Today we’d like to introduce you to Jackie Velez.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Jackie. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I grew up in Muskegon, Michigan and later moved to Atlanta a couple of years after college in 2014. I worked in corporate America for a little over six years within the Human Resources division and decided to complete my MBA program in Jacksonville, Florida in December of 2015. In February of 2016, I moved from Jacksonville back to Atlanta and began training with a trainer to help me on my fitness journey. After a couple of months of consistent dieting and training, I decided it would be a fun challenge to compete for a bodybuilding competition – so that’s exactly what I did. Throughout the process, I fell in love with the changes I saw not only in my body but my mind as well. I competed in my very 1st show in October of 2016 and placed 5th out of 21 amateur and veteran competitors! Needless to say, I was hooked on the sport and competed in another competition in March of 2017. During that year of what we call “prep”, I soon realized my love and passion for the fitness industry. During that year of training, I also took it upon myself to implement a health and wellness program every Wednesday in my previous job. I would facilitate both indoor and outdoor group workouts for the colleagues. In July of 2018, I made the decision to follow my heart and jump into personal training full time & haven’t looked back since then! Following my passion was the best decision I ever made.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It has not always been a smooth road. Financially and emotionally there have been some trying times, but thankfully, I’ve been blessed with an amazing support group of friends and family. Having this network of love and support has truly made everything so worth it.
My advice to any young women looking to take a leap of faith to pursue their dream is to not hold back, but be ready for the lows that come with such a risk. No matter what you do, there will always be hard times, but doing it for something you love makes it all worth your while. I’ve used my spiritual faith to help guide me and keep me grounded during my highs and lows.
Please tell us more about your work, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
I am a Personal Trainer at a private gym in West Midtown called HX Fitness. I am known for helping beautiful women reach their full potential in the gym with strength and conditioning guidance. Aside from training women, I also train men! I am most proud of the reputation that I have amongst my clients and within the community. Nothing warms my heart more than hearing not only my clients but non-clients tell me how much they can tell that I love my clients – they really do mean the world to me & so does their progress. During my sessions, I always teach my clients valuable information regarding the exercises I have them doing so that they understand the why’s behind what they’re doing, but also so they understand why proper form is so important.
My ability to relate and build genuine relations with my clients allows me to create a safe space with my clients which I believe is extremely important! I believe many of my HR skill sets were transferable and has helped set me apart from many other trainers.
For good reason, society often focuses more on the problems rather than the opportunities that exist, because the problems need to be solved. However, we’d probably also benefit from looking for and recognizing the opportunities that women are better positioned to capitalize on. Have you discovered such opportunities?
I believe there are always opportunities for hard-working women. Are we at a disadvantage because we are women in certain circumstances, sure, but it doesn’t mean we can’t prove them wrong! I sure as hell am ALWAYS down for a challenge to prove someone wrong. In the personal training arena, I have found that men sometimes underestimate my ability to train other men. Little do they know, more often than not, women trainers go a tad bit harder on their male clients because we know they like the challenge 😉
Every male client that has come to see me has always left saying, “wow, I think that was the most intense workout I’ve ever done”. I’m proud of that!
Pricing:
- Consultation Fee: $15.00
Contact Info:
- Address: 1356 English St NW, Atlanta, GA 30318
- Email: fitvibesbyj@gmail.com
- Instagram: _fitvibesby_j
Image Credit:
Shedfat
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