September 14, 2021 • 42 mins
Welcome to Season 2 of UA Sweat The Details! In this episode co-hosts Monica Jones and Meg Boggs sit down with fitness entrepreneur Ariel Belgrave to discuss her company Gym Hooky. Ariel talks about why her journey with fitness and working in the corporate world lead her to turn her side hustle into a full-blown career. Ariel gives us insight into how she used her skills from her time in the tech world to help Gym Hooky succeed and how you can turn your passion into a business too.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
I don't give up. I don't give up on people,
and I don't give up on myself. That's like deeply
rooted in me because I want to see people thrive
and be great, And even if they don't think they can,
I know they can. So whatever I gotta say to
hype them up, that's literally like hr and a nutshell.
And now I've been able to bring that into the
fitness space. This is Sweat the Details, a collaboration with
(00:25):
under Armour and I Heart Radio, a podcast made for
women by women. I'm Meg Boggs and I'm a powerlifter, author,
body positivity advocate and mother. And add Monica Jones, I'm
a fitness coach, boxer, business owner, and you a athlete
and we're so excited to be your new host for
season two of the podcast. Every episode, we'll hear from athletes, trainers,
(00:46):
and experts who will give us insights into how our
bodies and minds work together in training and competition. In
today's episode, we are talking about entrepreneurship. We're going to
dive into how we can turn our passions or hobbies
into full time careers. Our guest, Ariel bell Grave, is
a certified health coach, fitness trainer, and the CEO of
Jim Hookey, a wellness brand helping busy women live happy
(01:07):
and healthy lives. For over a decade, Ariel work corporate
jobs at fortune companies, but then made the big jump
to pursue a full time career in fitness. She's coached
more than a thousand women and created her own fitness program,
the Lean Method, which focuses on well being in mindfulness,
and on top of all that, she's a fellow u
A athlete. This is something that I think that a
lot of our listeners are really going to take note
(01:29):
on because Ariel's journey is really something incredible and very
just inspiring. Yeah. Absolutely, I'm also really curious about how
she built her own fitness business from the ground up.
She definitely has some amazing advice for those who want
to create their own businesses but don't know where to start.
Her story is really truly inspiring. But Monica, what do
(01:49):
you say we get to the interview with Ariel bell Grade.
Let's do it all right. We are welcoming Ariel bell Grave.
She's a startified health coach, fitness trainer, CEO of Jim Hookey,
and one of our very own under Armour women. Welcome Ario,
Thank you. I'm so excited for this comvoy'all. We are
(02:10):
so excited. Yes, well, let's get right into it. I
am curious what was your fitness journey, you know, like
up to this point, what role did organized sports play
and like developing your love for fitness. Yeah, so a
great question because it did start with sports. And it
is interesting now where I think there's a bit of
a differentiation being with fitness and sports. So what I
(02:32):
knew growing up was how do you stay active? You
play a sport um And it actually started when I
was like really young. I played t ball with my brothers.
I actually wanted to do everything my brothers did, so
I was definitely a very well rounded athlete, to say
the least. And I played up through college and college
actually played rugby. Was introduced to the sport and knew
nothing about it. I just knew that I love to
(02:53):
tackle people, and that's how it all started. So yeah,
that's where a lot of movement happened for me. That
is so fun Yeah, this your energy is infectious area.
It's so funny. When I think about the first time
I met you. We were in Portland and we all
went through a train or workout and you cleared that
it was like a forty inch box. After clearing like
(03:16):
a thirty inch box, you jump right into it. I
walked around that thing. It was not my day. It
wasn't even one of the soft boxes. So I will
never forget that moment and thinking about what is it
that this woman does because she just casually did that
and had a huge smile on her face the whole time.
I'll never forget that moment. That is hilarious. So walk
(03:36):
us through what your previous routine was, like, how did
you balance keeping a healthy lifestyle while you had a
demanding corporate job and a side hustle with Jim Hooky. Yeah,
so this is very relevant because I, um, we can
back it up to even making that transition from college,
and I know that there are a lot of athletes
who can relate to this. It's very different when you
(03:57):
have someone telling you went to show up to practice,
how to to be your most active self and having
a coach and having a team. But the moment I
made that transition over to the quote unquote real world,
I was actually working in finance. It was hard, it
was hard. Um, I was working like eight plus hour weeks.
I knew what it felt like to be my best,
(04:18):
and I wasn't showing up in that way as it
relates to my health. And this is where my transition
was where I was like, Okay, have a gym membership.
It is not being used as collecting a whole lot
of dust. The gym is out of my way. How
am I going to take care of myself or learn
how to take care of myself, even if it's something simple.
So I actually started working out at home. And at
(04:40):
the time in finance, I was working with a lot
of women and I was doing this routine that changes
were happening. Um, I was definitely like just the happiest
version and healthiest version of myself. And these women were like, hey,
how are you? How are you looking like that? Like
how are I'm I'm loving these vibes, I'm loving these changes,
I'm loving this transformation. Sign me up? Can we be
(05:01):
gym partners? And I was like, actually, I don't go
to the gym. I work out at home. So at
this time, I wasn't like certified. It was me just
being familiar with what we had to do. When we
played sports like, Okay, what is what is it like
to lift weights and all that, and I was just
sharing my routine and I quickly learned that I was
(05:22):
not on a lone island of really struggling to take
care of myself while trying to thrive in my career.
So um, Hence Jim Hooky actually ended up being born
where it was a positive movement around not making it
to the gym, and it caught on a lot of
women were really excited to start working out from home,
and that's where I was like, Okay, this is some
(05:44):
real stuff here. I need to get certified, I need
to do all the things. So that's when I got
certified as health Coach trainer and was really able to
show up in that space. And that's where things changed
for me because like my routine, but I continue to
teaches all movement matters right, So if I'm working out
four days a week thirty minutes, I'm feeling good about it.
(06:05):
I'm getting my body moving, incorporating strength training, so all
those things are part of it, and I'm doing it
right from home. Gosh, that's incredible. What made you realize
like this could potentially be a full time career, Like,
was there a moment that was like, Okay, this, this
is what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna make that transition. Yeah,
that's my favorite question. Um So, I worked at Facebook
for three years, and this was interesting because I know
(06:27):
when I first started at Facebook, I as a tech
you know, I'm like, Okay, I gotta I want to
make sure that I'm showing up bringing my best. Um,
this is why I'm here. And I try to be
super low key about Jim Hoockey, but you know what
happens when you are on social media and you work
for a social media company. It doesn't really work out
very well. Right. So yeah, then it wasn't that I
(06:50):
was ashamed of it. It It was more of like, you know,
I don't I never want anyone to feel I'm distracted,
and UM I go with that to share that my
transition into just really being open on who I was
and who I was serving outside of working in HR.
So my HR job, I was helping build uh employee
experiences for Facebook to make it one of the most
amazing places to work at and that's something I really
(07:12):
love to do. Um was creating programs for the employee experience.
So of December was where I had a moment. And
this moment was all encompassing of like, okay, Ari, what
is your why? Like what do you want to do next?
And Facebook had me um they have their biggest conference
for women who work at the company, and they asked
(07:33):
me and they were about eight thousand women and they're like, hey,
we would love for you to run the energizer. And
they're like, I mean you can do it. I'm like, uh, there,
you've done audiences like this before. I'm like maybe like
eighty people, I don't know about a thousand. And they're like, oh,
we'll make sure you're prepared. It would be great. My
(07:54):
job was to like get all the women out of
their seats, energized, excited. It was midway through the conference
and you're doing a lot of siting and I felt
I'm like I belong on this stage, like I belonged
to here. This is me. And a month after that, honestly,
it was a lot of thoughts on Okay, like you're
excited about Jim Hookie, you're excited about working at Facebook book,
(08:17):
what's that other layer? And that other layer for me
was fulfillment. I felt more fulfilled working in the fitness
and wellness space, knowing that I can impact the livelihood
of women, and that's where I made the decision. And
I had also had a fork in the road because
I was I was a part of the under Armour team,
so I was doing under Armour, doing Jim Hookie, doing Facebook,
(08:39):
doing all these things, and I'm like, it's time, and
my heart was so uh at peace with my decision.
So it just so happens that my very last day
working in tech was the very first day of the pandemic.
And this was something that no one could have planned for.
But I gave one month notice to my job, so
(09:01):
this was before like the pandemic was anywhere hitting us
in the US. It was more overseas. So as I'm
sure you both know, wellness during the pandemic, not to
say that it wasn't important, but it's skyrocketed on how
we can show up as professionals for people needing to
work from home and all that. So absolutely I get
(09:21):
chills every time I hear about anyone explaining when they
have that moment, you know, that magical moment where you
just know, like this is what I'm supposed to be doing.
