S01E13 - Courtney Roselle, Founder Iron Grace Fitness and star of the NBC Titan Games
We welcome COURTNEY ROSELLE @courtney_roselle, founder of Iron Grace Fitness and @nbctitangames TITAN OF THE EAST.
A self-described "Feminine Tomboy" who grew up in New Jersey, Courtney talks about her path to becoming an independent, strong willed woman on a career path where many told her she would fail. Courtney burst onto the national and international scene last year as the dynamic TITAN OF THE EAST on @therock #TitanGames.
Fitness model, athlete, personal trainer, TITAN GAMES athlete, and motivational speaker, Courtney talks about achieving success by staying true to her vision.
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@crossfit #crossfit #fitness #sports #exercise #health #movement #crossfitcoach #agoq #crossfitgames #crossfitgames #clean #fitness #crossfit @xcelsportsandfitness @brazenathletics @xcelathleticlifestyle @_strong_cc
TRANSCRIPT S01E13 - Courtney Roselle, Founder Iron Grace Fitness and star of the NBC Titan Games
[00:00:00] David Syvertsen: All right. Welcome back to the herd fit podcast. Guys is coach David here with coach Sam, and we have a very, very, very special guest. When Sam and I made a list of guests that we want to have on Courtney, I think it was on the top three, maybe even top two. Right. So who was the top one that you'll never know?
But yeah, this is Courtney Roselle, Courtney say hi. Hi guys. Awesome. Thank you so much for coming on. We're definitely. Into the nitty gritty with you, but just want to introduce how I know Courtney and Courtney is. I met, I first met Courtney. I want to say in 2015, 2016, back when you were with brazen, is that right around the time that
[00:00:39] Courtney Roselle: you started?
Yeah, because I think it was like a judge for you guys. The first time I met you.
[00:00:44] David Syvertsen: Yeah. We knew each other through the CrossFit space. She's gone in a few different directions, but she's still very much involved in the CrossFit space and just personal training space, which we'll definitely get into.
But Courtney without getting too, too deep, because we'll probably touch on a lot of these things. Throughout the podcast, but just give us a little introduction about yourself. You know, one paragraph. Oh,
[00:01:03] Courtney Roselle: my got only one paragraph. Number one. Thank you so much for having me. I'm honored. I'm top three.
I'm so excited. My name is Courtney Roselle, you know, from in the, our community almost close to 10 years. So it's crazy. I started at brazen athletics and Fairfield under Jason Schroeder and Christy link. And I've been in this CrossFit space for so long. I've been coaching. For almost six to seven years.
And I don't know, it's been crazy road. I don't know how much you want me to go into explanation. Cause I don't know how much questions you guys have in the background. We'll get into it. Yeah. But you know, starting in the corporate world, working ended up being a coach, ended up developing my own company.
Full-time. I in grace and it kind of snowballed from there. My career fitness modeling end up being on the Titan games. Again, I know we'll get into that, so, but I'm just here to inspire others. Definitely find their inner strength, especially a woman empowerment. Everybody knows I'm very, very much about that because it made me a better human being in the CrossFit community and making me a stronger woman hoping to pass back to the younger generations.
My generation. So,
[00:02:06] Sam Rhee: yeah, that's awesome. You made it to the regional games,
[00:02:08] Courtney Roselle: didn't you? No, I never made it to regionals. I actually became competitive the year. Like I was in CrossFit, I would say two to three years before I became competitive. And the first one. They the last year of regionals was that's when I became competitive.
Yeah. Anthony Vasquez, I believe was the last year and he was our coach. So I was like, so, utterly upset when they canceled me to know that I'm going to do it. And I was like, Nope, nevermind.
[00:02:35] David Syvertsen: So yeah, that's been, that's been a tough thing about being an actor. Within crosses, they've changed the format so many times in the past, I'd say five to six years.
And even now to this day, it's still changing. But before we get into that and I'm grace and the Titan games, especially what, was there something that happened that made you want to go from corporate world to. Fitness coaching and making that a full-time endeavor.
[00:02:58] Courtney Roselle: Yeah. So I'm, I'm the black sheep in my family.
So I am the youngest of four brothers and a sister and they all kind of just follow the world of the corporate world. And my mom grew up as she raised me. I mean, as like a single mom and she had to just. Jobs to support us. And I just was lucky enough to just, all I want to do is be happy and that's it.
I'm not kidding. All I want to do is be happy. Again. I grew up in a world where you just had to do what you had to do to put food on the table and money in the bank. And again, I was so appreciative of it. I never knew what my, what line of the economy or I would say social status. I grew up, I was in the middle class or whatever it was, my mom just made me happy.
And so I was given the opportunity if I could do what I love and make money from it and just be happy. Yeah, I wanted to do it. And I was just very, very blessed with that. At what
[00:03:46] David Syvertsen: point did you make that turn? Was that like just immediately? Post-college
[00:03:50] Courtney Roselle: was post-college now. So post. I was 22, I would say it was in the corporate world.
So I went from working in mortgages, which is actually the best job I ever had because I swear it's they told me something just to teach you in college, like how to raise a credit score, how to read credit reports, how to balance a checkbook. Things like that, that they should teach in college and it taught me organization.
So it was the best, first job I ever had. I swear. So I did that for about three years, and then I ended up getting a job through New Jersey devils and everybody's like, oh my God, you're finally in sports. This is it. You're living the dream. And I still was not happy at all. It was a really cool job. I had a lot of perks, but then when I discovered the CrossFit arena and just doing what I love and fitness and giving back.
Especially giving back. You can't put a dollar sign on that. True. And I would say I was 28, no, 28 when I decided to start I and grace in my own company. And now I'm 32, so it's awesome. Yeah. That's pretty cool.
[00:04:47] David Syvertsen: Yeah. So let's touch on iron grace, because you were across a coach for awhile. And I can say it so that you're not uncomfortable saying it, but you were, am I in this area?
Very well-known coach. When you showed up to when braces showed up across the competitions, we always knew J and J and court who were always, just physically stood out. Yeah. Yes. Loud.
[00:05:12] Courtney Roselle: I just didn't have tattoos down my neck.
