Meet Gillian Young Barkalow: Coach, Entrepreneur & Founder of GYB

With a background spanning media, culinary arts, nutrition, fitness, and entrepreneurship, Gillian Young Barkalow has built a career around helping women feel stronger, healthier and more confident.

Gillian’s path into health and wellness began as a Producer with Discovery Channel and Discovery Health, where she refined her passion for storytelling and connecting with people. Her love of food later led her into the culinary world, from running an underground restaurant in Toronto to teaching cooking classes in Vancouver. Eventually, a growing passion for strength training brought her into the fitness industry, where she went on to compete in bikini competitions and earn the title of NGA Bikini Pro (and recently winning in her categories as an NPC Fit Model!)

Certified in Precision Nutrition and pre- and post-natal coaching, Gillian has worked with organizations including Taylor Farms and the Alpha Project, as well as gyms and clients throughout the Monterey Peninsula. In 2020, she published Overcoming Night Eating Syndrome, sharing her own recovery story and the strategies that helped her heal her relationship with food. She has since coached individuals around the world through Night Eating Syndrome recovery, nutrition, strength, and sustainable lifestyle change.

Gillian is also an experienced speaker, having delivered corporate and community talks for organizations including Cardinale Auto Group, the Monterey Bay Aquarium, the NGA Tahoe Show, and Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula. Her approach makes health and wellness feel approachable and applicable to everyday life.

Today, Gillian works with clients from her private studio in Carmel-by-the-Sea, offering personal training, nutrition coaching, online coaching, and specialized support for Night Eating Syndrome recovery.

She is also the founder and curator behind GYB Mercantile, a micro boutique housed within GYB Studio. Created from Gillian’s longtime love of fashion, travel, and personal style, the Mercantile features a thoughtfully curated collection of clothing, accessories, gifts, and limited finds chosen to help women feel confident and beautiful in every part of their lives. Rather than a traditional boutique, GYB Mercantile is designed to feel personal, offering small collections, special requests, styling help, and curated vacation edits.

Together, GYB Studio and GYB Mercantile reflect Gillian’s broader philosophy: feeling good isn’t just about how you eat or how you exercise, it’s about creating a life in which you feel strong, confident and completely yourself.

For inquiries, please email gillian@gillianyoung.com.