The modeling industry is often viewed as one full of glamour and beautiful people who look and feel confident. But, that’s not always the case.
“When I was 18 years old, I was scouted for America's Next Top Model,” says Caitlin Shey Spears. “Before filming started, I was told that I needed to lose weight. During my years in the modeling world, instead of feeling complete, I always felt a bit empty. I was seeking validation in other people and never felt like I was enough.”
She knew she had to make some changes, and instead of just helping herself feel better, she wanted to help others, too. During COVID, she became a certified health, nutrition, and fitness coach and, in 2023, founded Complete by Caitlin. Its mission: To help others feel confident, strong, and unstoppable in their own skin.
One of the ways she does this is through the CAIT Method—Connect, Approach, Integrate and Transform. “These are the four pillars of what I believe helps women become the happiest, healthiest, and most confident versions of themselves,” says Caitlin.
Here, she takes us through each one:
Connect: To be healthy, you first have to connect with who you are and what you want at your core, and do so on a deeper level before you get into workouts and nutrition.
Approach: I want to help people approach health from a healthy lens. You don't have to feel upset with your body or punish yourself. You can actually do it with love and respect.
Integrate: I help integrate the modalities that matter into real life to achieve long-term results, whether that’s workouts, nutrition, connection, relationships, and/or environment.
Transform: We bring everything together to really connect with their confidence and understand they have the tools they need for long-term success.
When Complete by Caitlin began, all of her one-on-one and group sessions were held virtually. Today, only her long-term coaching clients are virtual. Since her time is now extremely limited, she can only accept a small number of new people for private coaching, but there are other ways to connect with her.
“I throw massive in-person health and wellness events, not only in Nashville but across the nation,” she says. “I have about 15 community events coming up this year where people can gain confidence and connect in real life.”
Another exciting offering launching this month is everyBODY supplements, which Caitlin co-founded with her fiancé, singer and actor James Maslow. “Our goal is wellness made simple for everybody because we want clean, we want conscious, and we want community-driven. Those are the founding pillars of everyBODY.”
Caitlin’s also launching a new app—Complete Lifestyle—that can be downloaded from her website (which has been totally redesigned) and her social media outlets.
“It's not a workout app. It's not a nutrition app. It's a lifestyle app. It's everything that I've built throughout my last three years in business put into one place.”
Complete by Caitlin programs include The Booty Blueprint, where she rotates through what works best for each season. Another is the Stage Ready Competence Program, which she created while preparing to compete in the Miss Tennessee Pageant last June. “I had just turned 30 and decided I wanted to compete, so I created this program and put myself through it before I ever released it.”
Caitlin’s also launching the Hot Girls Travel Program, a no-equipment-necessary program for women like her who travel a lot. “We've also got meal plans for literally every dietary restriction.”
Every month, she’ll also host VIP calls with her community, provide feedback, answer questions, and bring on guests who are experts in their fields.
Another exciting development is a YouTube series—Adventures with James & Caitlin. “It’s a channel about me and my fiancé and all of our travels in the States and abroad,” she says. “Every six months or so, we're going to be launching a group of 12 to 14 episodes.”
She and James, whom she met in Los Angeles, have been together for seven years and became engaged last May. They moved from Miami to Nashville about a year and a half ago. “We were looking for a place where we could build a house and have land. We dipped our toes in and fell in love.”
They also adore their two rescue dogs, Posey and Macie. “Posey is from Tijuana and was on her deathbed when we got her,” says Caitlin. “They wanted us to put her down, but we revived her and basically brought her back to life. Now she's our little 6-year-old angel. Macie is a new addition we adopted from Wags & Walks Nashville. Posey is going blind, and we want her to have a friend.”
With a passion for both people and animals, she’s thrilled to be able to improve their lives. “My clients have told me that I've helped them get results they never thought they could achieve,” she says.
As an entrepreneur, Caitlin knows what it takes to succeed, and as such, wants to help other women grow their businesses. A few months ago, she established Women Entrepreneurs Nashville (WEN). “This journey can be very lonely, and sometimes it can be hard, and this allows women to tap into the community around them and connect with other women who are on a similar journey.”
She also believes in giving back in other ways. For her paid events (some are free), she partners with various nonprofits, including Susan G. Komen®, the Humane Society, Feeding America, and the Alzheimer's Association, and donates a portion of the proceeds.
“I'm honestly so blessed to see what kind of impact I’ve had after only a couple of years,” says Caitlin. “I went from modeling and feeling like I had no purpose, to reaching people globally and donating thousands and thousands of dollars to nonprofits all across the nation.”
CaitlinSpears.com
@caitlinsheyspears
Makeup by: Yasmin B
“My clients have told me that I've helped them get results they never thought they could achieve.”
“I went from modeling and feeling like I had no purpose, to reaching people globally and donating thousands and thousands of dollars to nonprofits all across the nation.”