Check Out Gayellen Davis’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Gayellen Davis.

Hi Gayellen , please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My story is really about finding a whole new chapter of my life through Fitness for the senior community. I became a Zumba Gold instructor in my early 60s, at an age when a lot of people are thinking about slowing down. Instead, I discovered my “sweet spot”, a career I absolutely love.

Overtime my work grew to include Zumba® Gold, Chair One Fitness and cardio drumming with a special focus on older active adults.

Today I teach at senior living communities throughout the San Fernando Valley and Conejo Valley. I love helping people move, laugh, connect and feel successful. My story is proof that it is never too late to find a new passion and purpose.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It hasn’t always been a smooth road. One of the biggest challenges was building confidence in myself and learning to keep going even when classes were small or opportunities didn’t work out the way I’d hoped. I’ve also had to adapt as I’ve gotten older and find ways to continue teaching safely and effectively.

But every challenge has taught me something, I’ve learned to be flexible, persistent, and willing to keep growing, and that has made the journey even more meaningful

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am a group fitness, instructor, specializing, an older, active adults. I teach Zumba® Gold, Chair One Fitness, and cardio, drumming, at senior living communities throughout the San Fernando Valley and Conejo Valley.

I am known for making fitness fun, welcoming, and adaptable so people with different abilities can participate and feel successful. I’m especially proud of the relationships I build with my students and of helping people stay active, confident and connected.

What sets me apart is my energy, my love of music and movement and my belief that getting older does not mean giving up joy, strength, or new experience. I take pride for always being on time. My motto — if I don’t arrive or call something is not kosher.

I have very special relationships with my students as well as the people that hire me and their staff and I wouldn’t give it up for the world. Even though I’m going to be 73 next month I’m going to keep going as long as I can. My students love me and they make it very clear. We have a mutual admiration society between us.

Besides the fact that I get referrals all the time and I have absolutely a full schedule. In some of my classes, not only are there full classes, but there are waiting lists. Especially the chair classes.

What are your plans for the future?
I am looking forward to continue to grow as an instructor, learning, new ideas and keeping my classes fresh and exciting for the people I already teach. One thing I am especially excited about is attending ZINCON the Zumba Instructor convention in Orlando for the first time next year.

I am also looking forward to continuing to challenge myself, learn new things, and enjoy this chapter of my life. I have a full schedule now, so for me the future is less about adding more and more and more about continuing to do what I love and doing it well.

No big changes right now, but I would like to get certified more in working with seniors and older active adults in other areas of their lives. I’m looking into the Functional Aging Institute.

I want to mention that the friendships I’ve made in the Zumba® Instructor Network are beyond wonderful. Especially Zumba® Gold instructors.We support each other and it’s especially fun to meet other instructors in person that we’ve only known on Zoom.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://gayellend.Zumba.com
• LinkedIn: Gayellen Davis

Image Credits
One Zumba photo is credited to Q4 Active in Woodland Hills, California. The rest are from Friends. The black and white photo is credited to Lori Hutchison of Lori Lea Photography.