Meet Coach Michelle: An Expert Holistic Coach
As a performance coach at Exos who regularly works with executives, Coach Michelle Rogerson helps people discover what sustainable performance really is.
Her journey from scoliosis patient to holistic well-being expert has shaped her coaching philosophy rooted in empathy, evidence, and empowerment.
We sat down with Michelle to talk about how she helps people find flow, the power of holistic well-being, and what “progress, not perfection” looks like in practice.
What first drew you into health and performance?
I actually realized in high school that a lot of people didn’t know how to take care of themselves or what being healthy even looked like. Around the same time, I was diagnosed with scoliosis. I went through a really intense, holistic treatment that required a brace, specialized movement work, and a very specific nutrition plan.
I started noticing how different I felt when I followed that plan. My energy, my mood, everything changed. It was the first time I really understood how movement, food, and mindset all work together. From then on, I knew I wanted to help people feel that same sense of control and vitality.
That sounds like a challenging experience for a teenager. How did it shape your approach to coaching?
It taught me resilience, but also the importance of reflection. When you’re young and dealing with something like that, you either shut down or start learning how to regulate yourself.
Later, in college, I took a stress management class that completely changed my path. I switched my major from nutrition to health promotion with an emphasis on stress management. I still minored in nutrition, but I realized mental regulation is just as important as what you eat or how you train.
That blend of movement, mindset, nutrition, and recovery became my foundation long before I ever joined Exos.
In addition to your focus on well-being, it’s clear that you find a lot of purpose in empowering people. Where did that come from?
A lot of it traces back to my time working in trauma and addiction recovery. I was coaching individuals who were at their absolute lowest while striving to rebuild their lives in just 45 days.
It was humbling and powerful. I realized how essential it is to have the right tools: reflection, regulation, structure. Without those, people default to whatever coping mechanisms they can find, whether it’s food, alcohol, or working nonstop.
That experience gave me a deep well of empathy. It made me see how coaching isn’t about giving someone a checklist. It’s about helping them feel seen, supported, and capable of making change. That’s where real empowerment starts.
What are you most passionate about now in your coaching work?
Lately, I’ve been diving into two areas: The first is women’s health, especially perimenopause and performance in midlife. The second is longevity.
Most of the executives I coach are in their forties and fifties. They’ve spent decades investing in their careers, and now they’re realizing they also need to invest in themselves if they want to keep showing up fully for years to come.
For both women’s health and longevity, strength training and protein intake are huge. Turns out, those two habits move the needle more than almost anything else.
It’s not about bulking up or even looking good. It’s about staying strong enough, for long enough, to do what you love.
You often talk about “meeting people where they’re at.” What does that look like in practice?
A lot of the people I work with are executives who literally have five minutes a day to dedicate to their health. So we start there. We look at sleep hygiene, or five-minute recovery breaks between meetings, or taking a short walk to reset. It’s about consistency, not intensity.
That ties into my core philosophy: Progress, not perfection. Perfection just paralyzes people. Focusing on progress gives them permission to keep going.
What are some small habits you help clients build?
Sleep is usually the first one. If someone’s not recovering well, nothing else sticks. So we focus on winding down before bed, setting boundaries with screens, and protecting rest.
Calendar management is another big one — blocking off breaks between back-to-back meetings or finding 15 minutes of focus time during the day. Those micro-habits create space for the bigger ones.
You’re also passionate about focus and productivity. How does that connect to performance?
I love teaching people how to protect their focus. So many of us think we need to be “on” all day, but our brains just don’t work like that.
We’re designed for short bursts of concentration followed by recovery. When people learn to work with their natural rhythms instead of against them, everything changes.
At Exos, we talk a lot about flow: the state where you’re fully immersed and performing at your best. Flow follows focus. But focus follows sleep, recovery, and clarity. That’s what I help people build.
If you could leave readers with one philosophy to live by, what would it be?
That sustainable performance is built one small, intentional choice at a time. Whether it’s lifting weights, taking a walk, or putting your phone down before bed — those little actions compound.
Coaching isn’t about being a drill sergeant and telling people what to do. It’s about walking alongside each person while they find their own rhythm.
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About the Expert
Coach Michelle Rogerson has over eleven years of experience coaching top executives, rising leaders, and celebrities to achieve optimal performance and overcome their greatest challenges. Since joining Exos in 2015, she has led Exos' holistic coaching efforts, mentored teams, and driven professional resilience initiatives.
Her coaching centers on a holistic mind-body approach that fosters sustainable high performance. Michelle holds a bachelor’s in health promotion and nutrition, a master’s in health promotion and exercise science, and multiple certifications, including mindfulness coaching, yoga, Pilates, and NASM training.
