Further Forward

The Myth of Success Part 2 with Eliza Shirazi

• Ashley Mitchell

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0:00 | 52:48

If success isn't the answer, then what are we actually chasing?

In Part 2, Eliza and I go deeper into body image, perfectionism, identity, teaching, belonging, and the pressure women place on themselves to get everything right.

We talk about aging, changing priorities, entrepreneurship, movement, and the freedom that comes from letting go of the idea that there's a finish line waiting for us somewhere.

This conversation is really about permission: permission to evolve, permission to be imperfect, and permission to define success for yourself.

About Eliza: 

Eliza Shirazi is an award-winning entrepreneur, and community builder in the fitness space. With a focus on creating welcoming and fun environments for women, Eliza has built what many know today as Kick It and The Fempire®.

With 15 years of experience, Eliza promotes a realistic, feel-good approach to health and wellness through her virtual fitness platform, instructor certification program, speaking engagements, guest coaching spots, and events. In 2025, Kick It was named Best Virtual Workout by Boston Business Women- a recognition that highlights the heart, impact, and consistency behind her work.

What once began as a passion-fueled project has evolved into a well-respected brand that has certified over 400 instructors, collaborated with partners like POPSUGAR and New Balance, and been featured on the TODAY Show as well as major publications including Glamour and Teen Vogue.

Connect: 

https://www.kickitbyeliza.com/

https://www.instagram.com/kickitbyeliza/


Further Forward: Honest Conversations on the Art of Becoming, is hosted by Ashley Mitchell. 

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SPEAKER_02

Eliza, welcome back to the Further Forward Podcast.

SPEAKER_01

Thanks for having me back. I knew we were gonna be able to chat, chat, chat away.

SPEAKER_02

Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh. I mean, I had a feeling, but I I was like, okay, this is gonna be seven hours. Like I wasn't ready. It's good for now I am a full car ride or something. I know, I know. Which listen, summer is coming. I feel like this is the perfect road trip, you know, plane ride, whatever. Like we have you covered with this one, honestly. Absolutely. Absolutely. So I wanted to get into to start a little bit more. We touched on this, but I want to go deeper into women's bodies. And, you know, you can we talked about how people can modify uh their different levels in the workouts, all that kind of stuff. So let's go in on that. I'm just gonna leave it there for a second to see what your top of mind thoughts are, and then I have more questions.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, I think, well, this is so funny. It feels like a therapy session, but it really goes back to childhood for me.

SPEAKER_02

Yes, let's go, let's go.

SPEAKER_01

I feel like growing up, I always had different groups of friends that didn't necessarily mingle with each other, but I was kind of like friends with the theater kids, and then friends with like the jocks and friends with like the popular girls, but like they didn't necessarily all mingle together. And when I started teaching kicket in college, it felt like all of these different groups of people, like these cliques, if you will, came together in class, which was so interesting to me because I'm like, that's so funny. Like that kid's definitely a theater kid, that kid's definitely a nerd, that kid's definitely a jock. Like, not to put people in these boxes, but to just kind of like shoot it to you straight. It was people from all different walks of life in my classes in college that probably wouldn't have met each other if it weren't for this like common ground of kick it. And it just reminded me of like high school and a little bit of middle school, just kind of like being in different pockets of friends. And how I was like a bit of a common denominator between these pockets of friends. So that's kind of what like kick it felt in college. And as I got older, it just became evident that uh people didn't necessarily teach uh not teach, sorry, people didn't necessarily treat fitness as this all-inclusive space. And it wasn't until I graduated, which was so interesting to me because I was just like in this bubble on my college campus. So I didn't have a ton of reference points as to like what fitness was like in the real world. Because remember, like at this time, Instagram was maybe just getting big, maybe. So I wasn't consuming a ton of content on how most people are experiencing fitness, maybe outside of like Jillian Michael's stuff, or like, you know, the DVDs, all that. Yeah, yeah. So when I moved to Boston and I started experiencing how people really were just so hard on themselves in the fitness world, it was kind of like, what? Like, oh, so people like really use fitness to just like beat themselves down and be like really hard on themselves. It was a learning curve and it was an important learning curve because it helped me shape like what kind of angle I wanted to bring my kind of fitness into the scene as, which was inclusive and like y'all can have fun. It's not so serious. Like, you don't have to look apart to show up here. You can just show up. So I think again, it just goes all the way back to being a kid and feeling like, let's hang out with everybody. Like, I love this group of friends and that group of friends in college. It was really highlighted through my kick it classes. And then I think also, you know, personally, I think about my own relationship with fitness. And it was always, or not even fitness, but movement. It was always uh an outlet for me. It was always a positive thing. So I just wanted people to experience that um in a positive light. And the older I've gotten, the more I want people to lean into that because it's like the older you get, especially as women, your body changes. It's supposed to, you know, like we're not gonna be our like 20-year-old body forever. Some people experience fluctuation or interesting relationships with body image throughout their entire life, you know? So I just really want kick it to be a space where, especially if you feel like you're struggling with your relationship with movement andor body image, that you don't have to like put up a front to show up. Like just like exhale and be here and have fun. Um, so that's that's my take on like the body image and inclusivity. And the one thing I'll add to that is as I've gotten older, this is kind of taking a little bit of a right turn. But I think about my dad, which is like a total right turn, but I think about my dad. My dad has uh he has a really um bad limp, and he has since I was a kid. And his mobility has gotten worse and worse and worse the older that he's gotten. But that that dude goes to the gym almost every morning when he's feeling up for it, and he does his stretching and he does his light weights. And again, this is a guy where it takes him a long time to get out of the car using his cane, maybe sometimes his walker if it's really bad, and makes that effort to like keep his body moving. So for me, my my reasons for inclusivity and just like my approach to fitness have evolved, just like thinking about the people in my life and like how lucky are we that we get to just like get up and move because that is not the case for so many people. So I think having someone very close in my life to me, like my dad, and seeing his relationship with movement has been another big like light bulb moment of so grateful to move. Let's make this accessible for as many people as we can. Um, and help people just find joy in the process instead of having it feel so rigid and like you have to crush yourself in every workout.

