Meet Daphne Adebayo | Fitness Entrepreneur

We had the good fortune of connecting with Daphne Adebayo and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Daphne, can you tell us more about your background and the role it’s played in shaping who you are today?
I am an athlete always and forever. At the age of 10, I started playing basketball. I trained hard enough to retire a D1 athlete playing all 4 years on scholarship at Virginia Commonwealth University. That level of work and commitment led me to be the fitness professional I am today. It not only solidified the concept that “any gym is home” is a real thing, but it also led me to explore what fitness meant to me. One would think I would go down the straight path of sports performance or strength training since I have been doing that most of my life. Don’t get me wrong, I love and coach those fitness modalities, but I think it pushed me to be way more explorative as a coach since I had done sports training all my life. Once I could say no to workouts post-graduation it was a wrap lol. It took time for me to fall back in love with the gym because my body felt so beat up I rarely wanted to work out. So I had to find what worked the best for me to keep me motivated to workout. When I first started as a trainer my focus was functional fitness, then as someone who experienced multiple injuries in college, I became a pain-free performance specialist. Those injuries also led me to become a cycling instructor because it became my favorite form of cardio due to it having a lower impact on one’s knees. I have been building ever since adding things like kettle bell training or utilizing a pilates reformer.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I am the owner of Born to Flex LLC. This is how I run my personal training business along with event planning. What makes me different is I focus on meeting people where they are, “finding their new normal”, and creating safe spaces. We live in a world where there is a massive false narrative about what fitness is and through my methodology I want to help shift the narrative. It’s not all about looks – it’s about longevity. I train people to match their lifestyle, not the internet.

I think the biggest challenge I have faced in my career has been being sometimes the only woman of color I see. It’s extremely hard some days not seeing yourself represented or even feeling like a “token” some days. But it is honestly the reason I keep showing up and keep focusing on creating safe spaces. I want everyone to feel welcomed and like they belong because they do. If that means I have to be the only black female instructor in some places, let’s do it. I am here to showcase what is possible and leave the door open for those who come after me.

This has helped me learn how important it is to stay true to yourself as a coach. I would get led in different directions as far as music I should play and things I should do. I never caved and stuck with my personality. Now I work at some of the top facilities and with dope brands. I am happy I stayed the course that is me.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
We are going to start on Tuesday! I am taking them immediately to my cycling class at 5:30p at LifeTime Buckhead. After class, we are hitting up Postino’s in Buckhead for wine. On Wednesday we are hitting up the SpaceMan for rooftop views and vibes. Friday we go up to Eclipse De Luna for happy hour. They have the best Sangria pitchers. Saturday is for West Midtown. The interlock has to be my favorite place to go. We start around the corner at Slim and Huskies for dope pizza. then we go to Puttshake for mini golf. Then we finish the night at Holiday Bar. Sunday’s are for more cycling classes at Life Time followed up mimosa pitchers at Fetch Buckhead!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
S/O to my mom. Without her, I wouldn’t be who I am today. She has always believed in me and always made sure I was in the right position to grow. My biggest supporter and best listener, I appreciate what she showed me as far as building a village around you.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dap_adebayo/

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/daphneadebayo

Image Credit: Marcus Fitts