Today we’d like to introduce you to Ariel Hoffman.
Hi Ariel, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
As a young girl, I fell in love with athletics and dance, training in both competitive figure skating and classical ballet. I woke up each morning at 5:30am to practice before school started. I couldn’t wait to get on the ice. Figure skating was my life for years until one day, just after a major national competition, I realized that my joy for skating was gone. Even though I was approaching the height of my career (the Olympic trials were around the corner), I knew in my heart it was time to say goodbye. I left with no regrets because I felt a sense of accomplishment on my own terms.
Dance became my new lifeline, my most comfortable form of expression. Despite a fear of auditions and singing, I moved to New York City not knowing anyone to pursue musical theater. I landed an agent and ended up performing in many regional theater productions on cruise ships and was featured in both fitness commercials and fitness videos (Including a workout program called Insanity).
In between gigs and performances, I worked in fitness as a personal trainer and was honored to train celebrity clients and go on tour with some of them. When I decided to leave dancing professionally, I became a co-founding trainer of a boutique fitness studio where I was the chief creative director and developed fresh content weekly for clients in studio, virtually, and on tours. Additionally, I created an elite-level curriculum to train the entire instructor team, something I am very proud of.
Throughout my time as a NASM Master trainer, I mainly worked with women. I helped them on many levels: gaining strength they never thought they had, designed fitness programs for pre/postnatal women, helped flatten more mummy tummies than I can count and helped them bounce back in the ways that mattered to them most. In the end they had more energy, looked fantastic, and had fun while doing it. It was a natural transition to continue to work with female entrepreneurs, CEO’s, and mothers as a health coach.
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?
We all hit bumps in the road, and mine have been many. But those bumps are part of my story and they are what have led me to the business I am in now.
One of the biggest struggles as a dancer in NYC is finding a way to support yourself while pursuing your art. I am proud to say that I accomplished that. I hustled hard, had many different jobs, and landed in fitness. I felt great that I was doing well at a job that made me feel like I was making a difference for others while also putting my training to work in multiple ways. This gave me a huge confidence boost because it made me realize I was good at something that I never knew I could do.
One of the biggest challenges I had to face was a severe hip injury. When you rely on your body to bring in the dough and then your body backfires on you, it’s an eye-opening moment and can be a demoralizing experience. I questioned my value of what I had to offer the world, my self-worth, and it was a really tough time for me. But then I got better. I fully recovered and realized there is much more that I have to offer helping people get healthy. Realizing that I could contribute in this meaningful way led me to health coaching which is a perfect blend of my unique skillset and expertise in fitness and nutrition.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
My company is Ariel Hoffman Wellness, a holistic approach to fitness and nutrition. I specialize in helping female executives, entrepreneurs and mothers who are stressed out, chronically fatigued, and not motivated find a fitness and nutrition strategy that helps them build a mindset and discipline to maintain it– no matter how busy their lives.
My unique background has led me to a nuanced understanding of women, their bodies, and what they can do to improve how they look and feel through a balanced fitness and nutrition strategy. Combining my knowledge of dance, the science of the body, and nutrition helps me design lifestyle programs that help clients find unexpected strength, power, and joy over time.
Going through all of the rigorous athletic training, major injuries, having a baby via unplanned c-section, I learned first-hand how to bounce back to full health. I learned how to treat the body well through a positive relationship with food and exercise, in way that it can last and on terms that matter most. Balancing business, family, and most importantly our health.
I love helping other women do the same in order to feel and look their best, to feel energized, strong, confident, and sexy. I help them discover the strength, power, energy they were meant to have to perform their best in business and in life. I help them not just look like a Superwoman but truly feel like it.
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
As a professional, I have learned that achieving excellence means finding balance between hard work and being compassionate to yourself. It’s important to know when it’s the right time to challenge yourself out of your comfort zone and when it’s time to back off and be gentle with yourself.
Through injuries and setbacks, I know that our bodies are more intelligent than we are. If you treat it well, honor, and respect it, you can feel the power it gives you in return. But the key is to listen to what your body is telling you so you can take appropriate action. Injuries taught me this. Being a mother has taught me that we are enough just as we are. There is no perfect, just striving to be the best we can.
Pricing:
- Health Coaching Sessions $250
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: www.arielhoffman.com
- Instagram: @wellxarielhoffman
Image Credits:
www.justinsteele.com and @matteophotographs Group shot taken by Andrew Werner
