People/Profiles
Challenge Inspires Yoga Sessions Worldwide
Rachel Brathen, international educator, yoga director at Manchebo Beach Resort & Spa in Aruba and Stand-Up Paddleboard Yoga pioneer, loves getting people excited about this mind-body form of exercise. This year she is hosting a yoga challenge to inspire her social media followers—and has used the free Client Challenges tool that is accessible through IDEA FitnessConnect.
Kristen Mercier
As someone who has had her own struggles along her fitness journey and successfully lost 30 pounds, studio owner Kristen Mercier can really empathize with clients. “I find that [clients] often have this preconceived notion that fitness professionals are born thin and buff,” she said.
Kurt Gillon
“I work tirelessly to provide my clients, friends, family and social media contacts with training and health and fitness information, as well as encouraging them to believe in themselves and take pride in who they are,” says personal trainer Kurt Gillon. He does this through concentrating on his education and on working with his clients to get them the results they want.
Janet Weller, RN, CES
“I have always put the ‘personal’ in training, whether it be group fitness or one-on-one,” says fitness specialist Janet Weller. She believes that this is the reason most of her clients have been with her for more than 30 years.
Diane Buchta
Diane Buchta has face polio, breast cancer and a tumor in her femur, but has never lost her passion for fitness. Overcoming the surgery on her femur was difficult for Diane because she could not walk, run or do much of anything for 6 months.
Q&A With Bobby Flay
?Chef, restaurateur, cookbook author and media personality Bobby Flay has turned his intense focus to a new project: Bobby Flay Fit, a seven-episode Web series in which he serves up recipes, workouts and tips based on his own experience and philosophy about healthy eating and fitness.
Cookbook Hero
Seamus Mullen has blended his expertise as an award-winning chef, his childhood spent on the family farm in Vermont and a personal health crisis into a new book that may be the first gourmet publication to truly celebrate food as medicine.
The Role Model
client: Amy | personal trainer: Christie Bruner | location: St. Petersburg, Floridacalling all
Do you have a client who has overcome the odds to achieve new heights in health and fitness? Send your story to rhalvorson@ideafit.com and you and your client may be featured in an upcoming issue of IDEA Fitness Journal.
Kellie Walters, MS
Kellie Walters was introduced to the fitness world at a young age. Her mother was a group fitness instructor and took Kellie with her to her aerobic and step classes instead of leaving her with a babysitter.
Doing the Impossible
Down for the count. Life came to a halt for Jeff when he collapsed in the boxing ring, clutching his back. As a lifelong athlete, he had experienced pain before. “At 23 years old, Jeff had already undergone serious spinal surgery to address ruptured disks,” explains Whitney Rippelmeyer-Tucker, co-founder of Studio 26. “[Surgery for] two ruptured disks that were pushing fluid into Jeff’s spine had left his back full of scar tissue, [making him] susceptible to reinjury. There was very little likelihood he would be a serious athlete again.”
Daniel Omokha
“It is our obligation to empower the clients we serve with all the necessary and key tools needed for long-term success and longevity in health, fitness and wellness,” says Daniel Omokha. He personally accomplishes this by frequently attending fitness conferences and workshops to “learn and pick up ideas from the best in the world.”
Mac Dodds
Mac Dodds and his wife, Tina, started their business, Good Life Fitness, “to help people put their intentions into action by increasing awareness of and supporting the practice of healthy behaviors until they become a way of life.” They promote a healthy and fitness lifestyle by focusing on education, demonstration, and involvement.
Chanelle White
Chanelle White created her business, Be Well with Chanelle, a health coaching and Pilates practice, to help others work through the life struggles that she once faced. While aligning her passion with her career, Chanelle was able to make a better life for herself.
Going From the Inspired to the Inspirer
client: Carina | personal trainer: Mike Z. Robinson, owner, MZR Fitness | location: San Luis Obispo, California
Serendipity. Carina, a 34-year-old health reporter for television station KSBY starts her day while most people are waist-deep in sleep. She rises at 2:00 am so that she will be alert and presentable by the time she arrives at the studio an hour later. Carina had been only a sporadic exerciser, but her life began to change after she received a call from an eager personal trainer with an interesting story.
Terri Lynn Cole, MS
After overcoming her own struggles with eating disorders and body dysmorphia, Terri Lynn Cole decided to help others who also struggle with these issues.
Patti Komara
Patti Komara, gymnastics expert and owner of Patti’s All-American, opened her first fitness-based preschool in 1969. The center now has six schools: Tumblebear Gym, Karate, School-Age Champion Gymnastics, The Dance Connection, The Swim Connection and Gym-N-Learn Educational Preschool. She teaches kids aged 1–18 to have fun with fitness.
Luci Gabel
“I believe that no one is too busy for fitness or healthy eating—it’s just a matter of learning the basics and practicing them until they become routine,” explains Luci Gabel, founder and CEO of LuciFit LLC. Luci prides herself on the high standards she has set for herself and believes others will succeed if they do the same. “Be the best professional you can be.
Sue D’Alonzo
“I love my work. I love inspiring my clients. I love their success. I am so thankful I am in this industry,” says Sue D’Alonzo, a fitness industry veteran of 32 years. Sue is a personal trainer, co-owner of Pinole Valley Boot Camp and owner of SueDFIT Workout. She has had some of her clients for more than 20 years and claims that their dedication is what has given her such a great business. She enjoys teaching classes outdoors and challenging her clients. Sue also encourages others to follow their passion. “If it’s not feeling right, change it,” Sue says.
Patrick A. Perretta
Patrick Perretta is a personal trainer, an indoor cycling coach, a USA cycling coach and a Simply Tri coach. Patrick started his fitness journey by becoming a triathlete to lose weight. After losing the weight and completing a few sprint triathlons, he decided to train for a half Ironman®. While training, Patrick experienced an aneurism.
Training for the Distance From a Distance
client:Kelly | personal trainer: Aimee Gallo, founder, VIBRANCE Nutrition and Fitness | location: Seattle
Hoping for a half. Aimee Gallo, certified holistic health coach, licensed sports nutritionist and founder of VIBRANCE Nutrition and Fitness, first met Kelly at a holiday party. “I was just in the process of trying to get into an exercise and nutritional rhythm again after having a second child,” recalls Kelly. “I was really struggling and having a very hard time with ups and downs in energy.”