Latest / The Ric and Dan Show / "I don't think about it, I just do": Sunshine Gannuccelli of Sunshine Fitness

Transcript

"I don't think about it, I just do": Sunshine Gannuccelli of Sunshine Fitness · The Ric and Dan Show

• 0:01
  (Transcribed by TurboScribe.ai. Go Unlimited to remove this message.) He's Rick Tyler and he's Dan Cashman. And I'm Sunshine from Sunshine's Fitness
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  Studio and Nutrition Center and the Fitfield Club Cafe. And I'm on the Rick
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  and Dan Show. In Maine we often hear, you can't get there from here. These are the
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  stories of the risk-takers, the trailblazers, those who turn obstacles
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  into opportunities every day and found their way to get there from here. And
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  today they're on the Rick and Dan Show. I told you to suck in your gut a little
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  bit because she's a fitness instructor. I am, I am sucking in my gut. The mat, it's
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  gonna make my butt look big. There you go. Sunshine, hi. Hi. Oh my gosh. Thanks for
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  joining us on our program. We think we have busy schedules and then we see the
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  schedule that you keep and raise kids at the same time. Where do you find the
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  energy to do all of that? Because we need some of it. Yeah, well that's a great
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  question. I don't think about it, I just do. There's a job to be done and you just
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  do it. I feel like I heard some variation of that when I first had kids
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  and I said I don't know how I'm gonna do all these things to be a good dad and to
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  run a business and to do the other things that I had been doing sort of
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  extracurricularly. And a good friend of mine said you don't think about it,
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  you're in the moments, you just have to do what you have to do. Exactly. And find
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  joy in the moments along the way. And I'm, I'm a very self-aware person so I do a
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  lot of check-ins with myself, with my family, I do check-ins with my staff. So I
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  always kind of know where I'm at and I create a really safe environment so that
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  if they feel like they're lacking something or I could do something to
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  make them feel more valued or special, then they have the freedom to really
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  tell me. And that's been very successful in maintaining a really long-term staff,
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  having a wonderful relationship with my children, best friends with my parents and
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  a great marriage. All of those things are really important because when you
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  have peace at home and you have peace in that part of your life, then I feel
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  like business is just extra fun. Do we have right four kiddos? We have four, yes.
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  Four. They're out of the house though, believe it or not. My youngest is 24 now.
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  So they're not cleaning out the refrigerator? No, no, but I talk to him
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  every day. I've already talked to my youngest three times today. True story.
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  Does it matter? Yeah. I want to know now. I'm all in. She has a rescue farm in New
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  York and she's got this ginormous heart and so she's always talking to me about
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  animals and all of my girls are extremely hard workers and they all have
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  their own businesses or in a leadership role. So it gives us a lot of really fun
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  things to talk about. They're very family-oriented so we get to talk on
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  like the emotional side of things and then we get to talk business and I
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  actually really love that because it's fun to get a younger person's
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  perspective and we always kind of have a rule. They'll say something to me
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  and I'll be like, are you asking for advice or are you just venting? And then
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  based on how they respond to that is how I respond. So it's been really fun having
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  adult children to have relationships with and they're all so unique and
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  wonderful in their own right. Were you surprised that they're following maybe
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  some ways in your footsteps in the business world? Yes. I mean yes and no,
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  right? They all had such different personalities, you know, and I think every
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  parent wonders at some point like, am I doing the right things? Are they hearing
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  my words? The best thing you can do is just show them a good example and then,
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  you know, I kind of always try to just be center road. So not too far one way, not
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  too far another way, so that they always can find that happy medium to find that
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  place back. I love being able to share a relationship with them that I could give
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  them advice. I can tend to be very direct, but I'm always kind. They respond really
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  well to that. I can't say they've always responded well to that, but yeah, I feel
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  like I have a really open relationship with them so that I can give them my
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  opinion if they choose to hear it, but they know I love them regardless and I'm
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  just gonna love them through whatever. That's inspiring. You started your
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  business after how many kids? Well, I have two biological children and two
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  stepdaughters, so we were all together a family of six. Yeah, so I had them all
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  when I started the business and it was a family decision. It was something that I
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  wanted to do. Of course, they are much younger, but we would always have these, I
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  had this rule, it was a 4-1-1, which is an informational meeting, like everybody
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  come, let's sit at the table, we're gonna talk about it, and then there was a 9-1-1,
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  and if it was a 9-1-1, you better get your buns down at that table, like
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  immediately, and then we're gonna talk about it. But um, we kind of handled
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  things as a family and I will say that there was definitely some, you know,
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  challenging times, especially with school sports and you know, so many different
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  schedules, but a really supportive husband and amazing parents and children
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  just really supported me and they thought it was really cool, most of the time. Tell
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  us about the first day. We heard about the stoplight. Oh, okay, so the first time I
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  really chose, of course having two babies in two years, you know, I know you guys
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  don't necessarily understand 100%, but. No, we can do math, however. Okay, okay.
