Hey friends! I’m so excited to announce the launch of my official mobile app – YAY! Now you can have me in your pocket, literally, with on-the-go workouts and daily inspiration.
Since I opened my boutique fitness studios, GRIT Fitness, I haven’t blogged as much as I once did So I was determined to find a creative way to:
Stay connected with my beloved blog followers who live all over the world
Provide home workouts and inspiration to my GRIT Fitness members who live Dallas (so they can sweat when they can’t make it to the studio)
Over the past several months I’ve been working diligently to create the content, test the functionality and execute all of the small details required to develop my very first mobile app! I think this is a first step to something HUGE! It’s been such a challenging and engaging experience, much like 4 years ago when I created my first workout DVD (remember that?!) I’ve really enjoyed the process as it’s truly a labor of love. I hope you love the app as much as I do.
Throwback! Launching the GRIT by Brit Workout DVD in 2013
So now you’re probably wondering, what’s in the app? Well here’s a run down:
My personal 21-Day Fitness challenge complete with workout calendar and nutrition tips
Several on-the-go workouts categorized by focus (arms, legs, abs, cardio, etc)
On demand workout videos featuring my original workouts
Inspirational pep talk videos from yours truly!
GRIT by Brit Mobile App Coming Soon!
Because I’m so excited about this new creation, I’m making it FREE to EVERYONE for one day only – August 21, 2017. Once you download it, you have it FOREVER – so I suggest you save the date and get ready to download.
To download the app, just got to the app store and search “GRIT by Brit” – the app will be available on both iOS and Android.
Thanks so much for your continued support. Get ready to get GRITTY!
Back by popular demand in 2019: The New Year Best You Fitness & Yoga retreat is for ladies who want 2019 to be their best year yet! Together we’ll challenge ourselves in sweaty workouts, restore our bodies with a daily yoga practice and sharpen our minds in empowerment seminars.
RETREAT ITINERARY
Wed, Jan 2
11:30am – Airport arrivals and check in
1:30pm – Lunch
2:30pm – Free Time
5:30pm – Welcome Flow (Kaleigh)
6:30pm – Dinner & Welcome Reception
Thur, Jan 3
8:30am – Body Sculpt (Brit)
9:30am – Breakfast
10:30am – Speed Networking (All)
12:30pm – 90’s Hip Hop Dance Lesson (Kortani)
1:30pm – Lunch
2:00PM – Neon Pool Party!
5:30pm – Power Flow Yoga (Kaleigh)
6:30pm – Dinner
Fri, Jan 4
8:30am – Power Tower – Functional Strength Intervals (Kaleigh)
9:30am – Breakfast
10:30am – Goal Setting for 2019 (Brit)
12:30pm – Turbo Kick – Cardio Kickboxing (Gina)
1:30pm – Lunch
2:00PM – Free Time
5:30pm – Deep Stretch (Kaleigh)
6:30pm – Dinner
7:30pm – Roof Deck Social
Sat, Jan 5
8:30am – HIIT / Core Combo (Brit)
9:30am – Breakfast
10:30am – Nutrition Tips (Kaleigh)
12:30pm – Beach Hike
1:30pm – Lunch
2:00PM – Free Time
5:30pm – Tone & Stretch Combo (Brit & Kaleigh)
6:30pm – Dinner
7:30pm – Beach Bonfire
Sun, Jan 6
8:30am – Sunrise Buddy Boot Camp (Brit)
9:30am – Breakfast
10:30am – Airport Departures
About Prana Del Mar | Luxury Beach Yoga Retreat Center
Prana del Mar is located near the southern tip of the Baja peninsula, just north of Cabo San Lucas. The desert oasis of Prana del Mar offers 16 luxurious guest rooms and suites with swimming pool, spa, and two beautiful yoga studios. All rooms and suites have polished travertine floors and worktops, custom teak furniture, pillow-top beds, luxury organic linens, daily maid service, and organic bathroom products. They also feature large terraces and balconies with ocean views. The two-room suites even feature complete stainless steel/granite kitchens and spacious living room areas. Learn more at https://pranadelmar.com
Pricing
Double Occupancy
Single Occupancy
Total Retreat Fee
(Does not include airfare)
$1,595
$ 1,895
Deposit
(Due by Oct. 1, 2018)
$400
$500
What’s Included:
Lodging / room accommodations for 4 nights
Full use of all resort amenities – including pool, hot tub, sauna, stone labyrinth, desert gardens, hammocks, and more
Transportation from/to Los Cabos airport (SJD)
3 gourmet, chef-prepared meals per day
3 workouts per day led by Brit & Kaleigh
Optional morning beach meditation
Daily empowerment seminar
Welcome cocktail reception
Ladies roof deck wine night
Pool party with cocktails
Exclusive retreat swag bag
Official retreat tank top
What’s not included:
Airfare to Los Cabos International (SJD)
Spa treatments
Extra activities and excursions
Additional alcoholic beverages (you are welcome to BYOB)
Step 2: Pay your non-refundable deposit. Deposits, progress payments and final balance may be submitted via venmo to @brittani-rettig OR @KaleighLundyWalker
MEET YOUR RETREAT LEADERS
Kaleigh Walker – Kaleigh grew up in a family full of avid athletes, fitness enthusiasts and dancers’, so being active has always been a huge part of her life. She began teaching dance and junior golf in her teens and continued throughout college at the University of Kansas, where she earned her degree in Strategic Communications.
