How A Young Mom Built A Gym And A Career In Fitness Leadership

Full transcript

Hello, and welcome to another week of the Anthony Amor Show. And boy, I'm really excited to do this episode. So without further ado, let's welcome Amanda. It's a pleasure to have you on today.

Hi.

I've been trying to get you on this show for a year at least. Because I think you bring the whole picture together. And what I mean by the whole picture is you take entrepreneurship from what you were doing in your past, blend it into fitness, and then taking that currently and working your way up with us to be my second in command and run the gym. So it's like a full picture story. And I want to break down from your past for those that don't know it. Obviously, we've gotten to know each other a lot over the last few years. But give us a fill in the hole question. You're in high school, you open up Gymnastics Studio a couple years later. Talk to us about why that came to be and how that journey was.

Yeah, so um I think a big part of it is actually I had my son at 20 years old. So I had to grow up really, really fast. Um, and at the time I did go back to school because that's when everyone says, right? Go back to college, figure out what you want to do. That's the career choice. So actually at the time, I went into um fitness specialist degree. That's what they had at Suffolk at the time, right? It was like basically a pathway to become a gym teacher or something along those lines. I knew I was a gymnast. I like to be in shape, but I had no idea where I wanted to go, go back to school. Um, still was coaching gymnastics at the time. Ended up running the gym that I was at and trying to go to school and be a mom, and it was made no sense. Literally made no sense. I was like, why am I going to school? I was barely seeing my kid because I'm putting him in daycare so I can attend classes and then running a gymnastics gym at night that was making somebody else money. So um ended up deciding to go out on a whim, opened a gym, and it became really successful really quick. And I was like, oh, I don't even need college. What am I doing? So dove into entrepreneurship and owned that gym for 10 years, learned a lot along the way. I had no idea what I was doing at the beginning, made a ton of mistakes, but the gym is still going now and is really successful.

There's a lot in there that I feel like a lot of people are gonna have questions if they get go. So I want to start from the first big tilting point in your life, and that's having a kid at the age of 20. Yeah. Which to a lot of people nowadays, that's on the younger side. One how much of a shock was that to you? Terrifying. Terrifying.

Terrifying. Um, I remember I found out I was pregnant. I was actually not in like, I was in a very new relationship. Um, thank God that worked out. We're still really good friends to this day. But at the time it was terrifying. I called my mom hysterical crying. I was like, I have no idea what the hell I'm gonna do. Um and she, I remember the phone call. She looks, she was on the phone with me and she goes, We're gonna figure it out. And that kind of became like a mantra of mine throughout my whole life. It's like things become really, really hard and it seems terrifying. And you go, okay, you cry about it, and then you go, we're gonna figure it out. And even just entrepreneurship and owning the gym and things like that, there were times where I was in over my head and take a step back and be like, gonna figure it out, and it works eventually. So I figured it out. Um, my mom actually moved away on me three months after I had uh my son and I was on my own.

And you were living on your own?

I was living on my own. I moved out, was paying rent, working. I was nannying during the day. So I found a job. I quit school so that I can nanny during the day. I had my son, so I was making a salary, and then I was coaching gymnastics at night. And my grandmother, his great grandma, would watch him at night while I was coaching gymnastics.

Wow. Yeah. So you were just going.

Just go. That's what I had to do. It was survival mode.

Did you have support from the outside on that?

