We recently connected with Tatum Abadir and have shared our conversation below.

Tatum, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. How’s you first get into your field – what was your first job in this field?

My journey to becoming a Personal Trainer started long before I ever thought about fitness as a career. Initially, I was a special education teacher, a role that required an incredible amount of patience, dedication, and emotional investment. I loved working with my students, but it was intense. The days were long, the emotional load was heavy, and over time, I started to feel the cracks. Burnout crept in slowly, but before I knew it, I was completely drained, both physically and mentally.
At that point, I needed a change, so I shifted into technology sales. On paper, it seemed like the perfect move—stable income, less emotional strain, a new challenge—but it didn’t take long for me to realize that something was missing. Sales wasn’t fulfilling to me. It felt like I was constantly chasing quotas, focused on numbers rather than people, and I wasn’t making the kind of difference I truly wanted to.

In the back of my mind, I’d always been passionate about health and wellness, especially after my own experiences with stress and burnout. I spent a lot of time working out and researching how stress affects the body, particularly for women. It became clear that I wasn’t the only one dealing with these issues. Women all around me—whether they were teachers, executives, or stay-at-home moms—were going through similar struggles, dealing with the toll stress takes on the body.
That’s when the idea of becoming a Personal Trainer started to make sense. I didn’t just want to help people get fit; I wanted to help women heal their bodies, particularly those who, like me, had faced burnout and were dealing with the health consequences of stress. I knew firsthand how it felt to carry the weight of it all, and I wanted to create a space where women could feel supported in rebuilding their health.

So, I left tech sales, took the necessary certifications, and focused my new career on helping women recover their strength—both physically and mentally. When I got my first job as a Personal Trainer at Equinox, I was nervous, but also excited. This time, the recruiting process wasn’t about selling products or delivering a perfect pitch. It was about my ability to connect with clients, empathize with their struggles, and design personalized programs to help them heal.

I remember feeling like I had finally found my calling. During the interview, we talked about more than just fitness—we discussed stress management, nutrition, and the importance of mental health in overall wellness. They saw my passion for helping women regain control of their health, and that’s what ultimately led me to land the role.

Looking back, I’m so glad I followed this path. Teaching and tech sales taught me a lot about resilience, communication, and the importance of human connection. But becoming a personal trainer felt like the culmination of everything I’d been through. Now, I work with women who, like me, have experienced the toll of stress and burnout, helping them heal their bodies and regain their vitality.

It’s been a full-circle moment for me. I went from being burnt out myself to helping others navigate their own journeys back to health, and I couldn’t be more fulfilled.

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

For those who may not be familiar with my story, I am a certified Personal Trainer and Pilates instructor specializing in 1:1 individualized training for women. My journey into this industry was born out of my own experiences with burnout, both as a former special education teacher and later in tech sales. While both roles were rewarding in their own ways, they also left me physically and emotionally depleted. I’ve always felt drawn to being in a service profession, helping others heal and improve their well-being, which eventually led me to focus on women’s health through fitness.

I work primarily with women who have faced similar challenges—stress, burnout, hormonal imbalances, and the mental toll that comes with these struggles. What sets my approach apart is that I view fitness not through the lens of aesthetic goals, but as a powerful healing modality. Movement is much more than exercise; it’s a way to reconnect with your body, regain strength, and restore balance in life, especially for women who have faced the impacts of chronic stress and hormonal changes.

One of the core aspects of my work is understanding how hormones influence movement, mental health, and overall wellness. Women’s bodies are deeply affected by hormonal shifts, whether it’s due to stress, menstruation, pregnancy, or menopause. These hormonal changes can affect everything from energy levels to how we feel mentally, and they certainly impact how we move. I tailor my training programs with this in mind, creating routines that adapt to these natural cycles, helping my clients work with their bodies, not against them.

My focus is on helping women heal their bodies from the inside out. I create personalized training programs that are restorative, supportive, and designed to reduce stress and enhance overall well-being. Pilates, with its emphasis on core strength, flexibility, and mindful movement, is one of the modalities I incorporate heavily into my work. But more than just the physical benefits, I encourage my clients to use movement as a way to reconnect with themselves and their bodies after experiencing health issues or burnout.

I’m most proud of the transformations I see in my clients—not just the physical ones, but the emotional and mental breakthroughs. Seeing a woman reclaim her strength, both physically and mentally, and witnessing how movement can change her life is what drives me. I strive to offer a space where women can feel empowered, supported, and truly understood.

