Cheerio! I am Ericka Mojica, the FORCE behind EForce FitCoach! Some fun facts about me are that I am married to my sexy hubby and have two beautiful children. I would love a farm, but my husband has asthma and tells me no, so my three fur babies have been a great compromise!

Most of my life, I have been an athlete. The thrill of competition, the planning, preparation and mindset has always been fun and I am very passionate about it. While I may have been an athlete, I have struggled with my health since I was a young child.

Trigger Warning

I lived in a home where yelling and being yelled at was the norm for communication. Both of my parents did not handle stress, conflict, non-conforming ideas/views or a strong-willed daughter well. 

Partly due to my home life, being molested by a family member, being told that I needed to keep that to myself to avoid upsetting everyone, and being bullied from first grade until I graduated high school– I struggled with severe depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, Gastroparesis (my stomach would freeze as a reaction to being incredibly tense and anxious, and when the muscle contracted, it pushed the food I had eaten earlier violently up my esophagus and I would vomit), body dysmorphia, and several other issues. 

Growing up, I always wished I was born a boy.  I would run around the house shirtless and was very physical. My behavior is what my parents described as “not becoming of a young lady.”  

When I was in middle school, I asked if I could try out for the football team, and I was told that young women don’t play football.  Thankfully, I was allowed to play other sports that were considered acceptable for “young women” to play, giving me the opportunity to release my aggression and show my competitiveness. 

By the time I was 17, I was 300 pounds, had high blood pressure, was vomiting blood because of my gastroparesis, and was a miserable person. I felt alone. And in many ways, I was alone.

My junior year of high school, I went in for the usual sports physical, and my pediatrician sat with me in the examination room and told me how concerned he was for me. He did not think I was going to make it to the age of 25 if I continued living my life the way I was.

He sat there and let me cry as I shared my bottled up feelings and anger. He just let me talk. Most of all, he listened. That was so powerful; he listened. 

That was a turning point in my life. I knew that part of my circumstances were out of my control, but I remembered that I did have choices. I needed to make better choices.

One of the ways that I coped with my depression and anxiety was never eating at school. But when I got home, I would binge eat and hide in my room– meaning I would eat once a day, but an unhealthy amount at one time. My relationship with food was abusive, mirroring my home life.

When I graduated high school, I left my family home for the first time. I had lost around 20 pounds during my last year of high school. The year I left home, I shed 40 more pounds. I felt better mentally, emotionally, and physically. I made new friends that were supportive and accepting, and I was able to leave behind a toxic environment.

Unfortunately, I had to move back home, and when I did, all of the original issues flooded back. It may have been luck or being in the right place at the right time, but this is also when I found part of my purpose. I found kickboxing and weight training. 

I will admit I am overly competitive and an extremely aggressive person.  It has taken years to learn to be assertive rather than aggressive :D  The attributes my family found undesirable were what I needed to propel myself into kickboxing, Jiu Jitsu, Muay Thai, and MMA.

I found one of my passions, all from challenging my parents’ disapproval and challenging myself. 

As I got older, met my husband and tried to figure myself out, I experienced further trauma. When I was pregnant with our first child, I struggled with complications due to stress and abuse, and almost miscarried twice.  After I had my son, I was determined to be the best version of myself that I could be for him.

My husband was, and is, incredibly supportive. He has been instrumental in getting me the help that I need, and that help has saved my life. It has given me the courage to remove the toxic people around me.  

My journey through therapy (still on that road trip), has been one that has forced me to face my trauma and understand who I am– head on.  I have repressed rage toward my parents for their actions/inactions against me as a child, and I have spent my adult life recovering from them. 

I have grown as a person and let go of people that were detrimental to my health.  I went through a period of depression and grieving– all while letting go of people who were toxic, abusive and manipulative. During this phase of my healing, I found my purpose.

I want to help people find a way to grow and heal from their trauma, but I had no idea how I wanted to do that.  That’s when I decided to become a personal trainer.

How does one stay healthy and active?  For me, it has been surrounding myself with healthy-minded people. Finding that space has been an interesting journey, but I have learned that physical health will FOREVER be linked to mental and emotional health. If I am depressed, anxious, or stressed, my body will react.

I have been incredibly blessed to meet the strong individuals who have given me endless perspective on health and the courage to create EForce FitCoach. 

My passion is to encourage, build, and grow physical strength and well-being through mental awareness, behavioral cognizance and emotional understanding: The mind-body connection.

So, to sum it all up, I am married to my best friend and the sexiest man I have ever met (he changes poopy diapers and gets up with our kiddos in the middle of the night), I have two beautiful children, and I have found happiness with myself and who I am.

Without the help of my therapist, clinician and my husband, I would not be here.  I am incredibly passionate about creating awareness of how mental and emotional health affect physical wellbeing, and guiding those who are READY to take this journey. Live your best life and be the best version of you.

Thanks for reading.