It's just it's beautiful, and like I got chills and
you said that because I just know that such a
beautiful moment. It is definitely not even You don't even
seem at piece. You seem to be glowing the time
(09:43):
all the time, which is amazing. You spoke about being
in finance, different corporate positions that you've held, and they're
all very well rounded. So you had finance, you had
human resources, you were doing experiential work for those who
work for the company. You're very much a person and
who provides. And when I think about just generally women
(10:05):
of color in any industry, there's so much love that
we pour into our jobs, and there's also pressure to
not feel like we're seeming distracted at work. There are
also times where it feels like we have passion and
we don't want to run away from We want to
run to those things. So, even just jumping ahead, what
(10:28):
kind of fears did you have facing going from something
that is structured and provided with quote unquote to you
and going towards something that gave you passion, you felt
dedicated to, and that you knew you could solve problems with.
What were some of the fears you had and What
were some of the ways that you faced those fears. Yeah.
(10:51):
Um so, first one, mindset was a big one for
me all and and it's interesting because I I now,
I'm like mindset, mindset, mindset, you know, but like couple
of years ago, I'm like, woo woo, mindset, you know.
But once you actually realized moments of scarcity, and that
was it for me. I grew up an environment and
no one were entrepreneurs. It was my parents. My parents
(11:11):
were immigrants. I was the first generation of college student.
So what I saw was job security working for larger companies.
So there's a lot of discomfort there. And while I
believe in my capabilities, there's still the sense of security
when you're getting a paycheck every single time. And it's
one thing to have a passion, but it's like, is
this passion going to pay the bills? And I had
to work on myself and it was money. Mindset was
(11:33):
a big one where it was not the oh I
think I can get that. It's like, oh, I'm deserving
of that, and I'm going to make sure that I
do what I can to get that, and that get
that being thrive in the fitness and wellness space that
was something that was a game changer for me. I also,
you know, read a lot of books. I spoke to
other people whose mindset was so abundant that I was
(11:54):
so blown away. I'm like, how do you talk like that?
Like this is crazy to me? Are you on earthly?
But I had to check myself and what it meant
for my own belief and self worth. So that was
definitely one. Uh. The other one was imposter syndrome. So
you know, you're entering a space where it's like, Okay, well,
how are women going to choose me or appreciate my
(12:17):
guidance versus anyone else? Or what is my secret sauce?
How am I different? And I realized through speaking with
a lot of people, like we all bring our own
flavor to the fitness and wellness spased. So I'm the
yes kind of trainer. I incorporate affirmations in my workouts
to remind women to love themselves along the journey, not
just when they get to the well. There is no
(12:38):
final destination. It's a journey. Yes, all right, what would
you tell women of color who want to become personal
trainers or fitness content creators? Those women that might feel
hesitant of not fitting in or maybe not getting the
recognition that they deserve. What kind of advice do you
have for them? M hm, such a great question. I
would say, find your lane? How can you show up?
(13:02):
It's about the impact that you can make. And it
is tough because as black women, there are barriers right
there are the systems were set up for us not
to have as much access um as others may was
set up almost for us to fail. So getting around
that isn't easy. I'm not gonna stay here and be
like girl, just find your lane and do your thing. Nope.
(13:22):
First acknowledge that systems are tough making our way around
that as black woman, but surrounding yourself with people who
maybe where you want to go and and have navigated
this space as something that's really helped me and knowing
that I'm not alone. So definitely surrounding yourself as a
black woman, um, not just with other black women, but allies.
(13:43):
How can they support you? How can you thrive in
this space? And that's something that's helped me a lot,
especially when it comes to impostor syndrome. It's like do
I belong here? And of course you belong here? There's
the perfect clients waiting for you. But it's having that
confidence and knowing that you can be in that space
and enter that lane. I love it absolutely. On your website,
(14:04):
you've coached like over a thousand plus women, which is incredible.
And I've noticed that you have a signature program and
it's the Lean method. Can you tell us a little
bit more about that and how that's different than like
other virtual programs. Yeah, so this this is my baby. Um.
I actually created the Lean framework during my time of
(14:25):
being incorporate, So the structure of it is catered to
like the busy woman. How can you still take care
of yourself and thrive? How can you chase your dreams
in a healthy body? Essentially, so Lean is actually an acronym. Uh.
The L is for lifestyle, E is for exercise, A
is for attitude, and the end is nutrition. And in
this framework, it's what I what I preached to women
(14:47):
is important that all aspects of these are included when
you're on your wellness journey. However it looks like for you,
some maybe weight loss, others maybe wanting to get stronger,
others may want to sleep better. So the L is
really important because I think oftentimes, um, we jump into
the exercise and the nutrition, the A being really important too,
(15:09):
and it's like, Okay, I'm gonna work out, Okay, I'm
just gonna eat healthy, But your lifestyle matters so much.
And oftentimes when you look on the internet and you
see these programs, it's very cookie cutter, and it can
be discouraging when you try a program that doesn't fit
your lifestyle. For example, are you a mom with two kids?
Do you have a job where you're traveling, you're consultant
(15:31):
and you're traveling all the time. Are you working really
early mornings and really late nights and all those aspects
of your lifestyle matters and how you show up when
it comes to taking care of yourself. So I've structured
this program where it's it's giving women permission to structure
in a way that works for them. Ten minute workouts,
let's do it. That's what I have time for this
(15:52):
morning before my kids wake up in the morning. Like
is that type of vibe? And then the attitude is
another component I think is oftentimes missed, where it's okay,
how do I how do I affirm myself along the way? Um,
not just when I when I get to that end,
and how do I believe that where I want to go,
I can be on my wellness journey and it be sustainable.
(16:14):
It's very anti diet sustainability, um and and just reel
and raw and giving yourself permission to mess up and
get back on track. Oh that's that's amazing because I
feel like a lot of you know, women will go
to virtual programs online, and a lot of it is
the first step. This is the number one thing you
need to do. You need to get on a scale,
(16:35):
and you need to just limit everything, restrict everything. And
it's like there's so much more to it. And I
love how you kind of broke that down. And I
mean that's just the most important thing I feel like
when you're starting any program. So it just excites me
to know that this is available for women out there,
especially busy women, because we all know that every woman
out there is just trying to get through the day. Yeah.
(16:57):
I would say ninety five percent of the women who
come to my program, their goal is weight loss. That's
where they come into it as and when I think
of weight loss, they were just so much more negative
things that came with it. And what I've learned through
my experiences and even coaching is like, Okay, I can
help you with weight loss, but how you choose to
do that? It's more like weight loss with love? How
(17:18):
do you choose to do that in a way that
can be encouraging for yourself and the other woman around you?
Because community is really important and I feel like that's
something I've been really protective of. Um my lead program
is community base, but I also am protective of it
not being a case where it's like, so how much
do you ai now? Like what are the before and
after photos? Because that can be discouraging to someone else
(17:39):
in the environment whose results don't look like that. Absolutely,
weight loss can one be a goal, but it cannot
be a lifestyle right perfectly said, having a community that
leads us to feel like we've we've reached it, like
we look forward to the next goal, having you know,
(17:59):
the right new traditional guidance, or the excitement to explore.
I always see excitement on your page and in your content.
You're in the kitchen dancing around cooking something good, You're
you know, doing yourself care routines. Making sure that you're
all encompassing lifestyle is just as refueling for you as
(18:19):
it is challenging. So give us some insight on what
some of your favorite self care things to do are.
To make sure that your cup is full, yes, because
you know I can't pour from an empty cups right. Um.
So there are a couple of key things for me. Um.
One is I do love to exercise in the morning.
It gets my mind going energize as me gets my
(18:41):
blood flowing. Um. I do journal, and my journal is
very quick. I have a five minute journal where I
just like to remind myself to be grateful for the
things that I do have, eating a very healthy breakfast
and drinking water. I have to have my cup of
water right when I wake up. But those are the
things that are like quick wins for me that I'm like, okay,
now I'm ready to start my day. Um. My other
(19:03):
self care practice is setting boundaries. The way I think
of it in my mind is I have to say
no to something or someone in order to say yes
for myself and not feeling bad about it because that
is an energy drain in itself, like when you have
this guilt after you say no. So that's another one
takes practice. Doesn't happen overnight, y'all still working on it. Um.
(19:26):
The other is energy management. So you've heard time management,
and I think now getting into entrepreneurship, I think for me,
it's less of what do I have time for and
more of what do I have energy for? Because when
I look on my calendar, I'm like, oh, yeah, that's
a thirty minute gap there. But do I have the
energy to talk to someone one on one right now?
(19:47):
So for me, it's like being really intentional about my energy.
What am I doing to bring energy in and what
am I doing to protect my energy and what's being
done to release it. And there's sometimes where I'm like, nope,
I may have time for it, but I don't have
the energy to deal with that today. And that's something
that allows me to keep my cup full and provide
(20:07):
to others UM and show up for my clients. So
those I would say over my top three, I wrote
them all down. It's tough. It's tough to protect your
energy and feel like you're not being selfish, right. We
feel like if I don't give my time, then I'm
not giving my value, right. But sometimes we'll stretch ourselves
then trying to give time and then the value does
(20:29):
not add up. So I think starting your day and
making sure you've got those three things onlock is a
great way to manage energy, and it also reflects in
spending quality time. That's right, absolutely all right. One of
the realists and most encouraging things you've said so far
is that there is space for you in this industry.
