Today we’d like to introduce you to Mia Henry.
Hi Mia, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My name is Mia Henry, but I go by “Coach Mia”. I am a personal trainer and group fitness instructor. I began working in the fitness industry in 2019. My passion for exercise came through the sport of track and field. I competed in track in high school and college. This established the foundation of my confidence in engaging in cardio and strength training. After my final track season, I began training myself as a hobby, but soon took a leap of faith to begin training others. My first two years of personal training were in the commercial gym setting. Through this setting, I began to recognize how devoted I was to make positive changes in people’s fitness journeys. When the pandemic struck in 2020, I was temporarily laid off from work due to gyms closing down. During this time, I decided to dive into entrepreneurship and start my own online fitness company. I named my business “Molded By Mia”. I created Molded By Mia to help others see success in their fitness journeys in the middle of a pandemic with no gym to attend. I created online programs by recording myself performing workouts with dumbbells, resistance bands, and bodyweight exercises. I even hosted zoom classes. I was happy to be a light in the fitness journey during a dark time.
When gyms finally reopened I was juggling working as a full-time trainer at a commercial gym and managing “Molded By Mia”. Over time I began to realize that working for myself allowed me to express my creative ideas and coach people the way I wanted to. Training in the commercial gym setting made me feel like I was in a box. I wasn’t growing professionally or making a significant impact on people’s fitness journeys. This sparked an internal battle. I couldn’t decide between staying at my 9 to 5 or leaving it to start full-time entrepreneurship. I knew that for my business to grow it needed my undivided attention. So in February 2021, I gathered the confidence to leave my job.
The transition from working a 9 to 5 to full-time entrepreneurship is difficult. There is no step-by-step plan that you can find online to see success. You just have to figure it out by learning from your mistakes. My goal was to find a black-owned gym to train at. After a few months of looking, I found a facility to train at. A family friend told me about a black-owned gym named “Dream Performance” in my neighborhood of Meadowbrook (east side of Fort Worth). I took another leap of faith (Whew!) to see if they were looking for personal trainers, and they indeed were. I began training there in May 2021, and this has become my new home. This is the best place for my spirit of entrepreneurship to thrive. Here at Dream Performance, I lead group classes and one on one personal training sessions. Becoming an instructor at Dream Performance has added so much value to my entrepreneurship journey. In this environment, I am constantly challenged to be creative and improve my skills as a coach and business owner.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Entrepreneurship is filled with many ups and downs. The most challenging thing I’ve run into is “trusting the process”. This is definitely an internal conflict of getting in my own way. I am in a season where I am being stretched and pushed out of my comfort zone. Which is tough to do. Anxiety, doubt, and fear are a few things that have come in my journey of entrepreneurship. I have learned over time how to deal with these feelings/emotions in a healthy way.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a group instructor at Dream Performance. I lead HIIT/Cardio classes Tuesdays at 6:30 pm and Fridays at 6 am. I also conduct personal training Mon – Saturday during the day for my fitness brand “Molded By Mia”.
At Dream Performance, our mission is to provide spiritual, emotional, and physical growth in a family-friendly environment. We offer group fitness classes, boxing classes for adults and children, and personal training. We have several amazing instructors who work hard to coach these classes weekly. Here’s a link to meet the dream team https://www.fwdreamperformance.com/instructors
My brand, Molded By Mia is a fitness company that specializes in one-on-one personal training, online personal training, and group fitness classes. I meet my clients where they are. My mission is to help my clients reach the best version of themselves physically, mentally, and spiritually. I empower people to find a balance between exercise, nutrition, mental health, & physical health.
My most popular event is “Bands & Brunch”. I host this event with three other coaches at Dream Performance (Tyla Jackson, Orlene Broadnax, & Ezzi Roberts). This event is a high-energy cardio class with resistance bands. We play hip-hop music, give away prizes, supply vendors, and serve mimosas and food after class. It feels like a party! Our next “Bands & Brunch” is Saturday, February 26th at 11 am. Here’s the registration link https://form.jotform.com/212905236254149
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
I have a podcast! My podcast is called “Unapologetically Melanated”. I host with my best friend Beverly Coleman. Our show is about two black women living for our purpose! We discuss physical health, mental health, current news, lifestyle, beauty, advice, and more! New Episodes dropping weekly. Visit https://miaandbev.com/ to stream!
Contact Info:
- Email: getmoldedbymia@gmail.com
- Website: https://www.moldedbymia.com/
- Instagram: @Moldedbymiaa
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSER8nw_Xjht3WGtrsBoJdg/featured
