Meet Trailblazer Toni Chiarini

Today we’d like to introduce you to Toni Chiarini.

Toni, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I was born and raised in a small but quaint beach town called Englewood, a hidden gem along the West Coast of Florida. With miles of white sand beaches, sunny warm weather, a relaxed pace, amazing food, culture and fine arts, one would find it hard not to love. I basically lived where everyone vacationed. Now this town did have a couple of negatives. One being the average age was 70 and two, if you weren’t in that age bracket you were expected to be married with children by your late twenties. Which I wasn’t. I very easily become the odd duck out in this town.

While I loved my time there, I knew it wasn’t my forever home. For many years, I struggled with whether or not I should leave and try something different. This town was my comfort zone and as we all know it can be extremely comfortable there! Even though I felt in my gut there was so much more for me, I was scared. That fear always gave me reasons not to leave and so, I stayed and then stayed some more. Until one day, I just couldn’t quiet that voice telling me to go. See the funny thing about that inner voice, it keeps on nagging you until you listen. Finally one day, I listened! I packed all of my stuff and left my family, my friends, the business I had built and said goodbye to my comfort zone!

I had no idea where I was going I just knew I had to go. I decided to make my first stop in Boston. I had a best friend up there who offered me a job and a place to stay. It wasn’t going to be a permanent stay but it was definitely the push I needed. With that being said, it only took a month of Boston’s cold weather to get my butt in gear! I am not a cold weather girl so I knew I needed to make some decisions and quickly! I will say it is much easier to figure out what you do want once you realize what you don’t.

While I was trying to figure out my next move I started thinking about how everything in one way or another happens for a reason. I had actually made a spontaneous pitstop in Atlanta on my way to Boston. This stop is what put Atlanta in my path. I had never been before and honestly wouldn’t have had a reason to ever go. So I decided to do some research on the city and in the process, discovered the sister of a good friend, lived in Atlanta. Her sister was kind enough to let me stay with her for a few weeks to check out the area and see if it was a place I wanted to stay. During that time, I ended up landing my first fitness job in the A and that’s where the story truly begins.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
In no way, shape, or form has this been a smooth road. This journey has definitely been an emotional roller coaster, to say the least, with many struggles along the way! These struggles had me questioning my path and if I had made the right decision. I was all by myself, feeling lost, alone, and unsure of what to do. I was honestly about to give up and move back home. I mean… I tried right? At least that’s what I was telling myself. But did I really try? I knew when I made the decision to leave it wasn’t going to be easy but how hard was it supposed to be?

A question I believe everyone at some point in their lives asked themselves. Then I realized its ok to acknowledge it’s harder than you thought it would be because doubt has to be dealt with.

We all know change and growth can be painful but sometimes we have to take a moment and breathe in the fear and uncertainty. I believe fear has a way of creating a false reality for most of us that can paralyze us. It keeps us from moving forward. We end up staying stagnant or worse, going backwards. It isn’t easy to take a look at the challenges we’ve faced and ask “how can this make me better”? This is when I had to tell myself that sometimes it has to get worse before it gets better. We must remember that sometimes, as hard as it is, we just have to sit with the hurt and pain because the only way out is through it. Growth isn’t easy but it’s worth it.

The best advice I can give to any woman young or old, is to keep moving forward, know it’s never too late to go after what you want. I know this can be hard, especially when faced with a society that makes us believe we have an expiration date on our achievements while simultaneously causing us to question our strength. But when it’s all said and done, I hope to inspire women to see that it is truly never too late to find your path and purpose. Always remember when one door closes, it is to guide you to the door that is already open, waiting for you to walk through it. There is no better feeling than putting the puzzle pieces together and understanding why everything happened the way that it did. We just need to trust the process.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about your business – what should we know?
I am a certified fitness instructor. I currently coach at Statwellness and F45 functional training. I have been in this industry for ten years now and I love it! I am very fortunate to be doing what I love. I’d have to say I am known for my glute workouts. Everyone wants a bigger backside these days! However, this is just how I pull them in! My real goal is to help women see their overall strength. It’s not about a big butt and a small waist!

I meet so many women , who feel they aren’t capable of doing certain exercises or they put limits on what they can accomplish with their bodies. I help show them this is a misconception. I believe the fact that I am genuine and relatable allows me to get women to trust me. This is what sets me apart because once I gain their trust, they believe in me which in return helps them believe in themselves. There is no greater feeling for me.

I also work with many women who feel after a certain age it’s over and they can’t get their bodies in the shape that they want. This again is another misconception. I’m a walking advertisement that this is not true! I take pride in showing women that strong is beautiful because that’s what we are, strong and beautiful.

Along with my training business I have recently co-created a monthly fitness+nutrition event call ATLFitspo. My business partner and I both came to realize that there were few outlets and social events where people could come and get information on fitness and nutrition, all under one roof! We decided to bridge the gap.

Our events not only offer a 45-minute workout run by me but also the opportunity to learn about holistic nutrition and wellness, ask questions, and meet some amazing vendors. And the best part, we cap our events to 50 people max, in order to provide a more intimate and hands on experience. We want to form real connections and a real community.        Our vision was to create a welcoming and safe space for anyone seeking a healthy lifestyle without feeling overwhelmed or intimidated. My plan is to create real connections, one event at a time. I am beyond excited to bring this concept to Atlanta.

We’re interested to hear your thoughts on female leadership – in particular, what do you feel are the biggest barriers or obstacles?
It can be difficult to receive support from other women. Yes, the movement for women empowering women is making strides everyday but it is far from perfect. Although I do believe there is a multitude of women who truly support one another, there are many women who claim to be about togetherness, uplifting each other and helping each other succeed and sadly, they are not. They are picking and choosing the women they show that respect to and that is just not good enough. If we are truly to change the old ways of thinking that we need to empower all women no matter age, size, color or status. We need to focus on giving genuine support and encouragement versus simply giving the illusion of it.

Today’s society paints an unrealistic picture of what we as women should look like. We must start appreciating and loving our bodies the way they are. Self-confidence is extraordinarily important and yet painfully difficult to feel. All of the Photoshop, editing, and cosmetic procedures, it can make any woman go crazy! Coupled with the fact that social media makes it near impossible to not compare ourselves to everyone else, our self-confidence can really take a beating! We can become very critical of not only ourselves but others. I find if we choose to not compare ourselves and support our own well-being, it puts us in a better mindset to lift others up rather than judge them.

Contact Info:

• Address:​ 2359​ Logan Circle NE​
• Phone: ​941-441-7007
• Email:​ ToniChiariniFitness@gmail​.com
• Instagram: ​tonichiarini

Image Credit:
kat duquette

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.