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Using Her Gifts: Dana Stilley on Fitness and Faith
After 15 years as a nurse and becoming a mother of two, Fort Worth’s Dana Stilley discovered a passion for helping people meet their health and wellness goals. With the support of her family and a lot of hard work, the 45-year-old personal trainer built a thriving online community and found a way to turn faith-based fitness into a full-time business.
“If I can be here on this end, to change one or two people’s lives and to make themselves a better, healthier individual, and change their lifestyle so that they have fulfillment, and, you know, joy, throughout the rest of their lives,” she said. “Then that makes me happy, and I feel like I am doing my job on Earth.”
Growing up in the East Texas town of Henderson with a father who coached football, Dana was always involved in and exposed to all kinds of sports. Her first love was gymnastics, in which she competed until she went to college.
“There was a point in my life where I almost chose gymnastics as my journey and started training for the Olympics,” she confessed.
Instead, Dana decided to pursue cheerleading and cheered at Texas Christian University during her five years there. She met her husband, Shawn, through sports as he was a member of the Horned Frog football team. After finishing nursing school at TCU, she worked as a labor and delivery nurse for the next 15 years.
“I always knew I wanted to work with women and do something with babies,” said Dana.
After having a child herself, Dana says she enjoyed doing on-demand workouts like “Beachbody” and other short cardio sessions on television. At the time, they worked perfectly for her, and she was able to meet her fitness goals.
“I loved it,” she said. “I just fell in love with how quick it was.”
After having her second child, Dana experienced postpartum depression and found it much harder for both her mind and body to bounce back to her pre-baby baseline. She knew it was possible and began looking for ways to make it happen.
“Muscle has memory,” she said. “Just learning and doing my own research into fitness and strength training inspired me to get my personal training certification.”
Her new path took her away from nursing. Leaving her beloved nursing job was not an easy decision to make, but Dana remained driven to help women who were trying to cope with the same postpartum struggles she underwent.
“Transitioning to personal training allowed me to use the gifts that God had given me and be a disciple through teaching,” Dana said. “Using my fitness knowledge and wisdom to help other women out there like me has brought such joy.”
In 2017, Dana started substitute teaching at Camp Gladiator in Fort Worth, and by 2019, she began training clients one-on-one in their homes. That same year, she launched an online platform that has since grown to include more than 92,000 followers on Instagram.
“It was hard for me to step away from nursing,” Dana said. “I prayed for the direction to be led. Your head can tell you one thing, but you may not have peace in your heart. And this is especially for entrepreneurs: if you pray about it and if you have peace about it, that is, to me, your all-tell sign.”
Dana’s fitness routines are so appealing to new or busy moms because she incorporates many compound moves to keep home workouts quick, fun, and dynamic.
“[Sacrifice] is a big part of what moms do,” Dana said. “They just kind of give up on themselves, and they let their bodies go because they are taking care of their children. I have learned that you can do both.”
These days, Dana only has a few personal training clients left. One of these clients is Laura Davidson of Fort Worth, who has been training with Dana for five-and-a-half years after knowing her for 14 years.
“Dana is a true gem and was made to be a health and fitness coach,” said Laura. “She pushes me when I think I can’t go anymore but gives me grace when she knows I’ve reached my limit. She pushes me out of my comfort zone but doesn’t judge when I need a break. Dana is a true cheerleader in every sense of the word. She’s seen me at my darn-near worst but challenges me to be my best.”
Now, the exercise expert has switched gears and is launching her own smartphone application in hopes that it will reach more people. The app will feature a new six-week program called “Focus Now, Finish Strong” that teaches the foundations of strength and cardio training. It includes three 20- to 30-minute weekly workouts and helps you develop good habits and a healthier lifestyle.
photo credit: Paige Walker Photography
“Anyone can do these workouts,” Dana said. “By the end of the six weeks, you are going to feel significantly stronger if you abide by the program design.”
Even though Dana runs a Christian faith-based business, she is proud to have followers from different backgrounds worldwide.
“That’s crazy to me that I can reach someone over in another country [through the Internet], and the people that want to be on my page are going to be here,” she said. “They are not going to let someone else’s faith deter them. If anything, it is going to open their eyes.”
