My Journey to Personal Training

Over the course of my professional career, I've cultivated a litany of technical and management skills that apply to public infrastructure projects, public policy, and non-profit administration. I've worked in the private, non-profit, and public sectors while nurturing a vision of compassionate leadership and community building.  On paper, my experiences and track record seem to be leading toward administrative positions.

Something always feels out of place though. I'm too overwhelmed with the workload. Or, I'm not feeling heard. Or, the patriarchal structure inhibits my femininity. Or, phenomenology is not regarded as valid research. Or, or, or...I can always find something wrong.

At a time of great transition - i.e. enrolled in a PhD program that dissolved due to lack of state funding - and part-time work in a salvage store, I challenged myself to remember when I was content with how I spent my time. That landed me in a flurry of high school memories about being a student-athlete. Being an athlete was something so integral to my life that, in 12th grade, I testified at a local School Board hearing that cutting funds from the Athletic Department would be to the detriment of youth development across our city.

In remembering the satisfaction of playing hard, I was also struck with how quickly that part of my life ended when I went to college. I didn't recognize the void until I let myself shine some light in there. My ego was bruised for not being chosen to play Division 1 sports, which was my only baseline for consideration at the time. My own high standards prevented me from continuing on the 'athlete's journey.' These were my choices, and fifteen years later I understood the effect of my choices. I didn't fully mourn the loss of that part of my identity after high school.

Recognizing that my experience as an athlete helps qualify me as a fitness coach, all I did was muse, "I could be a trainer." As if my words cast a spell, a regular customer at the salvage store told me that her husband is a trainer, coincidentally, and his gym is looking for more trainers. They trained me in High Intensity Interval Training and the gym has specialized MedX equipment – a training regimen for efficient and effective strength training.

Personal training allows me to embrace my athletic self while encouraging others to start and finish something really hard – a workout session. I like to affirm with my clients, “May this be the hardest thing you have to do today.” It’ll likely not be the hardest thing they’ll have to deal with generally, but in the time they are with me, they will be celebrated for doing something that’s not easy. My training philosophy centers on normalizing where people are at currently while encouraging growth and strength gain in ways that make sense for their bodies.

As I increase my baseline knowledge about anatomy, physiology, biology, and body awareness, I continue to tap into a deeper understanding of how to engage with people on their body journey. In this role, I’m able to unapologetically embody my ethos: “There is no less than” and that everyone’s journey is valid. My positivity and ability to reflect the best in others can extend unfettered in this setting. Being a personal trainer allows me to extend the path that I once poured a lot of energy into while setting a new course where I feel perfectly in place.