In this episode of Below Her Surface, Lily sits down with coach and long-time fitness industry insider Chloe Rentifis to peel back the curtain on what really happens when “doing everything right” still leaves your body falling apart. From chronic gut pain at 16 and nine months without a period to cystic skin flares, relentless fatigue and the pressure to “look the part” in the fitness industry, Chloe shares the unfiltered truth about what happens when you ignore the whispers your body gives you, until they turn into screams. Together, Lily and Chloe discuss: • The early signs: years of gut pain, hospital stays and confusing diagnoses that were never fully explained, and how you normalise suffering when it’s all you’ve ever known. • Losing her period for nine months: the moment Chloe realised her body wasn’t just “tired,” it was shutting down, and how fear of future fertility finally pushed her to seek real answers. • Skin, anxiety & heart flutters: the symptoms she brushed off as “normal” until they were no longer ignorable. • Overtraining without realising: how six-day training weeks, Turf Games, Hyrox prep and 4am alarms added up to hormonal chaos, even while eating well and coaching others. • Identity vs. health: the pressure of being a coach who’s expected to look a certain way, and the mindset shift that let her step back without feeling like she was losing her credibility. • Starting again: the moment she told Lily, “You’re my last hope,” and the honest fear of investing again after being burned by endless practitioners and expensive testing. • The rebuild: cutting training back, prioritising sleep, reducing stress load, changing nutrition, and slowly watching her skin, cycle regularity, energy and gut health come back online. • Coaching differently: how Chloe’s experience reshaped the way she works with clients, teaches them to respect symptoms, and supports them to build health from the inside out, not just chase aesthetics. • Burning the finish line: why the obsession with timelines and aesthetics keeps women sick, and how slowing down can actually move you further, faster. • What the industry gets wrong: macros without nutrients, glorified extremes, overstimulation, and the myth that “healthy looking” equals healthy. • The new chapter: food as fuel (and joy), holistic habits, gentler training phases, more energy, clearer skin, and a long-term approach that finally feels sustainable. If you’ve ever felt burnt out, dismissed, misdiagnosed or trapped in the belief that you “should be fine,” Chloe’s story is a powerful reminder that you’re not meant to survive on fumes and that real healing often starts when you’re brave enough to stop.
