Today we’d like to introduce you to Laura Rogers.
Hi Laura, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I was never a super athletic kid growing up and I absolutely hated exercise as a young adult when my primary focus was losing weight and doing cardio. As I was working on my PhD in Sociology at UCSD, I started taking group classes at a kettlebell gym and I became completely hooked on getting stronger and challenging myself. I had never experienced exercise in a way that felt rewarding, validating, and as a way to love and take care of myself. Shortly thereafter, I got certified and started coaching group classes and personal training.
As I was finishing my PhD, it became increasingly clear that I was more interested in following the path as a strength coach than pursuing a career in academia. I finished my PhD in April of 2018, the gym that I was working at closed at the end of May 2018, and a fellow trainer and I partnered up to create a space of our own for all of our clients. Fury Functional Fitness opened July 2018. The first year owning a studio gym was difficult, like any other small business I’m sure. In June of 2019, my business partner, Alex, passed away. This was particularly devastating for our tight knit community and I became sole owner/operator – something that I never intended to be.
Then of course, March 2020. I tried to keep as many clients as I could and moved to virtual training, Zoom classes, etc. When things began to open up, we shifted to outdoor training in the parking lot of our commercial space. I did everything in my power to keep my clients safe and healthy and still deliver quality service. After a couple years of the COVID regulations changing, it became increasingly clear that I was not going to be able to sustain the large space any longer. Businesses that relied on memberships and subscriptions were ultimately not going to be able to recoup the amount of lost revenue after over 18 months of such rapid decline in business. So yet, another pivot.
I closed my larger studio with group classes and shifted my entire focus on personal training. I downsized to a smaller space January 2022 and focused my energy on semi-private and one-on-one training. Fortunately, many of my clients continued to work with me through another large transition.
Our new space was perfect and things were settling down and then I was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma, an incurable form of blood cancer May 1, 2024, after breaking my back and multiple other bone. I spent numerous weeks in the hospital trying to understand this new diagnosis, my treatment plan, and how I was going to keep my business afloat. It’s not all entirely clear to me how I’ve created this amazing community but my clients continued to come in, workout, and support me. I had a stem cell transplant in August 2024 and was unable to work for months. And yet, my clients continued to follow their programming, workout together, and support each other.
Of course business hasn’t been as steady because I haven’t been able to be as present, completely understandable, and I am in the midst of learning to live with cancer (as opposed to solely surviving it.) So while I still work with my in-person clients and provide them the best service I can, I have begun to expand into virtual training. I specialize in training pregnant and postpartum women, people with chronic illness, or anyone looking to get stronger who wants to work with a coach who understands that life sometimes throws us curveballs, that every body is different, and that exercise should be healing and safe instead of punishment. I want people at all ages of their life course or at any fitness level to understand the benefits of strength training and to be able to do it without injury.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road??
As you said, everyone faces challenges, but I think I may have had an exceptionally rough road these past 8 years.
All small businesses were affected by COVID closures but gyms (or other in-person services) took an especially big hit. Just as my business was getting settled, we had to close up. And while I think I managed the curveballs as well as I could, I have never fully recovered from the losses during COVID. The first few years of any small business is difficult, even without a global pandemic.
And life happens. We all manage our businesses while dealing with the challenges of life and that is to be expected. I’ve handled new relationships, break-ups, moves, etc. but I certainly never imagined I would break my back at 36 and be diagnosed with a terminal cancer. And nothing can prepare you for that. I’m still quite shocked that my entire business hasn’t folded after the last 15 months. It’s been such a whirlwind and I just feel so fortunate that my clients have continued to support me and that I’ve been able to work virtually.
Alex (my partner)’s sudden death also really threw us all for a loop. I never intended to run a small business alone and Alex was a huge part of our community. It was a very difficult time for all of us and his legacy still lives on.
We’ve been impressed with Fury Functional Fitness, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Functional fitness is all about building strength in ways that make our lives easier. How can we make just living our daily lives easier and safer? Things like, picking up your kids, gardening, putting a suitcase into an overhead bin, carrying bags of dog food, etc. It was very important for me to highlight the significance of functional fitness in the name of my business (and I love a little alliteration,)
I find it so rewarding to help people learn to understand their bodies, realize their own strength, and see the value in exercise outside of just burning calories or getting sweaty. It’s also very important to me to help people workout safely so that they can continue to live their lives pain-free. Consequently, Fury Functional Fitness only provides private and semi-private training. I still love the community aspect of studio gym but I don’t feel that group fitness is always the best way to help people meet their specific goals. At Fury, every client has their own program that meets them where they are on their fitness journey and accommodates injuries or physical limitations.
I specialize in strength training and have certifications in kettlebell technique, powerlifting, TRX, etc. I also have multiple certifications in coaching women specifically; through pregnancy, postpartum, and menopause. And I am certified in training people with Parkinson’s disease. After about 25 years in school, it is abundantly clear that I love to learn, so I will take every opportunity to gain new information so that I can be the best trainer possible for my clients.
I believe that my approach to fitness and the body and my willingness to study, research, and adapt sets me apart from other trainers, especially compared to many of the social media trainers out there now. Most of my current clients have been training with me for over 6, 7, or 8 years. Some of my very first clients still train with me to this day. I think that this is rare, particularly given the multitude of changes that we have all faced together. Many trainers and gyms have a churn and burn mentality or offer “quick fixes” so have a much higher turnover rate. Because I focus on longevity and the life course, I can continue to train my clients through injuries, illness, pregnancy, etc. I trained one client through two of her pregnancies and her children are now 7 and 5, BP broke his leg 7 years ago and hasn’t missed a beat, and yet another client was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease 6 years ago.
I am most proud of the community that we have created. Many of my clients have friendships and bonds that they never expected and genuinely like coming in to workout to see their friends. I get so much joy witnessing these connections. I truly think that Fury is special. I have been fortunate to support my clients as their families grow, get married, buy homes, get promotions, go through break-ups/divorces, and grapple with difficult life transitions. And I am continuously amazed by the ways that this community shows up for me and for each other.
Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
Someone recently called me the ‘Queen of the Pivot’ and I kind of chuckled but it wasn’t until I started to tell my story from the beginning that I really noticed just how many times I have pivoted in the past 10 years. And I know that I couldn’t have gotten through any of it without the amazing people who I casually refer to as ‘clients.’ But these folks are not just clients or friends, they are my family. It sounds so cliche but the English language doesn’t have a word special enough to describe these relationships or bonds.
I also really want to reiterate that exercise should be all about what feels good for each individual’s own body and goals. Sometimes we can’t workout like we used to, sometimes we need to listen to what our body needs on a specific day, sometimes we can push things a bit harder. Ultimately, if you don’t like the ways that you move your body and it doesn’t feel good then it isn’t sustainable. I hope everyone finds a way to exercise that feels right for them.
Pricing:
- One-on-one training: $95/hr
- Virtual programming: $150/month
- Semi-private training: $300/month
Contact Info:
- Website: https://furyfunctionalfitness.com
- Instagram: furyfunctionalfitness
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FuryFunctionalFitness/
- Other: email: furyfunctionalfitness@gmail.com
Image Credits
Dena Meeder, Kristen Karhio, Dustin Sheffield