[00:05:16] David Syvertsen: So. A huge part of that place. And what. What caused you to want to go that extra mile and kind of put your own, spin on it and create Andre. So what spurred that and w give us a little more detail into, to what iron grace is.
[00:05:31] Courtney Roselle: So yeah, when I started in grace, number one, what drove me was nobody thought it said I could do it.
They were like, Fail. I don't, you have no health benefits. You have no 401k and to give up your corporate life. And I was like, just watch what I do. So I'm actually, Jay was my mentor at the time and he totally pushed me to build my own brand. He was like, listen, like you're not just a regular human being.
You're not just a regular woman. You stand out, you have a presence. You're strong. You're exactly who you are. Like if you make a brand, I think people will follow it. So. We ended up, ended up coming up with names and he was like, what do you love about basketball and what you love about yourself? And I said, I'm a very feminine tomboy.
Like again, I grew up with four brothers. The reason I went down, the CrossFit space or sports was because I wanted to be like girly girl and wear dresses, but also I wanted to be athletic and I never fit in a crowd. So the boys like loved me because I was the best in Dodge ball. But then like the girls didn't want to accept me because I was with the boys.
Like, you know, I grew up with like a bowl haircut. And like a, a brow. So again, I was a very, very feminine tomboy. So, Jay was like, you know, what do you love about yourself? What do you love about basketball? It's like, you have to be strong and you have to be graceful to be in the sport. And I think that in CrossFit too, you know, you have to be strong, but you have to be very graceful to do a clean and jerk or snatch.
And so he was like, and I was like iron barbell. And he was like, okay. And he was like, grace, you have to be graceful. And I kind of just like, went with the flow. And the same with basketball. Like I have to be super strong, but you have to be so swift and so accurate and so coordinated to have a basketball.
And I went to college for basketball. I don't know if I said that. So that's literally how we developed the name and it literally just blew up from there. It was unbelievable.
[00:07:12] David Syvertsen: Before you got here, let's not plan 10, 15 minutes ago, Sam and I, Sam just spent the. A weekend down at duke at like a basketball type.
It was a
[00:07:20] Sam Rhee: fantasy basketball camp, basketball camp, 35, and
[00:07:24] David Syvertsen: up only in Sam, Sam is incredible if it incredibly healthy. And he goes down there and it says there's so much skill in basketball that you just don't appreciate watching the game. Obviously you see that. The obvious, like shooting and dribbling and passing, but just like knowing where to go, what to do with your arms, you have to be graceful.
And he said that as fitness, as skilled as he is within CrossFit, it doesn't always carry over into basketball. There's a certain amount of level of grace and, and. Body awareness that you need that you just don't
[00:07:53] Courtney Roselle: get. Yeah. And I think like, I wish I had crossed her when I was younger, because I feel like I would be obese in basketball now, but like, even so like, if you take people out of sports, specific worlds, like th they're not going to be the best CrossFitter either.
It's like unbelievable. We're. And again, I work in three different gyms now in two of them are more global gym types. And I would say CrossFit is still the 1% in this world. And I think because. You know, so spoiled on like everybody knows what CrossFit is now, right? Nope. They have no idea. They think I'm an absolute beast.
They think I'm like out of the box. Crazy. And to me, I'm just like an average human in my world. So. It's still not, but yes, I
[00:08:30] Sam Rhee: think that's true. I think when you are in other environments as a CrossFitter, it, you do stand out, you do look different, you do have a different mentality. And when I was down there, I didn't know anything about basketball, but they did know I was fit.
The only problem was is that. In basketball, you have to work with a team. You have to know your spacing, you know how to switch on ball screens. You know, you have to know where to keep your arms. You have to know where to move and all of those skills, they're little skills. Like where do you position yourself for a rebound?
These are all things that I never really understood. Never having played basketball, and then you go into it, but I will tell you that my other takeaway was as CrossFitters. We are. Like strength training in general is helpful for everybody. And I feel like if athletes and other sports actually did CrossFit the way you're training others to do CrossFit or strength.
Yeah. It makes such a big,
[00:09:27] Courtney Roselle: yeah. So I recently just got the opportunity and I took it this week that I'm going to be the head strength and conditioning coach for the Montclair. Boys' basketball team. Yeah. So like, it's also great too, because in my crossword arena and I always say this, like no one walks in, I don't walk into a room and they're like, you're strong for a woman.
They're just like, yo, she's strong. So, and that, and it gave me such confidence that like, I'm going to coach a boys basketball team. And let me tell you, they treat me with the most respect. They're not like, oh, she's strong for a girl. Like, no, I have a 4 0 5 deadlifts. So like, which is more than you. So like, you know what I mean?
But. You know, coming from the basketball arena, like you always had a job. This was like the crazy going from basketball to CrossFit. You always had a job. Right? So I was like the strong, powerful athlete. I was a defensive person. I wasn't the score on the team. So coming into the CrossFit arena, it was more of an individualized sport and I was not used to that.
You gotta be good at everything. Jay actually was the one who was like, you need to develop yourself as an athlete first individually for you to be good at what you want to do. And that's why I ended up going to pot. Well, Keith forced me to do a lot of blues on my own. I did not want to do a lot of blues on my own.
I remember that. And he was like, you're going to do want to please on your own because I want it to go team. I'm used to team. I love it. Everything. And he was like, you're going to do this on your own. You're going to do certain things so that you can be a better team player. And he made me do that. And it made me also discover myself of like, you know, training by yourself as hard.
And Dave, I know, you know, this, like that's a whole different mental ball game physically. I could do anything on my own, but mentally like training an empty gym is unbelievable how much mental stress, especially,
[00:10:55] David Syvertsen: especially you come from similar to bison brazen in my opinion is like, yeah, Very just intense and you love to get after it together.
And that's part of what makes sprays and brazen or what has made brazen, brazen. What makes you, you is the fact that you guys go at it so hard when you're passionate about doing it with each other, but there are certain circumstances in life that it's just not there. You have to do a piracy.
[00:11:17] Courtney Roselle: Yeah. Like now I train about 85% by myself unless I'm training with the class.
