4 the Health of it!
4 the Health of it!
Empowering Women through Fitness with Atlas Jones
What happens when a determined student from Biloxi, Mississippi, transforms her career path in the wake of a global pandemic? Discover the extraordinary journey of Atlas Jones, the powerhouse CEO and founder of Build a Body Training, as she shares her inspiring story with us. From her days at Howard University to her evolving career goals, Atlas opens up about her decision to become a personal trainer and the drive to uplift women through fitness.
Reconnect with Atlas as she reflects on the pivotal moments that redirected her passion from medicine to the fitness industry. Learn how the pandemic acted as a catalyst, turning her home workout routines into a thriving personal training business. Hear about her experiences in the DMV area, contrasting them with the Southern hospitality she left behind, and how these changes influenced her professional and personal life.
Looking forward, Atlas shares her ambitious vision for Build a Body Training, including business expansion, real estate ventures, and transitioning from hands-on training to motivational speaking. She also addresses crucial topics like childhood obesity, healthy eating habits, and the role of parents in fostering a balanced lifestyle. Through her inspiring connections with clients and her commitment to empowerment, Atlas’s journey is a testament to finding one's true calling and making a lasting impact.
Welcome to season 2024 of For the Health of it. I'm your host, corian K Padpaget. Sit back, relax and enjoy the new episode. Welcome to another edition of For the Health of it. I'm your host, corian K Padpaget, and today I have with me Atlas Jones. Atlas is the CEO, owner and founder of Build a Body Training. Go ahead, Atlas, introduce yourself.
Speaker 2:Hi, I am Atlas. I am located in the DMV area. I live in DC right now. I've been a personal trainer for since, so going on three years now. I've been a personal trainer. I specifically only train women and I decided to take that route because of my own personal journey with fitness going through a transformation within myself during the pandemic, just growing and maturing into a woman. Into a woman, I felt the need to share everything I went through with other women, to uplift other women and to just help them feel more confident in their own skin, in their body and, honestly, it's been the best decision of my life. I love it.
Speaker 1:Okay, cool, cool, cool. So just a little background. As soon as Atlas hopped on this recording with me, first thing she said is she's getting flashbacks to high school. So she's aging me here. You know, besides the hair line and whatnot, atlas was one of my students when I was substitute teaching my first go around at Biloxi High, I believe. Didn't you run track also?
Speaker 2:I did track for one year, but we're not going to talk about that because it wasn't a good All right, all right, all right.
Speaker 1:So a little more, a little more history, just to show you how small Biloxi, Mississippi, is. I went to high school with Atlas's brother, also Giovanni, so yeah, we do have a little background. Well, smaller world is, uh, the fact that you live in dc and my sister-in-law moved up there for a period of time and she ran into you and yeah, uh, yeah, yeah. So she actually told me she was like. She called me up one day. I was, was like she was up there for like two months at this point. Her name's Denise Chair. She was up there for a residency for her. What was orthodontist? She was going to Howard for orthodontistry and she was like I met a girl named Atlas Jones and knows you? I was like, yeah, I know. She was like, yeah, we just both figured out we were from Biloxi. And then we started talking and they always say I know everybody. So yeah, you do, oh, man. So so tell me a little bit. You know we mentioned you from Biloxi. How long have you been in the DMV area?
Speaker 2:I came here in 2016 to go to Howard. I got my bachelor's degree in sports medicine and human performance. When I first went to school for that major, I was going down the doctor track, so I wanted to be an OBGYN, but then I realized that wasn't really going to provide the lifestyle that I want in terms of, like work, family dynamic. So I decided that I wanted to go down my own path of being an entrepreneur, but I just didn't know what that would look like. And then, during the pandemic, that's when I found out that this is what I was really passionate about. I can't wait to leave the DMV. I miss the South so bad.
Speaker 1:So so I was. I was just about to ask you that, uh, a lot of people do consider the DMV area Southern, uh, as a true Southern. What's your opinion?
Speaker 2:on that. That could not be further from the truth.
