Today we’d like to introduce you to Angeline Calderone.
Angeline, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
As a child, I was never the most social or outgoing person. I was actually a very strange girl. I spent most of my time at home reading comic books and playing games. I was not a very active person either. When it came to school, I only had a small circle of friends. I was not a “popular” girl of any sort. I always envied those that we’re able to be so outspoken and express themselves so easily. I was a very shy and conserved girl. It was very hard for me to meet new people, let alone keep a conversation going.
My ethnicity is Vietnamese/Italian and I grew up with my Vietnamese mom raising me. My mom and dad were never really ‘together’ and my mom had full custody of my sister and I. I saw my dad every other weekend, but eventually stopped with that routine once I turned 13 years old. Growing up in an Asian community, I looked very different from everyone else, and therefore I was very insecure about my looks. I hated wearing shorts, bikinis, tank tops, etc… I always felt the need to hide myself because I was always so scared of being judged. When I was around 13 years old, I moved away from my hometown and all of my friends due to my family not being able to affording living in Orange County anymore. I moved to Bakersfield, CA. I left all of my friends behind and had to attend high school, not knowing anyone at all except my sister. In a way, I felt alone, but I also felt that this was a new beginning for me. I wasn’t going to know anybody there, and I felt like I could be a totally different person than the one that I have been. I wanted to be more outgoing. I wanted to be more social. I wanted to express myself better. I wanted to be the version of myself that I prevented myself from becoming when I was living in Orange County. Therefore, during my freshman year in high school, to take myself out of my shell, I enrolled in Choir and Drama. The two things that would force me to put myself out there and make me the utterly and most uncomfortable. It was nerve wrecking, but it was honestly the best decision that I made. Although it made me uncomfortable to have to perform in front of others and present myself, It was something that I was willing to undergo to bring out ‘more’ of me.
When college came about, I became an Engineering Sciences major. I was very inspired by my father to choose this major, being that he is an Aerospace and Electrical Engineer. I also chose this major because I felt that this was a very ‘wanted’ major in the working industry. I wanted to make good money to help my mom financially so that we didn’t have to worry about having such poor finances. I worked two part-time jobs and I attended college full time. I tried to support my mom as much as I could, while also trying to maintain my grades… and my sanity. It was very hard for me during these times, as my relationship with my mom was very complicated. We did not have the best relationship, but I wanted to help her either way. We fought a lot. I had a lot of mixed emotions as a child and was always in a very negative mind space and depressed often. I felt sorry for myself with the way things were with my life. I never felt like I was doing well enough in her eyes and I constantly had to push and motivate myself to keep working hard and get good grades because I wasn’t getting much support from anywhere else, unfortunately.
During my freshman year in college, that is when I discovered fitness. I made some friends in my class and they invited me to work out with them. I started lifting weights. It was a social thing, and then it became so addicting because I LOVED the way I started to look and feel. I gained more self-confidence. I gained strength physically and mentally. I learned how to push my limits. I learned discipline. As I continued to lift weights, I eventually started being on social media more to show my journey and try to positively inspire others to be their best self. I continued to body build and meal plan religiously for the five years that I attended college. At the age of 21, I graduated college with an Engineering Sciences degree, moved out from home, and got a full-time job at a Medical Device Company back in Orange County. I moved with very little money in my pocket. I started off as an Operations Team Leader and was promoted to a Quality Engineer. When I moved to Orange County, I had a contact that invited me to go with him to a free-running gym called Tempest Freerunning Academy.
THAT was the start of my Calisthenics and Yoga journey. I was so intrigued by the whole different fitness lifestyle that I had no idea about. I was so engulfed in just ‘bodybuilding’ and starting to learn calisthenics, hand balancing, functional fitness, etc… was something totally unknown to me. From then on, I made going to freerunning gyms, gymnastics gyms, and social fitness gatherings a priority alongside working my full-time job. For my full-time job, I was that person that had to drive an hour to get to work, work a full 8-10 hours, and drive an hour back. After I would get home from work, I would go to the gym and get my routine workout in. It was a very consistent cycle for myself. I faced many challenges working my full-time job. I dealt with unfair and abusive management, stress, and a sense of unfulfillment. Being a woman Engineer, I had management that would talk down to me and even questioned my Engineering degree. Most of the time, I would have to put up with the unfairness and harsh words that were said to me. I didn’t sleep very much and It was very hard to take care of myself during these times. I felt that I HAD to put up with it because I had no one else that would support me and I needed the money to stay where I was. I did not want to go back home, I felt that I already came so far.
