We were lucky to catch up with Vanessa Robertson recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Vanessa, thanks for joining us today. What do you think it takes to be successful?

Success is a mindset, and you can’t have success without several failures along the way — if you aren’t failing, then you probably aren’t succeeding either. Basically, success means “progress” and being able to do better now than you were able to do previously. The only way to accomplish anything or move forward is by practicing a growth mindset instead of a fixed mindset. A fixed mindset places limits on a person’s ability to accomplish great things — you can’t have success because of your age, your abilities, your genetics, or something else. If you believe these “lies” you tell yourself, success will rarely or never happen. On the other hand, a growth mindset means that you believe you can eventually reach success by educating yourself, excepting constructive feedback, learning from others, working hard, and using failures to propel you forward.

When trying to reach success in health and fitness, it means that we are constantly learning and improving in small increments. Regardless of what goals one is trying to reach, the journey is never linear. If you want to have a success mindset, you MUST keep moving forward, accept failures as a part of growth, and make adjustments.

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 have an absolute passion for helping others lead healthier lives. I view my business as fulfilling a God given purpose to help and educate others on the importance of maintaining great overall health. F45 is functional training in a 45 minute session. We provide one on one, individualized training within a group atmosphere to a diverse group of members with varying fitness levels. Our trainers get to know our members, their goals and their limitations. I am now a PN Level 1 & 2 Certified Health & Nutrition Coach and can provide additional guidance to our members. Health & Fitness encompasses so much more than just a good workout — it includes sleep, stress, nutrition and more. I also offer one-on-one deep health coaching sessions to members and non-members.

Have you ever had to pivot?

Because of arthritis, I’ve had two knee surgeries this year. I had an arthroscopy with a lateral release on the right knee on July 1. On October 14, I had the same surgery performed on my left knee. I will need total knee replacements at some point, but these surgeries may help me keep my own joints for a few more years. Even these surgeries have been challenging and will probably take a good year to heal completely from them. At F45, we inform our members that we can provide options for any injuries or limitations. Now, I’m the one who has had to go from jumping over boxes, high box step-ups, deep squats, and plyometric movements to basic moves and modifications that will still allow me to work out. Instead of having a fixed mindset about things and deciding I can’t possibly work out right now, I have to choose a growth mindset and realize that this is only a temporary “setback”. The payoff may not even be seen until a year from now. As a trainer and a gym owner, it’s good to occasionally experience setbacks so that we can authentically relate to some of the challenges our clients face every day.

What else should we know about how you took your side hustle and scaled it up into what it is today?

When I was growing up, my least favorite class was physical education. However, as I entered my twenties, I started to enjoy step aerobics and other cardio classes. It wasn’t until much later that I also learned the value of strength training. I battled a little bit of depression and anxiety as our family of five frequently moved from state to state. It became more challenging for me to make close friends and I had no family nearby, so exercise became a stress reliever for me. After our family moved to Bartlett in 2008, I became hooked on Zumba. I started teaching Zumba and fell in love with teaching group fitness classes. Zumba was my “side hustle” to being a stay at home mom. I then went on to get my Group Fitness Certification in 2010 and my Personal Training Certification in 2012. In addition to Zumba, I taught chair yoga to Seniors, Insanity, HIIT, Pilates and cycling. In addition, I would travel to clients’ homes to provide personal training. After our family relocated to Texas in 2016, I was a trainer and then head trainer of an Orangetheory Fitness. This provided a huge learning opportunity, not only with training, but with developing leadership qualities. When our family moved back to the Lakeland area in 2017, I became curious about F45 Training and looked into becoming a franchisee. I instantly knew that F45 Training was in alignment with my own methods of training others.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://f45training.com/wolfchase
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/f45_training_wolfchase
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/f45wolfchase
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vanessarobertson/

Image Credits
Vanessa Robertson