Today we’d like to introduce you to Kirsten Stauffer
Hi Kirsten, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Casey and I throughout our life have had a tendency to fly by the seat of our pants and the creation of Strive is no different. We are big dreamers and goal setters and that is how Strive was formed. In 2022, we were new parents with a 6 month old when there was a time period of huge layoff throughout corporate, remote areas and that was the situation Casey found himself in. About a year and a half prior to that, Casey had already started his own in-home personal training business as a start up knowing he wanted to work for himself, build his own community, and promote health and wellness across Charleston. Well in June of 2022, that door was swung wide open when he jumped head first into full time training, and Strive was born with the goal of bringing a new community to Charleston. For months we watched listings of rental spaces come and go until in February a spot in our own backyard, West Ashley, that Casey occasionally rented hourly for training unexpectedly became open and just like that, door # 2 OPEN. We spent 6 weeks with friends and family renovating the space, envisioning what environment we want to have for our clients, selecting the equipment we think will serve our clients the best, and most importantly making a space that we were proud of. With little to no marketing and business experience, Casey and I found ourselves building a website, creating social media profiles, networking with and being welcomed by other small businesses in Charleston, and depending on our mutual goal of creating something new to get us through. Our doors opened in May, and we haven’t looked back. This experience has been more than we could have asked for. Every week we have new clients coming through our doors into a welcoming, non-intimidating, but result producing gym. We have found so much pride and joy in celebrating our client’s big physical wins of lifting more weight, completing that race they signed up for, feeling better in their skin. But what has been the best payout has been creating this community where we celebrate new jobs, pregnancies, engagements, huge vacations, purchasing a first home. Our dream in building Strive, was not just to create another new and trendy gym in Charleton, there are already some awesome gyms doing really cool things. Our dream was to make this big Charleston community feel smaller and supported by using our passion, knowledge, and expertise we have in the health and fitness world to teach, train, and support others. These first 4-5 months have been more than we could have asked for, and are excited every day as we meet new clients that we get to help reach their goals!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Of course not- is the creation of any small business smooth? We went through our share of difficulty renovating our space as we depended on ourselves and friends and family. At the time, the many trips to Home Depot and fighting with installation of our weight racks seemed like a huge deal but looking back it actually brings back fun memories of late nights eating Famularis pizza and listening to music as we brought our vision to life.
Since opening, we have had small bumps in the road that we like to think are all on the path upward! Like I said, Casey and I a personal trainer and physical therapist, respectively, by trade and building a well-run website and marketing campaign has not always been easy but all in all it has worked out and I have SO much more knowledge now than I did.
We are also learning to ride the ups and downs of the fitness industry around holidays, summer breaks, the start of school but are eager to help our clients stay consistent through these times in the future!
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Casey is a licensed personal trainer, and I am a Doctor of Physical Therapy. Together, this is what we have built our vision on. Strive is different in that our group fitness classes are heavily weight and resistance training focused with the compliment of high intensity interval training using both body weight and resistance. This approach comes from my training as a PT and Casey’s training experience as a former athlete knowing the importance strength training plays in injury prevention, functional movement performance, metabolic stimulation, bone/muscle health and longevity, and change in body composition. Strive is unique in that we help bridge the gap between injury prevent, full performance, and rehab. It takes a lot for someone to make the decision that they are going to make a lifestyle change, and when that leads them to the gym, one of the top reasons they stop coming is due to injury or an increase in pain. Between Casey and I, our goal is to keep clients in the gym and working toward their goals. In classes, Casey really emphasizes form and technique with personal attention to each client. His athletic background and training has given him extensive knowledge in lifting mechanics and form and he really believes that strength training and weight lifting is for ALL levels. He is ecllent in breaking down lifts, teaching technique, and progressing clients’ strength. I assist with the continuum of care by providing private PT evaluations and treatment plans to first address injury, preexisting conditions, and musculoskeletal impairment then educate our clients on modifications to make during classes or personal training to keep them in the gym. We are here because we want our clients to feel like the best version of themselves and we really believe consistency is such an important part of that journey. Our team approach as a personal trainer and physical therapist allows us to give that to our clients.
How do you define success?
Success. For us, being successful is being in a place where we are firmly on our path to our goal. I say that, because I am not sure for us there will ever be an end where we feel like ” ahhh we have succeeded”. Like I said, we are dreamers and are always excited and ready for the next thing while celebrating all the little wins along the way. We feel successful in every milestone we have completed; every new client, every new friendship formed between our clients, every client win, and every additional plate put on that bar!
A large part of our desire to build our own business and community is to create more time and opportunity to be together as a family. When we are in the gym and our son Charlie, is running around, swinging on equipment, and our clients are high fiving and laughing with him, I look around and feel the most pride and success.
Pricing:
- Unlimited monthly membership: $135 monthly.. Would be happy to offer a promo to readers!
- 8 sessions per month: 105$ monthly
- Drop in classes: 20$
- First week FREE for all group class clients
- Personal training: ranging between 60 and 70$ per session.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.striveperformancept.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/strivechs/
- Facebook: Strive Performance
Image Credits
Sydney Scott
