Today we’d like to introduce you to Gianna Agudelo, Mph
Hi Gianna, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I started my fitness professional journey 10 years ago during undergrad when I was disappointed with the quality of a Zumba class I attended at my school. After taking the class I knew I was able to deliver a more enjoyable experience and so I first got certified to teach Zumba. I’m Colombian and since Zumba was created by Colombians, I felt like it was only right to do! I really enjoy bringing the energy and good vibes when teaching, it’s truly one of my passions. As time went on, I was able to teach more group exercise formats such as strength training, bootcamp, kickboxing, cycling, and rowing. In 2024, I completed my 200hr Yoga Teacher Training and my 500hr Comprehensive Pilates certification. Pilates is my favorite exercise format to teach and participate in, it’s the best. I really benefit having all the variety of formats in my repertoire as I feel like it makes me a more well-rounded instructor. Teaching classes first started out as just a hobby and I never thought it would evolve into what it is today, becoming part of my career.
After graduating with my B.S in Health Promotion in 2017, I worked with seniors at various senior living communities as their fitness professional: teaching classes, personal training, and conducting health presentations. This wonderful experience really helped me learn more about the body, and more importantly how to take care of ourselves as we age, in all aspects. My focus is overall health & wellness in a person with the 8 dimensions of wellness: social, occupational, emotional, physical, intellectual, environmental, financial, and spiritual health; they’re all mutually exclusive and if one is neglected then it adversely neglects affects your quality of life.
In 2019, I continued my education at The University of Texas Health Science Center with a Public Health Graduate Certificate unsure of whether to do my masters, but when COVID-19 hit I transferred into the MPH program for Health Promotion & Health Education. Because of COVID-19, public health had to adapt extremely quickly and I started working for the CDC as a Lead Public Health Advisor/Analyst in the DFW Quarantine Station.
In December 2023, I graduated with my MPH in Health Promotion & Health Education with a certificate in Public Health Nutrition. I was always eager to work for Dallas County Health and Human Services as a Health Educator and I started working there in February for the Chronic Disease Prevention Division. After work and on the weekends I teach Pilates and sculpt classes at Align Studio Dallas & Oak Cliff Pilates.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I originally went to school wanting to be a news anchor, but that quickly changed mid-semester freshman year. Finding health promotion and fitness was natural for me, but what wasn’t easy was finding the people who could help guide me to where I wanted to be. I was in a unique position where I was interested in both public health and fitness, but I never was able to find someone, like a mentor, who was involved in both. I had to do a lot of research on my own to find what I wanted first and then create what I wanted for my future.
Through the years I’ve also had to navigate imposter syndrome where I felt like I wasn’t competent enough to do what I do and/or doubtful of my abilities. I know this is common with a lot of people but I’ve had to do a lot of work to undo that kind of thinking, even today.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
As a Health Educator I work to bring chronic disease prevention education, programs, and collaborations to Dallas County residents, organizations, and employees. We work hard to bridge the gap between health disparities and inequalities with education to populations who need it most. In collaboration with Parkland hospital, Dallas County conducts a Community Health Needs Assessment every 3 years to address the residents’ health needs and are able to learn how to better strengthen the public’s health. We teach free education programming such as healthy cooking classes for people with diabetes & hypertension and also a diabetes prevention program to the community.
As a Pilates/sculpt instructor, I strive to create effective and enjoyable workouts designed to keep bodies strong and functional. I strongly believe in making bodies strong for everyday activity and not doing what just looks cool or fancy. My favorite fitness quote is from Joseph Pilates who said, “Change happens through movement and movement heals.”
Being a Latina and working within the Hispanic community is what keeps me going. I’m most proud of being able to be in both of these spaces, which are generally very underrepresented by Latinas, and can help be an example for others that you can really do whatever you want; there are no limits to what is possible for us.
People are my passion and being able to work with them to help them improve their health and wellbeing is truly a dream. I aim to be able to provide a safe, welcoming space for people to learn healthy, lifelong habits.
In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
Public health and fitness are both always evolving that so much can happen in the next 5-10 years.
Within the fitness industry, studios continue to keep popping up with all sorts of hybrid exercise formats and aesthetic spaces. Pilates is in its peak era right now even though it’s been around for many years, and Lagree has also started to gain popularity and while people tend to think that it is Pilates, it is not.
Fitness has unfortunately become increasingly expensive and is now being considered a “luxury” for people in the world. It’s frustrating to see that with the decline in health within the states that only some can afford quality fitness instruction and spaces. I look forward to the day of having everyone be able to experience affordable fitness formats such as Pilates.
Within public health, chronic disease prevention is becoming increasingly more important. People continue to get sick, earlier now more than ever, and are getting sick with chronic diseases that are preventable such as hypertension and obesity. There is a lack of education and resources to be and stay healthy. COVID-19 really put a spotlight onto public health, and while health professionals have been around for hundreds of years protecting people’s health, now more than ever we must prioritize ourselves.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @dimensionsofwellness
