We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Stacy Rae Mednick a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Stacy Rae, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Crazy stuff happening is almost as certain as death and taxes – it’s technically “unexpected” but something unexpected happening is to be expected and so can you share a crazy story with our readers

I have been in the health and fitness business for over 40 years and looking back now it’s hard to believe that I’m still as passionate about it when I stared as I am today:-)

As a young teenage girl that needed to get in shape I started exercising at the local gym in my neighborhood at the time and fell in love with how I felt and the energy that I got from exercise. Life at home wasn’t the greatest so my escape to the gym to feel better about myself became my new after school passion and one that would chart the course for the rest of my life.

During that time at that little neighborhood gym one of the owners who was a women started to take an interest in me and was very kind to me. She also noticed that I had a passion for fitness at a very young age and invited me to teach me how to instruct fitness classes. Back then those would be called aerobic classes it seems like a lifetime ago. At the time I was very surprised that the owner was taking an interest in me but, at the same time very excited about the opportunity. Little did I know that little gym in my neighborhood so long ago would change my life forever.

After I worked at that gym for a while, I fell in love with movement, and helping other women feel good about themselves and something came alive in me that was wonderful and exciting. I knew then that I wanted to help other young women and women of all ages to feel good about their bodies and to feel how I felt when I exercised. Since that tender age of sixteen and all the stories in-between I went on to graduate from S.D.S.U. and instead of becoming a adaptive P.E. teacher I started my own in-home personal training business for women only called: Body Techniques.

I worked very hard to grow my clientele while still working in other big box gyms doing sells, teaching fitness classes and training clients but, I knew that would be temporary because, my dream was to have my own gym where I could be apart of every decision. Well that came true in May of 1993 and my husband and I opened our first gym and called it Body Techniques. We would eventually move the location of our gym two more times and ended up brining our gym into our home garage due to several different circumstances.

After about three years of training out of my house/garage I got restless and decided it was time for a breakaway and chose to open an all women’s studio in Costa Mesa. So, in 2012 I opened up OC Fitness Mama. I was very excited and chose to start small and rented a very small studio that was 640 square feet and my clients were thrilled that they were going to be apart of my new business and they absolutely loved the new space. My business grew and grew and with-in two years I expanded my business into a space that was 1340 square feet. That space was so wonderful and my clients loved it even more and more. My clientele grew and I took on a few trainers to help me with my business. Having your own business is very hard. By now there was a training studio and big box gym on every corner of my neighborhood so that was challenging. The cost of running a small business in California is also expensive and there were other obstacles but, I persevered and suited up and showed up every day to bring my best version of myself to my business and my clients.

Then on March 19, 2020 my life and all of our lives changed forever, Our California governor of our state shut down all non-essential businesses due to Covid-19 a virus that was infecting people and people were getting very sick. I will never forget that date or having to be on a lock down for the next six weeks because, of Covid but, also because I couldn’t see my clients or open the doors of my business. This was crazy, like most people we had never seen anything in our lifetime like this, yet it was happening. Most of my clientele were over 40 and above that was my niche and they were very concerned and scared about the virus and I understood their concerns and fears. Covid really was the beginning of the end for so many businesses, it was like something we had never seen before.

After a few days into the Pandemic my husband informed me that I needed to shut down my now thriving business. I was beyond crushed at the mere thought of doing this … let alone doing it. As hard as it was I knew I had to agree with him and we did so. This was one of the most difficult decisions in my life for me to do but, considering the circumstances and now knowing when I was going to get the go ahead from the government to open my business it was the best decision to make, I could no longer pay the bills and the rent for a business that I couldn’t open. Saying goodbye to several dozens of precious clients was overwhelming. I couldn’t allow this Pandemic to win us over so, I learned how to do on-line training quickly.

By the following Monday I was up and running with 9 group classes that I put my clients into and then did one on one sessions as well. It wasn’t the same as in person but, I will share with you that it pushed me to get uncomfortable and get creative in order to still do what I am passionate about and what I love.

Today and it has been over 4 1/2 years now and I have a hybrid business model. I still see clients online and in my home studio weekly. I also teach a macros classes online and have decided that online training will be apart of how I teach, coach and train clients moving forward because, I’ve been able to expand my reach to other areas and not just my own in my community but, all over the world.

On July 12th 2023 before starting a zoom workout I started having chest pain, it was like no other pain that I had ever experienced before. I had a crushing pain in my chest that took me by surprise and caught my attention fast and hard. I also had other symptoms and understood very quickly that I was having a heart attack. I went on line and shared with my clients, I don’t feel well and I am going to have to cancel our workout I’ll be in touch. Well, I ended up having a widow maker heart attack and had a stint put in my main artery in my heart called the ADL. As I was recovering in the hospital I had a lot of time to think about my life and where I could have tried to have prevented myself from having a heart attack. I had lived a healthy live my whole life (not perfect by any means) but, I couldn’t wrap my head around the fact that I almost died. My doctor that helped save my life and the cardiologist both told me that it was because, of my healthy lifestyle that my life was spared. I also know that it was because, it wasn’t my time and God had more for me to do and to continue my passion and love for what I do.

