Megan Habina is the CEO and Founder of Valkyrie Fitness and Nutrition, a remote fitness and nutrition business based in New Jersey. She built the company to support women working in high pressure careers, including first responders, military members, and healthcare professionals. Her work focuses on creating systems that fit real life schedules, not ideal ones.
Megan’s path to entrepreneurship started with structure and discipline. She worked as a Class I and Class II officer with the Vineland Police Department and served in the New Jersey Army National Guard and Honor Guard. She completed three academies and basic training. During that time, she consistently earned top physical fitness scores in her unit. Those years shaped how she thinks about performance, accountability, and standards.
She earned her associate’s degree from Cumberland County College and later completed a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice at Southern New Hampshire University. Education ran alongside her career, not after it. That balance later became a foundation for how she built her business.
In 2021, Megan launched Valkyrie Fitness and Nutrition. She built it from the ground up without outside backing. Since then, she has worked with more than 200 women, many of whom work twelve hour shifts or rotating schedules. Her programs focus on strength, conditioning, mobility, and long term consistency.
Megan holds certifications as a NASM Certified Personal Trainer and NASM Certified Nutrition Coach. She continues to invest heavily in her own development and learning. Today, she runs her business remotely while traveling full time with her wife, a travel nurse. Her story reflects steady growth, earned progress, and a commitment to building systems that last.
How do you define success today, compared to earlier in your life?
Success used to mean hitting the highest score or passing the next test. When I was in law enforcement and the National Guard, everything was measured. Fitness scores, academy rankings, evaluations. I did well in those systems, but they were very narrow definitions of success. Today, success looks more like sustainability. Can I show up consistently. Can I build something that works while life is still happening. Running Valkyrie remotely, traveling full time, and still delivering results for clients tells me the systems are working.
What early experiences shaped how you think about success?
Working at my grandmother’s restaurant had more impact than people expect. You learn fast that effort matters, but systems matter more. If the kitchen breaks down, no one eats. That mindset carried into my service roles. In the police department and the Guard, success came from preparation and repetition, not motivation. You did the work before you needed it. That idea still drives how I coach and how I run my business.
You performed at a high level in physically demanding roles. What did that teach you about achievement?
Maxing out fitness scores year after year taught me that consistency beats intensity. I was not training harder than everyone else all the time. I was training smarter and more regularly. I built routines that fit my schedule, even during long shifts. That lesson became the backbone of Valkyrie. Most people do not fail because they lack discipline. They fail because their plan does not match their life.
What was one challenge you faced that changed how you approach success?
Working in male dominated environments forced me to confront how standards are applied differently. I learned quickly that waiting for fairness was a waste of energy. Instead, I focused on control. My preparation. My performance. My mindset. That shift made success internal instead of external. It also shaped how I work with women today. We focus on what can be controlled, not on fixing broken systems.
How did education fit into your definition of success?
Education was never separate from work for me. I earned my associate’s degree and later my bachelor’s in Criminal Justice while building my career. That taught me that progress does not need perfect timing. It just needs momentum. That lesson shows up in how I encourage clients to think about growth. You do not wait for life to slow down. You build skills while moving.
What did building Valkyrie teach you about business success?
Starting Valkyrie in 2021 showed me that success is earned quietly. There was no launch moment that changed everything. I built it client by client, system by system. I tested what worked for people on twelve hour shifts because that was my reality too. Over time, helping more than 200 women confirmed that practical solutions scale better than flashy ones.
What habits have contributed most to your long term success?
Writing things down has been huge. Goals, standards, reminders. If it is not written, it is easy to forget when things get busy. I also invest heavily in learning. I join programs, find mentors, and keep building skills. Finally, I measure myself against my own standards, not outside validation. That keeps success grounded and repeatable.
What should people take away from your approach to success?
Success is not about doing more. It is about doing what fits. Build systems that work on your hardest days, not your best ones. If you can stay consistent there, progress becomes inevitable.