We recently connected with Donasja Cooper and have shared our conversation below.
Donasja, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Was there a defining moment in your professional career? A moment that changed the trajectory of your career?
During the start of my career as a personal trainer I worked at a medical weight loss clinic. My duty was to increase sales of personal training and gym revenue. In the beginning of my career I truly struggled with this part of job duties. Each month we would get evaluated on our process of gym sales and there was a moment where my performance was very low and if I did not increase personal training sales I would lose my job. I was a great trainer but selling myself was a challenge. I had to learn a different approach on how to motivate people to exercise by just not telling them the general information on why fitness is important. During clients first appointment they were required to have a fitness consultation where my goal would be to motivate them to exercise and promote living a healthy lifestyle. Engaging with patients repeatedly during the consultation was a defining moment that changed the trajectory of my career. I learned that having a career as a personal trainer was more than just helping people get in better shape and selling myself. I learned that my role as a personal trainer was to help people understand who they are in the world and help them better themselves not only physically but mentally. During my time working with clients at the medical weight loss clinic. Many people did not want to even sit down and have a conversation with me about exercise or even talk about themselves. They believed that they were not capable of exercising because they were overweight, inactive, immobile and did not even know where to start to make changes in their lives . Having these conversations I learned that people had many mental barriers making them uncomfortable in their bodies and had a negative perception on fitness and even personal trainers. I would get told “I wouldn’t understand them because I’m a trainer and I’m in good shape” or “exercising is easy for you”. Hearing these words from clients gave me the opportunity to help them believe in themselves. Letting them know that exercise is more than just sweating, strength training and cardio. Exercise is about gaining mental confidence , learning discipline, making your body feel better , increasing energy levels, improving mood and ensuring better quality of life. My goal was to make a friendship with my clients, helping them become the best version of themselves. Even when they didn’t believe in themselves, I would always believe in them and tell them they are enough and they can do anything they put their mind to. I never cared if the weight on the scale didn’t move. My biggest concern was did they leave their session feeling better compared to when they first walked in the front door. Learning that people just want to feel valued and loved was the definition moment that set the stage for my personal training career. I learned as a personal trainer I am more than just a fitness expert that pushes their clients to lose weight and get fit. I am a human that wants to better humanity to achieve self worth, self improvement and self love. I believe that we all should become great just like God designed us to be.
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.
My name is Donasja Cooper, I am a fitness expert, certified personal trainer, sport performance coach, and corrective exercise specialist. I have a passion for helping people become the best versions of themselves through physical and mental health. When people hear “personal trainer” they imagine someone yelling at them to get into shape and making them sweat. Yes, I help individuals with weight loss and become stronger. However, my main philosophy is to get people to believe in themselves and rise above who they truly think they are. I believe I am more than just a personal trainer. My purpose on earth is to improve individuals mindsets and give access to their true authentic self. I combine interpersonal and motivational skills that lead individuals through fitness, while also educating them on how to achieve a better quality of life.
Growing up I was very active in sports. There was never a moment during my childhood when I was not outside playing basketball and softball. However, from grade school to highschool I struggled with my weight. I was very talented in my sports but was also considered overweight.
Being overweight really affected my mental health, self love, confidence, and social skills. I never felt like I was enough or fit in with my peers. Throughout grade school I would alway research how to lose weight, learn proper nutrition, and watch videos of different styles of exercises. Also being an athlete I would travel to different college summer camps and learn from talented coaches and players who preached about having self discipline, going above expectations, and to never give up on your dreams. Being a Christian was also a huge foundation in my childhood. Going to school, having sport practices during the week and attending church and youth Christian ministries on the weekend set my core values and beliefs.
Struggling with my weight, being an athlete, and Christian really motivated me to enter into the fitness industry. When graduating highschool I quickly developed an interest in choosing a pathwalk of Kinesiology and Nutrition. During my undergraduate studies I learned about the human body, the science behind exercise and started to focus on nutrition to become healthier which resulted in me losing the weight I struggled with for years. I gained the confidence I always desired and wanted to help others that struggle just like I did.