(20:49):
And so now we want to kind of pick your
brain about some best practices to really get yourself go
and get your momentum and keep yourself not only sane
but thriving and all things entrepreneurship. Yeah, you know, when
I think entrepreneurship, it seems really scary. What would your
advice be to taking that very first step, you know,
(21:09):
for women who want to create their own businesses or
become their own business. Yeah. Who, there's so many things. Um,
what you bring to your business matters, um, it really
transcends into everything else. So I would say being clear
on like your why for your business and your purpose
(21:30):
and who you want to serve. So this is called
your ideal customer avatar I c A. And what I
see frequently is a lot of generalizations on who you
can serve. It's like, Okay, I'm a woman's coach, right,
so I want to serve all women. Okay, how is
that going to differentiate from someone else? So understanding who
(21:50):
that person is, where do they work, how old are they,
what is their income, what are their biggest challenges, and
really honing in on those things is really important because
it can help set the foundation on who is it
that you want to serve for starters. Um, The other
I would say is educating yourself going into this space
(22:11):
with an open mind, be okay with things not being perfect.
That was one of the number one things I learned.
So what I see often is people creating full out
programs without ever even having people go through beta and
testing whatever it is. So we're athletes here. I would say.
One of my favorite things is practice before you play,
(22:32):
right before you get into the game, before you get
a starting position, you have to show up, practice, show
up so you can get better. And the same applies
to your business. You have to practice on clientele, have friends,
family before you can get out into the world and
get with the big dogs. So that's one. The other
is surrounding yourself with people who support you. Sounds so easy, right,
(22:57):
but there are people who can really like put a
dent on your visions and dreams, and you don't need that.
You don't need that smoke. It's a discomfort that's allowing
people to thrive. It is doing something different and that
is your secret sauce. So definitely making sure that you're
surrounding yourself with people who can not only cheer you on,
(23:17):
but can guide you. And I mentioned education being super important.
One thing that I did in my business that was
the best decision I've made was invest in myself. That
investment was personal development, but also business development, because one
of the very first things that you're doing when you
start a business is making sure that foundation is set
because once you start going, once your business start growing,
(23:39):
because it will having to go back and fix those things,
it's going to be a hot mess. See what you
can do to do that upfront, and oftentimes investing in yourself,
whether it be a business coach who's been there where
you are, whether it be a course that you can
sign up, or simply just having someone who can say, Ari,
this is what you needed you before you start bringing
(24:01):
clients on, to make sure your foundation is set. So
lots of things, but those are some of the things
that definitely stand out to me on the business side
of things. Yes, getting started requires money. Yes, we can't
skip the money. So there's a study in the Global
Entrepreneurship Monitor that says that women self funded sixty one
(24:22):
of their total startup capital and they tended to obtain
funds from friends and relatives, while men self funded fifty
the capital and relied more on banks. That is a
crazy difference. And for you, what kind of advice do
you have on finding capital to start up your business?
So mine, mine has been self funded, and I think
(24:43):
what I can definitely speak to is someone who's went
from side hustle to full time. So I was very
intentional about money spent. I was prepared monetarily because I
was saving. I was saving and setting aside money that
I had. So that way, because I am very familiar
with that stat that you just shared, and it's heartbreaking,
(25:05):
but it's the reality of how we can be able
to grow our businesses as women. So I knew going
into and I'm like, Okay, I have to have money upfront. Um,
I'm I have these side gigs, I'm doing influencer stuff.
That's gonna be my money that I'm setting aside to
be able to start up. It did mean sacrifice of
certain things, but I was okay with that because I
had in mind that I wanted to be a business
(25:27):
owner someday. Um, I would say. Another thing that's super
important on the business side, I had to switch my
business model. Like what I did when I worked as
a side hustle did not work for me doing it
full time what worked for me for the last five
years of side hustle. I got to revisit this and
see how I can set things up to make more
(25:49):
money and it be like sustainable financially because financial stress
is a thing. Hello, somebody, let's talk about it. And
you can't show up for your your people if you're
rests right, So it's like, Okay, do I need to
raise my prices? Do I need to maybe do a
group coaching model? And that's something that's worked really well
for me, especially since community is something that I really
(26:11):
value and I think it really helps hold women accountable
when they're on their journey. But just thinking about that
and how like money can play apart in like feeling
like I can fund myself without needing to go the
outside source route. Yeah, so now that you're the boss,
of your of yourself and everybody you know that has
been now working with you. You know, it's so easy
(26:33):
to get off track. It's so easy to just kind
of lose sight of goals when you're the main boss,
when you're the one in charge. Um So, how do
you keep yourself accountable? Very relevant as I'm in these
conversations now, So I would highly suggest for anyone who's
on this path, even before you become a business owner,
is setting quarterly goals for yourself so you have something
(26:55):
to work towards. And what that holds me accountable too
is what I say, no one, yes, you, I am
huge on diversifying my income is not just going to
be coaching clients. However, if I don't feel like it
aligns to my quarterly goal, then there's something I can
revisit the next quarter. And I think the key to
that is also setting goals and manageable chunks. It's not
(27:17):
just saying I want to work with five big brands
this year. Cool, that's the main goal. What am I
gonna do leading up to it? Um? And that's something
that's helped me um. I Literally I'm a vision board fanatic,
like I I live for vision boards, and I do
a digital vision board. Actually not when that's written, because
I have it on the background of my computer somewhere.
We'll see it every single day and it's on the
(27:38):
background of my phone. Also, having a business coach to
held me account of being like, Okay, what are you
working on this week? Okay, here are the next steps
you need to take, And that has played a big
part as well. Because I'm naturally competitive. I bring the
athlete in me into this business world. So if I
tell someone I'm I'm gonna do something, I'm gonna do
it because I don't want to be, you know, not
(28:00):
following through. So I think that mentality, the athlete mentality,
has helped me like so much. I love it. The
athlete mentality can do so much for us, especially as
Women's incredibly empowering and to be empowered a lot of times,
we've got to use skills that we find from our jobs.
So what kind of skills from your corporate job do
(28:25):
you apply to your personal business? Now, y'all are killing
it with these questions. These are really great questions. So
one of my favorite things that a lot of people
hear me say is my corporate skills are paying the bills,
and I go with that to share. When I first
came into the fitness basel, I actually thought, I'm like, okay,
HR Fitness gonna be putting all that HR stuff to
(28:46):
the side because of entering this new space. And I
realized that my skill sets from the corporate world served
me so much when it came to navigating the space.
During the pandemic, there were a lot of shifts that
us as professionals had to make in order to survive
in this industry, from going virtual to trying different partnerships
(29:07):
and all that. So some of my key skills that
I thought gave me leverage. One was, um just comfort
working in the corporate space. So an avenue did I
had zero plans for was, you know, doing fitness classes
for corporate doing workshops. That was far from my mind.
When it's like all right, duh, You're in this space,
like you know what they're looking for, you know how
(29:28):
to navigate it, duh. So knowing how to have the
conversations with the heads of benefits, knowing that metrics is
super important and they want to see success, and how
do I let them know that what I provide can
hit your bottom line, So that's one. The other is
generally speaking communication. I have speakers anxiety, and a lot
(29:50):
of people are shocked by it because I'm a very
talkative person, but when it comes to being on a
stage in front of thousand, I'm like, oh my gosh,
everyone is looking at me. Oh okay. So definitely being
able to speak and empathy and grace, Like I think
I really built that muscle being in the corporate space
where I just have a lot of patients for a
lot of things, and I don't give up. I don't
(30:12):
give up on people and I don't give up on myself,
and I think that from being in the HR space.
That's like deeply rooted in me because I want to
see people thrive and be great and even if they
don't think they can, I know they can, so whatever
I gotta say to hype them up. That's literally like
HR and a nutshell, And now I've been able to
bring that into the fitness space. Your energy is just
(30:32):
some magnetic Like it's like I love how you just
give it everything, Like you give it everything and you're
so passionate. I just feel like so motivated right now.
I wrote down so many things that you said, and
now I'm like, okay, so what's next? What is next
for Jim Hooky? What is what is something that you're
like super excited about that's coming up? Can you share
(30:53):
anything with us? Yeah? So I am going to be
leaning in more to the corporate side of things. What
I've spent my time doing in this past year and
a half was helping tech companies design corporate programs specifically
for women because oftentimes it's all encompassing and there's a
(31:14):
need for gender specific programs because they do say the
percentage of stress when it comes to work life balance
is far higher for women than it is men, So
the support women need is different. And these are the
conversations I'm having with tech companies. So that's on the
corporate side of things. On the more of the B
two C business, the customer side of things is continuing
(31:35):
to put my programs out there and support women and
teach them how to be on their journey while loving
themselves at the same damn time. So we'll see how
that looks. I love it. That's so exciting. Yes, under
Armours spout the details will be back after a shore break.