One follower from Belgium who claimed to be an atheist told Dana that the faith-based aspects of her account did not really make a difference to her.
Because of the religious nature of her programs, Dana is sometimes challenged to defend herself and her faith online.
“You’re going to have people that judge you,” she said. “I am not perfect, and people sometimes want to associate me with a Christian account as being perfect.”
She continued, “There are people out there who do not believe. [The follower from Belgium] does not have a firm belief, but she continues to follow me. She says it doesn’t bother her because she loves my workouts, but she also loves my authenticity, and she loves to be open to the idea of being a Christian.”
Dana plans to add up to four more fitness programs in 2025 and will use the new app to offer on-demand workouts similar to the ones she currently posts on YouTube. In terms of equipment needed for her workouts, she likes to keep it minimal. Generally, all you need are hand weights or resistance bands to follow along.
“I do focus a lot on dumbbells, but I also incorporate resistance bands for lower-impact style options for people, including those with joints that are hurt or who have had surgery,” Dana said. “And then there are workouts that are just body weighted because I do like travel workouts. Traveling with bands is super convenient. You don’t need fancy equipment to get a workout in. You don’t even need a gym to get a workout in. I like to focus on that.”
The certified fitness trainer also suggests adding a walk to any workout or finding other ways to enjoy cardio.
“Our bodies do need cardio,” Dana said. “We need to be aware of our heart’s health, and heart health is achieved by doing cardio. That means going on a walk, going on a bike ride, or playing tennis. It doesn’t have to be high-intensity. Do what makes you happy, but don’t forget walking because it does so much for our mental health.”
photo credit: Paige Walker Photography
Dana remains positive while dealing with an ongoing heart condition that was discovered after she had COVID-19. The condition requires her to limit her cardio workouts while monitoring her heart rate closely. She also believes in the importance of taking the time to care for yourself and says that self-care will impact your life in more ways than one.
“When you pick up a dumbbell, when you take that first lap around your neighborhood, you are going to feel the physical benefits from that,” she said. “But the mental benefits that come from that workout are going to bring a whole new light to you and the people around you because you’re going to be happy.”
Of course, the most significant piece of advice Dana gives clients is that consistency is key to reaching your health and fitness goals.
“You want to throw in the towel when you don’t get that result in a week or even sometimes six months, but you have to stay consistent,” she said. “You will change your body type. You will see the benefits when you start to plant that seed. You’ll see it eventually, but it doesn’t grow overnight. Plants don’t grow overnight. You have to give your body time.”
While staying consistent is hard, Dana believes it can be an especially great teaching moment for new (and not-so-new) parents.
“You’re being a good inspiration to the kids around you who see you doing hard things,” she said. “It’s going to encourage them. It’s going to carry on your legacy. You’ve got to do hard things. You’ve got to be consistent, and you’ve got to just take that first step in your workouts and in your life.”
Although she has a background in medicine as a registered nurse with a certification in obstetrics, Dana likes to make it clear she is not a nutritionist but rather a certified fitness nutrition coach. She helps her clients understand things like micronutrients and calorie deficits, but her favorite piece of dietary advice is pretty straightforward.
“If it has a mama or it grows from the earth, eat it,” she laughs. “If it doesn’t have a mama, then it is probably processed.”
Dana advocates eating minimally processed and whole foods, farm-to-plate style meals, and clean meat, including elk, bison, and other wild game.
photo credit: Paige Walker Photography
“I married a hunter, and so one of our biggest things we do is to shoot a deer for the season, and we live on venison,” she said. “My son just got his first buck, and we just had venison chili Sunday night, and it was the freshest meat because it is literally from our ranch.”
When she is not working out, you will find Dana watching TCU football, hunting, fishing, dancing, and traveling far beyond her lovely Ridglea Hills neighborhood.
“I love to see different cultures,” she said. “I especially love being able to relate to other cultures online because my followers are from all over the world.”
At the end of the day, Dana knows there is a lot of mixed information about health and wellness, especially on the internet, and finding your path to fitness can be daunting.
“You know, in the fitness world, there’s a lot of noise out there,” she said. “And so, it boils down to this question: what are your wellness goals? What do you want your body to do for you? What part of life are you in? Once you figure that out, you can find people that understand you to help you achieve those goals.”
