My Story
How Leaving My Sport Led Me to My Purpose
By Paige Feeney
One morning, I woke up and decided I could not keep living the way I was. From the outside, everything looked great. I was playing squash at the collegiate level for my university, doing what so many athletes dream of doing. But internally, I was struggling. Squash operated on a ladder system, and instead of feeling like I was part of a team, I constantly felt like I was competing against my own teammates. Every practice felt like a fight to prove myself, and every day felt emotionally exhausting. As someone who had spent her entire life in sports, I did not know how to handle feeling so out of control, so I started controlling the one thing I felt I could: food.
What began as trying to gain some sense of control slowly turned into something much bigger. I became consumed by counting calories, restricting food, and convincing myself that eating less would somehow make everything else feel more manageable. An average day of eating for me was a coffee with artificial sweetener and almond milk in the morning, a granola bar and fruit cup for lunch, and egg bites or a salad for dinner with grapes for dessert. That was it. Day after day, I was eating less than 1,000 calories while trying to perform as a collegiate athlete, often squeezing in gym workouts before or after practice as well. Looking back now, it breaks my heart because that was absolutely not the way I wanted to live, but at the time it felt like the only way I could live. The more I restricted myself, the more disconnected I became from myself. My hair started falling out, my skin became pale, and the energy and confidence I once had disappeared. When I looked in the mirror, I knew I was not myself anymore, so I made one of the hardest decisions of my life and walked away.
At 20 years old, stepping away from my sport felt terrifying. Sports had been my identity for as long as I could remember. Growing up in Marion, Massachusetts, I was always moving—playing tennis, lacrosse, and racing sailboats around Cape Cod. Every season brought another sport, another competition, another goal, and for the first time in my life, I was faced with the question: who am I without my sport? That question became the turning point of my life.
As difficult as that season was, it ultimately led me to discover my true passion. Shortly after leaving squash, I began working at my university’s Wellness Center as a Student Wellness Representative, where I focused on promoting mental, physical, emotional, and sexual health across campus. What started as a student job quickly became something much more meaningful. Every day I was surrounded by conversations about wellbeing, health education, and helping people become the best versions of themselves. I loved creating programs, planning events, and connecting students with resources that could improve their lives. For the first time, I realized that health was so much more than exercise.
A few weeks into the role, I felt ready to reconnect with movement again, but this time on my own terms. I asked my supervisor if I could start teaching cycling classes at the university. Maybe ten people would sign up for a class, but I did not care. I simply wanted to create a space where people could move their bodies, listen to good music, and leave feeling better than when they walked in. I had no idea that a small decision would shape my future. What started as a college cycling class became the foundation of my career.
Today, I am a Personal Trainer at a private community, Health Coach, and the Head Functional Fitness Trainer at Pvolve in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, more than 1,500 miles from my hometown. Every day, I help people build strength, confidence, and resilience, and I get to witness people accomplish things they never thought possible. Most importantly, I help people build healthier relationships with movement, which is something I was searching for all those years ago.
While fitness became my profession, I knew there was another piece of the puzzle I wanted to explore. As a Health, Exercise, and Sport Studies major in college, I was always fascinated by the connection between lifestyle and health. One course, Personal and Community Health, sparked my interest in health coaching and led me to the Primal Health Coach Institute. Their holistic approach to health completely changed how I view wellness, emphasizing the connection between mind, body, and soul, and challenging me to think beyond just exercise and nutrition.
The program also became deeply personal. For years, I struggled with IBS due to the stress of college sports, waking up in intense pain that would leave me curled up for hours. Through my education, I learned how to better support my body through nutrition, lifestyle changes, and a deeper understanding of gut health. The results have been life changing. Today, those painful mornings are few and far between, and I feel stronger, healthier, and more connected to my body than ever before.
When I look back, leaving squash felt like the end of something important, but what I did not realize at the time was that it was actually the beginning. Sometimes the hardest decisions create space for the most meaningful opportunities, and walking away allowed me to discover a path that aligns with who I am and what I value.
Today, I am proud to coach clients one on one who are looking to jumpstart their health journey, just like I once did. Every day, I get to support and empower others as they work toward becoming their healthiest selves, and this work is something I am deeply grateful for.
