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

Alright, Maddie thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear the story behind how you got your first job in field that you currently practice in.

It’s funny because I never intended to become a fitness instructor in my first year at Ohio State… I kinda just fell into it. But now that I know the passion I have for it, I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.

It all started with my love for fitness of course but I had planned to go into personal training. There’s a program that I had applied for at Ohio State to become a personal trainer, however I found out in early September of my first semester that I did not make it (due to having nothing related to it on my resume). Although, while applying, I stumbled across the group fitness instructor program that Ohio State has and decided why not sign up to audition and just see what happens? So I did. And out of over 100 people. We performed a workout set in front of the heads of the program and went through interviewing questions. 40 people out of those 100, including myself, had made it!

Now I have come a long way since then. Through hours upon hours of studying anatomy and practicing how to instruct fitness, with each and every class I become a better instructor. And I love that every class is a new experience and I get to continue to grow and flourish in this career. I even have gotten 2 more fitness instructor positions for over the summer while I’m home from college. And not only that, but since starting in strength, I am also certified to teach cycle/spin classes and will be getting certified to teach barre this upcoming fall!

Between designing effective workouts for participants of all skill levels, making fun and motivational playlists unique to each class, and creating a safe and friendly environment where everyone becomes my friend and is able to workout for themselves… I wouldn’t trade this job for the world. It fell into my hands so imperfectly that I am perfect for it.

Maddie, 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?

First of all, I grew up in Allentown, PA and now am a student (heading into her second year) at The Ohio State University. I am majoring in Dietetics to become a registered dietitian and minoring in health coaching. Additionally, I am a fitness instructor for 3 different companies.

My passion for nutrition, fitness, and health truly started when I was just at the ripe age of 11 years old. Growing up, I loved food (but maybe a little too much!) and practically never stopped eating. Therefore, with only dancing a few times a week, my nutrition and exercise were not very balanced and I was a heavier child. At 11 years old, during the summer of 6th grade, I decided I wanted to make a change. I wanted to start watching what I ate and adding more physical activity into my day. And that I did. I will spare you the details that would make this interview a novel, however throughout the next 5 or 6 years, I struggled with trying so many diets because that’s what “all the celebrities said worked for them”! And this brought me to a very low place where I had a very unhealthy relationship with food and my body. I was the leanest I had ever been at one point but still saw the need to lose weight. And eventually, I hit a breaking point. I knew I couldn’t keep going the way I was and so did everyone around me. So I decided to make a change. I no longer let a number below my feet dictate how I feel about myself, I eat in a balanced way to nourish my body and live a happy life and working to become a registered dietitian, I want to help others do the same. I somehow got through it somewhat alone, but not everyone should have to, or can. And that is what I want to be there for.

On the fitness side of things, my true love for working out started at the end of 2019 when I found a personal trainer, Kelly Yager, on YouTube. I then started following her on Instagram and would come home from school and do the strength workouts with light dumbbells from my house just in my living room. They were LIFE CHANGING to say the least. Eventually, I bought some of her home programs and continued with them throughout 2020 until I decided that I wanted to start making my own workouts. I did so much research to learn form and techniques, and start building strength and endurance. And I fell in love. That was when I decided I wanted to help other people in the fitness aspect too! I started sharing my better workouts on a new Instagram account (@get.fit.with.mads) that I created and got really great feedback from not only my friends and family, but strangers online. This was part of my calling and I knew it. I want to become a personal trainer (which will hopefully be happening soon!) and combine it with dietetics and health coaching to help those people out there that were me at one point.

Continuing, I feel that what sets me apart from others is the fact that I personally dealt with so many health struggles, like many of my clients do and I can relate to them on a deeper level. I have been in their shoes and know what it takes to become your best self.

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

The thing that I think is most helpful for succeeding in my field is not being afraid to just BE YOURSELF. You are no one else and no one else is you, so don’t act like it. Let your personality shine throughout your work and you will attract so many more people towards you.

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

I feel like I have so many stories from my journey that illustrate resilience, it’s hard to pick just one. But, I would say that dealing with the combination of struggling with yo-yo dieting, not knowing how to workout, and my anxiety was a very difficult few years for me. It always felt like I was never doing enough to love myself, yet I also felt like I was doing anything and everything I could. I think the key to solving this problem was finding a balance in my life between all of it. I was lying to myself that I was happy but it wasn’t until I truly discovered a balance between health and happiness that I was able to fully love myself.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://msha.ke/maddiejean/
• Instagram: get.fit.with.mads
• Linkedin: Maddie Bigert
• Twitter: @maddiebigert
• Other: Pinterest – @maddiejeanbigert