Today we’d like to introduce you to Brittany Hammond.
Brittany, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I moved to California almost five years ago. I transferred here with a job I had in radio and moved to Corona, CA. I always had the dream to move to LA, but Corona was as close as I could get for that first year. While I was there, I was pretty isolated. I only had two co-workers, so those were really the only people I knew. My brother was living in LA, so I would visit him once a month, but I was pretty darn lonely. While I was out there, I started walking and VERY SLOWLY running in my neighborhood. Shout out Couch to 5k! I also added in some weights in my apartment gym. After a while, I started getting really into fitness. I would post my workout on my social media accounts (of course it never happened if you didn’t post it), and some of my friends started telling me that I was inspiring them to start their own fitness journeys. It was at this time that I started feeling that maybe I had a calling to motivate people, and wondered how I could make a career out of it. I even wrote it in my journal.
Flash forward to the following year, and I decided to quit my job in radio. I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to do next, so I thought, maybe I would work at the front desk of a gym; which was something I thought would be low stress until I could figure out what I really wanted to do. I had a few friends that worked for Oragetheory Fitness locations in other states, so I reached out to one of them and asked them if he had a connection in LA. It turned out that he did. He put me in touch with one location, but they were not hiring. They pointed me to another studio that was just opening, and as it happened, it was 5 minutes from the apartment I had moved into just a month prior. Talk about a God thing! So I applied, interviewed, and was hired on the spot. I began working at the front desk. A few times instructors were late to their shifts, so I would start classes for them. People asked me why I wasn’t a coach, and eventually I thought. “Hmm… why not?!” So I got certified as a NASM Personal Trainer, and the rest is really history. A long story, but basically I ended up right where I was meant to be.
Has it been a smooth road?
Getting to LA came with its challenges, but as far as my career in fitness it was smooth. Once I applied at Orangetheory, it really was a smooth road. Everything just came together. It wasn’t overnight, but it happened without any real struggles. It’s how I knew I was doing what God had called me to do.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Orangetheory Fitness story. Tell us more about the business.
Prior to Covid-19, I was a trainer at Orangetheroy Fitness. Due to fitness studios being shut down, I have ventured into the world of personal training. I have taken on a few clients, and I am also doing some Zoom group classes for friends that want to work out together. I am also a Certified Whole30 Coach. I have a few more steps in that process. I am known for having a fun and lighthearted atmosphere in my classes. I’m most proud of my ability to make my clients feel comfortable, and that they have a friend in me. I am a judgment-free zone, and I want them to always come to me without fear. I joke a lot that I don’t have kids, so they are like my kids. Their successes bring me more joy than anything. There is nothing like seeing the light in their eyes when they do something they never thought they could. I hope they will always share their accomplishments with me. I think my relationships with clients is what sets me apart from other coaches. I suppose one could say that I struggle to create boundaries, and that may be true, but it brings me so much enjoyment to be there for people.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
This a challenging question for the current times. With Covid-19, things have changed so much. Group fitness is almost non-existent unless studios have found a way to take their classes outside. There has been a large transition to online workouts, and people are purchasing stationary bikes and treadmills at a higher rate. Hopefully, within the next year, we are able to workout indoors in groups again. I hope the industry rebounds better than ever. There is always some new fitness trend, so I’m sure there will be plenty more in the next 5-10 years. Maybe we’ll discover a way to workout without ever having to leave the bed… don’t we all wish!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: brittanymhamond
Image Credit:
Holly Lynch Photo
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