Speaker 1:Okay, okay, so so what would you say? A lot of people consider it up North. More people on the East coast don't really consider it. Is it like a mixture of all of it?
Speaker 2:Well, I will say you do have a mixture of, like all different types of people from everywhere here, so it's like one big melting pot. So that part is pretty cool. But just the people like in the South were way more hospitable than the people are up here. You might see someone and not know them and say, hey, how are you? And then you guys like engage in a conversation here. That's not really how it goes, like, oh, do I know you? Ok, why are you talking to me?
Speaker 1:OK, OK, OK, All right. So, uh, what? What made you choose Howard?
Speaker 2:Um, the the big. Well, okay, howard was actually the only school I ever applied to. Oh, okay, I only applied to one school and I was just praying that I would get in. But I knew that in high school, uh, my grade point average and everything was pretty exceptional. So I just, you know, put all my faith there. But I wanted to be far, far from home, because I just wanted to see something different. I wanted more out of life and I felt like Mississippi could only do so much for me. And then also, I really was yearning to be surrounded by people that look like me, that were successful. So I think those two things were like the driving factor for me. It was always going to be an HBCU, because I was like I'm ready to go where it's a lot of black people. But then I was like, if I'm going to do something, I have to be the best. I want to be at the best place, and Howard was the best. So that's why I just applied there. Okay, that's what's up.
Speaker 1:That's what's up. You said a couple of things there that really stuck out to me. You say you want to be around a lot of people that look like you and that are successful. I think that is a very important thing, not just that they look like you, but they are successful. Man, just just, I don't know when this episode is going to drop probably within a month or so but the fact that I'm leaving Jackson and going back to the coast, I'm going to miss the fact that I'm around a lot of people that look like me and that are successful, so that that plays a big role into it. It.
Speaker 1:And just to segue, you know I keep up with some of y'all. You know from a distance you, the McDaniel girls, kennedy, gabby I see what she's doing Trey there's a few more, a couple older, a couple younger than y'all. I see Paige is going to go to UMC, but the main thing that really just sticks out to me, I'm like man. I see a lot of these young ladies doing their thing. Man, you know where the fuck is that though. You know I'm happy. I'm happy for them. I'm really don't get me wrong, I'm truly happy for y'all, but I sit back and be like well, you know where, where is so-and-so, you know what is so-and-so doing, and you know I, and so you know what is someone so new? And then you know, uh, I say all that, and then who pops in my head is a guy named shannon. I think shannon might have been. What was the last?
Speaker 1:name ballard, shannon ballard light-skinned dude yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah so I ran into shannon back in like july or august, up here in jackson I was, we were at the and then he says what's up to me? I was like what's up, just thought it was some random dude.
Speaker 2:And I ain't seen you in a while.
Speaker 1:And I look and I'm like wait, what's up, Dude, I don't think I seen you in about 10 years. Man, yeah, so I think he is actually in med school up here at.
Speaker 2:UMC.
Speaker 1:Wow, love that so shout out to him, definitely shout out to him.
Speaker 2:Yes. I'd love to see more Black men going to med school and becoming dentists and following that path.
Speaker 1:For sure, for sure on that. So you said you chose Howard because of his legacy and what you strove to be, and you also wanted to go into the field of being a physician. What actually, you know, kind of strayed you from that?
Speaker 2:um, I started doing more research, okay, so I feel like I went into it for the wrong reasons to begin with okay it's coming from my family not having much and stuff.
Speaker 2:My whole thing was I want to be successful. I want to be successful. But when you're in a place that's like a smaller town or whatever, sometimes the only people that you see are successful are lawyers and doctors. So you think I need to be a lawyer or a doctor and going, based off of what interested me in high school and everything I was like, of like what interested me in high school and everything, I was like, okay, doctor for sure, more than lawyer. Because I was in a like a pre-med type of two-year course, um, avaluxi High, where you were like going to shadow doctors and nurses and stuff like that, and I really was like, oh, I enjoy this, this is fun, whatever. So I guess I should do this.
