We were lucky to catch up with Rachel Dellefield recently and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Rachel with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?
I was not the best softball player on any team I ever played on.
Growing up and playing on rec teams when I was younger, I made the all-star team only once. Every other year, I’d get passed over for girls who were faster, stronger, or more skilled. In one instance, I remember being up to bat against the undefeated team of our league with one out left and a runner on base. We were losing, and my coach was trying to motivate me to get a rally going. I struck out looking. I saw him shake his head in disappointment and heard him say, “I tried. Guess she didn’t want it that bad.” I was 10.
I got a hitting coach soon after that. I did not want anyone to ever assume I wasn’t working hard enough or cared enough.
Once I started playing on travel teams and my high school team, I realized I was pretty small for a catcher and would have to work extra hard to play at the level that was expected of me. I went to my coach’s facility 3 or 4 times a week for hours on end (homework totally ignored) – my own lesson and then staying after to catch for multiple of his pitchers’ lessons. On weekends when we weren’t playing tournaments, I’d go to the field with my dad to practice blocking and throw-downs. My friends knew not to make plans with me – softball came first. I did not want to be taken advantage of on the field. What I lacked in size and maybe some skill, I made up for in my willingness to show up and work hard.
I made varsity my sophomore year and six days before I was set to start, I broke my ankle – I ended up needing surgery and was out for 6 months. My high school team won CIF that year while I had to sit on the bench, attend practice with a boot and crutches, and cheer my teammates on. If I physically couldn’t play, I was going to be the best teammate I could be. My first game back was a tournament where college coaches were scouting and it was pure shell shock for me. I didn’t play well at all but what I did do was hustle in between plays, I was the loudest in the dugout, and I was the first person to high five my teammates after they did something good. The college coaches noticed that and passed along their positive feedback to me, which really stuck with me. I wasn’t the best player on the field, but I was certainly trying to be, and I was really good at lifting others up to be the best players they could be.
I am so grateful for my experiences on a team as the perpetual underdog. It has taught me a work ethic that has served me well in business and fitness. I hold high expectations for myself as a coach – I recognize the value of continuing education, I ask questions, I am constantly working on my craft, and am more than willing to put in the work to be the best coach I can be. With my clients, I am their cheerleader and my goal is to empower them to be the best versions of themselves they can be.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I am a certified Kettlebell Coach and personal trainer in the Los Angeles and Orange County area. After receiving my NASM CPT and teaching group fitness part-time for two years, I left my corporate job in February 2020 to begin working as a coach full time. In May of 2022, I completed a four-month kettlebell coach mentorship and in April of 2023, I obtained my StrongFirst Level 1 Kettlebell Certification learning from worldwide industry leaders. I am also a Dynamic Sports Performance Certified Coach and a 200-hour registered yoga teacher with an additional 150 hours of training under my belt.
With the timing of quitting my job a month before Covid, I finally now feel like I actually have my feet firmly planted in this industry and I feel proud to call myself a coach. For a long time, I had major imposter syndrome, felt really lost and confused as to what was next for me, and even considered going back to my corporate job. I’m so glad I didn’t. This coaching and self-entrepreneurship journey feel like the melding of my history in competitive softball, the joy and resiliency that movement brings me, and my love for connection and community. I really cannot believe I get to share this with others as my job.
I work with clients in all walks of life but primarily those who are new to strength training, are just beginning their wellness journey and are nervous to start, and those who are experiencing pain. My aim is to empower my clients towards resiliency and allow them to discover for themselves all that they can do. I offer one on one training, virtual training, and in 2024, I will be launching an 8-week course called Kickstart Kettlebells, designed for someone who has never picked up a kettlebell before but wants to try something new. The goal from there is to then foster a community of like-minded individuals meeting weekly, who for the first time, consider themselves athletes and have fallen in love with movement.
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?
