Spotlight Interview – Amy Rebera
Background
Amy is an Exercise Physiologist, a Certified Professional Life Coach, and Personal Trainer located in Ithaca, NY. Amy holds a Master of Arts in Exercise Physiology and Cardiac Rehabilitation. She obtained her Bachelor of Science in Physical Education as well.
When did you start working in the field?
Amy has been working in her field for about 35 years. Therefore, she is highly qualified and a seasoned professional.
Why did you decide to start working in the field?
Amy decided to begin working in the exercise physiology field because she found a serious connection between how people feel about themselves and their physical performance. While in college, Amy was enrolled in science courses as well as physical education courses, which is where she first noticed that the link was strong between the two areas of study. Ever since, Amy has been fascinated with the field and began her work with high risk groups of people. She would help those with confidence issues as a result of aging, weight gain, etc. and allow them to realize that they aren’t stuck in life and have the ability to move forward no matter what.
Who/what was your biggest influence when you were starting on your career path?
When I asked Amy who/what was her biggest influence, she stated that while in school she had two professors that inspired her. One of them was an expert in Corporate Fitness while the other was a Researcher. She was always finding different ways to look at the same thing, and Amy was heavily influenced by her methods.
After graduating with her Masters, Amy was lucky enough to begin a career at the Sports Training Institute. This was the first Personal Training Institute in the country, and it was when Personal Training was just starting to take off. Celebrities and well known athletes were just starting to realize that they could pay someone money to sculpt their bodies. Therefore, Amy had the privilege of working with movie stars, other celebrities, and professional athletes/sports teams. Amy continued at this job for about 7 years and stated that it truly shaped her career. In addition, it gave her a lot of confidence knowing that she could succeed at such a well-known company at a young age.
What is your favorite aspect of your career?
Amy’s favorite part about her career is when she feels as if she has truly reached someone. Amy lives for the moments for when she instills confidence in her clients and gets them to realize that they can reach their goals no matter what. In addition, getting her clients to realize that they can continue to grow even when they’re not being coached.
What is the most challenging aspect of your career?
Amy believes that the most challenging part of her career is business growth. Amy is located in a small town in New York, so getting new and fresh clients becomes difficult for her. However, Amy is able to do coaching over the phone and skype, so clients are able to utilize her even if they aren’t located in New York or in Ithaca.
What advice would you give to emerging fitness professionals?
The biggest piece of advice that Amy would give to emerging fitness professionals is to get their education under their belt. She stated that just being certified as a personal trainer, or whatever your field is, doesn’t give you enough depth. She would advise obtaining a Bachelor’s Degree and a Masters to help gain experience as well as confidence. In addition, Amy states that you have to make sure that you truly love it. This is because her career is all about making the clients shine and feel better about themselves, not about making yourself shine and feel good. Therefore, it is important that you are truly passionate about helping others before entering this career path.
What sets you apart from others in your field?
Amy stands out from others in her field because of how committed she is to the success of each and every one of her clients. Amy has a gift that allows her to listen to what’s underneath the words her clients are speaking. She turns their thoughts into goals, because most people don’t know what they want or need when they first come to her for coaching. Amy is able to make clients feel safe so that she can uncover their obstacles and then create goals to help them reach their full potential.
For more information, call 607-342-2043 or visit www.reberalifecoaching.com
