We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kelsi Cummins a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Kelsi thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Innovation comes in all shapes, sizes and across all industries, so we’d love to hear about something you’ve done that you feel was particularly innovative.

The most innovative thing I’ve done with my career is turn my social media presence into my business model, While most people use social media as a marketing tool, and there’s no shortage of fitness influencers online, I think what set me apart personally was making my training…personal. When I set out as an independent trainer, I named my business after my Instagram handle (“@dogsanddumbbelsl”) because I’d become better known by it. I believe my audience and customer base grew due to relatability. And of course, everyone loves dogs. So instead of only using social media as a way to advertise my business, I used shaped my business around what I already saw worked and motivated people to connect with me. Teaching, being open, and being REAL. At dogs and dumbbells, we don’t teach anything that isn’t sustainable. We teach help people find a way to incorporate habit change and exercise into their own life, we don’t ask that they take a “no excuse” approach, because that’s not life, and that’s not relatable.

Kelsi , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Kelsi Cummins and I own a personal training gym in Knoxville, TN. I’ve been training for over ten years now, and I’ve worked in every training atmosphere imaginable. That helped me cultivate the atmosphere I’m so proud to invite my clients to now. A place that is inclusive, inviting, and real. We teach inner and outer strength, and we really encourage our clients to find their own balance. What is sustainable for one person, might not be to the next. What we believe is the most important is how the person learns to connect with themselves and their bodies in a way that leads them to continual health. There can be so many mental and emotional barriers along a fitness journey, and what we are most proud of is the way we help our clients navigate that, We are actually a trauma-informed facility and we are really proud of that, Our job is to make the gym feel like a place that people are safe to challenge themselves, Safety and encouragement always coming first.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

I built my social media presence by way of chronic-oversharing! And I truly believe that is what has served me the most, even though nowadays I’ve become a little more private. For years my pages were a mix of exercise tutorials, trauma informed information, and open dialogue with my followers about real-life issues, As I look back on it now, I’m so glad I was as open as I was. To this day, I’ve never had anyone come in for a consult that found me via social media that didn’t become a paying customer. And I think that’s because their interview portion takes place long before they book the consult, When it comes to personal services, I don’t think there’s anything more impactful than putting your whole self out there. It doesn’t always have to tie directly in to your business, either. People like real people. That’s what I’ve learned and what I’m so grateful for.

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

For several years when I first started, I wasn’t making enough money to only work one job. So I was personal training to feed my passion, but I was working nearly full time elsewhere to pay my rent. And it was utterly exhausting. However, I knew if I treated training like a part-time job and not as a career, I would never make it out of the stuck place that I was in. So, I really had to grin and bear it and invest every ounce of mental and physical time I didn’t have to this career.

This taught me so much once it paid off, and I have a greater appreciation (and almost obligation) to my own self-care now that fitness and health are my full-time career. If you aren’t mentally/emotionally on top of things when you work for yourself, and are responsible for other people, you put a lot of important things at risk. Not only employees but the necessity of being present for face-to-face interactions all. Day. Long. So the most important thing I gained from accomplishing my dream is that my success is limited to my well-being, and it’s important that I take time for myself.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://dogsanddumbellstraining.com/
• Instagram: @dogsanddumbbells @dogsanddumbbellstraining
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dogsanddumbbells?mibextid=LQQJ4d