After a life-changing event, Daniel Jenkins found solace and purpose in fitness, which led him to become an Anytime Fitness gym owner and trainer.
In the fitness industry, personal stories of change and resilience are often powerful inspirations for others. Client success stories provide the social proof that many personal trainers rely on to succeed in their business.
But what if a client is so successful that they become a fitness and wellness coach themselves? That’s exactly what happened to Danielle Jenkins, personal trainer and co-owner of Anytime Fitness in Destrehan, Louisiana. She lost 85 pounds and landed a new career.
After experiencing a life-changing tragedy, Jenkins embarked on a journey of self-improvement that not only transformed her own life, but also made her a beacon of hope and motivation for her community.
Athletech News spoke to Jenkins about her “whole person” approach and how her story impacts her clients.
This conversation has been lightly edited for clarity and length.
Athletech News: What was the turning point when you decided to get healthy and how did your trainer help you?
Daniel Jenkins: My decision to get healthy came after a tragic event in my life: my husband, a sheriff’s deputy, was killed in the line of duty. A few weeks later, just before my 36th birthday, I realized I was the only one left for my daughter. I realized I had been neglecting my health. I was overweight and my body was starting to hurt.
I went to Anytime Fitness just to gather information. I had no intention of going that day and was just trying to talk myself out of it. Or even quit. Later that day, I got a call from the owner I knew. She said she found out what happened to our family and wanted to help. She introduced me to a trainer who would work with me if I was interested. I had never even thought about a trainer before. I just thought I’d take a class and use the machines.
A few days later, I met with a trainer and we began our journey together. I’ve always been a positive thinker, but dealing with this tragedy was really hard. Exercise helped me get through the grief.
ATN: What made you decide to make the transition from member to trainer to club owner?
DJ: I worked in a salon doing nails and I really enjoyed it – I loved making people feel confident and chatting to them all day long. It was a good environment for me and I could fit my training in with a flexible schedule.
Then I came up with the idea of teaching classes, and because we have a lot of group fitness classes at our facility, I got certified in one program, then two before becoming a trainer.
Over time, my body and focus changed. I wanted to move more during the day, something that sitting at a desk doing my nails just didn’t provide, so I started looking into becoming a trainer.
What I realized was that I could talk to people all day and listen to their stories and keep up with everything that’s going on in our small town, but instead of being sedentary, I could be active and show people how to take care of themselves.
As for becoming a club owner, my trainer, Brandon Hebert, and I had always talked about running a club one day. When I first met him, he had the same name as my late husband, so it felt like a sign that this was the place for me. Brandon and I became very close, like brothers. We had always talked about taking over the club in the future, but it was a long-term plan.
Then in August of 2021, Hurricane Ida struck our area, causing tens of thousands of dollars worth of damage to the club. The owners, who were just recovering from the effects of COVID-19, decided they could not survive the rebuilding process and wanted out.
This allowed us to move forward with our plans. Although Brandon and I were not financially ready to purchase the club at that point, we made it happen.
ATN: How has your own experience influenced the way you train others?
DJ: My philosophy is to actively listen. That’s very important to me. My clients are all ages, from people in their 70s to people in their 20s, and at all stages of life. Actively listening means understanding where they are in life, not just their fitness goals.
When they come in at that time and it’s just me and that person there, I try not to get distracted. As an owner, this is hard because things often pull me in different directions, but I make a conscious effort to dedicate that time to them and the team that I’m training.
I definitely take a person-centered approach. I’m very conscious that I’m training the whole person, not just the body. Connecting with them on a personal level helps me understand why they made the choices they did.
ATN: What do you do to keep your members motivated and committed to their fitness goals?
DJ: As a team, we work hard to keep our members motivated. We have challenges where members come in to workout every day, fill out a card, and we track their workouts. We reward people who hit 50 or 100 workouts in a calendar year, and we’ve had many who hit 200 workouts. Members can’t count more than one workout in a day, so consistency is key.
Currently, we are running Olympic themed challenges for anyone in our personal training program, whether they are a team or individual trainer. Each of our trainers represents a different country or team, and members earn points for attending classes, working out, meeting nutritional goals like eating enough protein, or reaching goals like taking 10,000 steps a day. These challenges keep everyone engaged and feeling part of a bigger goal.
