We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Faith Hagan. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Faith below.

Faith, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

One of the biggest risks I’ve taken was choosing to leave a traditional, secure career path to launch my own business—Soma Studios, a virtual wellness and personal training program.

My journey in movement started early. I began dance and gymnastics at the age of three, developing a lifelong appreciation for discipline, strength, and body awareness. By fifteen, I transitioned into traditional gym workouts, making fitness a central part of my life.

Motivated by this passion, I earned my bachelor’s degree in kinesiology (exercise science) with the goal of building a respected, stable career in healthcare. I was accepted into physical therapy school, completing my first semester and part of my second. My plan was clear: pursue a traditional, secure healthcare role.

However, during this time, I was battling health issues that had been growing progressively worse for nearly four years. I experienced extreme fatigue, dizziness, and tachycardia—symptoms that were repeatedly dismissed by doctors as anxiety or “just in my head,” which was deeply discouraging. Even before starting PT school, I was trying to push through these symptoms while following traditional workout plans. I could never seem to finish them, and I would become exhausted far sooner than seemed normal. I blamed myself, believing I simply wasn’t strong or disciplined enough, and kept pushing harder.

Two months before beginning PT school, I was finally diagnosed with POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome). While the diagnosis brought clarity, the demanding nature of graduate school quickly worsened my symptoms. Ultimately, I was forced to make the difficult decision to withdraw in order to prioritize my health.

After leaving PT school, I realized I had to completely rethink my relationship with fitness. I began rebuilding my health from the ground up, starting very slowly: taking gentle walks with my dog, doing at-home workouts, returning to dance classes, and gradually reintroducing weight training. I improved my nutrition and, for the first time, really listened to what my body needed. I had always lived with an all-or-nothing mindset, but this experience forced me to shift everything I knew about exercise, health, and self-care.

This journey made me see a gap in the fitness industry. There was little support for people who needed flexible, personalized, compassionate training—whether they were managing chronic illness, returning to movement after time away, or simply wanting something more sustainable. And if such programs existed, I wasn’t aware of them. I wanted to create something that truly met these needs, so that people like me wouldn’t have to feel lost or defeated by fitness programs that didn’t work for them.

Starting Soma Studios was a major risk. It meant leaving behind a clear, traditional healthcare career path to pursue entrepreneurship with no guarantees. It required investing in additional certifications, forming my own LLC, building a social media presence, and creating programs that could adapt to any client’s needs—whether they wanted traditional strength training, gentle stretching, or anything in between.

But it has been absolutely worth it. Soma Studios allows me to turn my own health challenges into something meaningful: offering a service that truly meets people where they are and empowers them to move in ways that feel good and sustainable.

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’m Faith Hagan, the founder of Soma Studios—a virtual wellness and personal training program that’s all about helping people create movement routines that actually work for them.

Soma Studios was born out of my own experience feeling like fitness wasn’t made for me. I grew up dancing and doing gymnastics from the age of three, and by my teens I was in the gym doing traditional weight training. Fitness was always part of my life, and I even earned a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology at Mississippi State University with plans to work in healthcare. I got into physical therapy school, believing that was my clear path.

But during that time, I was struggling with health issues I didn’t understand. I spent nearly four years feeling exhausted, dizzy, and dealing with a racing heart rate and many more symptoms that doctors brushed off as anxiety. Despite that, I kept trying to do the “go hard or go home” style workouts, convinced I just wasn’t trying hard enough when I’d burn out so quickly.

It wasn’t until I was finally diagnosed with POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome) that things started to make sense. But by then, the demands of PT school were making things worse, and I had to make the incredibly difficult decision to withdraw and focus on my health.

That experience changed how I thought about fitness completely. I had to relearn how to move in a way that supported me instead of breaking me down. I started slow—walking, gentle workouts, dance classes again—and eventually reintroducing strength training sustainably. I realized that movement shouldn’t be about punishment or pushing until you crash.

At Soma Studios, I offer personalized online coaching that adapts to you—whether you’re a beginner or experienced, working out at home or in the gym, managing chronic illness or just wanting something more sustainable. I build custom training plans and offer ongoing support and accountability so clients can stick with it and feel good doing it.

