We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Maria Rodriguez. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Maria below.

Hi Maria, thanks for joining us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

Everyone talks about taking risks, but no one really talks about what that looks like. For me taking risks means trusting your gut that everything is going to work out in your favor, despite what the actual situation looks like and understanding that failing is not a weakness but part of the process.

I could hear my alarm ringing from across the bed, and I thought about snoozing it like all the other days, but I realized it was Friday, and I just had to get by one more day. I could smell the wet dirt coming from outside the window. Which told me it would be another wet and mushy day. I stumbled across a pile of laundry in the corner of my room, which I had procrastinated to wash for what seemed 2 weeks now and I thought to myself “here we go again” and sat in my front of my laptop by the kitchen island where I got most, if not any, of my work done.

I was sipping on what was now my 2nd cup of coffee when I heard her voice disrupt that uncomfortable, depressing silence I was used to and I thought, “that’s exactly what I need!”

I could feel her energy traveling through my phone speaker, and for the first time since my breakup, I felt really optimistic and motivated for what lied ahead.
Marj Desius, in gold, bold letters.
I read her bio and I scrolled through 3 pages of Google, amazed by all her accomplishments and talents. I knew I had to hire her. Marj was the type of coach I needed to help me navigate through what seemed like a never-ending cycle of depressing, uninspired, long days. I was just over it. I felt like a failure, I felt worthless, I couldn’t seem to make it out of bed and every morning was a daily struggle with myself. Some days, I would go to work wishing for the day to be over just so I could come home and do absolutely nothing by myself.

It was a nightmare. I was ready to get back out there and be me again.
I didn’t waste time trying to justify how I could afford to hire her, instead I sent her a message on her back channel to connect with me as soon as possible. Needless to say, Marj reached out to me and within 30 minutes of contacting her I signed up for her 4-week BBM Coaching program.

It may sound irresponsible to say this out loud, but I invested all my rent money and pulled money out of my savings for this coaching program. And for reasons I can only credit to God, 8 days later I received a reimbursement check in the mail from my old apartment complex which was only $4.00 shy from my exact rent money amount.

Hiring Marj meant I had to commit financially. After making twice the amount 6-weeks after launching my program, I can now say it wasn’t a lot of money. But at the time, investing $5,800.00 seemed like a steep amount. Now that I look back, I can say it was more valuable than money. Marj’s coaching helped me overcome my fear of leaping into online coaching, it gave me a blueprint to launch my YouTube ads, and the confidence to be me again. I am grateful to God that I didn’t snooze my alarm that day and that Marj came on the clubhouse room to speak because I wouldn’t have snapped out from my vicious cycle if it hadn’t played out the way it did.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers?

Most definitely! I am a Certified Fitness and Nutrition Coach for women in Texas, I do professional paid speaking, content creation and I am the current president for the San Antonio Holistic Chamber of Commerce- Alamo Heights.

I got into the fitness industry in 2019 but prior to that I was a fit enthusiast myself. I began running at the age of 11 and then through high school but just as a hobby.

When I had children is when I began to be more aware of my physical fitness. It was a long journey to become a Certified Fitness trainer only because I didn’t know how to start. Once I did my research, I was able to save up money to launch my own brand.

My professional speaking talent was discovered when I went to a speaking academy through networking in my local area. I was invited and I attended, turns out I had a great life story which empowered others to take action. It was a hidden talent which is still getting polished.

The content creator in me didn’t know it existed either up until 2 years ago. I was never a social media person, but I was always creative and imaginative. I discovered TikTok and Reels, but I had to build confidence to go public on my social media and create something. Eventually after trying one day, I got so much good feedback, and I was having fun with it that my content started going viral and then the platforms I was on began paying me to create more. It’s really fun, and I can help others through it, so it’s a win.

I took the presidency for the San Antonio Holistic Chamber of Commerce in 2021 after attending a meeting. They needed a president and I believed myself to be holistic before I even knew what that meant. It has been a learning experience where I have discovered my talent of leadership. It allows me to connect with likeminded individuals who see the world through a different lens. Plus!, I get help them with their social media!!

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

The lesson I had to unlearn was that of being a people pleaser and prideful. Maybe it was the way I was brought up, but I know that as an adult, pride held me back from asking for help specially as a young entrepreneur. I thought I knew it all. I have learned to be coachable and open to other people’s way of doing things even if they don’t make sense in the beginning. Being able to set boundaries and say no to others even when it might upset them, has also been a great lesson to unlearn. Through this I was able to give time to other things that matter most. I used to go to bars with friends and stay out late spending my hard-earned money that could’ve been used to invest in other areas of my life. Once I saw the power behind this, I immediately stopped being irresponsible with my money.

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

Other than training, and wisdom, I would say people skills. Today’s generation seems to lack people skills. It’s kind of sad that there are people out there with great sales skills or knowledge and potential, yet they lack people skills and because of this missing piece, they fail miserably in business. This and confidence. The confidence piece is what I’d say we need to teach others to develop. Confidence has moved mountains for me.

Contact Info:

• Website: girlcodefitnesssa.com
• Email: Mariarodz@girlcodefitnesssa.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/GCFNTX | Instagram.com/Therealmariarodz
• Facebook: Facebook.com/GCFitnessa | Facebook.com/Therealmariarodz
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/coachmariarodz/
• Youtube: YouTube.com/@therealmariarodz
• Other: Booking or Collaborations: Mariarodz@girlcodefitnesssa.com

Image Credits
School Of Personal Training Orion Private Fitness Studio In The Dominion Defying All Odds The Event Celebrated Reflections In The Flex Podcast Working Women Wednesday NAWBO San Antonio San Antonio Holistic Chamber of Commerce