Um, uh a little bit. I mean, I say like my my son's dad, we're great friends now, but at the beginning, we had both of our families in there because we were very young, and he actually tried to take custody of him. So I went through that too. Um, so that was like two years of hell. That's why I ended up nattying. So what was great was the gymnastics gym that I was full-time working at at night, the owner hired me as a nanny. Gotcha. So that was a huge help. Huge. So did that. Um, and then ended up, I remember even though I was so young and I was nattying, and I was just hit. She was like, You can bring them, you can do whatever you gotta do, and that helped a ton. So did that, coached gymnastics, um, and then ended up meeting Rob, which you you know is my ex-husband. Um, but he at the time was working at another gymnastics gym. I was working at one. We were like, this is stupid. Like, we can run a gym together. Like, why are we doing this? Um, ended up sitting down with his mom. She took a second mortgage out on the house and was like, I believe in you too. That was a big thing, huge. And his mom did that? His mom did that. Looked at both of us and was like, I know you can do this together. We opened the gym with that. How much of that? How much of that? It was only 110,000. Okay, not like a crazy amount when it comes to opening a business. Like, you know, like that's that's what we had. Took a blown out on the equipment, so leased the equipment and had that money as like rent for the first couple months. And I just had this mantra that if we will build it, they will come. And we started before we we started construction, we found families that like knew us coaching both of those gyms. We were coaching and renting out another gym with gymness while our gym was being built.

Were you in the process of building it up? Did you hire people to build the whole thing up for you?

So um, we hired people to build out. So the it was a gym at one point, it was just a warehouse. Um, but we ended up hiring friends, family, anybody we can find that would help us and like save us a little bit of money. Um, thank God I had really good credit. So I got approved for the equipment, um, which was 180,000. Terrifying number. At now I'm young, like I'm 22 years old when we started doing this. Um and yeah, we built it out and we got the equipment, and that's what it's gonna say. Like one of the times that went like really bad is we were building out and we had a storm then. I don't remember what it was. It was a really bad storm, and the roof started leaking, and the brand new equipment was in the gym and the roofs leaking. And I'm looking and I'm like almost crying. And Rob looked at me at the time and he was like, We're gonna figure it out. And I was like, Okay, and we just started moving equipment. The two of us moved an entire gym's worth of equipment from one end of the gym to the other end of the gym while we were like flooding. But yeah, we eventually opened and people came and we became really successful and we just kept building it up. And I made some mistakes on the back end with like not tracking numbers, had no idea how to work QuickBooks, no idea how to pay people at the beginning. Like I remember we took, we ended up getting married, we took our wedding money to pay our staff because we just didn't have a lot of people. Oh, that's stories. We did that. Um, I remember I'd get like Christmas money from like people and I would just throw it in the business because I couldn't, I didn't take a paycheck for forever. Yeah, we paid like our bills through the business, and my accountant was like, she'd look at me and try to figure it out and be like, you can't do some of this. And I'm like, I don't know, figure it out. I didn't know. But I learned, we figured it out.

Here's a good question. I don't know if you ever thought about this. Do you think you could ever would have opened up the gymnastics studio if you didn't have a kid and go went through that and were able to get through it to then doing that? I don't know if I would have it would have pushed me that far. You think you needed the wow, I figured this out now.

I think I needed to figure out a stable, like what was gonna make me something. I mean, yeah, your own studio is not stable. No, it's not, but I think it was more of like to me, relying on myself is more stable than relying on somebody else.

I can agree with that.

So I think, yes, I think being a single mom pushed me to be able to realize I couldn't rely on myself. Which is a good thing or a bad thing to some people, right? Like some people are like, oh, well, you need other people. And but at the end of the day, like you only have yourself, God forbid something happens. So yeah.

What's one of the biggest lessons do you think you learned from that span where we're in the gymnastics studio?

Like owning, like that I can do it. Like I think that you can you can figure it out. Like you can literally get through what you you will, if you decide that you're going to do something, you're gonna do it. Like you have to fully commit to it though, right? Like, I'm gonna open the gym, it opened. Not like, oh yeah, maybe one day I'm gonna do that, or oh, I want to be a gymnastics owner. Like, I think it's different than being like, oh no, I'm gonna do that. And then once you commit to yourself to do that, that's when it happens.

How many times did you want to give up?

Oh, every other day. I mean, there was times where I'd be like, can I just close the doors tomorrow and go work a regular job? Let me go work a nine to five. So why didn't you? I would hate my life if I did that. Even to this day, like, I don't think I could ever work a nine to five. Like, I don't think I I I think I would be miserable. Miserable.

