Today we’d like to introduce you to Amanda Oberhaus.
Hi Amanda, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
I was a dancer and danced in the NBA for the Minnesota Timberwolves. This is how I started to get into fitness after family and friends had been training them. I got certified through NASM for personal training, group training, nutrition, wellness, and other certifications. Fitness coaching was my side gig for many years, and I worked in sales full-time. Initially, in my coaching, I focused on physical health, understanding that being physically active and fit was beneficial in many ways outside of the physical. In 2017, we very unexpectedly lost my dad to suicide. Losing him in this way taught me a hard lesson that I had been a part of the stigma surrounding mental health. I was very close with my dad, and even I didn’t pick up on the subtle cues that could have clued us into the severe depression we thought he had been silently dealing with. I decided to channel my grief into a powerful force for positive change. This is when my mentality in my coaching changed. We can’t be the best version of ourselves by only addressing one realm of our wellness. While working on physical fitness naturally becomes beneficial mentally, it’s not the same as finding practices to work our mental “fitness,” as I like to say. I left the corporate sales world and got licensed in Finance/Insurance.
My dad was in the finance industry and remembered how much he could help people and the importance of understanding how to manage money and how it contributes to our mental well-being. I wanted to add this to my offerings. This is when I started to incorporate financial coaching. I had a client make a joke that they wanted to get “Ober fit” as a play on Uber Fit using my last name. This led me to rebrand my business and take the leap into making my side hustles into my actual career. The community has always been important to me, so taking this leap has also allowed me to get involved with many local non-profits and create events of my own to raise awareness about the importance of mental health and suicide prevention. I’ve been fortunate to have a fantastic husband and two daughters who have always stuck by my side! I’m committed to empowering people to achieve their fitness goals while prioritizing their mental and emotional health. Health is wealth! Physical fitness, cognitive fitness, and financial fitness.
It wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
After losing my dad to suicide, I initially did not deal with my grief in healthy ways. I became self-destructive physically and emotionally. I developed an unhealthy relationship with nutrition, leading to extreme weight loss, along with negative spending habits that caused stress on my family. I knew I needed help mentally, but as we discovered with my dad, I was so far down a dark path and didn’t know how to even ask for help. In 2022, my destructive behaviors nearly brought my husband and me to divorce. I broke down to a point where I finally understood the help I needed. I also realized that I had been coaching my clients for all these years and not doing the same to myself. While I don’t think it made me a bad coach, it wasn’t the way I wanted to lead others in their journeys. I took almost one year off from coaching and taking on new clients. During this time, I got the help I needed mentally, physically, and emotionally. Healing myself and marriage was the best thing for me and my business. I took this time to focus on how I wanted to lead and coach others and ultimately present myself in the community. I’m so grateful for the clients who stuck by me and brought life and light to my rebranding.
We’ve been impressed with OberFit, but for folks who might need to be more familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart?
I am a fitness, wellness (nutrition and lifestyle), and financial coach. Usually, clients come to me for one of the three, and through my discovery process, we identify other areas of their total wellness that I can help them with. I use a wellness budget to help bridge the gaps between all the facets of health. Even if a client only works with me for one specific area of coaching, they still get insight into how they can help themselves in other regions. I’m proud to have 20 years of life experience to lead my clients in their wellness journeys effectively. I also do a lot of work with families and small businesses. Families will have me come help educate their kids on positive nutrition habits, good money habits, or ways they can get fit as a family. I usually get started with businesses as a finance client, budgeting, planning, and addressing insurance needs for them and their employees. Most end up having me do fitness events for them and their clients as a community event. It is very similar to what I do with non-profits. While a part of that journey was very challenging for me, I wouldn’t be the leader I am today otherwise. My heart and passion are devoted to helping others individually and in the community. All with the hope to shed a better light on mental health and reduce suicide rates. I work with clients virtually and in person.
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
I love art and painting; it was one of my majors. People are always surprised to hear when I work it into conversation. One day, I’d love to find a way to incorporate it into my business!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.getoberfit.com
- Instagram: getoberfit
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amandaoberhaus/
Image Credits
Gregg LC Photo