When Kaleigh moved to Los Angeles in 2005, she was introduced to yoga. She quickly realized the profound physical and mental benefits that could be achieved with a regular practice and became hooked! As she continued deepening her yoga practice, she became more confident of her true calling in life – to leave the corporate world and get back to teaching!
In 2008, Kaleigh completed her 200-hour yoga alliance certification through YogaHop in Santa Mon-ica and soon after, her Certified Personal Trainer certification through the National Strength & Condi-tioning Association, and her Nutritional Coaching certification through the Institute of Integrative Nu-trition. Since then, she’s continued to immerse herself in studying the fundamentals of fitness, nutri-tion, and yogic philosophy with some of today’s most knowledgeable individuals.
Kaleigh’s clients and students range from celebrities and professional athletes to those individuals battling ailments or just trying to stay healthy. After nearly 10 years in Los Angeles, Kaleigh relocated to Dallas, TX in March of 2015. In addition to her extensive private clientele, you can find Kaleigh teaching regular yoga, dance cardio, and spinning classes at several studios in Dallas, as well as Re-treats across the globe. Kaleigh is an ambassador for Lululemon, Manduka, and Carbon 38.
Brittani (Brit) Rettig – Brit is the founder and owner of GRIT Fitness studios in Dallas, TX. This full-body boutique fitness concept is based on her belief that mental grit or “passion and perseverance for long-term goals” is the key to both fitness success and to living our best lives. Brit advocates that learning to endure though physical challenges teaches us to persevere through greater life challenges. “We can’t always control life’s circumstances but we can control how we respond.”
GRIT Fitness brings an innovative approach to boutique fitness by providing energetic group classes in a dance club environment. A carefully curated and enthusiastic staff of instructors teach over 60 classes each week at two studios, ranging from dance and kickboxing to high-intensity interval training, toning and cycling. Since its inception in January 2015, GRIT Fitness has rapidly grown to become the premier location for millennial women to get fit, socialize and feel empowered. Through engaging, high-energy fitness experiences and a “no mean girls allowed” culture, it successfully differentiates itself in Dallas’ highly saturated boutique fitness scene. By hosting monthly events and over 100 complimentary community classes, GRIT Fitness has energized thousands of young women in Dallas to stay active and connected.
Prior to founding GRIT Fitness, Brittani Rettig worked at Deloitte Consulting, LLC. She earned her undergraduate degree from Cornell University where she was captain of women’s varsity basketball team. She also holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and numerous fitness certifications. Brit continues to author her leading fitness/lifestyle blog, Grit by Brit, which receives national recognition from SELF Magazine, POPSUGAR and Greatist. Brit currently holds the following national fitness certifications:
National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) Certified Personal Trainer
Aerobics and Fitness Association of America (AFAA): Certified Group Fitness Instructor
Hey Friends! Last weekend I got the awesome opportunity to travel to Los Angeles, CA and attend the inaugural #girlbossrally hosted by Sophia Amoruso, Founder and Former CEO of Nasty Gal. 2 conferences back-to-back weekends! I co-hosted the 1st WHAT SHE SAID, Women’s Empowerment Conference in Dallas Feb 25th and then jetted to LA for the GIRLBOSS Rally March 4th.
So what is the GIRLBOSS Rally? You ask….
Girlboss is about being the boss of your own life. We will gather the next generation of curious creatives, entrepreneurs, thought leaders, and tastemakers to spark conversation around the topics they are passionate about. From marketing and brand building to getting paid and quitting jobs, health & wellness, sexuality and more, it will be a day filled with actionable takeaways.
