Today we’d like to introduce you to Yael Rodriguez.
Hi Yael, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
My Story
As a kid, I struggled with being extremely overweight. I was teased and laughed at for my appearance, and food became my emotional comfort. By the age of 13, I weighed 240 pounds.
After finishing middle school, I decided I couldn’t live like that anymore — I wanted to take control. But back then, we didn’t have Google, YouTube, or easy access to fitness information. Even gyms weren’t common in my community. So, I had to figure it out on my own.
I started walking and memorizing calorie charts, becoming strict and obsessive about what I ate. Within six months, I lost more than half my body weight. Exercise became my escape — I avoided social life and focused only on my next workout and sticking to my diet.
Eventually, I reached 105 pounds, and people began asking if I was sick. “You’re way too skinny,” they said — but I still saw myself as fat. That’s when I realized something was deeply wrong.
I started eating more, and soon I lost control completely. I could eat 7,000 calories in one sitting and feel sick for days. I tried to undo it by throwing up or exercising for hours. I gained weight again and fell into cycles of extreme dieting, pills, and restriction — until I got pregnant.
My Turning Point
After high school, I decided to study to become a personal trainer. I loved it so much that I started working in the field before I even graduated.
My curiosity pushed me to keep learning — sports nutrition, exercise for kids, prenatal and postpartum fitness, and injury recovery.
The human body amazed me — how everything we think, feel, and do is connected to the mind, body, and soul.
Pregnancy was my real transformation. It wasn’t just about me anymore — I was responsible for nourishing another life. I realized I needed to be healthy, not extreme. That shift took years of unlearning old patterns. With every pregnancy and postpartum challenge, I found new ways to simplify things — smarter workouts, easier meals, realistic habits.
Yael’s FitLab: Born from My Journey
I didn’t have hours to spend in the gym anymore, so I created simple, effective home workouts using resistance bands.
I learned how to eat in a balanced, sustainable way, even while nursing and handling cravings.
That’s how Yael’s FitLab was born — a program designed to help Jewish busy moms lose weight, feel confident, and finally make peace with their bodies.
I deliver resistance bands to every woman who joins, guide them with simple nutrition, and most importantly, teach them how their bodies and minds truly work. When you understand why you crave certain foods or struggle with consistency, you can finally change it — with the right support.
My clients’ success is my number one priority, because I know exactly how it feels to be uncomfortable in your own skin, to lose confidence, and to have it affect your family, your energy, and your marriage and children.
Today, my mission is to help Jewish busy women transform — not just physically, but emotionally and mentally — through knowledge, simplicity, and self-love.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
My Road Wasn’t Smooth or Easy
My journey has never been smooth — but every challenge I faced became an opportunity to grow.
From being bullied and isolated because no one wanted to be friends with “the fat girl,”
to watching my mom live in a toxic marriage and helping her break free while helping raise my siblings…
From struggling in school and growing up without enough money for even bread and milk,
to battling my own negative self-talk and trying to find my place in a very religious community where I didn’t always fit in — asking questions no one dared to ask.
I’ve lived through body image issues, loneliness, and a lack of support.
And when I finally moved to the U.S., I had to start over again — with limited English, no family, and no clear direction.
Who am I?
What do I want?
What is my purpose?
Those questions shaped me. They forced me to rebuild myself from the inside out.
I had to change my mindset, my habits, my language — even the way I thought, spoke, and acted.
Each obstacle taught me how to rise, adapt, and create my own path.
And that’s exactly what I help other women do today — overcome their own challenges and become the strongest, most confident versions of themselves.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Yael’s FitLab?
My Mission
I help Jewish busy moms transform their lives through sustainable weight loss.
So often, we think it’s just about the weight.
But behind the weight, there’s usually so much more — stress, emotional pain, and old wounds that food temporarily numbs.
For a few minutes, it feels comforting… until the guilt and negative self-talk begin.
That toxic cycle keeps women stuck — chasing the next extreme diet that never truly works.
My mission is to break that cycle — one woman at a time.
Because I know what’s waiting on the other side of healing.
When you rebuild from the inside out, everything changes:
You become more confident.
You have more energy.
You feel different — and that shifts how you show up in your life, your family, and your marriage.
How do you think about luck?
I am not sure about the question
I believe that everything happens for a reason.
Every day, I pray that Hashem guides me on the right path — to help, uplift, and support the incredible women who come into my program.
It’s the same with raising my kids. I don’t claim to know everything, but I’m always open to exploring, learning, and finding what works best for each situation — and then following it with faith.
Each morning, I wake up with gratitude — for everything I have.
The good, the challenges, and even the moments that don’t go as planned.
Because I’ve learned that every experience, whether sweet or difficult, has a purpose in shaping who we’re meant to become.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.yaelsfitlab.com/register
- Instagram: Yaelsfitlab
- Youtube: Yaelsfitlab
Image Credits
I can send you more photos. Like before and now
