Brace forReady to Impact.

When one gets home from a vacation, the mind goes through many thoughts. Will I arrive on time? Will my luggage arrive with me? I hope I locked my door before I left. Should I unpack as soon as I get home? I should’ve taken tomorrow off, too. I locked … right? 

One never imagines, or at least tries not to imagine, being welcomed by bad news. But that’s exactly the kind of homecoming Amanda Russell got. She landed in Austin, Texas to various text messages from her mom urging her to return her calls.

“I was so tired and asked if I could just call in the morning because I couldn’t understand what could be so important at 11:45 PM,” Russell recalls.

When she got on the phone, her stomach dropped as she was told her dad had a rare form of soft tissue cancer called Sarcoma. Her dad began to tell her his shock considering his age, along with all of the things he still wanted to do in his life, the impact he still has to make on this world.

This made Russell reflect on her own passions, needs, and impact. More specifically, her passion for fitness, her need to help others, and the impact she wants to leave on their lives and health. She had recently started thinking about training part-time with Camp Gladiator whose mission is to do just that: positively impact the physical fitness and ultimately the lives of as many people as possible. As her dad mentioned leaving behind an impact, the “IMPACT” written on the walls of the Camp Gladiator office flashed in her mind. She knew it was time to take a leap of faith.

Seven days after the news, Russell quit her 9-6 desk job to pursue her love for training. She hasn’t looked back since.

“I spent two years trying to make office jobs work even though I knew that my passion and my end goal was to train people,” Russell says.

Her love for helping people in their fitness journeys began when she started working in membership sales for 24 Hour Fitness while in college. Russell has never forgotten the first membership she sold.

It was for a 300-pound woman who opened up to Russell about her struggles. The woman cried when Russell ran her card for the membership, thrilled to be regaining control over her life again.

“I knew in this moment that I was exactly where I needed to be,” says Russell.

Her personal passion quickly became something that she wanted to share with as many people as possible.

“If it could have such a positive impact in my life, I knew that it could help many others as well.”

Cue her social media game. Boasting nearly 6,800 followers on her fitness Instagram @squatsforpb, Russell is all about sharing everything from exercises to progress pictures to what she eats in a day.

While training comes easily to Russell, don’t let that fool you. It has been a demanding yet rewarding process for her to get to where she is now.

“The biggest challenge that I had was keeping myself accountable,” says Russell.

Sometimes, Russell would find herself bingeing in her car so no one would find out. What could’ve turned into a lonely downward spiral, however, became an opportunity to inspire and grow closer to her followers.

“Before long I realized that I wasn’t alone,” says Russell. “I wasn’t the only one that was facing an eating disorder, going through bad breakup after bad breakup, or feeling like I didn’t measure up to the Instagram models that flooded my newsfeed.”

In a day where the internet can be filled with negativity, it’s online where Russell found the comfort she needed to continue.

“The community that I found on Instagram and the support that I received helped me overcome some pretty dark times.”

She recently launched another account dedicated to her training and trainees called @trainwithamanda reaching almost 200 followers within two days.

Now as a Camp Gladiator trainer, Russell just wants to reach as many people as possible.

“I am so blessed to be a part of a company that has such a positive impact in the lives of others,” says Russell.

A California native, Russell’s goal with Camp Gladiator is to eventually be a part of the team that launches a new market in the Golden State.

“I want everyone I love back home to be able to experience what I have been able to experience with this company,” says Russell.

Until then, Russell is enjoying being her own boss and getting out what she puts into her career. To think it all started with a call and a change of perspective.

In the month of November, Russell went through a breakup, finding out her dad had cancer, and a hit and run accident. Instead of asking, “Why is this happening to me,” Russell started asking, “Why is this happening for me?” And it has made a world of a difference in confronting the obstacles life will inevitably throw.

Since late January, Russell’s dad has been in the clear and happily cancer-free. What began as a scary and heartbreaking time, resulted in the first chapter of Russell’s impact, her waking up to the dream job she never thought she could call work, and in making the middle count.

Apart from a new mentality, Russell feels lucky to have Camp Gladiator keeping her mind steady and her passions thriving.

“Everything happens for a reason, and I’m glad that CG was there to save me on some of my toughest days,” says Russell. “That impact has been my north star.”