Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Kaylee Meyers. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alright, Kaylee thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Risking taking is a huge part of most people’s story but too often society overlooks those risks and only focuses on where you are today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – it could be a big risk or a small one – but walk us through the backstory.
I was born and raised in a semi-small city in the Midwest and always had a dream for moving far away where the weather is always nice. Most of my family stayed within driving distance of my hometown and for me, I felt like that was settling. I’m anything but a settler. After college, I took a risk and moved to Florida to do an internship for strength and conditioning. I had every intention of returning to school to complete my Masters but I was offered a job to kickstart my career, and decided to pull myself out of school and become an official Florida resident. I had no family, no close friends, no idea what the future would hold, but I was excited to start my new chapter in paradise. A couple years later at 25 years I jumped into the world of self-employment….talk about risky! I dropped the largest amount of money I ever had to launch my new boot camp training business with no idea how to run it or make it a success. Lots of trial and error went into building it up, but it was more than worth all the stress! I’ve learned so much about what it means to be a successful entrepreneur and I still have much to learn. What I do know is I don’t want to work for anyone else but myself..
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 got into the fitness industry thanks to my love of sports and the continuous incidents leading to countless injuries. I grew up doing gymnastics most of my life as well as a few other sports. I was chronically injured throughout my gymnastics career but with each injury, I was able to rehab and return back 100%. In high school, I suffered several sever injuries such as sprained ankles, hyperextended knees, shin splints, toe/finger dislocations, neck injuries…you name it. The worst one, however, was an ACL tear when I was 17. I had the ACL reconstruction surgery and proceeded with physical therapy until I was strong enough to advance to the weight room. I feel in love with injury prevention and strength training and figured I could make a career out of it. If it impacted my life, I can help impact other people’s lives too. Fitness is truly lifechanging. I went to college with the intention of going into Physical Therapy but quickly realized my passion was elsewhere. I loved the weight room, and I loved sports performance. I’m so thankful for the degree I received and the people I’ve met over the years who’ve helped mold me into the problem-solving educator I am today. I’m proud to coach people of all ages, abilities and goals. I’m even more proud of seeing people achieve things they didn’t think were possible.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
To keep it short, I’ve had to learn a few things:
1. You can’t please everyone all the time.
2. Don’t change who you are to fit another’s expectations.
3. Know your worth.
4. It’s ok to say no.
I’ve always been a people pleaser and constantly yearned for the approval of others. As I grew into adulthood, I found that not everyone operates the same way. Not everyone cares what you do or how you do it. Some people may just not like you at all, and you have to be ok with that. Be true to yourself and you’ll find your people. If you surround yourself with people who accept you for who you are, it’s easier to see what you are worth. It goes beyond what you should be paid at your job, but how you feel you should be treated. In a job setting, especially in your first big girl job, it’s easy to be taken advantage of. You never want to let your boss/coworkers down, you always want to be available to help, and you don’t really care what you get paid…because you’re thankful to have the job at all. If you fall into that, it’s easy to forget your worth and what your boundaries are. I didn’t even know my boundaries until after the fact.
Have you ever had to pivot?
COVID. That should be enough of an explanation, right?
When COVID hit, my business was all in-person outdoor fitness camps and in-person 1:1 personal training. That obviously came to a halt quickly. My business pivoted to be 100% online (thanks to Zoom) and I was able to continue my training with a laptop and wifi network. I was able to stay in business and keep my clients engaged even though the timing was less than perfect. 
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/trainerkaylee
- Instagram: @trainer_kaylee
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/meyers.kaylee
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaylee-meyers-7847b7a2/