I can't get over that we both had the same exact span just years later. Yeah. But then we're together now.

We just it was like the universe.

So let's let's transition a little with that because I think that's still it's still wild the parallels of our lives we live just different.

Yeah, just different, yeah.

Like I didn't know you used your wedding money to pay hit payroll.

Let's oh yeah, you know, I had to, yeah. No, I yeah. I even remember one time, like I called and I was like, I called my bank, and I'm like, hey, I have payroll coming back out of there, and there's no money in there. What do I do? And they were like, Well, you know, like you have like a delay, it'll won't, it'll hit here, and if you could get the money in by here, and like those stressful, stressful, or pull the business line of credit, right? Like, hated to do it, but I have to say, like, we paid Rob's mom back in less than five years, and we paid that equipment lease back five years.

That's amazing.

Yeah, that was huge. That was a big weight off my shoulders to not have to pay her any more money.

And then you left the Genesic Studio. I don't know if you want to give insight to that stuff.

It's not, I mean, uh I left me and Rob didn't work out, nothing crazy like that. He ended up buying me out. I decided to step away from the gym.

And then you're home, you have two kids at this point.

Yeah.

And I know in the midterm, you're doing bodybuilding and you're getting the body.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Why do you what made you reach out to me? Because just for funny sakes, it was Christmas Eve.

It was Christmas Eve. No, it's fine. Yeah, definitely Christmas Eve. Yeah. So I was got into the bodybuilding. Um, I started personal training. I started getting a little into personal training. I stepped away from the gym. Um, I didn't need a job, but at the time I was going crazy. Like I couldn't be home that much, right? I was getting paid out from the gymnastics gym because I did get bought out. So technically, did I need a job? No. But I needed a job that I knew I wanted to do and would give me the hours to be home with my kids at night. Right. Like, so yeah, I think you put the so you put posts that you were looking for trainers or like I was scrolling, or and I was like, oh, there's a gym literally five minutes away from me. And at the time I was personal training at another gym that was like very, very small business or very just like, I wouldn't even call it. It was just more of like, hey, go in and train when you want. But it wasn't like, like, there was no business to it. It was just almost like it would have been compared to like me training people out of my house, but I had a space to do it.

Makes sense.

So, um, but there was no like, I didn't know when I was gonna get paid. And at the time, like when you're training on your own, I like you know, like people will come in to train with you and they'll be like, oh, can I just Venmo you next time? Or like they'll be like, Do you really want to charge me that amount of money? And that's where I was like, at that point in time, I needed something that was gonna give me a paycheck, but I didn't have to go and find my clients, and I didn't have to go and try to collect money from them. Like, I at least that was happening and I was gonna get a paycheck. So yeah, I what I think I DM'd you on Christmas Eve and I was like, hey, are you looking for trainers? And you were like, sure. Like, let's talk. I think it was January 1st or maybe the week in between.

I just will never forget, I was getting yelled at by my wife because I'm at her mom's house and she's like, get off your phone. I was like, I have a trainer, she seems really good. I need to take this.

Yeah, yeah. And I think I can at the time, like I was like, I can get into this. Yeah, I'm definitely related to people like that were just getting into the gym.

So and I think that relates at that same time you're doing a lot of bodybuilding, and I know it was fitness you were doing that particular competition. I don't even think people know what that is. So brief explanation of that.