What sets Soma apart is that it’s not one-size-fits-all or “no excuses” coaching. It’s real-life, realistic, and built around the client’s goals, health, and life.

I’m most proud of being able to turn my own struggles into a service that can help others find a way to enjoy movement again—on their own terms.

If there’s one thing I want people to know about Soma, it’s that movement should work for you—not the other way around.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

One of the biggest lessons I had to unlearn was the “go hard or go home” mindset that’s so common in fitness—and honestly in life. For years, I believed that pushing myself to the limit was the only way to prove I was disciplined, strong, and worthy of results.

Even when I started experiencing unexplained fatigue, dizziness, and a racing heart, I kept pushing through. I thought I was just weak or not dedicated enough if I couldn’t finish the workout programs I’d always loved. That mentality followed me everywhere—even into my education and career path. I kept telling myself if I just tried harder, I could handle anything.

It wasn’t until I was finally diagnosed with POTS after nearly four years of symptoms that I realized something had to change. Even then, I tried to stay in PT school, but the demands of it pushed my health to the breaking point. Withdrawing was one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever made, because it felt like admitting defeat.

But stepping back forced me to completely rethink my approach to movement and wellness. I had to accept that rest isn’t weakness—it’s essential. I had to start slow. Walks with my dog, gentle stretching, dance classes just for fun. I had to learn to listen to my body, instead of punishing it.

Unlearning that all-or-nothing mindset was hard. But it’s what led me to create Soma Studios. I wanted to offer coaching that’s flexible, personalized, and compassionate—something that meets people where they are, honors their limitations, and empowers them to feel good about movement again.

If there’s one thing I know now, it’s that progress doesn’t always mean pushing harder. Sometimes it means learning to move smarter, slower, and with more care. And that lesson is at the heart of everything I do with Soma Studios.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

One of the most defining pivots in my life was stepping away from the clear, traditional path of physical therapy school to prioritize my health and ultimately launch Soma Studios.

For years, I had a straightforward plan. I grew up deeply involved in movement—dance and gymnastics from age three, then traditional gym training by my teens. This passion led me to pursue a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology, and eventually, I was accepted into physical therapy school with the goal of building a respected career in healthcare.

But during that time, I was battling persistent health challenges that no one could explain. For nearly four years, I faced worsening fatigue, dizziness, and tachycardia. Despite repeated doctor visits, my symptoms were dismissed as anxiety or stress. Even when I finally received a diagnosis of POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome), I tried to continue my studies. Unfortunately, the demands of graduate school only intensified my symptoms, making it clear that I couldn’t keep going without sacrificing my health.

Choosing to withdraw was incredibly difficult. It meant letting go of a secure, planned-out career path. But it also forced me to reevaluate everything I knew about movement, health, and even success itself.

During that time, I returned to the basics—taking gentle walks, easing back into home workouts, and enrolling in dance classes purely for the joy of movement. One of my instructors referred to that time as my “pivot,” and the term resonated so strongly that I’ve carried it with me since. It truly was my pivot era—a season of redefining what health and wellness looked like for me, especially as all of my carefully laid plans were flipped upside down.

That experience revealed a clear gap in the fitness industry. Many programs promote a “no excuses” high-intensity approach without recognizing the need for flexibility, compassion, and personalization, especially for individuals navigating health challenges or simply seeking something sustainable.

Launching Soma Studios was my answer to that gap. It was a major pivot from the career I had envisioned, but it allowed me to take my own challenges and turn them into meaningful, client-centered support. Through Soma Studios, I’m able to provide customized training and wellness coaching that meets people where they are—empowering them to build movement practices that feel good and sustainable for the long term.

While it wasn’t the path I planned, choosing to pivot has been one of the most rewarding and defining decisions of my life.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.somastudioswellness.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/somastudioswellness/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Soma-Studios-LLC/61575961199969/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCML2g97yg_oD2CQ95hZOFgg
• Other: TikTok: @somastudioswellness / https://www.tiktok.com/@somastudioswellness