Fort Worth gym owner overcomes physical challenges, inspires others with her optimism

The way Toni Lacey sees it, we have a choice in life: give out good vibes or — well, she doesn’t even consider the opposite.

From her battle with a debilitating disease to losing weight, she has made it her mission to get the most out of living. And that goes for pretty much everyone she comes in contact with, such as those who work with her and work out at Fort Worth Fit Body Boot Camp, the gym she owns at 6489 Southwest Blvd. in her hometown of Benbrook.

“My awesome team is called the Good Vibe Tribe. We are about impacting lives, being that positive person and community that so many people need,” Lacey said.

Lacey, whose business is now in its 10th year, knows about lives being impacted, most notably her own. She was once overweight to the point she was ashamed of her body, which she dealt with by pushing herself in the gym — later using that inspiration to open her own.

And in 2011 she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, a disorder in which the body’s immune system attacks the protective covering of the nerve cells in the brain, optic nerve and spinal cord. In 2018 it almost brought her rejuvenation to a screaming halt.

Dealing with MS

MS itself is rarely fatal, but complications may arise from severe cases, according to the National Health Service in the United Kingdom. There’s no cure for MS, but medicines and other treatments can help control the condition and ease some symptoms.

This is the battle Lacey, 50, is facing. Six years ago the disease presented its biggest challenge to her yet.

“I had a wicked MS flareup when I was under a lot of stress. We were having staffing issues and I was working 18 hour days, and that is a no-no when you have MS,” she said. “My body showed up and said ‘That’s enough.’”

Lacey lost all the reflexes in her right leg. Imagine trying to simply walk, much less exercise, when that happens.

“It took me a long time to recoup. My family showed up and I had two of my daughters help me run the business at that time,” she said.

It wasn’t the first time she had to deal with the effects of MS. Having already conquered the weight loss battle and becoming a weight loss coach herself, she recalled the shock of first being told she has the disease.

“It was one of the hardest things that has happened to me,” she said. “I went from being this super mom/wife and super coach to not being able to walk or some days get out of bed. My diagnosis has taught me that life is short and uncertain, and you’re never guaranteed what tomorrow is going to bring.”

It also taught her what perseverance and grit looks like. All she had to do was look in the mirror — and all others had to do was look at her.

“When my gym community saw me get back up from my diagnosis and go from not being able to walk to being able to teach group fitness again, it was a turning point,” she said. “I realized coaching is my true passion and it is the tool I have to help people, and my gym community and family started to encourage me to open my own gym.”

Starting her gym

Lacey had not given much thought to belonging to a gym until after she and her husband Fred moved to Texas from Canada in 2007. However, she gave it a try for the first time in her life and she not only lost over 50 pounds, but also gained self-confidence and self-love for the first time, she said.

“I’ve always believed I was put on this earth to help people and give them hope that they can do anything. After having success myself taking small group fitness classes, I became a coach,” she said. “I could see the direct impact I was having on people’s lives.”

Listening to the encouragement from others, Lacey looked into opening her own gym, joining the Fit Body system.

“That’s when things got real. I had to make the decision at that point, could I do this?” she said. “Could I physically, mentally and emotionally run a business, given the amount of stress that your body will go through with being a business owner?

“Stress and MS do not go well together. But I have always been up for a challenge, and my husband was so encouraging and he believed in me so much that it made me feel like I could really do this. So I jumped all in.”

Just as when she decided to get in shape, and when she decided MS was not going to defeat her, this also turned out to be a life-changing decision for her.

“I definitely have moments of fear, whether it’s fear that my MS will cripple me or whether my business will make it, but I’ve learned to just choose faith over fear,” she said. “On days when my MS wants to keep me down, it wants to keep me in bed, or wants me to skip a workout, I know that there’s a bigger purpose and if I just get up and do it, things will be OK.”

Inspiration to others

Lacey takes pride in being an example to her daughters, stating: “You can do anything you put your mind to, even with major obstacles in the way. I’ve battled through breast implant illness and MS and I’m a living testimony to our clients that no matter what happens, no matter how many times you get knocked down, if you get back up again you can keep going and get to where you want to be.”

Her daughter, Stephanie Green, acknowledged such inspiration.

“I may be a little biased because she is my mom, but I am confident if I had just met her on the street she would have still had a significant impact on my life,” she said. “She has such a big heart and genuinely cares about you. She has been through so much in life, from being a teen mom to being diagnosed with MS, and nothing has stopped her determination to make the world a better place.”

Kelly Cobb, one of the coaches at the gym, said she realized quickly that Lacey’s mission is much more than making money — which she noted is encouraging to her and anyone else who knows Lacey, some of whom are in their own battle against more than just losing weight.

“It’s about the number of lives she can save, to include her own,” Cobb said. “Toni has had clients fighting personal demons to those who are fighting cancer. I’ve watched Toni struggle with her health at varying intensities, but every day, she puts on her hat and gets it done.

“Some days the hat is small like a beanie and other days it’s gigantic, like a 10-gallon hat.”

Getting past COVID

Like many businesses across America, Lacey’s had to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. It got even harder when she contracted the virus herself in the fall of 2021.

“It didn’t affect my breathing, but it took my brain. The brain fog was so intense. I couldn’t drive well, I couldn’t think, I could not make business decisions,” she said. “I can actually remember driving up to my gym and sitting in my car crying. I just couldn’t figure out how I was going to make it, how I was going to carry the business or lead this team.

“But I went into the business that day and we had a team meeting, and I just took everything one day at a time. I leaned on all the support I could get, and we powered through.”

She described the next couple of years as “a beat down.” She didn’t fully recover from COVID until April 2023.

Her son-in-law, Ricky Green, said he took joy and strength from watching her triumph in the hardest times.

“Despite the challenges, Toni found a sense of purpose. Through extensive research and drawing from the wisdom of mentors, she embraced her inner warrior.

“Toni’s journey is a testament to resilience, determination, and unwavering optimism. She lives up to her mantra of ‘good vibes,’ showing strength and positivity in the face of adversity.”

Lacey is married to her high school sweetheart whom she started dating when she was 15. They have four daughters and five grandchildren who are the light of their life.

More than the gym

Lacey realizes having an impact on the community means not only inside the gym, but outside as well. Their annual Burpee-A-Thon has raised over $15,000 for a local cancer nonprofit. Last Christmas, they helped a client and single mother put gifts under what would have otherwise been a bare tree.

In February they raised $3,100 and scheduled meal deliveries for a coach who needed emergency surgery. And when a young coach’s apartment was destroyed in a fire, they raised over $6,000 and coordinated furniture donations.

In addition, her gym has donated 400 pairs of shoes to inner-city children and gathered over 11,000 canned goods for a food bank.

“Sometimes I wonder how she does it with her pain, brain fog, etc., but she always carries on with a smile,” said her mother, Lynne Warren. “She is a great warrior and always puts her symptoms aside to try and help people have a better life.”