Speaker 2:Um, and then when I was in college, I started the school. The coursework was never the problem. I've always been pretty talented with school. That's been pretty easy for me. But just looking at what it would be like actually being a doctor, like being on call, especially with me wanting to be an OBGYN, I've always felt like I wanted to help women in some type of way. So that's what made me want to be an OBGYN. I've always felt like I wanted to help women in some type of way, so that's what made me want to be an OBGYN. But knowing that my patient might be going into labor at two in the morning and I have to wake up and go tend to them just different things like that when I thought about the actual lifestyle of it, I was like that doesn't really align with who I am.
Speaker 1:I want to be free, okay, okay. I 100% understand that. I know your brother was a personal trainer at one point. I don't know if he still is. Does he still personal train or does he? Okay, okay, did that have any sway in you?
Speaker 2:It's so crazy because I want to say no but I also feel like I can't say no because my um, my brother even though I grew up living with my dad and stuff, my brother has always been a father figure to me and I always looked up to my brother and a lot of things that my brother did I ended up doing as well, like, I guess, subconsciously. So it's possible that you know, I would have came across personal training and that being my path on my own, and it's also possible that I learned a lot of things from him, like he would take me to the gym with him when I was in high school and that kind of got the ball rolling a little bit early for me, even though it took me going through my own personal life experiences to like really dive into my, my health journey myself.
Speaker 1:OK, all right. That okay, all right. That makes sense. That's me seeing. So at what point, uh, during the pandemic, because that's when you said you, you know, really started to sway. At what point were you like all right, I'm making this change for a life, change, essentially, from you know, going down into med school and then I just want to start my own business and do personal training.
Speaker 2:So when the pandemic hit, it was actually my senior year in college. Okay, so at this point I was like I mean, I'm getting my degree in this, but I don't know what's about to happen. Like I don't know what's my next step. I was praying a lot for, you know, just guidance for God to open my eyes so that I can see what he sees in me, so I can know what path to take. But when everything was shut down, my roommate and I at the time, every morning we will wake up and we will go downstairs and watch a follow along YouTube video, and so, like that started, like us just being consistent and like wanted to take care of our health and stuff, because a lot of people either went one or two ways. They either like stay healthy or got very health conscious, or it was the complete opposite and they kind of let themselves go, and we were both like we don't want to be like that. So let's start by just doing something simple, like following a workout video and then from there, after doing that for some months uh, by the time I guess summer rolled around, I was putting together my own workouts and I noticed that I was pretty good at that like making the intense work, like it just came to me naturally, um, so that made me happy and then I think at that point I started actually seeing some results. Mind you, this is the pandemic, so gyms are still closed. Everything is really body weight I'm not able to use. I didn't have any weights or anything like that. So that was that.
Speaker 2:And then, I think around September, going into about to be my 23rd birthday, I was sitting one day and I was thinking and I was brainstorming and I think entrepreneurship has always kind of been a part of me. I just didn't know how to really channel that. Entrepreneurship has always kind of been a part of me. I just didn't know how to really channel that. So I had bought this. Like there was this place that was really big during the pandemic. It was called the Boss Palace and they basically sold like vendor lists for every type of business. So I basically spent like one hundred dollars or one fifty and I bought that and I was like, if I have the vendor, vendor list, it doesn't matter what I want to do. I could find something off this and try to do it. So then, as I'm like looking into everything, um, I started thinking like oh, I want to sell like some waist trainers, because this was the time where, like I think, it's called waist snatchers um.
Speaker 2:And I think she lives in Biloxi, actually the founder of that, but that was that started blowing up and I was like, wow, I guess this is like the new thing, like the new health thing, and I wanted to be health related. So I started looking into that and getting samples and doing all that type of stuff. And then shortly after I was like you know what I'm all about multiple streams of income. I'm never going to limit myself. So I'm like you know what? You don't have to have a certification to be a personal trainer and technically I'm already qualified by my, my degree in sports medicine. But I was like you know what, if I'm going to do it like I, I said I want to be the best, I want to have as much knowledge as possible. So I took the NASM course on that and I mean I was really relieved because everything I learned in school was everything I learned in the packet. So it was just like a refresher kind of um, and I was like I'm just gonna start, I feel good, I'm happy, like and I think the thing with working out that I love is that it's more than just working out, like when we started doing the working out at nine in the morning type of thing.
