Today we’d like to introduce you to Sara Mancuso.
Hi Sara, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My fitness journey began really young. My older sisters were both successful ski racers when I was growing up, and I was following their footsteps. I was training in the gym at 6 am before school and then on the slopes with my coaches and team after school most weekdays in the winter and ski races on the weekends. I realized ski racing wasn’t for me, but my love for skiing backcountry lead me to quit ski racing and pursue a career on the Freeskiing World Tour.
I competed on the tour while I went to school at UC Santa Cruz, and then also in the first year that I lived in LA. I came to LA to become a musician and shortly after arriving, I signed a record deal with Island Def Jam under the pseudonym Smokey Jones. My time in the music industry was a wild and fleeting ride. But thats a story for another day, I had neglected my health so much and as a result, broke my back skiing with my sister in Europe.
Breaking my back was pretty eye-opening for me. I realized that I was not prioritizing my physical health and my mental health unfortunately suffered because of it. Fitness has always been the place I find health AND joy, and that injury really let me see that I would feel the most full filled pursuing a career in fitness instead of music.
I’ve been pretty lucky in my lifetime that my sister is an Olympic athlete, and I’ve had the opportunity to work out with and observe some of the best minds in the fitness industry since I was very young. It helped sculpt the trainer I am today and I was definitely fortunate enough to have the best coaches guide me to the best certifications I could find in order to serve my clients.
Now, I am a personal trainer with a background in athletic development and corrective exercise. My clients range from 16-75 and I help them unleash their inner athlete at any age. My training practice is focused on moving functionally, bulletproofing bodies against injuries, and having as much fun as possible along the way.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
My business took a pretty hard hit in 2020 due to the coronavirus. Gyms were closed in March and stayed closed for quite a long time, so I had to get creative. I’ve primarily been training my clients on zoom or in my personal garage gym.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I specialize in athletic development, corrective exercise, and boxing. My goal with my clients is to upgrade their lifestyle and get them living pain-free. So many of us are stuck at our computers all day, under high stress, and not paying the attention to our bodies the way we deserve. I help people upgrade their lives not only in the one hour we spend together in the gym but the other 23 hours in the day as well. I believe in taking a holistic approach to wellbeing that includes exercise, nutrition, and stress management. You need all three to live your best life.
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
It’s about progress, not perfection. People become so focused on nailing the end result that they forget to have fun along the way. I’m a firm believer that we all deserve to enjoy our lives, and while I take fitness with a scientific approach, my goal is always to keep it fun.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: saramancuso.com
- Instagram: saramancuso.fit
- SoundCloud: soundcloud.com/unofficialsmokey
Image Credits:
Peter Poby David Eaton Diana Gettinger David Tichauer
