We recently connected with Elizabeth Baltazar and have shared our conversation below.

Elizabeth , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Being a business owner can be really hard sometimes. It’s rewarding, but most business owners we’ve spoken sometimes think about what it would have been like to have had a regular job instead. Have you ever wondered that yourself? Maybe you can talk to us about a time when you felt this way?

I’ve always been drawn to careers where you’re allowed to “paint your own picture.” For some time, I was tied to schedules and desks and although I learned a lot and enjoyed what I did for the most part, it didn’t feel authentic to who I was. Growing up, my parents worked a lot. I always wished they could be at every play, sporting event, drop off lunch or my homework when I forgot it at home; but that wasn’t my childhood. They were hard workers, dedicated to their careers. They were amazing providers and gave me a beautiful home and work ethic, something I’m grateful for; but wished to express differently to my children.

When I had my daughter is when I was given the opportunity to give her the things I didn’t have, so yes, I’m a million times happier being a business owner with my own schedule, my own deadlines, my own responsibilities that are my creation and self expression. I’m at every play, and dropping off the forgotten lunch and homework packet. I can explore my interests and needs within my business and build it anyway I like, it doesn’t have to fit into anyones mold and it is one hundred percent authentically me.

I’ve been in the process of reimagining my business for the past couple of months. I’m moving from semi private and private group trainings to larger workshops and community collaborations to help women awaken to their spirituality, bodies and minds. In doing so, I’ve had to scale back on the amount of personal training clients I see weekly. When I first took this leap of faith I was terrified I would have to go back to trading hours in someone else gym to meet my financial goals because I wouldn’t find the clients to keep my desired schedule. I thought I would have to give up my freedom that I’ve known for so many years to work on someone else vision and dream. I quickly realized that it is just the fear of the unknown talking and that I could not stay in that place of fear.

I have known entrepreneurship for so many years now, and I have not failed at building my dream, I wasn’t going to let fear stop me when I’m being called to expand and grow not just for myself, but the for community of women that I have started building around me. It’s not an option for me to have a regular job, I am not a regular woman.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

About five years ago, at the age of 33 I took a leap of faith and left my career in Interior Design to pursue a career in fitness and personal training. I had my own journey with weight loss several years before, losing over 80 pounds. I knew I had to transform for my daughter, so she didn’t grow up with the struggles and self doubt I have had to overcome.

The journey of losing the weight was spiritual, emotional and I shed more than just pounds. I shed years of self doubt, and years of emotional distress. Out of that transformation I bloomed into a new woman on a mission. That mission became serving my community and helping others to find themselves not just through physical training; but through emotional and spiritual support from the tools I used myself on my own journey.

Clients come to me for their fitness goals and I help them achieve these goals. I offer personal, semi private training along with host pelvic floor and core wellness workshops. I also host community collaborations where the community can experience meeting new people, and have unique wellness experiences in a loving motivating supportive environment. I am also a reiki practitioner, collaborate with intuitive healers, yoga instructors, sound healers, nutritionists and motivational leaders to name a few.

It has not always been a smooth road. I navigated a divorce through my weight loss journey and through my career transition. I balanced keeping it together so I could show up for my daughter while navigating the road to the woman who I wanted to become after shedding years weight, thoughts and ideas that were no longer serving me.

After I finished school I was able to find a job at a local gym and it taught me so much about believing in myself, my programming and learning how to listen to and support others because everyone’s fitness journey looks a little bit different. From this came my motto of sustainable fitness and nutrition. I believe you have to build a strong foundation from the ground up and practice tools that are sustainable for you in order to have life long health and wellness.

I struggled to find mentors who looked at fitness the same way I did. A lot of the industry is so focused on losing the weight fast, and not really looking at why and where that weight came from. I believe knowing the emotional aspects to your body is the key to success.

A lot of women come to me wanting to look a certain way and I politely have to tell them that they are not the client for me. I’ve learned that I cannot help everyone unless they are willing to help themselves. If a woman or client comes to me saying that they want to learn better habits, live pain free, love themselves and their bodies deeper, learn to make better choices and feel strong I say, “let’s do this!”

I’ve also learned though working with a lot of women that the postpartum fitness industry is lacking a voice in the gym. I specialize in pre and postnatal fitness because babies change our bodies, and we don’t always have someone in our corner telling us that what we are feeling and seeing is normal. Giving the pre and post natal community a voice and a space to talk about how their bodies have changed and to help them bring it back together after one of life’s most amazing gifts is something I also take so much pride in.

Fitness and wellbeing is mind, body, soul and spirit. Studio bloom aims to transform and empower. I just don’t “train” my clients, I help them bloom and along the way I continue Blooming and growing right alongside them.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

Being authentic. When I don’t know something, I will look it up and learn it, not pretend to be someone I’m not. I’m honest with my clients about my own struggles and journey. We have deep conversations and share our personal trails and acheivements. I work from my home and my gym is a reflection of my family and community. It is colorful and welcoming and feels like home. People who come to me can see who I am because Im not hiding behind an image or personality.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

When people are happy with an experience, they talk about it. 95% of my clients come from word of mouth referrals. I pride myself on this because in turn, I only attract the types of clients that align with my business and core values. I always ensure I’m listening to people and their needs, helping them to solve their fitness, nutrition and wellness issues. I genuinely care and in turn this has been the best source of new clients.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/studiobloom.sd/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/studiobloom.sd/