Meet Corissa Alvarez | Food Freedom & Fitness Coach

We had the good fortune of connecting with Corissa Alvarez and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Corissa, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I began as a passionate fitness and health professional, preparing to teach at the university level. As I became more & more stressed in grad school, my binge-eating challenges and food obsession became worse. And, when I moved to Santa Monica, California while still in grad school, my body image and self-confidence also got worse.

Through this experience and time in my life, I chose to dive deeply into self-growth and personal development. I discovered immense mental freedom as I continued to work on myself and understand how my mind worked. I was able to transform my deep insecurities, negative body image, and food relationship through this personal work.

This is where my passion & decision as to where I wanted to dedicate my life began; helping women overcome food obsession, binge-eating, restrictive dieting, deep body insecurities, and transform their overall limiting beliefs. I help them find freedom & live a healthy, fit life they love.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am a Health & Kinesiology Lecturer for community colleges and CSUB. I also teach group fitness and coach crossfit classes. I am incredibly passionate about not only the science of nutrition and human movement but also incredibly passionate about the mind and personal development. I’d say, what sets me apart from any other lecturer or fitness instructor within these fields would be my emphasis on educating my students and clients about their minds, thoughts, and beliefs.

Coming from a poor family struggling with addictions and unemployment my entire life, I’ve done it all on my own. I didn’t have any mentorship or guidance from my parents in regard to money, paying bills, or pursuing further education outside of high school. I made all the decisions on my own and put myself through undergrad and graduate school.

I suppose I’ve always just had a fire in me that has fueled and pushed me forward, to improve myself mentally and physically. I believe the hardships I experienced as a child until now within my family have created an immense amount of grit, perseverance, and passion to create a better life for myself.

I want people to know that no matter where they’ve come from, and no matter where they are now in their current life, they can do and be and have ANYTHING. It all begins with understanding how their mind & thoughts work, followed by transforming their limiting beliefs. Thoughts become things. We manifest our realities with every belief we have about ourselves and our life. And, it can all change when we choose to change it.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Hmmmm… Best time ever in Bakersfield, California? haha… Or best time ever in Spain (where I lived prior to the pandemic? hehehe)… I’d say if we were in my hometown, Bakersfield, California, firstly, I’d pray that it were end of spring or beginning of fall for good, cool, sunny weather. We’d go to my favorite CrossFit gym for an awesome workout together, or to my dance studio to shakeee ittt! (hah!) I’d let them choose which they’d prefer to attend (also letting them know we could do both!). Then we’d shower, change, and head to brunch for delicious food and deep conversation. We’d follow brunch by grabbing our bikinis, filling a ginormous ice chest with all of the snacks and drinks we love, and heading to the nearest lake to enjoy nature and boats, and play in the water for the remainder of the day!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I had a very challenging childhood. I will write a book soon on the traumas and chaos I experience growing up. That said, my grandmother is the number 1 person in my life who has always provided me with safety & comfort when I needed it most. She is my best friend, my everything. Next, would be my college volleyball coach, Carl Ferreira, who was the first male mentor to have the greatest impact on my life as a teen. And last but not least, Landmark Worldwide and all of the staff/students I’ve come across along my personal development journey. Landmark transformed my entire life. I am forever grateful that this resource was and is available to me. There is literally a boatload of mentors and impactful humans I’ve come across and am beyond grateful for, especially in the last 5 years, but I think we wanted this to be brief… correct? hah!

Website: www.corissalulu.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/corissalulu/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/corissa-alvarez-fitness-health/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1591885501207133

Youtube: Coming soon!

Other: Podcast: https://permission2play.buzzsprout.com