Amanda Essen’s Inspiring Journey: From Chronic Pain to Fitness Powerhouse

Amanda Essen’s Inspiring Journey: From Chronic Pain to Fitness Powerhouse

Amanda Essen’s story is not just one of survival. It’s one of triumph, transformation, and unstoppable determination. Growing up with chronic pain and autoimmune conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, she faced more than her fair share of challenges. But instead of letting her body define her, Amanda chose to fight back with fitness, mindset, and a vision to help others rise alongside her.

Her journey began at the age of 12, when symptoms and struggles started surfacing. Things reached their lowest point at 16, during a modeling trip in Tokyo. At the time, Amanda was working as a model around the world—but behind the glamorous façade, she was battling depression and pain. That trip marked her third suicide attempt, a moment that became her wake-up call.

“Thank God I survived,” Amanda says. “After that, I made the decision to completely change my life.”

Lifting weights didn’t just strengthen her body. It gave her purpose, confidence, and control over a body that had once felt like her enemy.

“The biggest challenge was surviving, but I did. I turned my pain into power.”

A Life-Changing Connection to Fitness

As Amanda Essen committed herself to the gym, she discovered a passion for training and strength building that went far beyond physical transformation. Fitness became her medicine, helping her heal not just her joints but her heart and mind too. She began to rebuild herself, brick by brick, from the inside out.

What started as a personal journey quickly turned into a calling. Amanda realized that what had saved her could empower others too. She dove into studying fitness, nutrition, and mindset, combining science with real life experience to build a holistic approach that she now teaches through her coaching and wellness brand.

Building a Global Brand with a Bigger Purpose

While managing an autoimmune illness is already a daily battle, Amanda Essen didn’t let that stop her from dreaming big. She went on to build a global fitness and wellness brand from scratch, dedicated to helping people around the world tap into their own strength. Her approach is raw, real, and rooted in her own battles—a blend of mindset, discipline, science, and self-love.

Today, Amanda coaches clients from across the globe, inspiring them to embrace their flaws, push past limits, and become the strongest version of themselves. Her platform, named Svagtillstark—which means “Weak to Strong” in Swedish—stands as a powerful symbol of what’s possible when you refuse to give up.

“It’s about showing up when it’s hard. That’s where real transformation happens.”

Fitness That’s Real, Raw, and Relentless

Amanda Essen’s mission is clear. She wants to create a movement that makes both physical and mental strength accessible to everyone, no matter their struggles, background, or diagnosis. She believes in the body’s power to heal itself when given the right tools—and she lives this truth every single day.

What makes her coaching different is her no-nonsense, honest approach. She doesn’t preach perfection. Instead, she teaches consistency—the kind that shows up through pain, through doubt, through the tough days when motivation is nowhere to be found.

“Consistency beats perfection. Every time.”

More Than Just Muscles: A Legacy of True Strength

For Amanda, fitness isn’t just about aesthetics. It’s about survival, strength, and showing up for yourself when no one else can. Her goal is to leave behind more than a successful brand. She wants to leave a legacy of empowerment, where people own their stories and rise stronger from them.

Through her social media presence, Amanda shares the ups and downs of her journey in a way that resonates deeply with her audience. She’s raw. She’s honest. And she’s proof that you can rebuild your life from the darkest place and come back even stronger.

What’s Next for Amanda

Right now, Amanda is focused on scaling her global brand and expanding her impact. With a vision to blend fitness, science, and mindset into one powerful movement, she’s working on programs that meet people where they are—mentally, emotionally, and physically.

Her dream is to break the idea that fitness is just about appearance. Instead, she champions the idea that mental and emotional strength are just as important as lifting weights or eating clean.

Amanda’s Advice to Her Younger Self—and to You

If she could go back, Amanda would tell her younger self something powerful:

“Trust the process and own every scar. They are proof of your strength, not your weakness. Your story will be the fuel that lights the way for others.”

And that’s exactly what she’s doing—lighting the path for countless others who are struggling with chronic pain, mental health challenges, and self-doubt.

Why Amanda’s Story Matters

Amanda Essen’s journey is more than just inspirational. It challenges everything we think we know about strength, perseverance, and what it means to thrive with invisible illness. She’s not here to play it safe or sugarcoat reality. She’s here to change lives—one rep, one word, one breakthrough at a time.

Whether you’re battling physical limitations, mental health struggles, or just need a reminder that you are capable of more, Amanda’s story proves that it’s not about where you start. It’s about how hard you fight to keep going.

Do follow her on Instagram