We were lucky to catch up with Suzanne Klaus recently and have shared our conversation below.

Suzanne, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. 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?

In 2018 I signed up for a Spartan Trifecta, which is a 5K, 10K, and 1/2 marathon obstacle course race (OCR) in a calendar year. I was definitely out of my comfort zone. I had fallen out of running after high school and was inconsistent with my strength workouts since opening Forward Fitness. I was looking for something to help me create the habits I wanted to build. This was a great motivator and a decision that really helped to elevate my life. I had my husband write my training program. I started prioritizing sleep and refining my nutrition to support my training.

I completed the Trifecta and decided the next year I wanted to put myself out there. My goal was to qualify and race in the Spartan World Championship. This was a ~14 mile race in Tahoe, 4 miles up a mountain, 4 miles down, 3 miles up, and 3 miles down with obstacles. I qualified and showed up to the championship. It was September and it ended up snowing on the mountain. There was a swim at the top that was extremely cold and ending up forcing a lot of people to drop due to hypothermia. I had planned ahead and had enough warm gear to get me through. I ended up placing 13th in my age group.

Each year I have been continuing to progress my goals and risk failing in pursuit of new goals. In 2021 I went back to that venue, this time is was the National Championship, with a goal to do even better. Unfortunately I got altitude sickness and had to stop multiple times to feel like I could breathe. I added 1.5 hours to my time and finished 89th in my age group. While I did fail to reach my goal of improving my time or place, I did not count it as a failure. I put in the time in the gym and on the trails and dialed in my nutrition to prepare for this event. All of that work was not lost and can be used in the future. I have sense gone on to compete in other OCRs and have even placed 1st in my age group! When we do physically hard things I believe this branches over and helps us to do mentally and emotionally hard things. By challenging ourselves and stepping out of our comfort zone, we grow and get better.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I always knew I wanted go into a profession where I could help people and really make an impact on someone’s life. This paired with my love for biology, physiology, and gym class and passion for helping others achieve their goals made me choose a career as a dietitian and later go on to add personal trainer to my resume. I believe when our actions support our health we are at our happiest. I don’t mean eating chicken and broccoli at every meal, working out seven days a week, and saying no to all social events that involve food. I mean finding a healthy relationship with food, choosing foods that support your goals and help you feel good a majority of the time, moving your body most days, setting healthy boundaries, having deep connections with people, getting enough sleep, and having tools and/or support to handle stressors.

In 2015 my husband and I opened our own gym, Forward Fitness. We are a 2000 square foot facility with nutrition coaching, personal training, group classes, and OCR (Obstacle Course Racing) classes. Our goal is to meet people where they are at and guide them to get them to where they want to be. In a nut shell, we help people move better, feel better, and ultimately live (even) better. I originally did nutrition coaching and a lot of the behind the scenes work. As we grew I got my personal training certification, which I had been wanting to do for a while.

I know what it’s like to walk into a gym, not know what to do, be self-conscious of looking stupid, and be worried about doing things with poor form. In college when I went to work out I went to the quiet weight room. It was a small space with some dumbbells, ellipticals, and machines and only used by females. I never knew exactly the right exercises to do, how to create an effective program, and if my form was correct. I would do the elliptical and then do bicep curls and a few of the machines. I never wanted to stare at a machine too long in case that made me look stupid for not know how to use it. At that point, I never dreamed of deadlifting weight or knew what a trap bar was. (I mean I would have love deadlift, but I didn’t know how and didn’t want to/was too nervous to ask for help.)

I love coaching people, introducing new people to the gym, and sharing my passion for fitness with others. I strive to help alleviate the fears I once felt and help other to feel strong and confident. I love empowering people to get to the next step in their health and fitness journey. It is so amazing when someone learns a new movement, is able to go up in weight, improves their relationship with food, does their first unassisted pull up or push up, or does something that they once thought they could do. Seeing the confidence that builds in someone is pretty special.

I once heard someone refer to our gym as the “Cheers” of the fitness industry, where everyone knows your name. We strive to create a community and gym family. Members support one another and ask if they don’t see someone for a week. Coaches check in on members’ goals and attendance on a regular basis. We do fun events throughout the year. In November we have a Forward Fam Thanksgiving, in the spring we play health & fitness BINGO, in the summer and winter we have a Feats of Strength self-challenge and the Forward Fitness Games, when the weather’s nice we do hikes, and in the last half of the year we have a 100 Workout Challenge.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

I grew up thinking conflict was bad. You shouldn’t contradict an adult and you shouldn’t challenge viewpoints. You should just follow orders. I have since learned that conflict, when approached appropriately, can be good and can help you, others, and organizations grow and get to the next level. Part of coaching people is helping them to get to the next level. Sometimes that involves challenging a belief someone has about him/herself and/or highlighting discrepancies in their actions and goals. Instead of just nodding and avoiding addressing the unhelpful thought patterns and discrepancies. I get curious and ask questions to learn more about why there may be discrepancies between actions and goals and what solutions may be helpful. All of this is done from a place of caring and is a way that best matches the personality of the person.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

One of my all-time favorite books that has had the most impact on my life is, Atomic Habits by James Clear. I am constantly working on continuing education and find books that can help me to better support people in their goals and for me Atomic Habits was a game changer. It helped to simplify things and reframe ideas in a way that I needed. Clear really focuses on your process goals instead of thinking about your outcome goal. For example, instead of focusing on running a marathon or getting 10 new members, think about the daily actions you will need to take to get there and your beliefs that can help you get or prevent you from getting to your goals. This really helps you to take ownership on your goals. You have control over whether or not you follow your workout program or reach out to 10 potential new members every day, but you don’t have full control over how you perform on race day or if a person decides to become a member. This also helps you to celebrate your accomplishments more frequently. Instead of only celebrating (it can be as small as thinking “Nice work!”) when you run a marathon or get 10 new members, you can celebrate your consistency of running and reaching out to potential members every day. This strategy has helped so much in my athletic and business goals.

Here are some of my favorite quotes from this book:
“Every action you take is a vote for the person you wish to become.”
“You should be far more concerned with your current trajectory than with your current results.”
“Be the designer of your world, not merely the consumer of it.”
“Success is the product of daily habits, not one-in-a-lifetime transformations.”

Contact Info:

• Website: www.forwardfitnessstl.com
• Instagram: coach_suzanne_klaus

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