Today we’d like to introduce you to Venus Arthur.
Hi Venus, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I am a Personal and Group Trainer and a 200-Hour Certified Yoga Instructor and a recovered diet drop out! But my greatest accomplishment is being the proud Chief Enjoyment Officer of Lose The Fat Keep The Curves. My wellness program is holistic, focusing on improving Self- Care, Nutrition and Fitness. I named my business after my mother’s famous quote, “baby, you can lose the FAT (Fear Anxiety Trauma), but you’ll always keep the CURVES (Courage Uniqueness Resilience Victorious Empowered Spirit). My company partners with individuals and organizations as they incorporate and enhance wellness into their lifestyle!
My husband and I have 2 daughters and are currently enjoying the benefits of an empty nest! We are both passionate about small businesses and we shop\buy local as often as possible. In my community I serve as the Treasurer and Executive Board Member for the Nancy Guinn Library in Conyers, GA and an Ambassador for the Rockdale County Chamber of Commerce. I also teach yoga, strength training and youth yoga classes at Johnson Park Recreation Center in Rockdale County. My passion for wellness has also afforded me the privilege of volunteering as a Yoga instructor at a local assisted living community.
In case you are wondering how a tax accountant became a wellness instructor:
Imagine… as soon as you get comfortable in the middle seat on a crowded aircraft, the passenger next to you yells in her outside voice, “scoot over, your leg is touching my leg, I shouldn’t have to be uncomfortable because you are too big to fit in your seat.”
The hair stands on the back of your neck, your mouth is dry and for the next 3.5 hours it takes everything in you not to cry. Exiting the plane is your rock bottom and you spend the next three years yo-yo dieting to ensure you reach the perfect weight that only takes up one seat on an aircraft, with no overlap….
Three years later you are still morbidly obese and pre-diabetic. That’s the year you lose SIX (6) family members in six (6) months, all due to preventable illnesses. That’s when you realize your lifestyle matters! Fearing the next funeral in my family would be mine, I went on a journey to get well.
Since then, I’ve naturally, lost and kept off more than 140 pounds and transformed my entire life. I started helping my family and friends get healthy and realized that losing the weight was not the hardest part of the journey. Incorporating holistic habits, creating meaningful lifestyle changes is where the work begins and ends, and I have the blueprint….
Healthy living not only has physical benefits but also mental health benefits and, in some instances, you may be inspired to do things you only ever dreamed of:
In 2015, after reaching my goal weight, I ran the Peachtree Road Race, The Atlanta 10-miler and the Thanksgiving Day Half Marathon (13.2 miles) within 6 months. Prior to training for the races, I had never run around the block. Reaching my wellness goals and seeing my life change from the inside out inspired me to try new things that previously seemed to be off limits. That was very humbling to go from not being able to run around a city block, without being out of breath and exhausted to winning medals for running that I will cherish forever.
I went on to earn my Personal & Group Training Fitness certifications from the National Association of Sports Medicine (NASM), in 2018. I also became a 200- Hour Certified Yoga Instructor in 2020 and am affectionately known as Coach Venus in my community. After being humiliated on that aircraft and mourning the death of my younger family members, I made my mess into my message by helping other people improve their health and wellness.
I teach everything I know about clean eating, portion control, self-care, and practical fitness. Behavior modifications and small changes over time make a difference. I am the bridge my clients need to help them reach their goals even when they feel stuck. As an accountability partner my job is to believe in them even when they don’t believe in themselves. I get it! I lived in an unhealthy version of my body for so long and today I can tell you that nothing ever tasted as good as how I feel!
I don’t have any magic tricks or quick fixes, but I have kept off 140 of the 150 pounds I lost years ago. Today, I am proud to say that I am a reformed dieter because I changed my lifestyle. My testimony has been a beacon of light for others, and I feel blessed that something so emotionally devastating for me actually inspires others to create fundamental changes in their lives as well.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Business to Consumer:
When I meet most of my Personal Training clients, they are typically just like me at any given point on my wellness journey. Early in my journey, I was ashamed to work out in the gym. I felt like everyone was staring at me and judging me for being morbidly obese.
As I got healthier, I was looking for something\someone in addition to my fitness regime that would help me sustain or reach a new goal along the way.
The clients that are looking for something extra, have a wellness budget and they typically seek me out via social media, local advertising or at an event in the community.
One of the biggest struggles is reassuring people they are worth investing in themselves. Women typically feel guilty about spending their money on themselves. Another struggle is the customer lifetime value. It’s been challenging to retain clients pass the “New Year’s Resolution goals”.
Business to Business:
By far this has been my biggest struggle. Larger organizations tend to do business with large corporations. Mid-size companies have limited budgets when it comes to wellness and small companies typically don’t provide any health care options.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
I spent two decades of my life living in a body I didn’t recognize. To this day, some 10 years later, it still pains me to look at old pictures of myself, because I can see the FAT, (Fear, Anxiety, Trauma) all over my face. My life was crumbling all around me and my drug of choice to numb my pain was food.
I personally understand how it feels and I know exactly what it takes to live in a healthier version of your body because after many epic failures, I finally reached my goals. My programs are designed to meet you where you are as an accountability partner. No one gets to quit on me, I quit enough to last a lifetime…
My business is unique because I offer one on one personalized services, to include weekly goal setting, meal plans, step-by-step recipes, shopping lists and personal training programs. I am known for helping people get results, I’ve helped over 100 people lose over 2,500 pounds.
At my heaviest, I was morbidly obese, more than 150 pounds overweight and pre-diabetic. I had successfully failed at every diet known to man at least 3 times. I always share my real-life struggles on my journey to be a healthier human being. My “WHY”, not only makes me cry, but most people that hear my story can relate to the humiliation I suffered at the hands of the lady on that aircraft, my weight disgusted her, more than it did me. While that’s not something I’m proud of, it’s a constant reminder for me and others, to take better care of myself, by being mindful of my lifestyle choices.
Even after that humiliating, lowly walk-off that plane, I still found myself yo-yo dieting. It took the death of my loved ones, losing six family members so close together for me to put myself first and do the work to regain control over my life. I actually purchased 6 black dresses, within six months. Those funerals, my journey to reverse my own doctor’s report, helped me to realize that diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, cancer, did not run in my family. Bad habits ran in my family.
Personal Training
My personal training programs are offered online – which affords my clients the flexibility to work out when it’s convenient for them, no matter where they live in the world, early mornings, lunchtime or after the workday. The program includes an all-natural blueprint, incorporating lifestyle changes, personal development, nutrition, fitness, and one on one coaching.
Group Fitness:
Yoga, Strength Training, Water Aerobics, Chicks Boxing, Core and More and PiYo classes are taught throughout the year at Johnson Park Recreation Center in Conyers, GA.
Corporations\Organizations\Non Profits\ Community Associations can retain my services for events such as:
Keynote Speaker
Panel Discussions
Lunch and Learns
Wellness Fairs
What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
I love that we are an international, diverse community. There are always tons of fun, interesting and exciting indoor and outdoor activities to participate in and meet new people.
The traffic and lack of public transportation to some communities are my least favorite things about living in Atlanta.
Pricing: www.losethefatkeepthecurves.
Coach Venus Contact Info:
- Website: https://losethefatkeepthecurves.com/personal-training
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coach_venus/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CoachVenusArthur
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/coach_venus
