We had the good fortune of connecting with Diana Chaloux-LaCerte and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Diana, how do you think about risk?
As an entrepreneur, taking risks is essential to building a successful business and a meaningful and fulfilled life!
My entire career in the fitness industry has been riddled with exhilarating risks worth taking. Some of those risks have worked out better than I could imagine, and others, not so much!
But even on the risks that didn’t pan out as I had hoped, there were always valuable lessons learned that were carried forward.
In my mind, it would be far worse to get to the end of my life and wonder “What If?”, than to take a leap of faith and try something new or scary.
As a woman of faith, I believe that God guides me, if He says to step into something new or different, then I go for it, knowing that it is going to be worthwhile, even if things don’t go exactly according to the plan that I had in mind!

What should our readers know about your business?
I am Co-CEO of multiple businesses, and they are all focused on helping others transform their lives and achieve their greatest levels of strength and health in body, mind and spirit. I am just as passionate today about the work I get to do, and the lives I get to change as I was over 15 years ago when my husband Micah and I launched our first company Hitch Fit.

Hitch Fit was launched in 2009, we are one of the “OG’s” of the online personal training space! When we first started Hitch Fit, we had to explain what online training was to people, it was simply unheard of to be able to work with a trainer, and not actually be in the gym with them. But the idea took off as we started sharing the success our clients had, and we grew to 82 countries globally and have helped clients shed over 700,000 pounds of fat.

Through Hitch Fit, we always have taken a personal and customized approach, so to this day, we still give our personal attention to our clients (that’s right, clients still communicate with us DIRECTLY we don’t use AI or bots to communicate or automated systems to spit out plans for them!). It’s one of the things that has set us apart in an industry that is leaning so heavily on automated systems. The reason we’ve kept things this way is because personal connection is SO important for a transformation journey, especially when a client is going through a challenging time and/or is needing to really work on mindset changes and needs support through that process.

We opened our first Hitch Fit Gym in Kansas City in 2009 as well. We grew to three gyms in the area, but have recently consolidated down to one, with an incredible team of transformation trainers, in Parkville, MO. The one on one experience is so powerful, and we have seen so many lives change from the people who have come through our doors!

We consolidated to one gym as in the past couple of years we have expanded our businesses to include a Faith and Fitness Retreats company called SoulFIT Retreats. It was time to trim things back with the gyms so that we would have the space in our lives to build something even more impactful than we could imagine!

At SoulFIT Retreats, we are digging even deeper with people. Through Hitch Fit, we have aided so many on a physical transformation journey, and now at SoulFIT we are creating spaces and experiences where people are able to open up and dig into challenges they have gone through in a safe and loving community, that is encouraging them and equipping them to build even greater strength. SoulFIT Retreats are places where love thrives and wounds are healed, AND we have a load of fun while doing life together. We infuse every experience with faith and fitness. We constantly hear that the retreats are hard to explain! People walk away with so much more clarity and guidance for their personal lives, but also for their professional lives as we serve as mentors in life and business.

SoulFIT Retreats take people to amazing locations around the world, including Mexico for our beach retreats, and our smaller and more intimate Adventure Retreats.

In the past 15 years, building our brands and businesses has definitely not been easy, and there have been SO many challenges to overcome! Thankfully, we have had many incredible mentors along the way, who have given us great guidance. Every mistake that we’ve made has made us wiser, more resilient and more equipped for the challenges that lay ahead.
Since our businesses range from Online, to a brick and mortar, to a business where we are traveling with groups, each has it’s own unique challenges and quirks.

What sets us apart is that our heart, in all of these businesses, was and still is to this day, about impact. We always believed that if we took great care of people, if we truly saw them, and helped them through a challenge in their lives, then the financial pieces would take care of themselves. 15 years later, we can attest to the truth of this!

Micah and I love what we get to wake up and do every day. It never gets old. We trust God to guide our steps in our businesses, and we know that when we stay true and obedient to the call He has on our lives, the results are going to be even more impactful and incredible than we can imagine!

Even with all that we have built with Hitch Fit and SoulFIT, we still believe that the best is yet to come!

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.
If a friend was visiting the Kansas City area, they would first have to come and visit Hitch Fit Gym!
In KC, some of the great places to visit are the Plaza area, and there is much development happening our downtown as well.
Some of my favorite spots in town are Union Station, which you can add on a visit to Liberty Memorial and Crown Center, we even have a new Skywheel to give incredible views of the city.
If you’re in town during football season, experiencing a Chiefs game at Arrowhead Stadium is a must.
You can also take a couple of days to head to Branson, just a short 3 hour drive from KC and it will feel like you’re in a completely different state. Mountainous and beautiful, with ample hiking and entertainment, Branson is a fun getaway. One of my favorite things to do there is catch a show at Sight and Sound Theater, and spend a couple of nights in a cabin at Big Cedar Lodge, and the must do is the golf cart ride at Top of the Rock.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My life wouldn’t be what it is today without the love and support of my husband Micah. He is my person, my best friend, my partner in all of our businesses, and he lifts me up and encourages me on a daily basis to go for my goals and dreams. He is an amazing and strong man of God and I’m so blessed to have him by my side for this journey of life!

Website: https://www.HitchFit.com

Instagram: @dianachaloux

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianachaloux/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DianaChaloux/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/dianachaloux

Other: www.SoulFITRetreats.com
Additional Instagrams: @HitchFit @SoulFITRetreats

Image Credits
Bryan Engle Photography, BNW Photography, Dan Galic Photography

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