(31:58):
Welcome back to spout the details All right, Sorry, this
is a part of the show. We like to play
a little game with our guest. The game we're gonna
be playing today is called fitspiration, where we're just going
to ask you a couple of questions about what and
who keeps you motivated and inspired to just keep pushing
hard in your fitness training and your entrepreneurship. Um, so
(32:18):
why don't we just get started? Are you ready? Oh?
I've ready. Let's get it all right, okay, first question,
who is your fitness role model? Leta Lewis? She is
the o G for black women in the fitness industry.
I love it. Leta is definitely she's She's a baller
for sure. What motivates you to work out if you're
(32:41):
feeling lazy? I think about the energy that it will
give me for the day. And that really is like
a huge motivated for me. Like you want energy, Ari,
got a lot of stuff to do. Let's work out
so you can get there. Yeah, yes, I love it. Okay.
So if you're like, say you're about to hit a
p are, you're about to go for something like your
(33:01):
best and you feel it. What is the song that
you're gonna blast in your headphones? Where you know that
song is gonna get you there, dang, y'all. I'm ratchet,
so amigoes something that's like it's like like trapped music
that's bringing me the vibes. Either that or some Beyonce
because you know she could that. I feel like my
(33:23):
spirit animal she mays she may get me there with
with we want to do that last rep that's gonna
get me to that pr So yeah, either Trapp of Beyonce,
good choices. I just knew it was gonna be rock
your hips because it just felt right. That is in
the ratchet. That would be it wood Belicious bubba gum. Okay,
(33:46):
what is your favorite warm up routine to get hyped
for your workout session? Um, I'm a hit girl. I
love hit, so I would say, uh, incorporating more of
like a cardio hit, whether it be jumping Jack's Hi
me and just like getting my body warmed up in general.
So inch worm is is one that I always in
incorporate just again, Yeah, I'm like, let's let's just get
(34:09):
this core im fire. Yes, yes, all right. Ari, you're
a trainy girl. Tell us about your favorite trainy dish
to make? Oh? So, I love curry a lot um.
Curry chicken would be my jam. My favorite dish in
(34:31):
general is ROTI haven't haven't perfected that yet, but I
can do all the fillings and I will blow you
away with my curry chicken, curry, goat, oxtail, you name it.
I love it. I think I just signed up to
cook fromm Yeah did you see my eyes? I was like, yeah,
it sounds like it. Well, Ari, thank you so much
(34:52):
for being here with us. This conversation was so good,
and I think a lot of women are going to
take away lots of great information and to help them
with their business, to help them make transitions, to just
help them live their best lives. And we can't thank
you enough for being here with us and answering all
of our questions. Thank you so much for having me.
It's a joy. I love to share and bring all
(35:13):
the laughs to these to these environments, So thank you.
Of course. Can you share a little bit about where
everyone can find you? Yeah, so you can find me
on the Graham at Jim Hookey g y m h
o O kay y. You can also find me on
my website if you're interested in joining my my wait
list for weekly wellness tips is www dot Jim Hooky
(35:35):
dot com and if you are about that professional life,
you can also find me on LinkedIn. Ariel Belgrade Harris, Yes,
thank you, Thank you again to Ariel bell Grade for
sharing her story. That was so great, What a great
way to kick off season two. There were so many
(35:56):
amazing things that Ariel said in the conversation, but I
really loved what she said about vision boards. Can we
talk about that for just a second, because I am
a huge visual person, Like I love journaling, and I
like all those things that she was talking about. But
she said, creating a vision board that you can put virtually,
like on your phone or as your the background of
your computer. And since that's kind of like the full
(36:18):
time job of entrepreneurship, I mean that's something I never
thought of. I'm a physical vision board person, so actually
having that on something I see every day, that was
just like a light bulb moment for me. What about you, mom? Yes,
I can one thousand percent agree with the vision boards
and all of the manifestation magic. I mean, she really
got me when she talked about hiding her extracurricular work
(36:42):
with Jim Hooky because she didn't want to seem distracted
at work. I feel like so many women, including myself,
we're out here hiding the really dope things that we're
doing because we don't want to seem distracted to our employers,
and it can really hold us back from again manifesting
that magic. So I think the two of those things
put together just really propels us forward as women in
(37:04):
the workplace. Yeah, there were so many takeaways. I hope
you all were taking notes. But Meg, what do you
say we check in on our goals? Yes, let's do it.
This is a point in the episode where we check
in with each other and you all the listeners about
our goals. We get real about our progress, talk about
where we're struggling, and ask for help exactly. So, Meg,
(37:24):
what you're doing over there? What goal are you working
on right now? Well, when I just got back into it,
I actually deadlifted for the first time this week in
a couple of months. You know, I've been doing my
fertility treatment for a few months now, and it's been
really difficult to get back into like a normal training
schedule since I never know what's going to happen. But
I deadlifted and it got me really pumped. I didn't
think I was going to have a dead lift goal
(37:45):
for anytime soon. But I got three fifteen yesterday and
I'm like, okay, I am back on track. I'm ready
to make that a real goal, and I'm not going
to set a timeline for it. I'm just gonna say
I'm gonna give it my all, see what happens, and
try to get that I lift back up to four hundred.
That's like my ultimate yearly goal. We'll see how long
it takes, but for now, I'm just going to keep
(38:06):
pushing and see what happens. What about you? Oh my gosh,
three fifteen a girl. It's about two hundred pounds heavier
than where I'm at now. That is so dope. I
love watching those videos of you hitting your lifts because
it inspires me to keep lifting myself and to really
know the strength that I have within and you know
(38:27):
that strength. Sometimes we really need a community to support us,
and you know what you're going through hormonally and getting
a little bit of release in the gym is so inspiring.
So how can we continue to help you in reaching
your goals? Honestly, you know, I feel like supporting is
it can it can be in so many different forms.
It could be as simple as like a quick d
(38:50):
M check in, a quick text check in. That's really
my like form of of support. I just like to
know that somebody else is like aware that I'm struggling
over here. And then that little bit of like even
that smallest text for me is like a game changer
because it just it makes me feel less alone, because
a lot of the time on this journey for me,
(39:10):
I felt very alone, and the smallest moment of somebody
acknowledging like, hey, I'm here for you is just it
changes everything for me. So that's really all I can ask.
What about your mon I got to hear about your training.
You gotta tell me more about it. Oh, yeah, it
is time to take it to the ring. I'm so
excited to be training. Yes, it's time for this first fight,
(39:33):
and I'm so excited to be joining into this charity
boxing event to fight against cancer KO cancer. It's going
to be just such an incredible training camp with my boyfriend.
So really, my goal right now is to make sure
that I can consistently be losing this ten pounds over
the next few months. Uh, make it an enjoyable journey
(39:54):
and get my lungs back to fighting shape. Nice. So
what can we do to support you on your journey
towards the Match of the century. It is going to
be such a brawl. I'm majorly excited. I'm ready. I'm
ready to see that. Yeah, I can't wait to hear
all this. So the support and training is great. Spreading
(40:15):
the word really helping me get these funds up because
I want to make big, significant changes in the fight
against cancer, and that is the real, real, true purpose
of me doing this as a fighter. It's always so
great to know that we have people in our corners,
people who truly care. So any interaction, encouragement, and any
(40:35):
spreading of the word is going to be helpful for me,
for my soul and for my training. So I'm really
looking forward to connecting with all of you on that.
Oh yeah, that's really something to get encouraged about when
you have those people around you just supporting you, lifting
you up. Well, best of luck on that can't wait
to hear more about it, and we want to hear
about how you're doing, So reach out to us on
social and cheer us on or keep us posted on
(40:57):
your progress. You can find me on Twitter, are at
Meg five Bogs and Instagram at Meg dot Boggs, and
you can find me on Instagram at Train with Man.
That's it for this week's episode, but don't forget to
join us next week when breath work specialists Lindsay Truvia
joins us to talk about breath work for performance. Yes,
this sounds like a really exciting one. I think we're
(41:18):
all going to learn a lot about breath work and
we can't wait for you all to hear that conversation.
Until next time, stay tuned in, stay motivated, and don't
forget to Sweat the Details. Bye bye. If you liked
(41:41):
what you heard on the show, subscribe for free or
follow the show on the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,
or wherever you listen, and don't forget to leave a
five star rating and review. Sweat the Details is a
collaboration with under Armour and I Heart Radio. Our show
was hosted by Me Monica Jones and Me Meg Bogs
are Executive producers are Just Striped Style, Just Sell, Louis Archibald,
(42:01):
Molly Sosha and Maya Cole. Our producers are Kelly and Tole,
Layla Cadrian, Emma Osborne and Alejandra Arrivalo, and our sound
editor and engineer is Sarah give Alaska. Keep up the
latest news in women's fitness by following under Armour at
under Armour Women and at under Armour
I don't give up. I don't give up on people,
and I don't give up on myself. That's like deeply
rooted in me because I want to see people thrive
and be great, And even if they don't think they can,
I know they can. So whatever I gotta say to
hype them up, that's literally like hr and a nutshell.
