Katie Holmes
Heart-Health Crusader. Author. Personal Trainer.
Katie Holmes has traded the anchor desk for the weight room, but she still has a message to deliver. After losing her father to heart disease and helping her husband through a quadruple bypass, the former primetime news anchor has spent years urging others to take heart health seriously. Along the way, she’s volunteered with the American Heart Association for 12 years, written Unanchored: When God Writes the Script, a book about loss, restoration and hope, and become a certified personal trainer at 55. Her mantra: “Think strong, not skinny.”
What made heart-health advocacy so personal for you?
I lost my father to heart disease in 2014. Then my husband started feeling more fatigued and complaining about burning in his chest. I said, ‘It could be nothing, but it could be something. Let’s get it checked out.’ We thought he needed a couple of stents. Instead, they found several blocked arteries, including a 90% blockage in his widowmaker artery. That was a Thursday. He had a quadruple bypass the next Tuesday. He’s thriving now, but it taught us never to take anything for granted.
What has your own experience with fitness taught you that you now share with clients?
Three years ago, I took a long, hard look at myself and thought, ‘I’m not tracking well.’ I needed to change my eating habits, start strength training and get my body moving. It’s been a long road, but I’ve lost 65 pounds. I tell my clients, ‘If you’re looking for a quick fix, I’m not the person for you. This is a marathon, not a sprint.’ You have to stay consistent. I want them thinking about building strength to live longer and remain independent.
When have you felt your voice make a difference?
I talked to my state legislators about House Bill 874, which established cardiac emergency response requirements for Georgia schools. I played a very small role, but however small, it was worth it. We also now have CPR Awareness Week in Dawsonville. My work is two-pronged: educating people about fitness and heart health, and showing them how accessible hands-only CPR can be.
What feels different about starting a new chapter at 55?
I’m comfortable in my own skin. It took me a long time to get here. I’ve learned to care less about other people’s opinions and what society thinks I should be, and more about what’s true to myself. Becoming a personal trainer has been one of the greatest things in my life, seeing other people feel good about themselves and helping them become their healthiest selves. Every decade in life is an adventure.
“Katie pours her heart into helping others protect theirs, using her voice and more than a decade of service to turn awareness into lifesaving action.” —Susan Kelley, Heart Health Advocate
