We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Gina Daley. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Gina below.

Gina, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

Honestly our business concept was born out of a need. The typical mainstream fitness industry excludes anyone that has previous injuries, doesn’t fit into the typical “fitness” aesthetic, wants to feel safe, beginners, seniors, people in different sized bodies, and on and on. In addition to not actually being accessible to the folks who really need it, most gyms and health centers scratch the surface at helping people actually change.
I’ve been a “root cause” hobbyist since I was a teen, and once I started training, I saw the glaring holes in the advice that was being given. So, I used my knowledge of root causes of pain and illness, and created a system that walks any and every body step by step towards feeling better in their body.
I never had considered owning a business before, but I felt that if I were to stay true and integral to my morals, it just had to be done differently than other gyms.
So many people have chronic pain or injuries and know they need to exercise but don’t know where to start. The same is true for the perinatal community, seniors, people with hypermobility, and folks with neurological diagnosis. SO many populations are being left out of mainstream fitness advice and guidance. I knew it would work when time after time people were gushing with gratitude that a place like PIF existed.
It’s been a wild ride, and we’ve overcome so many obstacles, but its been 100% worth it to help our community equip themselves with the tools to live healthier lives in a safe and sustainable way.

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 was a professional dancer and dance teacher for my first career. I had to pivot careers in order to take care of my 2 year old when her dad and I split. Teaching movement was a natural choice, but I had no idea it would become a full brand and business.
I think it was the perfect storm of skills that landed me here. Teaching movement, knowing anatomy, a drive to not feed into the toxic diet culture I was recovering from. and blending in my passion of holistic health allowed me to create something really special.
We’re able to modify any exercise for any body, and really TEACH movement to anyone, no matter their experience level. In addition, we combine PT modalities to create a corrective approach to fitness, making it truly functional.
I’m really proud of leaning into my passions and creating magic with them. I’ve created systems to replicate what it is like training with me, so that the gym can grow with or without me.
I’m the most proud of being known as a safe space that is trauma informed with a root cause philosophy that help all bodies truly feel better for life. We offer onsite childcare for parents to help get their workout in. We also specialize in movement therapy for M.S. for which the new research is really exciting.
I’m just a mom and a person trying to make meaning and make a substantial positive impact on this community with this short life I have.

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

I had to learn discernment when hiring… I would tend to see people’s potential, or just focus on one strong quality. Then would get frustrated when the service wasn’t up to my standards. I had to learn how to distill my actual values, and then screen for those during the interviews. I had to undo my people pleasing “everything is fine, I trust you!” and instead get uncomfortable and have discernment and an opinion and boundaries and and and… :)

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

The first 5 years, our clients were referrals only. I had really focused on building authentic relationships with local practitioners, teaching them how we’re different and building trust with them to send us their clients. Then came referrals from current clients. Now in our 6th year, google SEO is finally working and we get most of our clients from google and referrals. I think having really clear copy that is specific enough to differentiate us from other gyms is the secret to booking those google clients. At the end of the day, referral relationships are the strongest, because having a professional personally vouch for us goes further than a generic search for gyms.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://portlandintegrativefitness.com
• Instagram: portlandintegrativefitness
• Facebook: Portland Integrative Fitness

Image Credits

Stark Photography