And now I've been able to bring that into the
fitness space. This is Sweat the Details, a collaboration with
(00:25):
under Armour and I Heart Radio, a podcast made for
women by women. I'm Meg Boggs and I'm a powerlifter, author,
body positivity advocate and mother. And add Monica Jones, I'm
a fitness coach, boxer, business owner, and you a athlete
and we're so excited to be your new host for
season two of the podcast. Every episode, we'll hear from athletes, trainers,
(00:46):
and experts who will give us insights into how our
bodies and minds work together in training and competition. In
today's episode, we are talking about entrepreneurship. We're going to
dive into how we can turn our passions or hobbies
into full time careers. Our guest, Ariel bell Grave, is
a certified health coach, fitness trainer, and the CEO of
Jim Hookey, a wellness brand helping busy women live happy
(01:07):
and healthy lives. For over a decade, Ariel work corporate
jobs at fortune companies, but then made the big jump
to pursue a full time career in fitness. She's coached
more than a thousand women and created her own fitness program,
the Lean Method, which focuses on well being in mindfulness,
and on top of all that, she's a fellow u
A athlete. This is something that I think that a
lot of our listeners are really going to take note
(01:29):
on because Ariel's journey is really something incredible and very
just inspiring. Yeah. Absolutely, I'm also really curious about how
she built her own fitness business from the ground up.
She definitely has some amazing advice for those who want
to create their own businesses but don't know where to start.
Her story is really truly inspiring. But Monica, what do
(01:49):
you say we get to the interview with Ariel bell Grade.
Let's do it all right. We are welcoming Ariel bell Grave.
She's a startified health coach, fitness trainer, CEO of Jim Hookey,
and one of our very own under Armour women. Welcome Ario,
Thank you. I'm so excited for this comvoy'all. We are
(02:10):
so excited. Yes, well, let's get right into it. I
am curious what was your fitness journey, you know, like
up to this point, what role did organized sports play
and like developing your love for fitness. Yeah, so a
great question because it did start with sports. And it
is interesting now where I think there's a bit of
a differentiation being with fitness and sports. So what I
(02:32):
knew growing up was how do you stay active? You
play a sport um And it actually started when I
was like really young. I played t ball with my brothers.
I actually wanted to do everything my brothers did, so
I was definitely a very well rounded athlete, to say
the least. And I played up through college and college
actually played rugby. Was introduced to the sport and knew
nothing about it. I just knew that I love to
(02:53):
tackle people, and that's how it all started. So yeah,
that's where a lot of movement happened for me. That
is so fun Yeah, this your energy is infectious area.
It's so funny. When I think about the first time
I met you. We were in Portland and we all
went through a train or workout and you cleared that
it was like a forty inch box. After clearing like
(03:16):
a thirty inch box, you jump right into it. I
walked around that thing. It was not my day. It
wasn't even one of the soft boxes. So I will
never forget that moment and thinking about what is it
that this woman does because she just casually did that
and had a huge smile on her face the whole time.
I'll never forget that moment. That is hilarious. So walk
(03:36):
us through what your previous routine was, like, how did
you balance keeping a healthy lifestyle while you had a
demanding corporate job and a side hustle with Jim Hooky. Yeah,
so this is very relevant because I, um, we can
back it up to even making that transition from college,
and I know that there are a lot of athletes
who can relate to this. It's very different when you
(03:57):
have someone telling you went to show up to practice,
how to to be your most active self and having
a coach and having a team. But the moment I
made that transition over to the quote unquote real world,
I was actually working in finance. It was hard, it
was hard. Um, I was working like eight plus hour weeks.
I knew what it felt like to be my best,
(04:18):
and I wasn't showing up in that way as it
relates to my health. And this is where my transition
was where I was like, Okay, have a gym membership.
It is not being used as collecting a whole lot
of dust. The gym is out of my way. How
am I going to take care of myself or learn
how to take care of myself, even if it's something simple.
So I actually started working out at home. And at
(04:40):
the time in finance, I was working with a lot
of women and I was doing this routine that changes
were happening. Um, I was definitely like just the happiest
version and healthiest version of myself. And these women were like, hey,
how are you? How are you looking like that? Like
how are I'm I'm loving these vibes, I'm loving these changes,
I'm loving this transformation. Sign me up? Can we be
(05:01):
gym partners? And I was like, actually, I don't go
to the gym. I work out at home. So at
this time, I wasn't like certified. It was me just
being familiar with what we had to do. When we
played sports like, Okay, what is what is it like
to lift weights and all that, and I was just
sharing my routine and I quickly learned that I was
(05:22):
not on a lone island of really struggling to take
care of myself while trying to thrive in my career.
So um, Hence Jim Hooky actually ended up being born
where it was a positive movement around not making it
to the gym, and it caught on a lot of
women were really excited to start working out from home,
and that's where I was like, Okay, this is some
(05:44):
real stuff here. I need to get certified, I need
to do all the things. So that's when I got
certified as health Coach trainer and was really able to
show up in that space. And that's where things changed
for me because like my routine, but I continue to
teaches all movement matters right, So if I'm working out
four days a week thirty minutes, I'm feeling good about it.
(06:05):
I'm getting my body moving, incorporating strength training, so all
those things are part of it, and I'm doing it
right from home. Gosh, that's incredible. What made you realize
like this could potentially be a full time career, Like,
was there a moment that was like, Okay, this, this
is what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna make that transition. Yeah,
that's my favorite question. Um So, I worked at Facebook
for three years, and this was interesting because I know
(06:27):
when I first started at Facebook, I as a tech
you know, I'm like, Okay, I gotta I want to
make sure that I'm showing up bringing my best. Um,
this is why I'm here. And I try to be
super low key about Jim Hoockey, but you know what
happens when you are on social media and you work
for a social media company. It doesn't really work out
very well. Right. So yeah, then it wasn't that I
(06:50):
was ashamed of it. It It was more of like, you know,
I don't I never want anyone to feel I'm distracted,
and UM I go with that to share that my
transition into just really being open on who I was
and who I was serving outside of working in HR.
So my HR job, I was helping build uh employee
experiences for Facebook to make it one of the most
amazing places to work at and that's something I really
(07:12):
love to do. Um was creating programs for the employee experience.
So of December was where I had a moment. And
this moment was all encompassing of like, okay, Ari, what
is your why? Like what do you want to do next?
And Facebook had me um they have their biggest conference
for women who work at the company, and they asked
(07:33):
me and they were about eight thousand women and they're like, hey,
we would love for you to run the energizer. And
they're like, I mean you can do it. I'm like, uh, there,
you've done audiences like this before. I'm like maybe like
eighty people, I don't know about a thousand. And they're like, oh,
we'll make sure you're prepared. It would be great. My
(07:54):
job was to like get all the women out of
their seats, energized, excited. It was midway through the conference
and you're doing a lot of siting and I felt
I'm like I belong on this stage, like I belonged
to here. This is me. And a month after that, honestly,
it was a lot of thoughts on Okay, like you're
excited about Jim Hookie, you're excited about working at Facebook book,
(08:17):
what's that other layer? And that other layer for me
was fulfillment. I felt more fulfilled working in the fitness
and wellness space, knowing that I can impact the livelihood
of women, and that's where I made the decision. And
I had also had a fork in the road because
I was I was a part of the under Armour team,
so I was doing under Armour, doing Jim Hookie, doing Facebook,
(08:39):
doing all these things, and I'm like, it's time, and
my heart was so uh at peace with my decision.
So it just so happens that my very last day
working in tech was the very first day of the pandemic.
And this was something that no one could have planned for.
But I gave one month notice to my job, so
(09:01):
this was before like the pandemic was anywhere hitting us
in the US. It was more overseas. So as I'm
sure you both know, wellness during the pandemic, not to
say that it wasn't important, but it's skyrocketed on how
we can show up as professionals for people needing to
work from home and all that. So absolutely I get
(09:21):
chills every time I hear about anyone explaining when they
have that moment, you know, that magical moment where you
just know, like this is what I'm supposed to be doing.
