From First Responder to Online Coach: Why I Built This Is Me Raw

I was never the kid who fit the mold. While others were busy being kids, I was sewing at seven years old, competing in synchronized swimming, taking dance classes, and marching in bands from grade seven to nine. I did fire cadets in high school. I never played team sports. I didn’t party. I always felt older, more mature, and more driven than the people around me and for a long time, I didn’t quite understand why.

Looking back now, I think I was always being prepared for something bigger. I just didn’t know what it was yet.

Growing Up Fast: A Life Built on Grit, Not Ideal Circumstances

My childhood wasn’t picture-perfect. I had an older sibling I was never close to, not many friends, and a quiet life that left a lot of room for self-discipline. At 18, I discovered the gym and I fell completely in love. Not just with the physical results, but with what training taught me: that you are capable of far more than you think, if you’re willing to do the work.

Right out of high school, I jumped into EMS. I relocated up north with little more than ambition and a first car a standard transmission with no power steering that I had to learn to drive in a single day. That moment, more than most, captures who I am: I figure it out. I always have.

At 20 years old, I became a police officer. While most people my age were still figuring out who they were, I was already showing up in high-stakes situations, carrying the weight of service, and learning what it truly means to be reliable under pressure. I have now spent over 20 years as a first responder — and every single one of those years has shaped me.

Love, Family, and Learning to Let Go of the Plan

I used to say I would never get married. I would never have kids. I had a plan, and that plan was mine alone.

Then I met Tyler.

He became my person my soulmate and everything I thought I knew about my future quietly rearranged itself. We married when I was 23. I became a mom at 25 and again at 27. Some things in life don’t follow a plan. They just find you, and you realize they were the point all along.

Building a family didn’t slow me down it deepened my why. I went on to earn my personal trainer diploma, opened my own gym at 30, and competed in bikini competitions. I was proving, again and again, that you don’t have to choose between being strong and being present. You can build both.

But life has a way of humbling you. The gym closed. I filed for bankruptcy and had to start over from zero. It was one of the hardest chapters I’ve ever lived through and also one of the most clarifying. Starting over takes more strength than starting out. And I had done it before.

Burnout, a Diagnosis, and the Birth of This Is Me Raw

After two decades as a first responder, my mind and body began sending signals I couldn’t ignore. I was diagnosed with adjustment disorder. I was still showing up in uniform, still doing the job but I knew something had to change. I needed something that was built around me, not the badge.

In 2023, I launched This Is Me Raw my online coaching business.

Not despite everything I had been through. Because of it.

This Is Me Raw was created to serve people who are ready to take action physically and mentally and who are tired of waiting for the perfect moment or the ideal circumstances. Because here’s what 20+ years of first response, fitness, motherhood, bankruptcy, and burnout have taught me: the ideal circumstances are never coming. You build strength from where you are, with what you have, right now.

I coach from a place of lived experience. I know what it feels like to carry a full life and still feel like something is missing. I know what burnout looks like from the inside. I know what it takes to rebuild. And I know that the people who feel the most stuck are often the most capable they just need someone to meet them where they are.

If any part of this story resonates with you, I want you to know: you are not alone, and you don’t have to figure it out by yourself.

Follow along on Instagram: @thisismeraw

I also partner with Arbonne to support whole-body wellness alongside my coaching because physical and mental health go hand in hand. You can explore those products here: Tracy Normandeau | Arbonne

The work starts here. And so does the rest of your story.