We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Donna Schorr a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Donna , first a big thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and insights with us today. I’m sure many of our readers will benefit from your wisdom, and one of the areas where we think your insight might be most helpful is related to imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome is holding so many people back from reaching their true and highest potential and so we’d love to hear about your journey and how you overcame imposter syndrome.
When I began my fitness career in 1984, it seemed that all the instructors/trainers around me had degrees in exercise science, which seemed strange, since most of the fitness jobs were very low paying. It didn’t make sense to me that my colleagues were pursuing advanced degrees. Now that I am in my 42nd year of teaching fitness, the pendulum has swung the other way, with many fitness instructors getting NO education at all; being more concerned with their social media presence. Because the cost of quality education is so high, I continued to work a 2nd job until just recently so that I could afford the very best training and now I find myself in a leadership role in the industry.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I started teaching fitness in 1986, mostly in big box gyms, at the time high impact aerobics was all the rage. I had matching leg warmers for every outfit, and was in love with dance fitness. I found out soon enough that teaching many high impact classes led to many injuries, so I began to focus on strength training with some local bodybuilders. I was hooked! It wasn’t until 2000 that I started feeling the need for something else, so I turned to yoga. Again, I fell in love with it and pursued all forms of yoga training with the hope of rehabbing some of my injuries, but that didn’t happen. Instead, a Pilates instructor who has in my spinning class invited me to come to her studio, and I am so grateful she did. I now have my own Reformer Studio, DonnaMatrix Pilates and more. This is where I really get to make a difference! There is no system of exercise quite like what Joseph Pilates created, and after attending 2 years of Stott training, I have conquered the Imposter Syndrome. I love to interact with other instructors to collaborate and bring style and intelligence to fitness, I particularly enjoy busting “fitness myths”.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
I had confidence, determination and joy. The joy of movement cannot be faked. You either love what you’re doing or not. My advice would be to do what you LOVE and don’t apologize. I felt the pressure to do other things because many didn’t consider fitness a legit career. I’m sure artists and musicians hear this frequently too. Do what you love!
Thanks so much for sharing all these insights with us today. Before we go, is there a book that’s played in important role in your development?
A book that changed my life was “Fierce Conversations” by Susan Scott. One must learn that conflict and confrontation are a part of life. How you navigate those situations either brings respect……or not.
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