on-demand books, workbooks, journals, magazines and more.
