Learning to Reclaim Control

by Libby Cudmore

At the top of Table Rock, Taylor Diepold ’19 used yoga and meditation to help relieve the stress of life as a pre-med student. The transformative experience inspired her to take her passion further.

Now, she coaches women to reclaim control over their bodies and create new strength with a calm focus through her GetFitSmarter system. Diepold also coaches executives to discover new approaches to work-life balance, mental clarity and creative problem solving.

Through her DIEP Fitness and Exploration company, she offers retreats in Long Island’s Hamptons and at national and international retreat locations in countries such as Ecuador, Morocco and Thailand.

“Helping women become mentally, emotionally and physically fit has allowed me to function better,” Diepold said. “I’m seeing to my needs and helping women see to theirs too.”

She put her studies and her love of fitness together at Hartwick, focusing her thesis project on “30-Day Metabolic Effect of Bikram Yoga,” where participants did 90 minutes of hot yoga three times a week and measured their metabolism.

“This study really opened up my world,” Diepold said. “Not just in what I do now, but it validated my own experiences using yoga for fitness and stress relief.”

Diepold’s “GetFitSmarter” courses use neuroscience, nutrition, meditation and workouts to help clients — many of them entrepreneurs — control their metabolism, reduce cravings, lower inflammation and develop goals.

“I work with my clients to guide them to understand where in their life they feel powerful and passionate, but also where they need clarity,” she said.

The online platform provides her clients with the flexibility to access workout videos and message boards at their convenience while offering the opportunity to join Diepold and the group for weekly strategy meetings.

Diepold’s retreats open up the world to her clients, using travel as a way to retrain the brain and metabolism.

“When we travel, we become different people,” she said. “We learn about all these cultures and bring that back with us.”

Although she travels around the world, she hasn’t forgotten the beauty of her alma mater.

“I did a retreat in Oneonta earlier this year,” she said. “And I’d love to host one at Pine Lake.”