Today we’d like to introduce you to Michele Fennema.
Michele, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
HI! I am 26 years old and have been in the fitness industry for almost six years now.
I grew up in a very small town on the border of Texas and Louisiana. I was super active growing up, taking about 30 hours a week of dance and gymnastics at the age of 10. Every weekend competing in a different city – it was so fun! Graduated college with a Bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science and Fitness Management with a minor in Health and Kinesiology. Immediately, I moved to Dallas with no job, no friends, no plan and ended up taking ALL the fitness classes through ClassPass.
I started my first instructing position through Lync Cycling in Snider Plaza while working a part-time job at Lululemon. These two jobs introduced me to all people’s fitness which led me to work for some amazing studios- Session Pilates, Vital Fitness downtown, CycleBar Uptown, and eventually Barry’s Bootcamp.
My (then) Fiance’ received a job offer to move to Los Angeles and it did not take us very long to decide we needed a little change anyways. We never put a timeline on it, we agreed we could be there for a year or 10 years, let’s just do it! I taught for Barry’s Bootcamp in West Hollywood, Venice and helped open the South Bay location as well. We spent 11 months out there before my (now) husband received a (much) better offer to move back to Dallas – so we decided hey, why not? We packed up the pups again and moved back home.
I fell right back in place with Session Pilates and Barry’s Dallas as well as started personal training clients. I now have a client load of about 6 ladies (half of them training for their upcoming weddings!), teach 8 classes at Barry’s and 8 classes at Session and love every minute of it. I have continued to keep up with my education and have received my certification in Women’s Health and fitness with a special focus on pre- and postnatal training. I never like to set a “future” plan because I love the excitement of going where opportunities lead me- whether that is owning my own gym space to train clients or moving to Europe with my husband, I love the unknown!
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I have been very fortunate to have worked for some big names and fitness leaders in this community. My advice, especially for someone coming into the fitness industry, in particular, would be to educate yourself. Decide beforehand if this is going to be a hobby or a career so that you can set yourself apart.
In general, the hardest part for me (regardless of industry) has been figuring out if my personal values align with a company’s values. It does not mean that you are right and they are wrong, but if you can find a place that you feel valued and appreciated it makes all the hard work worth it. On top of that, know your worth and stand up for yourself because no one else will. Be aggressive with what you want in a respectful way!
What do you do, what do you specialize in, what are you known for, etc. What are you most proud of? What sets you apart from others?
I specialize in group fitness training but have really worked hard to boost my personal brand through personal training. Since receiving my certification as a Women’s Health and Fitness Specialist, I have helped 4 women train for their upcoming/past weddings. They see me 2-3x a week for a period of 4 months or more.
I never encourage dropping a massive amount of weight for your wedding. This time beforehand should be spent becoming the healthiest/strongest you so that you can be extremely confident on the big day. I have taken the time to educate myself on the female body and I love to do exercises with clients that feel good for myself but it is always completely tailored to their bodies and needs/wants.
For me, it isn’t about how skinny or toned I can get you in a short amount of time – that isn’t a true trainer. I help you correct form and techniques that a lot of us acquire from so much group fitness class (guilty!) and then mix a very well thought out program full of strength and resistance training, bodywork weight, light cardio and stretching.
For good reason, society often focuses more on the problems rather than the opportunities that exist, because the problems need to be solved. However, we’d probably also benefit from looking for and recognizing the opportunities that women are better positioned to capitalize on. Have you discovered such opportunities?
YES! I am all for women supporting women — much why I choose to only personal train women. 🙂
I feel that even though there are still challenges we face, we have been much louder lately and are actually being heard. Lately, the amount of “lady bosses” we have seems to be increasing drastically! I think women today are in a perfect position to own their own brands, businesses and get out of working under or for someone else. If you have a passion or talent, be aggressive in getting your name out there!
Contact Info:
- Phone: 409-673-0181
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @michelefennema
Image Credit:
Kirsten Chilstrom
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