We recently connected with Justin Flakes and have shared our conversation below.

Justin, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about a time you helped a customer really get an amazing result through their work with you.

I do adaptive fitness for students with disabilities. Below is a review from one of my parents that describes what I do and look to achieve.

“I want to share our experience so far with the B-Fit program.

At the first meeting last week Cece struggled to understand how to do the things being asked of her. She pushed the ball off the t-ball stand instead of hitting it, she handed the ball to Justin instead of tossing it to him, she didn’t understand dribbling the ball and simply tossed it to the floor.

This week however, her second time doing these things, I was delighted with her progress. Once she mastered dribbling, she didn’t want to quit. She immediately tossed the ball to Justin and though she needs more practice with the bat, she was hitting the ball and learned how to walk/run the bases.

She and the little boy who came this week kept wanting to sit down but Justin kept them moving and they participated willingly because he is very encouraging and patient.

Bottom line, this program to teach our kids simple skills and get them exercising in fun ways is great. I’m hoping Cece will acquire enough skills that she can participate in Special Olympics this Fall. In the past she didn’t understand what was expected and refused to participate”.

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 have been in Education for 15yrs. I hold certifications in Generalist 4-8 and Special Education EC-12. In college, I majored in Health and Human Performance with a minor in English. It was around my 10th year of teaching that I knew the end of the road for me in education was coming but I didn’t know what I would do next. This year I decided to venture out on my own and create a business that combines my two passions: Fitness and special needs. I offer adaptive fitness classes and adaptive camps to school-age and young adults with physical and mental health issues.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I had to learn to embrace being uncomfortable. In business, you are constantly talking to people and marketing your services. For someone who is naturally introverted, this can be hard. Sharing my stories is difficult as well but it allows me to get my messages across to a broader audience and potential client base.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

In my market, parents just want to know that you care. They can spend their money on anything or anyone but they choose to come to me because I am unwavering in challenging students to better themselves through healthy living. I am positive and I show up daily to serve students with disabilities often hosting free services.

Contact Info:

• Website: bfituniversal.com
• Instagram: bfituniversal