You know what I mean? So it's just like, but it made me a stronger athlete, a better human made me stand on my own without a team behind me. Yeah,
[00:11:30] David Syvertsen: everything that I'm hearing right now. Like I love hearing like this, just little nuggets about what's created, you know, you and the confidence that you have in yourself and how, tell us more about iron grace and what you want it to be, what it is.
Is it personal training? Is it programming? Is it, you know, what, what exactly. Do you offer, do
[00:11:50] Courtney Roselle: you offer an umbrella of things? So, I, haven't never for my I and grace brand and like different umbrellas. So like right now I have strong that's underneath it. And that's a strength program that involves bodybuilding power lifting, only lifting cross.
They buds very, very strength based and based. And I have it in the. Area and Excel sports and fitness. Cool. So I have that right now. I do fitness modeling. I do motivational speaking. I do personal training, which became huge after the Titan games was aired. But I want it to be a plethora of things because also right now a job to work with the foundation for women who suffered from the COVID pandemic and like lost everything they had.
So I'm with them right now doing motivational and peer mentoring. Like I swear I have a plethora of things underneath it, but my main main message. Focus and motto and everything I ever want to give back is to find the strongest version of yourself and give back. And that's all I ever want to do. So if that's through me being in magazines and the way I look in little girls looking at me and making sure that they're strong so they can lead into a community or my motivational speaking, whatever it is, I always, my tagline is be strong live company.
So, that's all I want to give across. So I'm still trying to like have many different directions,
[00:13:03] Sam Rhee: obviously women and fitness is a huge focus for you and I, and it's very personal. I've read a lot of your Instagram posts where you grew up and you had a lot of difficulties with other saying really awful things.
Yeah. Yeah. And even in my
[00:13:16] Courtney Roselle: adult life, which is crazy. It's crazy. The message. I still get. Weird calls and it's it's wild. Let's just say that. So
[00:13:26] David Syvertsen: w w
[00:13:27] Sam Rhee: as a model and as a mentor, what is it that you have found has changed as you've been seeing society and people around you that has it been getting better?
Have you seen people
[00:13:39] Courtney Roselle: responding? Yeah. Yeah. I think the number one thing that people need to take away of is just being authentic to yourself. You know, I dye my hair red, I walk into it. I, I do not apologize for who I am ever. And for me being that and becoming more obtained to that, I guess you can say I attract people that are just like me, so that to me, having those people surround me in times of weakness is exactly what I needed.
I always tell people I'm not just strong, but I was also the weakest person in the room at one time. So if you don't know what week is, you have no idea what. Absolutely do not. So if I'm upset or I'm emotional or whatever it is, the people, I have very, very strong people around me that kind of bring me back to my center, but I'm just authentic at the end of the day.
That's it that's all anybody wants to be is just themselves. And that people are really trying to find it. And for me to tell my story, at the end of the day, it gives people other power to be who they are. Hopefully that gives back, but it is getting better. I still have some haters on the other end.
Well,
[00:14:37] David Syvertsen: you know what I'll say, the more haters you have that means the more popular you're getting. I've always thought that that if especially in the, this internet tough guy phase where phase of life, where people. Ever they want over their phone and computer and hide behind it, you know? And I hope that doesn't get to you because I always say the more negative attention you get, the more, the better you are at.
[00:14:57] Courtney Roselle: I don't know. My, one of my favorite quotes in life is if you give it the power to feed you, give it the power to starve you. So I won't give you the power to have anything over me. Cause then you start with me and that will never, ever, ever, ever happen.
[00:15:06] David Syvertsen: You've done too much. You've worked too hard.
[00:15:08] Courtney Roselle: And I know at the end of the day, everything I do, like I'm okay with myself in a day and I hope I give back positivity.
Yeah. All the time. Yep. And that's all I care about. So everybody else who has something to say,
[00:15:18] David Syvertsen: so now, do you have a specific, like if you had to pick one direction on a micro level, like right now you talked about macro level, like what you want iron grace to be micro level? Is there something, because right now, like, and I, I not sympathize with you, but I can relate to you that get pulled in a lot of different directions because you're trying to do kind of like this big picture thing there is there one avenue that you really want to steer yourself towards?
[00:15:43] Courtney Roselle: Yeah, this motivational speaking and stuff like that. Yeah. I love it. I love it so much. I love relating to people. I love, I love from talking on podcasts like this, to like the girl scout groups, trips in Hoboken, like they're the cutest little things. Yeah, I did like even a lot of zoom calls with like different girl groups and like motivational speaking and positivity.
So if I could kind of do this. I don't necessarily get paid big bucks for this or anything like that, but not yet. You never know. But it just means the world to me.
[00:16:10] David Syvertsen: Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I think a true impact, like really to define impact, right? Is not you saying something and making somebody else happy.
It's you saying something and then that person goes and make somebody else happy from what they've learned from you. And I think that's something that you can't put a dollar sign on, right? Like you're not always going to get a paycheck. Helping somebody out, but that person that you helped out might be helping someone else out.
And then it's just like a, that's a true impact. And I think, you know, from my perspective, I think you're doing that. And I think that you should be really happy about that. And you know, just keep it going because I think in time and I think this is becoming more and more common, there's more podcasts than ever now.
And it's still an industry that's still growing that. I think the way of the future, the communication wise is going to be through avenues like this. And you're still so much at the beginning stage of iron grace. I think if you continue, just keep your foot on the gas. And even when times get tough or you kind of start to doubt yourself a little bit, you know, all it takes is for you to like, you know, it could be one episode like this or someone else.
So you impact one person where it really explodes into something. And I think that just shows the true dedication that you have behind the process.
[00:17:18] Courtney Roselle: Yeah. I always say like my favorite, I started one of my favorite quotes is by Tupac. He said he might not change the world, but he's going to spark somebody's mind who could, and that's exactly what I want to live by.
Yup. And again, yeah. I always, again, I just need to stress to people like you just need to be yourself and be authentic as you can, because you're going to attract someone who's like is going to feed off of you and change their world. And I hope every, everybody really does that. And,
[00:17:44] David Syvertsen: and now, now gearing this more towards women because Sam and I obviously have limited credibility on, on this introspective perspective, but I do want to say, I think Sam and I are.
