By Elizabeth Gracen:
I sound like a broken record, but I have been incredibly fortunate to meet some exceptional, interesting people ever since I launched Flapper Press. Most of the time, one of our writers will introduce me to another artist or writer, and so it goes. However, every once in awhile I come across a post on Facebook or Instagram that catches my eye, and I am compelled to reach out to them to see if they might be interested in writing for the site. Such is the case with Catherine Bares, and I'm so happy that she took the bait!
We've published a couple of Catherine's pieces so far, and we look forward to more—so without further ado . . .
Please meet Catherine Bares!
Elizabeth Gracen: Catherine, first of all, welcome to Flapper Press! We are always excited to entice a new writer to the site—especially one who has some expertise in the mind/body connection. Thank you for joining the team. Please tell our readers a little bit about yourself.
Catherine Bares: Thank you! I am delighted to be a part of Flapper Press. It’s hard for me to believe my own life story, time truly flies. I have been married to my soulmate for 34 years—extremely supportive of all my endeavors. We raised 2 sons and have been blessed with 3 grandsons and 1 granddaughter. Outside of my career, I have taken up many hobbies over the years. Ceramics, Singing, Cycling, triathlons. Currently, I am taking hand-to-hand combat in Karate (we are on break with this pandemic). This serves multiple purposes: exercise, self-defense, and something that my oldest grandson and I can do together. It’s been fun! If I come across something I want to try, I usually dive in and then write a blog about it.
EG: From your bio, I can see that you have many interests and that you have a full life. Why did you decide to become a Profit Coach and Trainer?
CB: Great question. After 21 years of working on the retail side of our industry, I had reached a stale point in my life and decided it was time for a change. I started as an admin person and worked my up to top management within the company. I reached the top of the mountain, I guess you could say. I was ready to climb a new mountain but wanted to stay in the same industry. My role as a Trainer and Profit Coach was a natural transition. Now I can pass on my passion and love for the industry and help clients improve procedures, efficiencies, and profitability. It's great! Now I coach team leaders on how to manage the stress, and I don’t take it home with me anymore.
EG: My sister is a fitness coach. She’s actually been kicking my ass two days a week via Zoom. Are you conducting the same types of classes now that we are all locked up?
CB: Fitness has been a part of my life for 30+ years but has become more of a hobby-career. Luckily, my full-time career is still going strong during this pandemic. Our clients are considered essential workers. So, they need our support now more than ever, and since we work remotely via conference calls, my job as a Profit Coach carries on. That does not leave me with a lot of time to teach and arrange workouts. I am grateful for all the full-time fitness personnel who are putting themselves out there and offering virtual workouts. I have taken a few virtual classes myself. This pandemic has brought the fitness industry to an entirely different level. It will be interesting to see how this shapes the future fitness industry.
EG: When and why did you start to blog? Tell us a bit more about your blog, www.beentheredonethatblogger.com.
CB: Five years ago when I made the transition in my career, it took some time to build my clientele, and I was experiencing a great deal of down time. That drove me nuts, not having anything to do. So, I decided to create a blog to share fitness-related topics and my life experiences with people. Inspiring people to live happier, healthier lives was my main goal. Lord knows I have struggled over the years with many things, especially finding myself. My reward is knowing that I am contributing to others and helping them navigate through life with a better outlook.
EG: What kind of stories will you be bringing to Flapper Press in the coming months? I look forward to reading them!
CB: Inspiration comes from the simplest things sometimes. I try to write about things that draw my attention. It may be about someone I meet or an experience that I either enjoyed or struggled with. Sometimes, it may be thoughts inspired by song lyrics. You never know what will inspire me. Most times, the topics are positive and upbeat.
Read Catherine Bare's posts: