Originally from upstate New York, Kelsey and her husband, Scott, recently moved to Tennessee and opened the first CoreLife Eatery in the state. Her road to healthy eating and living was not a straight one.
She began the journey with a year off after high school, that she spent working with developmentally disable kids in Costa Rica. She returned home, and ended up receiving a degree in International Business and Finance, with a minor in cultural anthropology, from North Eastern University.
Her first job was working with at an Economic Development Organization helping Entrepreneurs obtain small business loans, then as a Bank Examiner for FDIC. Desiring to get off the road, she took a position with Fidelity Investments. Instead of being out meeting people, and helping them to build their businesses, she sat in a cubical. While it was a great job, it was not for her. “I needed to be out interacting with people,” said Searles. “And I had quit eating right and exercising. I had taught fitness classes in the past, and I started to teach again. Once I got back to working out and eating better, I went from feeling horrible, to feeling better.”
She knew then that she needed to teach others to be healthy and active. She got certified as a personal trainer, quit her corporate job, and then opened a studio in her basement called Red’s Real Fitness.
Searles built the studio into a positive space with five trainers, and grew the business into a successful company with its own commercial space called Positive LifeForce. After 12 years she sold her studio when she and Scott decided to move to Tennessee and open CoreLife.
“We knew we wanted to move somewhere warmer,” said Searles, “and we spent a year and a half traveling to find the right place. We threw the Nashville area into the mix, and when we arrive, we knew it was the right place. It felt warm and vibrant. We said that it was where we wanted to go.”
The transition from fitness to CoreLife had been surprisingly easy for Searles, although her husband had been in the food industry for a long time and owns several Moe’s franchises. But, she said, CoreLife feels different. It is not just food, it is a way of living. She truly believes in the concept.
“I love to help people,” said Searles, “and be involved in the community.” Between the classes she offers at the restaurant, and the healthy food they offer, Searles feels she is able to be a part of Murfreesboro.
Classes have included yoga, Boot Camp, essential oils, Kombucha, and most recently a Kid’s Day. “Middle Tennessee State University’s tennis team and coach will be offering a kid’s tennis workshop in October,” said Searles.
She has gotten involved with the Middle Half, where they partnered with Fleet Feet to sponsor a hydration station. CoreLife has also provided food to some of the local high school teams.
“We want to be part of the community,” said Searles. “Murfreesboro is a really cool place where people really care about each other.” In spite of the long hours in the restaurant, she continues to teach fitness and do one-on-one training. She is a certified yoga instructor and spin instructor as well as TRX. Keeping the Red’s Real Fitness brand, she has a website for her second business at kelseysearles.com.
Like the tag line for her training business, Searles loves to help people lead their best life - “Live, Laugh, Be Fit.” She has a passion for fitness, training, and teaching that is infectious.
“I want to help people feel good by nourishing them -- physically and nutritionally,” said Searles.