Today we’d like to introduce you to Sarah Ryan.
Hi Sarah, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers.
I started really taking personal training and fitness as a career seriously in 2020, right after the peak of COVD hit. Up until this point, I was a pre-med student working towards medical school. My passion was not in medical school by any means; I was always good at academics and sciences so I felt a pressure on myself to accomplish big, extraordinary academic feats. This was by no means a good reason to pursue a lifelong career, though. When COVID hit, it felt like the world paused and I was given what seemed like the rare opportunity to slow down, take a step back, and really reflect on where I wanted my life to head. I knew I was lying to myself about medical school and I was too scared to admit that wasn’t the path I wanted to pursue. When the world turned upside during this time, it hit me that tomorrow is never promised and I want to live my life unapologetically pursuing my passions. I took the giant risk of backing out of the pre-med path, even amidst judgment and a lack of understanding from the people around me, and decided to bet on myself with pursuing fitness as a career. It was a scary, challenging decision to make but when I finally did, it felt like a breath of fresh air.
Within 2 months of making this decision, I started posting fitness content to try to grow a platform, launched an online coaching business and became a personal trainer at a local commercial gym as I finished out my final semester of school at the University of Oklahoma, where I was pursuing a bachelors in Health and Exercise Science. Every class that had some relevance to the health and fitness world, from Anatomy and Physiology to Exercise Science, to Sports Nutrition all lit me up and made me so excited to learn. This fire I felt in these classes confirmed for me I was on the right path. Fast forward to graduation in December of 2020, I wasted no time and as soon as I moved back to Dallas, I drove out downtown, walked in the doors of SanderFit Performance Center, walked straight up to the owner, stuck my hand out, and confidently proclaimed who I was and that I wanted to be a trainer at his gym. The owner later told me that my confidence I carried was so pleasantly surprising there was no way he could say no. This was a big lesson and testament for me when it comes to advocating for yourself. Keep in mind; I had sent multiple emails and texts to the owner prior to this and got pretty much no response out of it. As nervous as I was, I decided he was going to have to say no to my face. It ended up working out though! I have been training in person out of SandersFit for the past 2 years now and have been afforded incredible opportunities, networking, and overall personal growth here.
While maintaining my in-person training, I continued to stay consistent and passionate about creating fitness content, which has yielded such incredible opportunities for me so far. I got to travel to Chicago in August of 2022 to model for lululemon and starting in September I was recruited to launch as a coach on the fitness platform, Ladder, where I now run a community full of hundreds of members doing my workouts with me and on a path to become stronger. In November of 2022, my socials starting taking off more than ever before. In December alone, my Instagram grew by over 200% (from 20k to over 80K) and now I am sitting over 100K on Instagram. My TikTok account has amassed almost 350K and continues to grow each day. The crazy part is, for about a year and a half prior to this, my socials were barely growing if any. I stayed consistent and maintained my belief in myself and it started finally coming back around. I am still training in-person clients at SandersFit but continue pouring time and energy in growing my online community on Ladder and my presence online. I am very proud of where I have come from and what is to come.
Alright, 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 think I elaborated on this a lot in the prior submission. The journey has definitely been full of struggles; from receiving judgement and a lack of support from friends and family when I started out, to building a clientele from scratch in a new city, to struggling to grow on socials in a way that would elevate my career, struggle has been integral in arriving where I am to this day.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a personal trainer, online fitness coach, and fitness content creator/influencer. I am most proud of the consistency and discipline I have maintained since the start that has allowed me to achieve the growth I have so far, and will continue to do. I believe what sets me apart is the passion and education I bring to every client, every interaction, and every post. I prioritize my IMPACT above all else.
What makes you happy?
A list of things that make me happy, in no particular order: a good workout, a disciplined day, protecting my peace, finding joy in my solitude, my friends and family, my clients and members that I get the blessing of getting to impact, sunshine, a good book. Most importantly, I find happiness in continuing to discover who I am and better learn about myself. The more I do so, the more I am able to find happiness from within and use it to send out love into the world.
Contact Info:
- Website: sarahryanfit.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahryanfit/?hl=en
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@sarahryanfit?lang=en
