May 8, 2017

Meet Brittney Sabula of Empower Fitness Lab in Tanglewood

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Brittney Sabula.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Brittney. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I began working out with Hakeem Akbar, May 2016. I knew right away that something was different. The light, the energy, the workout, & the overall experience that Hakeem provided everyone during our workouts was like nothing I had ever seen or experienced. I actually looked forward to getting up at 6am to workout with him every day. Anyone that knows Hakeem, knows that he truly cares about his clients and it shows. I had never worked out consistently. I could not even run on a treadmill before training with him. Eight months later, I introduced my husband, Nick Sabula (entrepreneur, Rice University Grad) to Hakeem so that he could start training with him. Coincidence or not, Hakeem & Nick actually knew each other from their college days. Long story short, over the course of a couple of months, Hakeem & Nick devised a plan to finally open a new fitness center that would now be focused on Hakeem’s ultimate dream. Nobody was more deserving of owning his own fitness center than Hakeem. He has helped change so many lives over the course of 20+ years in the fitness industry. We added another partner, former NFL athlete, Ryan Pontbriand whom also attended Rice University with Nick. We knew right away that we had the ultimate team and that we would be able to bring something unique to the fitness industry. We would provide not just a workout but an Experience every single time someone walks through our door. Most importantly we want to provide the opportunity & environment for people to empower themselves & empower others. We want to give our staff & our members the opportunity to be involved with the community, burn calories for their favorite charity, & just be an overall joy spreading, fit family. With so many negative things going on in the world, our goal is to try and spread a little light in our little world here in Tanglewood. No matter your age or fitness level, you can be a part of Empower Fitness Lab. I wanted to create an atmosphere where men & women alike could feel comfortable walking in and giving it their all no matter their age, weight, sex, ethnicity, or goals. I know how it feels to walk into a gym with bright lights and feel self-conscious- not being able to give it my all. At Empower, the lighting is flattering, the music is upbeat and motivating, & most importantly- our Trainers aka Experience Coordinators go above & beyond to make sure you’re getting the most out of your workout and enjoying it in the process.

Great, 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?
Surprisingly, everything has gone smooth as almond butter! The stars aligned to create the perfect team along with the perfect location. Each one of our owners & staff members bring something unique and valuable to the table. We are extremely fortunate to have every single one of them. We have over 100 hardworking, dedicated members already! The opportunity to do something great for our fellow Houstonians has been absolutely amazing.

Empower Fitness Lab – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Our two favorite mottos are: “Empower Yourself, Empower Others!” & “Fueled by Science, Empowered by You!” We promote positivity & workouts/nutrition backed by science. We provide our members with better health by fueling mind, body, & soul. We specialize in low impact high interval group training, customized personal training, & nutritional services provided by our certified nutritionists. We are able to customize and cater to any/all regardless of someone’s age, sex, fitness level, and/or any injuries.

We are most proud of the positive, motivating environment that we have been able to create for everyone & the fact that our members have already been seeing amazing results with our workouts!

What sets us apart is our care for our staff & our care and attention we pay to our members. We have listened to everyone’s concerns they had with other fitness centers and have done our best to try and eliminate those concerns. We do not have any late or cancellation fees. We provide 2 trainers in each class so that nobody is left behind & everyone is using proper form to avoid injuries. Our facility is constantly being cleaned throughout each day to provide a clean, safe space for everyone’s workouts. We provide complimentary refreshments, towel service, & even monthly body composition analysis. Most importantly, we get to know each of our members as they were our own family because- THEY ARE our family. We Love Houston & we love each and every person that has trusted us with their fitness journey. We are in it to win it so come one, come all!

What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
Completing construction and getting open in 30 days! Haha! Anyone that has opened or helped open a brand new business knows that is not an easy feat!

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