Today we’d like to introduce you to Markisha Woodard.
Hi Markisha, so excited to have you on the platform. So, before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
My name is Markisha Woodard, and I’m the owner of Bodied by MK Fitness. Over the last 12 years, fitness has changed my life. From childhood through young adulthood, I battled with body image, confidence, emotional eating, and being overweight. Gradually, I started practicing better habits and being active. However, I struggled with consistency. In 2009 ,I got engaged and it ignited something on the inside, I was determined to work on my body to look perfect for my wedding day! Deciding to get fit for my wedding ultimately turned into a lifestyle! The very thing that had me perplexed became natural for me over time, and I’ve never looked back.
Fast forward to 2017, my husband and I welcomed our rainbow baby, Hudson into the world. Transitioning back to a fitness routine as a mom was a bit of a challenge. Even with my previous years of fitness experience, postpartum was a different ball game.
The ideal of becoming a fitness coach went from being a joke in conversation while working out with my friend into a goal on my vision board. I struggled with this idea for a while, but I knew I thoroughly enjoyed helping women transform their bodies and regain their confidence from the inside out. Finding the time to run a business, be a mom, a wife and work in the medical field really made me feel like my goal was impossible. Making it to the gym consistently to regain my post-baby body was a challenge some days, so adding a business in the mix just sounded so overwhelming! I sat on the idea for a few months! Finally, I gained enough courage to take a chance! I took a leap of faith, and started my fitness business! I launched my very first fitness guide March 1, 2020. The guide was a
do it yourself concept consisting of a basic meal guide and beginner friendly workout routines in the form of a pdf file.
Shortly after starting my business, covid happened. As a result, all non essential business closed including the gym and I felt defeated. This forced me to be creative. I initially had no plans to rush into accepting clients for personal training, but when I was ready the gym was still closed pursuant to COVID-19. Summer 2020, I took on my first 3 clients for personal training, and we met 3 days a week at a local park! It wasn’t what I imagined, but it turned out to be the start of an amazing journey. Being out at the park, I met so many women who were interested in my services, and my business began to grow. By the end of the summer, I was training 10 plus clients at the park.
As the season began to change, I had to come up with a game plan for the fall. The gyms were still closed, and my clients were still rolling in. After summer was over, I decided to host online workouts until the gym reopened. Once the gym opened I was training clients in the gym and online. It was difficult to manage but for almost 2 years I made it happen!
In 2022, I transitioned my entire business to an online fitness community for working mom’s. Converting to online fitness has had its challenges but overall being online has allowed me to help more mom’s who aren’t able to commit to an in person schedule due to their busy lives. Using all the things I learned during my personal fitness journey and my experiences during my postpartum journey I built my online fitness program. My Program promotes women’s fitness and it also fosters a safe space to relate to other mom’s and women who struggle with the same issues of confidence, distorted body image, lack of motivation and community. one of my top priorities to help alleviate the mental roadblocks working moms and women experience when on their fitness journey. Like myself, working moms need to be offered flexibility for our unpredictable schedules, be a
part of a community that you can relate to, be encouraged, feel safe, and supported.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Starting a fitness business has been such a rewarding experience, but with a small business comes a lot of responsibilities and taking on many roles. As a working mom and a wife, finding a work life balance has been difficult to manage after starting my business. Building my business during a pandemic brought on many challenges; everything I envisioned for my business shifted quickly. I had to figure out how I could help my target audience in such an unexpected time. The pandemic effects have had an impactful effect on the world and it was a difficult time being isolated from friends and family for our safety but I still was working as a frontliner worker. With all the challenges I faced while in business I’m most proud to have impacted so many lives during such a hard time for the world through my fitness business and in my career as a radiographer! In the last 2 years, I’ve worked with over 80 moms and women, assisting them with losing weight, learning how to incorporate fitness and changing lives!
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about what you do?
Bodied By Mk Fitness is an Online Fitness club. We’re committed to helping working mom’s find freedom and flexibility in creating a healthy lifestyle. While making it convenient so that mom’s able to reach their goals stress free. As a Working mom, creating a healthy lifestyle can seem intimidating. At BBMK Fitness, we assist you with goal setting and execute a detailed plan to get you Bodied. We help eliminate the hurdles many experience embarking on a fitness
journey alone. Our online program provides flexibility and support to push you past the finish line.
Bodied By MK Fitness is a top-tier fitness experience that raises the bar when it comes to women’s fitness and making fitness a lifestyle. Our private community works closely with each mom their entire training duration. We work 1 on 1 with each mom, curating a fitness schedule, goal setting, nutritional support, and
setting daily calorie goals that align with their personal goals. Each week I host live online training sessions where the mom’s tone,sculpt, and shed fat through weight training and HIIT style classes. We alleviate the scheduling issue of mom’s missing scheduled workouts by giving all clients 24/7 daily access to live prerecorded classes. Each workout whether it’s live or prerecorded, is a full detailed class that guides each member from the beginning to the end. We are a family friendly community so mom’s are always welcomed to bring their kids. All the ladies get progress tracking throughout their journey, along with 1 on 1 check-in’s to help them stay on track with their personal goal. All mom’s have access to our private support group where all the women can share their journey, give encouragement and support to each other in a safe space. We assure each mom will have support from Coach Mk their entire journey as a client of Bodied By Mk Fitness. Creating new habits that become a lifestyle is what we take pride in, showing moms that taking care of yourself is necessary but doesn’t have to be overwhelming.
What do you think about luck?
Luck has played no role in my business. I have worked long and diligently to build my business from the ground up with the help and support of my friends, family, and my followers on social media. Each year my business is continuously growing. I look forward to reaching more moms to help with their fitness journey!
Pricing:
- Personal Training for Less than $8 a day!
- TBA Saturday Drop In Classes available for $16
Contact Info:
- Website: www.bodiedbymkllc.com
- Instagram: @Bodiedbymk_fitness
- Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/bodiedbymkllc
- Other: https://linktr.ee/bodiedbymkllc
Image Credits
CJ Heart Photography
