The Search for the Right Guidance: Why Danielle Brandon Chose CBG
Since 2018, Danielle Brandon has consistently proven herself to be one of the top 10 fittest women in the world.
Brandon has finished in the top 10 at the Games four times, while her lowest finish was 15th in the uncharacteristic pandemic year in 2020.
For several years, Brandon achieved all this without a nutrition coach, and without any nutritional “guidance” at all, she said.
She did try macro counting “on and off” throughout her career in fitness. The macro counting never really spoke to her and it didn’t realistically seem like a long-term plan.
Brandon admits she was “a little reckless and lost when it came to my nutrition and fueling,” she said. She knew she needed some coaching, and after careful research, she turned to CBG.
“I needed guidance that would fit my lifestyle and personality,” said Brandon, who is known and respected in the community for her uniqueness and for beating to her own drum, so to speak.
Enter Justin Romaire, CBG Founder and Nutrition Coach
In October, 2023, Brandon decided Justin Romaire, the founder of CBG, was the perfect coach for her.
Romaire admitted it took a while to build the trust required between him and Brandon to build a genuine relationship. But that’s part of the coaching process for him, and something he embraces when it comes to nutrition coaching.
It’s an approach that worked well for Brandon, who believes a big reason CBG is working for her is because of her relationship with Romaire.
“It is easy [for me] to work with people who [I] have a more personable relationship with,” Brandon said. “I think what’s most helpful when it comes to working with Justin is the support I feel off the field, so to speak.”
Brandon has also learned a ton of practical tools to help her fuel herself more appropriately than she did before and to feel confident about it.
It “wasn’t difficult” to abandon macro-counting “because of my lifestyle and just overall approach to things,” Brandon said. She also had a lot to learn, including food quantity and timing.
“Justin has helped me realize the importance of fueling enough and how beneficial timing of nutrition can be,” she said, adding that she also eats more carbohydrates around her training now than before working with CBG.
She added: “I also recognize the importance of balanced meals and how beneficial it is to training and overall health and wellness [now].”
For Brandon, recommending Romaire and the entire CBG team, both to an elite athlete or a lifestyle fitness enthusiast, is a no brainer.
“I believe the people Justin chooses to have on his team are epic and have a passion for helping people mentally and physically in regards to nutrition and food,” Brandon said.
Most importantly, what CBG offers is a more realistic, long term approach than counting macros.
Brandon offered: “I believe lifestyles today benefit from the CBG way by creating more realistic habits, and in return, happier and healthier lifestyles.”