Today we’d like to introduce you to Maddy Owens
Hi Maddy, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Have you ever started down a path in your life without even realizing it? I mean, this sounds like a trick question—how would you know if you have if you still have not realized it? A few of you might know exactly what I am talking about. For the rest of you, have you ever met someone who has bounced around from passion to passion, from idea to idea, from vision to vision, and it just seemed like they could do anything they wanted in life … if they would just decide?
I mean, I’m sure we have all intentionally pursued certain passions with the hopes of doing something meaningful and impactful one day. And then life happens and redirects us to a new path, over and over again. In looking back and connecting the dots after all of these years, I am a prime example of someone who was not able to recognize or acknowledge her divine assignment and has literally bounced from coast to coast and country to country trying to figure it out.
I did not intentionally start down my health and wellness path until 17 years after I was divinely placed on it. I did not start making moves based on my intentions until six years after I set those intentions. I did not follow through on what I started until three years after I made my first attempt. And I did not commit to my assignment until four years after I decided that this was what I wanted to follow through on. So why did it take me 30 years to fully commit to the path that I was set on? My name is Maddy Owens, and this is my story.
ANYTHING TO AVOID HOUSE CHORES
I was introduced to fitness in 1994 through a VHS tape called Perfect Balance Workout. I stumbled upon it one day, thinking it was a movie, and when my mother got home from work, I asked if we could watch it. The ladies on the TV screen were telling us what to do, and for me, it was just a really fun game. It wasn’t until my mom said she was “too tired to workout” that I learned the concept of working out. I ended up doing that exact same workout every day on my own when I got home from school. Donna Richardson was the only black woman in the cast, and I wanted to be just like her. At that moment, I told myself, “I want to make workout videos.” I was 7 years old when I was placed on my path, yet I had no idea at the time.
The workout had four sections: ballet, martial arts, toning, and aerobics, so I naturally fell in love with both sports and dance. I was already teaching myself ballet from library books by reading the descriptions and looking at pictures. When I was 9 years old, my father asked if I was interested in learning ballet at a dance studio. I kid you not, I asked, “What is a dance studio?” I was genuinely oblivious to their existence, and this ignorance kept reappearing later in my journey. Nonetheless, my love for the human body in motion propelled me down two athletic paths that, at the time, I just saw as hobbies that could get me out of house chores.
Dancing and sports were very fun for me during childhood. I joined a weightlifting team when I was 12 years old and also began studying exercise science that year. My love for how the musculoskeletal system responded to different stressors sent me down a path of full immersion into the topic. I was obsessed with training my body to adapt to the demands that I placed on it, and this laid the foundation for a highly competitive dance and sports career.
Fast forward to 2005, when I started my first professional job as a fitness instructor and ended up in two fitness magazines. I was so deep into my professional dance career at the time that I didn’t speak much on or even think to build upon this momentum at all. Instead, I spent 5 years dancing for the NBA, my college program, music videos, awards shows, tours, movies, and theme parks. Everyone who knew me would agree that I was destined to be a dancer.
THE FIRST REMINDER
Fast forward to 2011, when I worked on my first professional fitness DVD with Denise Austin. Being on a production set and working out in front of cameras with Denise made something finally click. I had completely forgotten that 7-year-old Maddy wanted to make her own fitness DVDs! 17 years after I was divinely placed on my path, I finally set the intention to take the journey despite being knee deep in my dance career. Months later, I sat in my cruise ship cabin, took advantage of no internet to access the world, and compiled a 25-page business plan for my women’s fitness DVD series, Fit and Fabulous.
I went on to train over a dozen online clients years before online personal training even became a thing! I work on 7 fitness DVDs, 4 national fitness campaigns, 3 print jobs, and a fitness video game. To this day, I still get photos from people who do 21 Day Fix saying, “I worked out with you on my TV today!” I even received a phone call from Universal Fitness headquarters in London saying that they were seeing my face all over their TV screens in Europe and that I was invited to present at the annual International Health, Racquet, and Sportsclub Association conference. I was set up to really take my fitness career all the way, yet I once again ended up on dance gig after dance gig.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
My journey was far from smooth because I didn’t really know that I was even on one, let alone where I was going. I couldn’t see the signs, I kept taking every exit I could, and I had no one in the passenger seat to assist me along the way. I kept denying the fact that I even had a fitness career. I had a major case of imposter syndrome and didn’t think I was good enough to be considered a professional in the fitness industry. It sounds crazy, but I believe that I was honestly just a product of my environment. I lived with and constantly surrounded myself with dancers, so I shaped my entire identity around that label. My professional dance career was thriving and kept taking center stage in my life. I loved dancing, so I never felt like I was missing out on anything.
I was so laser-focused that I left no room to see things from a different perspective. I was relying on my own understanding, which was an extremely limited mindset to have. I moved to LA to pursue a dance career, not a fitness career, so I repeatedly told myself, “Remember why you’re here.” I don’t think a lot of people knew the extent of the work I did in the fitness industry. I never shared it the way I shared my dance and music careers. It was always something to pursue “one day” once I gained “more experience.” I did not connect with a mentor in the fitness industry for any guidance, and I was never redirected back to my original path whenever I stepped off the road.
I also struggled a lot with being in control of my life at the time. I was living in a very reactive mode and jumping on any opportunity that came my way. I expanded my dance resume and even opened my own dance studio. To add a plot twist to my story, I even took yet another detour to pursue music as a recording artist. I joined two different girl groups, one of which took me overseas to tour. I had simply lost sight of who I was and what I truly wanted for myself all along. Living in LA kept me in survival mode, and I just lived for the moment.
Let’s just say that this process repeated itself multiple times over the next decade. Don’t get me wrong, I never gave up on Fit and Fabulous; I just never gave it my all either.
