Growing up in St. Louis, Missouri, Cori Lefkowith was thrust into an active lifestyle from a very young age. At just three years old, she started playing tennis with her family, which eventually lead her to compete nationally in tennis tournaments and earned her a full ride scholarship to Boston University.

The program has six different components that cover the whole body including The Pull Up Challenge, The Booty Burner, Restoration, The Arm Burners, and Killer Core to name a few.

Since the release of her six Redefining Strength programs, Lefkowith has opened the Redefining Strength gym in Costa Mesa, California and produced The Burner DVD.

She is also adding author to her impressive resume with the release of her new book, Macro Hacks, which is based on her Macro Shred program. Whether you want to lose weight, get a flat stomach, gain muscle, train for a marathon or even avoid the dreaded weight gain often associated with menopause, the guide will help you learn to eat according to your needs without cutting out the foods you enjoy. It is due out on November 29th.

BEING BOLD

1. RAINE: What is one or more examples in how you have embraced your bold?

Oh gosh! Sometimes I feel like everyday I’m embracing my bold.Every day I’m putting myself out there and there is a chance that every day someone is going to give me their unwanted opinion.haha

I think working online you have to be unapologetically yourself and know that people won’t always like that!

FAILURE / OBSTACLES

2. RAINE: What was the most challenging moment that you had to overcome in your entrepreneurial or creative career?

I think taking that first step to go out on your own is the most challenging.

It’s the first time your success or failure is completely in your own hands. And I think it’s so easy to wait for the “right time” when really there never will be one!

WELLNESS / MIND. BODY. SOUL

3. RAINE: How would you define balance and what are some hacks that you use to maintain balance in your life?

Life is a constant balancing act. And honestly, there’s never really fully balance.

If you’re like me, your business is frankly your life

My family understands and respects this. I’ve found a support network, which includes my husband Ryan, that is with me along my path to live my passion.

FINANCE /FUNDING

4. RAINE: What is some advice you can give in funding a creative career or business?

To make money, you have to spend money.

And when it’s your own money, you definitely are more cautious and do your research to make sure you’re spending wisely.

I personally never wanted to owe anyone. So I was willing to find a way to make more out of less whenever possible.

And I was willing to do everything myself, even the things I hated until I could easily afford to hire others on.

MINDSET

5. RAINE: What comes to mind when you hear the words “an athletic mindset” when it comes to creative entrepreneurship?

I think building a business is very much like competing in a sport. There’s lots of competition out there, but that doesn’t have to be a bad thing!

You have to have the attitude that you are the best and that no one will beat you while also always looking to learn and grow.

You’re going to “train hard” and learn everything that you can about running your business and you’re going to “give it all you’ve got,” which may mean working longer hours, weekends or holidays to get the job done!

YOUR WHY

6. RAINE: What is your “Why?” Why have you chosen to pursue this path?

I want to change people’s lives so they can move and feel better. I want to help them find empowerment through exercises just like I did.

That purpose drives me every day and it’s why I wanted to offer not only in person training but online training as well! It’s why I now want to even help trainers grow their own businesses so they can reach more people and inspire even more people around the world to lead healthier, happier lives!

UPCOMING PROJECTS

7. RAINE: What are you most excited about regarding an upcoming project?

I’m excited to start helping other trainers build their businesses so they can help more people!

We just had our first Strong Smart Mastermind meeting in November and it was amazing to get to connect with other trainers in person to learn and share.

My goal with the Strong Smart is to provide trainers with the mentorship and support I wish I had starting out!

THE “AHA” MOMENT

8. RAINE: When was your “aha” moment in discovering this was the path you wanted to pursue?

At first I thought I wanted to train athletes. But as I started training at a corporate gym in Boston, I fell in love with training people that had never worked out before or were coming back from injury.

LIFE PIVOTS

9. RAINE: What was a major life pivot that you have experienced and how did you successfully navigate it?

I’ve had the strangest feeling recently that my biggest life pivot is yet to come...we will see what 2020 holds!

But one of the hardest things for me personally with growing my business was accepting being the face of my business.

I never had any desire to be in videos or pictures. I love geeking out about fitness and working with people.

But the “celebrity,” for lack of a better way to describe it, never interested me. But, if you’re going to do something, learn to do it well, right?! I can see my “growth” from those first videos and pictures I took till now.

MEMORIES

10. RAINE: What life experienced impacted you the most and how did it change you or your course in life?

Picking out the event that impacted me the most is tough. There are so many seemingly“inconsequential” interactions that put a chip on your shoulder and make you want to prove the haters wrong OR even inspire you to do something new. Sometimes those little things really drive you forward.

But one of the biggest turning points, or biggest forks in the road I faced, was when I got my “dream job” out of college only to realize it wasn’t my dream job AT ALL.

I think so many of us think we know what we want to do and then are faced with the harsh reality of not liking our chosen career path.

It’s that fork in the road where we can continue to just do a job or take the risk to jump into something completely new and unknown,even if it means starting over in our career to build back up.

BELIEFS / MANTRAS

11. RAINE: What would be considered by others as the“whackiest” belief or superstition that you have had as it relates to your path to success?

I’m not sure I have one...but then again I’m not sure if any of my beliefs are actually normal?!I can tell you I’m a big believer in personally responding to all of my social media comments and emails...which a few of my friends have called me crazy for doing (and even asked if I had clones because of how much I respond to!). But I genuinely care, and Iwant to show it!

WORDS OF WISDOM

12. RAINE:What words of wisdom can you share with others on a similar journey?

Be unapologetically yourself and honestly give of yourself.

People want to do business with other people. And when you genuinely care, the money will come if you want to grow a business.

Cori Lefkowith Fitness Expert and Her “Aha” Moment