Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Antoinette Padilla. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Antoinette, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.
To be honest, I never thought I would be a business owner. Not at all. What I did know, however, was that I loved fitness and that I had a burning passion to help people achieve their sports and fitness goals. It was never part of my plan, but as it turns out, business has been the vehicle I use to fuel that passion, to help others succeed and still chase my dreams as athlete.
It all started in 2005 in college in New Orleans. I failed every class I took in my junior year. I end up losing my track scholarship, and enduring Hurricane Katrina on top of it all. I had to return back to New York. I was at a crossroads. I had two choices: give up, or fight for what I wanted.
I chose fight. I knew I wanted to compete in the Olympics, to represent Puerto Rico. I also wanted to find a flexible schedule so I could juggle a personal life and run track and field and an opportunity at Bally Total Fitness arose for exactly that. It was the balance I need to still do what I love while helping others stay health and fit.
I became a top NY personal trainer. I was on demand to train clients. I was always approached with this question by many clients. Do you train outside the gym? I always answered no. I finally thought to myself maybe this a sign to help more people reach their sports and fitness goals. I started taking clients outside the gym than I registered Extreme Fitness and Nutrition as my business. I had no clue on how to run a business. I had the passion to help people reach their sports and fitness goals. Truth be told I am still learning more and more on how to run the business better.
Antoinette, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
Antoinette Padilla Professional Athlete and CEO and Founder of Extreme Fitness and Nutrition. Antoinette is a track and field and first and only female bobsled athlete for Puerto Rico. Antoinette has over 20 years of experience as personal trainer and sports performance coach. A motivational speaker and 5x amazon bestselling author model and actor. Antoinette started her career as a personal trainer in 2005 at Bally Total Fitness in NYC. Extreme Fitness and Nutrition started in 2015 in South Jamaica Queens, NY. Extreme Fitness and Nutrition services offered are customized training programs for athletes and adults. Extreme Fitness and Nutrition offers mobile and virtual sports performance training programs for athletes in speed development, strength development, nutrition and mental performance to help athletes reach their peak performance to reach their next level. Extreme Fitness and Nutrition offers personal training services for adults for weigh loss and to maintain and healthy fit lifestyle through personalized training fitness, nutrition and mental performance. The sports performance training programs are a 1:1 coaching experience with a professional athlete is what stands out from the rest. Our services are convenient for clients to have access to their coach and trainer through onsite locations of their choice like a football field, track or apartment gym. Extreme Fitness and Nutrition is very proud of the success stories in helping athletes and adults each their goals. We strive to help athletes and adult dig deep side to master reaching their full potential in sports and fitness.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
Resilience is something I live by, and I am proud of the person I am because of it. My journey as an athlete has not always been easy. I have found ways to use my passion for the sport to help others as well as help myself. I had to be the best coach for myself to be the best coach for others. I trained myself knowing I wanted to have that coach and support to get to my goals. I figured I had to learn by coaching myself I can help other athletes in their sports performance. I was that underdog athlete searching for the answers to reach my next level. I felt my resilience in never giving up on my dreams is what will help others know they can do it too. I know by believing in myself I knew my story would help many athletes that wanted build their untapped potential. I was always overlooked as an athlete and told I was not going to be pro athlete. I used to always say this I have to prove them wrong and not let what they say defeat what I had planned to be as an athlete. I kept trying to be that top athlete. A few setbacks was injuries always made it hard. I never gave up on the dream I had for myself. I apply that to my business when times get rough. A business has ups and down. As a business owner I will never know what will happen next if I give up the same applies to being an athlete.
Have you ever had to pivot?
I am actually in this realm now of pivoting my business. I am mobile business. I am not a brick and mortar business. I always traveled to my clients or trained clients online. It gets challenging for my athletes when there is not many facilities I have access to bring athletes to train. The pivot of the business was seasonal. I would train my clients when the weather conditions are warm for athletes to sprint. Working on ways to pivot my training programs for athletes online. It is not a challenge so much with adults for online training. The other pivot was working on programs for school districts to bring sports and fitness programs for after school and summer school. Sometimes business can be up and down but finding ways to keep business going by creating other opportunity and also helping the community.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.linktr.ee/extremefitnut
- Instagram: @fastchick2020, @extremefitniut
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fastchick2020
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/antoinettepadilla/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@AntoinettePadilla
- Other: https://www.facebook.com/extremefitnut
Image Credits
Photo Credit for Headshots
Jeanita R Castille is for one head shot
digitalimagehouse is the other head shot