In Being Authentic: Shameless Plug For Women In Fitness

You spend years working a job. Maybe you didn’t care for the “job.” Maybe you loved it, but you loved the world of fitness more and felt a calling to solve a problem to get this world moving more. Maybe you yearned for crafting your own business. Whatever the means may have been, you found yourself from well-respected in your career to in many ways starting at square one. Whether you are starting a new career, switching roles, or starting your own business, the struggle is real. It’s especially unique to women. Of the companies that made up the 2019 Fortune 500 list, a mere 33 have women CEOS. The numbers are improving, but there is considerable progress to be made before we close the gap.

In many ways as women we are ingrained to be nurturers, naturally shunning the spotlight and downplaying our accomplishments. Although this is not true of all women, it definitely feels true for many of us.

Authenticity is easier when you feel confident. Being authentic is defined as being genuine or relating to others from a real place. It is relating as human beings, being grounded in truth and connecting to other people as opposed to being “faux.”

When your confidence is challenged, (as in the case of a new role), it is harder to be authentic. Not because we hope to trick others, but because we lack the self-assurance to be ourselves. We are too worried about impressing. It can be harder to look people in the eye for fear they will challenge you, demean you, or dare I say, disagree with you. Although there are exceptions to the rule, most women I know are conflict avoiders. We long for acceptance, we feel more comfortable when we are supported and supporting others, and we dislike arguments and disagreements.

Now being in the trenches of business ownership, terms like CEO and Owner, we especially as women are constantly surrounded by the feelings of vulnerability, inadequacy, and inferiority. However, there has been light in the tunnel. The business model at FitSwop is truly about elevating professionals in the fitness space, so it is high time I elevate the women I have met who have truly inspired, elevated, and picked me up when I was standing from a place of vulnerability.

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