This chick walks around our building so bubbly and positive that sometimes it’s sickening! She’s so high-spirited and I don’t recall ever seeing her stressed or upset. If she is, you can’t tell.
Rochelle Boykin is the most positive person I know. By day she works as an account executive for Radio One Baltimore (which is a pretty stressful gig). After she clocks out from that gig, she’s headed to the gym; to teach a class! Like the last 8 hours wasn’t exhausting enough!
She teaches zumba and she likes it! I mean really likes it! And the people who take her classes are so happy! One day, I’ll be happy! (sighs)
I tease Rochelle and tell her she’d have to blind-fold me and throw me in a spooky van to get me out of my bed. She laughs but I know she’s thinking about it.
(2014 my birthday party w/ Rochelle, Dre Johnson, me, Brian Holland (promotions), Maileka Flippin (Magic) and Jay Claxton (92Q)
If you’re looking for a personal trainer or wellness coach, Rochelle Boykin is one you might feel bad about hating because she’s just that sweet of a person and she cares about everyone she teaches. But don’t take that for weakness; she bites back!
What’s her focus? Why does she WANT to do this? Who is she doing all this for?
Get all the answers in our one on one!
What is your occupation? I’m a wellness coach!
What is that exactly?
I coach anyone that wants to live a healthier lifestyle. We take small steps to make positive changes whether it’s someone’s eating habits, exercise routines, or even a healthier mental state. My goal is to help my clients make lifestyle changes that affect their overall being for the rest of their lives!
What attracted you to this career choice? Well it started with my love for fitness. I’ve always been really active. I grew up dancing, playing tennis, soccer, gymnastics, etc. My mom kept me extremely busy, and that busy-bee mentality carried me through college and now I can’t get rid of it! I’ve always loved working out, so I was a gym rat. I worked in a gym through college and grad school, and I soaked in so much information. I fall more in love with fitness every day, but I’m really in love with seeing results. The idea of wellness coaching didn’t come along until I started teaching Zumba and subbing Boot Camp classes.
So many of my students would approach me after class and ask me all these questions about their eating habits, my hair process (its definitely a work in progress), my workout routines, skincare, I mean they would ask all kinds of things. And I would give those suggestions and little changes to make…and when they started seeing results they would light up! I’ve seen some of my students make such progress and the changes they made were so small but made such an impact on their health and it makes them so much happier! It makes me extremely happy to see them feeling better about themselves, its like they walk and smile differently now. So that’s what attracts me most to this career…the positive results.
Is this career a male dominated career? If so, how do you stand out or make your mark?
The fitness world is definitely dominated by men and that used to intimidate me. I know a lot of women get intimidated when they enter a gym and all the meatheads are hogging the weights! That used to frustrate me so much! Women can lift weights too! I had to learn to get in my zone when I enter the gym. I turn on my music…I find my area and I tune the world out. The gym really has become my escape, my area of clarity. I’ve caught the meatheads staring at me here and there, trying to figure me out, but now I just laugh it off and take it as a compliment…yea I can be feminine and I can still lift weights. I think I stand out because I’m small and people expect me to just do cardio and dance around all the time. I enjoy lifting weight because I love getting stronger and I actually find the challenge kinda fun.
Your program is not one that’s considered new to the industry. What is it about your company/program that separates you from the other programs?
I try to keep things light and fun! Fitness doesn’t have to be serious all the time! You should have fun when you’re working out! When I’m teaching, I’m working out with the class and I hate a boring class! I lose interest fast so I have to keep it exciting so I don’t get bored! LOL I’ve also found that many of my students and clients are super super busy….and being a gym rat is not always an option for them. So I tailor small changes to the lifestyle that they have, and I keep their workouts concise but effective. In anything consistency is key…but once you start to see results, fitness can become a healthy addiction.
What is the biggest misconception about this industry?
I think there are 2 major misconceptions about the fitness and wellness industries. First- SKINNY DOES NOT EQUAL HEALTHY! It makes me sick when people say “well you’re small so you must be healthy”. NO! That’s not true at all! I personally know some skinny and very unhealthy women. Second- If you work out you’ll be in shape. NO!! If you EAT RIGHT and WORKOUT you will be in great shape!! An excellent workout means nothing if you go home and eat junk. IT’S A LIFESTYLE! It’s what you eat, your exercise routine and your mental health! They all go hand in hand!
Tell me about an inspiring moment you experienced while doing your job? I’ve had a few inspiring moments but they’ve all come from my students that have seen results.
If someone just couldn’t find the strength to participate in your program (points at self), what is your advice for them?
WHAT?! I don’t believe in that…the word “can’t”. I think you really have to want to make a change…once you’re at the point of total disgust with how you’re living, that word “cant” will be used to say “I can’t live like this any longer…let me go take Rochelle’s class and start using some of her recipes”! LOL BUT if you need to start smaller (you have to walk before you can run a marathon)…I always give modifications and in all of my classes I say-do what you can. The first class is always the hardest…but once you get in a groove you wont want to leave. And that’s the feeling you should get in ANY fitness class…you should leave with an energy of happiness and zest!
Have you ever hit a challenging block that made you want to quit? What was it that brought you out of it? Hmmm…no not yet…get back with me in a few years on that one!
Where do you see your program or your initiative in the next 5 years?
I want to expand and take my coaching into different states even if it’s just through my website. I want to start grocery store tours to show people how to buy groceries and what to look out for. And I want to open my own wellness facility! I want it to be a hub for all things wellness including meditation classes, nutrition coaching, FUN classes, FUN weight training…the works!
What advice would you give to someone who was looking to do what you do?
Start with yourself and give yourself time to REST. I’m still learning this lesson myself. Sometimes I beat myself up when I miss a workout because I am my brand and I don’t want to be a fraud…but I’m still human; I’m not a machine. Take rest days! In order to get stronger physically and mentally you MUST take rest days!
Who do you do this for?
I do this for my mother. She sacrificed so much of her life while raising my brother, sister and I…that she neglected her own needs. Now that we are all grown I’m seeing that she is taking more time to better herself and her health and that inspires me, but I wish she had started taking care of her health a long time ago. I do it for my friends and family that always say they don’t have time…but they’re always complaining about their weight. I find the time to work out even if its quick…and small eating changes make a huge difference. If I can do it, they can do it too. So I do this for everyone I love…and if I don’t know you personally I still love you too and I want you to get better! I guess I do it for everyone that wants to live better than.
If you weren’t doing this, what would you be doing? I’d probably be a gym teacher or a coach of some kind. It breaks my heart when I see obese children, and obesity causes soooooo many health problems that those kids grow up with. It’s like they never get a fair chance at a healthy life when they’re overweight at a young age. It really kills me inside when I see small children with health problems because of obesity. I want to just run and dace with them all day. When you feel good about yourself, you treat life differently!
How can you be reached?
Websites: www.RochelleZumba.com & www.FabFitParty.com
Facebook: @rochelleboykin
IG/Twitter: @LaBelleRochelle
FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER/IG @JustKiKiBrown
FAN ME ON FACEBOOK @MsKiKiBrown
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