We were lucky to catch up with Kalene Parker recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Kalene, so excited to talk about all sorts of important topics with you today. The first one we want to jump into is about being the only one in the room – for some that’s being the only person of color or the only non-native English speaker or the only non-MBA, etc Can you talk to us about how you have managed to be successful even when you were the only one in the room that looked like you?
According to an article published in February 2023 by outsideforcefitness.com, the demographics of personal trainers in the U.S. are 63% male and 77% white. Women make up 36% of personal trainers today and 5.7% of trainers are black. There wasn’t a break down of black female trainers, but based on these numbers I can only assume that number is very small.
In my current city that number is even smaller. In most gyms where I live, you likely won’t find a black female trainer and if you do she’s the only one.
This has been something I’ve noticed since I became a trainer and honestly it drives me to climb to the top of the industry. To know that I’m in the lower percentile of representation in the fitness industry is extremely motivating. Being the only one in the room that looks like me does add pressure to prove to everyone else that I am qualified and capable, but that forces me to keep all my ducks in a row.
I’ve learned that I have to stand out and make an impression which means furthering my education and having more credentials behind my name, showing up and adding valuable content on social media to keep my brand on the forefront of people’s minds, providing the best and most professional client experience, building out great programs and getting my clients results; the list goes on. I wouldn’t be where I am today if I wasn’t the only person in the room that looks like me. It definitely ignites a fire in me and doesn’t allow me to settle.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
My name is Kalene, I’m 28 years old and I am a personal trainer, content creator, and entrepreneur.
Growing up I always wanted to work in healthcare but as time passed I became less interested in the traditional route. I’ve always had the desire to work with people on their health/wellness and sort of stumbled into fitness.
I started Kut X Kay Fitness in 2o19 out of a place of desperation. I hadn’t landed that “big girl job” out of college and I needed income so I decided to take on free lance clients while I was job hunting. After free lance training for a few months I got my first full time job as a personal trainer at a group fitness gym. From working there I definitely grew as a trainer, improved my confidence, and learned the in’s and out’s of the gym business, but was still unfulfilled and didn’t have a great work life balance. After a year of working and gaining experience I felt it was time to venture off on my own. I left the corporate gym world at the end of 2020 and officially launched my business as an independent at the top of 2021.
My target clients are women between the ages of 25-65 who are busy mom’s, working professionals, graduate students, or retired etc who desire customized exercise programs, fitness education, nutritional guidance, and accountability. I coach women to become stronger, healthier, and more self aware version’s of themselves to improve their quality of life. I pair hard work with behavior change mentorship and guide my clients to the answers for all the questions they have to be successful. I educate along the way so when clients move on, they feel equipped to maintain their fitness lifestyle without me.
I offer in person and online training. My in person training is very intimate because I travel to the homes of my clients who have a dedicated space to train. Traveling to my client’s homes allows them the luxury of not having to worry about child care, hectic work schedules, rush hour traffic, and affords them the utmost privacy. My online training affords me the opportunity to work with clients who are not in the same city as me or who simply don’t have the room in their schedule to meet with a trainer on a regular basis. Online training is best for someone who needs minimal coaching while at the gym and is intrinsically disciplined/motivated. What I love most about being a trainer is being an integral part of my client’s life and journey through fitness. Hitting milestones and seeing their faces light up when they hit a goal is the most exciting part of my job and what I love most. It makes waking up at 4AM worth it!
What to expect from Kut X Kay Fitness: I will be launching a new design for my merch line “Fix Your Attitude, Change Your Outcome” and a new strength and conditioning eBook program fall 2023 so stay tuned!
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Three things that were most impactful on my journey as a fitness trainer/entrepreneur:
1) Get Mentorship: 2020 created a TON of small business owners who were able to market their talents, services, and products to make a livable wage and that’s great! However, a lot of people are not business savvy and would benefit from mentorship from someone more vetted in their specific industry. I was one of those people and hired a business coach for fitness professionals and that changed the game for me. Be humble because you don’t know everything and can learn so much from others to move you further along.
2) Stay ORGANIZED: I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had a consultation with a potential client or just spoke to someone in passing who discussed their interactions with other trainers and had them rave about my client intake process and how thorough I articulate and communicate. People have had poor encounters with other trainers and most of the time it’s because the trainer was not organized. They didn’t have any systems in place or effective methods of communication. When you’re organized people take you seriously and it shows you are serious about your business and what you have to offer.
3) Fall in love with the process: Social media is a lie lol I say this because so many young professionals and entrepreneurs compare themselves to people on the internet who they will probably never meet in their life time and use their life as a metric of success. While there is nothing wrong with having someone who inspires you or who you learn from, be mindful of that adoration becoming obsession with their life and success and in turn speaking down on your journey. We only see a small snapshot of the world and other’s experiences from social media. Everyone struggles, everyone has failed at some point, everyone is working to become better; please understand this! You are not alone. Fall in love with your own journey and cheer for other’s on theirs. There is room for all of us to be successful. Every day is apart of your story and it’s valuable. Don’t take any day for granted just because it’s not “postable” Focus on yourself and things will fall into place.
As we end our chat, is there a book you can leave people with that’s been meaningful to you and your development?
Right now I’m reading “Boundaries” by John Townsend and Henry Cloud.
It’s a Christian based self help book teaching readers when to say “yes”, and how to say “no” and take back control of their lives. As a natural born helper this has been a skill I’ve had to learn and develop over the years to keep my sanity. Being a service provider, you often times want to say “yes” to any and every request of your client.
That works for a while, but eventually a few things transpire: burn out, being taken advantage of, no work life balance. That does not promote anything good and soon you will have strong disdain towards what you do because you feel like you’re being controlled by the customer, client or your business and not the other way around. This book is great because it plays out different scenarios, how to set boundaries in each one, and what happens when you don’t set those boundaries.
Saying no is not rude. Saying no is not mean. Saying no without an explanation is acceptable.
I’ve had to learn to set boundaries with client communication and with how much I work. I don’t respond to work text messages or emails after 10pm, I adhere to my late/cancellation policy, I give myself every Monday off to take care of personal tasks or business administrative tasks, and I’m firm on my pricing. I also am very particular with the clients I accept because it has to be a good fit on both ends.
I’ve also learned to set boundaries with gyms and where I conduct business. If the gym no longer serves me and where I want my business to go I am never afraid to leave and find a new spot. Setting boundaries keeps life peaceful and when you’re at peace you thrive.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.kutxkayfitness.com/
- Instagram: @kut.x.kay
- Facebook: Kut X Kay Fitness
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kalene-parker-a0482ba8/
- Youtube: Kalene Parker (@kutxkay_)
- Other: TikTok: @kutxkay