The rally was truly a once in a lifetime, girl power inspirational experience. Here are the top 5 things I learned:
1️⃣ There are 40 million women born between 1980-2000 who want more experiences and less stuff and to be the author of their own lives! 2️⃣ Slow is smooth and smooth is fast (slow down!) 3️⃣ It’s great to dream big, but more important to work really freakin’ hard 4️⃣ Don’t compare your hustle to their highlight reel 5️⃣ Be aggressive. Take the shot. Get out of the your own way!
It was so motivating to feel the energy of 500 female hustlers under 1 roof. Simply being in the presence of other GIRLBOSS women gave me the kick in the butt I needed to keep fearlessly growing my business at GRIT Fitness and the courage to take some new risks!
Here are a few pics from the rally for you to you enjoy…
Just arrived at the rally – posing on the wall of inspirational quotes!
Listening to a panel of awesome girl bosses including the founders of CLASS PASS and Brit & Co.
Swag bag was on point!
Also enjoyed some quality time with my lovely Aunt Nita who who hosted me at her house in LA for the weekend!
Wishing you happy International Women’s Day and encouraging you to be a BOSS of your own life! xoxo, Brit
I’m so excited to announce that my company, GRIT Fitness, is partnering with W Dallas Hotel to host the first WHAT SHE SAID women’s empowerment conference in Dallas. WHAT SHE SAID is a new global speaker series featuring inspirational women from the worlds of fashion, fitness, music, tech, media and more. W is giving these incredible women at the top of their game a platform to share their personal stories at W Hotels around the world, inviting attendees to mix, mingle in true W style, over cocktails and incredible music!
I’ve partnered with the W Dallas – Victory for several fitness / social events over the past 4 years including Cardio and Cocktails and Flexin’ Flow on the WETDECK! I love the hip, creative vibe of the hotel so I though it would be the perfect location to host a women’s conference! I mean look at this ah-mazing conference space! AND we got some awesome local, #GIRLBOSS interior designers to decorate the panels with super chic styles.
Main Conference Room – Great Room Meeting
Breakout – Industry Classroom
Over 80% of the speakers are members of the #GRITFAM (GRIT Fitness community). I had strong passion to host a conference this year because I want young ladies to connect outside of the gym and have “real talk” about turning their passions into action. This event is not limited to GRIT members ALL ARE WELCOME and we hope you decide to join the fun! Here are the details…
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
Friday, February 24 – GRIT Fitness Design District
5-8PM Dance Cardio Party and Networking Reception presented by Tory Sport and Dulce Vida Tequila
Saturday, February 25 – W Dallas Victory
9AM Check in, coffee and breakfast bites served
10AM Side Hustle to CEO, Brit Rettig, founder of GRIT Fitness
11AM Goal Setting for Success, Boss Women Who Brunch
12PM Lunch, Expo of local #GIRLBOSS vendors
12:30 – 3:30PM Breakout Sessions
Time to Get Your Money RightAction-planning workshop for getting out of debt
Look Good, Feel Good
Fitness, nutrition and health “real talk” for looking and feeling your best
Winning in the Workplace
A GRIT girl’s guide to getting ahead in corporate environments
Creativity to Cashflow
Turning your creative passion into a money-making machine
Succeeding at Start-Ups
What it takes to lead and work at the world’s leading startup companies
3:30PM Closing happy hour with live DJ and cocktails
Speakers: Amber LaFrance, Co-Founder/Owner of Culture-Hype PR and Owner of DFW Style Daily; Molly Mathias, Founder of MM Vintage; Leah Frazier, Founder of Diamond Icon and Blogger at BeautyforAshes; Lindsey Kilbride, VP of Sales for Trunk Club; Rachel Kuhr, Founder of Productable.Us and former Innovation Lead for Mark Cuban Companies; Lakshmi Shenoy, VP of Strategy and Business Development for 1871 Chicago; Danielle Moye, Pediatric Cardiologist at UT Southwestern; Megan Lyons, Founder of The Lyons’ Share Wellness; Erika Elmore, Regional Diversity Officer for Morgan Stanley; Brittany Madrid, “Living Well” host as seen on WFAA; Liz Stanley, Founder and Blogger for Oh Hey Dallas and model; NaTarra Allen, Personal Trainer at Equinox; Courtney Sanders, Founder of Think & Grow Chick, LLC; Emily Hsieh, CFA, CFP® and Founder of Narrative Financial; Annabel Williams, Regional Sales Director for AIG; Ashley Fincher, VP and Legal Counsel for Comerica Bank; Brittani Rettig, Founder of GRIT Fitness; Yasmeen Tadia, Founder of Fluff Pop and Make Your Life Sweeter Brands; Alison Magdstadt, Marketing Director for Neiman Marcus; Marty McDonald and Ashley Cash, Co-Founders of Boss Women Who Brunch
GRIT Fitness, founded in January 2015 by Brittani Rettig, brings an innovative approach to boutique fitness by providing energetic group classes in a community-focused environment. A carefully curated and enthusiastic staff of instructors teach over 60 classes each week at two studios, ranging from dance and kickboxing to high-intensity interval training, toning and cycling.
