Wellness Warriors Life is a family business that has quickly become the go-to for people looking to transform their lives. Patrick and Rebecca Pickels are the founders and made the decision to pursue this fitness journey as a way to manage the autoimmune diseases that they face as a family. They have since developed natural and healthy ways of looking after their bodies as a family and hope to inspire others with their efforts.
Hi Patrick and Rebecca! Could you introduce yourselves to begin?
Hi! I am Patrick. I am a Husband and father first. I am a certified health coach, Nutritionist, and certified personal trainer. I have 10 years of health and wellness experience. Growing up, nutrition to my family was to clean your plate to be big and strong. Eat your meat and potatoes. There wasn’t as much information around wellness as there is today. My goal is to teach people how to make the right choices, enjoy the food they eat that is healthy, and have a fitness regimen that works for them. Healthy can be fun and enjoyable.
Hi! I am Rebecca. I am a wife and a mother to two beautiful, full of life little girls! I am an Occupational Therapist, Certified Elite Personal Trainer, Mindset coach, and nutritionist. I have over 20 years of experience in the health and wellness space. I was a college athlete, leader, and assistant Rowing Coach in the Big Ten while obtaining my Master’s Degree. My goal is to help everyone realize they too can exercise and have a more fit lifestyle. Fitness can be fun and enjoyable for you and the entire family.
Together we are Wellness Warriors Life.
What was the catalyst that made you realize that you needed to pursue a healthier lifestyle?
We are a family of 4, plus a super cute and soft doggie named Auggie, affected by Autoimmune Disease. Hashimotos and Hypothyroidism, Celiac’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis was the beginning. Not wanting the disease to become who we were, we started looking into natural, diet-controlled ways to make a positive change.
As we thought things couldn’t get any harder, they did. Have you ever had that moment in life that stops you in your tracks? The moment when everything else in the work becomes muted and the only thing that is in front of you is your greatest fear? This moment was when our youngest daughter was diagnosed with PANS/PANDAS, an autoimmune encephalitis. This disease causes the immune system to attack her brain. The fear that came with this is indescribable. It was at that moment when we knew we did not just need to make some changes, we needed to develop a new lifestyle. So, we did! We made the decision to “Rise Up” and take control of our now and of our future.
How did you develop Wellness Warriors Life?
We went back to school to educate ourselves on the science of the body, metabolism, inflammation, nutrition, and fitness. We used our personal autoimmune stricken selves as a chemistry set to trial different aspects of the mindset, nutrition, and fitness to put our diseases in remission and live healthy lives. We had to reevaluate what healthy looks like outside of the social norms and decide what we wanted our life to be. Once we found the right recipe, we tried our program with family and friends. After great success with over 15 people, we knew we had to help others find the same success and happiness in their own wellness journey. Autoimmune diseases have been put in remission, thousands of pounds have been lost, hundreds of pounds of muscle have been gained. The big piece is that everyone that went through the program has unlocked their inner warrior for positive and sustainable change.
It’s not just a weight loss program. It’s a true health and wellness program. Because honestly not everyone needs to lose weight. My wife and daughter didn’t need to lose weight, but definitely needed nutritional changes in their diet. We incorporate a very important mindset piece that helps you rethink nutrition and the choices you make. It educates you on food and what you should be eating while still having some fun along the way. Lastly we teach you how to increase movement and fitness in all aspects of life so that you can enjoy a fulfilled life.
What are the core values of a Wellness Warrior Life?
Awaken your Warrior “SPIRIT” with Wellness Warriors Core Values
Support – Providing support through each phase of transformation as well as support of the community
Perseverance – Doing something, despite obstacle, in achieving success
Integrity – Live in accordance to the deepest values, honest with everyone, and always keep your word
Respect – Respect yourself, respect others, respect the process
Inspire – Find inspiration in everything that you do. Find it in the little things that you overlook.
Transformation – the process to becoming a true wellness warrior and living up to your unique warrior code
What services do you offer at Wellness Warriors Life?
We offer nutritional programs and fitness programs and then our 8 RiseUP Wellness Program includes both nutrition and fitness. All Programs include the mindset portion because it is so important in anything you do.
The best part is that we will do all of this wherever you are virtually. We meet with you 1x/week, we have online course modules, assignments, and as said before, nutrition and fitness programs designed specifically for each individual and their unique needs. We also hope to open a physical site locally soon.
What makes your business unique from other health and wellbeing businesses?
Our business is unique because we have actually been through the process ourselves. This is not where our careers started. We both started working in different fields. However, this is where life has taken us. We went down a very difficult road with lots of struggles and challenges. However, through working together and supporting each other, we were able to make it across the mountain. For us it was a complete family affair. We all played a role in our success. Our girls know at this young age just how incredibly important real health and wellness is to a long healthy lifestyle. Once we were able to gain remission with all of our illnesses, we knew we needed to share what we learned with everyone else. It was a lot to break down and learn. We really didn’t have any guidance and it would have been so easy to give up with all of the overwhelming information out there. We don’t want other people to give up, we want to help!
Why do you think it is so important for people to have access to your services?
As I said before, we have been there. We have walked in the shoes and we have done ourselves what we are asking other people to do. We are trying to make it easier for people. We basically did all the research and education pieces that can become so overwhelming. Our services are allowing people to just start the program, with someone breaking it all down for them and filtering out the noise. We will also walk alongside you during this journey to develop the tools needed to hit your long term goals.
Finally, what fundamental piece of advice would you give to someone looking to get started on their wellness journey?
Each wellness journey is going to be different. It will feel like an uphill roller coaster ride at times too. Not every day is going to be perfect, and that’s ok. Just as long as you don’t give up on yourself, you can make it to the other side of the mountain too!
Thank you Patrick and Rebecca for your time!
You can follow up with Patrick and Rebecca Pickels at www.wellnesswarriorslife.com and
- Facebook – @wellnesswarriorslife
- Instagram – @wellnesswarriors_life
