Hey Chick,

When I was 14 years old I was told by my own father that becoming a fitness trainer is “the stupidest thing he has ever heard”.

I listened, gave up this idea and followed the path we all feel compelled to follow, the society norm of post secondary school to then head off to a corporate job. I was left feeling like there was something missing in my life and every Monday I dreaded.

Fast forward a few years later and me and my bestie built Canada’s Largest Women’s only fitness company but more importantly felt like we were finally following our truth! Listen to today’s episode where we share our struggles of wanting to live our lives and not someone else’s dreams and how we decided to finally give up the corporate job to pour our hearts and souls into our business, even when it was scary!

Amanda here and today I am getting personal with y’all….

When I was 14 years old I started to get into health and fitness. I was discovering yoga and had bought my very fitness ever at home fitness VHS video (yes, I am that old) it was Cher fitness and it was glorious. It was a step aerobics video where Cher was not leading it but instead sweating along or I should say glowing (she doesn’t sweat) alongside you while belting out some of her many hits! I was in love not only with this workout but with the way fitness made me feel.

I told my dad at this time that I wanted to teach fitness when I was older, to which he blurted out, “that is the stupidest thing I have ever heard”. He didn’t believe in me, in fact he didn’t believe so much that I didn’t even have a step for my aerobics video instead I used the step in front of our fireplace mantel for my video workout.

Fast forward a few years later and while fitness and nutrition stayed my passion I went on to let go of that idea and jumped into post secondary school for business and then went on to find a corporate job as Manager, Sponsorship and Advertising for House of Blues Concerts Canada.

It was a great job, in fact I loved it but I still felt this deep down feeling that I wasn’t following my heart and my true passion and I hated Monday’s!

You see I, like so many allowed someone else’s, my dad’s, opinion of myself and my future dictate what route I took. This story is almost identical to my bestie and business partner having her family tell her there was no future in fitness and also going on to take business post secondary then moving on to Marketing Manager for Hilton Hotels. 

Fast forward again a few years and while Laura and I were at a group fitness class laying on the grass doing crunches we were counting the number of women who showed up, like us that were looking for a fitness program to join the Toronto area. We counted the women, did the math and had our aha moment, if this person could do it, why couldn’t we? 

At first FIT CHICKS was born on the idea of making it a side hustle for some extra cash, because who doesn’t love extra money monthly but soon after the initial start in September 2008 (about a year and a half later) we had grown from 7 women in class to become Canada’s largest women’s only fitness company operating 25 plus locations across Canada, hosting our own TV show and fitness retreats and taking our program to homes across North America though our at home DVD system that we sold on The Shopping Channel in Canada.

At this time we made the big decision of trading in our suits for sweats and making FIT CHICKS  our official full time job and following our hearts to help women on a global level build healthier lives and communities.

Now some may say that we were set up for success since we both had corporate experience and post secondary education in business on top of all of our fitness and nutrition certifications. 

Some may also say we were lucky. 

I say that while our jobs and schooling would benefit us it is not what dictates our future and success. Nothing can set you up to become and entrepreneur. It takes more than education it takes heart, passion to serve, a mindset of growth and possibility and most of all a desire to follow what lights you up.

You see if we would have listened to society that tells you to follow the norm or our parents that told us there was no future in this then we would not be where we are today which is having the ability to live our passion, to live each day with purpose and to love Mondays, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturdays’ and Sunday’s!

The time is now (not tomorrow) to stop hating Mondays, to stop living feeling unfulfilled and to start following what lights you up! If it is fitness and nutrition that is your jam, like us, and you need to get certified make sure you check out our Fitness and Nutrition Expert Certification which is like 4 certs in one training program. Where we certify you as a Group Fitness Trainer, Personal Trainer, Nutrition Coach and Wellness Coach and as a bonus also gives you an entire Business Module included in the program to get you set up for success once you graduate.

This certification will allow you to teach in all areas and help you build the life, health and career you love.

To find out how you can get certified and become a fitness and nutrition coach and build a biz you love, download our full program brochure at www.fitchicksacademy.com/fnebrochure

Laura & Amanda

Founders of FIT CHICKS Academy