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  I can do math. Wow, that's amazing. Let me tell you, that was rough. Two C-sections, my
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  body just wasn't the same, and I was so grateful for the experience to have my
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  babies, but it does something to you emotionally when you just don't look the
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  same and you don't feel the same, and being a mom was so important to me and I
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  really wanted to fulfill that. I kind of have a super mom, so that's, that's hard
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  to choose to fill. I mean, she's like an angel among us. I mean, if anybody you
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  know knows her, they're like, oh, okay, I get it. So, I just really wanted to be
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  good at that. That was so important to me, but I felt like I just lost myself in
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  the beautiful chaos, and I really call it beautiful chaos because I wouldn't
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  change anything, right, but it's chaos. Two babies in two years and trying to still
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  do all the things, and I do tend to be a little bit of a perfectionist with
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  myself, not necessarily with others, but with myself, so I kept my standards pretty
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  high. I mean, I was making my own baby food, and I wouldn't let them eat ketchup,
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  and they didn't watch TV for three years. I mean, thank God she's not our mom.
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  Some things were unreasonable. Why not ketchup? There is so much sugar in ketchup.
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  Well, you can get the no sugar added ketchup. Okay, but I had a kid that wanted the
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  ketchup. She'd eat one fry and like 700 cups of ketchup. My kid still does that,
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  and you know, nothing brings a smile to her face more than ketchup.
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  That's why Sam's Club is there, so you can buy it in bulk.
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  Look, I have grown, okay? I pick and choose my battles, I assure you. Now, the
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  ketchup hill would not be the hill that I would choose to die at. I'd be like,
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  sister, here's the bottle, but...
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  That's what people say to me all the time, but it had nothing to do with ketchup.
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  So, you know, you just kind of, you have to really learn, right, but I was still so
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  young, and I just, I didn't want to disappoint myself or my family, so I
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  really had to kind of learn how to make appropriate adjustments, but I tell you, it
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  was very difficult because the gym environment, especially when you've
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  gained a lot of weight, and you're like, what is this even doing anymore? And like,
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  you're just trying to shove everything in and find a place for it, and I mean
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  your body. Like, I don't even mean things in your pockets. I mean, you're just
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  trying to make it work and still have the appropriate body image. I have all
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  girls, so that was really important. I didn't want to give them issues because
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  I wasn't feeling good about myself, but the first class, boy, I was like on the
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  teetering of, am I dying? Or like, what is happening right now? And I was just so
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  mortified at how little I could do. And of course, having to C-sections, I mean,
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  your abs are obliterated, like literally they're cut all the way through, so I
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  just didn't have the strength to do what always came so naturally to me before. So
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  I'm a pretty upbeat person. I think Rick, you've known me for a really long time.
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  I'm pretty much always in a good mood. I'm not really a crier. I never yell. I'm kind of
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  cross the board, middle line. Let me tell you, after that first class, I sat in my
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  car and I cried. And I was like, I am never doing that again. You know, you get
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  the wild sock. You're like, I will never do that again. I was so
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  embarrassed. I was mortified. And then by the time I drove out of the parking lot
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  and got to my first stoplight, I just like snuffed up my tears and I was like,
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  okay, and literally thought big girl panties, pull them up. And legit, they
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  were big girl panties. So I had to pull them up. And I was like, this is never
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  going to change until I change my perspective. And I really live by that
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  principle today. Sometimes it's not always what you see, it's how you choose
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  to see it. It's kind of like if I gave you a dime, and I said this is the same
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  size as the sun on any normal person be like, you're crazy. But boy, if you hold
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  it up at a certain distance, then it is the same size. Don't look at the sun by
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  the way. This is don't try this at home moment. But perspective is everything.
