Karla Walsh

Title: Freelance Writer

Location: Des Moines, Iowa

Education: Double major in Magazine Journalism and Kinesiology, summa cum laude, Iowa State University

Expertise: Food, health, fitness
- Level one sommelier
- Certified personal trainer and fitness instructor

Experience

Karla Walsh is a freelance writer, editor, level one sommelier and former fitness instructor and personal trainer who balances her love of food and drink with her passion for fitness. Her writing has been published in Allrecipes, Runner's World, Shape and Fitness magazines, as well as on EatingWell.com, Shape.com, BHG.com, ReadersDigest.com, TheHealthy.com, Prevention.com, WomensHealthMag.com and more.

She has written about health, food, fitness, psychology, beauty and beyond for more than 12 years. With a double major in magazine journalism and kinesiology, she has extensive experience translating scientific studies and expert interviews into understandable terms.

Karla began her career at Fitness magazine in 2010. Since then, she's worked full-time at a wide variety of publications, including BHG.com and Recipe.com, and as a cross-brand social media specialist. From search engine optimization to features for print to video strategy, she has a diverse background in magazines. Since the start of 2019, Karla has pursued full-time freelance writing and contributed to more than three dozen brands. She also coaches aspiring magazine journalists.

In 2020, one of her features, "I'm Almost Positive I Had Coronavirus, But Don't Know for Sure—Here's Why That's a Problem," for The Healthy received an honorable mention in the Consumer, Health/Fitness category of the Eddie Awards.

She passed her level one sommelier exam with the Court of Master Sommeliers and received her trainer certification through NASM and group fitness instructor certification through AFAA.