For anyone interested in working with me, the main thing I want you to know is that I’m not here to push aesthetic goals or quick fixes. My approach is deeply holistic, taking into account your body, your mind, and your life as a whole. I’m here to help women heal, build resilience, and create lasting, sustainable changes that support long-term health and vitality. Movement is a powerful tool for healing, and my mission is to guide women through that process in a way that feels nurturing and empowering.

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

The most effective strategy for growing my clientele has been building genuine, human-to-human connections. As a woman who has personally experienced burnout, I can deeply relate to the challenges many of my clients face, especially when it comes to stress, hormonal imbalances, and the toll these take on both mental and physical health. This shared experience creates an authentic bond that allows my clients to feel understood and supported from the very beginning.

One key aspect of my approach is being clear and honest about the time it takes to see real results. I provide a step-by-step action plan that outlines not just what my clients can expect in terms of movement and exercises, but also how long it might take to start feeling those changes in their bodies and minds. I emphasize that fitness and health aren’t quick fixes—they’re about consistency over a lifetime. This transparency helps to set realistic expectations and builds trust, as I’m not promising overnight transformations. Instead, I guide them to understand that sustainable results come from steady, consistent effort.

Visuals are also a big part of how I communicate with my clients. I show them exactly what their program will look like, whether it’s through workout breakdowns or illustrations of how we’ll progress over time. This helps take the mystery out of the process and makes everything feel more attainable. By mapping out the journey clearly, my clients can see how each step fits into their long-term health goals.

But the real foundation of my success lies in the connection we build over shared experiences. I’ve walked in their shoes—I’ve been burned out, I’ve struggled with the mental and physical effects of stress, and I’ve come out on the other side. Being able to connect over these common experiences helps create a space of empathy and understanding, which naturally leads to referrals and word-of-mouth growth.

Ultimately, my focus is on creating lasting change, not just short-term results. I remind my clients that consistency is key—not just for the duration of the program, but for the rest of their lives. It’s this long-term mindset, paired with honest communication and a shared sense of connection, that has helped me grow my clientele in a meaningful and sustainable way.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

One of the biggest lessons I had to unlearn was the belief that financial stability could only come from following the traditional 9-5 career path. For a long time, I thought that in order to be financially secure, I needed to follow the status quo—find a job with a steady paycheck, climb the corporate ladder, and conform to what society deems “successful.”

This mindset stuck with me through my years as a teacher and later when I transitioned into technology sales. On the surface, these jobs provided stability, but they left me feeling unfulfilled and disconnected from my true passion. I didn’t realize then that my dissatisfaction stemmed from pursuing a career that didn’t align with my values and desires.

The turning point came when I hit burnout. I had spent years chasing the conventional path, and while I had a “stable” job, I was emotionally and physically drained. It made me reevaluate everything I thought I knew about success and what it meant to live a fulfilling life. I realized that I wasn’t thriving; I was simply surviving, and I knew there had to be more.

That’s when I decided to follow my passion for health and wellness. I became a certified Personal Trainer and Pilates Instructor, fully committing to a career that felt more aligned with my purpose. It was a risk because I was stepping away from the structure of a traditional 9-5, but I knew deep down that this was what I was meant to do.

What I discovered is that you can absolutely make money doing what you love. When you follow your passion, especially when it involves helping others, there’s a positive transference of energy and value. You’re not just earning money—you’re exchanging energy with your clients in a way that feels meaningful and fulfilling. I now believe that when you’re passionate about what you do, the financial aspect follows naturally because people can feel that authenticity and dedication.

I had to unlearn the notion that passion and financial success were mutually exclusive. You don’t have to sacrifice one for the other. In fact, combining them has led to not only a career that supports me financially but one that feels deeply aligned with who I am. My work in helping women heal their bodies, especially those dealing with the toll of stress and burnout, has become both my livelihood and my purpose.

I want others to know that you don’t have to settle for the traditional route if it doesn’t serve you. There are endless possibilities for creating a stable, fulfilling career on your own terms. You can make money and thrive by doing what you love, and in my experience, that’s the most sustainable and rewarding way to live.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: trainwithtatum
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tatum-channing-abadir/
• Other: TikTok: trainwithtatum

Image Credits

N/A