Very open and conscious of how much women in CrossFit have changed the outlook of women in fitness over the past decade. I really think, and we've said this on this podcast before I think women have changed fitness more than any group of people have ever changed fitness ever. And just because of, of showing what they can do with their bodies how attracted they can look while doing.
So where, you know, 20 years ago used to be like women aren't allowed to live. They have to be small and dainty. You know, can you touch on that a little bit and just give us some of your words on how much women in CrossFit and women and lifting and strength have, have changed the outlook on what women candidates should be doing when it comes to working out?
[00:18:36] Courtney Roselle: Oh my God was this like three or four years ago, car Paoli was on a podcast. Any, and someone asked him how women are going to change the CrossFit arena. And his answer was so perfect and sorry for the men, but he said, Women. They're not going to say that women are strong. They're going to end up being that women are going to make more impact than men in the CrossFit arena and no offense or anything.
But for the first time, and again, me, because I'm spoiled and I swear the CrossFit world is the 1%, but I walk into a. Into, like a global gym and these women, how they look because aesthetically cause of bodybuilding and stuff like that. But in a day I'm like really bad-ass and I feel super confident because of the things I can do and not how I look.
And I see women are getting more empowered by women. I can't believe I can do these things and not again, how they look when they walk into a room and to meet women are just so mentally strong. I mean, you guys know we have babies and everything
we were pretty tough. So to match our physical and our mental kind of. Boom. It just brought out the boom and like, even at the CrossFit games, like you see the stadiums, I mean, water police, we've been to water Palooza, Asbury park. I've been at granite games and our stadiums are just as packed as the men competing.
Maybe more. Yeah. Like everybody's like Tia to me, you know? Well, blah, blah, blah. I'm like the 20th team behind them. But like, you know what I mean? Our stadiums are just as packed. Our prize money is just as much as theirs. Yeah. So it's so crazy going into other rooms. I met a lot of people at the Titan games who were in the power lifting, only arena in the strong man arena and the Olympic end there they're still off.
Like their prize monies are still off where they have more crowds with the men. I'm like, no, no, no, not in the crossover arena. We're not like that at all. So we're, I'm really, really blessed that this is the main fitness arena I grew up in, I would say, but I think it just gave the power to match our mental or physical.
And then. You guys are screwed.
[00:20:34] David Syvertsen: Well, it's funny because we we have, we have, we have 11 coaches now at bison and four of them are women. And I think that we were, you know, this isn't anything close to being confirmed yet, but we'll probably be adding another one within the next year. And I've noticed, and I'm very, just observant of, of how our, all of our coaches are awesome by the way.
And I'm just very observant of how different. The class responds to the women coaches as opposed to the men. And I've noticed in time, it seems like there's a lot more concentration when the women are up there coaching, because there's a little bit more like this is different. This is new members that have been here for four or five years are used to them.
And you used to Liz and Terry and Nash and Kay. Right. But like, You know, some of our newer members I can tell they've never had a female trainer or female coach before, and you just watch them. There's like a certain level of intrigue from them. Yeah. And after a while it's like, wow, this is, this is actually more than legitimate.
This is actually in some cases better because women are naturally better communicators, you know?
[00:21:37] Courtney Roselle: Well, I will say like, again, I coach at a gym underneath a guy. His name is Freddy. Yep. He owns Excel sports and fitness and Excel at like lifestyle and Hoboken. And he literally said, he's like, when you walk into a room, so women are always like, oh my God, are you scared to look bulky and muscular?
I was like, well, my business owner who met me at first, he's like, you walked into a room and he was like, I know this girl means business because it's just how I looked. And he's like in your discipline and holding your shoulders high. And like, you didn't give. Crap that I was a man that you were meeting with and I was meeting with all men and he was like, and you carried yourself in the room.
And I'm very, very blessed it's because I was grew up in the CrossFit arena. Right. I'm telling you right now. That's exactly. And he was like, and that's why women are just like, oh, are you scared to have muscles? Like no. Cause guys know. I mean, business and women know, I mean business, whenever I walk into a room.
So I think a
[00:22:26] Sam Rhee: lot of success in life comes from projecting who you are and the fact that you started a business. Based on who you are. It actually reminds me a little bit of, I mean, the person who ran the Titan games, the rock, like when you look at his persona, his personality and what he builds, it's on him.
And it's what he projects. And if you have more women who feel self-confident, who can project that, you're a great role model for that. You, you rely on yourself to present. That success, which leads to success. And that sort of is a lot,
[00:23:05] David Syvertsen: we're a long round about way to say. So
[00:23:08] Sam Rhee: you probably got a huge kick
[00:23:10] David Syvertsen: up from the exposure you got on the Titan
[00:23:13] Courtney Roselle: games.
The Titan games aired and everything. The reason the rock picked me because he hand picks every contestant that goes in Will's number one, because of what I portrayed to women. And he's a huge girl, dad, huge. So he's like, I want my daughters to watch this girl compete. Number two, he said this. I love the rock and they didn't interview saying, why do you love the rock?
And I said, he defines his path. He doesn't let the pacified him. Right. So again, I said to him in the interview is not to him into a camera. He saw the camera, but. You know, I'm going to make sure that I define my path in the pet does not define me. So when I went into the Titan games, I just basically was like, listen, I know you, producers can portray however you want, just please make sure you get my story out.
And they portrayed it so perfectly. And I was so happy how everything came out and, and on top of it, the Titan of the east was like icing on the cake. You know what I mean? Like when I went in, I was like, oh my God, I just want to innovate, but it happened. But again, I just wanted my story to be an impact.
My first AA debuted. I had over 320 DMS. Oh wow. I answered, I entered, it took me a whole week and then it was email, but like 320 DMS. And most of them were from parents of little girls. You know, our young women that were just like, I can't believe you did it. Yeah. It was really, really cool. That's really cool.
