I’m such a loser! Before I left for Australia, I thought I hit “schedule” for this post to go up, but apparently I hit “save to drafts”. My bad. Four weeks after Part 2, here’s the third and final installment of my little mini series. If you need to catch up, here’s Part 1 and Part 2. When we left off, I’d just gotten laid off from my corporate job…

Universe Guides Dumb, Unprepared Girl into Fitness Industry

Part 3 | Becoming a Full-Time Blogger and Fitness Professional

Chapter 5 | Baptism by Fire: Surprise! You’re Now a Full-Time Blogger

Money. That was now my biggest problem. I was technically a professional blogger by default of not having any other job title, but Pumps & Iron was making only about $500 a month at the time. Full-time blogger, middle school babysitter salary. While I did find that by having more time to put into the blog I was definitely able to monetize it better and grow my audience more effectively, the rate at which revenue was increasing wasn’t fast enough to financially support me before my small savings and even smaller severance package ran out.

I couldn’t just blog—I needed a second job. But the thought of getting another corporate position physically hurt. I had just gotten out, I couldn’t go back in. My former coworkers were so amazingly kind and supportive in offering help, recommendations and connections in getting me another job, but I turned it all down. It wasn’t the logistically smart thing to do, but it was the right thing to do.

I thought about moving back in with my parents temporarily to save money while I built up the business side of my blog but my parents live … on an island. And their second home is … in the middle of the woods with no internet. Neither would be a good career move (nor done my sanity any favors).

I called my parents (probably crying again) with my predicament. I couldn’t leave Boston, but I couldn’t afford to stay in Boston. I couldn’t get a real job, but I needed money. I couldn’t yet teach fitness or train because I had no certifications, but I couldn’t afford to sign up for certification courses in the first place. I couldn’t pay rent. I couldn’t buy groceries. MY PETS’ HEADS WERE FALLING OFF.

(For those of you living under rocks or born after 1995, that’s a reference to Dumb and Dumber. I don’t actually have pets with severed heads).

I felt really stuck and frustrated, and then once again was given the gift of guidance. This time it wasn’t from the Universe, it was from my mom and dad. I remember my dad asking me, “Bottom line: Can this blog become a livelihood? Are there other people out there doing this as a career?” Yes. Yes. I believed so fully that I could make this happen. And, as has been the case throughout my whole life, my beyond-words-amazing parents believed in me, too.

If not for their confidence in me, and support of the notion that if it makes you happy, it’s worth pursuing, I would have had a much different journey to where I am now. I still would have gotten here, but it would have taken a lot longer. I would have had to get another “real” job quick (probably unrelated to health) to pay the bills; it would have taken me months to slowly save up enough to afford the CPT and Btone certification courses; and with less time to put into my blog, it would have grown at a much slower rate. My parents told me not to worry about money—they’d pay my rent and help with other expenses as needed—they just wanted me to focus and work my ass off at this thing.

You don’t need to tell me how lucky I am to have parents willing and—equally important in this case—able to do that for me. I know. Lord do I know. And I’m thankful for them everyday. That’s why when I get reader emails asking for advice on transitioning into the fitness industry, I almost feel a little guilty even responding. I had it easy with this grace period of financial support. I know that’s not the norm.

Chapter 6 | Getting My Personal Training Certification & Teaching at Btone

As appreciative of my parents’ help as I was, I also hated that I had to accept it. I felt like a complete loser. Twenty-five years old and getting a check from Mommy and Daddy every month to pay my rent. At first I couldn’t even admit it to my friends I was so embarrassed. I felt like a failure every time I deposited that check, but used that feeling to drive my pursuit of career success. I wanted to close my account with the Bank of Dad as soon as possible.

Step 1: Get my personal trainer certification. Except, in hindsight, this should have been step 2. That’s my biggest piece of advice for anyone looking to get into teaching and training—start teaching group fitness FIRST. It’s cheaper to get certified, it takes less time (yoga and some other specialties notwithstanding), and you honestly don’t need a personal training background for most disciplines. Does it give you a leg up? Yes. But it’s by no means a deal breaker. You’ll start making some money right away and will get hands-on experience that will be far more valuable than anything you read in a CPT textbook.

I didn’t know that though, so I signed up for the NASM personal training certification (you can read my review of it here if you’re interested). Even though I didn’t necessarily want to be a personal trainer, I wanted the knowledge base—both for teaching group fitness and to legitimize myself as a fitness professional (vs. enthusiast). While studying for that, I randomly stumbled across Btone. A couple of my friends were going to a class one Sunday and asked if I wanted to tag along. Apparently the classes were amazing and done on some sort of torture device machine. I decided to go with them, and it was love at first burn.

I didn’t have a lot (any) money at the time, so in order to afford Btone classes I stopped putting gas in my car, cancelled my cable service and reverted to old college methods of eating and drinking as cheaply as possible (fill up on free samples at the grocery store for lunch, sneak your own Bud Lights into the bar, etc.). I’m serious. Even then, I couldn’t afford to go a ton, but I still cherished every single class I could attend. Ballin’ and Btonin’ on a budget, yo!

With perfect timing, the week after I passed my personal training test, I saw on the Btone Facebook page that they were looking for new instructors and going to hold a teacher training. I immediately put all other projects on hold and set to work putting together a letter and my resume to send over. Looking back, it’s hilarious how much time I spent thinking and over-thinking my application because Jody (Btone’s owner) is the most laidback boss ever and I was treating it as if I were applying to be President of the United States of America.

The training was spread out over several weekends, and then I had to complete some co-teaching classes where I’d teach with a current, experienced Btone instructor. There were definitely some nerves those first couple classes, but I was surprised at how quickly the pre-class jitters faded. And I loved teaching! It felt like it just clicked for me. I was where I was supposed to be, doing what I was supposed to do. “Happy” is a pathetic understatement.

It was now about five months since I’d been laid off and I felt like all the pieces were starting to fall into place. I was making money teaching one of my favorite workouts in the world, all the while watching my blog quickly grow in both following and revenue. I woke up happy and excited for the day, every day. And as someone who has struggled with depression in the past, I know that happiness is and will always be my biggest goal and marker of success.

It was with a lot of help and a little luck, but I was finally doing it.

Chapter 7 | Continuing to Grow My Business

Since then (about a year ago), I’ve continued to work at figuring out this whole blogging as a business thing and furthering my fitness career. I’ve gotten a couple additional certifications (Spinning and Indo-Row), and am always hungry to learn more. I’ve heard great things about NASM’s Corrective Exercise Specialist course, want to do a kettlebell training, and one day would love to work towards my Master’s degree in Exercise Science or Nutrition. I also love alternative medicine and holistic healing so who knows where the future will lead me—a few years from now you might find me meditating with a shaman in the rainforest learning about herbs and spirits. Don’t worry, I’ll blog about it the whole time.

When I first started teaching, Btone was definitely paying the majority of my bills. Over the last year, I’ve seen the blog grow to equal it and now surpass it, which is really cool. Even when I don’t need the income, I would never stop teaching because I love it so much, but it makes me so proud to watch my little blogging baby become a viable livelihood on its own. I’m not there yet, and some months are better than others depending on sponsorships and project opportunities, but it’s getting there. My mind is always overflowing with ideas and aspirations for Pumps & Iron, so there’s no shortage of inspiration to drive it forward.

And with that, there’s really no other way I can end this series than by saying “thank you.” To all of you reading this; to anyone who has ever unknowingly shared a picture of mine on Pinterest; to the company that laid me off; to my parents; to the Btone family; to the Universe.

Oh wonderful, now I’m crying in fucking Starbucks.