Transcript: She Never Planned to Teach. Then the Room Filled Up and the Mirrors Fogged Over.

What's up you guys? Famous Ashley Grant here

and welcome back to the More Movement Please

podcast, the podcast where I hope to inspire

you to move your body more. I am so genuinely

excited about this episode and the next two episodes

after this. We have a very special guest back

with us and there's a very special reason that

she is here. You guys have heard me talk about

Rhonda Good before. She is my fitness instructor

at the Telford YMCA in Richmond, Kentucky. And

she is, quite frankly, one of the most no -nonsense,

tell -it -like -it -is, deeply inspiring humans

I have ever had the privilege of knowing. The

first time I had her on this show, the response,

it was incredible. And honestly, I adore her,

so I really didn't need much of an excuse to

bring her back. But here's the thing. These three

episodes are part of something that are much,

much bigger. More Movement, Please is so happy

to be participating in the fourth edition of

Podcast Thon. It is a global initiative where

thousands of podcasts all in the same week will

shine a spotlight on a charity of their choice.

And the charity I have the absolute pleasure

of highlighting is the Humane Society Animal

League for Life of Madison County, Kentucky.

Now, here's the fun backstory of why Rhonda is

tied to all of this. When I was trying to decide

which charity to support to be part of Podcast

Thon, I went to my community and I asked for

recommendations. Rhonda was one of the first

people to jump on the thread and she stepped

up and she mentioned the Humane Society Animal

League for Life of Madison County. I then put

all of the recommendations that people sent in

into a random number generator to make the final

selection and hers was the one that was chosen.

So I kind of believe that the universe co -signed

this whole thing, and I am so here for it. So

you will find the links to both podcasts on in

the Humane Society Animal League for Life of

Madison County, Kentucky in the show notes. Please

go and check them out. And if you feel called

to donate, you can do that directly through the

organization's website, which is also linked

in the show notes. Now on to today's episode.

Rhonda and I sat down a little bit earlier this

month, and we had one of the most interesting

conversations I've ever recorded. Today, you're

getting the origin story of how Rhonda Good became

a fitness instructor. And she'll tell you herself,

it was never the plan. But two Zoom instructors

were quitting at the same time, with a packed

room and no one to lead it, and a woman who absolutely

refused to let that class go unled? Yeah, that's

how legends are made. From a community ed class

at EKU with literally two students, to packing

out Berea College so hard that the mirrors fogged

up, this is the story of how showing up for herself

became showing up for thousands of others. So

we'll just jump right in. So last time we talked,

you shared how you walked into the gym in 2011

at 35 years old and just kept showing up. At

some point, showing up for yourself turned into

showing up for other people. And I want to go

a little bit deeper on that today. And so I want

to ask you, when you first started working out,

you said that becoming a fitness instructor was

never the plan. Do you remember the exact moment

or the person or conversation that planted the

idea that it would be your thing? It wasn't a

conversation. It was literally like just circumstances.

So the facility I was at, there were a lot of

instructors, most of which I did not care for

because I didn't feel like they were killing

me. So I thought it wasn't worth it. So there

were only two that I thought could kill me. And

those are the classes I went to. And simultaneously,

both of them decided they were going to quit

teaching. And I was like, well, this is not going

to work for me at all. Because what am I going

to do now? So they were both Zumba instructors.

One was also a yoga instructor. And so a couple

of us actually from the facility went to get

licensed in Zumba. And the other person didn't

last very long. And I had already covered class.

And just out of there was no other choice, probably

two or three times for the main Zumba instructor

whose classes ran 40, 50 people because she got

caught in traffic or it was a last minute thing.

And then we know what to teach. And the room

was full. And I was like, oh, well, a couple

of you all. I mean, like a front row, like we

knew the choreo. So it was like, OK, who's got

some music? Who's got this? Who's got that? We'll

just wing it. And that's what we did. And so

and then I thought, well, you know, I can do

this sort of. But so that's how it started. And

so I went and got licensed and I thought, I'll

just ease into this. So I left that gym really

fast and I was working at EKU at the time. So

I went to community and said, hey, can I teach

a Zimba class? Can we, you know, oh, yeah, that'd

be great. So knowing that it would be a smaller

class and, you know, some EKU employees. Not

a whole lot of pressure. And I thought, I'll

just, I'll just glide into this like this. Okay.

