WE “Feminism isn’t about making women strong. Women are already strong.
It’s about changing the way the world perceives that strength.” —G.D. Anderson
Women Empowered
Taryn Shea: Founder & CEO
By Jen Wead
“Woman to Watch” is
a catchphrase that we hear
a lot lately, but what does
that really mean? Taryn
Shea is the definition of the
type of woman that phrase
was coined after. A simple
girl from a small town in
Canada, Taryn had big,
big dreams. Before she
was fit or chic she had
a secret dream of being
Taryn Shea
Founder and CEO of Fit and Chic.
a fitness role model. She bought all the fitness magazines and didn’t
share her dream with many because the few she had trusted with it had
laughed and tried to discourage her.
She had no idea why this overwhelming desire stuck with her
through the years. She was active, but still overweight, yet she had a
very specific recurring vision. Not only did she see herself as an inspiration
to women everywhere, but she also wanted to be on the cover
of a fitness magazine! She put a valiant effort into avoiding this dream,
chasing other jobs that her family and peers thought suited her better.
Ignoring that constant voice in her head that was urging her towards
this career, she focused on the voice of insecurity that was literally
weighing her down. She did this when she moved away from her tiny
Canadian town. She did this while she traveled and saw the world. She
did this when she went to Thailand. She ignored that recurring vision all
the way up until she saw the photos from that same trip.
It was in one particular picture that she saw herself. Something
inside of her clicked. She could see the insecurities on her face. She
remembered vividly trying to cover herself during that trip and looking
for an XXL bathing suit that would fit her, not an easy task in Thailand.
Instead of remembering the beauty of the trip, she remembered how
uncomfortable and unhappy she had felt.
Taryn said, “When I got that photo it was just, like, no one is coming
to save me. If I want to create this vision, if I want to create this
destiny for my life...I have to create it! “
That shift in her mindset was exactly what she needed to kick
into a high gear “transformation journey,” as Taryn calls it. She was
sure about a few things. She knew she wanted to lose weight and get
healthy. She also felt certain that she needed to learn everything she
could about how to do it effectively, with the most sustainable results
possible. She needed to know all there was to know and did not rely on
nutritionists or trainers. It was very important to Taryn to seek the information
that she needed on her own. She worked tirelessly to educate
herself about nutrition and exercise over the next few years, eventually
becoming a fitness competitor, fitness model and personal trainer.
Fit and Chic
While she was on her transformation journey, she was sharing her
results to her clients and friends. She found that she was inspiring women
with the changes that she had made to her life. They were asking
questions and reaching out!
Taryn reflected, “That is when I realized that my passion is much
deeper than just being a fitness model. My passion is actually to help
other women to achieve the same results.”
With that revelation she launched her first company Taryn Shea
Fitness. It consisted of an online program and one-on-one personal
training, but she says she burnt out of that pretty quickly.
“It just wasn’t as fulfilling because I was just telling women what
to eat and how to exercise. They would say, ‘oh I feel like this today’
or they would tell me their emotions and I would say, ‘I don’t care, just
eat this and work out and get the results.’ But, then I realized women
need so much more than just, ‘eat this’ or ‘do that’ and that is when I
started to think more about having a brand that was more of a lifestyle
brand,” Taryn said.
“So, that is really when Fit and Chic the lifestyle brand started to
take shape.”
It wasn’t a straight path that lead her to her destiny. There were
still detours in the road, but all the while women kept reaching out to
Continued on next page
Above: The photo that changed Taryn’s life. Before and Now.
6 • DECEMBER 2019 813.682.9364 FLORIDA WOMEN MAGAZINE