Two weeks later on 7/25/23 I would have a second heart attack, I couldn’t believe it! It wasn’t as painful as the first one but, I knew the symptoms well and also knew that I had to get to the hospital. Back to the cath lab I went and they ended up having to place another stint in my ADL. The same two men that helped save my life the first time where helping me save my life a second time. I am forever grateful for the doctor and the cardiologist for there swift care and their expertise with navigating my heart issue a second time. Those two doctors being there a second time at the hospital to care for me was not a coincidence but, a miracle. Those two doctors will forever be my angels that were there when I needed them most.

So now here we are one year past my heart attacks and I am going strong. I wasn’t going to let my health scares keep me from doing what I love and continuing to teach women how to take better care of their health but, this time I had a whole new story to share and drive to really get the message out about taking care of your health on a whole other level. I shared with my clients in the past about signs and symptoms of heart attack and stroke but, I know make sure to share my story with as many women everywhere I go and when ever I can, because at the end of the day heart attacks don’t discriminate they can happen to anyone.

Today I have so much to be grateful for, I am the mother of three beautiful boys, married to an amazing husband, and have wonderful friends, My business is once again thriving and I am so blessed. I am glad my story turned out the way it did. I have more work to do and more women to love on, the truth be told I’m just getting started:-)

I’m ready to do this next chapter and can’t wait to see what’s in store. Follow, your dreams, live your passion, never give up and continue to be flexible and be ready to pivot at any time because, you never now what life has in store for you…it’s how you respond and react and that really matters.

Lastly always remember, when life gives you lemons make lemonade!

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I have been in the health and fitness industry for over 40 years now. I am a certified personal trainer and health coach. My niche is women over 40 and I help them by educating them and teaching them about their body types and how to get serious results so they can work with themselves and not against themselves.

In person services:
Personal training, small group training and health coaching

On line services:
Personal training, small group training and health coaching

Online educational course:
Macros, mindset and muscles.
A course designed to help you learn how to understand macros without dieting using whole foods and accountablity by using the MyFitnessPal app, applying a growth mindset and understanding that exercise and implementing strength training and low impact activities can help to build bone density. All of these together can help to change your life. We also touch on that learning these tools will help you reach your health and fitness intentions without a dieting mindset and instead take it from an approach that it’s a journey and not a sprint, progress not perfection and learning how to give yourself grace along the way.

My clientele retention is high and I am most proud of that. I have had clients with me for over 20 years that still train with me and other clients that have been with me for over 15 years as well. Women need women and I provide a safe, fun and creative environment whether it’s in person or online that they look forward to every week.

Having a trainer and health coach is about having a relationship that you nurture, love, and grow that is what I love most about training my clients is that they all know that I care about them and their health sometimes more than they do:-)

Lastly, I enjoy training women over 40 because, I can relate to them. As a seasoned trainer and coach my clients appreciate that I bring a lot of life experiences with me that helps me to be very relatable to them.

Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?

I keep in touch with clients through tiny touches throughout the day and week with texts to brighten their day and to encourage them.

For special occasions if they live close by, I drop off flowers, a goodie bag or a baked yummy treat. I also mail birthday cards and other cards for other reasons. Sending them a Gif they can relate to or a fun emoji is also fun to do. They usually are surprised and love that I remember them.

I use social media Facebook and IG to help foster my brand and do my best to be consistent which is key.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

I have to say that having to close down my studio so suddenly and without notice was one of the most difficult decisions that I have ever had to make as a business owner. Yet, at the same time training was also how I made my living so I had to get creative quickly and figure out what to do. The obvious thing was to get my business online and train my clients that way so that’s what I did. My studio closed on a Thursday and by the next Monday I was was ready to train clients from the comfort of their own homes. Prior to getting my business up and running online I was not very experienced with technology but, now I had to learn how to be and was more than willing. During Covid my oldest son was home going to school online and he was very knowledgeable about computers and technology and was extremely helpful with helping me get my business up and operating. I am very grateful my son was able to help me during this challenging time. Now fast forward 4 1/2 years later…I still have a hybrid business model and train clients online and my clients love the option that they can still work with me from home. They also like the option if they miss a workout online that they can do the playback when it’s convenient for them. I don’t know if I would have taken that leap of faith to take my business online and offer that to clients had I not been forced to during Covid, but I’m glad I did. It helped me to get uncomfortable and be resilient in a way I never thought I would have had to. Sometimes being forced to make a quick pivot can be that best thing ever happen in business. It stretches you and makes you grow and I’m ok with that, what matters most is I’m still doing what I love and will continue to do so God willing for many years to come.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.healthynfitwithstacyrae.com
• Instagram: healthynfitwithstacyrae
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HealthyNFitWithStacyRae/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/healthynfitwithstacyrae/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@StacyRaeMednick