Rachel Drake is a personal trainer out of Troy, Ohio. She specializes in small group training (3-4 people), but her main focus is kickboxing. She has been married for 18 years to her high school sweetheart and has a 16-year-old son. After speaking with Rachel about her career, here is what I learned:
- When did you start working in the field?
Rachel has always been involved in athletics, so she’s had an upper hand in the fitness industry the majority of her life. More specifically, Rachel was involved in swimming and softball during high school. However, Rachel officially began her professional career in fitness in 2011. This is the year that Rachel went back to school to obtain her certification, which was done through WITS (World Instructor Training Schools). The program included an exam and a mandatory internship.
- Why did you decide to pursue a career in personal training?
Rachel decided to pursue a career in fitness because of prior athletic experiences. However, in 2011, a terrible accident happened that changed Rachel’s outlook on life. Rachel was playing field hockey one morning and injured herself so badly that she was immobile for 10 months. Not being able to work out, let alone walk, inspired Rachel to start a new career path. She recalls one day watching people walk and realizing how much people take little things such as walking for granted. She jokes that if it weren’t for this horrible accident, she might not even be working as a personal trainer today!
- Who/what was your biggest influence when you were starting on your path?
When starting on her fitness journey, Rachel’s biggest influence was the trainer she interned under during the certification process. She adapted her style of training and really liked her approach on personal training. Once Rachel’s internship was technically over, she ended up staying with her mentor because of how much she enjoyed learning from her.
- What is your favorite aspect of your career?
Rachel’s favorite part of her career is getting to experience life changes in people. She loves seeing the smile on her clients faces when they realize they have something in them that they didn’t know they had. She genuinely enjoys being a small part of her clients’ journeys and being there for when they accomplish their goals.
- What is the most challenging aspect of your career?
Rachel believes that the hardest part of her career is when she pours her heart and soul out for an individual and they don’t follow through. She explains that, occasionally, she shares so much knowledge with a client, and she knows that they have the ability to accomplish their goals but she ends up wanting it more than they do. Therefore, it gets frustrating when she invests so much energy and her client doesn’t want the same thing as her.
- What piece of advice would you give to emerging fitness professionals?
When I asked Rachel what advice she would give emerging fitness professionals, she explained that she would advise them to take it one day at a time. In addition, she stressed the importance of giving 100% effort, 100% of the time. This is because nothing happens overnight and results are not going to be evident immediately. Therefore, it is important for fitness professionals to be consistent and patient and to emerge themselves into their client’s journey.
- What sets you apart from other fitness professionals?
Rachel stands out from other fitness professionals because of everything she has been through thus far. At age 17, Rachel was diagnosed with diabetes and she promised her family and husband that she wouldn’t let this disease define her. She wasn’t going to let something with no cure dictate what she was going to accomplish in life. In addition, as described earlier, Rachel has suffered traumatic injuries, but she was able to overcome them and become a stronger person as a result. Therefore, Rachel offers more compassion to her clients because of her personal accomplishments despite numerous roadblocks.