Speaker 2:I noticed this change about myself. Like we will work out and then that was it. And then shortly after, like I would work out and then I would do yoga after, and then after that I would work out, do yoga, I started meditating and then after that, like I started journaling and writing gratitude. So it ended up becoming this whole like morning spiritual routine where it was just like a great safe space for me to just pour into myself, to work on myself. I would read 10 pages a on myself. I would read 10 pages a day. I still read 10 pages a day a self-help book, just doing things, to always pour into myself, to be the best version of myself.
Speaker 2:I think that helped me to see that it's so much more than just fitness and it's so much more than just having a nice body, because I feel like so many people they just want to go to summer's coming because their birthday's coming, because of the body, the physical, how, how you present yourself.
Speaker 2:And don't get me wrong, that's very important because it does play into your confidence and your confidence plays into what you think you can achieve and what you're willing to go out there and do, but, um, I don't think it's. It's spoken enough about just the mental clarity you get from it, the better person you become because of it, how much you begin to love yourself, because you're showing up for yourself and you're being consistent and dedicated to something and you're really learning what discipline is about, because you have to continue to show up for an extended period of time even when you don't see results. And I think that all of those lessons that I learned they really are success principles that apply to any type of business, because you have to be willing to show up, you have to be willing to keep doing it when nobody's watching, you have to do it when there's no sales, and all of those things really helped me to be consistent and stay on the path with my brand and stuff. So I'm really thankful for just everything that this experience has brought me.
Speaker 1:OK, all right, your brand. So let's go ahead and plug your brand. Do all that. So what is your brand?
Speaker 2:OK, so my brand is Build a Body Training. Okay, so my brand is Build a Body Training. I used to have a brand called Forward, which is where I sold apparel yoga mats, waist trainers, just fitness like one-stop shop type of thing. I did have to close that business down last February because of a trademark infringement problem, and I'm just sharing this because somebody out there might want to start a business and you need to know about these types of things or you're going to have to close your business, like me. The company basically reached out to me and was like you have two weeks to shut down your entire website and everything that you're doing associated with this name, or we're going to sue you. So I had to do that. I ended up taking a major financial loss because, uh, all the inventory and stuff that I had bought I didn't have an opportunity to sell so, and now there was nothing I could do with it. So that was a big learning lesson for me. Like, don't just get your llc, you also need to make sure you can get it trademarked so that every part of it is yours.
Speaker 2:Um, um, but yeah, so with build a body training, um, I am doing in person and online coaching, um for women all across the U? S. I'm so proud of that. I have a team of over 30 women, um, yeah, and I feel like I've been able to accomplish a lot in the two and a half years, so I'm very proud of myself. I'm looking forward to this summer potentially releasing another line and just starting all of that up. I have an app that I use, so that's how I train the women. Virtually. There's an app on your phone and I give you all the workouts that you need. You can track your nutrition on there. I do daily check-ins with them, so it's very personalized and you're able to do it on your own time. So I really love it. I'll show you my app, yeah go ahead.
Speaker 2:Let's see.
Speaker 1:So when you say you had a team of 30 women, that like they are your employees.
Speaker 2:No, they, I train them.
Speaker 1:OK, got, got you. I don't have any employees. Got you, so you're client-based. Got you, okay. Okay, that's wild.
Speaker 2:So this is my app, let's go to it. Can you see that? No, I think my background yeah, yeah, we can yeah. Okay, and then you click on it and there's a workout assigned every day. You can plug your nutrition, you can track your progress photos, everything is right from your phone. I really I love it. I love it.
Speaker 1:Well, what's the name of the app?
Speaker 2:So it's a member-only app, so I actually have to send you your login credentials to be able to get access to the app from the app store. Gotcha, but it is called Build-A-Body Training, but if you go to the app from the app store, gotcha but it is called build a body training, but if you go to the app store you won't see it that's okay all right?
Speaker 1:well, uh, while while we're here, go ahead and drop your uh, your handles and all that okay, so I am on instagram.
Speaker 2:That's like I need to be better. That's like the only one I'm on, but my Instagram handle is um myths. Build a body m-i-s-s. Build a body, because you can build your body, you do not have to go by me all right, all right.
Speaker 1:So we got what you do, we got who you are, we got your why, uh, and we got your inspiration. So let's talk a little bit about career goals. You mentioned a couple things you're looking forward to this summer. Uh, let's let's forecast. Five years from now, ten years from now. What do you want to be doing, um?
Speaker 2:five years from now. Um, um, I want to still have my online coaching. I no longer want to be a in-person trainer, though. I'd like to be using my time to do content and other things like that, other business ventures that I see myself doing, but by that time, I would like to have the online coaching run by other trainers, so actual employees that I like can and like go over them to make sure they have the same coaching style and everything as me. Um, I see myself being having multiple rental properties, so I'm actually looking forward to trying to do that within having my first one within the next year, so I'm excited about that. Um, I see myself having a multimillion dollar athletic brand where I sell fitness apparel, and I see myself being an author and motivational speaker. Ok, I'm not really going to be training anymore, more so.
Speaker 1:Right, I'm more so doing content, youtube content.
Speaker 2:I want to get into YouTube within the next six months and start transitioning from in-person to fully online, and then I can use that free time to you know. Focus on my YouTube, go and start working on these other business ventures.
Speaker 1:Makes sense, makes sense, I like it, I like it. You mentioned potentially moving, where to see yourself moving.
Speaker 2:To Houston. Okay, all right, I thought you were going to say Atlanta.
Speaker 1:I was like hey, don't go there.
Speaker 2:No, I feel like if I go to Atlanta I might run into 15 people from my school, from high school, so I don't want to be too known.
Speaker 1:Right, right. Yeah, I can tell you off top. My sister moved there, so I'm like man. Once she moved, I'm definitely not moving. Traffic is horrible, so yeah. Yeah, yeah, he was the wave, as you kids say.
Speaker 2:Not as you kids say oh man, hey. So.
Speaker 1:I was a young teacher. You know it's crazy when you think about it. I met you like 10 years ago, so I've been in this game for like 10 years now and you know, the children basically stay the same age and I keep getting older and older. I keep finding myself like, oh these kids are.
Speaker 2:These kids are weird.
Speaker 1:You know when we, when I first started with y'all, you know, I'm not saying you ever said this, but it's been told to me that I was a young hip teacher.
Speaker 2:Cool oh, yeah, yeah and you know it's.
Speaker 1:It's definitely not that way. Now I am, I'm not the young hip guy anymore, so what was that part I?
Speaker 2:said you out here feeling seasoned. Oh yeah, oh yeah I'm definitely, hey, definitely seasoned.
Speaker 1:Definitely I am. I'm fine with that, I'm absolutely fine with that. So you mentioned, uh, while you were talking about getting your certification and whatnot, that your schooling. You felt like you were already well prepared, but you felt like, you know, if I'm going to do this, I at least need to have the credentials everybody else have you mentioned that you felt like your schooling prepared you enough for that. Can you speak on how your schooling and your college degree prepared you for that certificate? Because I actually felt the same way. So go ahead.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think, as far as school, with my major being sports medicine, a lot of the classes that I was taking was anatomy one and two sports medicine, where we like talked about helping athletes triage all that type of stuff. Like talked about helping athletes triage all that type of stuff. Um, I took a weight lifting class where I went into the gym like three times a week and they taught me about different equipment, what it's for, how to use it properly, like all those different types of things, and just learning everything about the body, how the body moves, learning what body parts are what when it comes down to muscles and everything. Um, I feel like that prepared me because I feel like that's what a lot of the test was about you know how the body functions, what, what goes together, and things like that.
Speaker 1:OK, ok, cool. A lot of, a lot of origins, assertions, actions OK, cool, cool, cool. So one of my main questions I wanted to ask you you know you being from Mississippi, you're still technically in the South and you know moving even further south to Texas. So you know, one of the things we battle down here is obesity, in particular, childhood obesity. So I know you primarily work with women, but what could you do or what is something that the community and industry can do to battle childhood obesity?
Speaker 2:Honestly, I believe that it starts with the parents, because the kids don't teach themselves these habits. The kids, they're just kids. I just eat what's in the house. I eat what my parents have for me. You know what I mean.
Speaker 2:So I feel like and I think this is also another reason why I love working with women because while men are the head of the household, the woman is truly the backbone of the household. And I feel like if a woman knows how to nourish her body and nourish her husband or spouse's body, and that trickles down to the kids. Because if you live a healthy lifestyle and you're the mom or the wife and you're preparing all the food, then the food is going to be healthy. You know what I mean. But if you're not really health conscious, how can you expect that your kids will be? And then also, I feel like kids don't really play anymore, and I feel like that's a really big problem because with everything being so technological, like kids are always either watching TV on a tablet, on a phone, on a computer, like something you know they're never like running around and playing like how we used to be.
Speaker 1:Don't forget I got. Like 10 years on you, we used to be um.
Speaker 2:Don't forget, I got like 10 years on, you still used to play like it starts with with women and and just adults in general okay, yeah, gotcha, okay, all right.
Speaker 1:Uh, my next question for you is you know you mentioned cooking in the woman preparing food. My wife doesn't really cook that often, so I'm the one you know in my household that prepares the food. Lately it's been a struggle, I won't lie to you about that. But so if one thing my wife likes to think of is bland food, and she, well, I don't know if she thinks of that, but her cooking is very bland, bland food, and she, well, I don't know if she thinks of that, but her cooking is very bland. So so how, if my wife was a client of yours and she came to you telling you that, oh, you know, atlas went, went, went. I cook. My husband doesn't like my cooking. He says it's very bland. What can I do to spice it up, to make it taste better, but also keeping it healthy?
Speaker 2:I think that this is the number one, like a million dollar question for everyone, like everybody across the board, women and men, because I feel like, before we can ever have a healthy relationship with food, we have to get the images out of our head of what's good food and what's bad food. You know what I mean, because so many people have this like oh, I want to be healthy right now, so I'm only going to eat salads, I'm only going to eat this, I'm only going to eat that, and it's so rich. The diet that they have in mind is so restrictive that it's not sustainable. And I feel like, in terms of your wife, she's got to get a little creative. You know, she got to get some more spices in the cabinet. I feel like, if you can season, you can cook anything good. But yeah, I have a lot of people who come to me and they're like you know, I'm about to do this three-day detox. Before I start with you, I'm about to where I only drink smoothies and I'm going to do this, I'm going to do that, and I'm like don't do that, don't even do that, don't even wish your money doing that. I'm going to tell you right now.
Speaker 2:This is about learning that life is all about balance. There's an 80% and a 20%. 80% of what you put in your body needs to be, um, nutritious, whole foods, not processed, not fried. Um, you know what I mean and thankfully you know, we have an air fryer invention. Now you can have so many more foods that actually taste fried and they're not bad for you. Like, I just posted a reel on my Instagram on how to make fried chicken without flour or grease. Ok, so that keeps it low calories. No, it's not high in fat. Like, it's still good for you. But, yeah, I think you just gotta figure out, like, take all your favorite meals and be like, okay, what is the problem with this meal? And then you can say, okay, if, if me, having it fried in oil is the problem, how can I cook this and make it fry without that? Maybe get an air fryer simple, you know yeah, hey, it makes sense to me.
Speaker 1:Makes sense to me, all right, uh. So, before I get you up out of here, uh, what's your personal life looking like? How's everything going, everything good?
Speaker 2:everything is is great. Honestly, um, I really I'm really happy with everything going on in my life right now. Um, I'm dating someone. We've been dating for a while. I hope that it leads to marriage, so that's great. Um, business is going great. I am looking to hit my first six figure year this year. That is like I'm super proud of that, um, especially because I've never worked for a gym, so like any clients I ever had was literally through word of mouth or like me posting on social media and stuff like that.
