Moved by the power weights had on her life, applied her passion for lifting and learning to support other women
Written by Stephanie Kewin
Photography by Paul Buceta
Makeup by Monica Kalra
Hair by Laura Christine Clark
To say Team STRONG Girls OG Nadine Shaban-Teriaky knows her stuff would be an understatement. The very first staff member to join on with the team, Nadine lives and breathes fitness, health, and wellness. Not only is she highly educated, with a Masters in Exercise Physiology, PICP trained, and PN Level 1, Nadine is a Nurse Practitioner and Team STRONG Girls (TSG) Assistant Head Coach. Working alongside TSG Head Coach Jaclyn Phillips, she helps to build and support the TSG community, and transform the lives of countless women. Being active has always been a major part of Nadine’s life. Growing up, she played soccer since four-years-old and throughout school and travel, including varsity. She also played high-level travel basketball and generally excelled as an athlete during her childhood and teen years: “My life revolved around athletics and sports.”
Working alongside TSG Head Coach Jaclyn Phillips, she helps to build and support the TSG community, and transform the lives of countless women.
Nadine found weight training during varsity soccer… And she never looked back. She says, “Second year, I started to get into resistance training to level up my performance on the field. I wanted to improve my speed and agility, however I had an injury that occurred that would not allow me to continue playing. [So] I threw myself into the gym and I drank the Kool-Aid. I started to fall in love with strength and resistance training. I found myself getting stronger so I stuck with it. I enrolled in my first Charles Poliquin course at that time, when I was 18, and instantly knew I was in the right place.”
As a Nurse Practitioner, and a self-professed “science nerd” Nadine takes an evidence-based approach to helping women transform their bodies and lives.
Nadine’s love affair with fitness just took off from there, because the firsthand benefits of being and feeling strong were just too good to pass up. Says Nadine, “[Lifting] made me stronger mentally and physically. I felt amazing and alive. I was always a busy person, but I was going through a lot personally with friends and social situations and I leaned into resistance training to get me through those times in life. It was my escape. It truly helped me change my mindset and outlook on myself and life. When times get hard, I resort to my time in the gym to help me overcome anything life throws at me.” And although she does rely on the gym to get through tough times, as she’s grown and come into herself even more over the years, Nadine has gained invaluable perspective.
"It’s a part of my daily routine, and that has changed. What once was
super regimented is now more relaxed but, again, a non-negotiable. It may be a walk, or it may be strength training."
As a result, she’s established a healthy balance around training: “It’s a part of my daily routine, and that has changed. What once was super regimented is now more relaxed but, again, a non-negotiable. It may be a walk, or it may be strength training. As a professional and new mom, it’s movement and it’s health. I work out for ME, my bones, to preserve my muscle mass, and for longevity. I try to get some form of movement in daily but I’m not strict to what that may look like.” Nadine’s take-home message for women out there currently struggling to find their own version of strength? “You can be happy… and never feel like you need to diet. You can feel strong, and strength training empowers you in so many ways in life. You never need to feel deprived and as if you aren’t good enough. EVERY woman is strong and has her very own strong moments.”
Get STRONG(er) with Nadine Shaban-Teriaky
