Kathie’s Journey Into Corporate Wellness Consulting
Article Summary
In this article, I discuss what happened in late 2022 and how I re-vamped the gym as the corporate wellness director at OCuSOFT. How fitness changes lives and more!
Corporate wellness is good for the mind, body, and soul. In today’s article learn how Kathie changed the corporate wellness environment on campus and took the participation from 1% of the campus to over 15% and growing. Fitness does change lives, learn more today!
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It is July 2022 I am told that I finally get to go back to the gym full-time. This is the first time since May 2019. Why? Because the gym flooded for the third time on May 9, 2019. That summer they lifted the building three feet off the ground. This is a process they do here in Houston after the floods. But this process would leave the building compromised and we could not enter the building until March of 2020.
I had a makeshift gym in the main building with weights and a treadmill. While I appreciated what I had and in fact fell in love with where I was no matter the circumstances. It was not ideal.
Well, we all know what happened in March 2020. And yes you guessed it, the gym was closed indefinitely. Because we are technically a healthcare company OCuSOFT had very strict compliance with the pandemic. I wondered if I would still have a job.
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I wrote a complete article about what I did during the pandemic but as always I learned to fall in love with where I was no matter the circumstances. It was not ideal. I missed fitness and training clients but I adapted. I fell in love with my fellow team members and the ventures we went on each day. I work in Operations Department and every day had some new element to it. You never knew what to expect when you came to work. But it was always fun!!
So for over two years I just maintained the status quo by working in operations. In July 2022 I was told to go back to the gym. While I loved being in the gym, there was something missing. There was a lot missing.
Then it hit me! The fung sheui was off. There was no flow to the gym. Cardio equipment was in its own corner, the flooring was definitely off (white tile is not conducive for a gym), and there was no color in the gym. It felt drab and lacked people and energy!
I had been working in the building in the receptionist's office and I saw everyone every single day. I met new hires and even those interviewing for jobs. My job was fun. So when I got into the gym I missed everyone. Our gym is a separate building and we are now a big campus. What was I going to do?
I reached out to my friend Zach at Advanced Fitness. I had him come out to tour the gym and asked him for suggestions. He quickly sent me a new layout that I knew the gym needed. He also suggested some new equipment as well as he knew a flooring company that could help me.
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I wanted to shift the gym to a functional fitness facility. I wrote an article on that, you can find that here.
Here are the things I wanted:
Huge graphics to inspire the atmosphere of a gym
Astroturf would enhance the entryway and also provide clear functional fitness training with a sled.
TRX Bay with bands, medicine balls, kettlebells, and storage for our stability balls and bands.
Spin bike
Zach created my design and I made a presentation to the executive team. I had a vision for a gym that would be inspiring and motivational for years to come. We are one of the top workplaces in Houston and this would be yet another bonus for our team members. It had to be done! Plus our campus was growing so much and we were quickly running out of space for things that actually make us money. You see my dilemma!
After that presentation, the executive team asked for a quote that Zach put together for me. The first quote was so high that I would not even share it with the executive team. In retrospect, they would have said yes but I felt I needed something a little less expensive. The reason that quote was so high was because of the flooring. There are many types of rubber flooring. In a nutshell, I picked plain black flooring for my final proposal. And then I sent it in and waited.
I waited for about 4 weeks and then my supervisor said it was approved, the day before Halloween 2022. I think it was actually approved sooner than this but that was when I was told to go ahead with the transition. This meant that the new gym would be complete just in time for the new year if we were lucky.
We did get lucky and opened one week into 2023. But there were hiccups along the way. The flooring was far from perfect and I still needed mirrors, graphics, and safety measures like cameras and an AED. These seeming little things caused hiccups in my plan and those were finally finished in early February 2023.
I invited Zach over to look at the final product. He was impressed and happy. He told me, “Kathie you are good at this. You told me exactly what you wanted and you completed the project. Your vision came to life.” And he is correct.
I have since taken the wellness involvement of the team from 1% to over 15%. I now teach circuits during lunch hour and I have people making new friends and creating a healthier lifestyle in their days. Here are some of the things they are saying:
“I feel more focused at work.”
“You make the gym fun. Your training style rocks! You’re the Best personal trainer EVER! Thanks for guiding me towards my goal.”
“Kathie really helped when it came to training days. She taught me training with specific muscle groups at a time and years later I still use this technique and love it!”
“I love that Kathie is here on sight and can show you the proper form when working out. This helped out so much.”
“I look forward to working out each week because of Kathie.”
“Kathie has made working out fun and has really taught me that working out is a great time instead of a dreadful task.”
“Kathie always has time for anything, and she's always caring about what she has planned for us today, she makes sure that not every workout is the same and knows that every workout isn't for everyone. That takes time and dedication, and I couldn't be happier with having her as a trainer!”
“Kathie helps me more than just physically, she helps me with my mental and emotional wellbeing as well, She is so motivated and positive.'“
I love how fitness changes lives. This is why I do what I do!
After I completed this project and got Zach’s vote of confidence I decided to branch out into consulting. In late February 2023, I created my LLC - Kathie’s Coaching and Consulting. I will continue to work full-time for OCuSOFT because personal training is what I dearly love and it is where I got my start in Corporate Wellness. But I will be branching out into the world of Corporate Wellness Consulting. I look forward to this new venture in my life and I will be sharing my journey every step of the way!
Thank you for spending part of your day with me. If you know someone who can benefit from this article feel free to share it with them. See you soon!
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