Transcript
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?