For Mason Prevost '14, the path from Vermont Academy student athlete to internationally recognized health and physique coach has been defined by curiosity, resilience, and a willingness to forge his own path. As an entrepreneur, he has built a thriving coaching business that serves clients around the world and his journey reflects one of Vermont Academy's pillars, Ingenuity.

At Vermont Academy, Mason distinguished himself on the ice, in the weight room, and in the classroom. A standout athlete, he balanced the demands of competitive sports with strong academics while also serving as co-president of the Gender and Sexuality Alliance, demonstrating an early commitment to leadership and community.

Today, Mason runs a successful functional health and physique optimization coaching business, working with clients across the United States, Canada, Europe, and Australia. His clients include competitive bodybuilders, entrepreneurs, trans men, and individuals managing complex health conditions such as Type 1 Diabetes, hormonal dysfunction, autoimmune diseases, menopause, and gut health disorders.

Mason's journey into health and performance began long before college. "Since being diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes at 11 years old and being an athlete, I knew I wanted to study health, hormones, and nutrition in a way that could optimize both performance and aesthetics," he explains.

After graduating from Vermont Academy, Mason attended Concordia University in Montreal, where he earned a degree in Kinesiology while competing for the Concordia Stingers hockey team. During his collegiate career, the team advanced to national championships twice in four years. He later earned a thesis-based master's degree in Human Nutrition from McGill University.

His experience reflects Vermont Academy's commitment to healthy excellence, the idea that achievement is most meaningful when it is built on personal growth, balance, and purpose. For Mason, success was never limited to performance in the classroom or on the ice. It was about learning how to consistently show up, overcome challenges, and build a life aligned with his values. "VA helped me build a foundation for structure," he says. "That structure carried me through college, and it is ultimately what allowed me to build my own business. When you learn early how to show up consistently, manage yourself under pressure, and operate within a system, that skill compounds over time."

Among the faculty members who left a lasting impact, one stands out above all others. "Mr. Collins was the guy who changed everything for me," Mason recalls. "I fell in love with his anatomy and physiology classes, and looking back, that classroom is truly connected to the work I do today. But it went beyond the curriculum. He was always in my corner. I remember having long heart to hearts with him. He's the one teacher I look back on and am most thankful for throughout my entire academy career." His experience speaks to Vermont Academy's pillar of ingenuity, the spark that occurs when passionate teachers encourage students to ask questions, explore new ideas, and discover connections between learning and real impact.

Today, Mason's work extends far beyond fitness coaching. A typical day may include personal training sessions, interpreting laboratory results, designing client health protocols, analyzing training videos, conducting consultations, and creating educational content. What drives him most is witnessing meaningful transformation in his clients' lives. "What I enjoy most is the transformation that happens when someone stops fighting their body and starts working with it," he says. "Watching a client go from struggling with their health to genuinely enjoying how they eat and train, seeing someone fit into clothes they had written off, solving health problems that other practitioners have missed, or helping a competitive bodybuilder step on stage in the best condition of their life, that's incredibly rewarding."

Mason's approach is informed not only by his academic background but also by lived experience. As a trans man managing Type 1 Diabetes while competing in bodybuilding, he found himself navigating challenges that required a deeper understanding of human physiology than textbooks alone could provide. "I wasn't just studying the body, I was living in it every day," he says. "That is what shaped the way I coach."

As his business has grown from local coaching to a global client base, Mason remains focused on impact rather than scale alone. Looking ahead, he hopes to mentor other coaches and expand opportunities for people facing similar health challenges to connect with one another through supportive communities. "I want to start coaching other coaches and teaching this systems based methodology so it reaches more people than I can serve alone," he says. "I'm also building toward creating small group communities for people navigating the same conditions, whether that's Type 1 Diabetes, hormonal dysfunction, or autoimmune challenges. One of the most underrated parts of healing is not feeling alone in it. I lived that. I want to change it for others."

As a trans man navigating his identity long before many institutions had language or support systems in place, Mason also found value in a community that allowed him space to grow and lead authentically. Serving as co-president of the Gender and Sexuality Alliance gave him the opportunity to help foster belonging while learning the skills of leadership and advocacy. His story reflects Vermont Academy's belief in community, not conformity. Rather than asking students to fit a predetermined mold, the Academy encourages them to develop their own voices, perspectives, and paths forward.

Throughout his career, Mason has sought to create spaces where people feel seen, understood, and supported. Whether working with clients facing complex health challenges or building networks of individuals with shared experiences, he believes lasting transformation happens when people know they do not have to navigate challenges alone, but rather supported by a community.

When asked what advice he would offer current Vermont Academy students, Mason's answer is both practical and powerful: "Stop waiting until you feel ready. The version of you that is ready is built by doing the work before you feel qualified, not after. And get your health right early. Your body is your operating system. Everything runs on it." His perspective reflects a broader definition of success. For Mason, success means building a coaching system that meets people where they are, honors their unique physiology and identity, and helps them create lasting change.

As he reflects on his journey, Mason sees a connection between the close knit environment he experienced at Vermont Academy and the communities he hopes to create for others today. In many ways, Mason's story exemplifies the Vermont Academy experience, a student given room to become, supported by a community that values authenticity over conformity, and empowered to pursue healthy excellence on his own terms. "I am a big believer in community," he says. "Just like Vermont Academy."