FXBG Neighbors Podcast
Fredericksburg Neighbors Podcast
FXBG Neighbors Podcast
EP #48 Finding Your Fitness Community: Courtney Dorsey's Premier Athletics
Ever walked into a gym and felt completely lost or intimidated? You're not alone. Meet Courtney Dorsey, owner of Premier Athletics in Stafford, Virginia, who's changing how people approach fitness by combining supportive community with personalized strength training.
As a lifelong athlete standing 5'11", Courtney grew up in the "smaller is better" mentality that dominates women's fitness. After having three children, she discovered weightlifting and had a revelation: "Muscle is beautiful. Being strong is beautiful." This transformative experience inspired her to create Premier Athletics, where members get the benefits of group workouts with individual attention from a certified personal trainer. "We're all in a group doing the same exercises, but everyone's going at their own pace, using different weights," Courtney explains.
What makes Premier Athletics special isn't just the physical training, but the educational approach. "I don't just tell my clients what to do, I teach them," emphasizes Courtney, who spends considerable time debunking fitness myths and dismantling diet culture. Her goal? Empowering clients to walk confidently into any gym or restaurant knowing exactly what supports their goals. This military spouse and mother of three has built more than a gym – she's created a community where people find friends, motivation, and a space that cares about them as individuals. As Courtney advises other entrepreneurs, "Take a chance on yourself. Do everything in your power to make it succeed, and you won't fail."
Ready to experience Premier Athletics for yourself? Your first class is completely free! Visit premierathleticsfitness.com or find them on Instagram @premierathleticsfitness to see what classes look like and become part of this empowering fitness community.
Courtney Dorsey
Premier Athletics
premierathleticsfitness.com
Courtney@premierathleticsfitness.com
+1 971-340-6583
2773 Richmond Highway Suite 105
This is the Fredericksburg Neighbors Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Dori Stewart.
Speaker 2:Welcome back to another episode of the Fredericksburg Neighbors Podcast, where we share the stories of our favorite local brands. I'm excited to introduce you to my guest today. Courtney Dorsey is with Premier Athletics. Courtney, welcome to the podcast.
Speaker 3:Thank you so much for having me today.
Speaker 2:Of course. Well, I'm excited to learn all about you and about your business. So let's start there. Share with us a little bit about Premier Athletics.
Speaker 3:Okay, awesome, I'm Premier Athletics. I'm in Stafford Virginia. We are a strength training facility, so what I really focus on and specialize in is helping people change their body composition. So, essentially, losing fat, maintaining or gaining muscle. I'm strength training in a group setting, so what that means is we're all in a group doing the same exercises, the same programming, but everyone's going at a different pace, using different weights, and I can modify for anybody. I'm a certified personal trainer, so that allows me to modify for any injuries or anything like that for people. So I do one hour classes Monday through Saturday. The goal is to get you in here three days a week With your membership. I also offer nutritional guidance, so I help people figure out how to get into a deficit, how to eat higher protein, how there are no bad foods, only the amounts we eat of them, and we really focus on creating a community where you know it's not taking away, but giving you more more of the things that you like like just in the right kind of portions and sustainable, lifelong results.
Speaker 2:Awesome. I love your format so much. I love that it's a group setting, so you get the energy of working out with other people, but then you're able to customize, because I think that it sometimes can be intimidating. So I love that you are paying attention to everyone's different levels, that's awesome yeah, definitely Definitely. Awesome, so tell me about your background. How'd you get into this?
Speaker 3:Okay, cool. So I was an athlete my whole life and even did athletics in college, and so I've always loved being active and being fit. I was kind of brought up in the sports that I was in to think that being smaller was better. Right, and kind of women especially, we grow up in this diet culture of smaller is better, and so after I had kids I have three kids I started getting into weightlifting and it started to change my body in a way that really let me embrace I'm a large human. I'm 5'11".
Speaker 3:So, I've always been the bigger human right, so weightlifting helped me understand that muscle is beautiful, that being strong is beautiful, and it just kind of trickles down into your entire life. You have this confidence and you have this sense of empowerment. And so I've trained at many gyms before and then finally kind of pulled the trigger on opening my own small business about 18 months ago. And it's just little things I've taken away from my life and my experiences to build it into what Premiere is today.
Speaker 2:Amazing. Well, congratulations on 18 months. That's exciting.
Speaker 3:Yes, we made it one year. I guess, as a small business, only a small percentage make it that first year. So that was the goal.
Speaker 2:Yes, yes, congratulations, thank you. So do you find that there are many myths or misconceptions about your business?