Through personal experience, education, and faith I developed a love and passion to help people better their bodies. As a person that truly understands how it feels to not be comfortable in their own skin. I am able to relate to my clients regarding health, fitness, and mental struggles. I understand that it is not easy to wake up everyday and feel motivated to exercise or to eat healthy. I understand that one can lack discipline and consistency. However, focusing one day at a time, believing in yourself, and wanting to become better is all one needs to help live a successful life. I teach my clients to use fitness and exercise as a tool to help guide them through the journey of life. The number one obstacle that limits people from exercising are mental barriers. My goal is to teach people how to overcome struggles and disregard the lies that they are not good enough, not strong enough, and that exercising is too hard. I tell my clients that the goal of each session is to become mentally stronger and physical strength will follow. I tell my clients that the number on the scale is just a number and it does not define who they are but if they wake up feeling better and value their self worth is what really matters. Once this solid foundation of mental awareness is built, weight loss and physical strength will follow and correlate with the process. Building and rewiring the mind comes first , weight loss and strength comes last.
I am most proud of creating my fitness brand called “Rise Above Authentics”. My reason for designing this brand is because I want people to understand that fitness is more than just exercise! Many people develop a misconception about the human body, physical fitness and beauty from cultural projections. Society and media pushes physical fitness as a chore rather than a tool to living a happy and abundant life God created us to live. My brand promotes and teaches people to live above themselves and their pleasurable desires. “Rise Above Authentics” mission is to promote resilience and overcoming adversity. The world is full of trials and tribulations, but everybody is able to overcome it by utilizing their strengths, discipline, wisdom, and mental awareness. Life is not supposed to overcome us, we were designed to overcome the world. Fitness is a tool to build mental strength and skills we need to master life. Physical fitness can unlock one’s full authentic self, making them aware of their purpose in society and making the world a better place. There are going to be days where we do not believe in ourselves. That is when we must rise above our minds to push past who we think we are. God designed us as a masterpiece therefore we can do anything through faith as long as we believe.
Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?
Making personal connections with current and potential clients has been the most effective strategy for growing my clientele. As a trainer it is important to know that your career is about building great relationships. Part of my job is to have a better understanding of the person that I am training. It is important to know who they are as a client but also who they are as a person. My number one strategy to growing clientele is developing relationships and understanding the importance of building rapport. Clients are not only purchasing my services to help them get into shape but they also want quality customer service. I view my clients as friends and family, always greeting them with a smile. A smile helps show clients that I am approachable, trustworthy, and confident. Making our time together more enjoyable and allowing them to enjoy our training sessions together , even though exercising is never easy. Asking clients deeper questions is a way I show them that I am interested and invested in their lives. Our sessions together are not just fitness based but I engage with them on a personal level to create a stronger connection. This helps find common interests, understanding their weakness, physically and mentally. Overall just showing them that I care about them as a person. There are days when clients will not feel motivated to exercise, so bringing a professional sense of humor to a session can make a big difference in the client experience. Laughing and having a good time is a form of bonding that brings humans together, allowing my clients to feel safe and close to me. Overall, I understand that I am more than just a trainer to my clients.I want to share the struggles of my fitness and weight loss journey, so they do not feel alone. Therefore, we both can relate on a stronger and deep friendship level. Fitness is hard and can be uncomfortable at times. I am human just like them!
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
During the start of my career my dream was to become a strength and conditioning coach at a division one University. During my undergraduate and graduate program I completed an internship as a strength and conditioning coach. I truly enjoyed my time at the collegiate level , working alongside talented coaches and players. The environment was also high energy and fast paced which was my preference. After the internship was over I was offered a paid position. However, I had to make the hardest decision in my career and kindly declined because I deeply felt that It was not my purpose and calling in life to work at the collegiate level as a strength and conditioning coach. I felt God had a larger calling for me to help people that struggle with their weight and identity in the world. I decided to return back to my hometown to start my career as a personal trainer at a medical weight loss clinic. Where I felt fulfilled helping people learn how to live a healthy and well balanced lifestyle. I was able to truly make a difference in people that felt less valued due to weight and immobile limitations. Working with college athletes was my dream but being able to help and change lives of the general population, who struggled with weight and medical limitations is my divine purpose created by God.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @coachxcoop
- Facebook: Donasja Cooper