My Transformation Story
Hi, I’m Nicole Arseneau. I am mom of three, wife, entrepreneur, published fitness model and author, nutrition and body transformation coach, Menopause Training Specialist, and founder of Innerstrong Fitness.
My health and fitness journey started much like it does for many women. For years, I tried different diets, exercised harder and searched for the approach that would finally give me lasting results. Eventually, I hired a coach, changed the way I approached nutrition and training, and transformed both my body and my relationship with health.
I lost 50 pounds, built muscle and learned how to maintain my results. That transformation eventually led me to become a published fitness model, appear on the covers of five magazines, write numerous health and fitness articles, and contribute my story to Mom Magic Book Three: Moms in STEM.
But what began as a physical transformation became something much bigger. Science, Fitness & Integrative Health
My education has always been rooted in science. I hold an Honours BSc in Biochemistry with a minor in Mathematics, a Bachelor of Education, PN-1 and NCI Nutrition certifications, BCI certification, my NASM Certified Personal Trainer designation, and certification as a Menopause Training Specialist.
For more than two decades, my husband and I have also worked in the integrative health and wellness industry, building and operating three integrative medical clinics dedicated to helping people navigate complex health concerns.
Those years changed the way I think about health and body transformation.
The body doesn’t operate as a collection of separate parts. Hormones, blood sugar, metabolism, digestion, sleep, stress, inflammation, muscle, nutrition and recovery are interconnected.
This is why our philosophy is rooted in a systems biology approach; looking at the whole person and how different systems influence one another. Rather than focusing on a single symptom or number on the scale, we work to understand the adaptations occurring across the body and help move those systems back toward balance.
Sometimes your body isn’t working against you. It’s adapting to what it has been experiencing.
Then My Own Body Began to Change
As I moved through my 40s and experienced the changes of perimenopause myself, this became even more personal.
The strategies that had worked before didn’t always produce the same results. I began to understand firsthand why so many women were telling me:
“I’m doing everything I used to do, but my body isn’t responding anymore.”
Sleep mattered more. Stress and recovery mattered more. Hormonal changes mattered. Blood sugar regulation mattered. Building and preserving muscle became increasingly important.
Simply eating less and exercising harder wasn’t the answer.
That’s when everything I had learned, through my own transformation, my science background, decades in integrative health, fitness and nutrition coaching, and menopause-specific training, came together.
Why I Created Innerstrong?
I created Innerstrong Fitness for the woman who feels like she has tried everything.
The woman who is successful, busy and capable, yet suddenly doesn’t recognize her own body.
She doesn’t need another restrictive diet or punishing workout program. She needs to understand what her body needs now.
That’s the foundation of our
Empower. Restore. Thrive. approach.
- Empower you with the knowledge to understand your changing body.
- Restore the foundations that support transformation through personalized nutrition, strength training, sleep, recovery, stress management and lifestyle strategies, using a systems-based approach to help bring adaptations back toward balance.
- Thrive by building a strong, healthy body and a way of living that you can sustain.
And when symptoms or health concerns extend beyond the scope of fitness and nutrition coaching, we understand the importance of appropriate medical assessment and support.
Your Body Isn’t Something to Fight
Today, my passion is helping women, particularly those navigating their 40s, perimenopause, menopause and beyond, build leaner, stronger bodies while improving the health foundations that make those results sustainable.
Because transformation isn’t about punishing your body.
It’s about understanding it.
I don’t want you spending the next chapter of your life trying to get back to the woman you were at 25 or 35.
I want to help you become stronger, healthier, more confident and more connected to the woman you are becoming.
Your body has changed. Your strategy should too.
Empower. Restore. Thrive.