Today we’d like to introduce you to Natasha Hall.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Natasha. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
My story is a long one, but I’ll try to make it short-ish, lol. I moved to Atlanta in 2012 with my ex. I was doing good for a while working whatever jobs I could but still couldn’t make enough money to pay my rent. So, I got kicked out of my apartment right before Christmas. I ended up finding a place downtown off of Boulevard. And not the new Boulevard, but the boulevard five years ago when there was a shooting every night. It was a ratchet, moldy, dirty studio apartment at the bottom of an old house but it was all I could afford. About three days later, my car got broken in to. I didn’t have the money to get it fixed so I started walking & taking the train to work. During that time, I had also decided to stop eating meat. I had done lots of research on it & plus at the time, it was cheaper because I was BROKE.
So, I started to notice that I was losing weight. My clothes fit better & I felt much different. So, I became intentional about working out. I would wake up, run the beltline to Piedmont Park. I worked out at the Old Fourth Ward Park. I had a job working at the airport at the time, but I had decided about three months in that I wanted to be a trainer. So, I got a second job working at a gym inside the Colony Square building. Back then, it was called the colony square Athletic Club. My plan was to study while I worked there & eventually become a trainer there. Instead, life threw me another curve ball & I had to move back home with my parents. I lived at home for about six months. I worked at a grocery store to save up money for a car so that I could move back to Atlanta. During my time in Virginia, I also started training my first clients at Planet Fitness! & then life threw yet another curveball, I ran into my high school sweetheart. Now, pay attention, because he pops back up in the future.
Fast forward to June 2014, I finally moved back to Atlanta with my ex. I literally had $300 to my name, & nowhere to go but I left anyway. I get to Atlanta & an old coworker of mine was kind enough to let me live in a room in a house with him & his roommate. I didn’t have a job & I had decided that I would start taking clients in Atlanta. At that time, I wasn’t making a lot of money at all & eventually got kicked out of that house too. I had no money, no job & so I was homeless. I lived in my car for three months & mind you, it was wintertime. My car had no heat!!! Eventually, I was able to get on my feet a little, & started staying in this hotel when I could in Forest Park. It wasn’t even close to decent, but it was better than sleeping in the car. I could afford it because the rooms were only $25 a night. During this time, my only income was training. I worked with all of my clients outside, rain cold or shine, but I couldn’t take it anymore. I started applying for jobs & got a position as a gymnastics coach. It didn’t pay much at all, but it was enough to transition me into a better hotel downtown, but as soon as that happened, my tags went bad on my car & I didn’t have that anymore.
When I lived there, it was called the Savannah Suites Midtown, but now, it’s called Budgetel Inn. The gymnastics position faded out eventually & after that job, I started working at Ardens Garden in Midtown. Through everything though, I didn’t give up on training. I worked at Ardens Garden for about a year & a half until eventually, I couldn’t take it anymore & I quit! I knew at that moment, that once I quit, I would never work for anybody again. I started hustling & building my brand & my business. I started training at a pretty popular gym in Atlanta. I deemed myself the “thick trainer” & marketed myself to women who didn’t necessarily want to be skinny. All was going good until August 2017 when the hotel changed management & started kicking people out. I was one of those people. On top of that, it was the weekend before I was supposed to be in my little brother’s wedding. So, I found another hotel to move to, moved out & started paying double what I was used to. I traveled that weekend to Virginia to be in my brother’s wedding & ended up leaving my ex. We broke up & I came back to Atlanta alone. It was a lot for me because I don’t have any family down south so I made the decision to let all my clients go & move back in with my parents AGAIN. I really didn’t know what was going to happen. I wasn’t sure if I would move back, or if I would just stay in Virginia & build my business there.
Then, life threw another curveball. I ended up having dinner one night with my high school sweetheart. It just so happened that he was in town & single just like me. It’s funny because we planned on getting married when we were 17 but it never happened. We were both in long term relationships for eight years, & just so happened to be single in Virginia at the same time. To make a long story a little short, after that night, we kept in contact. He took a position in Raleigh, North Carolina. I had made up my mind that I didn’t want to be without him & so I moved down with him! & the rest is history. I lived there for three months, moved back to Atlanta in January 2018 & started training at the Loft. I was in Atlanta alone for about three months when he decided to move down with me. On July 28, 2018, he proposed & asked me to marry him. Of course, I said yes!!!! Since he came in my life, it’s only gotten better. We now have two businesses, the one I started before him & a trucking company we started together. After all that, I’ve been through to get here, I’m excited for what my future holds.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It has NOT been easy at all. I’ve been homeless, slept in my car, lived in a hotel for years. Even though it’s been rough, I wouldn’t trade my experiences for anything because it’s shaped me to be the person I am today. My advice for other women would be to never give up! No matter what comes in your way, don’t lose that vision for what you really want because it will happen as long as you keep going.
Please tell us more about your work, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
I’m a personal trainer specializing in small group training. I typically work with overweight women who want to lose weight, but not necessarily be small. I am most proud of the brand I’ve built around being comfortable with your body & knowing that it’s ok to not fit in with the image society claims as beautiful. I believe what sets me apart is that no matter size or shape, I’m able to inspire women through my experiences & make that feel empowered. They know that anything is possible because of my testimony & my own personal experiences. My brand is GawdFitt. Im building it worldwide so when you see it you know that’s me.
Finding a mentor and building a network are often cited in studies as a major factor impacting one’s success. Do you have any advice or lessons to share regarding finding a mentor or networking in general?
I would say just be open to conversation. You never know who is who in Atlanta & it’s really about who you know in this city. A big thanks to my bro @Mr2weeksout he’s taught me a lot & put me on game.
Contact Info:
- Phone: 757-912-0381
- Email: trainwithbodygawd@gmail.com
- Instagram: BodyGawd
Image Credit:
@Bonnie.blu (Instagram)
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