Pasadena Magazine is the bi-monthly magazine of Pasadena and its surrounding areas – the diverse, historically rich and culturally vibrant region that includes Glendale, the Eastside of Los Angeles and the San Gabriel Valley all the way to Claremont.
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Charting A Healthy Course Autumn Calabrese uses a diffi cult childhood as personal motivation in her continuing search for healthful ways to help others. STORY BY // KWESI DEI AND NICOLE HANRATTY ∫ WHEN SHE WALKS INTO A ROOM, AUTUMN CALABRESE BEGETS A SENSE OF CONVICTION. MAYBE IT'S HER STEADY GAZE OR CONFIDENT SWAGGER, BUT THERE IS ALSO SOMETHING INTANGIBLE SHE EXUDES, AN UNVARNISHED EMPHATIC CONFIDENCE WHEN SHE SPEAKS. AND IT ALL BELIES HER PETITE, SCULPTED (5'4") FRAME AND SMALL TOWN UPBRINGING. "Control freak, Type A, overachiever," Calabrese says when asked to describe herself. But these traits serve her well. She's driven to succeed no matter the job or challenge put in front of her. Calabrese is a trained dancer who turned her passion for wellness into a movement to help others. She's hailed as a celebrity trainer, nutrition expert (author of 75 Lunch Ideas for Kids and FIXATE™ cookbook), motivational speaker, entrepreneur and visionary. The creator of the acclaimed diet FIXATE and designer of transformational workout programs 21 Day Fix, 21 Day Fix Extreme, Country Heat and The Master's Hammer and Chisel, Calabrese has helped a countless number of people manage their weight and self-actualize. So how did this small town midwestern girl push her way to the center stage? Her story is one that's all too familiar. Raised in a broken, unstable home by a single father grappling to control his temper left Calabrese wanting for a parents love. But, Calabrese never let her worst days or feelings of abandonment defi ne her. Instead, she used it to fuel her drive to succeed. Calabrese has an eagerness to learn and hunger in her eyes. She pushes everyone around her to work harder, And while her success lands her on red carpets and magazine covers, she's never more than a text message away for the clients she works with. At meet- ings, she'll listen to everyone's ideas, but there is no doubt who has the fi nal say. Just a few short years ago, she saw her family cycle begin to repeat itself as she went through a divorce after the birth of her child. The resilient woman inside of her refused to let her son grow up in the chaos she experienced as a child. Calabrese always schedules her hectic work schedule, (travel, production of her cooking and fi tness shows, seminars, etc.) around his classes and after school sports. Her iron willed determination to provide the optimal environment for her child has pushed her to face her past and reclaim her health, since, as she puts it, "How can I raise a healthy child if I'm not healthy?" "Being a mom has changed my life in a way that I could never have predicted. The day I gave birth to Dom, I realized that my life was no longer just about me anymore. Every single day I wake up, taking care of my child and pro- viding for him is at the forefront of my mind. Does that mean that I don't still need to take care of me? Absolutely not. I can't take care of my son if I am not healthy. Part of the reason I SEPTEMBER 2017 125 B O D Y, M I N D A N D S P I R I T HEALTH & WELLNESS