We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Tiffany Forte’ a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Tiffany, 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?
It was August 2022, in the heart of the COVID-19 Pandemic and I decided to quit my full-time job of fitness coaching with a popular fitness chain (that gets no energy here and will remain unnamed LOL!) and focus more on building my fitness brand and working on my growing my Personal Training business…that was a significant risk because I still had bills and there was so much uncertainty in the fitness space at the time. But God was telling me to move forward. So I did. The business grew in the areas of clientele and revenue and fast forward two years later, and I am now about to open up my first gym in Washington, D.C.! Talk about risk…always do it scared!
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?
Hey ya’ll! I’m Tiffany Forte’, a Women’s Fitness Specialist and owner of Fit and Female Fitness Program, Fit and Female Active, Co-Founder of Sweat the City- a Women’s Centric Fitness Coimmunity, Best Selling Author of Your Life is Worth It, and an On Running Global Ambassador. I specialize in helping BIPOC women reach their fitness goals in weight loss, strength gaining, postnatal strength training, and running. I am passionate about encouraging conversations around mental health related to fitness, diversity in the fitness space and continuing to encourage black women and women of color to live healthier lifestyles.
Since falling in love with fitness in 2012 and battling my issues with food, weight, and mental health, I turned my passion for fitness into a thriving career in entrepreneurship. It was then amplified after moving to the DC area in 2017 where I made several connections in the running and fitness spaces. Those connections lead to life-long friendships and business relationships that have led me to create this platform of services.
I love building community and inspiring others set fitness goals and make health a priority. Fit and Female is on a mission to encourage BIPOC women, and any woman who feels like she doesn’t fit the stereotypical norms of what “being fit” is, regardless of fitness level or modality, to BELIEVE she can win in life and in fitness. Conquering all things with ZERO limitations! I am proud that women can see themselves in my brand because representation TRULY matters. There is a lack of understanding between the role of culture and social conditions among Black and Brown Communities. Seeing ourselves represented in our brand eliminates the notion that we do not care about our health and that self-care is just for our counterparts. This limiting belief has caused negative results when it comes to our health and the health of our communities.
Black and Brown people are disproportionately dying in the U.S from preventable health-related diseases that put us at risk. We see this playing out amid Covid-19 where our communities account for nearly 60% of deaths. Simultaneously, our communities are grappling with heightened traumas that stem from the deep roots of systemic oppression of the Black and Brown communities. These traumas, over time, have been shown to compromise the immune system, such as delaying exercise until we are older, eliminating the opportunity to prevent common illnesses. We are in a pivotal time that has magnified the importance and urgency of both a platform and space designed to combat the negative impact that these issues are having on the well-being of Black and Brown people and have done so by providing free fitness classes, organizing free community events, fundraised for youth organizations and provided free fitness and nutrition resources.
Training and knowledge matter of course, but beyond that what do you think matters most in terms of succeeding in your field?
You must learn to value people. People are so important to the growth of your business whether we are talking about your customers, your team members, or people who are the key decision-makers. They all matter. Treat them with respect and always have integrity. It’s okay to be humble and confident at the same time. 100 percent of where I am today is because of how I move. I treat people with respect because you never know who knows who, and one conversation can take your business to the next level.
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
Now that I am a business owner and growing and scaling my business, one lesson that I had to learn (and still learning) was how to get good with money. I had to learn how to properly budget, learn more about credit, learn about investing, and unlearn old terrible spending habits. I heard God say that this year was the year that I needed to do better with my finances. I mean, it makes sense…here I am praying for an increase and more money, but I can’t properly manage the few coins I have now. How can He trust me with millions if I can’t manage thousands? I never had to worry about money growing up and into young adulthood. Money was always available to me, so learning how to budget and manage wasn’t ever something I felt like I needed to know and wasn’t taught to me…boy…If I knew then what I know now! LOL!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.fitandfemale.net
- Instagram: @iamfitandfemale @fitandfemaleactive @wesweatthecity
- Facebook: Tiffany Forte’
- Linkedin: Tiffany Forte’
Image Credits
Terrance Forte’