So that's what I chose to do. And so I thought

I'll start with just a class because I'm not

going to teach more than three or four a week.

Anyway, I mean, I'm working and I'm not going

to do that. And so then the other instructor

who was also quitting that facility, but still

staying at the college, not EKU, Berea College.

She was like, well, when I'm ready to leave,

I'll let you, I'll suggest you as an instructor

to them. I'll let you try to take my classes.

I'm like, okay. And she acted as if it was going

to be a year, you know, who knows? And I'm like,

okay. Yeah. Okay. We'll see. Okay. And she called

me, I got licensed in August. She called August

of what? 2011? 12. Okay. Yeah. I think it was,

it was 12. Okay. And she called me some night

in September and said, I'm quitting. And I want

you to go tonight and teach the class. I'll go

and I'll stay in the back. But I want you to

leave the class. I'm quitting as of next week.

Surprise. And I was like, OK, you know. So that's

how it started. So I was there two nights a week

and had the EKU class. And then I was. at another

gym at that point because I'd left the first

one. So then I started teaching there one night

a week. So then I was up to like four classes

a week and, um, Maria added another night because

classes were, they weren't huge to begin with

though. I mean, I was the new person and I didn't

know what I was doing. I mean, you never know

what you're doing when you start anything. I

don't care what it is. So, um, I was not great.

I mean, I flew by the seat of my pants, but it

was not great. And there also wasn't, I mean,

you had big classes there. Well, she did. She

had big classes, but they weren't huge classes.

They were just a good size. And so after she

left, which it was also at the end of a semester.

So then you've got to start over in January with

who comes back. And it's a college. So it's,

you know, it's very different than a gym. And

so in January, you know, not only am I the newbie,

but you've had a semester change and all of that.

And so classes, I mean, they were low. They were

really low. I mean, there were I had like two

or three hard cores, kind of like what happens

for you usually, you know. I mean, some people

have family they can rig into coming to class

to support them again or friends. I didn't have

any of that. So I had like two girls and they

were like. Rhonda, we love your class. We'll

never miss. And they didn't. And sometimes it

was like three or four people to start. I mean,

it was not. Sometimes it was just one or two

of them. That was it. Now, was it the college

paying you or the college? The college. Yeah.

So I don't remember when it took off. I really

don't. I don't remember when it took off, but

it took a while. I mean, it took at least a semester,

maybe a whole year. And then. I don't know what

happened, but it just exploded there. And I was

getting not only the college students, but people

that lived in Berea, because you could join the

facility even if you weren't a college student.

So I was also getting community members as well.

And all the students are telling all their friends

and all of that sort of thing. So then we went

from 5 '6 to 15 to 20 to 60 to 65. I wasn't expecting

that many. Oh, my goodness. Oh, yeah. It was

packed. Absolutely packed. So I had most of the

time I was like maybe six inches from the front

mirror. I mean, it was absolutely crampacked.

And we would at times fog up the mirrors. There

were so many people in there. So the mirrors

are completely covered in fog. Yeah. Oh, my goodness.

And so then so I added a third night after it.

Not immediately, but after it took off, I had

a third night. And I mean. There was never less

than 45. Wow. 45 to 60. And so I'm not, as you

know, I'm really not a people person and I'm

definitely not a social person. So it's not that,

well, I don't really have an anxiety issue necessarily,

but I'm also not, I don't enjoy being the center

of attention. I don't like being looked at. I

don't like any of that stuff. So I would go to

the bathroom when I got there because first of

all, I had to carry all of my equipment up because

up the stairs. After the elevator, you still

had to go up stairs and then down the hall. And

so I had like 66 pounds of equipment because

they had a stacked stereo system in there with

like two little speakers up on the walls. And

it would overheat with bass. And I mean, I'm

using hip hop and I'm like, this is not going

to work. I mean, so I had to go buy my own PA

system. So I had to carry the mixer and the two

speakers every single night. up and back to my

car, every single class. And so I would go set

up and there'd be like 10, 15 people in there

because everybody wants their spot. So the early

birds would be there and I would go to the bathroom

and I would sit there and I would be like, when

you go back, they're all going to be there. And

I would open the door and I'd be like, I mean,

but I mean, I got used to it, but it was like,

I mean, it was very different. You know, so and

of course, I haven't had classes that big since.