[00:24:34] David Syvertsen: Yeah. I'd love to talk more about the Titan games. Like how, how, what process. How did you get involved with what
[00:24:40] Courtney Roselle: was the first step? Okay. So this is the crazy round about world. It is. So failure always brings you on a path of success of where you're exactly supposed to be. So a little bit of, a bit of a backstory of me.
Again, I grew up as a feminine tomboy and I went into modeling when I was like 11 or 12. Because I was such a tomboy and I needed to find my girly side and I was like, I'm going to go, go into modeling because everybody's telling me I should. And I'm five foot nine at the age of like five. So I went into the modeling world and the first thing they said again, I was like 11 or 12 at the time was you're never going to be a model you're too big.
You're too athletic. And you are like a boy. So I was like, whatever, I'm going to go into sports. I ended up excelling in school. I ended up going to the CrossFit arena excelling in that. So I ended up going, trying the modeling world again at my 20. So I was 25 and I was like out of my awkward stage and I was like, I'm ready to do this.
No, one's going to tell me who I am. No, one's going to tell me I'm a plus size or too athletic. And I sent like $250 worth. Packages to 22 different modeling agencies and every single one of them was like, absolutely not really. Absolutely not. And so one point that one modeling agency brought me in physically into New York city and said, no little girl is going to want to flip the page and look like, oh my God.
Yeah. So like, they made sure to tell me that in person. And I was like, and I walked out of there and I was like, what. Thank God. At the time again, I was in CrossFit and my brother was waiting downstairs. He's like, how do you go? How to go? And I was like, I'm not good. No one wants to look like me. So I, and a couple of months later, my mom goes to the U S open.
I swear this all round about story and it works out. He goes to U S open and sends sits next to the editor of Vogue, the assistant editor. And my mom had a couple cocktails in her and the woman was like, I'm here to book ma like fitness people in magazines. And she was like, my daughter's a fitness model.
She's like, let me take a look at her. And she saw my picture and she was like, wait, that's your daughter. I don't have a fitness model. Who's. And does modeling. That makes sense. Yeah.
[00:26:34] David Syvertsen: That's that's the world. We live in pretend to do fitness.
[00:26:37] Courtney Roselle: She was like, like what? So that week I was like, no way this one was ever going to call me.
Thanks, mom. She calls me a week later, Jill doming and she brought me into a room with shape magazine, self magazine, Vogue. And she's like, tell me your story. And I told the backstory of like fitness modeling and how no one wants to look. No, one's want to look. No one is going to look like me. And she was.
Oh, my God shape magazine booked me on the spot right then and there. And self magazine was like, I've been waiting for you. I've been waiting for your story. And she was like, what makes you different than every other fitness model? Just trying to be a fitness mom. I said, who said I was trying to be a fitness model.
I'm not trying to change the world. I was someone who was trying to look like me and be in the fitness industry. Again, I'm not trying to pave the path for like, I'm trying to beat my own path and hopefully everybody jumps on. So they were like, let me book you. And then a month later, Vogue magazine called me because of box.
Dropped out of a shoot. Last minute, she ended up having a health issue and Joel was like, I have no model who looks fit. Like you please come down to Brooklyn right now. And then I was on page 68, 69 of Vogue magazine, a whole spread about me. Wow. She was like, literally. Cause because you look the way you do.
And I have nobody that looks like that. And then it just like snowballed effect that WWE divas reached out to me. And it was like, I want to, they heard about my story. Let me see. We work in the diva world that did not work out, but girls from the Titan games were there and they're like, can I just tell it's I can game the producers about you because I really want to get your story out.
And you're just so positive and so nice. And I ended up getting out to the producers of that. They ended up getting back to me, went through like seven interviews and getting brought out to LA for a combo. Basically, they test you there for your physical fitness, but more of like your personality in a story you have to offer.
No, the physical
[00:28:19] David Syvertsen: or the physical fitness tests. Yeah.
[00:28:22] Courtney Roselle: Okay. So I ended up doing really damn well. One of them was a three minute dead hang me and Danny Spiegel went back to back. Me and her I'm the one I ended up tying with Danny was max deadlift and I maximized dead lift at 4 0 5. And she was like, she was like, what's your previous deadlift?
And I was like 3 75. And you only had four. And I hardly warmed up.
[00:28:43] David Syvertsen: It was like real warm up either. No,
[00:28:46] Courtney Roselle: they don't give you like, here's like a 20 pound dumbbell. I was doing like RDL. I was like, please don't break my back. It's like, listen, don't go all out. And I was like, no, you can't tell me not to go out right now.
A hundred meter dash. What else, like they were testing you more, they weren't even testing you physically, truthfully, they were putting you through these physical tasks and then putting a camera on you and seeing how you right. That's what they were dealing with. And she answered it on a camera and tell a story and still be presentable and like your message that you give across after you do a physical fit.
Yes. Right, right, right, right. Endeavor. So, ended up being. I would say two weeks later, I was actually with Jay in the gym and the guy calls me and the producer is like, listen, I have to tell you something. I just don't know if this is going to work out. And he's like, well, he's like booking your flight to LA.
You know? So then I like, and then Jane walked in and started crying. He was the first one that knew, and they kind of just took off from there, but I ended up being. Literally this role was paid me since I was 11 years old. Like it live. That's why I was like, it's a really roundabout story. I'm sorry to go this way.
But it's like, that's what I'm saying. Like every failure brings you to exactly where you're supposed to be.
[00:29:53] David Syvertsen: Just depends on how you react to that. Yes. How many people would have gone to. That trip that you went to the city and they said, no, girl's ever gonna want to look like you. How many people at that moment would be just given up I'm out.
I'm out. Just give us the sign from above brushing. Yeah, absolutely crushing it. Yeah. Yeah. That says crushing as it gets. Yeah. For someone to look you in the eye and be like, you're like, there are thoughts in your head, but like I'll never make it. I'm not good enough. But when someone else comes to you and says, you're never good enough, you're never going to make it.
That shuts a lot of people. And I think that's one message you can give out there from, from that story. That's awesome.
[00:30:25] Courtney Roselle: Yeah. And again, like, I always want to do stress to people. Like I know if you, I know I'm a very positive person that walks into a room, but again, I probably cried the most tears in this room.
