Teaching to the room: How to make every student feel like the only student Artwork

The Work IN to move out of stress, tension & anxiety

The Work IN is for fitness professionals and refugees from the body brand nation who are ready to make trauma informed instruction the gold standard of professionalism across the industry. You'll find mentorship and professional perspectives to help fitness professionals and wellness educators who want to set themselves apart using a creative, trauma sensitive approach so that they can get lasting results for their clients and avoid burnout for themselves.

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The Work IN to move out of stress, tension & anxiety

Teaching to the room: How to make every student feel like the only student

March 10, 2025 • Ericka Thomas • Season 5 • Episode 209

Group exercise prescription has become the faceless assembly line of the fitness industry. Branded plug and play format companies have taken the place of creative freestyle instructors in pursuit of a baseline of quality control. Instructors don’t even get to choose their music. So instead of connection, customization and results, students get performance choreography and instructors risk overuse injuries and a dumbing down of their talent to fit the masses. This attitude in the fitness industry that the person at the front of the room doesn’t matter, it’s the workout that matters and anyone can deliver it, is one of the things that drives instructors out of wellness. I want to change that. It’s time to elevate the fitness professional with gold standard skills. Our Work IN today is about how to teach to the room and make every student feel like the ONLY student in any format.

As a part of my mission to bring a legacy of resilience through movement, each month you can join me for a hike on the bike trail followed by a free trauma informed vinyasa class back at the studio on Main Street. Go to savagegracecoaching.com to see the calendar and join my newsletter, Yoga Life on Main Street, to stay up to date on all the latest studio news, events and gossip. And now… on to this week’s episode.

It’s time to stop working out and start working IN. You found the Work IN podcast for fit-preneurs and their health conscious clients. This podcast is for resilient wellness professionals who want to expand their professional credibility, shake off stress and thrive in a burnout-proof career with conversations on the fitness industry, movement, nutrition, sleep, mindset, nervous system health, yoga, business and so much more.

I’m your host Ericka Thomas. I'm a resilience coach and fit-preneur offering an authentic, actionable realistic approach to personal and professional balance for coaches in any format.

The Work IN is brought to you by savage grace coaching, bringing resilience through movement, action and accountability. Private sessions, small groups and corporate presentations are open now. Visit savagegracecoaching.com to schedule a call and get all the details.

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