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

Natasha, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with 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?

When people hear the word “Risk”, they tend to turn away from it because the word “Risk” is typically associated with the words such as “fear”, “Loss”, “backward”, “start over”, “devastating”, etc., but I when I hear the word Risk I think of excitement, a gamble with the unknown, a chance to win and to succeed.

When I first started Renaissance Fitness, I took a huge risk; I was originally on the path to becoming an Aeronautical Propulsion Engineer when I woke up one morning and told my parents, “I don’t wanna do this anymore” and the response of “Well what do you want to do?” my brain started to turn. I was always an athlete and had a natural ability from a young age to teach people and figure out how the body moved and worked, so I became a trainer as a hobby and something to do… little did I know. lol. When I started to dig into the field of fitness from a career standpoint I realized one big thing that the industry was lacking and that was the connection between “healthy living” and healthy living. Meaning we were focused mostly on how we looked and that if we looked good then we must be healthy when in fact that is hardly ever the case in this day in age.

That is when I decided to take that risk to create my own business, teaching people, especially those which chronic illnesses that they do not have to live a life of aches and pain or with that impending doom feeling hanging over them. Instead, I taught people how to live with their chronic illnesses and how to capitalize on them with movements and nutrition and the shifting of mindsets to feeling empowered and not just feeling but truly being stronger and healthier then they were when we had that initial conversation.

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

Renaissance Fitness is so much more than just your average and basic fitness company, It is a place where you can completely shed your insecurities, fears, and tears, and truly just be yourself, where we will build your confidence, strength, mindset, and health while learning to love yourself over again in a deeper fashion. Renaissance Fitness is your second chance at stepping into the life you love because you only have life.

Renaissance Fitness was designed to help individuals break past their limitations, and to find clarity in the world of weight loss pills, fad diets that are not realistic, 6-pack ab routines that are not built for your body and needs, and other quick fixes. How? I teach you how to truly listen to your body, we dive into your nutrition and daily living and I teach you how to fuel your body based on your goals, needs, and desires by showing and explaining the science of why you shouldn’t consume certain vs others and what is happening to your body if you don’t workout and eat properly, from every day living to living with PCOS, Hypo(er)thyroidism, Cancer, Diabetes, MS, etc., each chronic illness needs to have its needs met in very particular ways that lead to the success of your body being healthy and living longer.

I am a 10-year elite athlete, competing from collegiate track and field to state levels for rugby, and currently, in the amateur sector of MMA, I apparently like getting bruises.LOL. On top of competing and training at a high level, I also live with Inflammatory PCOS, learning the hard way that I cannot consume dairy, processed sugar, soy, or high levels of gluten as my body cannot process them causing me to have anaphylactic reactions to some of the listed. It was through the research of learning my own body, while simultaneously helping my mom control and manage her PCOS and Thyroid disease and my dad as he dealt with cancer. We unfortunately are born into a bad gene pool, but this does not mean we have to allow those chronic illnesses to define us, control us, or even take hold of us; by learning early on that living a healthy lifestyle and learning the means of inflammation and deciding that you want to live a long and happy life then you can learn to take care of the body you live in. After all, we are only given one body.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

The best strategy for growing your clientele is to just be yourself and to be willing to meet the client on their level. As a coach and trainer, you have to remember that while some things may be simple or common sense, we had to learn the knowledge ourselves or someone had to teach us as well. Never assume the client knows something and at the same time don’t assume that they don’t know something either, instead just talk to them, listen, and hear them. From there you are able to understand where they are, how you can meet them where they are, to learn how to best guide them and build that rapport.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

My reputation is very strong in not only the fitness industry but in the business world and the community as well. I am completely raw and transparent with everyone I come in contact with and I am completely unapologetic about being myself. Yes, I wear different hats and everyone may see a slightly different side of me whether I am in a business setting, client compacity, personal workout, or during my personal time and out with friends but no matter what setting you interact with me in I am the same person and I refuse to wear a mask. I am completely real with each person I interact with and when it comes to my clients I meet them where they are at, I explain everything without talking down or at them and I have no shame in saying I’m not sure but let me find out and get back to you. What helped me build my reputation the most is by just being myself and never trying to pretend I am someone I am not and understanding that actions speak louder than words. You must walk the words you preach and do it truthfully.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.berenaissancefit.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/renaissance.fitness/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RenaissanceFitness19/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natasha-federico/

Image Credits
Chris Hayes Photography & Two Crafty Cats Photography