So I wouldn't remember that. Like, you know, when I started first started at physical fitness trainer or whatever, the personal training. Like everybody was like, oh my God, you probably had no money. Right. And I was like, no, I didn't. I was broke guys. I was broke. Like, I didn't come off just being this successful trainer out of nowhere.
I didn't come out being a successful model out of nowhere. Like I had more criticism than you would believe, you know? Like I was eating like the cup of noodles from like college to try to make this work, you know? So I always want to stress that this didn't come overnight. It was years and years and years in the making.
[00:31:07] David Syvertsen: That's awesome. Yeah. Yeah. Now back back to the Titan games you won. Just so just in case I'm an Ash. And I remember we, this is during the pandemic. So we were like looking for, it was like one of the few things we are looking forward to.
We watched them, we all watched, like, we were like yelling at the TV. Like I know her. You know, you won the east and then, you know, what was the process just like day to day? Like, were you out there the whole time and how much time are there between events and things?
[00:31:38] Courtney Roselle: So I was there for a month and also it was really crazy cause they couldn't tell anybody where I was.
My bosses my clients and then like my family, but like I had to sign a contract, which was crazy that someone found out I was on the Titan games. Like let's say Sue through social media, TMZ that had to pay a million dollar fine. Yeah. And it was signed by the rock. So, oh. I was like, I can't tell anybody where I was.
So everybody thought I left and just moved to Atlanta for a month. But I was there for the entire month and it was crazier than you think, like the clip show. 30 minutes of my month that I was there. Yeah. I was there for an entire week alone doing every interview possible and was eight hour days. And like, I couldn't leave.
You couldn't leave. You had to get sized for your wardrobe. You had to get approved by your wardrobe. You had to do interviews for three hours on end skits, cameos. Like I'm talking to you another other day for an entire week. Wow. Wow. Yeah, it was a lot. It's it's very, very exhausting. And then. So when I came home from taking games a week later, I had to go to water Palooza, not even a week, it was three days.
I think you
[00:32:43] David Syvertsen: still
[00:32:45] Sam Rhee: committed to go to
[00:32:45] Courtney Roselle: waterproof one of these dates of a, if I make it to there, like Valentine's day. And I think a lot of Palooza was like the 17th or 18th. I was like, cool, cool, cool. So I could still make water Palooza. I was still treat like, so I had to come home at like nine o'clock at night and go to like a global gym and still train for water Palooza.
Like I had to make it work. Yeah. So you were able to train for free gym membership, which was great. If I wanted to go to another gym, like CrossFit gym, I had to take, you know, an Uber somewhere late or leave mind you. I had days off what's your a great, because then I had the whole day to train. Right. But when you're in the studio, that was like eight to 12 hour days off.
Yeah. And you had a schedule of like, let's say you had a 9:00 AM meeting, but TV is so often hours on that 9:00 AM meeting. Wow. Yeah, it wasn't never on time. And especially because Titan games, the first time he was aired was in LA. So now we were aired in Atlanta because the rock was also on the movie set in Atlanta.
So he was doing double time. And what they said to us was you go to the rock, the rock doesn't come to you. So we ended up. Doing. So they basically started the taking games all over again. So that's why it was so delayed. Cause it wasn't an LA they had to take everything from LA and start from scratch. So it was like season one for them.
Got it. So there was obstacles I was supposed to do that they had to cancel last minute and think of another obstacle because they didn't work because shipping didn't bring everything over or something didn't work like fire on everything. Like it was smoking in the arena. Once we had to cancel the day, like it was all brand new for everybody.
Yeah. Yeah. And you had to, like every time I gave a hair, like an interview at a come out and get my hair and makeup done, which was awesome. But every time I moved on an obstacle, I had to come off, get my hair and makeup done. Like everything was shot strategic. Right. Everything went down. So yeah, there were a lot of
[00:34:31] David Syvertsen: cross it out.
Yeah. Yeah, I'm involved with the Titan games and it just goes to show like how, you know, you, if you're trying to look for the world's fittest, you go to the CrossFit arena. Now, do you still maintain some of the relationships that you have because you are not yet, you are with some, some big time
[00:34:45] Courtney Roselle: people. I mean, it's a one-time experience that no one will understand for an entire month.
We lived in like a hotel in a college dorm and you can leave and do what you want, but you can't tell people what you're there for. Right. So like, think about like, It would say on an average, 30 to 60 of us really fit people walking to a restaurant. And they're like, who the, yeah, what just walked up in here.
Oh yeah. It's a crew and a half. So, Alvarez, one of my really, really, really good friends, Matt Chan and angel from above. So I'm trying to think of like CrossFit people, Kelly Stone, amazing every year. I would say we try to plan one to two trips a year that we have a Titan games reunion from Vegas to Nashville.
I was supposed to go to actually Nashville, maybe this weekend to meet up with some of them. But there is a strong crew of us. And again, it was like a, one of a lifetime thing that no one would understand besides us. We saw on a group thread, all 60 of us. So it's unbelievable. It's unbelievable. Yeah.
Did any of them
[00:35:39] David Syvertsen: get turned on to cross it? The tight games that the one guy, I forgot his name, but the one guy that he was like the Midwestern guy, it was one of the top guys that, oh, shorter guy didn't look like he didn't look as fit as the other ones, but he was talking
we're like that guy would be a nasty CrossFitter. Wait. So
[00:36:03] Courtney Roselle: he was, he was great. Number one, nicest human alive, Southern charm. And I loved him so much. So will was my east coast site and with me, and he was actually powerlifter by sport. But every she, how he got ready for the obstacle, especially Mount Olympus.
So melon limbus, I would say the best is you do Fran three times in a row. That's the lungs you get. But if you were not a CrossFitter, you didn't know what Fran run long was. Die. I was like, guys, it's just,
not Chan was the best. He was like, guys, you got some friend long, like tough it up. And, but they got friend long and they were like slowly dies. So will, would like do these crazy things before he got on Mount Olympus and get friends long, a little bit, raise the heart rate, the heart rate. So he would be ready for mental illness.