I mean, you have just a very different I mean,

there wasn't anything else for them to do. I

mean, they're college students and they were

looking to have fun and dance. And, you know,

so there weren't a lot of options either. I mean,

not saying I'm not good, but there weren't a

lot of options either. So and they had a blast,

you know, so you had the front row divas and

then you have people that want to stay in the

back. But I mean, I had every single type of

person you could possibly imagine in class. And

at some point, so I'm teaching. I'm teaching

at another gym. So then I'm up to like six classes

a week. And then the Y calls me to sub there

because they have two instructors that are pregnant

at the same time. This is the Y Richmond. Okay.

And I was like, oh, yeah, sure. Because I'm just

looking for gigs. And because, you know, you

never know how long anything is going to last.

I was like, OK, yeah, sure. And it's subbing.

It's not every day. It's subbing. I'm like, OK,

OK. So I started subbing. And person who was

ever good fitness at the time, she would you

know, she was like, well, are you interested

in doing other things besides Zumba? And I said,

well, I don't I don't really know a lot. I mean,

I was only licensed in that at the time. And.

I said, so let's just see how it goes. But I

mean, I was younger and I was like, I was looking

to make money and I'm like, I'll try, you know,

I'll try. But I was thinking that it would be

classes that were kind of easy to make up and

do as you, you know, look at some YouTube videos

and things. And she would call me like the morning

of and be like, hey, can you cover bootcamp?

And I'm like, what? Uh, okay. I mean, so it was

feet to the fire again because it was nonstop.

It was like somebody was always falling in. Somebody

was always something always. So before you know

it, I was covering and subbing every format.

And then at the time we had a suggestion box

up front that was three CEOs ago. So it was a

little wooden box with a little slot in it. So

all these people started putting suggestions

in there. More Rhonda, more Rhonda, more Rhonda.

And I'm like, I get that on this podcast all

the time. And let's see. So I went to the Y in

June of 2015. And they had some aqua classes

there and people weren't happy with them and

the instructors. And so same lady was like, hey,

would you be interested in teaching? We'd really

like to see, you know, I'm like, OK, no, but

OK. Again, before COVID and all that. So this

was 2016. OK. At that point, I've been there

maybe a year. So we started aqua classes like

one night a week, maybe two nights a week. And

then that took off. Of course it did. So then

I was teaching land and the pool, which was never,

ever on my radar, ever, you know, and those classes

exploded. I mean, it's just everything ebbs and

flows. It never picked back up after COVID. So

now I don't teach it at all. But at that point,

classes were 25 to 35 in the pool. Wow. And,

you know, at one point the CEO was like, you

may need to get certified as a lifeguard. Because

we can only have 25 in the pool total with the

lap lanes in your class. And I, you know, instead

of me hiring another guard to be on duty. And

I was like, no. I mean, I was like, okay, Rhonda

will do a lot. But there are some things I'm

not doing. It was like, no. So we would run sometimes

30, 32 people. And I'd just be like, do you want

to tell them they have to go home? I mean, that's

what I would say. You know, I'd be like, you

want to deal with it or you want to tell them

they have to go? Because I'm not telling them

they have to go. Yeah. And so it just blossomed,

you know, and of course, since I never, ever

canceled or never called in and never got a sub,

it just kind of went like. And then at some point,

COVID dropped Berea from my schedule. And then

at some point I dropped the other things because

I was always at the Y. That was there all the

time. And I was like, well, this isn't going

to work because now I'm here way too many hours

a week with my day job. So, yeah. So that's how

it happened. It really just was kind of thrown

in my lap, like much like all my jobs were. And

it was the same thing there, actually. It was

like, you know, whatever I was given. Oh, do

I get trained for that? Nope. Figure it out.

Yep. OK. Yeah. You're bringing me back to 2014

when I became a ghostwriter. I never intended

to be a ghostwriter. And it just kind of happened.

Yeah. Well, walk me through the process of actually

becoming certified in Zumba. Is that the only

thing you're certified in or are you certified

in anything else? I got certified just a general

group fitness certification, silver sneakers.