After two years, due to some circumstances, I left my job and decided to move to Los Angeles and pursue my passion as a Personal Trainer and Fitness Model. I had no idea HOW to do it or if it would even work, but I decided to just take a leap of faith. I told myself- “If I am not fulfilled with my life, what kind of life is this?” I went from having a stable and secure job to not-so-stable and insecure job(s). Going from being an Engineer to a Personal Trainer/Model was a huge 360 degree career flip. Rather than being in a technical and clerical atmosphere, I had to learn sales, marketing, how to psychologically understand people and their behaviors, how to professionally model, etc… I’ve been doing this for a little less than a year now and I have grown so much as a Personal Trainer and Model. I’ve worked with many clients and have had the chance to do model work for companies such as Nike, VIRUS, Footlocker (Eastbay Official), F45 Training, and some yoga and swimwear lines. I have also been able to work and collaborate with many upcoming and growing brands via social media. I hope that as I continue to work and improve myself, that I am able to have the opportunity to work with many more companies/brands in the near future.
I am continuing to grow and improve myself, as I feel like I have so much more to work on. However, I am being patient with myself. One thing that I’ve learned during this switch is that ‘good things take time’ as long as you keep striving and are working hard on what you want to do. Life is way too short to live an unfulfilled and unhappy life every single day. Do what makes you happy. Via social media, I am still active. I strive to help and inspire others, more than influencing others. I want others to feel inspired to be their best self and to just learn to be HAPPY. What I have realized as a young and growing adult is that happiness is a choice and good things come with hard work and getting out of your comfort zone.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It has not been a perfectly smooth road for me to be where I am at today. Given that I am not financially gifted or blessed, and that I actually try and help support my mom as well, I have worked very hard for everything that I have and was able to accomplish to date.
Some struggles that I have faced along the way were:
*Emotional/Self Motivational Struggles
*Financial Struggles
*Numerous Rejections/Failures when it comes to Modeling/Gaining Clientele
*Working a corporate job while also trying to build my business and pursue freelance modeling.
EVERYDAY I am always thinking about where I want to be. However, I am learning to be patient with the process. I don’t think we will ever be completely satisfied with where we are at in life, so I’m learning to stress less, take everyday step by step, and just enjoy my journey doing what I love.
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
My business is a service and Independent Contractor. I am working as a Personal Trainer and Fitness/Lifestyle Model. I specialize in helping others achieve their body and health goals, whether it comes to gaining muscle, losing weight, learning functional fitness, and/or building a healthier lifestyle. I also specialize in the entertainment industry – Fitness and Lifestyle modeling. What I am most proud of about my company is the fact that I am changing lives for the better, physically and mentally. What I think sets me apart from others is that I focus on a wider spectrum of fitness, alongside with having a healthier and happier mindset! I actually CARE about my clients and just people in general. Everyone deserves to be their best and happier self.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
Success, in my opinion is the state of happiness. I use to think that success was ‘graduating college’, ‘getting a full-time job that pays the bills’ After experiencing that, I don’t really feel the same way anymore. Becoming an engineer was an achievement, but I wasn’t completely fulfilled by it. Success, to me, is pursuing what your heart wants. Your passion. Feeling fulfilled with what you chose to do with your time and efforts as a career, and that you know for a fact that it makes you happy.
Contact Info:
- Website: angelinecalderone.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: angieeqc (main account), angieeqc_fit (workouts only)
- Facebook: angie.calderone.7
Image Credit:
Marvin Henriquez, Hanmin Paek, Roberto Toribio, Ligia Babici, NIKE SWIM, F45 TRAINING
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