We recently connected with Erika Torres and have shared our conversation below.
Erika, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We love heartwarming stories – do you have a heartwarming story from your career to share?
Moms never have time for themselves. When moms come to my workouts, I know they are taking time away from their kids, their spouses, their responsibilities – maybe their house was a mess, maybe the kids cried when they saw mom walk out the door – if they show up at my gym, I want them to leave feeling strong, empowered, and like they got an hour to themselves. I had a mom the other day tell me proudly that she couldn’t do a single push up when she first started working out with me, and now she can do 8 in a row. When moms take care of themselves, they feel like better moms.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I had always been into fitness, but I didn’t consider it my passion. It wasn’t until I had my first son, and wanted a more flexible work-life balance, that I decided to jump into fitness training, specifically targeting postpartum moms.
Now I train moms at all stages of motherhood – prenatal clients, postpartum moms, and moms who are ready to strength train. We offer Orange County’s most extensive prenatal fitness program, with prenatal yoga, prenatal barre, cardio and strength, we also offer mommy & me stroller fitness, and small group strength training and personal training.
At FIT4MOM Irvine, moms can get their workout, get playdates for their babies and toddlers, attend weekly crafts, monthly moms nights and enjoy field trips with our mommy and me group. So many moms need a mom community, but trying to schedule something with a friend can feel impossible. Knowing that our classes are offered every day makes it so simple to just meet up and make daily connections rather than spending your days wandering the aisles of Target alone.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
Before I had kids, I was diligently working my way up the corporate ladder. I had a fabulous career and had just completed my master’s degree in public administration when I found out I was pregnant. I never thought I would leave behind my career, but I really needed flexibility that would allow me to be the mother and wife I wanted to be.
Even though I am now in a completely unrelated field — fitness — I am still able to use my years of marketing and journalism experience to promote and market my business. And I’m the happiest I’ve ever been.
You are never too old to pivot and pursue a career that brings you joy.
How do you keep your team’s morale high?
I have been blessed to have dedicated team members and instructors. From my understanding, people don’t leave bad jobs, they leave bad bosses. I consider it my job to keep my team members happy. I try to appreciate them as much as possible – that includes treating them to dinners, planning retreats, and just sending them a card with a Starbucks gift card telling them how much I appreciate them. Take care of your employees, and they will take care of you.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://irvine.fit4mom.com/
- Instagram: fit4momirvine
