We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Francesca Grazzi a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Francesca thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Was there a moment in your career that meaningfully altered your trajectory? If so, we’d love to hear the backstory.

After I graduated high school I went to community college. I quickly decided I wanted to study psychology and child development. I had grown to love both topics and completely immersed myself in my studies. I spent several years learning and discovering my career path options based off my academic interests. While I was still in school I got a job as an ABA therapist. ABA stands for applied behavioral analysis. It’s a psychological science that we use as a tool to eliminate maladaptive behaviors in children on the Autism spectrum and replace them with functional ones. It was an extremely rewarding job that kept me on my toes and constantly learning. At that time my goal was to receive my bachelors in psychology and child development and then pursue my masters in psychology. These degrees would help me move up the ladder in my company. I was saving up for a car so eventually I got a second job as a trainer at a fitness studio.

My studios manager was fired only a couple months into my hiring, so the management position opened up. They had someone from another location of theirs help manage our location in the interim. That someone’s name was Janie. Janie was one tough cookie. She was hard on me and hard on the other staff. What I didn’t realize at the time, was that she was giving me the tools and the experiences necessary to become a full time fitness professional.

Janie suggested I take the position of head trainer and studio manager. Initially I told her and our studio owners, no. After all, I had a career path and a plan to stick to.

After several weeks of contemplating I had decided to quit my job in ABA and take on the full time position at the studio. And the rest is history. Running the studio and working was like second nature. Half the time it didn’t even feel like “work” because of how much joy it gave me. But not only joy, a challenge. When I stepped into the role I had no idea if I would do a great job. Turns out, my role at the studio not only changed my life, but it changed the lives of hundreds of people who walked through our doors.

Children and the field of psych is still near and dear to my heart, but I had realized the idea of slowly climbing a corporate ladder while also digging my way into more and more debt via school loans just wasn’t appealing. I broke free from this concreted mindset to a mindset of possibility, opportunity, and more freedom. I have been working in the fitness industry for 7 years now and I’m confident that I’ll never look back.

Francesca, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Francesca Grazzi and I have been working in the fitness industry for about 7 years. I had been an athlete for 12 years prior to receiving my personal training certification and it’s a large part of the reason I pursued a career in fitness. I currently work as a group fitness trainer at F45 Training, a pilates instructor, and personal trainer which I do from home.

I’m passionate about helping all people, but especially women, feel and embrace their power and strength. Fitness isn’t just about the muscles or the abs. It has the ability to transform your mindset, give you confidence, and the chance to see that you are capable of pursuing and overcoming challenges. Being active consistently allows for mental clarity, an increase in energy levels, and so much more. The muscle and fat loss is just the cherry on top.

Your mental health matters, too. And physical and mental health go hand in hand. In my role as a fitness professional I aim to inspire and guide other women to understand that struggles are okay, crying is okay, but giving up on yourself is absolutely NOT okay. Every one of us has the ability to have our potential maximized and I believe that fitness is a large contributor of that.

It’s okay to be scared, to be a beginner, or to start over. That’s actually the beauty of it. Because there is so much strength in growth. Wether you come into an F45 workout, a pilates class, or a personal training session, my hope is that you take away more than just the workout, and that you feel strong, capable, and empowered to keep going.

Putting training and knowledge aside, what else do you think really matters in terms of succeeding in your field?

As a trainer it’s vital you know what’s in the books! Anatomy, an understanding of movement patterns, how to program workouts for clients who have different goals, bodies and backgrounds. But anyone can read a book. Anyone can memorize flashcards. You can teach training, but you cannot teach passion. You cannot teach honesty. You cannot teach authenticity and you cannot teach personality.

To be a good trainer and fitness instructor you need to have confidence. Not only in your knowledge but in yourself. You have to be prepared to speak in front of people of all kinds, and often large groups if you’re also doing group fitness. You have to be able to project your voice and speak in a manner that is clear, energetic and motivating. In order to succeed in this field you have to be likable, energetic, and passionate. Patience is also something you need to have. And a genuine love for people. A lot of training is what YOU bring to the table as a human being.

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

I said earlier that mental health is physical health. About two years ago I left a bad relationship. When I got out I looked like I was malnourished and just crushed as a person. I have never been so fragile and exhausted in my life. It has taken me some time but with consistency and freedom to fully embrace myself and my life I was able to gain my weight back, reclaim the muscle I had lost, and come out stronger than ever. And this is the perfect example of how fitness can be an anchor. It can support and uplift you, and it can change and enhance your life like nothing else. My message to women around the world is – do not let anyone or anything dictate your worth. It is your responsibility to take ownership and live a life of meaning and purpose. You only get one body in this life, if you respect it daily, it says a lot about who you are and what you are choosing to prioritize. Pick up the weights, sign up for the workout class. The best is yet to come.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @francescagrazzi
• Other: Fitness studios I work at: F45 Training North Mission Viejo Escape Pilates Costa Mesa