About W Dallas Hotel and WHAT SHE SAID
Since its inception, W Hotels has always worked with female icons in fashion, music, design and fitness to enrich the travel experience and provide a platform for emerging visionaries. To take that further, WHAT SHE SAID is a global speaker series hosted by W featuring women across these fields, sharing their stories, and providing opportunities to mix, mingle and network. Previous speakers have included Rachel Zoe, Diane Von Furstenberg, Who What Wear, WNBA, etc. Because everything is bigger in Texas, W Dallas – Victory in partnership with GRIT Fitness is turning WHAT SHE SAID into a two-day women’s empowerment conference! The conference will be a day and a half chalk full of robust curriculum for our local female entrepreneurs and girl bosses. We’re talking about all things fitness, personal finances, kicking A in your career and discovering your passions and purpose! We’ll be bringing in Dallas’ most influential women to inspire and motivate the next generation of female entrepreneurs – AKA YOU, girlfriend! Join us and get ready to connect, ignite your creativity and take your passions and turn them into actions.
WHAT SHE SAID – DALLAS | SUPPORTERS & EXHIBITORS
Blushington
DFW Beauty Guide
Dry Sparkling
Dulce Vida Tequila
Ellevate Network – Dallas
Glamsicle
Harper & Tucker
Jess Peterson – Indpendent Consultant for Rodan + Fields
Joiya Johnson – Business & Accounting Services
Kendra Scott
Krave jerky
Ladonna Stein
Lemonade by Lauren
Lexie Faucher Photography
Nike
Nikkie Smith Designs
NOH8
Peechy Keen Studio
Read Between the Lines
Rose Pearson – Executive Consultant for Rodan+Fields
Simply Elegant
Socialite Pink
Sparkling ICE
Sugar Bear Hair
Sugarfina
The Cookie Cheff
The Iman Project + Lavender & Mint
The Lyons’ Share Wellness
Tory Sport, NorthPark
Trunk Club
Whitness Nutrition
The number on question people ask me about my experience as entrepreneur is “How did you get started?” then there are a bunch of follow-up questions like …”Did you have a clear vision?” “Did you have a business plan?” “Did you have investors?” And the answers are No, No and No. I’m a big believer in the power of momentum…..once you get moving in a direction that energizes you, it’s hard stop. And while you’re moving forward, you start attracting amazing opportunities. Or at least this was the case for me. Let me shed some light on what I believe to be the 5 key steps for bringing a business idea to life. (Warning: None of the steps require writing a business plan.)So a little bit of background, I was a pretty risk averse person and I played it by the book throughout my 20’s… graduated from college, spent two years in HR at Texas Instruments, earned an MBA, then joined a Big 4 consulting firm. Overall life was good, but deep down I knew something was missing. While I was grateful for the stable salary, opportunity to travel and exposure to complex corporate challenges, something inside of me was not satisfied. I’ve never considered myself a “creative” person, but I had a deep desire to “make new stuff” and lead people and feel excited about my work, and I wasn’t getting that. During that time, I was also struggling with my weight as I had to travel to a different state or country every week, Monday through Thursday. So eating healthy was a challenge. I started taking Turbo Kick classes at 24 Hour Fitness and they were so freakin’ fun! I got really into it, loved the way I felt after class, and thought it would be fun to sign up for instructor training just so I could get better at the moves. So one weekend, I paid the $189 fee and spent a Saturday learning how to teach Turbo Kick class (the best decision of my life). And this leads me to STEP #1: Follow what energizes you. Never in a million years did I ever think I would ever start a fitness company. After all, I was chunky kid and my childhood dream was to be a talk show host. BUT, I really enjoyed these group fitness classes. They were a hobby. They were challenging. They excited me and I didn’t mind working really hard and really long to get good at them. I love this quote form Mark Cuban, “If you really want to know where your destiny lies, look at where you apply your time.” I realized I was spending more of my free time planning workouts rather than working on client decks….very telling. At that point, I knew I wanted to start some sort of fitness venture, but I didn’t know what it would look like.
