"My personal mission statement is to uplift and inspire people to reach their full potential through holistic energy, movement, and healing. I’m holistic mental counselor as well as a dancer, choreographer and fitness trainer. I love inspiring women to feel their bodies, to love with their souls, and to get to know themselves really well. I want women to experience their power and to heal and shift anything that is limiting their full potential. I’m also a mother to a beautiful young man, a business owner, a sister, a daughter, and a friend."
Q1. What does Empowering Women in Industry mean to you?
When I think of Women in Industry, I envision strong, ambitious, smart, and passionate females working in the field of their dreams. I see them making a difference everyday in their community and in their industry. When the word, empowering is added to the phrase, I picture a legion of women uplifting, motivating and cheering each other on. Empowering Women in Industry is the ultimate journey of women joining together and encouraging each other to break every record, cross every threshold, and reach the peak of any mountain that each one of us chooses to climb and conquer.
Q2. How did you get started in your field?
I have been a dancer and fitness trainer for many years. Early in my career, I began a non-profit organization called “Off the Curb’ which inspired young people to reach their potential through dance. I not only taught them how to dance but I instilled in them a powerful work ethic to be the best at anything they chose to do. As I got older, my passion for helping and uplifting others expanded beyond youth and into working with women of all ages. I found that many women limited themselves with cultural norms or with a lack of self esteem and sense of purpose. I went back to school and received my Masters Degree in Holistic Mental Health Counseling. After completing the program, I took all of my passions and skills and put them under one roof. MIST (Muscle Integrated Soul Training) incorporates my love for dance and fitness along with holistic mental health practices. My boutique studio offers both physical and mental fitness classes and I am committed to providing healing inspiration through mindfulness practices and movement.
Q3. What do you love most about your job? What are you most proud of? I love that my community is starting to understand and appreciate that fitness goes beyond physical exercise. My clients can take a workout class and follow it up with a mental fitness class where the topics include: dealing with difficult people, letting go of past hurts, and stop overthinking, to name a few. My passion has been to help people evolve and move toward the best versions of themselves. I am super proud to see my clients embrace holistic fitness. I feel honored and privileged to hold the space and witness the evolution and growth of both their mental and physical strength.
Q4. What advice would you give someone considering this line of work?
My advice to anyone following their passion is to not to be afraid to fail. I have tried classes that just flopped. I have initiated projects that didn’t take off. But from those “failures”, I learned some incredible lessons on how to do it better next time. It’s funny because in fitness, “failure” is the goal. It means you pushed your muscles to their fullest potential. I think we should take this outlook into entrepreneurialism as well. When we fail, we learn, and then we can make better choices to help bring our business to its fullest potential. Never give up on your passion and don’t be afraid to take some risks. I also believe that a holistic practitioner must have her own daily mindfulness practice and we should have gurus/mentors to guide us along the way. Never stop learning or evolving.
Q5. What else would you like to add?
I recently completed a Women in Unity Dance Project. It was fascinating to watch women step out of their comfort zones and take on challenges that were new to them. They stepped up both as individuals and as a group. I think we are capable of anything we set our minds to and I believe it is essential to surround ourselves with optimistic and uplifting people. Find the people who bring out the best in you and with that support along with your own confidence in your own passion and purpose, you can be successful in the industry of your choosing.