Female Fitness Leadership: It Starts with You

Female fitness leadership is coming of age. The sheer number of new businesses that are started and run by female leaders is no surprise to an audience of women who realize that for decades females made up 85% of personal training clients and women love women-owned and run companies.

If you don’t feel empowered to make your own definition of “success” in your fitness business, you may feel unfulfilled as you grow and scale.

Starting out by working around the clock, no boundaries and no end in sight is just not going to work for very long. If this sounds like you, then you’re one of those people who is willing to do the things no one else is willing to do. But should you do them all?

That said, I’ve done those long 16-hour days in my pajamas, planning content, marketing, consulting with clients, hosting webinars…Not to mention learning what I need to do to plan my next moves.

We’re busy people! I’m not saying we should start working 5 hours a day, starting today, and be profitable… but I’m also not going to say you can’t! Anything is possible! For female fitness leadership to truly be leadership and not a title, you have to lead. Do you want your troops to follow you into exhaustion? For your customers to see one version of you in front of the camera and another behind the scenes?

Do it Now

You may have to work with a “Start Now, Don’t Wait” attitude if you:

Schedule your day around school drop off and pick up
Dream about doing what you love while you work for someone else
Think this might be easier as just a hobby. Or…you’re afraid you won’t make the same or more than your “real job.” (We should talk! I felt exactly the same way until I earned in a month what I used to make in a YEAR.)

Reaching your goals for success depends on your perceptions

So what does your big vision look like?

What would you plan if there was no chance of “failure?”
What is your definition of success? Is it money? The size of your audience?
Is your definition of a successful fitness business based on the feeling that you’re “not enough” quite yet?

Loads of personal issues may pop up as you answer these big questions and keep putting effort into your business. For instance, money is something a lot of women aren’t comfortable with and don’t realize it until they’re trying to make ends meet.

Female fitness leadership means identifying your money issues, ability to declare your worth and charge for the transformation you create.

Achieving a successful fitness business doesn’t necessarily mean fulfillment…

So a certain revenue per month or percent of profit margin – or doing that in a silo – that won’t provide the fulfillment that brings happiness, peace, and contentment. Female fitness leadership insights from some of my very good friends have taught me that making the money doesn’t always create the freedom and it’s the freedom that really defines the success.

What kind of a day makes you feel proud and sleep well?

What activities make you excited to wake up and start your day?

Do you want to collaborate with others and have a team working with you?

Or do you prefer to work solo and be creative on your own?

There are no “right” or “wrong” answers here. Just picture your ideal day-to-day. Imagine it clearly in your mind.

What does it look like?

What does it feel like?

Last question for you, how do YOU define female fitness leadership success? In 2023 and beyond, you have the ability to crack this egg wide open. You don’t have to feel guilty about choosing a business if you have small kids or you have a family. You don’t have to give up travel and vacation time to run the business.