Meet Amanda Chine | Yoga Instructor & Owner of MandaBees Headbands

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

Hi Amanda, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
Initially I had no intentions of starting a business, it kind of just organically happened. I grew up around fitness; my mom was a group exercise instructor and my dad had a little basement home gym that I can remember learning to do pushups in when I must have been, like, a toddler. I was exposed to fitness and a healthy lifestyle when I was really little, but I was also a teen in the early 2000s when trends like eating cereal instead of real meals to “get skinny” was happening. My degree is in Religious Studies and I spent 2009 in Thailand where my love for yoga was sparked. I was taking yoga classes all over the place and eventually I found a studio I loved and just never wanted to leave. I basically begged the owner to hire me (she did, bless her) and with her support I got my group exercise certificate and began teaching classes there, which lead to me building a loyal following of students; I kept studying and got my personal trainer certification and started taking clients, which was so rewarding to be able to actually help people in a measurable way. Obsessed with all of it, I also started teaching Spinning, and eventually got my 500 hour RYT, because my love of yoga stayed consistent through all of it. I dropped out of grad school early on when I realized I would serve people better as their trainer than their counselor. I don’t think I gave much thought to “starting a business” with teaching exercises classes and taking personal training clients, as much as I just answered the opportunities that arose from following something I’m truly passionate about. When I asked Deb, the studio owner, to hire me, I wasn’t thinking of it as a way to make money, I just truly didn’t want to leave the atmosphere.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I like to think I’m unique as a trainer because I’m really good at designing a plan to help you gain functional strength no matter your age, injuries, or limitations, but I also deliver these custom-built workouts online, so they can be completed at the client’s convenience. During the gym shutdown of 2020 when I could no longer meet anyone face-to-face, I started delivering my training sessions online, sending each client their program designed using whatever equipment they had available to them. It worked so well for so many reasons; no more missing part of your session due to traffic or having to take a phone call. If you’re sick, you can complete it another day. Lifting progress is tracked in graph form, which is also really motivating. Consensus was: everyone really loved the new adaptation.

I have been in the fitness industry over a decade now and have spent a lot of time on continuing education. My yoga training makes me an even better functional strength trainer. I’m also a mom, so I know the importance of being able to do things on your own time, sometimes without having to leave the house. A lot of trainers give all their clients the same one-size-fits-all workouts, but customizing these plans from the ground up based on someone’s unique history and abilities and preferences, then being able to deliver that all online… that’s my unique place in the fitness community.

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 live in a really great area for delicious foods, so after we got tattoos at The Box and took a Spinning class at The ClassRoom, I’d take her on a food tour. The tacos at Bushwick, the fried cheese at Urban Tap (plus both places have killer patios), the smoothies and fresh salads at Beautiful Whirl’d. I’d make sure to get juice at Orange Avocado and stop at Grey Boutique next door. Beers at Modern Methods Brewing Company, too.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Deborah Caggiano of TheClassRoom Elite Training Studio! Her studio has been around a long time and has a really loyal following. She’s always offered a wide range of different fitness classes for all ages, including seniors. She herself is a dietician also. She hired me to work the front desk of her studio while I got my group exercise and personal training certifications. I studied with her books she gave me! The support she showed me, a stranger at the time, will never go unrecognized for me. The whole course of my life was changed because of it.

Website: https://www.trainerize.me/profile/mandabees/Amanda.Chine/

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

Image Credits
Boko Photo