Today we’d like to introduce you to Natalie Joseph.
Hi Natalie, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
My story— Well, how I got to where I am today involves quite a hefty amount of twists and turns in my life. Firstly, both my mother and father suffered from different diseases from even before I was born. I grew up watching how a person’s mental and physical health will gravely alter one’s experience of life, but also that one’s attitude towards life will also severely alter just about everything. I wanted to learn from them in the sense that I wanted to make different choices than the ones they made (health-wise). Some people have role models for parents in which they want to copy what they do, but my experience was somewhat the opposite with many aspects of life. Contrast is quite the teacher.
As I grew older, I felt passionate about contributing to the world something that would uplift and raise everyone’s vibration. At first, I was involved in music (which I still love) and then I was introduced to fitness. I fell in love with fitness. It helped me personally to shed and manage anxieties, energize me, keep me healthy, and make me feel great in my own skin.
In my early 20s, I became a fitness trainer which was a bit after my father passed on. Helping individuals find their way and seize their body and joy was incredibly rewarding to my soul. I worked at a few different places and eventually just built up my own clientele and it was amazing. I became so busy in fact that I was approached to take over a fitness studio in Sherman Oaks. The 1st time I was approached I really wasn’t sure that running a larger business was for me. I would say it was sort of the equivalent of offering a school teacher the principal position— usually school teachers want to be with the kids, not necessarily manage all the other stuff. A year later, I was approached again and this time, I said yes. I had a vision this time of how I wanted to approach the “business” of fitness.
I think it’s a tough thing to have so much compassion and also run a business because, to me, it’s not about the money, it’s about helping people including the trainers. It’s about creating something larger than myself that contributes something positive to the world, is reliable and functional. I came up with a financial strategy that felt fair to me, gave the studio a facelift, a mission, reorganized everything and, voilà! Body Unlimited Fitness opened January of 2015 and we are here to stay.
Of course, since opening, we have also grown as a business both in the way we work with clients and also our operation protocols. Going through the whole pandemic situation was interesting, but I guess the way I would put it is our neighborhood must love us. And we love them.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I would say it’s been smooth-ish. Along the road, I have tweaked all of our protocols. I think it’s a necessary thing to do when you own/run a business. Sometimes we had negative experiences with our own trainers which led me to revamp rules and the worst part about that was trying to ensure that clients were not also being negatively impacted. But, I have to say that we have had and still have today some of the coolest and amazing individuals as clients.
A few years ago, we had a trainer who was suffering from mental health issues. I think sometimes the general public thinks trainers are superhuman. (But that also plays into my thoughts on how attitude plays a huge role in one’s experience of life). This trainer has a huge heart, but due to the mental health instability this trainer found it difficult to fulfill all work responsibilities. As a team, we tried to be supportive and make sure that the clients this trainer worked with also did not experience a decline in support or service. One of the clients knew that his trainer was battling for mental health and was so incredibly kind and supportive. We came up with a plan. By “we” I mean all of us. The training team and clients were being taken care of even though it was a bit of a rollercoaster not knowing what would happen day-to-day. At some point, it did become clear that this trainer needed to take a break from training and focus on self-care. However, I tell this story because I believe that this is how businesses should function. Sometimes we don’t have all the answers, understanding ourselves and our body is a journey, and it can be frustrating and anger-inducing. But we need to support one another. As a business owner and fitness professional, I support my trainers and their happiness as well as support our clients. I have learned that there is no obstacle we cannot overcome when we strategize and work together. Compassion and vision melt struggles away.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
What do I do? Well saying I am a master fitness trainer sounds cool, but vague. I have become many things — I would call myself a professional listener, wellness educator and fitness guide. Much of the time when a person seeks out a trainer the fitness trainer sort of creates this fitness plan based on what the trainer likes to do and what the trainer thinks is most important. I get that; However, this approach or lack thereof, doesn’t help most people. Everyone’s lives are so different and sometimes super complicated. I’ve worked with people from all walks of the Earth — many suffering from various illnesses, demanding careers, constantly shifting schedules, time constraints, major life changes, etc etc and each one of these people needed a trainer to LISTEN and understand real needs and desires.
I am so proud of how we can transcend a person’s experience of themselves via personal fitness training. Empowering each person we work with truly makes a difference in our community. When a person feels great about themselves that person makes better decisions from moment to moment, is motivated to experience joy, and in turn, spreads more joy.
I also specialize in body shaping, toning, weight-loss, and sports nutrition. The BUF team, however, is comprised of several trainers all with varying expertise. This is how we are able to help virtually anyone who contacts us. Between us all we have decades of knowledge and experience. We also work with individuals who need corrective exercise, have health ailments, or are coming out of physical therapy. Our clientele age ranges from about 9 years old to 90!
I believe there are several aspects that set us apart from the other businesses out there. One, we function as a team rather than a corporation with individual trainers. Second, we grow as a team— every trainer contributes his or her own talent and skill which ultimately positively impacts us as a whole. Thirdly, we are very diligent about setting the right expectations and building a fitness plan for each client. Lastly, we are holistic and wholistic in our approach— we look at a person’s life, personality, genetics, history, habits, etc and build out a proper plan. And, we build a plan that is ultimately healthy for the client for the short term as well as long term. Because of this we frequently work with whole families. That is probably what we are most known for. We work with parents, their kids, grandparents, cousins, friends, co-workers, you name it!
It feels like one large family. So, at some point every time we would onboard a new client, I would say to them “Welcome to the BUF fam!” And if you ever become one of our clients you bet I’m going to tell you the same.
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
What makes me happy is knowing that I am making a positive difference in the world. When just one person expresses gratitude to me for something I did or said or something a teammate did or said then it sends me over the moon. When I’m in the middle of conversation with someone and that person has an “aha” moment, it sends me over the moon. When I am training someone and that person pushes through some difficult exercises or triumphs over fears through the exercises, I am over the moon. When I can help someone connect the dots in their life, help bring ease and fluidity to their situation and ultimately get them excited about their own life, then I am over the moon.
Not everyone has a person in their life who truly advocates for them— a support person. We all need support in one way or another. This world can be quite overwhelming with information about nutrition, exercise and health in general. No one has the time to sift through it all and make sense of any of it. In today’s news, “why bananas are good for you” and in tomorrow’s news, “why bananas are bad for you.” This is what life is like in today’s world. Not to mention, most people suffer from body dysmorphia to varying extents. It can be emotionally, mentally and physically exhausting.
Ultimately, I just want the world to be a better, more compassionate and joyful place. I want my three children to be able to have a future with happier people in it. There is so much sadness, destruction and suffering happening all the time even within our own homes and in the whole world. We can all use some support to seize our joy and live our best lives.
Pricing:
- We work on a sliding scale. The more often you train per week the lower the cost per session. 1-hour sessions typically range from $85-95 on our most popular plans.
- We offer 30-minute and 45-minute sessions as well ranging from $45-75 on average
- Family discount of 10% to each additional family member’s plan
Contact Info:
- Website: BUFstudio.com
- Instagram: @bufstudio
