Hiii, I'm Kier!
I've always been the shortest one...
I’ve forever held the title of the shortest among my family, my friends, and even on my sports teams.
And let’s not pretend it didn’t get under my skin. My diary could vouch for me – filled with entries like “Why am I so short!?” and “I just wish I were a few inches taller!“
For the longest time, I felt like my height was a one-way ticket to not being taken seriously, particularly when it came to professional matters.
Picture this: an aspiring high school art teacher (bet that caught you off guard!). Trust me, this detail matters. I found myself repeatedly mistaken for a student, and during internships and substitute teaching, the faculty hardly gave me the time of day. It didn’t take too long before I waved the white flag on that career path.
So, there I stood, fresh out of college, with zero interest in using my degree for teaching (or at least not within the confines of public schools)…
That’s about when I got into bodybuilding – though I have to confess, my reasons were a bit off-kilter. In retrospect, it dawned on me that I was using it as an escape from the perpetual feeling of invisibility and self-doubt I had carried.
Anyway, I won the title of overall bikini champ at my debut competition. (If bodybuilding isn’t your forte, winning the overall crown entails duking it out with victors from other —and, let’s not forget, usually taller— height categories.)
^That marked the first occasion, I recognized that my height was an advantage, particularly because muscle tends to be more pronounced on petite frames.
And just like that, I was hooked on bodybuilding. It felt like I had finally found a place where I belonged. I took on the role of a fitness and nutrition coach at my local gym, embracing the opportunity to guide and inspire others.
Amidst this whirlwind, I fell into fitness modeling. Despite the new-found body confidence, I candidly confessed my height-related uncertainties in front of a handful of experience photographers and they were like “are you kidding?! we much rather shoot shorter women… you’re much easier to fit in the frame!”
^So, mark that as the second instance I proudly reveled in my petite stature.
Gradually, my perspective about my height began to shift. The shackles of those once-toxic limiting beliefs about being vertically challenged started to loosen their grip.
As much as I’d love to wrap up this story with a cute little bow, the truth is, there’s a sequel…
I went on to participate in a total of 11 competitions over a span of 4 years, eventually earning a natural pro card. However, I reached a point where it seemed no matter how heavy I lifted, I couldn’t build any more muscle.
Sure, I was looking lean and I had muscle but honestly, I felt kinda flat and “stringy.” Little did I know at the time that my muscles we basically screaming for carbs but I was skimping on those big time…
Truth be told, I was so brainwashed into thinking I had to eat so little (due to my petite stature) to see more muscle definition. Unfortunately, this misguided mindset, led me straight into a deep hole of hormonal imbalances.
Luckily, the solution to reverse these issues was simply eating more and dialing back on intense training. But here’s where the plot thickens: this meant doing the one thing I dreaded; gaining weight. To me, the scariest part was letting go of my fit-chick identity — the epicenter of my fitness career and modeling hobby.
So, ready or not, I went all in, tacked on 30 pounds, and miraculously got my hormones back in check. Along the way, I found myself in a new groove with food, really getting in tune with what my body was telling me — it was SO cool! But let me tell ya, that journey wasn’t all rainbows and unicorns. I kinda swung from one end of the spectrum to the other, dealing with health a slew of other health issues.
I knew that couldn’t be the “end” of my journey, so I stuck to my guns, believing I could reach a healthy middle ground without jeopardizing my health. Armed with my past experiences and those snazzy certifications, I took new approach — one that fit aligned with my body size.
Being at a much higher calorie level now, it was seriously mind-blowing to see how much easier it was to build muscle with the strength training I love to do. Plus, the bonus of having all those perks of being well-fed (like actually having energy) is pretty darn awesome.
After actually teaming up with my body (instead of going head-to-head with it), and lending a helping hand to tons of fellow shorties to do the same, I’ve come to the conclusion that most of those fitness plans out there? Yeah, they’re not exactly built with us pint-sized powerhouses in mind. They can be a bit too rough on our smaller frames.
And so, what began as a personal adventure quickly transformed into a full-on mission: to provide a realistic and balanced approach for petite women to maintain a fit looking body in a way that totally vibes with our petite physiology.
But it’s not just about the physical stuff.
It’s about rewriting the narrative around being short and learning to view our short stature as a total superpower, not some kind of constraint.
Andddd that’s the whole scoop! My story’s been quite the rollercoaster ride sure, no doubt about it, but it’s shaped me into the proud, powerfully petite coach and unconventional guide I am today 🙂