Cause that's why he kind of saw us too. Yep. Yep. So. From what I know, no one got turned up to cross it, but they definitely gave us like a lot of like, you know, appeal and props for what we do. That's awesome. Yeah. Cause I was like, they were like, how can we not know the obstacles before? So I want to know this.
We did not know the obstacles going into it. We knew it kind of, but you didn't know how much anything weighed you couldn't touch it. You couldn't be on it. So everybody was like, how can we do this? I was like, let me tell you, this is what we get all the time. Like I wanted to want to play. If you don't know the last event, you have to guess it, but you don't know what, anything ways.
And they're like, you'll just let you know, let's do 185 power cleans at like 185 pounds. I was like, cool, we're doing this. So I was used to that, like, when I have carried the ball and chain, it was like 220 pounds. And everybody was like, holy crap. And I was like, no, you just pull it. You just do what you gotta do at the end of the day.
And you're ready for the unknown. And that's what we're trained for. That's what fitness is. And everybody's used to knowing what you're going into and I'm like, no, no, no. I'm used to it. Not knowing what I'm going into. Yeah. That's
[00:37:49] David Syvertsen: awesome.
[00:37:50] Sam Rhee: Was there any moments that were really scary for you or threw you for a huge loop where you were like?
[00:37:56] Courtney Roselle: Yeah, I would say like being on national TV was a little bit nerve wracking. Like I I've been in front of crowds, you know what I mean? But being on knowing that national TV was on me was like nerve wracking in general. But like the courses weren't scary for me. Like the physical course. Wasn't scary. I was just like, please don't make an ass out of myself on GV, please.
That's all I thought about. I was like, even when I was carrying the ball, I was like, don't fall. Like just, I was like blacking out, like as if I was on the CrossFit games or whatever, like that. I just was like, please don't make an ass out of yourself, but that's it. Oh, you didn't. You did awesome. Yeah.
Thank you. Thank you. And again, I just was like, I would say CrossFit and being a strong CrossFitter is what made me go there. Like everybody else, like ran marathons and stuff like that, but having strength as my base, and I would say brazen definitely expresses strength as your base kind of like catapulted me on the arena.
So yeah. Yeah, I think
[00:38:51] David Syvertsen: any competitive endeavor when it comes to fitness related things, which I would consider a Titan games, a fitness related test, you know, it wasn't there wasn't like a specific skill set. So it was just, it came down to fitness. That one thing that, you know, you could say Brays and prepared you for cross it prepared you for your background, prepared you for is how much your mental capacity will either help or.
Dampen your ability to physically perform. Oh, there's a lot of mental
[00:39:16] Sam Rhee: toughness involved in all of those
[00:39:17] David Syvertsen: tests. It's
[00:39:18] Courtney Roselle: all mental time. Yeah. I was performing something that cured. There's a camera, like right here in your face. And there's like during, throughout Mount Olympus, there's a microphone on my back.
So like at one point when I'm going through the cage, which was the worst thing ever, I hated that cage. No, it wasn't even just stuff. I was just huge. So like I was, so they were like, how do you feel about being the tallest girl here? I'm like, so used to it, like, you know what I mean? So he said, but my microphone got caught in the cage at one point and it like kinda, and I ripped it off, like.
And it just happened, but I was like, sorry, I don't know what to do. You know what I mean? So it was just like different things on my body at the time. And like, yeah, I, I, my hair was up in a ponytail in a certain way. I had to look a certain way. So it's just like something I wasn't ready for it a little bit, but yeah, it was, it was a really, really awesome experience.
I would say
[00:40:03] David Syvertsen: that, yeah, that was cool. It was a blast watching.
[00:40:06] Sam Rhee: What were the athletes interactions with the rock? Like how did you guys interact with him? How much
[00:40:11] Courtney Roselle: was there. Oh, well, thank God. I was there a lot because, because I became telling of the east side, a lot of interaction with him, but the producers were like, please just treat him like a human don't go in there and being like a fan of girl.
Cause he just wants to be, if you ever interact with him, he's the most genuine soul. And he's so funny. And he was like, the first time he met me, he was like, what's up Jersey girl. And I was like, cause I, that. Manager and ex-wife is from New Jersey. It's like, oh my God. When I come to Jersey, I was like, let me tell you something, Dwayne, if you come to New Jersey, you can just walk into a gym with me.
And I have to give a heads up. Like I have to tell people about it because I will die. So he is the funniest human. He's so authentic, so genuine. And he wants you to just like be yourself. And he always, and I still keep in touch with him to this day. About like a week ago was a year since I became talking of the east on the show and I'm voice messaged him.
I was like, Hey, thank you for everything you've done. And he always voice messages me back. It's like he still keeps in contact and he was like, this is why I do what I do to change your life, to change other people's lives. Path do the same thing, do the same thing in here. Response to my message at like 3:00 AM.
And I know it's, he's working out in his backyard gym, so I know what he's doing, but he responds to every one of my messages. So he's so great. He's so great. And God, he's so handsome. I'm just going to say that to too. Yeah,
[00:41:27] David Syvertsen: I'm pretty sure that's the reason why. Watch the high gates was the rock first and
[00:41:31] Courtney Roselle: new session is huge.
Like he's six foot 5, 270 pounds. He made me feel like a baby when he hugged me. And I was like, God, you just smell so good. But he was everything. I was like, I was like, every girl's going to be so jealous. Yeah. But yeah, he's an awesome human. The only,
[00:41:49] David Syvertsen: yes, that's awesome.
[00:41:50] Sam Rhee: You know, I just saw your last head to head with Margo Alvarez.
I
[00:41:54] David Syvertsen: rewatched that that was pretty close. Actually. People
[00:41:57] Courtney Roselle: don't know this. We were up there for 15 minutes. Oh my God. So yes we are. The poll was going back and forth for so long. Known for my leg strength. She told me, and I'm so mad. She goes, Courtney. I only had about 30 seconds left in me and I was like, dang it, Julian,
[00:42:11] Sam Rhee: 30 seconds.
Sorry. And watch it just to explain. So there are two rods that each have ginormous rods, like huge that each of you had to pull out first. And then there was a golden rod in the middle and Margo got to the golden rod. Just alert with that because I screwed up.
