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

Hi Michelle, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking.
Risk. The single most scary thing about business and entrepreneurialism. There’s a big difference between “just take a risk” and “taking a calculated risk”. Calculated risks are the scarier but most rewarding. It means jumping in while trying to predict outcomes based on known variables. Which is not always clear in most cases. The role that risk taking has taken has been massive not only in my career but in my personal life. I think about risk. Often. In more cases than I like to admit the thought of risk will scare me into inaction. I can’t be that woman anymore. I can’t stay stagnant because something feels comfortable or the outcome is known and familiar. I took a risk to leave an unfulfilling and restrictive but financially comfortable marriage in a desperate attempt to preserve what was left of me. I risked social alienation and professional setbacks as well. Jumping head first into making fitness my “main thing” instead of securing a part time job just to get by was HUGE. Many thought I was stupid and even stubborn for choosing an unknown path instead of doing what “made sense”. Is it risk? A gamble? You call it taking a risk and I call it investing in myself. After all, high risk, high reward.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
As a fitness professional it’s hard to stand out. Anyone can get online and earn a certification but few have the talent and desire to truly change the face of the industry. It is an industry of both selfish conceit and selfless determination. I am proud that I have lasted as long as I have while undergoing an explosion of evolution professionally. I started out as one of the most BASIC of personal trainers just taking anyone who would fit my schedule. I have since grown into a sports nutritionist and weight loss transformationist. I once thought that bodybuilding was the only way to go in fitness, LOL. Now I have become completely infatuated with the fluidity of exercise science. I now see and wholeheartedly believe that if you understand the SCIENCE you can coach any sport or activity having never participated in it before. Which can only help me help YOU become a version of yourself you never knew existed. It’s not easy. I am faced with opposition of every kind. It is a daily fight against trend and fad that has little to no evidence based support. I am faced with the ever growing cost of continuing education and economic limitation on the part of the consumer. I have to rise against body image expectations, body shaming, fit shaming all while being open to at least conversation on the subject. I am CONSTANTLY competing with other professionals, it is a LARGE and very saturated industry. Being different and accessible is a tightrope I often fall from. Along the way I have learned that the BEST thing I can do is continue to adapt. Keep moving forward towards my goals and opportunity will continue to present itself. I can hope for luck or I can understand that LUCK happens when hard work meets opportunity. I would not be here if it wasn’t for a tenacity. I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for the steps forwards and even the falls. I am learning, slowly, that falling is ok. So long as I am falling forward…

Any great local spots you’d like to shoutout?
Oh Midtown! Midtown is my FAVORITE little chunk of Houston after that it’s Montrose. I have friends from all over so devising a plan of where to and why is EASY! First we would hit up Brookstreet BBQ, it’s my favorite BBq place. Though I have heard great the about The Pit Room, I haven’t tried it yet. From there we would spend the day in Montrose. It’s a great walking community and lots to stop and see and even relax at. Boheme is a good spot to sit and chill, maybe get some nibbles. If I am with someone that is more into coffee I would recommend Siphon or Mercantile in lower midtown. Maybe we both need to catch up on some work while we play, both of those spaces offer a great ambiance for work and chat. The evening would be spent walking Midtown on Main St. LOTS of little dives. If we wanted to get a little more dressed up for some lux vibes, Dahlia HTX is the place. I LOVE it there. MFA also has some FUN events quite often. Lots of exhibitions worth seeing! Aside from those few places I also love Buffalo Bayou Park and White Oak Blvd. Well, ok everything the Heights has to offer. I LOVE Houston!!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Roz Jones- For pushing me to “just get started” Tony Ricci- For seeing potential in me from the start James Hall- For recommending me Dr. Jose Antonio- For getting the wheels turning There are a handful more to recognize for one reason or another, some of them really aren’t even that positive. Some of you have challenged me in the most hurtful of ways. But, character and resilience is built from even the ugliest of expereinces. I thank you for it too…

Instagram: instagram.com/inked_bikini
Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-martinez-44b5a6182
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michelle.martinezfitpro

Image Credits
Andy Tran Ashley Wills Cynthia Smyth