We recently connected with Marcela Valente and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Marcela, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear the story behind how you got your first job in field that you currently practice in.
I was born and raised right here in Fort Myers, Florida. I moved to Tampa, Florida and always felt firm in my thoughts that “I would never move back.” Fast forward almost 13 years, I moved back and haven’t looked back. My daughter was just six months old, I left my career in outside sales, my friends, my fitness family, and my social network, as a single mother. I felt like I had to start over. I was scared and definitely unsure of what the future held. Without a doubt, I knew my first goal was to get back into fitness. I had to find my community again. I needed that support. I came across a locally owned bootcamp class that was tailored for woman, specifically Moms with babies and children – Baby Boot Camp! I left everything I knew, moved back home, and found a fitness class where I could work out with my daughter! This is how my career in the fitness and wellness industry began. I attended class 4-5 days a week. Not only did I meet lifelong friends but my daughter did as well. This was a challenging time in my life and this was the space and outlet that I needed for my mental and physical health. The owner of Baby Boot Camp (Courtney McManus) reached out to me one day and had asked if I ever considered becoming a trainer. Courtney saw something in me that I didn’t see, yet. I got certified, I started coaching Baby Boot Camp classes and little by little I started to think and feel that I was made for this. I was made to help others realize their potential. I saw what they didn’t. I pushed them beyond what they thought they were capable of. I treated their goals as if they were my own. I continued training for Baby Boot Camp and began adding other classes in the area – teaching for the Lee County School District, Arthrex, Allyn International, and more. As I started to add classes, I started to think that I could do this on my own. I can grow. I have a following. My clients trust me. This is when I created 239FIT, LLC. I am beyond grateful every day for the journey that led me to create this community. It’s become a family and a space that is safe to show up as you are. My goal is see my 239FIT family reach their goals and remind them that everything is life is a fight –
You have to fight for it and most importantly fight for YOU!
Marcela, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
My primary focus is strength training. I currently teach small bootcamp classes – typically between 12-15 individuals –
As I want to give my clients the opportunity to be surrounded by the energy and accountability that you feel and get in a group fitness class but I want to provide a VIP touch in that I am able to focus on the importance of form and injury prevention for all. I treat my clients as family – energy and strength is contagious and we will always be stronger together!
Other than training/knowledge, what do you think is most helpful for succeeding in your field?
I think have a network of other business owners and fitness and wellness professionals has been the most successful for me in succeeding in my field. These are individuals that I have been able to reach out to and ask them about challenges they have faced when they started their career and/or business, how did they overcome them, and hat lessons did they learn, so they have any right to share, etc. I also enjoy taking a few fitness classes a month from other instructors. They inspire me!
Do you think you’d choose a different profession or specialty if you were starting now?
If I could go back, I would choose the same profession! Like any profession, there are challenges and with good days come a few bad moments every now
And then but it’s in those
Moments that a client will reach out with a WIN. Perhaps they reached a goal, a milestone, ran their first 5k, they are able to play with their grandkids, hike – and it’s in that moment that I know I am exactly where I need to be. I’ve been their guide and showed them that they were beyond capable, and just needed an extra push :)
Image Credits
Garrenteed LLC