Strong, Not Skinny: Real-Life Fat Loss and Muscle - Kelsey Johnston

This week on the podcast Mikki speaks to Kelsey Johnston, fitness coach, nutrition mentor and totally relatable influencer, about health, nutrition, fitness, strength training, all of the things. They have a wide-ranging conversation on coaching strong, not skinny, and the mindset challenges that they come up against with clients (and themselves) and how to overcome these. This is insightful for anyone who themselves is interested in how to integrate fat loss and building muscle in real life.
Kelsey Johnston, known online as Kelsey J Fit, is a certified fitness coach, nutrition mentor, and strength training advocate dedicated to helping people build sustainable habits around strength, food, and lifestyle. She is a Certified Personal Trainer through NASM and has been coaching clients professionally since 2022, bringing over three years of experience in personalised programming and macro-based nutrition support.
Kelsey’s own journey into fitness began after pregnancy, when she gained 80 pounds and faced mobility challenges, persistent pain, and frustration with traditional cardio and restrictive dieting. Her transformation began with strength training and learning to fuel her body properly—shifting away from a cycle of dieting and scale obsession to a balanced approach that prioritises performance, wellbeing, and consistency.
Through her coaching, Kelsey emphasises chasing strength, eating with intention, and embracing an 80/20 lifestyle that clients can sustain long-term. She is passionate about helping people feel strong, pain free, and confident in what their bodies can do, rather than simply how they look.
Kelsey maintains an active presence on Instagram, where she builds community and offers practical insights into training, nutrition, and everyday strength
Kelsey: https://www.kelseyjfit.com/about ( https://www.kelseyjfit.com/about )IG:   / kelseyjfit   (   / kelseyjfit   )

Mikkipedia
Episode 434
January 20, 2026

★ Episode details: https://share.transistor.fm/s/314897ab

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