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

Hi Tania, thanks for joining us today. Can you share a customer success story with us?

One of my favorite client success stories is of my client Shannon. Shannon approached me about training her in May of 2020. She had been a member at my previous gym and was looking to get tighter and overall healthier. When we first started working together, I realized she wasn’t eating enough during one of our sessions. It was around 3:00 pm when we would train. She mentioned she was getting dizzy and needing a break. I asked her, “What did you eat today?” She cheerily said, “A Green Smoothie.” I said that’s it! She was like it was a green smoothie with a lot of stuff. I said you are going to have to eat more if you want to see the results we are working towards. Overall, I promise it will help!

And it did! I learned through our time together she had really not enjoyed her time doing the things I met her doing. The workout I used to do was a lot of cardio, and she hated cardio. What she did love was lifting and hiking with her pups. Then she just stayed with it. For two years we trained twice a week every week unless she had a yachting assignment. She now is in the best shape. More importantly, we got her eating more. Shannon has really improved her relationship with food aka ditched the diet trend. She looks amazing! Her energy level is through the roof. She enjoys moving her body and nourishing herself with foods she loves. Most importantly, she loves the skin she is in and feels more confident than ever. These are the joys that I get as fitness coach when we find something in fitness a person loves, we make it stick and it changes their life.

I use we a lot because my clients and I are a team. Together we make things happen.

Tania, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I decided to purse my career in fitness after the loss of my mother. I had been in the Corporate and Non Profit sectors much of my career up until about 4 years ago. In 2016, I lost my mother, my best friend, to breast cancer. Her death really made me question what I was doing with my life. It forced me to wake up. I started asking questions like; What is my true purpose? Am I leaving a lasting legacy to help the world be a better place? There had been so many times prior to that moment that I had been too afraid to really make the jump. Then I realized I was allowing life to pass not doing what really made my soul light on fire.

Then after 2 years of much planning, I decided to take the leap. I resigned from my Human Resource position and pursued fitness. I became a NASM Personal Trainer and began my coaching carer at Orangetheory Fitness and fell in love with coaching. Like many of us who experienced the need to pivot in 2020, I ended up getting certified with Precision Nutrition Certification and launched Transform with Tania.

My concept behind Transform with Tania really stemmed from my love of Superhero movies and the want to help people find the superhero inside themselves. Often times, people already have the thing they are seeking, it is already within, what they may be lacking is the belief that they can do whatever and accomplish whatever they desire. .With any Marvel movie or character there is that one catalyst that unleashes these super powers within each main character that allows them to fully reach their potential. My idea is that Transform with Tania be that catalyst to helping you actualize your greatest potential through how we move, what we nourish our bodies with and how mindful we are. Every person has that unique ability to be whatever they want to be and my goal is to help people get there.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

When I first jumped into fitness, I realized quickly social media would be the best way to market who I was, what services I offered, and how I could add value without spending money while reaching more potential clients. I really focused on building my audience organically through showing my audience who I am authentically, that I am not a fitness person in the pursuit of perfection but the pursuit of progress. My goal was always to make fitness and healthy eating as attainable for all levels as possible.

With this in mind, I created content that highlighted all the ways you can move at any level and that healthy body was within your reach. Whether it was funny analogies or serious workouts, I showed the spectrum of who I am while hoping to motivate people to be better versions of themselves. My goal with the creation of my content was to tap into all walks of life that really wanted to change from the inside out through soulful movement, balanced nutrition and mindset.

For those starting out, I would start with how do you want to impact people. What is your goal in the messaging you’re creating? With that in mind, start creating with you being YOURSELF. If you are yourself, you will find your tribe because who you are resonates with them. Authenticity on social media is so needed so be YOU. Then post it! Don’t overanalyze, or overthink so much that it sits in your drafts. Once you feel good about what you have created put it out there. Then I would say don’t worry about being perfect.. You will only get better, like with most things, by being consistent and practicing your craft. Then create a schedule of what works for you. Post as frequently as you feel will help you build what you want to build. It doesn’t have to be daily. It just has to be regularly.

P.S. You got this! The world needs light. Shine on!

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

I have always prided myself on being a professional in any industry I am in. When I think of being a professional it means taking my craft seriously, being on time, being impeccable with my word, listening to management, teammates and clients, being a consummate learner, being prepared, having a strong work ethic, and never burning bridges.

When I came into fitness I used these same principles to ensure that people felt like they could count on me, trust me with their fitness or their gyms. I understood I was someone that they had never heard of before. I made sure I was on time for classes, well prepared on how I would coach a template and built rapport with my members by touching base with their stories so they could see I was trustworthy in helping them with their health. While I entered into the fitness game later in life, I didn’t change the same principles that helped me across my multi industry career. There were transferrable skills that help you in any arena. Being all of the above, opens so many doors for me and I am thankful that I keep these tenets going. I believe in the value of hard work, being consistent, and showing up because not only has it worked in my industry transcends all facets of life.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://transformwithtania.arketa.fit
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/transform_wtania/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TransformwTania
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tania-rivera-3799b63/

Image Credits
Snap Back Films, Caitie Elliot