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  And if you could tell that young woman with a new family, if you could tell her
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  now that one day she'd own a gym and a cafe and be looked at as somebody in a
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  leadership role in the fitness industry, I wouldn't have believed you.
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  Speaking of the cafe, you brought some things in for us. You weren't supposed
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  to. We did not design a podcast for people to bring products.
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  No, I'm a gift giver.
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  Can you tell us what these are?
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  Yeah, I brought you two plant powered energy refreshers. One is called a blue
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  Hawaiian. I like to just close my eyes and pretend I'm on the beach. I do that
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  a lot. I'm never on the beach, but I like to pretend I am. And the other is a
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  watermelon mist. So both, especially the watermelon mist is made with fresh fruit.
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  So the cafe is really important to me. It's kind of a new adventure for me.
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  Keep talking, we're gonna drink.
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  Yeah, I've heard that before.
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  I'm usually pretty blue, so I'll take the blue Hawaiian.
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  You take the blue Hawaiian.
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  There you go.
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  I'm going to try the watermelon mist.
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  There's little packages though.
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  Yeah. So I also brought you some energy bites. They're made with organic protein
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  powder and fresh peanut butter. So, you know, just make sure you don't have a
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  peanut butter allergy because they are Reese's peanut butter.
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  Yeah, you had me at Reese's. That's all I needed to hear.
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  When anyone comes to the cafe and they order a beverage like this, like a
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  watermelon mist or a blue Hawaiian, do they get the little inspirational message
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  on top of the lid or is this a new thing?
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  No, we're kind of warm and fuzzy people.
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  And like I say, when I say we created a safe space to kind of be expressive and
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  show love, we'd like to do that in all the little ways.
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  You almost always get a little message.
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  And you know, it's so cute is I have a very big staff between the studio and the
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  cafe, but the young ladies in the cafe, it's fun for me because I kind of take on
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  that like mom boss role, but it's so fun when, you know, through the windows they
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  see somebody that's getting ready, that pulls up and that's getting ready to take
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  a class or, and they're like, Oh, so-and-so's here.
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  Like they get excited.
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  I mean, these are college students.
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  They get excited.
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  So their favorite people are now my favorite people.
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  And whether you're there to get a drink or a treat, sometimes they've already
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  started your order before you've even gotten out of the car.
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  Ah, it's customer service doing the level.
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  Well, it is, and they're excited to do it.
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  And it's interesting because like when you own a business and you go to hire
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  people, I actually have to go through a lot of interviews because I can teach you
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  to make a drink.
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  I can teach you to make energy bites.
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  I can even teach you to make the best soup ever, but I can't teach you to have
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  genuine interests for people.
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  And as you know, I do work a lot.
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  So people who surround me is really important to me.
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  So having naturally upbeat people who actually care about others, I don't care if
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  it's a cafe or a gym or anything.
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  I want that to be easy for you.
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  And it's really fun seeing these girls, you know, fulfill this role.
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  You'd think it's just a silly role, but it's not.
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  We're a part of people's lives, whether they're there to take a class or we're
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  there to give them their favorite coffee or drink.
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  I'm going to point out on the top of the watermelon mist.
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  It says, you've got this with a little heart and yours says, fry yay, sip, sip.
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  Hooray.
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  Also a little heart.
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  Yeah.
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  So cheers, buddy.
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  You know, something a little, just a little tiny message like that can almost
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  be what you need to get through that moment through the next step.
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  You said that this has like the equivalent pick me up of a cup of coffee.
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  Absolutely.
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  It tastes better than a cup of coffee or at least the coffee that Dan makes.
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  It's pretty yummy.
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  You're right.
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  My coffee is from two days ago.
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  We've already discussed this.
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  Unlike wine, coffee does not get better.
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  No, it's terrible.
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  It's terrible.
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  I'm still going to drink it.
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  I like to play the dumb guy in the room because often I am.
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  And people, do I need to write an encouraging note on the top of your drink to talk you out of this?
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  It's a sip, sip, hooray.
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  Gosh.
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  For people who aren't familiar with this gym and this cafe we're talking about, back us up a few steps and tell us about all of it, including where it's located.
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  Yeah.
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  A few dance steps.
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  Yeah.