How Leaving My Sport Led Me to My Purpose
By Paige Feeney
One morning, I woke up and decided I could not keep living the way I was. From the outside, everything looked great. I was playing squash at the collegiate level for my university, doing what so many athletes dream of doing. But internally, I was struggling. Squash operated on a ladder system, and instead of feeling like I was part of a team, I constantly felt like I was competing against my own teammates. Every practice felt like a fight to prove myself, and every day felt emotionally exhausting. As someone who had spent her entire life in sports, I did not know how to handle feeling so out of control, so I started controlling the one thing I felt I could: food.
What began as trying to gain some sense of control slowly turned into something much bigger. I became consumed by counting calories, restricting food, and convincing myself that eating less would somehow make everything else feel more manageable. An average day of eating for me was a coffee with artificial sweetener and almond milk in the morning, a granola bar and fruit cup for lunch, and egg bites or a salad for dinner with grapes for dessert. That was it. Day after day, I was eating less than 1,000 calories while trying to perform as a collegiate athlete, often squeezing in gym workouts before or after practice as well. Looking back now, it breaks my heart because that was absolutely not the way I wanted to live, but at the time it felt like the only way I could live. The more I restricted myself, the more disconnected I became from myself. My hair started falling out, my skin became pale, and the energy and confidence I once had disappeared. When I looked in the mirror, I knew I was not myself anymore, so I made one of the hardest decisions of my life and walked away.
At 20 years old, stepping away from my sport felt terrifying. Sports had been my identity for as long as I could remember. Growing up in Marion, Massachusetts, I was always moving—playing tennis, lacrosse, and racing sailboats around Cape Cod. Every season brought another sport, another competition, another goal, and for the first time in my life, I was faced with the question: who am I without my sport? That question became the turning point of my life.
As difficult as that season was, it ultimately led me to discover my true passion. Shortly after leaving squash, I began working at my university’s Wellness Center as a Student Wellness Representative, where I focused on promoting mental, physical, emotional, and sexual health across campus. What started as a student job quickly became something much more meaningful. Every day I was surrounded by conversations about wellbeing, health education, and helping people become the best versions of themselves. I loved creating programs, planning events, and connecting students with resources that could improve their lives. For the first time, I realized that health was so much more than exercise.
A few weeks into the role, I felt ready to reconnect with movement again, but this time on my own terms. I asked my supervisor if I could start teaching cycling classes at the university. Maybe ten people would sign up for a class, but I did not care. I simply wanted to create a space where people could move their bodies, listen to good music, and leave feeling better than when they walked in. I had no idea that a small decision would shape my future. What started as a college cycling class became the foundation of my career.
Today, I am a personal trainer at a private community and the Head Functional Fitness Trainer at Pvolve in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, more than 1,500 miles from my hometown. Every day, I help people build strength, confidence, and resilience, and I get to witness people accomplish things they never thought possible. Most importantly, I help people build healthier relationships with movement, which is something I was searching for all those years ago.
While fitness became my profession, I knew there was another piece of the puzzle I wanted to explore. As a Health, Exercise, and Sport Studies major in college, I was always fascinated by the connection between lifestyle and health. One course, Personal and Community Health, sparked my interest in health coaching and led me to the Primal Health Coach Institute. Their holistic approach to health completely changed how I view wellness, emphasizing the connection between mind, body, and soul, and challenging me to think beyond just exercise and nutrition.
The program also became deeply personal. For years, I struggled with IBS due to the stress of college sports, waking up in intense pain that would leave me curled up for hours. Through my education, I learned how to better support my body through nutrition, lifestyle changes, and a deeper understanding of gut health. The results have been life changing. Today, those painful mornings are few and far between, and I feel stronger, healthier, and more connected to my body than ever before.
When I look back, leaving squash felt like the end of something important, but what I did not realize at the time was that it was actually the beginning. Sometimes the hardest decisions create space for the most meaningful opportunities, and walking away allowed me to discover a path that aligns with who I am and what I value.
Today, I am proud to coach clients one on one who are looking to jumpstart their health journey, just like I once did. Every day, I get to support and empower others as they work toward becoming their healthiest selves, and this work is something I am deeply grateful for.