Staci Boyer is a Motiv8ng Force

Staci Boyer spent 12 years in the Navy, so hard work never scared her.  She has always prided herself on “being able to do a man’s job, but look like a woman.”

The personal trainer, wellness coach, motivational speaker, book author and owner of Motiv8n U Personal Training credits her father for setting her on the path to her current career, teaching her to have a “can-do” spirit.

“He said, ‘you need to have a work ethic and generosity,’” Boyer said during an interview at Lifetime Fitness in Warrenville. The way she lives her life today is to consider if the choices she makes are generous or if they are driven by ego.

Some who see her might think the latter, since she drives around town in a vehicle plastered with her image. But, the author of the book Motiv8n’ U says that is a misconception.

“They probably wonder who do I think I am,” she said. “Sometimes they pull up next to me, roll down the window and ask me and I just laugh.”

Her publisher, Medallion Press, bought the car for her. And, the vehicle has helped her promote her business and her book, which is for sale in bookstores including and .

But, she spends time giving back in the community, working with school students in and with other youth groups.

A personal trainer for almost 25 years, she has clients all around the country. She connects with them a variety of ways including through social media, online in some cases and in person in others. Her daily schedule is packed. Along with the private sessions she offers clients, she also teaches classes at her home studio in Naperville, at Lifetime Fitness in Warrenville, at in Naperville and at .

As if she weren't busy enough, she is also pursuing a master's degree in social work.

Her clients range in age from 13 to 80 and run the gamut of fitness levels, from those that are recovering from a life-threatening illness to those who are fit and working in her field as personal trainers.

Many of her clients come to her seeking to lose weight but often have other issues, she said.

“People may say they want to lose 30 pounds, but there are other things going on,” she said.

She helps her clients examine their goals and the deeper issues that may be challenging them. So, along with helping them begin to work toward fitness goals, such as losing weight, she also helps them tackle personal challenges, such as building better relationships or becoming financial independent.

A married mother of two boys, Corbin, 12, and Drew, 5, Boyer said that the point of her book was to be “brutally honest” about her own life to connect and help others.

She didn’t want to write a book that focused on statistics. She wanted to focus on the real problems people face and how to overcome them.

When she left the fitness field temporarily to pursue a different career, things didn’t go as planned and though the money was good, she became depressed, gained weight and began drinking.

She realized that the experience was a gift that allowed her to continue on the fitness path and to do what she was meant to do.

Her business is doing well and she has met her goal, which was to have her own business and to publish a book by the time she was 40. She hopes to continue her motivational speaking and to do more speaking engagements.

She enjoys her job and it isn’t like work, she said.

“If I didn’t have to feed my kids, I’d do it for free,” she said.

Her services range in price and a private session starts at $40 and includes nutrition coaching and training regimens along with online access.

When she works with a client she brings honesty to the training process, she said. She enjoys tackling problems, so when a client has one they brainstorm and work toward a resolution.

“The people who work with me, I tell them ‘I will change your life, but you have to let me.” And, when a client resists that change, Boyer said, “I am good at breaking down walls.”

 To learn more about Staci Boyer visit her website. She is also on Twitter at @motiv8nu and on Facebook.