Inspiring Conversations with Samantha Jenkins of CrossFit SDA

Today we’d like to introduce you to Samantha Jenkins.

Hi Samantha , we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I was born and raised in Houston Texas near Hobby airport. I lived there my whole life until leaving for College. I came to College Station with no idea what I wanted to do or how to get there but the heart and work ethic of a fighter from a life time of high level sports and parents who believed in ime. I met my husband a year after moving to College Station through fitness. He was on a mission to own his own gym and be his own boss since day 1. From then on all I wanted to do was reach people and impact their lives in any way noticeable; mentally, emotionally, physically- just like he did. I went to Sam Houston State and graduated with a bachelor’s in psychology. I knew I wanted to help people, but the traditional route of a clinical therapist was not my dream. I had watched my husband change people’s lives and get to be a PART of that change through the gym and I knew that was the real dream. Through my business, CrossFit SDA, I get to reach people and empower them to change their own lives; authentically and without limitation. Now we are living a dream come true.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Absolutely not! And any business owner that tells you otherwise is a liar, ha! In January 2020 we got married, got COVID on our honeymoon (before COVID was mainstream- true pioneers), the world shut down in March along with our business, my parents were in a life altering accident in June, and we bought the affiliate in October. After my parents’ accident, we considered leaving it all behind and moving back to Houston, and my mom, who was bedridden at the time, told us we needed to buy the affiliate. My parents were the reason we ultimately took the leap, and I will never forget that. I was 25 with no business experience and a boat load of trauma on my hands. With the help of my community, a lot of grit between myself and my husband, we made it through. I stepped away from our business for a year in 2023 thinking this was my husband’s dream and I needed to figure out my own. After that year was over, I realized I was exactly where I was supposed to be all along. I just needed to allow myself to grow and get things wrong, because ultimately failure is KEY to reaching success. You learn a lot about yourself being a business owner. You learn your tolerance; you push your own boundaries of who you are to grow into who you want to be. You learn that although you may have incredible support, no one is coming to save you – so toughen up or move aside for someone that can handle it. You also learn that you’re meant to build a team- not do it all yourself. You can build bigger, more, better, whatever adjective you choose; you just have to have the right people on your team. Choose your circle incredible carefully. Put yourself in rooms with people that force you to stretch, not make you shrink and watch your life change.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about CrossFit SDA?
We run a dual business model. We are a CrossFit gym that specializes in one-on-one training to help people correct imbalances, avoid surgery, relearn how to function with prosthetic limbs, reclaim their identity through fitness and more. My staff has extensive education that even medical professionals in the community trust. We’ve worked with surgeons, chiropractors and even PT clinics have referred their patients to us because they trust what we do is excellent; abundant, intentional and beyond what is good enough to get these people back to better than before. We’ve worked with professional athletes as well as 90-year-olds trying to stay independent. It’s incredible to watch and read the testimonials.

Our staff is our pride and joy. We run an all for one and one for all type of team and there is no such thing as territorial. We hold weekly staff meetings where each professional has the opportunity to case study a client they have at the round table. We all collaborate to make sure the client or member is the priority and getting every bit of excellence we have to offer. They are all in on SDA and I could not have PRAYED for a better team. They make my job incredibly simple.

Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
Buying this gym was 100% a risk. We had no savings, no real plan at the time and no legitimate business experience AT ALL. I had always been risk averse but my husband communicated this was something he really wanted to take on, and when someone you love wants something to his core, you go all in just the same. We’ve been a team since day one. With his vision and my execution, I never doubted if we could pull this off. I just had to figure out the how along the away.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://crossfitsda.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crossfitsda/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CrossFitSDA