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  I am the owner of Sunshine's Fitness Studio and Wellness Center.
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  And I also own the Fit Fuel Club Cafe in Bangor.
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  Um, we are located directly in front of Bangor Walmart, right in between Days Jewelers and Super Shoes.
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  You know, I'm a woman leading two wellness-based businesses that intentionally work together.
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  Um, movement, recovery, nutrition, really all under one roof.
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  So for me, it's just kind of a win-win.
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  My mission has always been bigger than just fitness.
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  It's about creating a place where people feel safe, supported, and capable.
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  And having a nutrition cafe in addition to a, you know, full wellness center that has full capabilities to do all the things all under one roof with some extra hugs and smiles in there.
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  To me, you just can't get better than that.
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  Go back to all the things.
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  Literally, what are all the things that people can find there?
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  How much time do you have, Deanne?
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  I have all day.
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  This podcast, though, probably, uh, let's see if we can whittle it down to a couple of minutes.
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  I got a watermelon mist.
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  You take all the time you want, sister.
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  You got this.
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  All right.
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  We are very innovative in regards to fitness classes.
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  Um, we're starting Bungee Fitness, which has been a dream of mine for quite a while.
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  There's a lot to it.
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  And I tend to dot all my I's, cross my T's, and then I do it twice or maybe three times.
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  I tend to overthink, but that's good because it's always served me well.
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  When it comes to safety and I would rather do things.
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  Is that one of the four kids?
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  It's okay.
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  No, that's my husband.
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  So it's the biggest kid.
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  It's the biggest and the best.
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  Absolutely.
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  Sorry about that.
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  No, that's okay.
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  So when I go to do something, I've really learned how, because I have a brain that
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  wants to do it all.
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  I want to do it all.
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  I have so many ideas, but I would rather be.
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  Go ahead and take the call.
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  Let's see if we can pause.
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  You know, he, he is, he is relentless, but how wonderful.
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  I'll put him on speakerphone.
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  We'd love to say hi to him.
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  What's his name?
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  He's shyer than I am.
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  And you know what?
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  Look, I had it on do not disturb, but he's on my favorites list.
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  So let Bangor know that he, he made it to the favorites list.
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  So it comes all the way through.
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  So within the fitness portion, along with bungee, which is coming soon, you also
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  have a cycling spin.
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  Yeah.
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  Do you have weight resistance?
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  Oh yes.
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  Yep.
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  We have lifting classes.
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  We have kickboxing.
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  I'm a certified boxer and so isn't one of my other trainers.
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  And so we offer a lot of boxing related classes, but I'm also bar instructor
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  Pilates, stretch works, all of those things.
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  But here's another fun thing that we do.
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  I will teach a bar fight class where it's a mix of beauty and beast.
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  It's a bar class with combinations of boxing techniques.
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  And it is just so fun.
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  Okay.
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  You said bar fight and Dan had a much different thought, but we should clarify
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  bar meaning bar.
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  Yeah.
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  No, um, bar like Pilates or like a ballerina strengthening.
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  Oh, holding the side of the wall.
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  Yeah, ballet class kind of, but we, we don't actually hold the side of the
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  walls.
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  We have like legit bars.
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  A question only because I understand what it takes to get certified to teach one
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  class.
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  You sound like you're certified to teach many classes.
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  And if you're going to teach a class, you've got to keep up with the timing, the
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  choreography, the instruction.
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  Where do you have time to jam all that in your brain and still run two businesses
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  and still have a husband that calls you even when he's on do not disturb?
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  Exactly.
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  Um, that is probably, that is very challenging and to do it with joy, right?
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  That's the next question I got for you.
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  Cause I need to know, maybe it's in the drink.
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  I don't know.
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  But so you probably know Barb Cookson.
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  She's like matriarch of fitness, right?
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  There's a reason.
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  Val Kitchens, Barb Cookson.
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  Okay.
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  So she gave me advice one time.
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  This is years ago.
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  She works with me now.
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  And she said, just because you can do everything doesn't mean you have to do all
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  the things.
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  It really resonated with me because at the time I just had so many big dreams and
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  just going in so many different directions.
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  But I really had to tell myself I'd rather be credibly awesome at 10 things instead of
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  mediocre at a hundred.
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  And so that kind of helps me reign it in a little bit.
