We recently connected with Natasha Caleel and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Natasha , really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?
My journey to discovering my purpose started with a deeply personal experience – the birth of my own daughter. This pivotal moment in my life opened my eyes to the unique challenges and needs that women face during and after pregnancy. Becoming a mother myself ignited a profound sense of empathy and understanding for other women going through similar experiences. As someone who was previously very active, it shocked me when my pregnancy was not as easy as I anticipated and this wore on both my physical and mental health, This is what prompted me to expand my skills as an Occupational Therapist to focus on women’s maternal health.
From a young age, I always felt a calling to be of service to others. This intrinsic motivation to help people was a driving force in my life and guided many of my decisions in both school and work. When I combined this desire to serve with the newfound understanding of the specific needs of women in the prenatal and postpartum stages, my purpose began to take shape.
For a long time I wasn’t sure if personal training was really my “end career”. After 6 years of college, and over 15 years of experience, I felt like I’d eventually move on to something different. Last year I decided to embarked on a journey of self-reflection and introspection, and took some time off work to step back and re-evaluate what I wanted in my life. This process allowed me to recognize my strengths, interests, and values. It became clear to me that my unique skills and abilities were best suited for a career in women’s health, but I knew I wanted to do more than what I was already doing.
As I delved deeper into the world of prenatal and postpartum exercise, I saw the profound importance of my chosen niche. Women in this demographic often face distinct challenges that require specialized support and guidance, and most importantly they are searching for a community, a place where they do not feel alone in their struggles. Recognizing this need and my ability to address it became a significant driving force behind my purpose, which prompted me to open a boutique fitness studio, Sage Society. This collaborative wellness space is designed to accommodate the unique needs of women, at all stages of motherhood.
In the end, my journey illustrates how aligning my passions and skills with the desire to make a positive impact led me to a career shift that highlights my true purpose in life, to connect with and help others.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
As the owner of @fitmamasb I primarily work as a postpartum corrective exercise specialist and personal trainer. I educate my clients and guide them through exercise programs during and after pregnancy as well as later in motherhood when goals and priorities change. I have been working with clients both online and in-person for the past 10 years, and am now opening a brand new women’s fitness studio in Santa Barbara called Sage Society.
Sage Society is a place where women, at all stages of motherhood, can go to not just find a fitness class or training program that works for them, but find a community of women in the same season of life. After running many fitness classes for moms in the past I quickly saw that although clients often came for the workout, they stayed for the community. This is when I knew I needed to create a studio that focused on just this, health and wellness for women, with programs and resources to support the unique needs of those navigating motherhood.
I am continually expanding my knowledge as a movement professional and enjoy blending my skills as an Occupational Therapist and Personal Trainer to create truly unique programs for my clients. Core and pelvic floor rehabilitation are often key components of my work, as these areas can be significantly affected by pregnancy and childbirth, but this isn’t all that I do. I believe that women should feel strong and confident in their bodies and there is a way to workout in the right way, while addressing things like diastasis recti, pelvic floor dysfunction, posture, mobility, and nutrition and daily habits. I aim to educate and empower my clients with knowledge so they. can achieve their goals and stick with them long term.
I’m excited about the opening of the new studio! The schedule includes classes for women of all levels, from postpartum core recovery to intermediate strength classes, as well as semi-private and private training for those who are ready to take it up a notch. We also plan to offer childcare, monthly educational workshops, free community classes and will be partnering with other women focused businesses in town to provide the very best (and fun!) services for our clients. Lastly, there will be an online component to the studio, so clients can stay connected even when they are out of town or are unable to attend classes in-person. My support is continuous, recognizing that postpartum recovery is a journey that unfolds over time. My goal is to help women regain their physical strength, correct any postpartum-related issues, and improve overall well-being through targeted exercise programs, expert guidance, and the support of a welcoming community. Expected opening date is January 1st, 2024 and we are located at 360 S Hope Ave in Santa Barbara, California.
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?
Empathy and Communication Skills: Empathy is essential for understanding the unique physical and emotional challenges that women face during different stages of motherhood. Being able to communicate effectively, listen to your clients, and offer emotional support is crucial in building trust and providing the best care possible. Your clients are there for YOU, not just what you can offer them as a personal trainer.
Courage to Task Risks: Having the courage to take risks is crucial to finding success as an entrepreneur. If I only played it safe I would still be working in a nursing home in a career that I didn’t really enjoy, rather than doing something that lights me up everyday. It can be scary to try something new, put yourself out there, and be a newbie again, but the more reps you get in, the easier it gets. You just need to get started.
Specialized Knowledge in Postpartum Health & Corrective Exercise: For me, having a deep understanding of postpartum anatomy, physiology, and the specific challenges women may encounter after childbirth has really helped me excel in my career. This is what sets me apart from other personal trainers and gives my clients the confidence that they can trust me to provide the services that they need. Staying up-to-date with the latest research and practices in postpartum care is also important. As a lifelong learner learning new concepts or skills is what keeps my career interesting.
We’ve all got limited resources, time, energy, focus etc – so if you had to choose between going all in on your strengths or working on areas where you aren’t as strong, what would you choose?
If you asked me this when I was younger I would probably of said it was best to go all in on our strengths. I am a pretty all or nothing person, and a perfectionist, so logically this makes the most sense to me. Now, with a few more years under my belt I can say with confidence that investing in areas you aren’t as strong in not only makes you a more well rounded person, but allows you to excel in your strengths even more.
For example, during the pandemic I really leaned into creating more online content. I had dabbled in videos here and there, but to be honest, I was never very good at it. TikTok had started to take off and I watched from the sidelines for a long time. I knew I should be making videos, but I was worried about looking stupid and not being able to truly communicate my knowledge in a way that made sense. I started by learning everything I could about lighting, microphones, cameras, editing, etc. I asked a couple photographers to help me and watched a billion YouTube videos. Once I got some of the technical stuff down I started making videos. I forced myself to make one video a day for multiple months. Although they did improve, I still looked awkward…I finally decided to hire an acting coach to help me and that made all the difference. I knew being on video was a learned skill, and I just needed the right person to teach me how to do it.
Being better on video not only helped my online presence, which attracted more clients, but also helped me figure out how to better explain concepts and educate my clients. You need a deep understanding of a topic in order to summarize and explain it to someone who knows nothing about the subject. I learned to take complex information and break it down into succinct and easy to digest videos that anyone could understand and watch in under a minute. This has greatly helped me as a personal trainer and fitness instructor as well, because no one wants to listen to you drone on about something that they don’t understand or don’t care about.
Contact Info:
- Website:sagesocietyfitness.com
- Instagram: http://instagram.com/fitmamasb
- Facebook: http://facebook.com/fitmamasb
- Other: http://tiktok.com/@fitmamasb http://fitmamasb.com — personal training website
Image Credits
The Anna Joy Creative Anne Marie Bollman
