Meet Juanita Caldwell of Nīt Fit in Inglewood

Today we’d like to introduce you to Juanita Caldwell.

Juanita, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Sports and fitness saved my life from the very moment I was introduced to it, my main goal is to only hope I can help someone find their path through health, fitness, and sports. I was always into sports as a kid, I tried everything and just loved being active. At 11 years old Track & Field became my world and gave me visions and goals that most my age didn’t have. Sports disciplined me and taught me amazing life skills that I truly believe would of been delayed or even not developed had I not been involved in sports.

Fast forward a couple years as this sport brought me into college and raised me, I always knew sports and fitness was my happy place and had such a positive impact on me, I couldn’t imagine working in any other field. Through my hard work and dedication gained from being an athlete I secured ‘following the dream’ and working in sports. Started out in collegiate sports and then worked my way up to the MLS with the New York Red Bulls and the NBA with the Philadelphia 76ers. To the average eye I had it all, was living the dream! Working for professional sports right out of college was a blessing and truly a dream come true! I was ready to work my way up until one day I would be running the place. However, after putting in a couple of years in the professional sports area I started to begin to have this feeling that something was missing, that I wasn’t fulfilling my full purpose.

From the moment I felt that feeling it never went away. I knew I was destined for something bigger and I knew it wasn’t in professional sports. My high School teammate and dear friend called me one afternoon and asked if I could come out and help her coach her H.S team on the side. I accepted and the moment I stepped foot back on that track that feeling that was missing was filled and sparked a fire in me that is still running deep! From that moment on I knew it was time for me to leave the business side of professional sports and focus on developing young adults through sports and wellness by coaching. At this moment I now knew exactly what it was that I wanted to, but also knew that I didn’t want to do it in New Jersey or Philly. I wanted a fresh start, new career, and new location, so I packed up and moved to LA! Not much went into my decision besides the weather and the fact that I had a support system out here in my best friend and some family.

Now I’m in LA doing what I love, impacting the youth through my passion of sports, but I still feel like there’s more I could be doing. I begin to think, why just target kids, I can have a positive impact on anyone wanting to improve their health through fitness for all ages and for any type of goals. So in long, thats what created Nīt Fit, the fitness brand that I live today! Through this fitness lifestyle I am coaching the sports that I love, training individuals that are seeking a healthier lifestyle, and living in my purpose. I never imagined in my wildest dreams that training and inspiring my peers would be what fills my heart with so much joy. From taking on fitness full time this lifestyle has opened doors that I never dreamt were possible!

In my short 11 months in LA I have coached a State Champion High Jumper, shot a documentary with NIKE and filmed two workout series with the Fitness God Tony Horton! I have made lifelong relationships with people I now consider family and started to build a name for myself that I am proud of. Nīt Fit is coaching, mentoring, inspiring and leading any and everyone to reach their goals through sports, health, and wellness. I work with middle school to high school students to help develop them as athletes and as people while also working with adults looking to use fitness as a goal for a healthier and longer life. Sports, fitness, and health saved my life so it’s only right that I strive to give back to as many as I can!

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I always say nothing worth fighting for comes easy. Leaving my family and friends back on the East Coast has been the hardest part of my journey. I come from a huge family and they all mean the world for me, but they understood that I had a greater meaning out there and if it meant moving across the country they were going to support me 100%. Its tough in general doing a career change, especially when it comes with a big move as well, but I made it my mission that nothing would stand in my way. I went from a very comfortable salary to working about seven jobs just to keep my bills paid and keep a roof over my head when I first moved to LA. People legit thought I was crazy for working so much, but I knew it wouldn’t be forever. I did what I had to do to follow my heart, I knew I wasn’t the only one doing it! LA is full of motivating people doing the same thing I am, chasing the dream. I am off to a great start so far but still so far from where I see myself going.

Please tell us about Nīt Fit.
Nīt Fit is coaching, mentoring, inspiring and leading any and everyone to reach their goals through sports, health, and wellness. It is a fitness brand that I not only created but a lifestyle that I live by. I am all about making fitness a lifestyle and something that is apart of your routine opposed to “getting ready for summer”. I believe if you stay ready you don’t have to get ready! I am about helping everyone reach their fitness goals in a healthy way that works with their body and their schedule as well. I preach that you come first always, therefore we have to take care of us first because if we don’t nothing else will matter. We can each find 10 minutes in a day to do something good for our bodies.

Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
Some of my most cherished memories would be summer times with my family! My family means the world to me and I have such a HUGE family so nothing we ever did was small in any way. We would cookout at least once a week and all come together for hours a day cherishing each others time. Our family cookouts are legendary in Philly so getting everyone together was always what I looked forward to most. I will always treasure the memories of sitting around eating crabs ALL day long, hearing my aunts and uncles tell our family story and making us laugh so hard that our stomachs hurt! I never realized how much I would miss it until now that I am not able to make them as often as I would like. Summers with my family will always be what I cherish most.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/__nitfit?igshid=1ms3ni3uvh7g3

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