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  So I've got over 30 certifications and of course, you know, we get to keep up with
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  all of those, right?
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  Continued education is really, really important to me.
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  I want people to walk in the doors and just know that I'm going to know what to do for
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  them.
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  But it also gives me a lot of flexibility.
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  One, because I own the studio to be able to create all of these combination of
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  classes.
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  And I have an amazing staff that listens to my ideas and they bring a lot to the
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  table already.
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  This is not a one man band by any means.
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  And, and, you know, because of the company that you work for, it takes a lot of
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  really educated, fun, loving, patient, kind, um, and selfless people to make something
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  amazing.
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  Okay.
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  Where do you find them?
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  Oh my God.
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  I found them all.
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  Did you find them or did they find you?
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  You know what?
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  Here's the thing.
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  90% of my staff started as clients and I've been in business for 14 years.
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  I have almost absolutely no turnover when it comes to staff and what a blessing that
• 17:51
  is.
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  And that's really wonderful for the clients too, because every Tuesday and Thursday,
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  they know they're going to see Amy.
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  Every Wednesday, they're going to see Gina.
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  Every Monday they're going to see, you know, they, so they know it's, it's almost like
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  a familiarity that makes them feel comfortable.
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  So I really only hire, I almost always never fire.
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  That's almost just non-existent for me.
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  I'm really communicative with my staff to make sure that their emotional needs are met.
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  And I'm very clear about what I need from them.
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  And it's just the most beautiful symbiotic relationship.
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  It's very reciprocal.
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  So they'd love and care for me, like I love and care for them.
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  And really we almost only just hire.
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  Can I ask one more question about classes and instructing?
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  And you alluded to it just a moment ago.
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  Dan came once and took my class.
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  We don't talk about it anymore.
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  I was verbally assaulted.
• 18:45
  No, that wasn't.
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  We were just having fun.
• 18:46
  It was for Dan's show when we filmed it.
• 18:48
  We were having fun.
• 18:49
  Nobody asked me.
• 18:51
  Fun is relative, right?
• 18:53
  Another instructor once told me that some days you're just not going to feel like it,
• 18:56
  but you've got to find it because there are people coming into that room that are
• 18:59
  counting on it.
• 19:01
  Where do you find the joy to exude that you have to transmit to your class?
• 19:06
  You almost have to have joy for them.
• 19:08
  Where do you find it, Sunshine?
• 19:10
  In their face and their smile when they hold up their hands and give me a heart
• 19:14
  sign.
• 19:15
  I mean, I know that sounds silly and I know it sounds juvenile, but I got to tell you
• 19:19
  the love they give me, it makes it all worth it.
• 19:22
  And I don't mean to sound cliche or like I'm making this up.
• 19:25
  It's just we create an experience and I'm very honest and vulnerable with them.
• 19:30
  I will be on stage.
• 19:31
  Sometimes I teach a 6 a.m.
• 19:32
  class.
• 19:33
  I'll work eight hours in the cafe.
• 19:35
  I'll teach another class or two in the evening.
• 19:38
  Preach, sister.
• 19:38
  I mean, it's 17, 18 hours most often.
• 19:42
  And I'm keeping up with my husband and my children throughout the day.
• 19:46
  You know, I have 21 members of staff.
• 19:47
  So I will be like, Hey guys, I am so tired.
• 19:51
  I'm going to show you a level one.
• 19:52
  I'm going to show you a level two and a low three, because I believe in options
• 19:55
  because I never like to feel like I'm backed into a corner and our best just
• 19:58
  looks different every single day.
• 20:00
  So I'll be like, Hey guys, I'm going to show you all three levels, but I'm going
• 20:03
  to just do a level one today.
• 20:05
  I'm really tired.
• 20:06
  And then other days I get started and I see their face and I'm like, I'm on fire.
• 20:09
  And I'm like, y'all better just watch out because it's going to happen.
• 20:12
  Imagine suddenly you have the strength of 10 tigers.
• 20:14
  I do.
• 20:15
  And it's so cute.
• 20:16
  If I forget a move, you know, I'm telling you, there's probably 20 people in
• 20:20
  class doing the move and I'm like, Hey Renee, thank you.
• 20:22
  Or they talk to me.
• 20:24
  It's kind of like, do you remember John Cashman?
• 20:25
  Uh, no, John, um, Johnny Carson.
