Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Erin Mahoney. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Erin, thanks for joining us today. Is there a heartwarming story from your career that you look back on?

When people ask how I got into fitness, I always tell them that I actually got a 4-year degree in something completely unrelated- which is a surprise to many! I originally went to school to pursue broadcast/multimedia journalism. After graduating, I got my first job in the field working for a small company. Little did I know, the 2 years I spent at this company would change my life forever!

Unlike most, my first “real” job in the field was not a pleasant experience. I was naive, hungry for a paycheck and overlooked a lot of things that did not feel right to me in the workplace. I was scared to speak up, because afterall, this was my first job post-college and I didn’t want to lose it. I fell victim to a boss that manipulated me, threatened me, intimated me, swore at me, silenced me-on a daily basis. I let it go on for a lot longer than I should have and it took a huge tole on my mental health. Afterall – there’s no playbook on what to do when you’re faced with an emotionally and mentally abusive boss, especially at such a young age. Over time I developed severe social anxiety. I couldn’t have a simple conversation with strangers or make eye contact with people without burning up inside. The anxiety had taken over my life and I didn’t even realize what was happening. I was miserable! While at this job, I had always worked out on my own but decided I needed another outlet. There was a boxing gym conveniently located across the street from my work. I walked in one day, tried a class, and fell in love.

The rest is history! I’d like to think this sport and specifically this gym really saved my life. I found myself again, found something to work towards and eventually worked up the courage to remove myself from my toxic work environment. It’s kind of crazy, those that know me now would never guess I struggled with social anxiety for a good 4-5 years of my life.

I boxed for the next 2-3 years while bouncing around between a couple jobs. But I wasn’t passionate about anything I was doing—besides my workouts. A few years in and I had a thought one day..it would be so COOL to do this for a living, to somehow turn my passion, FITNESS, into a living…but how?! At this point I was 26 and felt like I wasted my early twenties on other things and it was too late. But I was wrong.

I moved to Nashville on a whim in 2020, joined another boxing gym and that’s when things started happening for me. I knew deep down I wanted to be a fitness instructor, a personal trainer, a coach, a leader of some sort, I knew I had it in me but I was always to scared to take that leap because I never thought I’d “be ready”. One day at this boxing gym, one of the trainers approached me and asked if I had ever thought about being one myself…I smiled from ear to ear. I thought to myself, he’s asking ME?! Is this real life?! YES I have thought about it and I’d love it to give it a go! I think he saw something in me that I was too scared to act on. And I’m glad he did!

I quickly took on being a boxing instructor teaching 6-7 classes a week while still working a 40 hour desk job. It was overwhelming and exhausting but I was determined to make it work. Over time, I was able to leave my desk job and turned my fitness job into a more full time role. I believed in myself and I made it happen even though it wasn’t easy.

To this day, I occasionally look back on that time in my life when I was struggling at that toxic job. Every night I went to sleep crying for months. It was one of the lowest points in my life for sure. That boxing gym across the street saved me. And as horrible as those couple years were, I wouldn’t change a thing because I would not be where I am now without going through what I had to go through. I wouldn’t be resilient, I wouldn’t have a voice, I wouldn’t have found the confidence I have now if it wasn’t for what I went through. And for that- I am grateful.

Erin, 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?

My first job in the fitness industry was at TITLE NASH in Nashville TN, which is where I’m currently still at! I was able to create a full time role for myself as I also pursued a personal training certification while teaching group fitness classes. Trying to juggle everything at the same time was a challenge for sure. I gave up nights out, lost some friends, sacrificed a lot of free time, but gained so much more. To say it was worth it would be an understatement.

I now teach boxing classes, personal train clients, AND teach Pilates classes at TREMBLE (also in Nashville)!

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I think one of the biggest things for me this past decade of my life, was not giving up. Your 20’s are a confusing, wild, unpredictable time. But I think they build the foundation and shape who you’ll become for the rest of your life. I easily could have stayed in a job that was comfortable, doing something I truly didn’t love and I would have been fine. But we’re only on this earth once, so if you want something you gotta go for it. Do the thing you don’t think you’re ready for, apply for the job, move to a new city. All of these things can be extremely uncomfortable. But the periods of discomfort and uncertainty are were we grow! You will fail at things many times, but it’s your next move, after you fail, that will shape the trajectory of your life.

Despite all of the horrible things I was told about how I was useless, dumb, “the worst employee this company had ever had” on a daily basis I continued to be resilient. I knew none of that was true and I bet on myself. And guess what, I’m winning!

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

Trying to plan your life out is the worst thing you can do. Stop worrying so much about the future and live in the now. Everything works out the way it’s meant to even if it seems unfair in the moment. Trying to plan your life out only leads to disappointment because 99% of the time it’s never going to unfold the way you THOUGHT you wanted it to do. I think there’s something fascinating about uncertainty. If we were certain that we would get everything in life we wanted, we wouldn’t have to try. We wouldn’t have to find motivation within ourselves or the courage to take the next step. Embrace the uncertainty and give up control! I promise your life will always turn out better than you expected it to.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: Itserinmahoney

Image Credits

Photos by Bailey Melancon and Marco Dela Cruz