It's just it's beautiful, and like I got chills and
you said that because I just know that such a
beautiful moment. It is definitely not even You don't even
seem at piece. You seem to be glowing the time
(09:43):
all the time, which is amazing. You spoke about being
in finance, different corporate positions that you've held, and they're
all very well rounded. So you had finance, you had
human resources, you were doing experiential work for those who
work for the company. You're very much a person and
who provides. And when I think about just generally women
(10:05):
of color in any industry, there's so much love that
we pour into our jobs, and there's also pressure to
not feel like we're seeming distracted at work. There are
also times where it feels like we have passion and
we don't want to run away from We want to
run to those things. So, even just jumping ahead, what
(10:28):
kind of fears did you have facing going from something
that is structured and provided with quote unquote to you
and going towards something that gave you passion, you felt
dedicated to, and that you knew you could solve problems with.
What were some of the fears you had and What
were some of the ways that you faced those fears. Yeah.
(10:51):
Um so, first one, mindset was a big one for
me all and and it's interesting because I I now,
I'm like mindset, mindset, mindset, you know, but like couple
of years ago, I'm like, woo woo, mindset, you know.
But once you actually realized moments of scarcity, and that
was it for me. I grew up an environment and
no one were entrepreneurs. It was my parents. My parents
(11:11):
were immigrants. I was the first generation of college student.
So what I saw was job security working for larger companies.
So there's a lot of discomfort there. And while I
believe in my capabilities, there's still the sense of security
when you're getting a paycheck every single time. And it's
one thing to have a passion, but it's like, is
this passion going to pay the bills? And I had
to work on myself and it was money. Mindset was
(11:33):
a big one where it was not the oh I
think I can get that. It's like, oh, I'm deserving
of that, and I'm going to make sure that I
do what I can to get that, and that get
that being thrive in the fitness and wellness space that
was something that was a game changer for me. I also,
you know, read a lot of books. I spoke to
other people whose mindset was so abundant that I was
(11:54):
so blown away. I'm like, how do you talk like that?
Like this is crazy to me? Are you on earthly?
But I had to check myself and what it meant
for my own belief and self worth. So that was
definitely one. Uh. The other one was imposter syndrome. So
you know, you're entering a space where it's like, Okay, well,
how are women going to choose me or appreciate my
(12:17):
guidance versus anyone else? Or what is my secret sauce?
How am I different? And I realized through speaking with
a lot of people, like we all bring our own
flavor to the fitness and wellness spased. So I'm the
yes kind of trainer. I incorporate affirmations in my workouts
to remind women to love themselves along the journey, not
just when they get to the well. There is no
(12:38):
final destination. It's a journey. Yes, all right, what would
you tell women of color who want to become personal
trainers or fitness content creators? Those women that might feel
hesitant of not fitting in or maybe not getting the
recognition that they deserve. What kind of advice do you
have for them? M hm, such a great question. I
would say, find your lane? How can you show up?
(13:02):
It's about the impact that you can make. And it
is tough because as black women, there are barriers right
there are the systems were set up for us not
to have as much access um as others may was
set up almost for us to fail. So getting around
that isn't easy. I'm not gonna stay here and be
like girl, just find your lane and do your thing. Nope.
(13:22):
First acknowledge that systems are tough making our way around
that as black woman, but surrounding yourself with people who
maybe where you want to go and and have navigated
this space as something that's really helped me and knowing
that I'm not alone. So definitely surrounding yourself as a
black woman, um, not just with other black women, but allies.
(13:43):
How can they support you? How can you thrive in
this space? And that's something that's helped me a lot,
especially when it comes to impostor syndrome. It's like do
I belong here? And of course you belong here? There's
the perfect clients waiting for you. But it's having that
confidence and knowing that you can be in that space
and enter that lane. I love it absolutely. On your website,
(14:04):
you've coached like over a thousand plus women, which is incredible.
And I've noticed that you have a signature program and
it's the Lean method. Can you tell us a little
bit more about that and how that's different than like
other virtual programs. Yeah, so this this is my baby. Um.
I actually created the Lean framework during my time of
(14:25):
being incorporate, So the structure of it is catered to
like the busy woman. How can you still take care
of yourself and thrive? How can you chase your dreams
in a healthy body? Essentially, so Lean is actually an acronym. Uh.
The L is for lifestyle, E is for exercise, A
is for attitude, and the end is nutrition. And in
this framework, it's what I what I preached to women
(14:47):
is important that all aspects of these are included when
you're on your wellness journey. However it looks like for you,
some maybe weight loss, others maybe wanting to get stronger,
others may want to sleep better. So the L is
really important because I think oftentimes, um, we jump into
the exercise and the nutrition, the A being really important too,
(15:09):
and it's like, Okay, I'm gonna work out, Okay, I'm
just gonna eat healthy, But your lifestyle matters so much.
And oftentimes when you look on the internet and you
see these programs, it's very cookie cutter, and it can
be discouraging when you try a program that doesn't fit
your lifestyle. For example, are you a mom with two kids?
Do you have a job where you're traveling, you're consultant
(15:31):
and you're traveling all the time. Are you working really
early mornings and really late nights and all those aspects
of your lifestyle matters and how you show up when
it comes to taking care of yourself. So I've structured
this program where it's it's giving women permission to structure
in a way that works for them. Ten minute workouts,
let's do it. That's what I have time for this
(15:52):
morning before my kids wake up in the morning. Like
is that type of vibe? And then the attitude is
another component I think is oftentimes missed, where it's okay,
how do I how do I affirm myself along the way? Um,
not just when I when I get to that end,
and how do I believe that where I want to go,
I can be on my wellness journey and it be sustainable.
(16:14):
It's very anti diet sustainability, um and and just reel
and raw and giving yourself permission to mess up and
get back on track. Oh that's that's amazing because I
feel like a lot of you know, women will go
to virtual programs online, and a lot of it is
the first step. This is the number one thing you
need to do. You need to get on a scale,
(16:35):
and you need to just limit everything, restrict everything. And
it's like there's so much more to it. And I
love how you kind of broke that down. And I
mean that's just the most important thing I feel like
when you're starting any program. So it just excites me
to know that this is available for women out there,
especially busy women, because we all know that every woman
out there is just trying to get through the day. Yeah.
(16:57):
I would say ninety five percent of the women who
come to my program, their goal is weight loss. That's
where they come into it as and when I think
of weight loss, they were just so much more negative
things that came with it. And what I've learned through
my experiences and even coaching is like, Okay, I can
help you with weight loss, but how you choose to
do that? It's more like weight loss with love? How
(17:18):
do you choose to do that in a way that
can be encouraging for yourself and the other woman around you?
Because community is really important and I feel like that's
something I've been really protective of. Um my lead program
is community base, but I also am protective of it
not being a case where it's like, so how much
do you ai now? Like what are the before and
after photos? Because that can be discouraging to someone else
(17:39):
in the environment whose results don't look like that. Absolutely,
weight loss can one be a goal, but it cannot
be a lifestyle right perfectly said, having a community that
leads us to feel like we've we've reached it, like
we look forward to the next goal, having you know,
(17:59):
the right new traditional guidance, or the excitement to explore.
I always see excitement on your page and in your content.
You're in the kitchen dancing around cooking something good, You're
you know, doing yourself care routines. Making sure that you're
all encompassing lifestyle is just as refueling for you as
(18:19):
it is challenging. So give us some insight on what
some of your favorite self care things to do are.
To make sure that your cup is full, yes, because
you know I can't pour from an empty cups right. Um.
So there are a couple of key things for me. Um.
One is I do love to exercise in the morning.
It gets my mind going energize as me gets my
(18:41):
blood flowing. Um. I do journal, and my journal is
very quick. I have a five minute journal where I
just like to remind myself to be grateful for the
things that I do have, eating a very healthy breakfast
and drinking water. I have to have my cup of
water right when I wake up. But those are the
things that are like quick wins for me that I'm like, okay,
now I'm ready to start my day. Um. My other
(19:03):
self care practice is setting boundaries. The way I think
of it in my mind is I have to say
no to something or someone in order to say yes
for myself and not feeling bad about it because that
is an energy drain in itself, like when you have
this guilt after you say no. So that's another one
takes practice. Doesn't happen overnight, y'all still working on it. Um.
(19:26):
The other is energy management. So you've heard time management,
and I think now getting into entrepreneurship, I think for me,
it's less of what do I have time for and
more of what do I have energy for? Because when
I look on my calendar, I'm like, oh, yeah, that's
a thirty minute gap there. But do I have the
energy to talk to someone one on one right now?
(19:47):
So for me, it's like being really intentional about my energy.
What am I doing to bring energy in and what
am I doing to protect my energy and what's being
done to release it. And there's sometimes where I'm like, nope,
I may have time for it, but I don't have
the energy to deal with that today. And that's something
that allows me to keep my cup full and provide
(20:07):
to others UM and show up for my clients. So
those I would say over my top three, I wrote
them all down. It's tough. It's tough to protect your
energy and feel like you're not being selfish, right. We
feel like if I don't give my time, then I'm
not giving my value, right. But sometimes we'll stretch ourselves
then trying to give time and then the value does
(20:29):
not add up. So I think starting your day and
making sure you've got those three things onlock is a
great way to manage energy, and it also reflects in
spending quality time. That's right, absolutely all right. One of
the realists and most encouraging things you've said so far
is that there is space for you in this industry.
