Meet Alana Cogen | Women’s Personal Trainer and Life & Acne Coach

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

Hi Alana, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I decided to start Alana Cogen Life & Health Coaching because of my own growth and empowerment through my own struggles.

I spent a majority of my life feeling like a complete stranger to myself in my own mind & body: anxiety, depression, dealing with narcissistic abuse, disassociation after trauma, and not knowing how to listen to or connect with my mind & body’s needs. I have always had a deep-seeded desire to help others, but for most of my life never felt worthy or capable enough to guide or help others. After getting out of a narcissistic abusive relationship and completely changing the trajectory of my life through becoming a personal trainer, learning about nervous regulation tools and mindful nutrition, I realized I had become the person who the younger me would’ve needed and really looked up to. I went from never exercising or eating healthy, no self-care, regular substance use to numb the pain, desperate for approval from others, people-pleasing, lack-of boundaries, and constantly in a loop of shame & self-hatred to… strength training efficiently while building muscle & losing fat, clearing my severe cystic acne I dealt with for over a decade all naturally without any medications, fueling my body mindfully with nourishing nutrient dense foods, setting boundaries, communicating my needs without guilt, embracing my highly-sensitive nature, using dialectical behavioral therapy skills to regulate my emotions, embracing nature’s healing powers, and having fulfilling & aligned relationships.

When I realized how epic my own transformation was, I knew that I did have the ability to help others and felt strongly compelled to do just that. Starting my own business was another opportunity to be the person my younger self looked up to. And starting my own business was the perfect opportunity to help other women come back to themselves after a lifetime of disconnection, just like I had.

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 am a Women’s Personal Trainer and Life & Acne Coach. I specialize in strength training (efficiently & effectively) to build muscle & lose fat. I also specialize in healing chronic acne & anxiety naturally through mindful nutrition, reconnecting with nature, and regulating your nervous system.

My approach to health and fitness is different from other life coaches and personal trainers because I take a holistic, natural approach to wellbeing. When I work with clients, I always see them for whole human that they are, addressing all parts of mind, body, and soul that may be keeping them from reaching their goals. Every aspect of my program is completely custom to the individual: custom workouts designed to accommodate your schedule, fitness level, & access to equipment, custom nutrition protocols and recipes designed to support all internal needs (gut health, blood sugar, muscle building & fat loss, liver support, + more), and custom goals for self-love habits to support nervous system regulation. I also provide daily accountability and support to all my clients through 1:1 messaging and 1:1 Zoom calls (if the client is virtual).

How I got to where I am today:

I spent a majority of my life feeling like a complete stranger to myself in my own mind & body: anxiety, depression, dealing with narcissistic abuse, disassociation after trauma, and not knowing how to listen to or connect with my mind & body’s needs. I have always had a deep-seeded desire to help others, but for most of my life never felt worthy or capable enough to guide or help others. After getting out of a narcissistic abusive relationship and completely changing the trajectory of my life through becoming a personal trainer, learning about nervous regulation tools and mindful nutrition, I realized I had become the person who the younger me would’ve needed and really looked up to. I went from never exercising or eating healthy, no self-care, regular substance use to numb the pain, desperate for approval from others, people-pleasing, lack-of boundaries, and constantly in a loop of shame & self-hatred to… strength training efficiently while building muscle & losing fat, clearing my severe cystic acne I dealt with for over a decade all naturally without any medications, fueling my body mindfully with nourishing nutrient dense foods, setting boundaries, communicating my needs without guilt, embracing my highly-sensitive nature, using dialectical behavioral therapy skills to regulate my emotions, embracing nature’s healing powers, and having fulfilling & aligned relationships.

Getting to where I am today was not easy, mostly because it involved a lot of radical responsibility for my own life. By that I mean, I had to be brutally honest with myself that nothing was going to change if I didn’t make a change when it came to my mental health and physical health. This was uncomfortable and scary at first, although it ultimately became very empowering to take this approach with myself. It was scary because when I struggled deeply with my mental health, I was very used to blaming everyone and everything outside of my life for why I felt the way I did. None of this is to say that those outside things hadn’t impacted me, yes, they had, but ultimately, it was up to me to make changes so things could be different moving forward.

Now I’m blessed to be empowering and teaching other women to make these same changes in their lives!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Best spots in Portland, Oregon:

-Columbia River Gorge, which is about 40 minutes outside of Portland. One of the most beautiful natural wonders in the world, with endless waterfalls and wildflowers. Really anywhere is amazing for hiking and sightseeing, but it depends on your skill level. If you like a challenging hike, my favorite spots are Dog Mountain, Herman Creek, Cape Horn, and Hamilton Mountain.
-Forest Park. Over 80 miles of hiking in the city of Portland that feels like a serene nature oasis, totally enveloped by trees. All the trails are great. The Wildwood trail goes for about 30 miles, and you can enter/exit in many places, so it’s a great choice.
-Portland Saturday Market. The largest hand-made craft fair market in North America. All of the vendors creations are entrancing. You can spend hours w
-Places to eat: As a holistic health enthusiast, Bastion has to be my favorite place to eat-out in town. The restaurant was started by a Holistic Nutritionist, so everything on the menu is mindfully & locally sourced with high-quality ingredients. Additionally, the food is so delicious, so it’s the perfect brunch spot for those who care about the earth, how food makes them feel, and enjoying a tasty brunch! Plus, the drink menu is delicious too – the Pink Latte and Chai Latte are 10/10.
-My other favorite
-The Den and 45 East PDX. For people who like electronic music and dancing your heart out, the concerts at both of these venues are always a fun time! On a night out, this is where you will catch me.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to shoutout my sister, Abrielle Cogen, who has always been there for me, even in the roughest times in my life. She greatly inspires me to lean into my creative side and always lead with curiosity & compassion.

I would like to thank my dialectical behavioral therapy program, which taught me how to stop seeing the world as good/bad, black/white, fail/success, and embrace the dichotomies that exist in all parts of life.

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