• 20:28
  Okay.
• 20:28
  Do you remember Johnny?
• 20:29
  They always talk to each other.
• 20:31
  Like I talk to everybody.
• 20:33
  I talk to everybody, whether you're in the back room, in the middle of the room.
• 20:36
  You know, when I look out in the group, I see these people who've
• 20:40
  gone through so many things.
• 20:41
  I've seen cancer survivors, not just once, maybe three times.
• 20:45
  I've seen people who've gone through a divorce or their life
• 20:48
  turned upside down in 24 hours.
• 20:50
  I've seen people who've raised teenagers.
• 20:53
  God bless.
• 20:53
  Right.
• 20:54
  I've seen so many things and challenges that they've overcome.
• 20:58
  That's not always about the workout for me.
• 21:01
  Sometimes it's about mental health.
• 21:02
  Sometimes it's about just resetting my buttons.
• 21:05
  I really picture working out or dancing or just being with all of my best friends.
• 21:10
  And I can almost do anything and you throw on a good song and
• 21:13
  I'm going to break it down.
• 21:14
  Right.
• 21:14
  The feeling that she has in instructing a class, the same feeling I get when I
• 21:18
  get to instruct a class, that must've happened to you that one time you came
• 21:21
  out during a monologue and told a joke and people laughed.
• 21:24
  No.
• 21:25
  Maybe because they didn't laugh.
• 21:27
  You need to be more specific.
• 21:28
  There's nobody laughing.
• 21:30
  No, but Rick likes to say this a lot.
• 21:31
  See, Rick finds joy in insulting me.
• 21:34
  And I think you need to find a different joy point because it's not a good look.
• 21:38
  Okay.
• 21:38
  But seriously, folks, when you come out on stage and you do your thing and you see
• 21:43
  the people respond, that's the same feeling that I think that we experience.
• 21:47
  Yeah.
• 21:47
  I mean, anytime you get, I think that sort of instant reaction from people in
• 21:51
  the room, whether you're delivering a speech or playing in the NBA or whatever
• 21:56
  it may be, if you're bringing some sort of happiness to the people in the room
• 22:01
  that of course I would think would motivate you.
• 22:03
  I want to ask you though, because I'm not familiar with the bungee fitness.
• 22:09
  I've tried bungee jumping and I couldn't quite get off the ledge.
• 22:13
  Okay.
• 22:13
  So the word bungee for me, I just think, nope, not gonna.
• 22:17
  I'm guessing you're not jumping off a ledge.
• 22:19
  No, no.
• 22:20
  In fact, bungee jumping sounds horrific to me.
• 22:24
  So I'm right there with you.
• 22:25
  I would be the one pulling you back from the ledge.
• 22:27
  I'd be like, let's go get a snack.
• 22:29
  Don't do it.
• 22:30
  It's a blue Hawaiian waiting for you at the bar.
• 22:32
  You know, I think fitness can be arduous when it's boring and I'm a lot of things,
• 22:38
  but boring ain't one of them.
• 22:39
  So, so if I can get you just to walk in the door, just come, come through.
• 22:45
  I don't care what kind of day you had.
• 22:46
  I don't care what argument you had with your family or your boss.
• 22:49
  I don't care what your teenage kid said or did just get through the door.
• 22:53
  If you can do that, then I'm going to take you the rest of the way.
• 22:56
  Most often, you know, I do a lot of personal training.
• 22:59
  They have no idea.
• 23:00
  I'm not the trainer that does the same workout for six to eight weeks.
• 23:03
  I'm the trainer that is going to be different every single time
• 23:05
  that you walk in the door.
• 23:06
  Although that might be a little scary at first.
• 23:08
  They actually come to love it and that they come in.
• 23:11
  I have grown people come in and be like, Oh my God, what are we going to do today?
• 23:14
  What are we going to, Ooh, I see what's, what's going to happen.
• 23:17
  And they might even be a little hesitant and they're like, I can't do that.
• 23:20
  And I'm like, yeah, no, you absolutely can.
• 23:22
  And you will.
• 23:23
  And it's going to be fine.
• 23:24
  And it's not going to be scary because we're going to start at phase one.
• 23:27
  And then we'll transition to phase two.
• 23:29
  And there's a phase three if you want, but if you're comfortable at two and you
• 23:33
  don't want to move to phase three, Hey, no problem.