While, discovering something that energizes you is super exciting, it still takes lots of hours to develop the craft and become great at it. As a former collegiate athlete this principle is engrained in me and I know that I have to practice a ton if I want to be great at anything. If I was serious about starting a fitness company, I was going to have to develop a rigorous routine to develop the skills required to do so. STEP #2: Start Developing The Skills You Need To Succeed. At that point I got a part-time job (side hustle) at 24 Hour Fitness teaching at least 1 class per week. I knew I couldn’t start a group fitness company unless I was a badass fitness instructor. I also started this blog because I knew that I needed to develop some marketing skills (of which I had none). Blogging gave me hands on experience with social media and free marking tools. It also gave me a therapeutic outlet to share my story in a very authentic way. Blogging changed my life. For realz. For 2 years I maintained the side hustle of teaching fitness classes and blogging, in addition to working full time in management consulting. Yes, I was tired. Yes, I had a lot to juggle. But my side hustle pumped me up so much that I didn’t mind staying up late and working all weekend to keep my blog updated and prep for fitness classes. The skills I developed during this time prepared me to excel in leading my business, before I even started my business.
2012, After starting my blog, I got some “professional” fitness pics taken at JC Penny! (wow Brit)
So now I was rolling! During this time, my blog was growing and getting recognition from PopSugar and Greatist. My classes at 24 Hour Fitness were packed. I was feelin’ myself! BUT, I wasn’t making any “real money”… I had a hobby… I didn’t have a business… I wanted to start a business so I could work in fitness full-time and quit my “real job!” But I had a ton of business ideas and was feeling overwhelmed. From apps, to class formats, to video series – ah!!!!! Many of you can probably relate with me at this point… so you have a “passion” or a business idea or an interest in something but you don’t know what to do with it. You spend countless hours discussing it with our friends, journaling, thinking about everything that could go wrong, etc. Then you get overwhelmed with all of these thoughts and say, “screw it” someone else is probably already working on this and 5 steps ahead of me. I get it. I’ve been there. This was me. But the best thing you can do at this point, is JUST MAKE SOMETHING ALREADY (STEP 3). I made workout DVD (GRIT Ultimate Body Burn). There’s so much power in simply keeping the ball rolling. Your product or service doesn’t have to be perfect, it just needs to reflect you! AND you need the experience of creating something from nothing. Creating my workout DVD gave me a new level of confidence that I could take and idea and bring it life. It also polished my project management skills and collaboration skills. And it was just fun. So if you’re mulling around in the “idea phase” stop thinking and start doing!
Once you’ve created something, you’ve got to find like-minded people who LOVE IT! Notice I didn’t say you need spend tons of money on mass marketing. That’s not a good look. You just need to find people who are already on board with what you’re doing and educate them! Remember, momentum is everything! Give them free samples, throw a party and buy their drinks share your story with them. STEP 4: Find Your Tribe and Energize Them! A highly engaged tribe of people who love your product/service are the most valuable asset your business will ever have. During my 2 years of side hustlin’, I was teaching FREE classes at the W Hotel every single weekend. I would post free workouts on my blog every single week. I was energizing and investing in my tribe. If you show people that you genuinely love them and are passionate and committed to a common purpose, they will be your biggest advocates and all of the marketing you need. Find the RIGHT people, love them and keep them excited!
Now that you’ve got ball rolling, just keep it rolling! Once you stop, it’s so much harder to restart. STEP 5: Never quit, never ever give up. Sure there are obstacles and setbacks and bad days, but hopefully you absolutely love what you’re doing and you’re enjoying the process. I’m a big believer that if you’re committed to a positive cause, consistently improving and growing and strengthening your tribe, your business simply CANNOT fail. It’s actually impossible….as long as you don’t quit! The opportunity to open the first GRIT Fitness studio literally fell in my lap. A student in my Turbo Kick class at 24 Hour Fitness has a son who was looking for someone to share his commercial space in Downtown Dallas to run fitness classes. Seriously?!?! GRIT Fitness was developed out of a side-hustle, a 30 minute workout DVD and this blog. But the energy and momentum from years of smaller efforts are what has grown us to a business led by 50 fabulous women serving over 3,000 clients. Never underestimate the magic of simply moving forward.
Hey friends! As I mentioned in my last post, I’m making a personal commitment to post at least 1x per week in 2017. Man….I tell you what….it’s harder than I thought. I know I have to set aside designated “blogging time” to reestablish the discipline and rigor I once had around writing. That’s why I love the quote above so much…it’s so true! If I don’t plan, I’m essentially “planning” to not achieve my goal.
