Home Motivation Women to Watch Women to Watch: Courtney Roselle

Women to Watch: Courtney Roselle

Need some new fitspo to follow? We did the scrolling for you, to find leaders in the industry who are on to big things.

August 31, 2023

Lead Photo by Alissa Laurie

Age: 34 Hometown: Jersey City, NJ

Gigs: Strength Coach

If this CrossFit coach, competitive athlete, and published fitness author looks familiar, it’s because Courtney Roselle is a total bad a**. When trying out for WWE, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s team spotted her and invited Courtney to appear on his show, NBC’s “The Titan Games”—where she earned the title Titan of the East. While the last couple of years following may have been a whirlwind, Courtney’s got a head on her shoulders and is focused on her mission and what she set out to do. She says, “I own my own company called IRON GRACE which includes fitness training, a clothing line, motivational speaking, and fitness modeling. My main passion through my brand IRON GRACE is motivational speaking to fellow entrepreneurs, young adults on finding their authentic selves, becoming the best versions of themselves, body positivity, and overcoming opinions of doubt set by ‘popular demand.’ And I’m always hoping to incorporate my tag line ‘Be strong. Live confident.’ into my clients’ everyday lives.”

“I was told by many that
I was ‘too big,’ ‘too muscular,’ and that ‘no little girl wants to look like you when they look in magazines...’ I decided to not let that deter me.”

Courtney’s passion for empowering women to live confident comes from her own life experiences: “It all started in Cedar Grove, NJ. Spending the first 18 years of my life around four brothers and a sister I learned that being shy wasn’t an option. After high school I was recruited to play basketball for the University of Scranton, and it was during this time that I decided to try and pursue a career modeling (again struggling with my feminine tomboy self). I was told by many that I was ‘too big,’ ‘too muscular,’ and that ‘no little girl wants to look like you when they look in magazines.’ After being crushed, I decided to not let that deter me.” And are we ever glad she didn’t. “Fate had other plans— my mother happened to sit next to the assistant editor of Vogue at the US Open,” explains Courtney. “As any mother would, she showed them my picture and the rest is history. I officially debuted my first modeling gig as a true fitness model in Vogue Magazine. After Vogue, everyone followed, including Self Magazine Online, Shape Magazine, and Women’s Health.” In her spare time, Courtney speaks to high schoolers about body positivity and the importance of exercise, serves as a mentor for Girl Scouts, and provides health and wellness talks to fitness support groups, because as she says, “Giving back to my local communities is so much more than body fitness; it is fitness of the mind.”