We were lucky to catch up with Tara Campos recently and have shared our conversation below.

Tara, appreciate you joining 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?

My entire life has involved taking risks. I graduated college to enter the field of journalism. After a few years I developed job dissatisfaction and reinvented myself as a high school English teacher. After moving up the ladder to school administration I was dissatisfied for similar reasons as before. When I informed people in my life that at the age of 40 I was leaving another career – one I invested 15 years in – to work as a personal trainer and a Pilates instructor they thought I was crazy! My brother and husband however knew I am capable and will excel at anything I put my mind to. I have tremendous satisfaction because I set my hours and feel I am making an important difference in people’s lives! I find this work to be incredibly rewarding. As Joseph Pilates once said, “Physical fitness is the first requisite of happiness.”

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

I struggled with being physically fit my whole life. I always played sports in high school to stay active but was never what you would call athletic. I belonged to a gym through my 20s but felt like a hamster on a wheel doing exercises – mostly on an Elliptical machine – that did nothing to help me get strong or change my appearance. One day I was approached by a group fitness instructor. She had no one in her Spinning class that day and if no one came she didn’t get paid. She asked if I wanted to try her class – something I had never done before! I thought the class went by fast – the music was good and it was great to receive instruction from her about my workout. As a teacher I was instructing students Monday through Friday so I was happy to be a student! I began taking classes three times a week until one day my favorite instructor quit. Heartbroken, I decided I wanted to become a Spinning teacher. This led me to become exposed to other formats such as Zumba and for a few years I taught that part-time as my 5-9 job. Fast forward a few years later I began to appreciate the value placed on proper form in Pilates and developed a deeper knowledge of anatomy and physiology. One of the best decisions I ever made was in 2017 when I started working with a personal trainer and learned the movements that were appropriate for my body and my goals. I reshaped my entire body and diet and my lifestyle! So when I was unhappy in my full-time education job where I worked 50 hours or more each week I realized I didn’t want to wait until I was retired to really enjoy life. I wanted to find work where I could find job satisfaction and achieve a balance of physical, mental, and emotional well-being. I realized that I didn’t need to earn the high salary I had grown accustomed to. I’ve been happier ever since!

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

So after reinventing my career at 40 as a personal trainer and a classical Pilates instructor (I completed a 600+ comprehensive training program in 2019) the pandemic happened. In March 2020 on a Monday afternoon I received a series of text messages and voicemails from the gyms where I had been working as a trainer and a group fitness instructor informing me they would be closed indefinitely and to apply for unemployment. Fortunately I was working part-time as a university adjunct instructor but it would not be enough income long-term to make ends meet. I was scared!

Of the many locations where I taught Pilates, one was a small independently-owned Yoga studio. That same Monday in March I was scheduled to teach a 5:30 pm group Pilates class. The owner, who I respected highly, asked me if I would consider teaching the class online via Zoom. I had never done anything like that before but I agreed to give it a try. It was one of the best experiences ever. Over time I developed my verbal teaching skills (as a former English teacher and journalist I used a lot of analogies!) and was able to maintain a following of clients. Today in 2023 I continue to teach Pilates classes online. Although the pandemic does not pose the same threat it did in 2020, both the clients and I realized taking classes from home allowed for more work/life balance with not having to drive or park a car to get to a studio. I’ve developed a community within the Zoom platform and the ability to turn a computer on has allowed my clients (some with newborn babies for example, others who moved) to schedule fitness into their week.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

Simply put I care. I take what I do – helping people – very seriously and I like to know my clients. I ask them questions about what is going on in their life. Through Zoom classes I came to know clients better even learning the names of their spouse/kids/pets who would sometimes come on screen! When you know what is going on personally with your client you can better meet them where they are at when it comes to fitness. You can more artfully motivate your client so that eventually it becomes a practice, a discipline, a routine. To that end, I share with my clients what is going on in my life. I am a real person, with real-life challenges and I use that to connect and relate to others leading to important conversations about lifestyle that are free of any judgment. I also try to stay connected to former clients because in this industry, people sometimes return to you at a later time in life. Reaching out to a former client via text, email, or even social media is my way of showing that I care about this person – even if we are no longer working together. I think that is important.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.trainwithtarac.com
• Instagram: @trainwithtarac
• Facebook: @trainwithtarac
• Twitter: @trainwithtarac

Image Credits
Michael Kane Photography