Today we’d like to introduce you to Anthony Parisi.
Anthony started his passion for sports and fitness at a young age. His dad mentored him as a boy while his mom cheered from the sidelines. In high school Anthony played baseball, football, and lacrosse; however, his competitive spirit often leads to injury. Sometimes it seemed he was living in the athletic training room more than he was at home. It was the experiences he had with the physical therapist and athletic trainers that lead to his passion for functional fitness and performance rehabilitation.
Anthony went to San Diego State University and received a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Kinesiology with an Emphasis in Athletic Training (AT). San Diego State has one of the best AT programs in the nation. Once the students are accepted into the program, they must take a full load of classes and an internship with a sport’s team for a minimum of 35 hours a week. As the Director of Student Affairs for the Future Athletic Training Society, Anthony organized and led community service, intramural sports, and study sessions. Throughout college, Anthony also worked at local physical therapy clinics. This experience further enhanced his knowledge in anatomy, physiology, bio-mechanics, and rehabilitation.
After he graduated, he began working at Gold’s Gym. In his first month of training, he was recognized as trainer of the month among 22 others and in his second month he was promoted to Assistant Fitness Manager. Although he enjoyed managing and helping his coworkers, Anthony realized he missed the connection he had with his clients and the feeling of achievement he received when his clients reached their fitness goals, so he decided to focus solely on training. After he regained a new book of clientele, he became one of the top trainers in Gold’s Gym LA. Anthony was 1 of 11 employees out of 760 to receive the end of the year Rolex bonus and he was 1 of 4 to be a part of Gold’s Gym’s outreach program- an opportunity to go beyond the usual tasks and assist every member and guest with answering questions and designing new programs. He worked for Gold’s for almost 2 years, but after he became certified as an Athletic Trainer he knew it was time to spread his wings and dedicate himself to independent training, where he combined all of his experience and knowledge into one dynamic program- Parisi Fitness & Rehabilitation.
It was only two years after that, he met Thelma Saunders (his now partner). The funny thing about how their relationship started is Thelma was Anthony’s most hesitant prospect for personal training. The only reason why she even did an introductory session is because they share a mutual friend who insisted she give him a try.
After Thelma’s first session, she said, “Okay I’ll train with you once every three weeks.” Anthony looked at his calendar and said, “I don’t have the capabilities of making that a repeat event in my calendar, but I can do once every two weeks.” Thelma agreed! It was from there on that Thelma’s passion for fitness and health grew! She went from training 1 time every 2 weeks, to a half hour every week, to an hour every week, to training 4 times a week…. and as we’ve already said, she is now co-owners with Anthony! It’s amazing to think of how powerful fitness can be!
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Anthony was fortunate to have many mentors as he grew up; his first being his parents Al and Mary. In college, he had many professors and Accredited Clinical Instructors as mentors, and in his first job as a physical therapy aid, he had a mentor named Lea Thomann.
As Anthony entered the world of personal training, he was introduced to a man named Eric Hubscher. Eric was one of the best trainers and most kindhearted people Anthony had ever met. Eric had terminal cancer and was looking for the right person to pass his clients to. While Anthony went under Eric’s mentorship, he fulfilled his promise to Eric by paying a percentage of his income to his children.
Now that Anthony co-owns a fitness and training facility, he seeks advice from his father, who was a successful investment banker, his longtime family friend (and accountant) Steve Martini, his good friend (and lawyer) Rob Wynner, and lastly Bedros Kuilian, the CEO of Fit Body Boot Camp.
Anthony is incredibly grateful for his mentors! He owes his success to the fact that he has always been able to turn to his mentors for advice. It hasn’t always been an easy road, but at the age of 27 he was able to open up a success business with his partner Thelma Saunders.
Thousand Oaks Fit Body Boot Camp – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Thousand Oaks Fit Body Boot Camp is about delivering personal trainer designed and lead fitness and fat loss workouts in a fun, safe, high intensity group training workout program. Our location also specifically offers one on one training and small group training for the mature adult or post-rehab member.
We pride ourselves on being able to deliver a form driven boot camp that stimulates the mind and body every session.
As an industry leading fitness brand, we feel that we have a greater responsibility not only to help our members reach their fitness and health goals, but also, to the communities we operate our fitness center from. This is why we believe in getting involved with our communities and contributing locally whenever possible. That’s what being a good neighbor is all about. So when you step foot into our location you can expect a clean, friendly, and fun high energy workout environment that’s not only a place to get fit and healthy, but a place to make friends with others in your community.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
I define success in many ways: business, culture, and personal. In business, my success is reached when I hit my goals each month. In culture, success is reached when my team and I work well together, and I help them become better trainers so they can impact more people and change lives for the better. My personal success is achieved when I have balance between 4 things: Meaning, Health, Money, and Relationships.
Contact Info:
- Address: 3255 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd. Unit C Thousand Oaks, CA 91362
- Website: www.parisifitbody.com
- Phone: 805-230-0155
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/parisifitness/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThousandOaksFitBodyBootCamp/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/thousand-oaks-fit-body-boot-camp-thousand-oaks-2
Image Credit:
Thousand Oaks Fit Body Boot Camp
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