Conversations with the Inspiring Danielle DiCaterino

Today we’d like to introduce you to Danielle DiCaterino.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Danielle. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I think it all started at a young age! All through school, I was an athlete. From age 6-17, I was a competitive baton twirler, ran track in middle school and cheered in high school. I continued my competitive spirit as an adult by competing in bikini bodybuilding shows and playing football in the Legends League (formerly known as the lingerie football league). I’ve always enjoyed sports and being active so naturally, I gravitated towards the fitness industry! Shortly after my first Bikini bodybuilding show in 2013, I became so fascinated with the anatomy of the body. I watched my body transform into what I wanted it to look like with a lot of discipline, hard work, and structure from my coach and thought “I really want to know how and why this happening!” So, I started reading and doing my own research. I fell in love with how the body functions and made the decision to get my training certification. At that time, I was living in Valdosta, GA finishing up with cosmetology school. I already knew I didn’t want to go that route so I finished, moved to Atlanta and started training pretty quickly. It was a rough start trying to figure out what type of training I wanted to specialize in, what type of client I wanted to work with and where but I eventually figured all of that out with time and consistency. A few years in, I found my gym home and my dedicated, beautiful and strong clientele of women! In life, I’ve battled insecurities, low self-esteem, and body dysmorphia. Working out and feeling strong physically and mentally has helped me overcome a lot of these struggles that I know all women face every day which leads me to my purpose… helping women. I love making them feel empowered and strong with the workouts I give them. I challenge them day after day and watching them grow physically and mentally every workout is by far the most satisfying thing for me. I know for a fact that being active and treating your body with respect gives you a better quality of life and my goal in life is to make every woman I work with, gain that mindset.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Everything comes with ups and downs, including entrepreneurship! With social media, people see more of the ups which are great. It’s inspiring and motivating but it can also be misleading. Do I think we should show every downfall we have? No. But I do think we need to continuously keep in mind that we are humans and we will fall short sometimes! I think my biggest struggle with starting my own business, was staying consistent through my shortcomings. I would lose a client or feel like my clientele wasn’t growing fast enough and just quit promoting myself and take time off. I would fall victim to my emotions. That just slowed down the process! I used to bartend the first 3-4 years of training and I knew I had that to fall back on so it was easy for me to give up. That was a mindset I had to quickly get rid of. I think its always smart to have a steady income and keep it when you start off working for yourself but never get stuck in the mindset of it being your fall back. Work on your passion as if its the only thing you have to survive. For my lady entrepreneurs, I do not have it all together by any means but one piece of advice I can give you is to never lose sight of the big picture. No matter what’s going on in your life, what emotions you’re feeling or how hard it gets, ALWAYS remember why you started. Before you start your journey, find a mantra and go back to it every time things get weird. It helps!

Please tell us more about your work, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
I am a master personal trainer specializing in strength training and high-intensity conditioning! I train one-on-one, small group and online. I’m known for working with women, helping them attain their body goals and empowering them to bring the same mindset they have in the gym into everyday life. I have studied all muscle groups but my favorite to learn about and work on are the Gluteal muscles. I am proudly known for getting your booty right and tight! I have taken years of experience and knowledge and put together a program called Guide to Glutes that’s gotten great results. I also focus on lower body 3x/week with my in-person clients. I think what sets me apart from others is my knowledge and passion to not only train but teach! I take pride in making sure that my clients have some understanding of why they are doing what they’re doing in the gym. I know that they appreciate it!

What do you feel are the biggest barriers today to female leadership, in your industry or generally?
Besides facing male-dominated mindsets and biases, I think our biggest barrier as a human race but women especially, is fear of failure. Failure is a possibility in anything we pursue but we can’t let our insecurities prevent us from seeing and knowing our worth! We deserve to own that business and dominate that room without doubting ourselves. I have to work on this daily and I encourage women to work through those self-doubting moments that you will constantly face when starting something of your own. In the past, I’ve let things slip out of my hands because I was waiting on the right time or I felt like I wasn’t ready. That’s a mindset I had to let go because it was holding me back from my goals and dreams! We have to stop viewing failure as a negative and start seeing it as a teaching moment, learn from it and keep pushing. Goes back to me saying, NEVER lose sight of the big picture. Stay the course!

Pricing:

• Guide to Glutes Online Program – $50

Contact Info:

• Address: 1356 English Street NW
  Atlanta, Ga 30318
• Website: https://linktr.ee/ddicaterino
• Phone: 404-423-1310
• Email: ddicaterino3@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ddicaterino/

Image Credit:
Caleb Walker

Getting in touch: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.