As small business owner, efficient time management is critical for survival because I have limited resources and am consistently forced to do more with less. So I thought “Time Management” would be the perfect topic for this blog post. Now I’m not the most detailed nor the most talented person, but when comes to getting sh*t done, I don’t mind tooting my own horn. People ask me all of the time, “How do you do it?” And the short answer is, I’m NOT a perfectionist. I prioritize the most critical tasks required to achieve my BIG goals. And I plan everything! I actually have some strategy around how I plan my week and how I think about each day as an input into the greater whole. I also operate under the core belief that DONE is always better thanks PERFECT, thus I’m not a perfectionist.
Below is my personal 5 step approach for strategizing and managing my time. Now, most people probably have a day planner and they just pencil in everything that pops up on their “to-do” list. Not my style. I create strategy for my entire week and then slot my activities into my “ideal outline.” Let’s dive a little deeper…
Brit’s Weekly Time Strategy for 2017
STEP 1: CREATE AN OUTLINE OF YOUR ENTIRE WEEK BY FIRST BLOCKING OUT THE NON-NEGOTIABLE TIME
As you can see above, I think about my week as a whole, and set aside designated time to work on the things most critical for achieving my BIG life goals. In doing so, I essentially have a “template” for my day planner and give myself structure so that I’m in control of my time, and random stuff that pops up can’t control me!
Obviously, I have to be physically present at work at certain times, so I block this time in green. For me this is when I’m physically teaching classes. So step 1 for you, think about your entire week and block out the time that is totally non-negotiable for your livelihood (i.e. weekly work and family commitments)
STEP 2: EVALUATE YOUR PERSONAL GOALS AND BLOCK TIME TO WORK ON THEM
Then I review my list of goals for the year and think about what specific actions are required to make them come to life. For example, I want to continue to grow my business and innovate new services for our clients. So, I have to block a few hours on my weekly calendar for “Standardization” and “Innovation.” During these time blocks I document our business processes, develop training manuals, create new class formats and work on strategic brand partnerships. Notice that nobody is “making” me do these things, but I have to make a personal commitment to myself to work on these things. Otherwise, 6 months will pass and I realize that I’ve made no progress.
Me with my 2017 goals in hand!
Another example is time for my relationships. On my 2017 goals, I stated that I want to continuously strengthen my relationships with my friends, family and myself. So I block out time on my weekly template to hang out with besties, to catch up with family and to just be alone and read, work on my personal development and quite simply enjoy my own company.
I can go on and on, but I think you get the point. Step 2 – evaluate your goals and dedicate time each week to work on them in bite size chunks.
STEP 3: PLAN TO PLAN
Weird, I know. But the reality is, I allocate time in my weekly calendar to plan the next week! That’s right…I plan to plan. So for me, on Sunday evenings I plan all of the choreography and playlists for my fitness classes the upcoming week, I plan my meals and my personal workouts. I also plan “free time” which allows me to handle random events in a structured, efficient way.
STEP 4: FILL OUT YOUR DAY PLANNER WITH SPECIFIC ACTIVITIES ALIGNED WITH YOUR OVERALL WEEKLY TIME STRATEGY
This part is fun. During my “planning time” each week I physically update my planner for the week ahead. As you can see above, my day planner aligns with my overall weekly strategy. I force myself to work on the things only during their designated time slots. This prevents me from getting distracted and makes my life easier because each day I simply wake up and follow the plan for the day.
STEP 5: TREASURE YOUR TIME
You owe it to yourself to achieve your goals and fulfill your dreams, and the only way to make that possible is to spend time working on your goals every single week. That means when people or outside commitments try throw something on your schedule, tell them that that you can get to it during your “free time” not during the time you’ve designated for working on your goals, your full-time job or other critical activities.
Well, that wraps it up. My 5 step time management approach for slaying your goals. Do you have any additional tips for making every minute count? If so, I’d love to hear them! Have a wonderful week and I’ll be back with more life and business hacks next week. xoxo, Brit
Happy New Year Friends! As you’ve probably noticed, I’ve been on a blogging hiatus since Thanksgiving 2016 (the longest stretch of no-posting in gritbybrit history – yikes!). I’m not proud of this as blogging has been my most inspiring creative outlet over the past 4 years. In fact, starting this blog is what pushed to me pursue my ultimate dream – starting my own fitness/wellness company. It would be such a shame to neglect the one thing that gives me so much energy and motivation!