And then for a while I did some other certifications,

but it's not necessary. So you have to pay for

those usually. Monthly, annually, whatever the

case may be. As you start teaching things, you

find out that a group fitness certification is

just what you really want to do if you're going

to do other things. So. So. Was it intimidating?

Like, was it intimidating? No. No. You just.

Yeah. Signed up and did it. Yeah. Okay. I could

see you doing that. Yeah. Did you ever doubt

yourself whenever you first got started? Absolutely.

Every day. Do you still? No. Okay. And. All right.

This is a weird one, but did you feel like an

imposter in the beginning? No. No. Just. Just

did it. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. Well, teaching that

very first class, was it terrifying? Like, do

you remember what it was like to take over that

very first class? Oh, yeah. It's terrifying.

Yeah. And back then, Zumba was the thing. It

was the thing. So everyone taught it. And it

was everywhere. And there was pressure. Really,

it was kind of odd. But all of your instructors

wore Zumba clothes. All of them. Oh, my God.

And then when you became an instructor, it was

like, I mean, it wasn't a requirement, but it

was like, well, I mean, yeah, you need to wear

clothes. And then you would have to pay for those

in addition to your licensing. And they were,

they're still not, they were really expensive.

Oh, I blame it. So, you know, here I am ordering

shirts and pants. And because at the beginning,

oh, yeah, I did the whole thing, the shoes, everything,

because it was like, that's what you did. And

that very first photo should have you wearing

the Zumba shirt. Yeah, I mean, that's what you

did. Yeah. And when I was doing it and before

I went to the Y, when I was at another facility,

I was doing a lot of charity stuff because they

did. And so I was all over the place with two

or three instructors from there. And so everybody

else was in Zumba wear. So you felt like you

had to because otherwise you would have stand

out like, well, who are you thinking you're teaching?

You know, I mean, it was really. cliquish and

weird i mean really so thank goodness all that

passed period but yeah yeah i can't even oh gosh

that sounds expensive yeah it was really expensive

yeah i think the pants back then were like 60

dollars lord have mercy and that was in 2012

did you even make sure even for all that start

make no no not even close no the shirts were

like 30 and 35 dollars And of course, too, I

mean, it's different now, which I think I haven't

ordered Zumba wear in a long time. But I remember

because it was like the biggest joke ever because

people would order an extra large tank top. Yeah.

And it would come in and you were like, you'd

hold it up and like, this is a size small in

women's wear. But in Zumba, it's an extra large.

And they got so much flack because if you were

bigger, there were no clothes for you. Oh, period.

You couldn't sit in any of it. Oh, wow. So they

got a whole lot of flack from that. And then

they changed their sizing and stuff. Well, I

mean, you kind of have to. Yeah. So you've been

at this for 14 years now. Is that right? Mm -hmm.

So you teach an almost unbelievable number of

hours every single week. At what point did it

stop feeling like something you did and start

feeling like something you are? Or did it even

ever feel that way? Oh, yeah. It started feeling

that way when I was teaching probably, you know,

12 hours a week. And now it's what, like 19?

Yeah. But for a long time, it was 23 and 25 for

a long time. So, yeah, when I hit about 12, then

I went to 15 and then I went to 20. And, yeah,

when I was teaching at the Y and at the time,

I didn't cancel my EKU class, community ed class

until. And I was like, I can't do this anymore.

I mean, I didn't do it until the last minute.

So I was still teaching at EKU with the Y and

Berea. And the only thing that took out Berea

was COVID. So, yeah, I was teaching 23 hours

a week a lot for a long time. And then I would

sometimes also get called sub, you know. I mean,

that's got to be hell on the body, though. Yeah,

that's not fun. That's not fun. OK, well, student

inspired question came in. One of your students

actually reached out to me before this interview

and asked something that I think gets to the

heart of who you are as an instructor. She said,

when a brand new person walks into your class

for the very first time and sees what your regulars

can do, do you feel a responsibility to reach

out and really grab them from day one and be

like, it's OK, you got this? I try to. I mean,

sometimes people just don't look approachable,

to be honest, and I don't really look approachable

a lot. So I get that. So it just kind of depends

on what vibe I get from them. I mean, I've been

doing this long enough that you kind of know

who is and who isn't. But I pretty much, for

the most part, introduce myself before we start.