Speaker 3:Maybe not my business in particular, but the health and fitness industry as a whole there's.
Speaker 3:So I mean diet culture. I spend a good amount of time just debunking the myths, debunking everything we see on social media, everything we've been taught to grow up again that less is more, all of those things you know, trying to shrink yourself in a sense. There's so many short-term quick fixes out there that I just teach people that's not, that's not what we want to do. We want sustainable results and that takes time. Um, so really just educating. I always say I don't just tell my clients what to do, I teach them. My goal is to teach you that you could walk into any gym and know exactly what you need to do. You could go to any restaurant and know what to do, what to pick. That's going to best support your goals.
Speaker 2:That's a huge value, oh yeah, oh yeah. I walk into a gym and I'm just like so intimidating.
Speaker 3:And it can be. And you know people will have gym memberships for years and years but never get those results. And you know strength training is so science-based it's a science and just hiring someone to be in your corner and teach you that science, that's when the results come. So my goal is always wherever my clients are, they know that they can confidently walk into a gym, get a great workout in, and they know they're going to see those results.
Speaker 2:That's amazing what a gift you are to your clients. Very cool, oh, thank you, I love that. Okay, so 18 months in I mean the first couple years are so hard I imagine you are putting in a crazy amount of hours. So tell me, when you're not working hard, what are you doing for fun?
Speaker 3:Mom life is fun. I'm not here, I'm the bus driver. I love fitness myself. Right, it's not a job for me. I just truly am living a dream being able to teach people what has really changed my life. I do love online shopping, long walks on the beach, all those fun things. I'm human, like everyone else too, but, yeah, just you know, doing fun stuff with the kids, mini vacations here or there. I love relaxing. That's important as well, too.
Speaker 2:I love that. I love that. Okay, so when you started your business, was there some advice that someone gave you, or is there some advice that you would give someone who is in your shoes and is getting ready to start a new business?
Speaker 3:Sure, yeah, great question. So my mom is an entrepreneur. She's a hairdresser, and so she's. I grew up watching her thrive, you know, renting her chair at the salon and being that entrepreneur. And something that was really impactful to me is she got to set her hours so that she could be around her kids, and so that's always been something in the back of my mind going into finding whatever career I was in, that I want to be able to, you know, be there for my kids, and being a small business owner allows me to do that. I'm so lucky to be able to do that.
Speaker 3:The one piece of advice I would give other people that are thinking about opening a small business is take the chance on yourself, just tell yourself that it's going to succeed, do everything in your power to make it succeed, and you won't fail. You just won't fail. You just have to really 110% believe in yourself. There's going to be challenges along the way, but that's normal, that's how we learn, and when you find those people that are in your corner, just let them keep rooting for you. Create that community that is, you know, rooting for you.
Speaker 2:I love that. I love that you said take a chance on yourself. Yeah, absolutely, yeah, definitely. I love that. So you, your business, is in Stafford. How long have you been in the Fredericksburg area?
Speaker 3:We're a military family, so we have been on and off in Stafford slash Quantico. I have been on and off in Stafford slash Quantico this area this is our third time being stationed here, so we've been here without kids. I've had two babies here, so we've been here a long time over the 17 years of service Yep.
Speaker 2:And now a business owner here in the community. Yes, I love that. I love that. So what is something that you wish the?
Speaker 3:listeners knew about your business. I would love for them to know that it can be intimidating walking into a gym, especially walking into a gym with barbells and dumbbells everywhere. I know that can be intimidating, but I am huge on community. I mean, the community that I have created here is something that I'm very passionate about and I'm very proud of. Everyone here has been in your shoes, scared to come through the door. That's the hardest hurdle getting through the door.
Speaker 3:So I would just love for people to know that you will find your people here. You will find new friends. You will find new motivation, new goals. You will find a space that really cares about not only your goals, but you as a person as well.
Speaker 2:I love that. If the listeners want to connect with you, learn more from you or take a class, where can they find you?
Speaker 3:Yeah, so you can go to premierathleticsfitness. com. The first class is completely free. You can also find us on Instagram. Instagram is such a great little eye into what classes look like. I take all the pictures, take all the videos. Our Instagram handle is at premierathleticsfitness, so they can do that as well, and my phone number and email is listed on our website as well.
Speaker 2:Amazing, amazing. Well, Courtney, thank you so much for joining me on the podcast today and sharing Premier Athletics with us.
Speaker 3:Yes, thank you so much for having me.
Speaker 1:Thank you for listening to the Fredericksburg Neighbors Podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to fxbgneighborspodcast. com. That's fxbgneighborspodcast. com, or call 540-534-4618.