(20:49):
And so now we want to kind of pick your
brain about some best practices to really get yourself go
and get your momentum and keep yourself not only sane
but thriving and all things entrepreneurship. Yeah, you know, when
I think entrepreneurship, it seems really scary. What would your
advice be to taking that very first step, you know,
(21:09):
for women who want to create their own businesses or
become their own business. Yeah. Who, there's so many things. Um,
what you bring to your business matters, um, it really
transcends into everything else. So I would say being clear
on like your why for your business and your purpose
(21:30):
and who you want to serve. So this is called
your ideal customer avatar I c A. And what I
see frequently is a lot of generalizations on who you
can serve. It's like, Okay, I'm a woman's coach, right,
so I want to serve all women. Okay, how is
that going to differentiate from someone else? So understanding who
(21:50):
that person is, where do they work, how old are they,
what is their income, what are their biggest challenges, and
really honing in on those things is really important because
it can help set the foundation on who is it
that you want to serve for starters. Um, The other
I would say is educating yourself going into this space
(22:11):
with an open mind, be okay with things not being perfect.
That was one of the number one things I learned.
So what I see often is people creating full out
programs without ever even having people go through beta and
testing whatever it is. So we're athletes here. I would say.
One of my favorite things is practice before you play,
(22:32):
right before you get into the game, before you get
a starting position, you have to show up, practice, show
up so you can get better. And the same applies
to your business. You have to practice on clientele, have friends,
family before you can get out into the world and
get with the big dogs. So that's one. The other
is surrounding yourself with people who support you. Sounds so easy, right,
(22:57):
but there are people who can really like put a
dent on your visions and dreams, and you don't need that.
You don't need that smoke. It's a discomfort that's allowing
people to thrive. It is doing something different and that
is your secret sauce. So definitely making sure that you're
surrounding yourself with people who can not only cheer you on,
(23:17):
but can guide you. And I mentioned education being super important.
One thing that I did in my business that was
the best decision I've made was invest in myself. That
investment was personal development, but also business development, because one
of the very first things that you're doing when you
start a business is making sure that foundation is set
because once you start going, once your business start growing,
(23:39):
because it will having to go back and fix those things,
it's going to be a hot mess. See what you
can do to do that upfront, and oftentimes investing in yourself,
whether it be a business coach who's been there where
you are, whether it be a course that you can
sign up, or simply just having someone who can say, Ari,
this is what you needed you before you start bringing
(24:01):
clients on, to make sure your foundation is set. So
lots of things, but those are some of the things
that definitely stand out to me on the business side
of things. Yes, getting started requires money. Yes, we can't
skip the money. So there's a study in the Global
Entrepreneurship Monitor that says that women self funded sixty one
(24:22):
of their total startup capital and they tended to obtain
funds from friends and relatives, while men self funded fifty
the capital and relied more on banks. That is a
crazy difference. And for you, what kind of advice do
you have on finding capital to start up your business?
So mine, mine has been self funded, and I think
(24:43):
what I can definitely speak to is someone who's went
from side hustle to full time. So I was very
intentional about money spent. I was prepared monetarily because I
was saving. I was saving and setting aside money that
I had. So that way, because I am very familiar
with that stat that you just shared, and it's heartbreaking,
(25:05):
but it's the reality of how we can be able
to grow our businesses as women. So I knew going
into and I'm like, Okay, I have to have money upfront. Um,
I'm I have these side gigs, I'm doing influencer stuff.
That's gonna be my money that I'm setting aside to
be able to start up. It did mean sacrifice of
certain things, but I was okay with that because I
had in mind that I wanted to be a business
(25:27):
owner someday. Um, I would say. Another thing that's super
important on the business side, I had to switch my
business model. Like what I did when I worked as
a side hustle did not work for me doing it
full time what worked for me for the last five
years of side hustle. I got to revisit this and
see how I can set things up to make more
(25:49):
money and it be like sustainable financially because financial stress
is a thing. Hello, somebody, let's talk about it. And
you can't show up for your your people if you're
rests right, So it's like, Okay, do I need to
raise my prices? Do I need to maybe do a
group coaching model? And that's something that's worked really well
for me, especially since community is something that I really
(26:11):
value and I think it really helps hold women accountable
when they're on their journey. But just thinking about that
and how like money can play apart in like feeling
like I can fund myself without needing to go the
outside source route. Yeah, so now that you're the boss,
of your of yourself and everybody you know that has
been now working with you. You know, it's so easy
(26:33):
to get off track. It's so easy to just kind
of lose sight of goals when you're the main boss,
when you're the one in charge. Um So, how do
you keep yourself accountable? Very relevant as I'm in these
conversations now, So I would highly suggest for anyone who's
on this path, even before you become a business owner,
is setting quarterly goals for yourself so you have something
(26:55):
to work towards. And what that holds me accountable too
is what I say, no one, yes, you, I am
huge on diversifying my income is not just going to
be coaching clients. However, if I don't feel like it
aligns to my quarterly goal, then there's something I can
revisit the next quarter. And I think the key to
that is also setting goals and manageable chunks. It's not
(27:17):
just saying I want to work with five big brands
this year. Cool, that's the main goal. What am I
gonna do leading up to it? Um? And that's something
that's helped me um. I Literally I'm a vision board fanatic,
like I I live for vision boards, and I do
a digital vision board. Actually not when that's written, because
I have it on the background of my computer somewhere.
We'll see it every single day and it's on the
(27:38):
background of my phone. Also, having a business coach to
held me account of being like, Okay, what are you
working on this week? Okay, here are the next steps
you need to take, And that has played a big
part as well. Because I'm naturally competitive. I bring the
athlete in me into this business world. So if I
tell someone I'm I'm gonna do something, I'm gonna do
it because I don't want to be, you know, not
(28:00):
following through. So I think that mentality, the athlete mentality,
has helped me like so much. I love it. The
athlete mentality can do so much for us, especially as
Women's incredibly empowering and to be empowered a lot of times,
we've got to use skills that we find from our jobs.
So what kind of skills from your corporate job do
(28:25):
you apply to your personal business? Now, y'all are killing
it with these questions. These are really great questions. So
one of my favorite things that a lot of people
hear me say is my corporate skills are paying the bills,
and I go with that to share. When I first
came into the fitness basel, I actually thought, I'm like, okay,
HR Fitness gonna be putting all that HR stuff to
(28:46):
the side because of entering this new space. And I
realized that my skill sets from the corporate world served
me so much when it came to navigating the space.
During the pandemic, there were a lot of shifts that
us as professionals had to make in order to survive
in this industry, from going virtual to trying different partnerships
(29:07):
and all that. So some of my key skills that
I thought gave me leverage. One was, um just comfort
working in the corporate space. So an avenue did I
had zero plans for was, you know, doing fitness classes
for corporate doing workshops. That was far from my mind.
When it's like all right, duh, You're in this space,
like you know what they're looking for, you know how
(29:28):
to navigate it, duh. So knowing how to have the
conversations with the heads of benefits, knowing that metrics is
super important and they want to see success, and how
do I let them know that what I provide can
hit your bottom line, So that's one. The other is
generally speaking communication. I have speakers anxiety, and a lot
(29:50):
of people are shocked by it because I'm a very
talkative person, but when it comes to being on a
stage in front of thousand, I'm like, oh my gosh,
everyone is looking at me. Oh okay. So definitely being
able to speak and empathy and grace, Like I think
I really built that muscle being in the corporate space
where I just have a lot of patients for a
lot of things, and I don't give up. I don't
(30:12):
give up on people and I don't give up on myself,
and I think that from being in the HR space.
That's like deeply rooted in me because I want to
see people thrive and be great and even if they
don't think they can, I know they can, so whatever
I gotta say to hype them up. That's literally like
HR and a nutshell, And now I've been able to
bring that into the fitness space. Your energy is just
(30:32):
some magnetic Like it's like I love how you just
give it everything, Like you give it everything and you're
so passionate. I just feel like so motivated right now.
I wrote down so many things that you said, and
now I'm like, okay, so what's next? What is next
for Jim Hooky? What is what is something that you're
like super excited about that's coming up? Can you share
(30:53):
anything with us? Yeah? So I am going to be
leaning in more to the corporate side of things. What
I've spent my time doing in this past year and
a half was helping tech companies design corporate programs specifically
for women because oftentimes it's all encompassing and there's a
(31:14):
need for gender specific programs because they do say the
percentage of stress when it comes to work life balance
is far higher for women than it is men, So
the support women need is different. And these are the
conversations I'm having with tech companies. So that's on the
corporate side of things. On the more of the B
two C business, the customer side of things is continuing
(31:35):
to put my programs out there and support women and
teach them how to be on their journey while loving
themselves at the same damn time. So we'll see how
that looks. I love it. That's so exciting. Yes, under
Armours spout the details will be back after a shore break.
