Kimberly Lester loves a good frog bite, but the first time she saw her husband, Bassmaster Elite Brandon Lester skip a jig under a dock and haul out a real one, her inner competitor took center stage.
“I said, ‘Oh no, no, no, no; I’m not gonna be casting toward the bank, while you’re catching giants under that dock!’” she recalls. “I told him, ‘You can’t make another cast until you teach me how to do that.’
“And he did.”
A high school soccer player, Kimberly understands competition, but she also understands how to balance career and family goals. Managing a lifestyle that includes her husband’s tournament travel and sponsor commitments, she’s enjoying a productive mix predicated on the right roles at the right time.
A Little Background
Born in Athens, Ala., Kimberly moved to Fayetteville, Tn. in her junior year where she met Brandon at Lincoln County High School. They dated through graduation and went on to attend the University of Tennessee, but ended up separating during their college years.
After college, Kimberly and Brandon would both marry other people, but with those marriages ending, life would later intersect their paths. When the high school sweethearts married on Nov. 11, 2016, Kimberly brought 5-year-old Leann to the new family, which expanded two years later with Shiloh’s birth.
Now her husband’s career has certainly broadened her fishing horizon, but Kimberly said the bug bit long before they ever met.
“I learned to fish with a cane pole while sitting on the bank with my dad and granddad,” said Kimberly, the fifth of six siblings. “Almost every Saturday, if it was a nice morning, we’d get up, daddy would pack us PB&Js, we had our little tackle boxes and he’d take all six of us kids.
“We didn’t have any fancy chairs, we sat with our butts in the mud on the bank and fished with either crickets or worms.”
Boating with friends on local lakes and spending her senior trip deep sea fishing strengthened the attraction. Her personal best — a 6-pound, 2-ounce Tims Ford Lake largemouth that bit her dropshot.
“Fishing has always been a pretty basic part of my life,” Kimberly said. “Not necessarily a hobby, but a memory maker. My dad, my grandad, now Brandon with our girls; it has just evolved.”
A Shift in Focus
Also important to her life — compassion and the heart for helping others. Those traits led Kimberly to earn a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and a Masters in Mental Health Counseling, after which she’d spend a few years in what she described as a very rewarding career field.
Later, motherhood would take priority for several years, but after Shiloh’s birth, Kimberly started contemplating the next chapter. With an honest look at her life stage and personal interests, March 2021 saw her reach the goal of becoming a National Academy of Sports Medicine certified personal trainer. (She’s also an NASM certified weight loss specialist and behavioral change specialist.)
“I always say, ‘That second baby loves you a little longer,’ meaning you don’t bounce back as fast,” Kimberly explained. “I was a little older than I feel that most people are when they have their second child, so I got into training as a trainee myself.
“At the local gym where I now work, the other trainer is who I trained under for two years. I met every goal I wanted to meet and we got to the point where I started asking, ‘What next? I know how to work out on my own, so what do I want to do?’”
With Shiloh heading to Pre-K, Kimberly had to time to pursue another career. The key requisite was a work-life balance that left plenty of time for those dearest to her.
“I didn’t want to go back to mental health counseling, so we prayed about it, thought about it,” Kimberly said. “I wanted something with a little more freedom. Being at home as much as I am when Brandon’s on the road, I have to make sure I can be a mom and trainer all at the same time.”
Once she made that decision, Kimberly’s trainer became her mentor and helped her map out the course. Kimberly’s certification process fell during the pandemic shutdown of 2020, so she completed most the required steps from her home. Kimberly did her CPR training in person, with the rest occurring in a supervised virtual setting through the NASM online platform.
“I came out of lockdown a fully-certified trainer and ready to go,” she said.
Plan with Purpose
Kimberly’s currently contracted though Dalton’s Fitness in Fayetteville. That means she offers her training services to gym members.
“This is where I trained, it’s my gym home, it’s my gym family,” she said. “As soon as I got certified, the female owner of the gym said, ‘I have a job for you.’”
Kimberly also offers virtual and written programs for clients exercising at home and at gyms outside of Fayetteville. Customized to individual levels and equipment availability, her written plans include nutritional guides and weekly accountability check-ins.
Of course, she’s integrally involved in all aspects of her husbands health and well-being, from daily stretching, to the spinal decompression necessary to counteract long hours of standing on boat decks and crashing through rough waters. Beyond that, her mix of professional expertise and personal experience has proven helpful to Elite wives pursuing general exercise goals, and some dealing with post-baby fitness.
“I love being able to give them back that confidence, especially after your body’s going through so many changes,” Kimberly said. “Your body is now different; it’s never gonna go back to what it was before. You have new obstacles to overcome, you have new goals to obtain.
“Some of the Elite anglers will reach out and ask questions and run with it. I don’t feel like they need the accountability as much as my female clients.”
Family First
Kimberly’s work clearly impacts her client’s lives, but she sees its integration into her family dynamic as the biggest benefit. Whether they’re watching Brandon on TV or on-site, she wants their daughters to appreciate the team effort.
“When Brandon won at Pickwick (2022), Shilo was like, ‘You made our dream come true,’” Kimberly said. “It stopped me for a second, because that’s exactly it. I don’t just clap for my husband on the front row, this is our family’s dream.
“I don’t know who wants him to win a Bassmaster Classic more, him or me. To see him accomplish a lifelong goal, it does become a family aspect.”
Kimberly’s quick to note that the appreciation goes both ways.
“When Brandon is home, he is all in,” she said. “He’ll say, ‘I’m gonna pick up the girls from school,’ ‘What outfit is Shiloh wearing to dance tonight?’ ‘What do I need to do for Leann for her guitar lesson?’
“As much as we support Daddy, they can look back and see how much he supports them.”
With 15-year-old Leann enjoying a range of high school activities and Shiloh enrolled in dance classes, Kimberly only makes it to a few tournaments a year. When schedules allow the family to travel together, she makes the most of each trip.
“If I pull them out of school, I let their teachers know if we’ve visited a national park,” Kimberly said. “We’ve stood in front of Mt. Rushmore, we’ve been to Niagara Falls. It’s almost like a home school aspect when we’re on the road.
“It’s not just a vacation; I want them to have that learning aspect, because they do get a really cool opportunity to travel the country and see things that their school is not going to take a field trip to.”
When their daughters were younger, Kimberly was able to travel more with Brandon, but as life develops, priorities reset. Both parents embrace the wisdom and long-term benefit of playing their respective roles, even if that means time apart.
“I’ve traveled full-time with Brandon, but that was four years ago,” Kimberly said. “This year, with Leann taking on her own extracurricular activities and Shiloh in dance, it kinda shifts.
“Daddy is living his dream and I’m helping them discover theirs.”
