I started my career in the Fitness Industry almost 20 years ago by accident. I was hired as a weekend opener at Spectrum, a gym chain in Southern California. It was just a summer job for me to make some extra spending money. When I graduated, I picked up more hours while applying to positions for what I thought would be the start of my career in publishing as an editor. When a full-time position opened up at the gym, I moved over to the member services department at the corporate office and started data entry and basic membership reporting for the chain.
When I found my attention to detail and other skills helped me in the job, I started absorbing things like a sponge and stopped applying to editing positions. With the help of one particularly encouraging colleague, and Google, I learned the joys of Excel and macros and never looked back. I was lucky enough to have a couple of great women mentors who helped me transition from college into the professional world throughout these early years. I was promoted to the department manager and led our team through multiple software conversions, ultimately spending 10 years with Spectrum. As I moved on to other gym companies, I was often the only woman in the room; especially as my job veered more towards software and business intelligence reporting. Eventually, I found my way to the software side of the industry, joining Jonas Fitness in 2018.
At Jonas, we have no shortage of women at all levels within the company, and I’ve always felt our input is valued within this organization. Jonas offers everyone the chance to grow their career and skillset, and I am so glad to be a part of this team. I have always felt like all team members thrive in places where they are respected. Knowing that your team will listen and help you work through complicated problems makes everyone more comfortable thinking outside of the box to develop a creative solution. The basic skills of open-mindedness and listening come from the top down and make all the difference. I will be forever grateful to the people who helped me find my place at the beginning of my career. I hope to be equally helpful to the next generation of women trying to find their place in this industry!
When I’m not at work, I still love to read and spend a lot of my free time reading on my couch. I also love to knit, build fun Lego sets, and try my hand at home improvement projects, though those don’t always turn out how I expected. My sister and I love music and like to attend live events whenever possible. I also like to tinker with electronics, and my family has me on speed dial for times when they need IT help. My dog, Arya, loves to go outside for walks and playtime, and as long as our Houston weather isn’t too humid, I’m happy to take her.
