At Anchor & Rise, we know true transformation runs deeper than losing body fat or building muscle. We have learned firsthand that life—and health—aren’t linear.

For years, I (Coach Cate) lived the “safe” path. Seven years in the Navy. Predictable. Stable. From the outside, life looked dialed in—but inside, year after year, I felt more and more disconnected from myself. Then between eight meetings one day, my antsy body went to a gym and found movement.

Movement found me at thirty — not as punishment for my body, but as a lifeline.

Weightlifting, breathwork, HIIT, yoga—each practice a chance to burn off the constraints life handed me. I learned that true energy isn’t about how much muscle you gain or fat you lose, but how deeply you can reconnect—with your body, your mind, and your sense of agency.

That awareness only deepened when my partner (Coach Ca) faced kidney failure and a rare disease with no map or cure. And a long wait for a new kidney. 

I donated my kidney for him—yes, for him, but in truth, for us both. Because during those tests, fears, and months of brutal waiting, I realized how much I’d let fear write my script.