2014 – I’m in Thatchers coffee shop, where I went to write client programs on Friday mornings. It’s now been a year since I got my exercise science degree and received my C.S.C.S. And it’s been about 6 months since deciding to NOT pursue my dream of being a college strength and performance coach – after interning for nearly 2 years.

I had an AMAZING experience in college strength. But it wasn’t for me. Not in the long term. I wasn’t willing to up and move wherever and whenever the next opportunity called. And certainly not for the ratio of hours required to payment received. Just as one must be obsessed with the pursuit and process of coaching online and being an entrepreneur, the same is required for being a college strength coach. The only the way the man-hours are worth it, is if it is the career-love-of-your-life. For me, it wasn’t.

I knew through my nearly four years of training women in person and two years of interning in college strength that I loved programming – the behind the scenes work – more than the COACHING. There were other ways to express that passion than to stick with college strength for the mare fact that this had been my plan for the last three to four years.

So I honored that hard-found truth and looked for a way to make programming my job. FitdesignbyAnnie was born in 2015 – in person training (officially) and remote program design. That’s why and how I entered the online space – to write 12 month+ programming for women who wanted to lift.

It’s been my “thing” since 2014. Took me 2.5 years until September 2017 to really even find my groove online. That’s when I launched my first long term, 12 month training cycle, Built By Annie. The rest is history, evolving and expanding from there.

Now, in 2022 (at the time of this post) I finally have the space to share my practiced love of program design with other coaches – whether it’s “your thing” or not. 

Pure PROgramming is your 13 week programming course for strength and hypertrophy long term periodization.

Instead of college strength, I pursued the long road to where I am now – creating a program that hundreds of women have and do use, and spreading the art of program design with coaches who feel the same gap I did – aka no education around program design outside of formal education and being your own guinea pig.

Whether you pursue college strength, professional strength and performance or some other niche in the strength and conditioning world, know that it’s not a fast track. No matter what. If my story is testament to anything, it’s that. 

P.S. Noel was my first ever client. I sent her excel spreadsheet monthly programming and she mailed her checks to my house. When I say I’ve built what you see from the ground up, I ain’t lyin’!

The coaching world is broad – vast. Take time to find your best fit in it. Where you get to enjoy the pieces. You love most and I believe, then have the most impact.

While you’re on the site, snag all the free resources – you’ll find goodies for trainees and coaches or entrepreneurs alike. Much love.

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