We recently connected with Kristina Bhimineni and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Kristina thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear about how you went about setting up your own practice and if you have any advice for professionals who might be considering starting their own?
As more and more friends were coming to me with questions about their running, how to train for different races and so many things related to health and fitness. I realized that being a coach was something I was meant to do. I also realized that I had left working as a nurse in the hospital to be home more which meant I needed to find a way to follow this dream and have a flexible schedule. With this in mind I decided I would not only start my own practice but also would be doing it remotely online. One of the hardest parts of being an online running coach and personal trainer is standing out in the industry. You can be the best coach out there but if people haven’t heard of you that makes it incredibly difficult.
One piece of advice I would have to someone who is considering starting their own practice is don’t try to do it all. Know what your niche is and that is what you are going to be most passionate about when you are talking with clients and potential clients.
Kristina , 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?
I started running when I was 14 years old, and in full disclosure – I was terrible at it. But with great coaching, I really found a love for running and became a strong runner. I stuck with running all through college and then for 9 marathons. I began to realize that not only do I love to run but I love coaching others. Over the years, between my own training injuries and my background in both Sports Medicine and Nursing, I began to develop a training plan different from traditional ones. I found what a difference my new training program made for me, and so I was able to use it with clients. Although I love coaching all runners – I specifically help those who have had life events (pregnancy, age, injuries) return to training, fall back in love with running, and feel like runners again.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
I want every potential runner I work with to know I have truly been where they are – frustrated with training, wondering if I will ever love running again. I have a diagnosis of ankylosing spondylitis, which is a form of autoimmune-induced arthritis in my hips and spine. Being diagnosed with this at the age of 22 was daunting. I had always been active since I started running when I was 14 years old – would I still be able to? Thankfully I had physicians who encouraged me to keep running. In fact my first marathon wasn’t until 4 years after my diagnosis. Eventually, the combination of arthritis combined with chronic running injuries really forced me to listen to my body and stop training in the traditional way. I have now run 9 full marathons, 2 half marathons and numerous 15Ks, 10Ks and 5Ks. My point is that despite all of my reasons to quit, I instead figured out a way around them to keep running. Please take to heart that I have been where you are and want you to love running no matter the challenges.
If you could go back in time, do you think you would have chosen a different profession or specialty?
I absolutely love coaching runners and being a personal trainer. If I had to go back I would definitely end up choosing the same speciality and profession. If I knew what I do know now, I would have started my coaching business earlier. Nothing brings me the same joy I feel when I start my clients on a different lifestyle, support them during tough periods like a difficult race, and help them reach their goals.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.kbhealthyandfit.com
- Instagram: @coachKristinaB @kbhealthyandfit
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/kbhealthyandfit