Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Mia Henry. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Mia, thanks for joining us today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.
Hello readers! My name is Mia Henry, also known as Coach Mia. I am the sole owner of “Molded By Mia”, a fitness company established in 2020. I am an entrepreneur, business owner, personal trainer, and group fitness instructor. My introduction is important to this article considering I had to take many risks to be in the position I am today. I want to share the top 3 risks that ordered my steps.
The first risk I took was becoming a personal trainer. I became a personal trainer in 2018; six months after I graduated from Tarleton State University with my Bachelor’s in Kinesiology. After graduation, I felt completely lost. I had no idea what to pursue within kinesiology. I decided to stay in Stephenville, Texas where my college is located to look for work within my field of study. Post grad life was challenging, those six months were filled with submitting job applications and no interviews. During this time, I applied to be a front desk worker at a commercial gym. During the interview, I was caught off guard and offered the position of the lead personal trainer! This was shocking to me due to the past six months receiving no call backs. To get an interview and be offered another position that pays more and has more responsibility was a blessing in disguise. I had a huge opportunity sitting right in front of me! The fear and doubt hit me. I began to question if I was capable of fulfilling the position. I had no experience in personal training yet and I was scared to fail. With faith and courage, I took the risk! I accepted the opportunity. Yes I was very uncertain, but it was the best decision for me. Saying yes resulted in finding my purpose.
Now let’s get into risk number two. I worked at this commercial gym for three years. The most challenging year of this job was 2020, when the pandemic hit the world. Gyms were shut down, so I was temporarily let go from the job I had enjoyed. I did not want to spend the majority of the lockdown sitting around and not advancing in my purpose, so I used the freedom of time to create “Molded By Mia”. The second risk was saying yes to a desire I had in my heart to be an entrepreneur and business owner. The responsibilities of having your own business can be overwhelming. There is so much uncertainty in the journey of entrepreneurship. This was something that I wanted to impact others and grow within my purpose.
Risk number three was the biggest risk I’ve ever taken! During the first few months of creating Molded By Mia, I was busy. I was getting my DBA and LLC finalized, opening a business bank account, creating my website, marketing myself on social media, hosting zoom workouts, and getting new clients; I was excited to be a busybody. As I was getting into my groove, I got a message saying “Gyms were reopening”. This meant I had to go back to work. Honestly I did not want to go back, but I knew I had to. My business was doing well, but it wasn’t generating the income I needed to survive off of 100%. I decided to just do both, but when I went back into work it didn’t fulfill me like it used to. My heart was in Molded By Mia. I couldn’t spend much time pouring into my business because of my 40 hr weeks at the commercial gym. This caused my life to be filled with frustration and unfulfillment. The next leap of faith was leaving my job to pursue full-time entrepreneurship. This was a tough decision because I was leaving financial stability for a path of uncertainty. I had to give up my apartment and move back to my hometown of Fort Worth, Texas with my mother to save money. So I did it! I left my comfort zone in February 2021. I quit my commercial gym job, let go of my apartment, and moved to Fort Worth with my mom. I had given everything up for the freedom of time. I was now free to give all of myself to my business. These three risks have led me to where I am today!
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
Molded By Mia is a fitness company that teaches women how to drop body fat, build muscle mass, and sustain healthy habits. I offer these personal training services through in-personal and online training. I hold personal training services at Dream Performance in Fort Worth, Texas. I conduct online training through the “Molded By Mia App”. The mission of Molded By Mia is to empower women to become the best versions of themselves mentally and physically. I also teach group cardio and strength classes at Dream Performance.
Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?
My business partners are the owners of Dream Performance: Cory Broadnax, Kendrick Releford, and James Earl. Currently this is where I conduct most of my business. I was connected with Dream Performance through my godmother in 2021 shortly after moving to Fort Worth, Texas. Connecting with Dream Performance has been such a blessing. I was looking for a facility to grow Molded By Mia and they were in need of trainers to lead group classes. Dream Performance took me under their wing and developed me as a trainer. I consider these men my mentors. All of them are filled with wisdom. They are entrepreneurs and business owners who have taken so many risks to get where they are. Now, they pour those life lessons into me. I am more than just a trainer to them. They care about me and by brand so much. Dream Performance is a place where I am empowered and challenged to become the best version of myself for my business. This gym is all about pouring and supporting their community. I am grateful that I was led to be a part of this amazing team.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
The journey of entrepreneurship is filled with uncertainty. Resilience is needed to make it through. The last three years of entrepreneurship have been filled with ups and downs. I have gone through seasons where I couldn’t get any clients or kept a consistent client list. My finances have been low and high. I have experienced the lack of confidence in business ideas. Feelings of anxiety and fear have definitely hit me hard. In these moments it is hard to see the light. The easiest thing to do is to give up, but I promised myself I wouldn’t do that. Thinking of my story and how God led me to where I am today allows me to push through these moments. Despite how my circumstances look, I choose to keep pressing on. Down moments are not a true representation of my future or how successful I am. These moments are learning experiences that make room for me to grow. Learning from your mistakes is a valuable blessing. Why? Because when you know better, you are able to do better!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.moldedbymia.com
- Instagram: @moldedbymiaa
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@unapologeticallymelanated/featured
- Other: Dream Performance: https://www.fwdreamperformance.com/ Unapologetically Melanated Podcast: https://msha.ke/unapologeticmelanated/