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

Elizabeth, appreciate you joining us 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.

I had been a Patent Agent and working in the Intellectual Property Law field for 11 years before I decided that I wanted to teach group fitness classes. I trained for months to audition and to teach at Equinox gyms. For me, Equinox was one of the top fitness facilities. It was where I trained and I Ioved the atmosphere and all of my instructors. Those instructors inspired me to audition and to now teach.

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 am a mom of 3, a Patent Professional, a Group Fitness Instructor, Personal Trainer and a running coach.  I am also an avid runner. Sometimes, I find it difficult to describe what I do in a single sentence. I was always a working professional and a mom.  I came into running after I had my first daughter, who is now 18. Over the years, I fell in love with running and with the strength classes that I was taking at Equinox.  That love was further solidified by the additional strength training that I was doing with private coaches. I realized that strength is super important, not just for running but for life in general. I joined Equinox as a Group Fitness Instructor in order to teach strength-based formats and to educate women my age on the importance of strength, and how aging affects our body composition. Not every mother has to be an athlete, but she should be strong and healthy. That is my goal at this time. Show women that strength is the key ingredient in life. I teach Group Fitness Classes and host private workout events.  I am most proud of building my own strong body and that at my age I can  run at a high level.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

My athletes are my best PR. It doesn’t matter how many followers you have.  If you show up as your true self and you allow people to get to know you, they will show up for you. I think that the more authentic you are – the more people will gravitate towards you. Authenticity-make that your brand.  I always believe that your energy introduces you first and can be contagious. Showing up with high energy, even at the wee hours of the morning, brings that energy to the class and lifts everyone up. Bringing that experience to people, has led to them not only come consistently to class but to joining additional classes and bringing others. To me, that is how communities and good reputations are built.  They go hand in hand.

Other than training/knowledge, what do you think is most helpful for succeeding in your field?

To be a successful Group Fitness Instructor/Trainer, I think it’s really important to connect with people. I always read the room first.  If someone is in the bad mood, then make them smile. As trainers and coaches, we only get 45 minutes with these people.  My job is to make it the best 45 minutes of their day. I put a lot of energy into that, and I see huge payoffs.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @sweatalittleglitter

Image Credits
@mariacreative @tracey_mammolito