Meet Pasadena Fitness Trainer: Maggie Chen

Maggie Chen, started the formulations of her transformation program when she was 60 pounds overweight and was her own first client over 20 years ago. After losing the 60 and gaining her health, Maggie Chen became a personal trainer at a local big name gym. There she earned a spotlight with the Los Angeles Times Readers Choice awards and was named “Best Trainer” for 2 years in the 3rd largest City of Los Angeles County. She opened her studio in Pasadena to have a welcoming and empowering place for Women and Men who need a full comprehensive program of nutrition for health, safe yet effective weight lifting, and correct cardiovascular work in an atmosphere that fostered hope, wellness lifestyle, team work, and at a fraction of the cost personal training. Within one year, MC2 Fit earned the Reader’s Choice Awards in the Pasadena Weekly in the category “Best Fitness/Weight loss Program”. MC2 Fit’s mission is to Inspire, Transform, and unleash an individual into their full potential.

Below you’ll find edited excerpts of our discussion with Maggie.

Has it been a smooth road?

It has not been an entirely smooth road. Challenges included not being taken seriously in a male dominated industry, having to train initially in unstable rental environments, and finally finding investment capital for our current studio.

What are your plans for the future?

The plan for the future is to keep doing what we do well and more of it meaning we want to teach others to duplicate what we do so more people could be helped.

Let’s dig a little deeper into your story.  What was the hardest time you’ve had?

Hardest time in my personal and professional story was during my divorce and re-entering the workforce. It was hard because no one ever gets married in order to have it fail. And it meant that I had to learn an entire trade, and build my name from nothing during the most difficult time of my life. I lost my home, my family and even many friendships. I had to learn this trade well enough to be competitive in the most competitive city for personal training in the world.   I was alone and back in school to learn. I lived in a hostel in Santa Monica and completed schooling. I studied at Norms til 2 Am every night, went to school in the morning, picked up my son after school, took him to a coffee shop to help him with homework and do my own before returning to the hostel to do more homework.

What got me through it was a “North Star” (my Father). My late Father wasn’t a very talkative man but what he said I remembered. He told me that he and Mom brought us to America and educated us to make us contributing members of society. I wanted to follow in his footsteps. He was the chief of UNICEF and during the year I was born, UNICEF won the Nobel peace for their work in stopping diseases that would have crippled scores of children in three third world countries. As I studied, and lived in uncomfortable situations, missing my son was probably the toughest while doubts of myself kept me very depressed even at times. So, during the most difficult times, I would focus on the clients whose lives I dreamed of bettering and even saving just as my Father had saved people going into places that caused him to catch illness like malaria. I dreamed of women who could not get over their cravings and felt so powerless over their health. I dreamed of Fathers whose daughters would miss them if they died prematurely due to obesity. I knew, if I studied hard enough, sacrificed enough, believed in my calling in life, no one could help these people better than I could.

Do you ever just stop and think WOW – I’ve made it?

The moment that I realized things were finally headed in the right direction was when I realized I was ready to risk it all and leave the large gym I was I working at, leave the network of followers I had built up in Glendale to open my own studio in Pasadena. Though it was late in life to start this risky endeavor especially with no help from family, a road opened up when a client offered the initial investment. I was doubly surprised that many loyal clients followed me to Pasadena and put us in both in Los Angeles Times/Glendale News Press for “Best Trainer” and the Pasadena Weekly for “Best Weight Loss/Fitness Program”. And in the end, though I went into this dreaming of helping people, it was actually these people I was dreaming about who helped me.

Pricing:

• New Client 30 day Promo $97.00 …and plans for full programs with Nutrition Clinics, Assessments,
• Training for as low as $237/month (a fraction of personal training) 

Contact Info:

• Facebook: MC2Fit 626-665-3900
• Email: [email protected]

Highlights:

• Los Angeles Times Reader’s Choice Awards/Glendale News press-“Best Trainer” Pasadena Weekly Reader Recommended “Best Fitness/Weight Loss Program”

Check out her work below: