Reclaiming Your Authentic Self: A Candid Interview with Victor Fernandes

By Renée Lautermilch, Chief Editor, Smart Publishing

On a recent episode of The Smart Publishing Impact Series, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Victor Fernandes—husband, father, coach, and author of the bestselling memoir Reclaiming My Authentic Self: A Journey from Fear to Freedom. What followed was an honest and deeply inspiring conversation about courage, transformation, and the decision to stop existing and start living.

Victor’s story is one of late-in-life pivots, generational patterns, and rewriting the script he’d inherited about success, sacrifice, and self-worth. Here’s an inside look at our conversation.

Renée: Victor, welcome to the show! To kick things off, can you tell readers a little about your journey?

Victor: Thanks so much, Renée. Honestly, I found my calling later than most. Up until my late 40s, I was 250 pounds, working as a sports journalist for 26 years. But when my youngest son, Zach, was born, I had this moment—when the nurse handed him to me—and I thought, “Will I even be around to watch him grow up?” That was the wake-up call I needed.

I lost 75 pounds and eventually left journalism to become a health and fitness coach. It wasn’t just about fitness, though—it was about reclaiming my life, and that’s what inspired me to write the book.

Renée: That kind of moment changes everything. Your book dives into some powerful family dynamics—especially your reflections on your parents. What was it like to write about those relationships?

Victor: Incredibly hard. I love my parents deeply. My dad—before his stroke—was strong, sharp, and independent. After the stroke, he just gave up, emotionally and mentally. Watching that decline was painful, and it shaped a lot of what I wrote.

My mom is a rock. She was the glue of our family, always giving to everyone else—never to herself. And that became a pattern I realized I had picked up too: live for everyone else, put yourself last.

Writing about them wasn’t about blame. It was about breaking the cycle and honoring the lessons while choosing a different path.

Renée: You talk in the book about choosing passion over paychecks—leaving journalism to start a business you had no prior experience in. That’s a massive leap. What was going through your mind?

Victor: Fear. Plain and simple. I knew how to write sports stories. I didn’t know how to run a fitness business. But my wife—she believed in me even when I doubted myself. She reminded me: “You’re already helping people at the gym. Why not make that your work?”

So, I got certified, took a job at a local gym, and during COVID—when everything shut down—I took the leap and started Fernandes Fit LLC. I blended virtual coaching with real-life support, and slowly, it started to grow.

Renée: And today?

Victor: We’ve now been in North Carolina for a few years, and the business has matured into a mix of online and in-person coaching. My wife works with special needs individuals, which is her calling. Our youngest son, Zach, is 14 and already taking an interest in the business. He’s my unofficial PR director!

It’s been surreal to see how far we’ve come. And yes—we’re actively planning for RV life once Zach graduates. My wife already has notebooks full of plans!

Renée: Let’s talk about the writing process. You were a journalist, but this was different—this was your story. What helped you finally get the book done?

Victor: I had to let go of the journalist in me. As a reporter, you’re the outsider telling someone else’s story. Writing this memoir meant becoming the story, and that was scary.

But you and Jonathan gave me the best advice: talk instead of write. Just record the story like a conversation. Once I did that, everything clicked. The words started flowing. It became therapeutic—almost like releasing years of emotion I hadn’t fully dealt with.

Renée: The result is powerful. And now that it’s out, what’s the response been like?

Victor: Honestly? Overwhelming. In the best way. People tell me they see themselves in the story. One friend said it felt like I wrote the book for her. That’s exactly what I hoped—to create something real that would resonate.

Renée: You’ve been out doing book signings and events too—can you share how you've been leveraging the book post-launch?

Victor: Absolutely. We live in a very community-oriented area, so I hosted multiple signings in partnership with local businesses that aligned with the themes of the book.

For example, I held one at a family-run ice cream shop started by retirees. It was a perfect fit because it mirrored one of the core messages in the book: It’s never too late to live fully.

Now, I’m using the book as a platform to speak at book clubs, business events, and tie it into my coaching programs. I didn’t write this to get rich—I wrote it to help people, and that’s what keeps fueling the momentum.

Renée: Last question—what would you say to someone reading this who’s been thinking about writing a book for years but hasn’t started?

Victor: Just start. Stop overthinking. Your story matters—because you lived it. Someone out there needs to hear it, and they’ll only hear it if you put it into the world. You’ll look back and wonder why you waited so long.

If you haven’t already, go grab Victor’s book, Reclaiming My Authentic Self, on Amazon. It’s available in paperback, hardcover, and Kindle. And if you’ve been waiting for a sign to start writing your own story… consider this it.