Inspiring Conversations with Carol Anderson of South County Fitness

Today we’d like to introduce you to Carol Anderson

Hi Carol, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I grew up and went to high school in Riverside, CA. After graduating, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do and wasn’t focused on School, so I joined the Army. I enlisted for 6 years and was stationed in South Carolina for basic, Georgia for Training, and then South Korea for a year followed by four years in Indianapolis where I met and married my husband, Chad. My experience in the Army helped me realize that college was the path for me and allowed me to complete most of my general ed requirements prior to ending my time in service. When my service ended I returned to Southern California to attend Cal Poly Pomona to complete my B.A. and then the University of LaVerne to complete my Teaching Credential and Master’s of Education. After graduating in 2001 I began teacing middle school math.

I had been an athlete in High School and remained active throughout my time in the service and during my teaching career by swimming, running, and lifting weights. Exercise has always been an important part of my life. In 2009 I was introduced to Pilates by a friend and started attending a fabulous little local studio in Ladera Ranch. I fell in love with the workout method, the equipment and the way it made me feel. It was the first strengthening program that held my attention and seemed to challenge me more with each class. I was hooked! By 2010 I was looking for ways to complete my certification to teach Pilates while still teaching Middle School.

In 2016 I finally found an opportunity to make that happen while also getting to spend more time with out daughter’s as they moved into Middle School themselves. I decided that summer to take a leave of absence from teaching to pursue my Pilates Certification. It took my about 10 months to complete the 500+ hours of training and I enjoyed every minute. I began teaching Pilates in 2017 and enjoyed it so much that I decided not to go back to the classroom. This was a way to still use my teaching experience to help others enjoy the benefits of Pilates that I had been enjoying for years.

I taught in several group studios throughout South Orange County until the Covid shutdown where I began teaching Mat Pilates from home on Zoom. In May of 2020 when studios were begining to open I decided that I didn’t want to go back to the big box studios so I opened my own Private Studio in South San Clemente. South County Fitness slowly grew over the next couple of years with the support of wonderful Private and Duet clients. By 2023 I had gotten busy enough to fill my days and evenings and was teaching 7 days/week. In June 2023 I expanded and moved into a larger studio with 6 Pilates Reformers in North San Clemente. I wanted a studio where my clients could still get the individualized attention they loved in the private and duet setting, but that would create a sense of community amonst my members. Over the last year I have been lucky to build a clientelle that supports each other and my little studio.

In addition to Teaching Pilates I enjoy giving back to my community in a variety of ways. I have always been passionate about donating blood. I first donated when I was 17 and continue to donate every 8 weeks. Due to my blood type and lack of exposure to a common childhood virus, I donate whole blood that is used for premies and newborns that need transfusions. I also support our local Boys & Girls club through my own sevice and through the studio, and run studio giving opportunities throughout the year such as collecting donations for Donate Life (organ & tissue donation), the Susan G. Koman foundation, and Warm Hearts Warm Heads (collecting beanies for those in need), and fundraising events such as donation classes for our local school PTAs. In December of 2023 I also had the wonderful opportunity to donate the right lobe of my liver to someone in need. It was a non-directed donation so I don’t know alot about my recipient, but last I heard she is doing well. My liver donation was a wonderful experience overall and I continue to support others in their donation journey and spread the word about live organ donation.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I don’t think any has a smooth road, there are always challenges. I have definitely faced a few. I grew up with a great dad, but without the recources that a lot of kids have. We live in a low income comminity and I was the first in my family to attend college. While it was challenging to work full time and pay for college myself through student loans, I feel that it made me work harder to do my very best and appreciate it a little more because of the effort.

Changing careers in my 40s with two little girls was also challenging. We had to make tough choices like downsizing to a smaller house and cutting back on expenses along with finding time to be the mom I wanted to be and support my girls while basically being back in school full time.

Starting my buisness and expanding to a larger studio came with it’s share of challenges as well. I hadn’t realized how hard it is to get a small business loan especiall when your business is really small. Most SBA loans had a minimum loan amount much larger than I need to could qualify for based on my buisness income. The move to a larger studio require some ingenuity to get it going and keep it going for these first couple of years until I am in the black again.

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about South County Fitness?
I own a boutique Pilates studio in San Clemente with just six reformers. My studio is focused on small classes so that all levels can receive individualized attention and support to get the best workout for their bodies each day. I don’t level my classes and instead gear each class towards the bodies in the room. With a max of only six clients at a time I am able to modify for injuries or weaknesses and offer variations for seasoned Pilates clients that need a little extra challenge. I try to make sure that every client leaves my classes feeling successful in their fitness journet and that they were pushed a little outside of their comfort zone or challenged just a little.

Because my studio is small, I am able to build a feeling of community by sponsoring studio events such as a bookclub, a monthly sound healing session, clothing exchanges, and other fun studio events.

I think the relationships I form with my clients really sets my studio apart. I really try to make sure I know each of my clients, their bodies, and their limitations. I want all of my clients to feel seen, like they matter to the studio. I also get a lot of feedback for keeping my studio clean. I know this shouldn’t be a thing with fitness centers, but my clients comment regularly on how much cleaner my studio is compared to other gyms and studios. No one likes to workout around dust and dirt.

Brand wise I am most proud of the inclusivity of my studio. My logo is a Pineapple which symbolizes hospitality and friendship. It is used at front doors in Hawaii to let neighbors and guests know they are welcome in your house. My clientelle is varied from high school students through senior citizens with my youngest client being 16 and my oldest checking in at 82 and everything in between. I have a wonderful variety of clients from all types of careers, families, and backgrounds and they all come into the studio with warmth and support for each other.

South County Fitness offers a variety of packages to fit individual lifestyles and a great workout for any level of fitness. We have wonderful equipment to includ Private Pilates Reformers with Towers, split pedal Exo Chairs, BOSUs, foam rollers, weights, jump boards, and even TRX. All of my instuctors are compehensively certified with 500+ hours of training and many hold additional certifications such as Barre Above, TRX, and Trigger Point to name a few. I offer classes as early at 6:30am and as late at 6:30pm with include a basice Pilates Flow called Pilates Vibes, Pilates Focus which is a full body flow with more of a focus on a piece of equipment or a particuluar skill such as balance, teasers, or unilateral work, Sweaty Vibes which is more of a Pilates Based HIT style workout alternating between strength and cardio, and Pilates Chill which is an hour of deep stretching using the equipment along with Trigger Point and Foam Rolling. I also offer private and duet sessions middday for clients that want a little more one-on-one.

How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
People can support me by helping to promote my studio. As a small business with a small budget, I do not have the funding for large scale marketing campaigns like the coorporate studios do so I rely on word of mouth to get my studio known. If people are in the area I would love to have them come by for a free trial class or outside of the area, follow my Instagram Account and share with friends and aquaintances that are local.

Pricing:

• Free 1 Hour Trial Class
• $40 drop in
• $190 5 pack
• $360 10 pack
• $325 monthly unlimited

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.southcountyfitness.com
• Instagram: @southcountyfitness
• Facebook: South County Fitness
• Other: [email protected]