Today we’d like to introduce you to Maddie Casadonte.
Hi Maddie, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Maddie Casadonte, 28, of Rutherford, New Jersey.
My first love was teaching dance. Dance was my whole entire life, really, until I moved here actively. Grew up as a competitive dancer, studied as a dance minor, and, side note, started studying fitness on my own in college. When I graduated, I worked as a recreational and competitive dance instructor and choreographer for a few years before moving to Los Angeles. I originally moved here for event planning, but once COVID hit six months later, my soul craved teaching and movement. Soooo badly.
What knocked me to my knees low in confidence and almost depressed without it, I was lead to just embrace inspiring others to move in a different way. August 2020, I was working out on my balcony and thought of the nickname my family has always called me, “Boots,” along with the classic boot camp element of fitness. And said, “Welp! That goes.” I never ever knew how to approach having a presence with fitness motivation and sharing my workouts on Instagram due to my essential life dedication to dance … but this seemed like the natural way I was looking for.
I looked up the handle on Instagram and started it immediately, haha. And what began with a couple shared workouts, I was instantly drawn to host a free virtual pop-up class to celebrate the making of the platform.
I was… hooked. 5 people showed. So, I had another. They kept coming. Then 15, then 30. And consistently, week after week they stillllll kept coming! Granted, I was offering them for free. I was still working on my official certification, and it was prime COVID era, so they actually remained free for almost a year. Donation-based strictly! But it was the most beautiful way to build the Boots Camp community together.
I come from a lifetime of Girl Scouts as well, my mom as my leader since the start and forever on! So, getting to emulate the non-profit tickle in my heart was also a very appropriate way to get Boots started. We keep that element alive still to this day, and is a core pillar of our values as a business.
Now 3.5 years since we got started, we’ve grown to claim a whole Virtual Studio platform of our own. A browser-functioning app that features all our classes, our On-Demand Workout Library that consists of over 120 guided workouts of all different lengths, levels, and styles.
Our classes, a hybrid of dynamic strengthening, pilates, and dance-inspired movements all fused with cardio, are hosted all week, 30 minutes a day, from Sundays through Fridays, 10 classes a week! The app also hosts our monthly challenges, another great tool for our community that keeps them tapped in. The platform has become such an amazing source for Boots Camp. PS! We offer 4 different subscription combos of all these services and more.
But PSPS, the first 2 weeks are completely FREE — all classes and all access! Through our 14-day free trial.
PS x3 — Los Angeles! I started teaching classes in person over the past year at the famous MackFit Training Gym in North Hollywood! When the new location opens, find me there 😎
But lastly and largely, personal training is also a major part of my business, both in-person and virtually, and how I honestly love to help my clients the most. One-on-one, focused on only them and what energy and feels they are bringing that day, being there no matter what and making movement happen at whatever capacity needed, reminding them of their shine and capabilities, all while paying attention to trackable steps and making it as enjoyable as absolutely possible for them 💛
It’s such a beautiful way of life that I can’t wait to keep living. I get to do this and be in the lives of the amazing Boots Camp community. I couldn’t be more grateful for their trust. And my promise to them for life is to keep making movement doable, efficient, and FUN 💛
The reason though?
The reason why I made it that way.
Doable, fun, effective, yada.
Not sure how I’ve gone this long into the story without mentioning this yet, but it’s because the largest chunk of Boots Camp’s heart is that we get to. We have the capability and the privilege. Not every day does everyone get to wake up able.
Life, a massive privilege.
8 years ago, this past December, my dad passed away suddenly in his sleep.
52 years old, happiest and healthiest “looking* man there was. But, while the absolute BEST man on Earth there could ever be — motivational speaker, volunteering lover, KIND, hard-working, successful, and giving man who not only was President of the Rutherford Board of Education for 12 years, soccer coach in town, head of all the companies he worked for, and the best father, husband and family member — he never really ever took the time to care for… himself.
He took care of all of us TENFOLD, truly everyone, in a way that was unmatched. But personally, he was overworked, underslept, a productivity over nourishment type of worker, and didn’t regularly exercise as much as he would have loved.
A lifetime and a blink of an eye. In a split second, I was taught what it is that really matters here in these bodies we live in every day.
We have to nurture ourselves.
We have to make time for ourselves. For our peace. We have to do what we really love and make sure we rest plenty and just take time to be. And we have to connect it to a part of us that’s beyond the surface.
I now get to carry on his legacy through his core love for helping others, instilling strength, and making things happen.
And that’s what we do at Boots Camp.
💛 studio.thebootscamp.com
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Hm, balance! A word I often find paired with “find.” Life is a constantly balancing act that changes … daily. Lol. But one thing especially that I ran into as a solopreneur was keeping the boundaries around my work and my life. It’s still something my boyfriend and I work on actively — as we both work for ourselves! <3 And from home often. And we hustle our booties off, so sometimes it’s hard to put work down, but we’ve been getting really good at it and gently hold each other accountable, all while maintaining support of the grind and the growth!
And with that, sleep! With training, we can get started as early as 5 am and go as late as 9 pm — not to mention the behind-the-scenes work that happens outside of training and classes. But it caught up to me at a rate that I really can’t ignore anymore, haha, so it’s been getting easier to manage!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
What you should know about Boots Camp and what sets us apart.
I’ll answer it how the people of my community usually share it with me.
It’s the energy.
It’s different. Bright and uplifting, but real. It drives with perspective, locked in self-love, logic, and consistency. a
And offers gentle, stress-relieving peace to show up at whatever capacity you’re at that day.
My mission is making your journey yours. Honoring you. Working together to make your experience catered to your goals, likes, dislikes, daily energies. I’d love to help you create that and ebb and flow with it as it naturally comes.
Boots Camp across the board, but our through our personal training especially, has something for you every day, whatever that looks like 💛
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out.
Don’t overcomplicate it. Make it simple and start teeny tiny with something you enjoy or hate the least 🤪 And think realistically as you go through this little planning checklist about how you want fitness to play a role in your life:
1. How many days per week do you want to move? / How long do you like to workout?
(Let your workouts be as short as 5 minutes and as long as 60+! It can always fluctuate!)
2. Plan on Sundays what days you can work out the week ahead with #1 in mind, or stick to a weekly schedule if that’s better for you.
3. Decide what workouts you’re doing in advance to get you amped. And if you need more help getting there, lay out workout clothes and your workout mat the night before.
4. Hire a personal trainer if you need help with this, accountability with showing up, or for any reason you need 💘
Pricing:
- Personal Training $85/hour
- “Make It Easy” Subscription $10/month
- “Make It Yours” $35/month
- “Make It Happen” $65/month
- “Make It Last” $100/month
Contact Info:
- Website: thebootscamp.com | VIRTUAL STUDIO studio.thebootscamp.com
- Instagram: @thebootscamp
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/bootsthecamp
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-boots-camp/?viewAsMember=true
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/thebootscamp
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@thebootscamp
Image Credits
Second Square Media
