LACEY PRUITT
IFBB PRO | CANCER SURVIVOR | 6X COACH’S AWARD WINNER
BODYBUILDING & LIFESTYLE COACH
A Fighter, A Champion, A Coach.
Lacey Pruitt’s journey has never been about taking the easy road. It has been about grit, heart, and an unshakable belief that no matter the obstacle, you can rise above it.
Her story began on the soccer field, where she played forward throughout high school. She thrived on speed, competition, and the pride of being part of a team. But when her soccer career came to an end, she found herself searching for a new outlet, a new way to channel her fire and competitive spirit.
That search led her to a gym. At just 128 pounds, she stepped through the doors without much knowledge, but with a determination to learn. It was there that she met a bodybuilding competitor, and something inside her shifted. Inspired, she began asking questions, soaking up knowledge, and soon hired her first coach at only 20 years old. She dove into her very first contest prep, 12 weeks of sheer discipline and willpower.
In July 2014, Lacey stepped on stage for the first time at the NPC Louisiana State Championships. Little did she know at the time, she had just found her new calling in life. But more than that, it was the experience that changed her. She found something that made her feel alive.
Backstage at that show, she saw a Women’s Physique competitor command the stage with strength and presence. She looked at her coach and said, “Give me two years, and I’ll look like that.” True to her word, she put her head down and worked.
And she did.
By 2016, Lacey had transformed. She competed twice that year, stepping on stage at the NPC Greater Gulf States in Women’s Physique, placing 1st in Novice Women's Physique and 3rd in Open Women's Physique. Two weeks later, she returned to the NPC Louisiana State Championships, winning 1st Place in Open Women’s Physique, 1st in Novice Women’s Physique, and the Overall Women’s Physique title. Her dream of stepping into Women’s Bodybuilding was finally within reach.
But Lacey’s path was never without challenges. At 23, she was diagnosed with cancer. The news was crushing. The physical toll was heavy, but it was the emotional weight that hurt the most. The fear, the uncertainty, the questions, the long days of pushing through when it felt impossible that tested her the most. For a time, her world went dark. But even in that darkness, she refused to let go of hope. By the end of 2016, she was declared cancer-free.
When she returned to the stage, she wasn’t the same athlete. She was stronger, more determined, and more aware of what true resilience looked like. In 2017, she placed 3rd in Open Women’s Physique at both the NPC Greater Gulf States and NPC Louisiana State Championships, but the real victory was proving to herself that she could rise again.
Yet the battle wasn’t over. Cancer would challenge her again, this time it was harder than the first. But Lacey’s spirit never wavered. Even on the hardest days, she chose to keep going. And when she heard the words “cancer-free”, she knew her fight had only deepened her purpose.
At 25 years old, she made a promise to herself that she would step back on stage eventually. She used each day to be thankful for another opportunity to get another chance to do what she loved again and never take another day for granted. She called her coach and told him, “I am stepping on stage before the year is over”. Later that year, her and her coach had their eyes set for NPC Southern Muscle.
During her prep for Southern Muscle, Lacey asked her coach if he thought she would be ready for Nationals that year, not thinking he would say yes. He replied back almost immediately saying, “let’s do lightweight women’s bodybuilding at Nationals this year”. Hearing those words fueled her even more and she worked as hard as she could, in hopes to make at least top 5 at Nationals.
In November 2018, she competed at the NPC Southern Muscle, taking home 1st place. Just one week later, she flew to Miami and stood on the NPC Nationals stage, where she placed 1st in her class, runner up in the overall, and achieved the dream she had fought for since the very beginning, earning her IFBB Pro Card.
It was the moment that defined years of struggle, sacrifice, and belief.
Throughout the years, Lacey had all hopes in competing in her Pro Debut, but life would keep throwing her other plans. Lacey stepped on stage to guest-pose in July 2020 — her final time in the spotlight. But her story didn’t end there, it was just beginning.
She knew in her heart that her days as a competitor were over, but walking away completely wasn’t an option. Her friends sat her down and told her: “You don’t have to leave the sport you love and you can keep it alive by coaching.” At first, she doubted herself. Could she ever be good enough to guide others? But loving a challenge, she threw herself into it. She started studying relentlessly, learning from mentors and top coaches, and began coaching athletes in 2021. At first, she refused to charge a dime, determined to prove her worth by leading her clients to success. Her very first athlete won the overall. Her very first competitor at nationals made top callouts. Victories came quickly, and with each one, her confidence grew. By early 2022, Lacey had 17 clients and she decided to take a bold leap, leaving her full time job to fully dedicate herself to coaching.
Then came yet another life-altering battle. After years of fighting and setbacks, Lacey had to undergo permanent ileostomy surgery (full removal of her entire colon and rectum) where she would have an ostomy bag for the rest of her life, a surgery that would change her body forever. On July 7, 2022, she went into surgery with fear in her heart, but also with courage. The surgery saved her life, but the reality of recovery was a new battle she had never trained for. Learning how to live with an ileostomy was physically and emotionally draining. There were moments of frustration, moments where she questioned why this had to be her journey, and moments when the weight of it all nearly broke her.
Yet, just like every challenge she had faced before, Lacey refused to let this define her. Slowly, she rebuilt her confidence. The ileostomy marked the end of her time competing, but it became the beginning of her greatest mission yet. Lacey realized that while she could no longer take the stage herself, she could help countless others step into their own spotlight. Her battles had given her empathy, perspective, and a deeper ability to connect with others on their hardest days.
Instead of being a setback, the surgery became the very thing that fueled her coaching career. She proved to herself, and now proves to her athletes every day, that strength isn’t about never falling down. It’s about how many times you get back up. Her new way of life only taught her even further how precious life really is.
Coaching became her new stage, and she poured her heart into building champions. The results spoke for themselves: more than 75 Overall Titles across all divisions, over 100 clients and counting, and 500+ transformations. Her dedication was recognized with the Louisiana Coaching Award in 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025, along with the Mississippi Coaching Award in 2024 and 2025.
Her influence rippled across the industry and spread far beyond her home state. Her mission became clear, to build champions from the ground up and lead her athletes to the Olympia stage.
And now? She’s taking LaceyStrong Coaching as far as it can go. One champion at a time.
Oh and when she’s not building future pros, you’ll find her behind the wheel of a race car because speed, strength, and competition will always be in her blood.
This is Lacey Pruitt. A fighter. A champion. A coach.
