As a college student at Indiana University, Brooke Van Paris was thriving as a business major, gymnast, and outgoing co-ed. After a car crash left her with two broken hands, she went through years of physical therapy and surgeries. She relied on her dad to help her through domestic tasks, asked friends to help her eat Lunchables before class, wrote papers using voice-to-text software, and graduated as a management major. When she finally got her casts off her hands, she’d experienced depression and claustrophobia – and she didn’t recognize herself as the independent, athletic person she’d been before the accident. She worked for Anheuser-Busch after college as a sales rep, and when a coworker asked her to do an obstacle course race, she agreed, with some hesitance.

But that race would change the path of her life. “I loved it,” she said. And at the finish line, though she felt out of shape and surprised to have even completed the course: “We all wore the same medal.”

Brooke became obsessed, completing dozens of races in a year, including the world championships of obstacle course racing. That led to an opportunity to do a reality television show with a fitness angle, then to a new career as a personal trainer.

We talked about reality T.V., fitness advice, and more at Life Time Fitness in Mason, where Brooke is the assistant manager for personal training.

Interview by Suzanne Wilder. Photography by Angie Lipscomb.

What was the gateway into reality television for you?

I had just done my first year of obstacle course racing, so I had done 48 races in 9 months. I lost 40 pounds. I had just done the Obstacle Course Racing World Championships . And afterwards, I saw a quote on Facebook that said, “Your testimony could be the key that unlocks someone else’s prison.” So I decided that I would share my story for the first time.

I never really thought my story was special. But you know, there's a lot of people who are in a similar spot that I was, that maybe are still stuck there, and they don't know how to get out. So I posted the story for the first time on Facebook and literally like three days later, I got a direct message from some casting company. I’m like, “DELETE. This has got to be some sort of scam.”

A couple weeks later, I got a phone call while I was at work from the same casting company. They wanted to do a Skype interview. It was very casual. About a week later, I get an email – “Hey, you’re one of the 50 semi-finalists; we’ve booked your flight to L.A.”

We did so many different interviews with the producers and all that kind of stuff. And it was there that we actually found out the name of the show. We found out that it was FOX. It started to bring more clarity. Then a week later, I got a call that I got cast on “American Grit.”

What do you like about the reality show environment?

Nothing more than the fact that I absolutely loved meeting the other people who were on the show with me. It was just really neat to be able to meet so many adults that have these amazing, extensive athletic backgrounds, plus really amazing careers. They're very inspirational.

There’s something so empowering about a woman in fitness.

A lot of times in the fitness industry, you feel like you're in a silo, because not all of America is on the fitness train. For the first time in my life, I felt like a normal human being. Like, I'm around these people who train just as hard as I do, eat just the same ways that I do, and do recovery just the same ways as I do. And we're all sharing stories of very similar mindsets and backgrounds. I'm still friends with all of my “American Grit” castmates. I'm still friends with all of my “Broken Skull Challenge” castmates.

I think a lot of people are intimidated by the world of fitness. What advice would you have for them?

I would say that I have been in your shoes when I was in rehab after my accident. I was about 175 pounds and over 50% body fat. I looked in the mirror, and I didn't even know who I was. The only thing I felt comfortable with was going to the treadmill and pressing the green button, because I didn't want to be embarrassed. I thought people were looking at me. I was not confident.

Little by little, I worked with a trainer. I got help. I started to educate myself on what I actually needed to do for my body because I realized there was a science behind it.

So my advice for anyone who is super intimidated by the gym: Number one: People aren't looking at you. They're focused on their own workouts. It's our own self-consciousness that's making us think that people are actually looking at us. Number two: Literally just make a routine. Start with a baby step. We don't want to jump off the cliff. We want to start coming to the gym three to four times a week, but start little by little, and just actually show. That's the first step.

As far as nutrition, I always tell people, “Don't overload yourself and change your life too much.” I tell them at the beginning, “I want you to drink your bodyweight in ounces of water a day. I just want you to make one healthy choice a day.”

What are you proud of?

I’m proud of being a strong female and helping other women be strong. And being able to love myself. I love my body because I love what I can do. There’s something so empowering about a woman in fitness. I’m proud of my job. I get to train the trainers, work directly with people, meet new members.

I never really thought my story was special.

The thing that I’m the most proud of is: I’m the never-give-up kid. No matter what I’m put through, I’ll always get through it. What I've learned a lot through my accident and all the trials that I've been through is I have a lot of mental fortitude, and whatever I set my mind to, I’ll accomplish. It's taught me a lot of being able to see this and know that on the other side of it, it's gonna be something even better. There’s a quote I like: “If it's not good yet, God's not done yet.”

What brings you joy?

My dogs, Bentley and Mikita. And going to the zoo. Animals are always genuinely themselves.

Do you have a goal for this year?

Boundaries! And if it doesn’t provide me joy, or provide someone else joy, I’m not going to do it.

Athletically, I just want to work out and hit big lifts.

Tell us about an influential woman in your life.

My girlfriends, as a collective. There’s a group we call the Black Bears, because we go to Gatlinburg a lot. My friend Taylor, who I met in college, brings us all together. We’ve been through tragic breakups. We have matching tattoos, which represent past, present, and future, and the divine power of female. We’re there for each other.

Do you know an awesome woman of Cincy? Nominate her here! New features launch every Monday.

Brooke Van Paris: A Woman in Fitness