Today we’d like to introduce you to Shannon Washington.
Shannon, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
All my life, I’ve taken the “safe” route. I always had a passion for fitness/health/wellness, but that profession wasn’t going to secure the financially stable and comfortable life that I wanted, according to society. You were supposed to go to college and major in something IT or medical-related, graduate and get a good job, make six figures, then BOOM happiness, right? WRONG! I took that safe route. I majored in computer engineering, landed my first job at a very reputable company working in IT and wound up living a very comfortable, content, and mediocre life to say the least. I had no passion for what I did. I was literally just going through the motions. The only time I ever felt that warm fuzzy feeling inside, like I was doing something that mattered, was when I was doing anything fitness related.
So in 2019, I stepped out on faith (partially) and began a side hustle of training my close friends and loved ones. I didn’t take it too seriously. It was just something to do. Something that fed my soul a little bit so I didn’t feel so empty inside. I knew my end goal was to be a full-time personal trainer. I just didn’t know where to start or how to get there. So I got in the rut of just being comfortable with my bi-weekly paychecks, living in complacency, and telling myself, “I’m going to get serious about this ONE day.” Well, that one day came and came very quickly when coronavirus hit the U.S. As many companies took a hard hit due to the unprecedented virus, my company was no exception and the result was me being laid off. Although that was one of the scariest moments of my life because I literally had no idea what I was going to do next and my routine life was turned upside down, it was also one of the best things that could have ever happened to me! It forced me to take my personal training dreams seriously, really grind to make success happen for me in that space, and operate in my passion.
Of course, I had major doubts and questioned everything all the time, but I couldn’t let that stop or deter me from what I knew God had for me. Currently, I have left corporate completely with no plans of looking back. I am an entrepreneur creating my own hours and work schedule, working in a brand new gym that just opened in West Midtown Atlanta (The FIT Spot ATL) as a personal trainer with a growing client base, and 100% operating in my purpose and passion. I wouldn’t trade my journey for anything in the world because I am in the position I am in today because of it and I’m forever grateful. To God, be the glory!
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The transition from corporate to entrepreneur, surprisingly, hasn’t been extremely rough like I thought it would be. Once the initial shock of being laid off wore off and the fear of “what’s next?” subsided, I really just saw tunnel vision and decided for myself that this was do or die for me. That there was no looking back and I was going to make it happen. As soon as I took on that mindset, everything just started falling into place the way that it was supposed to. I also had an amazing support system that would speak life and prosperity over me constantly so that helped me a lot throughout the transition and made it feel a bit easier as well.
StackedByShan Fitness – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
StackedByShan Fitness LLC is my personal training business. The ultimate goal is to help anyone who decides to train with me become STACKED, which means to become strong, a powerhouse, and the very best version of themselves that they can be mentally and physically. I push my clients past their limits because the only way you grow in any aspect of life is to be uncomfortable. Growth and comfortability cannot coincide and it’s the same concept in the gym. If you want to be the best version of you, you sometimes have to do things you’ve never done before and I’m passionate about my clients so I’m going to make sure they get there no matter what they think they can’t do.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
I define success not by money or status, but by happiness. Some of the richest people in the world are also some of the most unhappy. It doesn’t matter how much money you make or how much power you have, if you aren’t truly happy, all of that doesn’t matter.
Contact Info:
- Address: 684 Antone St NW
Suit 106 Atlanta, GA 30318 - Website: www.stackedbyshanfitness.com
- Phone: 2058865489
- Email: info@stackedbyshanfitness.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stackedbyshanfitness/
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