Meet Lauren Rantala | Gym Owner and HYROX PFT Coordinator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Lauren Rantala and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lauren, how has your background shaped the person you are today?
Below is my story of alcoholism. I will be two years alcohol free on May 18, 2022.

I have always been an athlete. I was an NCAA Nordic Skier in college at Michigan Tech University and followed my college athletic career and desire to compete by finding CrossFit in 2012 and also becoming a CrossFit gym owner in 2017. However, being an athlete and living what others viewed as a lifestyle of health and fitness did not mean I was living the lifestyle I preached.

What started off as a hobby and love for craft beer spiraled out of control between the years of 2018 and 2020. It went from what most would consider “casual and social” drinking to 100% dependence on alcohol every single day of my life.

I was fighting a secret battle with alcohol. My life revolved around when and where I would be getting my next drink. I still showed up every day at my gym. I still worked out every day. What others didn’t see was that I was falling deeper into a depression and a hole I did not think I would ever be able to pull myself out of. Alcohol was in control of my life. I was drinking from the time I woke up in the morning to the time I went to sleep at night, just to feel normal and function on a daily basis. I was stuck in the never ending cycle of addiction.

Over a period of one year I had gained 30lbs. I had given up. Every day I told myself “I am disgusting. I am a failure.” I drowned my self hatred in alcohol. The milestone of turning 30 in May of 2020 hit me hard. Is this who I was now?

My body and brain were dependent on the drug, so much so that if I would have quit cold turkey it could have killed me. Withdrawing from alcohol is one of the most dangerous substances to withdraw from if not done properly. I planned my sobriety like I would train for a competition. I knew I was ready. Over the course of 2 weeks I started at 18 light beers spread throughout the day slowly down to 2, and then I had my last beer in bed the night before our gym reopened after quarantine.

On May 17th, 2020 I had my last beer. I was now about to start a new journey, the one I should have been living all along. I stopped in my tracks and went a new direction.

I signed up for an Ironman 70.3 Triathlon as my motivation to get in gear. I got my nutrition and mental health in check. I worked hard to find my old self, to find my love of competing again. Over the period of four months I lost the weight I had to put on. I found the person I thought was lost forever.

With my new found sobriety the opportunities began to present themselves. I rediscovered my competitive nature and signed up for my first HYROX race in May of 2021. This is when I met Eric Botsford, the Head of Business Development for HYROX. (Based in Denver). I shared my story with him and continued to compete in HYROX every chance I got. A few months later I got the opportunity to begin my career with them, which was honestly life changing.

Battling and living as an alcoholic has changed me as a person. I will never say I “overcame” alcoholism, because it will always be part of me and dormant in my body and mind. However, I am living my best life now with many lessons learned. I truly feel like I was given a second chance at life and it has forever changed how I view my life and it has provided me with a new drive to help others.

Today I have a deep passion for helping others believe in themselves. We are given ONE life, and I can only hope I can inspire others to be the best versions of themselves. I still own my gym, CrossFit Cabra, in Southlake, TX. We are both a CrossFit and HYROX affiliate. In addition to running my gym I am working on building the HYROX brand in multiple regions across the United States. There is nothing I love more than meeting new people each day and getting themselves out of their comfort zones to reach levels they never thought possible.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I own CrossFit Cabra, a gym in Southlake, TX. We, my husband are both a CrossFit and HYROX affiliate with a focus on specialized endurance training. My values and beliefs in business, health, and fitness have continued to evolve over the years. I began as a Certified Personal Trainer in 2012 and I have been training others since then. I started group training with Orangetheory Fitness in 2014 in addition to getting my CrossFit Level 1 certification in 2013. I coached CrossFit full time starting in 2015 before getting the opportunity to take over ownership of a gym, formerly known as CrossFit 24, in Southlake, TX. As well as coaching in a group and personal setting, I have written training programming from 2016-present. Programming is a passion of mine, and also an area where I will continue to learn and evolve.

I got the opportunity to work for HYROX in September of 2021 which I do in addition to running my gym. My job with HYROX is to bring awareness to the brand and competition concept through leading group workouts, or “PFTs (Physical Fitness Tests),” in all different types of gyms. I have done so in my home of Dallas but have also traveled to Boston and Los Angeles to bring HYROX to new cities and markets.

The road has been extremely challenging. Surviving in the Fitness Industry requires a lot of determination and unpaid hours. The biggest risk I took was taking over a gym with no promised monthly income and learning how to embrace the unknown. Owning a business comes with countless ups and downs and my passion for fitness and others is what kept me going.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
My idea of fun is always fitness! I would take them through some HYROX style endurance workouts as well as hiking around Lake Grapevine.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My husband and business partner, Marc Howe. He has his own unique story of overcoming alcoholism. He got sober 1 month and 18 days before I did. If he didn’t get sober first for himself, I don’t think I ever would have believed I could do it. He truly led by example. It’s important to realize that everyone’s journey with addition is different. You can get sober for you, and only you, no one else. He didn’t get sober for me and I didn’t get sober for him. We both fought our individual battles side by side. Without him I would be no where near where I am today.

Website: www.crossfitcabra.com

Instagram: @lauren.rantala @crossfitcabra

Facebook: Lauren Rantala

Youtube: Lauren Rantala

Image Credits
Mike Schoenstein