Today we’d like to introduce you to Monique Battiste.
Monique, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Back in 2011, fresh out of college, I jumped into personal training. I was training for my first Figure competition and it was rigorous. I started in the corporate world (i.e. 24 Hour Fitness and Club One) back in my hometown of Oakland, CA. At the time, I was coaching Girls Track and Field at my Alma Mater Oakland Technical High School as well as training everyone from the general population to professional athletes. Fitness has always been my passion though some of my training is a bit unorthodox it works. Over the years, I’ve continued to train people across the country, be it virtual or in person, I have yet to lose my passion for fitness.
I took a break for a few years since becoming a mom to focus on finishing my Master’s degrees and getting a hang of being a single parent. Now, I have regained focus and have a lot of goals to accomplish before the end of the year. I am writing a self-help fitness book, an at-home workout book, and a few other things as well.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
This journey has been rough. After obtaining my Bachelors of Science in Kinesiology from California State University, Fullerton, I just knew that I was going to take the fitness world by storm. I started doing fitness competitions and started to realize that I would never fit the mold of what the judges wanted. I had been running track since I was seven so my legs were always more muscular and never slimmed down.
The reason it has been rough is that in today’s society as a female trainer we have to compete with the social media fitness trainers or Insta-Models (which is what I call them). We try to fit the mold of what we think others want to see vs creating our own lane for our own business. My goal when I first started training was to become a strength and conditioning coach for an NFL Team. To be honest, I didn’t care which one but the struggle came down to one thing: I’m a woman. It’s frowned upon to see a woman in a male professional sport. Though times are changing, we have to prove ourselves more than our male counterparts would have to.
To any woman starting on the journey to becoming a trainer or a strength coach. Train yourself how you would train your clients. You are a walking advertisement so always put your best foot forward. Never take no for an answer and show up and show out. STUDY! STUDY! STUDY! Learn as much as you can about the human body and how it works even if it means taking an Anatomy and Physiology course at a local community college. Understand the principles and stick to your beliefs. Never allow someone to feed you information that sounds scripted. If it sounds scripted, then take the necessary precautions.
What do you do? What do you specialize in?
I specialize in weight loss, muscle gain, and sports performance (Track and Field, Football, Soccer, and Rugby) for all ages.
I am most proud that I’ve been able to help so many people reach their fitness goals. But the one that stands out to me the most was that I was able to get one of my athletes to a 4.38 -40 from a mid 4.4 within three weeks (trained him virtually) and he was a UDFA and signed with the Green Bay Packers.
What sets me apart is I’m completely honest with every client. I help them create realistic goals and set realistic expectations not only for me but for themselves. I never make any of my clients go on a crazy diet. Every client I have still eat what they want, I just show them how to make healthier choices. I go grocery shopping with my clients and I will also help them prep their meals for the week. Their goals become my goals and I will hold you 100% accountable every step of the way.
Were there people and/or experiences you had in your childhood that you feel laid the foundation for your success?
I was raised in a single parent home and watching my mom raise two girls showed me what it meant to sacrifice to have the things that I wanted. My mom calls me “Your way or no way!” It’s not that I’m stubborn but I know what I want for my life and I won’t stop until I get it. There may have been many detours along the way but I’ve never lost sight of what I wanted to do.
I felt that participating in track taught me how to hold myself accountable for my actions. As a sprinter, I couldn’t blame anyone else if I lost my race. My efforts solely depended on me. Track was my outlet for frustrations and fun. It allowed me to gain clarity on things that I was unsure about. To this day, I keep a pair of track spikes in the trunk of my car for those days where I really need to clear my head and leave it on the track.
I will never forget in college while I was attending Solano Community College I was taking 19 units, had two jobs and an athletic training internship. My days started at 5 am to get on the bus to get to job #1 and after that, I went to class, after classes were done, I would go to my internship and then end my day at job #2. I worked 63 days straight and despite being tired, I had said you set this goal so you have to finish.
I’m from Oakland, CA born and raised and I was always taught that no matter what happens you keep pushing. If you don’t have a job, you take the skills that you have and you create a job. Here I am, almost ten years later, still doing what I love.
There have been some struggles but the struggles are all apart of the test. I’m writing my life in pen so unfortunately, I can’t erase my mistakes. What I can do is learn from them and share my knowledge with others.
Pricing:
- One On One Sessions- Start at $50/Hr
- Buddy Sessions – Start at $25/Hr Per Person
- Small Group Training (3:1)- Start at $20/Hr Per Person
- Virtual Training: $125 (8- 1-Hr Sessions)
- Custom Training Programs: Start at $125
Contact Info:
- Phone: 972-349-0926
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/iammo5ive
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/mobodied
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/monique510
Image Credit:
Soul II Soul Media
Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