We’ve been impressed with Finally fully stepping into my purpose and accepting my divine assignment, I am the proud owner of two sister companies, Fit and Fabulous and Fit ‘N Fierce., but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Finally fully stepping into my purpose and accepting my divine assignment, I am the proud owner of two sister brands, Fit and Fabulous and Fit ‘N Fierce.
FIT AND FABULOUS
Fit and Fabulous is a holistic life coaching company that serves women who want to regain control of their health and their lives. It is a way of life that encourages healthy behaviors and creates lasting changes in the lives of women all over the world! Our community’s beating heart is a desire to honor ourselves on the inside and out by leading healthy lives that nourish our mind, body, heart, and soul.
My signature program is “Fit and Fabulous in Four Months.” This is a revolutionary online training program, created from a holistic point of view, designed to educate and empower women to make lasting changes in their bodies and lives. All of my clients who have gone through this program have completely transformed their lives for the better as we work on being physically, mentally, emotionally, financially, environmentally, socially, and professionally fit and fabulous.
What sets Fit and Fabulous apart is, honestly, me. Working one-on-one with me gives you access to all of my unique experiences and knowledge that you can’t find somewhere else. It’s easy to find a personal trainer, and it’s easy to hire a coach for finances, career, self-love, mindset, etc. It is rare to find a personal trainer who is also a life coach and can holistically cover all of the other areas of your life that might need extra attention. Our lives aren’t compartmentalized, so neither should our approach to regaining control of our lives.
I am most proud of the evolution of my Fit and Fabulous brand throughout the decades. It started with a focus on physical fitness because that was my area of expertise at the time. As I went through more life experiences, seminars, workshops, and mentorships, and as I grew through health challenges, divorce, corporate downsizing, getting out of debt, firing my boss, starting businesses, learning to love myself, and designing my life, I added more content to my ever evolving program. I am proud of the vulnerability it pulled out of me as I poured myself into the program material.
I recently started a YouTube channel for Fit and Fabulous, which will house many resources and lectures for everyone to access. My program, “Fit and Fabulous in Four Months,” is also open for enrollment for self-starters who prefer to take themselves through a self-paced course. I am looking forward to taking on more 1-on-1 coaching clients after its newer sister company, Fit ‘N Fierce, is fully launched and running.
FIT ‘N FIERCE
Fit ‘N Fierce is a new fitness program housed at The Warehouse in Gotha, Florida. Our mission is to start, support, and sustain active lifestyles within all of the families in our community.
We specialize in group fitness classes and are known for being the most diverse fitness program in all of Central Florida. We have a mixed team of qualified instructors who offer a variety of fitness classes, so we can proudly say that we truly offer something for everyone! From resistance training to dance fitness, from cardio to barre, from aerial fitness to yoga, we give you options to keep your fitness routine fun and engaging.
Our approach to putting people over profits has inspired us to revolutionize the way we offer our services to those who are in real need of more personalized guidance. On one end of the spectrum, you can get a gym membership but need to pay extra to receive guidance from a personal trainer. On the other end of the spectrum, you can hire a personal trainer, but trainers aren’t covered under insurance, are priced at a premium, and can’t cultivate an atmosphere of community with one-on-one sessions. Our fitness program bridges the gap between taking an occasional fitness class (or working out on your own) and consistently working with a personal trainer. In addition to drop-in classes and class cards, our studio offers special packages that give people access to monthly personal coaching and/or nutrition coaching, in addition to their group fitness workouts, at a fraction of the price.
We are proud to set the narrative that a consistent fitness routine can be a fun and engaging way to lead an active lifestyle. It doesn’t have to be boring or feel like a punishment. We offer the only group fitness training program that does not require a monthly membership or contract! Additionally, a lot of our classes are kid-friendly and stroller-friendly, and at no extra charge, because we want to make fitness accessible to everyone! Lastly, we know the names of every single client who walks into our facility! We take pride in developing relationships with each and every person who chooses us to help them with their health and fitness journey.
We are beyond excited to plan our official launch, where we will have free class demonstrations, free health screenings, raffle prizes, grand opening discounts, giveaways, pop-up vendors, and more for everyone in the community. In the meantime, take advantage of our many new client specials.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
It’s really hard to pinpoint one quality or characteristic, but I would have to say my perseverance has been most important to my success. My continued effort to do or achieve something despite difficulties, failure, or opposition has made it possible for me to even share my story today. My persistence, even though there was a huge, and I mean huge, delay in achieving my goal, has definitely contributed to my success today. Of course, many other qualities were learned and developed to be able to persevere. My ultimate perseverance through all of the side hustles, distractions, and obstacles has led me to my current season full of providence.
Pricing:
- 3X New Client Special – $47 for 12 training sessions in a month ($3.91 per session)
- 5X New Client Special – $77 for 20 training sessions in a month ($3.85 per session)
- Buy One Get One for a friend FREE Class Cards ($5.50-$6.50 per session)
- Friendly Charter Membership – 3 sessions a week ($8.92 per session for life)
- Fueled Charter Membership – 5 sessions a week ($7.85 per session for life)
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.iamfitandfabulous.com and https://www.fitnfiercefitnessstudio.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fitandfabulouswithmaddyowens and https://www.instagram.com/fitnfiercefitnessstudio
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fitandfabulouswithmaddyowens and https://www.facebook.com/orlandofitnessstudio
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@FitandFabulouswithMaddyOwens
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/fit-n-fierce-fitness-studio-gotha
Image Credits
P90 Image 1 Credit: Beachbody
P90 Image 2 Credit: Beachbody
21 Day Fix Image Credit: Beachbody
Denise Austin Shape Up and Shed Pounds credit: Lionsgate
