I originally met Trudi (Tru Spork, ACE Certified Personal Trainer, RRCA Certified Running Coach) in the health field and she is a powerhouse of positive energy, knowledge, and inspiration. Trudi truly practices what she preaches and has found a great balance of being an amazing mother, a successful entrepreneur, and a motivating personal trainer. Read on to learn how she maintains her work-life balance. – Sarah

What attracted you to the field of health and wellness? I have always been into exercise and fitness since I can remember.  I started become more serious runner since moving to San Francisco from Australia and having my daughter in 2007.  My first job in the fitness industry was with Baby Boot Camp as it was the perfect job as I could take my daughter along with me.  I realized then how much I loved helping others to enjoy and appreciate being fit and healthy like myself.  I now run my own business “trufitnesshealth” where I run small group bootcamps and train one on one personal training clients.  I specialize in functional and injury prevention training.

Your Job Title: Personal and Group Fitness Trainer

Company you are with now: Trufitnesshealth (my own business)

Website: www.trufitnesshealth.com

A typical (or not so typical) day-in-the-work-life for you: My days are all very different as I have daughter in elementary school and I am very involved in her PTA.  My first priority every day is to make sure I get my daily run and strength training in for myself.  I have to be role model for my clients!  I am often running from school to clients and back to school to coach my daughters soccer team and then home to prepare dinner for my family.  In between all of this I am always reading the current issues of exercise journals and making sure that I am informing my clients with the correct information.  I am also have to come with some creative idea for my bootcamp clients so I constantly on the web searching for some fun circuit workouts to keep everyone on their toes! Literally!

How did you get your current job in health and wellness? Like I mentioned before I fell into the fitness industry while working for BabyBootCamp, but now I am running my own business whereby I am mainly working with women and moms.  I now realize that I want to begin working in a gym or other studios so that I can work with a broader range of clients.

What skills were you born with and what skills have you learned along the way? I love making all my clients feel at ease and bringing humor and fun into the workout.  I am not a very serious person!  I have learnt that I can be a leader, especially when I am running my bootcamps.  This is something that I felt that I was not that strong at but have built on becoming more skilled at it.

What advice do you have for others wanting to be just as successful and fulfilled as you? Follow your first thought of what you always wanted to do!  I remember wanting to grow up and be a physical education teacher/or be in the fitness industry and for some reason I never followed that dream up until now.  After many decades, I am finally doing something that I have always wanted do and the feedback from my clients confirms that I’m doing what I should be doing. 

If you could be paid for your job with something other than a paycheck, what would it be? I love when my clients text me and tell me how sore they are or how good they feel about themselves because they feel strong!   That is why I would do my job for free!

Sarah Koszyk, MA, RDN, is a Registered Dietitian and Sports Nutritionist specializing in Weight Management and Sports Nutrition for youth and adults. She writes articles for multiple publications, provides customized nutrition coaching, and is a brand spokesperson. She is founder of Family. Food. Fiesta.Connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, or LinkedIn.