So I'm an IFB pro. Um IFBB pro fitness division. So there's bikini, there's all different types of divisions that you can do. Um, fitness is a very small division. We can do a well, we do a fitness routine, right? So that's two-thirds of our score. Um, and then we do a posing routine. So posing is like that traditional, you'll turn on a bodybuilding show. Women are in bikinis and heels usually, men are in whatever, like um shorts or trunks, and you pose. So that's one third of the score. The other two-thirds of the score is I got to incorporate gymnastics into my routine. So it's an entertainment value. So yeah, when you're flipping on stage, it kind of looks cool. Plus, you have to do like push-ups and uh strength balances, things like that. But that's what it is. That's what the division is in a whole. Um, I found it after I needed to figure out why I wanted to go to the gym. I was terrified to go to the gym, completely terrified to go to the gym. I was a gymnast and I got like that weird transition where I feel like everyone does, where if it's something whole and it's your identity, you don't know what to do after at all. Um, and I had no idea what I was doing in the gym. Like I would go in and I'd be like, all right, like pull-ups, because that's what I had to do in gymnastics, things like that.

When did you start going to the gym?

Um, probably a couple years after I had my son.

Okay.

Um, I missed it. I wanted to be in shape. I didn't know what I was doing at all. And I kind of just went in and walked around for a while. Um, had no idea what I was doing. Um, Rob actually ended up getting me to like seriously train. I never seriously trained. I didn't know what it was. I remember our first training session was when we were first dating. Um, I was like, hey, I want to go to the gym with you. He's like, no, you don't. Like, no, I want to go to the gym with you. No, you don't. So I was like, okay, I want to go to the gym with you. I'm like, let me go. We went, I was on the freaking hat sled. He put weights on air. I was like, I can't do this. He looked at me and goes, No, you can't. And I was like, I can't do this. And he's like, You're gonna do this if you want to actually train, because this is what training is. It's hard. And I was like, okay, I almost like cried. Like it was like a it wasn't like it was just like a moment where I was like, oh, I did it. And then afterward, I was like, oh, I remember, like, I want to do this. Like, this is what I liked in gymnastics. Like, I liked that struggle. Like, I liked being like, oh, cool, I could do something that nobody else can do, or I can do something that very many people can do. Um, I think owning a business is the reason why I did that too. Like, I can do it, you know? Like, and it's a little like not many people can work out the way I work out.

And bodybuilding is also like a perfectionist kind of routine, right? You it's just constant little tweaks that you're doing while you're training, while you're doing your routine.

Not even training lifestyle, right? Like your diet needs to be perfect, your recovery needs to be perfect. Like everything needs to be dialed into the tea.

What do you think is the big lesson you learned from going through bodybuilding?

I think it goes back to even just owning the gym and relying, like uh committing to something and then putting your heart and soul into that. Right? Being like, I can do this. Same thing with bodybuilding. I said, I'm going to turn pro. You know, and I worked until I got there. So I think that was the big I think I learned that just that I could rely on myself again.

Yeah, and I know at that same time, and even through working here, you slowly transitioned out of bodybuilding.

I did. I do be a little bit. Um more so I would say now, I think my values changed a little bit when it once it comes to life. Um being with like my kids and my job, like and priorities and things like that. Like bodybuilding is so you have to be on and perfect with just that, that everything else kind of falls on the back burner. And right now, my values in life are building myself back up here, right? Like building this place up and committing to redefine. And I don't think I would be able to even do this right now if I was bodybuilding, right? Like, because that would be my main focus. Like everything revolves around that. Um, and I need everything to revolve around me being a good mom and me being a good like employer or good boss right now to my employees.

So which segments right in just to kind of get start wrapping it up a little bit. Why here? What do you what have why have you think you found a place here? And what do you think that this company offers that's gonna help encompass those values?

We're the only gym that does what we do. We're literally the only gym that does what we do. Um, we care about our clients when it comes to their life journey and their life progress. Um, and we want to change our clients' lives, right? We want to improve their entire life. Like, not just, hey, come in and work out, get a session, be fit, do that. No, like we want them to grow as a person here. And I think even just our employees, like we and me, myself, like we always strive to like raise our standards when it comes to everything, right? So fitness, health, commitment, um, even just our job. Like, I want our trainers to have be the best trainers on Long Island and maybe the best trainers nationally, and then the best trainers internationally. And I want our clients to level up where maybe they are at a point in their life where they feel like they can't do it, or there's nothing there for them, or they're just really unhealthy. And now they're in this like hole and they have no idea where to go. Like, come in the gym, find the challenge, let us show you like how you can change your life. And I don't think other gyms do that, right? They're just like big box gyms, like, oh, you have to show up for yourself. No, like we're gonna show up for you so that you can be your best. And I think that's like a big thing with redefine.

And where would you like to see us go or even you go on your personal journey in in the future?

Well, I want to expand for us, right? I want us, like I want our reach to be able to help more and more people, um, not just on Long Island.

What does that mean for Amanda's life?

Um, oh, that means that I get to expand my horizons too, right? Now, so right now, like I think everyone, like I started out as what, a part-time trainer. And you told me if you're you have to be a part-time trainer for three months. I am not allowed to be a full-time trainer. You need to be a part-time trainer. Okay, okay, Anthony. Three weeks later, what did you do?

Full-time trainer.

Um, and then from there, right? So I was training for a while and then I ended up wearing a bunch of different hats for a different, then I became the district manager, right? And then we restructured now, and I'm COO, right? So what that means for me is hopefully we have more locations that I get to run and build our team up and bigger and better.

The last thing I wanna I wanna emphasize, because we're a lot alike. Yeah, right. So for those that don't personal surveys, right?

That you put out with the company, we match.

Yeah, every time we do like personality assessments, it's always like relatively the same. And it's pretty funny to watch, like, I'll send you something to be like, oh, I saw that already. Yeah, yeah. So I one thing I want to really address, and it relates to our client side is I sent you a book and shout out Mark Banson who wrote The Subtle Art, not giving a fuck.

Love it. I'm only like a quarter of the way through though.

Yeah, it's totally fine. Yeah, but one thing it really talks about, and you are a perfect example of this, is your past doesn't matter. And about as far as where you can go in the future.

Correct. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

It doesn't matter if you got shitty circumstances, it doesn't matter if life dealt you a bad hand. Yeah, it's just how you perceive those events that can ultimately make your life better or worse. And that's solely on you as an individual, and you can't blame other people. And I send you the book because you're someone who had a kid at 20, opened a gym and uh gymnastics gym and went through a lot of hard times with that.

Yeah.

Has some other personal. Shit, get thrown out of your life.

Yeah.

But you don't let your past define where you can go in the future.

Yeah.

Whereas if someone else was put in the situation, they would have been like, well, I can't do this because I had a kid at 20.

I mean, that's like victim mentality, right? And that goes back to what did you learn? What did you learn? How many times did you say that to me today, right? Like that I can rely on myself, right? So even going back to like everything you've been through and all the things, like, yeah, I could say, you just look at my childhood. Like, everyone can say that. Everyone's been dealt a hard card. Everyone has issues. And that was that's one of the things that's so important in the book that I you're not special.

No.

You're not special. Like everyone has something going on in their life. And like, yeah, you can be sympathetic and empathetic towards people. And I think that's huge with like relationships. But at the end of the day, you have to look at yourself in the mirror and be like, what can I do to be better? Because I am the only person that is going to change my situation. And that's like that's huge. And that goes back to like, I want our clients to know that too, right? They're the only person that can change their situation. We can help them all they want, but I want to encourage them to be like, oh, I can do this. Because if they have that little kernel of hope, they can do huge things.

So neck injuries, back injuries, doesn't matter.

Exactly. Anything, anything. Like you can be laid up there in car accidents, like not even like something that you caused, right? But at the end of the day, like you're the only person you can rely on that's gonna be sitting there with you.

So and you're the only person that could change, and you're the only person that could do more. And I think that's a great place to leave this because it's something we both fullheartedly believe in. So thank you guys for listening to this week's episode of the Anthony Michelle. If you enjoyed this, shoot a comment, like, subscribe, share until next time.