We recently connected with Amber Turner and have shared our conversation below.
Amber, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Was there a moment in your career that meaningfully altered your trajectory? If so, we’d love to hear the backstory.
My defining moment happened in 2016 while I was laying in a hospital bed. “You are going to die young if you do not get a hold of your health.” I was there again for issues with my Type II diabetes and my uncontrolled weight gain, I was 28 years old. Although in the moment when I was being told this I knew I needed to change, I just had no clue it would change the whole trajectory of my life and not just my career. At the time I was grinding 70-80 hours a week working at a thankless job, that was directly affecting my mental health and my physical health. I had taken this job in 2014 as my step-up in the field I loved, science. But I quickly realized, maybe this isn’t for me? Nevertheless I stayed at this place of employment until we were bought out and shut down in 2018. Between my several visits to the local ER for uncontrolled and insanely high blood sugars, failing mental health, and physical ailments stemming from my excessive weight I started to move forward. In 2017 the official announcement was made that my place of employment was being shutdown and we were just there to help ownership transfer. Because of this my duties were lightened, and this allowed for me to go back to school and finish my College degree. During this time I had also started to control my health more, but only in small doses. When the company released us, my husband and I made the decision that I would focus solely on school and because of my new found freedom from the long hour weeks, I joined a podcast. During the years of 2018 and 2019 I focused directly on short term goals I had created for myself, and one of those was to finally lose weight. I had attempted many times in the past to get healthy. Remember, 2016 they were telling me I would die with Type II diabetes, I would always suffer from the issues that come along with having it also. I was only 28. Because of my love for science and a want to re-enter the Laboratory world I chose to obtain a degree in Health Sciences, which required me to take pre-requisites that included physiology, biology, chemistry, and psychology. All classes I had taken before, but this time with new eyes. I was not a spring chicken, I had bad health, and this was my last try to finish this goal. I went in each day to learn. I was thankful each class. I know, many people will disagree, 18 year old me would be laughing hysterically, but I knew I did not want to be that person I was laying in that hospital bed with an entire world around me and I am taking it away from myself. Upon my graduation I had a decision to make. Would I re-enter the lab world? The answer was a quick no.
So why was 2016 a defining moment, It made me who I am now. The decision to not enter the lab world came after I realized my calling in life. I took every bit of information I learned from my Professors and I applied it to my life, my health to be exact. The weight started falling off, and by 2021 I was told I was no longer considered a Type II diabetic. I refused to let myself be my downfall. I still got that degree in science, I just matched it with my certifications in Personal Training, Nutritional coaching, Group Fitness instructor, and small business owner. By 2022, I am in great health, no more Type II diabetes, and each day I get to wake up and help someone who feels just like I did in 2016. That moment defined that version of myself I had to let go of, to become the woman I was meant to be. Amber Turner, Radio Personality, NASM-CPT, CNC, CGFI and most importantly, not a Type II diabetic.
Amber, 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?
Hello! My name is Amber Turner and I am a Fitness professional and Radio personality in Lexington, KY. I am the owner and founder of Getmovingweightloss LLC, which caters to beginner weight loss. I have the following certifications from NASM(National Academy of Sports Medicine) CPT, CNC, CGFI. I offer virtual personal training, Group accountability, personalized accountability, and soon Group Fitness classes. My story really starts as a child, I grew up severely over weight. This would continue all through my teenage years and all of my 20’s. After several health scares in 2016 regarding my weight and uncontrolled Type II diabetes, I decided to make a change. Along the way of my own self-discovery and road to good health I found a love for fitness and I realized I could help people just like me. I pride myself at Getmovingweightloss for meeting people where they are. During several failed attempts to lose weight I realized most programs required me to meet the professional either half-way or where they were. I dedicated my life for two years to developing plans and programs that will allow my clients to add into their daily life instead of only setting aside time for fitness. I teach those around me how to navigate life while on a fitness journey. We hear consistently that a weight loss journey is 80% what you eat and 20% of the movements you have. I disagree, there is a component missing from that and its 100% life. I teach my clients how to workout at home, involve their families, and how to stay consistent. I am also a Radio Personality, which I did not start until after I started to take my health serious. Prior to starting my journey I felt as though I had no voice, I say this to show, the life you truly want begins when you let it. To begin we meet ourselves where we are, and give that version all the tools it needs to allow you to advance to the better version. As I tell my groups, Get moving today Y’all.
Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?
I know this question asks about managing a team, I’m solo in my business. However, I do manage many folks on the team my business has created. Those team members are my clients. The best way for any person in a position to manage a team, (which I have in the past as a Laboratory outreach supervisor) is to connect with those people. You have the capability to impact the lives of others in a direct way, don’t abuse it, but use it. Use it to call out strengths, use it to remind them, “I could not have done this today without you” or even simply saying Thank you for showing up and showing out. When I took the position of Co-host on Off the Cuff with Adam Banks in 2018, we were still recording podcasts on our couches, our kitchen tables, and even our bedrooms. Radio was nowhere in my mind. I was just learning the ropes of basically communication. Getmovingweightloss, my first small business came about not only because I lost the weight and got my certifications, it was because I learned a valuable life lesson and skill when I started as a Co-host. The importance of sticking around long enough to see my results.
Adam had his work cut out for him bringing me on. I struggled in the beginning to maintain my voice, not get scared, not freeze, and most importantly minimize the “UMM” every other word. The whole time he kept telling me, “If you stick around the barbershop long enough, you will get a hair cut.”
My advice to all my clients is to get moving. Simply meaning, if all you do today is just move your body you are one step closer to success. The success comes with consistency. Sticking around the barbershop to get a haircut doesn’t imply that we must sacrifice all things we hold dear to ourselves. That barbershop for my clients is life and to live life we do not have to sacrifice everything we love, such as foods, time with families, and in severe cases your life. No one wants to talk about weight. You are either too this or too that in this world and its get daunting. I would venture to say anyone in the barbershop that was sticking around and a storm broke out, some would leave and flee to safety, just as I myself have been guilty of doing on my weight loss journey in the past. I would hit bumps in the road and run for my life. However, I like to show my clients how to stick out the storm and still be safe enough to get that haircut.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
Making the decision to pursue my fitness goals and venture into Radio was the pivoting moment in my life everything changed. My father, Wiley Turner gave me the advice I needed, he told, “As long as whatever you do, you do your best everyday, you got nothing to worry about.” With the support of my family and my loving Husband, I made the decision I was going to open my own business, the business of helping others. I was leaving the healthcare field, which I had been in 10+ years. I had went to college to get my degree to go back out into the world of science. Making this decision allowed me to still use my knowledge of science and how the human body works. I have combined my science background with a new forefront of the world of fitness and we all know they go hand in hand. Prior to this decision I was severely overweight, I struggled with mental illness, and I was damaging my body due to my poor health. Making the decision to open Getmovingweightloss was not just to have a business to create revenue, it was my personal way of holding myself accountable. It allowed me to take back control of my life. It was my job now to make sure work really was going smooth, there’s paper in the printer, and plenty of coffee. I couldn’t be happier. This decision to pursue being my own business owner and radio personality opened my eyes to a whole new world. A world I had been letting slip away from a long time due to poor health. This pivoting moment in my life has now allowed me to help others, just like me, find themselves. I get to directly affect other human beings in a positive way that will allow them to get moving again.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.getmovingweightloss.com
- Instagram: @getmovingweightloss
- Facebook: Getmovingweightloss
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amberturner606/
- Other: Off the Cuff with Adam Banks: Live every Thursday from 4pm EST- 5pm EST on 93.9FM WLXU https://radiolex.us/shows/offthecuffwithadambanks/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@OFFTHECUFFwithAdamBanks Instagram and Facebook: Offthecuffwithadambanks We are also available on Apple podcast, spotify, buzzsprout, and all other major streaming platforms