And I always walk up to me people and I'll say,

you're new. And they're like, oh, yeah, like

I don't notice, you know, and I'm like, I know

everyone here. Yeah. You stand out. I mean, so,

but, but I, I always tell them to do what they

can. Yeah. You know, and especially like in the

cardio class, cause you know, you walk in there

and if you're younger and you see people in their

sixties and seventies, you're like, Oh, this

is, this is not going to be a workout to me.

And I know that's what they're thinking. Yeah.

And so I always grab those folks and I'm like,

do what you can. We don't jump, but we move real

fast in here. So. Yeah, yeah, definitely. You

said in our last interview series that you're

not for everyone and that your style isn't for

everyone. Now that you're on the other side as

an instructor, looking back at yourself as a

student, what kind of instructor do you think

you needed when you first started? And did you

ever find her or him? I found them in the two

that I was going to the classes of their classes.

They held me accountable. If I wasn't there,

it was like. Where are you at? Because I would

never miss class. And they did everything in

the class. They didn't stop. So that's what I

liked. That's what I wanted. And when I became

an instructor myself, that was always in the

back of my mind. Because I had instructors that

would just stop, especially not even in just

Zumba. I mean, there was an instructor in town,

very, very popular. But, you know, stop and flip

their hair and do all this stuff. And I was just

like, if you're not if you're not killing yourself

with me, then. I want to be here. So. So, you

know, you said they were mainly your Zumba instructors,

but you said that you also were looking for people

that could kill you. So explain that to me. I'm

confused. Oh, well, they taught some other things,

but just their Zumba classes alone. I mean, you

know, like my Zumba classes. You remember, right?

You thought you were going to die? Yeah. 15 minutes

in and I had to walk out of the room. That's

right. I mean, like that. I mean, that, you know,

their classes were intense. I mean, it wasn't.

Yeah. It wasn't as intense as like mine are now,

but intense. Yeah. Yeah. Because, you know, I

started hitting the floor in Zumba and doing

floor stuff at Berea at the college because I'm

doing hip hop and I'm thinking and I would just

throw stuff in to make them, you know, you know,

you still do that. Yeah. I just couldn't believe

it, you know. And then, of course. I mean, it

cracks me up now, but you know, and my classes

are not a strict Zumba format. I mean, nobody's

for the most part, not here. They're definitely

not. Yeah. But you know, then Zumba came out

with this Zumba strong and I'm like, I've been

doing this for years. Yeah. Long before y 'all.

And now it's Zumba and lift. And I'm like, you

know, you know, I got people to start lifting

weights. I forced them at the end of every class

to do an entire weight song when we were done

with Zumba. Yeah. So I started. And that's how

low impact cardio started, right? Well, I changed

that from a silver sneakers class to that because

our seniors were way too fit for a silver sneakers

format. Okay. So that's how that's got changed.

But those people that were doing Zumba, that's

how I kind of talked them into doing something

else. It's like, you know, so, and some of them

at the end of the class, I'm like, grab your

weights. I'm like. So, but that's really how

I got most of them started and just lifting a

dumbbell. I didn't give them a choice. Yeah.

And you said yourself that you never thought

I would lift one. And that, my friends, is Rhonda

Good. A room so packed, the mirrors fogged up.

That is not just a fitness class. That is a movement.

But before I let you go, remember that this episode

is part one of three of Podcast Thon. And I want

to encourage you to visit podcastthon .org. where

you can discover so many other incredible charities

being highlighted by amazing podcasters from

all over the world this week. It is such a cool

initiative, and I am so proud to be a part of

it. And of course, please don't forget to visit

the show notes for the direct link to the Humane

Society Animal League for Life of Madison County,

Kentucky. If their mission speaks to you, I would

absolutely love it for you to consider making

a donation or simply spreading the word. Every

little bit helps. Episode two is going to drop

on Wednesday, March 18th, and we are diving into

what Rhonda thinks about the state of the fitness

industry, what separates the instructors who

build real loyalty from the ones who don't and

the ones who don't last, and what she sees when

she scans the room every single class. Trust

me, I think this one's eye -opening as well.

Onwards and upwards, my friends. Have you worked

out today?