(31:58):
Welcome back to spout the details All right, Sorry, this
is a part of the show. We like to play
a little game with our guest. The game we're gonna
be playing today is called fitspiration, where we're just going
to ask you a couple of questions about what and
who keeps you motivated and inspired to just keep pushing
hard in your fitness training and your entrepreneurship. Um, so
(32:18):
why don't we just get started? Are you ready? Oh?
I've ready. Let's get it all right, okay, first question,
who is your fitness role model? Leta Lewis? She is
the o G for black women in the fitness industry.
I love it. Leta is definitely she's She's a baller
for sure. What motivates you to work out if you're
(32:41):
feeling lazy? I think about the energy that it will
give me for the day. And that really is like
a huge motivated for me. Like you want energy, Ari,
got a lot of stuff to do. Let's work out
so you can get there. Yeah, yes, I love it. Okay.
So if you're like, say you're about to hit a
p are, you're about to go for something like your
(33:01):
best and you feel it. What is the song that
you're gonna blast in your headphones? Where you know that
song is gonna get you there, dang, y'all. I'm ratchet,
so amigoes something that's like it's like like trapped music
that's bringing me the vibes. Either that or some Beyonce
because you know she could that. I feel like my
(33:23):
spirit animal she mays she may get me there with
with we want to do that last rep that's gonna
get me to that pr So yeah, either Trapp of Beyonce,
good choices. I just knew it was gonna be rock
your hips because it just felt right. That is in
the ratchet. That would be it wood Belicious bubba gum. Okay,
(33:46):
what is your favorite warm up routine to get hyped
for your workout session? Um, I'm a hit girl. I
love hit, so I would say, uh, incorporating more of
like a cardio hit, whether it be jumping Jack's Hi
me and just like getting my body warmed up in general.
So inch worm is is one that I always in
incorporate just again, Yeah, I'm like, let's let's just get
(34:09):
this core im fire. Yes, yes, all right. Ari, you're
a trainy girl. Tell us about your favorite trainy dish
to make? Oh? So, I love curry a lot um.
Curry chicken would be my jam. My favorite dish in
(34:31):
general is ROTI haven't haven't perfected that yet, but I
can do all the fillings and I will blow you
away with my curry chicken, curry, goat, oxtail, you name it.
I love it. I think I just signed up to
cook fromm Yeah did you see my eyes? I was like, yeah,
it sounds like it. Well, Ari, thank you so much
(34:52):
for being here with us. This conversation was so good,
and I think a lot of women are going to
take away lots of great information and to help them
with their business, to help them make transitions, to just
help them live their best lives. And we can't thank
you enough for being here with us and answering all
of our questions. Thank you so much for having me.
It's a joy. I love to share and bring all
(35:13):
the laughs to these to these environments, So thank you.
Of course. Can you share a little bit about where
everyone can find you? Yeah, so you can find me
on the Graham at Jim Hookey g y m h
o O kay y. You can also find me on
my website if you're interested in joining my my wait
list for weekly wellness tips is www dot Jim Hooky
(35:35):
dot com and if you are about that professional life,
you can also find me on LinkedIn. Ariel Belgrade Harris, Yes,
thank you, Thank you again to Ariel bell Grade for
sharing her story. That was so great, What a great
way to kick off season two. There were so many
(35:56):
amazing things that Ariel said in the conversation, but I
really loved what she said about vision boards. Can we
talk about that for just a second, because I am
a huge visual person, Like I love journaling, and I
like all those things that she was talking about. But
she said, creating a vision board that you can put virtually,
like on your phone or as your the background of
your computer. And since that's kind of like the full
(36:18):
time job of entrepreneurship, I mean that's something I never
thought of. I'm a physical vision board person, so actually
having that on something I see every day, that was
just like a light bulb moment for me. What about you, mom? Yes,
I can one thousand percent agree with the vision boards
and all of the manifestation magic. I mean, she really
got me when she talked about hiding her extracurricular work
(36:42):
with Jim Hooky because she didn't want to seem distracted
at work. I feel like so many women, including myself,
we're out here hiding the really dope things that we're
doing because we don't want to seem distracted to our employers,
and it can really hold us back from again manifesting
that magic. So I think the two of those things
put together just really propels us forward as women in
(37:04):
the workplace. Yeah, there were so many takeaways. I hope
you all were taking notes. But Meg, what do you
say we check in on our goals? Yes, let's do it.
This is a point in the episode where we check
in with each other and you all the listeners about
our goals. We get real about our progress, talk about
where we're struggling, and ask for help exactly. So, Meg,
(37:24):
what you're doing over there? What goal are you working
on right now? Well, when I just got back into it,
I actually deadlifted for the first time this week in
a couple of months. You know, I've been doing my
fertility treatment for a few months now, and it's been
really difficult to get back into like a normal training
schedule since I never know what's going to happen. But
I deadlifted and it got me really pumped. I didn't
think I was going to have a dead lift goal
(37:45):
for anytime soon. But I got three fifteen yesterday and
I'm like, okay, I am back on track. I'm ready
to make that a real goal, and I'm not going
to set a timeline for it. I'm just gonna say
I'm gonna give it my all, see what happens, and
try to get that I lift back up to four hundred.
That's like my ultimate yearly goal. We'll see how long
it takes, but for now, I'm just going to keep
(38:06):
pushing and see what happens. What about you? Oh my gosh,
three fifteen a girl. It's about two hundred pounds heavier
than where I'm at now. That is so dope. I
love watching those videos of you hitting your lifts because
it inspires me to keep lifting myself and to really
know the strength that I have within and you know
(38:27):
that strength. Sometimes we really need a community to support us,
and you know what you're going through hormonally and getting
a little bit of release in the gym is so inspiring.
So how can we continue to help you in reaching
your goals? Honestly, you know, I feel like supporting is
it can it can be in so many different forms.
It could be as simple as like a quick d
(38:50):
M check in, a quick text check in. That's really
my like form of of support. I just like to
know that somebody else is like aware that I'm struggling
over here. And then that little bit of like even
that smallest text for me is like a game changer
because it just it makes me feel less alone, because
a lot of the time on this journey for me,
(39:10):
I felt very alone, and the smallest moment of somebody
acknowledging like, hey, I'm here for you is just it
changes everything for me. So that's really all I can ask.
What about your mon I got to hear about your training.
You gotta tell me more about it. Oh, yeah, it
is time to take it to the ring. I'm so
excited to be training. Yes, it's time for this first fight,
(39:33):
and I'm so excited to be joining into this charity
boxing event to fight against cancer KO cancer. It's going
to be just such an incredible training camp with my boyfriend.
So really, my goal right now is to make sure
that I can consistently be losing this ten pounds over
the next few months. Uh, make it an enjoyable journey
(39:54):
and get my lungs back to fighting shape. Nice. So
what can we do to support you on your journey
towards the Match of the century. It is going to
be such a brawl. I'm majorly excited. I'm ready. I'm
ready to see that. Yeah, I can't wait to hear
all this. So the support and training is great. Spreading
(40:15):
the word really helping me get these funds up because
I want to make big, significant changes in the fight
against cancer, and that is the real, real, true purpose
of me doing this as a fighter. It's always so
great to know that we have people in our corners,
people who truly care. So any interaction, encouragement, and any
(40:35):
spreading of the word is going to be helpful for me,
for my soul and for my training. So I'm really
looking forward to connecting with all of you on that.
Oh yeah, that's really something to get encouraged about when
you have those people around you just supporting you, lifting
you up. Well, best of luck on that can't wait
to hear more about it, and we want to hear
about how you're doing, So reach out to us on
social and cheer us on or keep us posted on
(40:57):
your progress. You can find me on Twitter, are at
Meg five Bogs and Instagram at Meg dot Boggs, and
you can find me on Instagram at Train with Man.
That's it for this week's episode, but don't forget to
join us next week when breath work specialists Lindsay Truvia
joins us to talk about breath work for performance. Yes,
this sounds like a really exciting one. I think we're
(41:18):
all going to learn a lot about breath work and
we can't wait for you all to hear that conversation.
Until next time, stay tuned in, stay motivated, and don't
forget to Sweat the Details. Bye bye. If you liked
(41:41):
what you heard on the show, subscribe for free or
follow the show on the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,
or wherever you listen, and don't forget to leave a
five star rating and review. Sweat the Details is a
collaboration with under Armour and I Heart Radio. Our show
was hosted by Me Monica Jones and Me Meg Bogs
are Executive producers are Just Striped Style, Just Sell, Louis Archibald,
(42:01):
Molly Sosha and Maya Cole. Our producers are Kelly and Tole,
Layla Cadrian, Emma Osborne and Alejandra Arrivalo, and our sound
editor and engineer is Sarah give Alaska. Keep up the
latest news in women's fitness by following under Armour at
under Armour Women and at under Armour
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