In this episode of our Six Weeks to Fitness podcast, I will be joined by Jenelle Salazar, a Certified Personal Trainer, Nutritionist and owner of “Get Bodied By J”.  During the interview, Jenelle will take us on her personal journey growing up as an overweight teen in New Mexico, having never been exposed to fresh fruit and vegetables until she was able to go grocery shopping for herself.  Although Jenelle was very active in school PE, she didn’t know much about exercise so she watched Billy Blanks exercise dvds for inspiration and it wasn’t long before Jenelle decided to leave New Mexico and the many negative influences in her neighborhood, which was ravaged by heroin and crack-cocaine, and relocated to Las Vegas and enrolled into a Personal Training program which started her on the road to becoming one of the most sought after fitness trainers in the United States with over 500,000 authentic social media followers all over the world. 

Jenelle will also share her exercise philosophy, provide fitness tips and talk  about her upcoming Get Bodied by J fitness tour.

In this episode of our Six Weeks to Fitness podcast, I will be joined by Fatima Batook, owner of Studio55, Saudi Arabia’s first women-only Spinning® and fitness studio. During the interview, Fatima will discuss her challenges as a child growing up in Saudi Arabia and how she used food as her refuge to deal with the day to day struggles of trying to fit into society.  Fatima will also discuss how she was able to launch her fitness studio at a time when there were no legal fitness facilities for women in Saudi Arabia and how despite the negative publicity she received from the local press, decided to open up her own award winning clothing line for women.  Fatima believes that if she can do what she is doing in Saudi Arabia, “than anyone can do it anywhere in the world”.  Fatima plans on opening 20 additional studios in the next 3 to 5 years.  This is truly an amazing story of how one woman through her courage and strength is seeking to change Saudi Arabia’s culture through fitness rather than politics or religion.   This is truly one of my most inspiring interviews.

In this episode of our six weeks to fitness podcast, I will be joined by Saloni Kantaria, a former competitive tennis player and lawyer out of Nairobi, Kenya.  During the interview, Saloni will take us on a journey from her childhood growing up in Nairobi, playing tennis, practicing law and giving it all up to open “Reform Cycling and Strength Studio”, the first boutique cycling/fitness studio in Nairobi.  Saloni will discuss the reasons why she felt a need to open up Reform in her native land and the many challenges she faced to get the fitness studio off the ground.  Saloni will also discuss her very unique business model and the various fitness programs her studio offers the entire family.  This is truly an amazing story of how one woman through her courage, strength and convictions is seeking to improve the health of families in her native land.

In this episode of our Six Weeks to Fitness podcast, I will be joined by award winning choreographer and director, Millicent Johnnie.  During the interview, Millicent will share her journey growing up in a small town in Louisiana, being enrolled in ballet classes at age 5 and reading biographies of Alvin Ailey and Katharine Dunham. In her teens, Millicent hosted a TV show called “Those Tender Years” that was met by protests and objection by the local KKK who subjected her to ongoing harassment and threats– an experience that Millicent credits for the resilience and determination behind her success today.  Millicent believes that you can achieve anything you want in life as long as your mind, body and spirit is in balance.  Millicent will also discuss the importance of living a healthy lifestyle and provide encouragement and advice for anyone trying to break into the entertainment industry.

In this episode I will be joined by Elizabeth Madison, Registered Dietitian, Nutrition & Wellness Consultant and Weight Loss Coach.  During the interview, Elizabeth will discuss her over 20 year struggle with obesity.

Elizabeth weighed 284 pounds and as a result of the weight gain, suffered with asthma, hypertension, and chronic pain in her back and knees.  After feeling some pain in her chest, Elizabeth went to see her doctor who diagnosed her with an enlarged heart related to her high blood pressure. The doctor told Elizabeth she would be dead in 5 years (before the age of 40) if she didn’t get a handle on her health. This is an amazing story on how one woman through faith and determination, changed the trajectory of her life and is now helping others to do the same.

In this episode, I will be joined by Hollywood’s Beauty, Fitness and Lifestyle Expert Donna Spangler, who in her fifties, is still competing, maintains her health and fitness schedule (weight training, tae kwon do, walking), and healthy eating.  During the interview, Donna will discuss her upcoming movie in which she co-stars as “Angelina” opposite Dean Cain, Kirsten Lea, Vincent DePaul and John Savage in the family-friendly holiday tale Beverly Hills Christmas, where with help from a guardian angel, a spoiled rich, very material teenage girl learns that true value is found in assisting others and not in material things. The film premiers December 6 on UPTV.  Donna will also share her health, fitness and nutrition advice, which, Donna believes, starts with a positive mental attitude.  This is a very informative and inspirational episode.

In this episode of our Six Weeks to Fitness podcast, I will be joined by Jake Koenig, co-founder of Spotter, an In-home personal training company and Fit Your Space, a consultancy that takes office spaces and turns them into healthy environments.  During the interview, Jake will discuss his fitness philosophy which was the impetus for Spotter and Fit Your Space.  Jake will also provide exercise tips for the work environment and towards the end of the interview Jake has a special personal training offer for my listeners in the New York metropolitan area.

in this episode, I will be joined by Golda Smith, a certified personal trainer, Nutritional Cleansing Coach, curator of the Body, Mind and Soul and creator of fitmommyblog.com.  During the interview, Golda will share her amazing journey from being tired, depressed and suicidal to where she is today as the CEO of Golda International.  Golda will also discuss why she feels that every woman should wake up M.A.D. (Motivated and Determined). 

In this episode of our Six Weeks to Fitness podcast, I will be joined by Thomas (TJ) Johnson Jr., Founder and CEO of GetUpNGetFit LLC, a health and fitness company that helps clients learn and implement healthy and safe lifestyle habits through coaching, counseling and motivation.  During the interview, TJ will discuss what life was like being born and raised in Liberia and having to see through some very young eyes, the horrors of Civil War that his country was going through back in 1992.  If it wasn’t for his grandmother, who raised him, TJ would not be here today.  TJ will discuss how he got into the fitness business and started his company, GetUpNGetFit, his unique workout philosophy and much more.

In this Episode of our Six Weeks to Fitness podcast, I will be joined by Tricia Montgomery, founder and CEO of K9 Fit Club.  She is the nation’s leading expert and pioneer in human/canine fitness. Her diverse experience in veterinary medicine, public relations, animal rescue, personal training, and her own weight loss journey gave her the perfect combination of skills to create a nationwide community of certified trainers – dedicated to the health, fitness, and wellness of dogs and their people.  After a visit to the veterinarian with her dog Louie, Tricia realized the need for a fitness program, not just for her dog, but for herself as well. She ended up losing 130 pounds and Louie was able to shed four pounds. Her passion and love for both people and dogs led to the creation of K9 Fit Club, the nation’s first facility for both humans and canines alike.   This is truly an amazing story.  You can find out more about Tricia, K9 Fit Club and how to become a certified K9 Fit Club trainer at www.k9fitclub.com.