Speaker 2:Um, and my spiritual life. I feel very spiritually fed right now. I've been going to church out here I have a church home, so I go every Sunday. I've been reading, pouring into myself, so I'm really happy. I need to do more and I was just saying this the other day. I feel like the last couple of years have been I've been so focused on growing my business and growing the financial side of my life that I haven't poured as much energy and effort into my relationships, like with friends and family. I haven't visited family in the last like two years, like, and it's like my dad is about to turn 70 in August and I'm like I can't go a year plus, without seeing him. You know what I mean Because, god forbid, you never know when someone is going to go. You know what?
Speaker 1:I mean.
Speaker 2:I need to just pour into that side of me a little bit more. Now that I have more financial stability in my life, I feel like I'll be able to go and do those things.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you're no longer a broke college student.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you know.
Speaker 1:So when was the last time you've been to Biloxi?
Speaker 2:When my sister graduated. If I graduate, if I graduate, when did I graduate? 16, right From from college, 2020. So she would have been graduating. When did she graduate? I think that was three years ago. Ok, yes, yes, yes, I graduated college and then she graduated high school. Ok, so, three years. You also got to remember. So it's been about three years. I graduated college and then she graduated high school.
Speaker 1:Okay, yes, so three years, you also got to remember, so it's been about three years.
Speaker 2:Yes, a long time Okay.
Speaker 1:I mean, you also got to remember there was a pandemic that you know seemed to be on a lot of travel. So there is that. And one last thing how was it when you got your first client?
Speaker 2:I will actually never forget my first client. Um, it was a guy, because at this point, when you first started out and you don't have clients, you can't really be picky. So I wasn't a only woman trainer at this time. I started training someone that I knew from Howard. Um, that was a guy that was transitioning to be a girl actually, so he wanted to build his physique to kind of look like a woman and we started working together and it was very eye opening because you know, you have to explain things to people on the level of like a third grader. You know you can't just say all this terminology that they don't know and like. So it was a really, a really good learning experience for me.
Speaker 2:It was actually a short lived. We didn't, we didn't train together for that long, but I ended up meeting someone in his building that came up to me and was like hey, are you a trainer? I see you in here sometimes I'm looking for a trainer or whatever and she is actually still my client to this day. I've trained her this whole time and I'm training her through her pregnancy right now. So, like it's just, it's just, it's really beautiful to for people to be able to see me grow and for me to be able to watch other women grow.
Speaker 2:I feel, like so extremely blessed by the type of women that I get to train. Like one of my clients, she has like multiple rental properties in DC that she has like million dollar homes and stuff, and like that being something that I want to go into. I feel so blessed to have that connection because she could teach me and we actually have a real, genuine relationship, so it's not like it's anything you know to to call her or text her. And I have another client who has a swimwear line. Um, that is like being sold by express and like I've been featured in sports, illustrated and like just a lot of great things. And I will say that's one thing about being in this area you will meet a lot of successful women who are doing extremely well for themselves and it's so empowering. Yeah, that's what thing about being in this area you will meet a lot of successful women who are doing extremely well for themselves and it's so empowering.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's what's up. That is what's up. So one thing I want to say before I get up out of here, after I say this you know, again, drop your socials and all that again, but you are an inspiration. I'm proud of you. Keep doing what you're doing. You are you never know who's watching you, but you are definitely doing a great job oh, my christ thanks no problem, no problem.
Speaker 1:So, uh, hey, go ahead and drop those socials and how you can, people can reach you and uh, that'll be all yes, so, um, you can check out my website buildabodytrainingcom.
Speaker 2:I do have um a workout pdf guide there like a 21 day challenge. You can follow me on instagram or tiktok at miss build a body m-i-s-s, build a body um. And I think that's all instagram and tiktok.
Speaker 1:Yeah, okay all right, cool. So this has been another episode of, for the health of it, and I'm your host, kory and K-Pat Padgett, and thank you.