So, I’ve made a resolution to post weekly in 2017 and I commit to myself and to you that I will stick to it. You can expect at least one post per week from me for the entire year – yes that’s 52 posts from yours truly. Since my life has changed so much the past 2 years with the inception of my company, GRIT Fitness, I’ve decided I’m going to shift the focus of this blog to share more behind the scenes coverage of what it’s like running a start-up, innovating new fitness formats, building a brand and leading a team all while trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle. I also plan to share business insights and frameworks that I’ve created to help with time management, goal setting, growing your business and building your brand. Hopefully you’ll enjoy these posts! Please comment and lemme know what you think long the way.
But before I go full speed ahead with my 2017 blogging approach, I first what to take some to time to express gratitude and reflect on the awesome moments I was blessed to experience in 2016. Last year was definitely a period of growth, learning and FUN! Here are the top 10 moments I will cherish forever (in no particular order)…
1. Celebrating 1 year of business at GRIT Fitness
Wow. When I started GRIT Fitness in January of 2015, my only goal was stay alive. But not only are we surviving, we have a growing, vibrant , thriving community of over 2,000 awesome young ladies! Most of the ladies who were my very first members now serve as instructors, community leaders and front desk staff. We kicked off 2016 with a super fun Vino & Vinyasa 1-yr anniversary celebration. It was a blast!
2. Being on TV, twice!
Look mom, I’m on TV! This was so freaking cool and so totally unexpected. Fortunately, 2 members of the GRIT community happened work for Fox 4 and pitched a segment to cover my journey of creating GRIT Fitness. That led to a me sharing my story on Fox 4 “In The Now.” Then a producer at WFAA, Good Morning Texas reached out to us to demo some Dance Club Cardio moves on the show and talk about our fitness community. 2 terrific TV surprises in 2016!
3. Winning the Neiman Marcus Faces of Beauty Contest
This experience was totally surreal. I felt like a beauty queen! 5 women out of 1,000 nominated were selected for this amazing honor based on the impact they’re making on women’s empowerment. Neiman Marcus gave me a styling session, killer new clothes, a box of the most luxurious beauty products, a makeover and photo shoot, an intimate dinner with the company’s executives and a night’s stay a luxury hotel. Simply amazing.
4. Building and opening the GRIT Fitness Flagship Studio (2nd location)
What a journey! After getting rejected by two SBA lenders and from several other landlords (because I hadn’t been in business long enough), I almost gave up hope on expanding GRIT Fitness. But with the support of our community we raised $10K in a crowd funding campaign and I found an awesome small business lender in Austin, TX. After a few months of planning and strategizing, we were blessed to open our 5,000 square foot flagship studio, just 6 months after celebrating our 1 year anniversary.
5. Growing and developing my team at GRIT Fitness to 48 team members!
I started GRIT Fitness with help of 10 fabulous young ladies. 1 was my sister, 3 I met on Craig’s List, 3 were students in my Turbo Kick classes at 24 Hour Fitness and the others were just friends who wanted to support me. Now we are 4 times the size, but the closeness of our relationships remains. What I love about my team is that each girl serves at GRIT because she genuinely LOVES helping people and wants to be her best. And that’s why I feel like we are truly the #DREAMTEAM
6. Sweating and smiling in LA and NYC
I’m such a sweat junkie! This year I traveled to both LA and NYC just to explore the fitness scenes. I called it my “market research” trip as I took 13 classes in 3 days in NYC and 9 classes 3 days in LA. While I was in LA, I also attended the IDEA WORLD Fitness convention for the 3rd consecutive year. I LOVED IT! The learning curve never ends. I also treated myself to a nice hotel and great meals. I definitely like my vacations sweaty!
7. Quality time with my best friends in Seattle, Canada & Dallas
Being a small business owner, it can be challenging to allocate time to just chill and hang out with friends. Especially when most of your best fiends don’t live in your city. Fortunately, my friend Jenn got married in Quebec City so I got to reunite with most of my business school friends during that trip. And then my bestie from business school, Yassi pictured above, traveled to Dallas from South Africa for a work trip and we got to spend the entire weekend catching up, attending holiday parties and sipping mimosas. Last, one of my best friends from undergrad also got married and I got to catch up with all of my Cornell friends at his wedding in Seattle, WA. Quality time with great friends is simply priceless.
8. Finding a new church home at Shoreline Dallas
Before moving back to Dallas, I lived in NYC and I was member of Hillsong church which I absolutely loved (especially the awesome praise and worship music and relaxed culture)! After moving back home to start GRIT Fitness I struggled all year to find a church home that I really connected with. Fortunately my cousin invited to Shoreline’s SHINE Women’s conference and I love the diverse community, high energy and enthusiasm for strengthening our faith.