• 23:35
  I'm going to support whatever their best looks like to them.
• 23:38
  So the bungee fitness is actually tension bands, like hanging from the ceiling.
• 23:44
  You're in a supported harness and most people refer to it as the flying fitness
• 23:49
  class.
• 23:50
  It is so fun.
• 23:52
  Now I'm not going to lie.
• 23:53
  It takes a little bit of finesse, but the way that I'm going to teach is so that
• 23:58
  everybody's just going to get into their harness and they're, you know, kind of, I
• 24:01
  don't know, were you a kid that ever did the Johnny jump up?
• 24:04
  Had the, the little harness.
• 24:06
  Oh my God.
• 24:07
  Those little kids got nuts in those things.
• 24:09
  You remember, right?
• 24:10
  And then they were like catching air and you're like, Whoa, calm down.
• 24:13
  So this is in a controlled environment, but anytime you can take a fitness class
• 24:19
  and almost feel like a kid again, that's what trampoline fitness is so fun.
• 24:23
  Cause all of a sudden we're not like, I have to go to the gym.
• 24:25
  No, I get to go to the gym.
• 24:27
  Oh my God.
• 24:27
  What are we going to do today?
• 24:29
  Right.
• 24:29
  So trying new things constantly.
• 24:31
  And that's kind of that feeling that you get with bungee fitness.
• 24:34
  They start out a little timid, like, Ooh, but then if you do it right and you teach
• 24:40
  them right, just like teaching your babies how to walk or just like trying a new
• 24:45
  hobby, if you do it in a way from self-improvement, from teaching kind of
• 24:51
  with love, baby steps, then all of a sudden they just, it gives them an
• 24:56
  opportunity to gain their confidence.
• 24:57
  And when you give a person a gift of confidence and then your trust, I'm
• 25:02
  sorry, what can't you accomplish?
• 25:04
  I box with 83 year olds, four of them.
• 25:07
  And do you know, probably 10 years ago when I started training them, they're
• 25:11
  like, we can't box.
• 25:12
  I'm like, I'm sorry, you're going to box.
• 25:14
  And here's how we're going to do it.
• 25:16
  I'm like, let's just put on the gloves.
• 25:17
  Let's just start there.
• 25:18
  And then they're like, Oh, okay.
• 25:20
  It's kind of empowering.
• 25:22
  Right.
• 25:22
  And then I'm like, okay, we're just going to throw some jabs on the bag.
• 25:25
  Like, let's just keep it here.
• 25:26
  No big deal.
• 25:27
  And then they're like, okay, then you put the song on, then you put the music on.
• 25:31
  I'm very, just like you.
• 25:32
  I'm very beat driven.
• 25:34
  So when I take a fitness class that follows the beat, I will literally go for
• 25:40
  hours, turn the music off and I'm like, I'm done.
• 25:43
  So, and that's all I had to do.
• 25:45
  And now the favorite, their favorite kind of workout is boxing.
• 25:49
  And here we are 10 years later, still boxing.
• 25:53
  Those classes with music, the music's motivating you, the instructors
• 25:55
  motivating you, your colleagues, your classmates are motivating you and
• 25:59
  you're motivating yourself.
• 26:00
  That's four against one.
• 26:01
  Oh yeah.
• 26:02
  And those are really good odds.
• 26:03
  And when you get to fist bump an 83 year old on the way out, I mean, there's just
• 26:07
  something that feels amazing about that.
• 26:09
  I bet when you go to the produce aisle at the grocery store and you see someone
• 26:12
  that comes and takes a course with you or has taken a course and you may be seen
• 26:17
  not only a physical, but maybe an emotional transformation, it must be a rush.
• 26:23
  Yeah, it really is.
• 26:24
  And to be honest, running multiple businesses, I mean, it's challenging, right?
• 26:28
  I'd be lying if I didn't say it was.
• 26:29
  But what motivates me is the relationships that I've been able to share, have now
• 26:37
  long-term relationships with clients and see them have to swing their legs to get
• 26:42
  up out of a chair and all of a sudden not being able to take these little steps
• 26:46
  with them and watch their confidence grow.
• 26:49
  You know, we take for granted a lot of things, getting out of a car, right?
• 26:54
  At some points in our life or some points in their lives, getting out of a car was a
• 26:58
  big deal.
