Today we’d like to introduce you to Amy Noack.
Amy, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Fitness was originally something that I used to rescue me from daily monotonous life; I had done everything that looked good on paper, but not done anything that felt fulfilling.
I grew up with amazing parents, family, and friends. However, I also grew up with a cleft lip and the many reconstructive surgeries associated with it. Though I felt I looked and would also be somewhat ‘deformed’ and ‘not normal’, my family always pushed me to do things I enjoyed and to excel in school, sports, and music.
My first athletic love was a color guard and dance. I played bassoon in the High School band, so when Marching band came around in the fall, I decided since I loved dance and could not march with a bassoon, to audition for color guard. I went on to become High School Colorguard Captain, obtained a Fred J. Miller award for leadership during color guard camp, continued color guard at Western Michigan University, spun rifle, flag, and went onto becoming a Drill Instructor. After undergraduate and in grad school, I coached color guard for Battle Creek Central High School in Battle Creek, MI for two years.
I stayed pretty active, then took my first career in oil and gas, as a Petroleum Exploration Geologist, in Midland, TX. I stayed active at the local YMCA taking classes and rollerblading around city parks. I transferred to San Antonio and stayed active with various classes and running in the hill country.
My life was becoming monotonous with my marriage, my job, and my routine… I began to run 5 miles a day to stay outside of the house to avoid conflict or to get my mind off of my situation. I eventually ended up getting divorced, losing everything in the settlement, and starting over in Houston – and in Houston is where I knew I would have a fresh start.
I took a new job and lived on the Buffalo Bayou where I could easily stay active and enjoy the trails and outdoors. I then had a sorority sister, from WMU, who was also living in Texas, invite me to try CrossFit.
My body started to transform with CrossFit… all of a sudden people were looking at me for my muscular and defined physique… and I wasn’t feeling ‘deformed.’ A whole life challenge came up and I jumped in and decided if I was going to make some big changes in my lifestyle and diet, I wanted to look into Natural Body Building. That gave me the opportunity to research and meet up with the best coach in Houston, Dewayne Malone, who went on to prep me for four years; 15 shows and 2 pro cards. I fell in love with weightlifting, the lifestyle, and the sport. And most importantly, I was beginning to love myself more and the thoughts of being deformed or not liking how I looked, were slipping away.
In 2016, I was laid off of Oil and Gas, so I went to Dewayne and knew that this was the opportunity to break into the fitness business. I shadowed him for six months and trained to be the best personal trainer I could be under his wings. I wanted to start making a difference in peoples lives; I wanted to share with them how fitness completely changed me, my confidence, work ethic, quality of friends, and so many other aspects of my life.
After a few months being a trainer, I went onto open a gym in the heights. That gym was around for the full extent of the lease until the landlord would not renew three years later. In the last year, I built a great relationship with the owner of Misfit Strength down the street, Byron Godfrey. We had plans to grow and expand our business into my larger location, but upon losing the lease, they welcomed my members and myself with open arms. I couldn’t be more blessed to join such an amazing team of fitness leaders and build onto a well established and supportive community of members.
I am now able to focus on transforming peoples fitness, health, and lives by working with all of our members by finding out what their ‘pain’ is and helping them fuel their own fire to hit their goals. I love seeing people push themselves and become better, confident, and healthier versions of their old selves.
We plan on growing Misfit Strength in Houston and building a brand that is internationally recognizable. I always had big dreams, but now, I am blessed to be part of a team that isn’t afraid to dream big and put in the work to make it happen.
Has it been a smooth road?
It’s been a very bumpy road. I had bad and abusive business partner/friend in the beginning that it took a while to break away from. It’s hard to know who to trust when just starting out and it isn’t always the best idea to go into business with a friend from scratch. My best advice is to surround yourself by successful individuals who you admire and respect. If you are going to do business with anyone, look for someone who you can respect and has a good reputation and passion for the business. A business without passion will just keep you chasing the money. A business with a passion… that passion will attract the right clientele… which will make your business flourish.
Please tell us more about your work, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
I specialize in body and lifestyle transformations. I show people how to make health-conscious choices, develop a routine, and make it a lifestyle change versus a diet or quick fix. My clients lose weight and keep it off, for those looking for weight loss. My clients looking to gain mass, do so with clean eating and proper exercise routine.
I am proud that my clients feel more confident in themselves. When they feel better and look better, they accel in all aspects of their lives.
The transformation is more than just the physical body, but the mindset as well.
What’s the most important piece of advice you could give to a young woman just starting her career?
You may have a 2, 5, 10-year plan on where you think you should be. Life is going to throw you forks in the roads. The best path is the thing that makes you happiest. If you chase money, you will be unfulfilled. Chase happiness and be open to new opportunities. Take risks. Be willing to do whatever it takes to be fulfilled and be happy. Surround yourself by those you admire and want to lead similar lives to. Be open-minded. Be aware that a degree is just a degree and that life experiences and passion can drive you to success as well.
Pricing:
- Semi-Private Training 3 times a week $195
- 10 Pack of 1:1 Training $600
- Gym Membership $35
Contact Info:
- Address: Misfit Strength and Conditioning
5302 Cornish
Houston, TX 77007 - Website: www.MisfitStrength.com
- Phone: 2692710789
- Email: amy@misfitstrength.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amykat_fitpro/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amy.noack.142
Image Credit:
Ryan Boyd, Jason Oliphant, NFF, NPC
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