Conversations with Carla Zeitlin

Today we’d like to introduce you to Carla Zeitlin.

Hi Carla, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I was born with a hearing loss. Classmates teased me about the way I spoke since I had a profound speech impediment and laughed at the big, bulky-looking hearing aids I wore (that I started wearing at age 4). To avoid the teasing, I turned to sports, specifically soccer my favorite sport, where kids and coaches yelled instructions and I could hear them just fine. Turned out I was a gifted athlete and by middle school, classmates wanted to be my friend and picked me first, to be on their sports teams. The teasing subsided.

Santa Monica High School didn’t have a girl’s soccer team in the early 80’s, so I played on the boy’s team. I was the only girl in the entire CIF playing soccer. In my senior year, I rallied the administration at Samohi to start a girl’s program. I was captain of our new, beginner team and although we lost most of our games, I was the leading goal scorer and received MVP and CIF awards so college coaches took notice.

I was recruited to play D1 soccer for UCLA. I majored in Kinesiology. Later, when UCLA played UC Berkeley, I was recruited to play for them, and since they were one of the top teams in the nation, I transferred. I changed my major when I transferred to Cal and graduated with a B.A. in Psychology with an emphasis is sports psychology.

After graduating from UC Berkeley, I coached soccer at local high schools including at: Beverly Hills High School, Harvard Westlake, Crossroads and Santa Monica College. Concurrently I attended CSUN and received a Masters Degree in Marriage, Family and Child Counseling. I spent the next few years working as a therapist with emotionally disturbed adults and adolescents and at-risk and disadvantaged youth. I also did some couples counseling.

I joined Golds Gym, the Mecca of Bodybuilding, around this time too. It was there, that I discovered the world of Personal Fitness Training. To be honest, counseling was burning me out. I needed something different. I loved weight-lifting and exercise, was an athlete my whole life, and already had a background in kinesiology and sports psychology. I was more than qualified to become a Personal Trainer. I started collecting all the leading fitness certifications, including: the National Academy of Sports Medicine, the World Federation of Fitness Professionals, the Athletic and Fitness Association of America and STOTT Pilates. Soon afterwards, I founded my business, CORE Personal Trainer. I trained clients at Golds Gym as an independent contractor (which they allowed back then), when I first started out, and later, met clients at the beach, at local parks and/or at their work or homes. I rented a small space a few years later in Santa Monica and turned it into a CORE-training and Pilates studio – where I still work today. I love personal fitness training and feel incredibly blessed to still be doing what I love 30 years later! My clients inspire me and make me want to be the best trainer I can be. I aim to make exercise and fitness fun, effective and safe and design my client’s workouts to fit their individual goals and needs. My clients train hard, are dedicated and get results!

In the mid 90’s, I tried out for the Syndicated TV Show, American Gladiators and made it all the way to the Finals. I also won first place on another sports competition show called Knights and Warriors and earned a second degree black belt in Keokushinkai Karate, under Sensei Francois Petit. Meanwhile I was riding and racing one of the fastest motorcycles on the streets, the Yamaha R1. Life was great! Work was great. I lived by the moto, “Work hard, play harder!” What more could I ask for? Well there was one thing……….I wanted to be a mom and I now I was well into my 30’s. I had many wonderful relationships, but I hadn’t found my husband.

When I was 41 years old, I met my son’s father, Miguel (who was here from Mozambique, Africa, studying environmental sciences). Two years later, when I was 43 years old, Khaelan, the love of my life, was born. Mine was considered a “high-risk” pregnancy, but I knew my “core-trained” body was healthier and more fit than most 30 year olds, so I wasn’t concerned. I loved being pregnant and felt strong and healthy throughout my pregnancy. All that core-training had essentially prepared me for a healthy and fit pregnancy – and birth – and postpartum recovery! I pushed 9 pound Khaelan out with ease.
After conceiving Khaelan, I decided I wanted to help other moms feel empowered, strong and healthy during their pregnancies, so I added a Prenatal and Postnatal Training specialty to my resume. This niche has kept me quite busy! Evidently, there aren’t many pre/postnatal specialists in LA, so pregnant and postnatal moms find me and my web site online quite often and sign right up! I feel extremely grateful for founding a career that I love.

Miguel returned to Africa when Khaelan was 9 months old and I became a single mom. There were difficulties and challenges along the way, but we made it work! Khaelan is an extraordinary young man. He’s starting senior year this fall at Samohi (my Alma Mater), is playing soccer with LA Surf, MLS Next, has a 4.3 GPA and is kind, caring and the best friend or son anyone could have! And I am a doting, very proud mom LOL!

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The main struggle I had was deciding whether to switch from Marriage and Family Counseling to Personal Training. I wasn’t sure I would be successful and busy enough to make a comfortable living as a Fitness Trainer, but I’ve been blessed. Business is still booming to this day 🙂 I have retained clients for years, continue to receive client referrals and I still get new clients (especially newly pregnant moms), through my web site, COREPersonalTrainer.com.

Being a single Mom had it’s challenges too, but I wouldn’t have it any other way!!

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
My specialties are CORE-Training, Pilates and Pre/Postnatal Fitness. My CORE-training style draws from leading techniques like: Weight-training, TRX-workouts, Pilates (Reformer, Mat and Chair), Resistance-band work, Balance-training, HIIT (high and low intensity interval-training), and especially Body-weight exercises, to improve immunity, burn fat, prevent injuries, improve posture and mobility, and get you full-body STRONG particularly the crucial CORE muscles of the hips, back, abs and glutes, to help ensure a healthier and happier quality of life! I am a versatile trainer, always mixing things up to keep exercise FUN and results-oriented! Varying your exercises is the best way to avoid plateaus and boredom and get insanely fit!
I aim to make every workout effective and safe and design workouts to fit each client’s individual body, fitness level and needs.

I am most proud of how my clients always train hard, stay focused, never give up, are dedicated and committed to their health and fitness, and are amazing, interesting and successful people!

Things that set me apart from other Trainers: 1) I have over 30 years of Fitness Training experience and knowledge.
2) I am multi-certified by 5 fitness organizations. 3) I have a B.A. in Sport Psychology and an M.A. in Marriage, Family and Child Counseling, so I understand how the mind and body work together to get results. 4) I train with my clients (instead of just standing there and counting reps like so many trainers do) which keeps them moving (less chatting), keeps them interested and focused, adds a degree of competition and offers a visual of proper form and technique that clients learn from. 5) My studio is exclusive and uber-clean and 6) My enthusiasm and love for exercise and fitness becomes contagious if you hang around me too long, lol!

Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
I mentored 3 protege’s who worked under/for me through the years. I tried to offer positive and constructive criticism and tried to provide support, enouragement and motivation. I gave my trainers-in-training the space to be autonomous, but I also insisted that they learn and teach proper technique, and demand the best from our clients.

Pricing:

• I only charge $125/hour for CORE-training and/or Pre/postnatal Training.
• I charge a bit more to travel to clients.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.corepersonaltrainer.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carlazeitlin/