Resilience – I quit my corporate job in February 2020 to work in fitness full time, had a month of normalcy before the gyms shut down, and was subsequently fired by the gym I had been working at in the middle of Covid. When I was fired, I had two clients to my name. I was fired on a Monday and on Tuesday, I found adjustable dumbbells and some kettlebells on Craigslist so I could train my two clients in parks. We picked back up that Wednesday. It was so challenging to be a self-employed trainer in the middle of Covid with all the gyms shut down in Los Angeles. Client acquisition was tough as people weren’t comfortable training in person and my client list was too small to make a living off. There were many times that I considered going back to my corporate job. I knew I had to do something to get the word out about my services online, so I created and started marketing my first online program Work(out) From Home. I was honestly surprised by the support and interest. It took me getting out of my own way and telling people what it was that I did and doing that often no matter how many people said they weren’t interested. It went through three successful rounds before gyms started opening back up. I am still working with some of these clients I met during this time.
My business has taken on different iterations since then, but what hasn’t changed is my willingness to put myself out there and put myself into positions where I can succeed, try new things that might be scary or might not pan out, and most importantly, ask for what I want even with the possibility of the answer being “no.” Closed mouths don’t get fed.
Empathy – fitness is so, so personal. It isn’t just the reps and sets on a piece of paper. It’s their stress, their sleep, their nutrition, their self-beliefs, etc. I truly believe that my success as a coach comes from my ability to empathize with each client. I am genuinely interested in what makes each person tick, I want to know about their families, their jobs, their day-to-day lives, and I remember the details that they tell me. Their stories will influence where they currently are in their fitness journey and where they want to go. This will help me not only in my programming but in the way I communicate with them. I will communicate with an ex-athlete who is used to yelling coaches or an expecting mama who didn’t sleep well the night before differently. This makes each person feel seen and understood, which translates into feeling safe in making long-lasting changes in their fitness routines.
Invest in yourself – in 2021 and 2022 I invested what was at the time for me, quite a bit of money, into myself and my business. I took a business course in 2021 and then signed up for a four-month kettlebell program in 2022. I knew this program would be a stretch financially, but I also knew that long-term it would pay off. I knew my skillsets as a coach and I knew my willingness to work hard, but I also knew there were some gaps in my knowledge that would be addressed in this program. I finished the program in May of 2022 and that next June, I had my best month. Now, in 2023, at the beginning of October, I assisted a seminar and by the end of October, I had my best month to date. These things don’t happen by accident. I am hungry to learn, I know I can always improve, and I seize opportunities that work towards my goals. Invest in yourself – you are worth it.
With all of this, I know there are people in my industry that are smarter than me and are doing what it is that I want to do. Put yourself in rooms with these people and ask questions and get inspiration from them. Similar to programming for fitness, take a look at where you currently are, know where you want to go, and bridge the gap between the two step by step. It won’t happen overnight. It takes knowing that you don’t have all the answers and being willing to ask for help, and it takes hard work and consistent/daily action.
What has been your biggest area of growth or improvement in the past 12 months?
I think the last year for me has been all about learning how to set boundaries. As someone who prides themselves in their work ethic, I have a very hard time saying no. I used to say yes to clients I knew deep down weren’t a great fit, I wouldn’t implement my own policies and would go above and beyond what was asked of me to my own detriment, and would unintentionally put myself in situations where I felt uncomfortable with the amount of work that was being asked of me for the amount of pay. And as a fitness professional who goes beyond just the physicality of it all, I am also holding space for my clients through big emotions and major life events, good or bad. This can be a lot sometimes and can effect my mental health if I don’t manage my own emotions and implement the boundaries I’ve set.
I’ve learned that to best serve my clients, my cup needs to be filled. You can’t pour from an empty cup. This means taking care of my own body and mind first – making time for my own training sessions, building in time for my self-care, and investing in multiple coaches of my own are non-negotiable. I now feel comfortable asking for and charging what I am worth, saying no to clients who I think would be better served by someone else, and I am clear in my policies when I onboard a new client and am no longer uncomfortable upholding them. I’ve learned that the clearer I am with my boundaries and the more centered I personally am, the clearer the expectations are for my clients and the better our working relationship will ultimately be.
Contact Info:
- Website: racheldellefield.com
- Instagram: racheldellefield
- Facebook: racheldellefield
- Linkedin: racheldellefield
- Youtube: racheldellefield
Image Credits
Chris Carter
