Today we’d like to introduce you to Lesley Henderson.
Hi Lesley, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was tired of things not working and I was tired of being the fat girl in the room and nothing worked. I didn’t want to pay for an expensive trainer that was completely out of touch, the Planet Fitness thing didn’t work, the LA Fitness thing did ok but no real results so I found a Groupon for Crossfit and I decided to try it. The greatest thing I needed to fix was not allowing life to push my fitness to the side. I needed to figure out how to make my health and wellness a priority.
I found CrossFit a good mix between challenging, way too hard, community involved and a confident booster! I found my consistency once I started seeing results. So I finally got the courage to compete, but I noticed not many people looked like me at the competition. I started a group and it started growing faster than I imagined. Here we are 3 Atlanta Masters Classics, 2 Athletes of the Year, a host of Free yoga sessions, and free community workout sessions later we are here with a brand that is the resource for POC and Allies in the fitness space.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Smooth, that’s funny!!! After getting a letter from Crossfit HQ it was time to revamp the business and be more inclusive of other workout types. I had this plan initially but I wanted to get more POC( People of color) in CrossFit since our community is so unrepresented. If you know a crossfitter, you should know we are crazy about standards and fitness integrity. After being forced to leave my original gym home when my father passed and management changed, I was broken and hurt, I lost my dad, the person that encouraged me to workout and was hard on me about my weight so finding a gym while building a house was a challenge. I was thankful I found a spot to help out at and host my competition while it wasn’t the best time of my life in 2021/2022. I tried to be very kind to myself and provide myself with tons of grace. The loss of my uncle, dad, gym family then my grandmother, I really had to find my place. Life I actually had time to just be. When I was able to process, my vision about this movement started to come to me. In the middle of 2022 we found a gym close to our home Savage Society Crossfit I wanted to give back in a small way. I have my own gym now but I wanted to be attached to a community! So I have the honor of volunteer coaching once per week just to give back, coaching brings me happiness, being a part of someone’s fitness journey is a privilege. I started to see some type of light. After being hit with having surgery in late November 2022, I once again had to pull myself out of a dark place. Not being able to work out for 16+ weeks is not only hard physically, it’s mentally depressing. But once released I knew I had to make my next move make sense. So I am fighting again to be back, with recovery taking possibly over a year of baby steps.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Melanin Fitness Nation is the premiere fitness resource for people of color and allies. We provide resources, information, accountability, events, connections between coaches and clients/gyms, resources for gym owners, and free or low-cost health and wellness activities available to those who are unable to access them otherwise. We also provide trainers with tools to jumpstart and or organize his/her business to be efficient, we also help with administrative tasks and marketing for gym owners.
Our goal is to inspire our community towards a healthier lifestyle and provide them with the tools to do so. We offer competitive fitness competitions, host events, partner with fitness brands, and share resources to help individuals get healthy and reach their goals.
We understand that health and wellness is an important factor in living well-balanced lives. That’s why we are dedicated to helping our community achieve greater physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being through our programs, services, resources, and connections. So come join us on this journey towards getting fit – together! Let Melanin Fitness Nation be your guide as you embark on this life-changing experience. Health is wealth – let’s invest in ourselves!
One of our main programs is called the Turning point that includes: a mental health, physical health, emotional health & Nutritional health component. This program is scalable & sustainable no matter where you are in fitness. This program can be great for companies looking to get a healthier work culture, increase overall work output and provide a new sense of a healthy and sustainable work-life balance.
No matter where you’re starting, we know the journey toward health and fitness can be a long one. That’s why Melanin Fitness Nation is here to provide the tools and resources necessary to make it easier. With us, you’ll have access to coaches, mentors, events, competitions, gym owners/managers, and brands – all with the same goal in mind: getting healthy and staying fit! We look forward to growing and supporting our community together. Let’s get started!
Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
NO luck here, just hard work, doors being closed, better ones opening. But if I had to pick I am lucky to come in contact with great trainers and athletes that are really needing help with health and wellness and it makes my heart and soul happy to be a resource. Being able to have any presence in someone’s fitness journey is luck because they could have met anyone else or asked anyone else for help but they asked me! That’s one of the luckiest things ever! I am also very lucky to have met Reggie with CareSource. He believed and supported this vision so I guess that’s pure universal energy luck!
Upcoming Events we would love to have you join us!
September 2023: Team Fitness Competition (Covington, GA)
YOGA Dates: Savage Society Crossfit 14500 Lochridge Blvd Ste E, Covington, GA, 30014
Tuesday August 8th @ 6PM
Saturday August 12th @10 -10:20A (after community workout)
Sunday August 13th @ 10A
Tuesday August 22nd @6PM
Sunday August 27th @ 10A
Free Community Workout August 12th
February 2024: MFN Virtual Lift Off
March 2024: Virtual 50/50 Double Unders & Singles Challenge
May 18th 2024: North East Hunger Games (Enfield, CT)
June 15th 2024 Atlanta Masters Classic (Covington, GA)
Contact Info:
- Website: www.melaninfitnessnation.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/melaninfitnessnation?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA==
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/780545263415917/?ref=share_group_link
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lesley-sanders-henderson-5111b691
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@Melaninfitnessnation
Image Credits
ICU Photography