9. Spending the holidays with my amazing family
I am so grateful for my family. The older I get, the more I appreciate simply spending time with them. The 2016 holiday season was super special because we spent Thanksgiving in Florida hanging out at the beach and watching my bother, Austin, play in his holiday basketball tournament. Then for Christmas we just hung out at my parents’ house, went out to eat for Mexican food, and lazily hung around the house for 2 days. It’s the little things that matter most.
10. Hosting ‘Start Up Yoga’ for Techweek in Dallas
Can we say “GRIT concert”? This was hands down the most extravagant fitness experience I’ve ever been a part of – massive stage, flashing lights, live DJ, amazing venue full of Dallasite’s sweating and smiling. I’m so grateful that my team and I were presented with the opportunity to work with Techweek, one of the largest technology/entrepreneurship conferences in the world!
While I’ve classified these 10 moments as the “most memorable” there were several other “less flashy” moments that were equally meaningful to me. Like hanging out with my sister as “friends” despite our 8 year age gap, finally earning enough profit to write myself my first paycheck, holding hands with all members of my family and praying over the future of GRIT Fitness and my ability to be a good leader. 2016 was such a joy, but I know that the best is yet to come! Here’s to 2017, the greatest year yet. xoxo, Brit
Hello from sunny St. Petersburg Florida! I’m enjoying an awesome Thanksgiving Holiday vacation with my family – lots of college basketball, fun in the sun, beach time and good meals. That said, I’m doing my very best to squeeze in at least a 20 minute workout every morning so that I’m not sucking air when I get back to GRIT Fitness next week.
Above is the 20 minute workout I did yesterday on the stairs outside of my hotel. Remember, you don’t fancy equipment or a gym to get an effective (and fun) workout in. You just need energy, passion and a positive attitude….like with all things in life 🙂 Below is a peek at my post-workout SnapChat. (I was clearly feeling the burn) Enjoy! xoxo, Brit
Please join me and my team at GRIT Fitness on Saturday, Dec. 10th from 9am-12pm for our 2nd annual Girl Boss Pop Up Shop! We are passionate about supporting women in business and want to create a postive, energetic enviroment for women owned businesses to show off and sell their products and services.
You can enjoy awesome holiday shopping and fun sweat sessions! We’ll offer 2 complimentary community classes: – 9:00am Dance Club Cardio w/ Jackie – 10:30am Body Sculpt w/ Brit (yours truly)
Here’s the link to get details and RSVP on Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/events/214011032356181/
Hey Friends! I’m so excited to share some awesome news. Next week my team from GRIT Fitness and I will partner with Techweek Dallas to lead an awesome “Start Up Yoga” party at Dallas’ famous concert venue, The Bomb Factory!
Join me in partnership with #TechweekDFW for a morning Flexin’ Flow (yoga workout) energized with live beats by DJ Lucius and healthy post-class sips and bites. I’m so pumped to lead lead the class along with my dream team of instuctors! Come ready to flow, dance and network with Dallas’ brightest entrepreners and tech enthusiasts. It’s a gonna be a great workout and an awesome party – I hope you can make it! xoxo, Brit
DATE: Nov. 2, 2017
TIME: 7:00am Flexin’ Flow class 8:00am Networking party with healthy sips and bites
LOCATION: The Bomb Factory | Deep Ellum 2713 Canton St. Dallas, TX
DETAILS: Bring a yoga mat and sneakers. Flexin’ Flow (AKA Grit Yoga) is GRIT Fitness’ signature power yoga class designed to build strength, flexibility and endurance. Enjoy the unique combination of vinyasa power yoga sequences, core stability exercises, leg toning circuits and intensity intervals all while jammin’ to upbeat music! Here’s a short video to give you some insight into a Flexin’ Flow class…
Techweek is a travelling technology and innovation festival started 5 years ago, now in 8 cities across North America. Techweek Dallas will showcase the best people, ideas and innovation in Dallas and fill feature live music, the best of Dallas Tech, a start-up pitch competition, great speakers discussing disruptive trends and breaking news, networking… and parties!
Like Dallas itself, Techweek Dallas will be unique – featuring: 3 full concert nights with world famous artists like Matt and Kim, The Neighbourhood and others. Techweek Dallas 2016 will be throughout the week, in multiple locations – featuring some of the undiscovered creative spaces of Dallas, but centered mostly in the world-famous Bomb Factory event space.
