Meet Jen Cavallaro: Online Fitness Coach

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jen Cavallaro and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jen, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I had worked at a couple of gyms in Oregon before starting my own business, including a big box gym. When I moved to Colorado, my first instinct was to look for a job at a gym and after a few interviews (one that didn’t go very well!) I decided to become a mobile trainer, essentially working for myself. I really enjoyed working with people in their homes, meeting their families and pets. One weekend, while moving some stuff out of our storage area, my husband and I walked through an empty unfinished space in our basement. I thought, what if I turned this into a gym and worked with clients here? And so we went to work putting in gym flooring and buying equipment. Upward Spiral Fitness was born. This was 2014 and so much has changed this year with me moving my business to all virtual. From mobile to in-person to virtual, I love the autonomy of having my own business. I’m constantly learning, it’s challenging and some days can be downright exhausting but I wouldn’t change a thing. 

What should our readers know about your business?
Upward Spiral Fitness has evolved into a community of women (working and stay at home moms, busy professionals, entrepreneurs) who are fitting fitness into their lives without it taking over their lives. What sets me apart from other coaches is experience working with people of all ages, from all walks of life and many with previous and current injuries/surgeries. This has helped me be able to relate to and help a variety of clients. I have experienced many challenges along the way. The biggest one was trying to go it alone for so long without the help of a business coach. Without any formal business training (and something they don’t teach you in your trainer studies/certification), I navigated many challenges myself. Hiring a coach (now on my second one) has been a game changer for me and also outsourcing other tasks like website and graphic design. My clients are busy people – like I said – and they don’t want to have to make one more decision in their day. They’ve chosen to delegate their fitness to me and I take that very seriously. They don’t want to have to decide what kind of exercises to do and for how long so I provide that service to them. Taking that time for themselves is so important without it taking hours. Get moving and get on with their day!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Colorado is a beautiful place with many options to take your out of town friends and family! If we were looking to go out close by in Arvada where I live, I’d take them to Arvada Tavern for great food and cocktails and New Image Brewing for delicious beers. In Denver, the Plimoth is fantastic and definitely El Five in the summer for outside dining with unobstructed views of the Denver skyline. Outside of the city, I would take them to Mt Evans scenic byway, where you can see bighorn sheep and drive the highest paved road in North America – a real treat for my east coast sea level friends! Also, Red Rocks is always a great place to take visitors to see a show as well as hike. Garden of the Gods at the base of Pikes Peak in CO Springs is another option with dramatic rock formations and hiking trails.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Cheri Ruskus, founder of Business Victories and my business coach for the last 2 years has truly helped me become a better coach. With her guidance and support, I’ve gotten out of my comfort zone and learned to trust myself more. My business has gone from what felt like a hobby to an actual thriving operation. She’s the best!

Website: www.upwardspiralfit.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/upwardspiralfit
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jen-cavallaro-a7857ab/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/UpwardSpiralFit
Facebook: www.facebook.com/upwardspiralfitness