Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Stephanie Stroud. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Stephanie , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.
Before the Pandemic, I was working for a Personal Training company that went in-home and on-site to work with clients. This approach gave us a chance to work with a population that couldn’t get to the gym, weren’t as comfortable there, or maybe didn’t have the time. We were able to meet the clients in their own personal space and teach them how to use it to maximize movement. The training would entail exercises that they could do at home either with their own body weight or minimal exercise equipment. I worked for this company for 6 years until Covid hit. Once that happened, like many, I had to take a step back and reevaluate what I wanted to do with what I realistically could do. It took a couple of months before I came up with the idea to train the clients I still had virtually, using Zoom, Google Meet, or FaceTime. Before I knew it, I was somewhat back, training people in the comfort of their own home, from the comfort of my own home. I was also training groups of friends a couple times a week, virtually. Anything I could do to keep going and to keep them moving. Remember, this was a time of major uncertainty for all of us. Movement really mattered. The stronger we are in any way helps us in every way.
I was able to keep this up until we were able to meet in person with masks. Fast forward to today, where I have my own business with about twenty clients, most in-person, but many still virtual.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
As a kid, I played sports and exercised regularly without even thinking about it. As an adult, with more responsibilities and less time for sports, I stopped moving as often and in the right ways. As a result, I struggled with my weight. I knew things had to change but I didn’t know how. I took for granted that I was so active before. I really didn’t know how to start back up. But I did try. I joined gyms here and there. I tried diets. Several of them. I was always trying to improve in one way or another, but I simply did not yet have the tools. In 2013, I started going to this Preserve a lot. I began running. I started with just a few minutes at a time, because that’s all I could do. By the end of my time there, there was no limit to how long I could run. Not long after, I met the woman who inspired me to become a Personal Trainer. I was waiting tables one day, when she came into the restaurant. We talked a little about her new business, which was an in-home and on-site Personal Training business. I showed interest, to which she responded that we should have coffee. By the end of that date, she told me that if I was interested in becoming a Personal Trainer, I would have a job working for her. She said, “Go get certified,” because you can teach people the facts, but you can’t teach them how to be with people. She believed I had a special way with others, and I am forever grateful for that. That was 9 years ago. Since becoming certified as a Personal Trainer in 2014, I received my Youth Fitness Specialty certification in 2017, following a Nutrition Certification in 2020. in 2022, I decided to specialize in Senior Fitness as most of my clients were in fact, seniors. And most recently, I received a certificate in Culinary Coaching. This has enabled me to add a new service to my business, by teaching people how to prepare healthy meals. How we eat, and how often we move make such a difference in the quality of our lives, not to mention the duration. I think a lot of people take for granted that they know how to do all of that. We are all so different. We have different needs and preferences, and schedules even! It can be overwhelming to make healthy changes, and it means a lot that I have an opportunity to alleviate some of the stress that comes with that for my clients.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
I feel like I walk the talk and that speaks volumes to people. I have struggled with my own weight for most of my life, so I know what it’s like to not be happy with myself. I know how hard it is to get started, and I very much understand the motivation it takes to keep going. Whether it’s a good play list, workout partner, certain style of exercise or time of day even – I’ve tried it all and will gladly counsel people until they find what works for them. I don’t blow smoke. I don’t lead them to believe that they will always want to exercise. In fact, I stress the importance to them of allowing for setbacks. Find ways to make getting to the workout easier on yourself for those difficult days. I talk a lot about how exercise and eating right helps me manage my stress and my mental health. I firmly believe that my workouts have helped me process and get through a lot of hardships. But it’s not one workout that does it. It’s the consistency. It’s therapy for the body and the mind and it doesn’t take long for us to get used to that and want more of it. But things get in the way. Life gets in the way. I help my clients manage that, and to make exercise a priority. They see the way it helps me and they want that too.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
There have been a lot of reasons for me to have failed at ever having my own Personal Training business, let alone ever even becoming a Personal Trainer in the first place. I struggled with confidence a lot of my life. I have depression and to accompany that, anxiety and ADHD. I have a good sense of humor, which has helped me in numerous ways, but in order to get here, I had to learn to take myself seriously. I had to face the things I didn’t choose for myself and make what I could of them. I had to address them. I had to to learn about them and how to appropriately manage them. I’ve always had people around me who believed in me, though. Even before I knew I could do it, my mom knew. My mom has always known, and she’s always reminded me. When I exercise, I remember how strong I am. Physically, when I get my heart rate up and keep it up, my brain releases what are known as “feel good”, happy, endorphins and serotonin that helps improve my mood – and it will yours too! The trick is finding a flow that is challenging enough, but not so much that you can’t sustain it. A good Personal Trainer can help with that. I believe that believing in myself and my potential has helped me get here. I owe a lot of that to my mom, as you know, but also my soon-to-be wife, and my Buddhist practice. Having the vision wasn’t enough for me. I needed the support of people who love me and care for me. On the days I didn’t feel confident enough to push forth, they reminded me that I could.
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Image Credits
Headshot (blue sweater) – Sam Zomer Shot with Client (client in pink, I’m in blue) – Mark Bugnaski