• 26:58
  Maybe they're recovering from multiple surgeries and they thought they could never
• 27:03
  move again in the way that they wanted to, keeping up with their grandchildren or for
• 27:07
  me, being able to sit up after two C-sections in two years, right?
• 27:12
  I never thought I'd ever, ever have a problem sitting up.
• 27:16
  It was difficult.
• 27:17
  So being able to see them improve the quality of their life and then experience new
• 27:22
  things like those that thought they could never box or bungee or take a hip hop step
• 27:28
  class, all of those things, right?
• 27:30
  It just improves the quality of life.
• 27:31
  And now you've got a whole group of people that you get to share all these new
• 27:34
  experiences with that are like-minded and positive peer pressure.
• 27:40
  Yeah.
• 27:40
  And, um, yeah, it's a whole new world.
• 27:43
  Did you always enjoy fitness?
• 27:45
  No, no.
• 27:47
  I wouldn't have guessed that.
• 27:48
  Yeah.
• 27:48
  The passion that you have when you speak about it now is palpable.
• 27:51
  It's because my perspective was off.
• 27:53
  It went from I get to, to I have to.
• 27:56
  And that's where it killed the joy for me.
• 28:01
  We know what we need to do, right?
• 28:03
  We got to eat right.
• 28:04
  We got to sleep.
• 28:05
  We got to exercise.
• 28:06
  We have the list of have tos.
• 28:08
  There's no shortage of have tos.
• 28:10
  But when you get to do something that you really want to do, well, then the trigger
• 28:16
  switches and then you're like, okay.
• 28:17
  But I had to find the right fitness for me.
• 28:20
  And for me, it was dance fitness that kind of made me fall in love with fitness again.
• 28:25
  But I still don't like to run.
• 28:27
  Like I'll do a 5k with my friends.
• 28:29
  I'll run forever.
• 28:30
  I have never been the person to just wake up and run.
• 28:33
  That sounds horrible to me.
• 28:35
  I know I don't like to run.
• 28:36
  So guess what?
• 28:37
  That's not what I choose to focus on.
• 28:39
  I choose to focus on the fitness that I love and I don't feel bad for it anymore.
• 28:44
  You love to run.
• 28:45
  I do.
• 28:45
  Yeah.
• 28:45
  Yeah.
• 28:46
  Some people just, my husband loves to run, frees his mind.
• 28:49
  It's no big deal to me.
• 28:51
  I was like, oh my God, I ride by on my bike, on my bike.
• 28:53
  And I'm like, I, I want to give you a ride so bad.
• 28:56
  What changed for me though, was the advent of the iPod.
• 28:59
  Okay.
• 28:59
  Because it's all about the beats.
• 29:01
  And today people say, oh, when I run, I listen to podcasts.
• 29:04
  I can't do that.
• 29:05
  Right.
• 29:05
  I need to have some sort of a motivating song to keep me going.
• 29:09
  128, 132 beats per minute.
• 29:11
  It doesn't even matter.
• 29:12
  It can be a ballad.
• 29:13
  And I will use that time.
• 29:15
  Is that why you were humming Celine Dion earlier?
• 29:17
  It's actually, I have nothing but Celine Dion on my phone now.
• 29:19
  It's every once in a while, I just fall asleep while running.
• 29:22
  Uh, no, but, but that was the motivator for me when, when I would listen to a
• 29:27
  Walkman, uh, or a Discman, which I tried once because I'm just, how old are you?
• 29:31
  Uh, I'm 104.
• 29:32
  Okay.
• 29:32
  You know, I'd have about 30 minutes of running time and then, oh,
• 29:35
  I got to flip the tape.
• 29:36
  Right.
• 29:36
  That's not going to work.
• 29:37
  When the iPod came out, it was just endless amounts of music.
• 29:40
  And that kept me motivated.
• 29:41
  That was the thing that got me off the couch.
• 29:44
  Right.
• 29:44
  Right.
• 29:45
  And see, everybody's got to find that thing.
• 29:47
  So when they come to my studio, some of them have never worked out a day in their
• 29:50
  life, right?
• 29:51
  Some had, but then they think, well, what I used to do, I can't do anymore.
• 29:55
  And I just don't believe that.
• 29:57
  So we just have to find their fitness.