[00:42:26] Courtney Roselle: Yeah.
[00:42:27] Sam Rhee: And then you, you saved it and you guys both sit there and it's only the video footage is only for maybe like.
A minute where you guys are going back and forth, but you guys were up there on the golden rod for
[00:42:38] Courtney Roselle: 15 minutes, for 15 minutes. Oh my God. Am I for, it was my forums that were about to fall off like a little Panda. Like I was like, I was on it like a koala and I was just like, oh my God, it wasn't, my legs hurt.
I literally was like, The forms are going to give out. And she's like, Courtney, if you didn't like, go ahead about 30 seconds, not even left. And I was like, I was like, no way I was so mad, but if I was going to lose to anybody, I'll lose to Margo
[00:43:02] David Syvertsen: Margot. By the way, for those that don't know, is, is a staple in the CrossFit games community.
I
[00:43:06] Courtney Roselle: guess we won that marathon row. Yeah,
[00:43:08] David Syvertsen: very, very, very well known CrossFit
[00:43:10] Courtney Roselle: competitor. And let me tell you, not only is she an amazing. By far one of the nicest humans alive, she's one of my good friends. I still keep in. So after the Titan games aired, she actually sent me a card at, to my house handwritten saying like, I'm so thankful for your friendship.
Wow. Awesome. Cool. Yeah, Margaret like, and everybody walks into a room, be like Margo Alvarez. And she just is like at CC, she knows everybody's name. She always checks in on me to make sure I'm doing okay. Scene with Matt Chan matching is a competitor all my Lord by nature. He is like, he blacks out and he doesn't care who you are.
He doesn't care if you're a friend he's going to beat you, but not like douche typo. Like he's really nice, right. Competition is. But he even told me like when he was in the CrossFit games, who did it. Oh, my God. He's like, he's a really good friend of mine. And I ripped him from an obstacle. They had to go up like a deck from a paddleboard.
He's like, I ripped him off of that. I don't care who it was. Cause I'm going to win over here. He does not care, but again, but like off scene nicest, the nicest human personalities. Oh my God. And his wife is great. Yeah. I can't even like, I'm so thankful to have her as friendship as well. Matt Chan still
[00:44:18] Sam Rhee: works as a firefighter.
Yes. And I think Margo Alvarez is building her own brand. I think she has like a want yeah, yeah,
[00:44:24] Courtney Roselle: yeah. Go wine. And she sends me bottles of it and I'm like, yeah, no, no, but like she, again, great. Like, I can't say it. Nice enough things about. Just just hard
[00:44:35] David Syvertsen: workers that no matter what they go into, they do well.
Right? Like whether it's the tight games, whether it's CrossFit games, whether it's their business match hands, very well-known coach as well. It's, you know, I think that's like how you do anything is how you do everything. And those guys are, are huge. Examples of
[00:44:49] Courtney Roselle: that. He is a coach at the end of the day.
I do want to specify that like he helped me on Mount Olympus. So he's such a competitor athlete, so he would close it. And he's like three steps to the ball, four steps for the hammer. If you just, he knew by step by second, when he ran it once, how to go about Mount Olympus. And he was telling me details of like Courtney.
Okay. So you're going to feel Fran lung around this point, push that, like he knew every step and he helped me at the end of the day. And he would do it for anybody. It wasn't just. But he's a coach at
[00:45:17] David Syvertsen: the end of the day. He's a great follow on Instagram. Just like he just gives a, like some tips on coaching, on performing.
It's he's a, he's a very, yeah.
[00:45:26] Courtney Roselle: On his birthday, he asked me to be his workout partner. He's a quarter, we're doing a partner while can you be my partner? I was like, what? It was like naturally, but like, you're going to smoke me. He was like, no, you're going to do great. Like, he was great. He was so obviously he was like a little bit more fit than me, but he was awesome.
He was cool. Yeah.
[00:45:43] David Syvertsen: All right. So yeah, I mean, we, we, we can wrap this up, but I just want to make sure if there's anything else that you want to get out there, whether it be about iron grace, just any message that you want to throw it to any women in particular, or where
[00:45:54] Sam Rhee: do you want to go from here now that you've achieved all
[00:45:57] David Syvertsen: these things
[00:45:57] Courtney Roselle: at this point?
I know. Oh my Lord. So it's crazy, but yeah. I definitely want to do another CrossFit competition. I'm feeling I'm not done in the CrossFit arena just yet. I know. Yeah. I do want to do something in the competition, but it's funny. I actually also want to do something in the not the bodybuilding arena.
I wouldn't say like bikini mountain, but there's something called wellness, a division with girls with like bigger legs and stuff like that. I always, I want to do one strong man competition in my life. Powerlifter. Only lifting CrossFit and then a wellness. Wow. So yeah, I always want to, I just want to do it once.
Yeah. Different fitness arenas. So that is my main goal right now. I'm actually trying to do something in the wellness arena. It's a new division in the bodybuilding arena. Again, that's for like women that are more muscular when their legs and stuff like that. So I'm trying to do that on top of. My personal training has kicked off like crazy, but I'm also truly, really, really trying to do this, like mentoring and speaking and stuff, and focus on a foundation that just hired me to help out these women.
So I always like to do something with passion and heart behind it always. And so we'll say, we'll see what happens with this new fitness arena then. Right? Cool. How do people get
[00:47:01] David Syvertsen: ahold of you?
[00:47:01] Courtney Roselle: My Instagram, I always message. According Roselle or I engrave fitness.com. You can catch me. I grace fitness at GM.
Please catch me, but I have nobody respond for me besides me. So people always asking if it's me behind it. I'm like, yeah, I'm not that like, get back to you sooner or later. Like I was just on the Titan games. Let's relax. So, but please reach out to me if you guys have any questions, opportunities, whatever you need.
It's always me.
[00:47:29] David Syvertsen: Awesome. Well, thank you so much court, you know, we're behind you, you know, I hope you got, I hope you know that by sending Sam and I I'll do anything we can to help you. Yeah. You know, we love your message. We'd love your purpose and your passion. And Rob, we will have you back some time.
Thank you guys.