SPEAKER_02

That makes so much sense. And I got, I got like chills. I still have them when you're talking about your dad, because it I think that's a lot of what puts things into perspective for us, right? Uh, you have to experience something in order to really get it, or you have to have some close proxy, right? I remember first dating Mark and all of those really, really early conversations about race and him being like, wait, are you sure racism exists? Like, are you really, really sure? Because like, I don't think, I don't think I've seen that. And I'm like, I don't think you have any black friends. And then as as time went on, you know, he he did start to see stuff, but he needed this kind of other, this other experience or this like proxy experience, right? In order to see something that he didn't previously see. When I think about diversity and inclusion, that's a part of to me why I want so many different kinds of people in my classes, because that's the only way people are gonna normalize other bodies, is if they like see them, if they see them moving or not moving or whatever. It's like you have to know that all of this exists and you just have to be okay with it. Yeah. It doesn't have to be your story, but it is a story that's valid in the world.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. And and I I think you're spot on with like sometimes, most of the times, actually, you have to experience it and like be in that proximity. So I think um I was in that bubble in college where it was just like this mixed group of people who would come together. And it wasn't until I was in like Boston gyms that I was like, oh, wait, this is like a stark contrast to what I know. Um, but again, it helped me understand what angle I wanted to approach fitness.

SPEAKER_02

And I think what's interesting about Boston specifically, just like what I've noticed, especially not being a New Englander, yeah, is that like sometimes people they will make a different choice if there's another choice.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Right. Sometimes what the city has to offer in some of the most popular workouts is like crush yourself. They're all really like intense, heavy weight lifting, running, whatever. And it's like people don't even have a choice, like they don't even know what else is possible if we don't show them different kinds of fitness, right? It doesn't have to be yin yoga or berries. Like there's so much in between.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. People don't know what they don't know.

SPEAKER_02

They don't know what they don't know, which is which is also why I love what you've created, because you're giving them, you're giving them something else to know and potentially love.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, definitely. And that can be a little intimidating when you're doing something. I mean, I'm not doing something like wildly different, but it's not, it's, it's not like um how I don't know, like you do a bar certification, then you teach bar. Like I was coming into the Boston fitness scene kind of like with my own thing. So it was intimidating to be like, I made up this class. Yeah, yeah. It was definitely intimidating. But I think also Boston is a very athletic, active city. Yeah. And I think it plays into like the New England kind of like um stubborn, a little harsh, you know, vibes. But I think to your point, you don't know what you don't know. So if like you serve people a different option, they might be interested in it, you know? So it's okay to like deviate and do something a little different.

SPEAKER_02

On that note, I think it's like the perfect segue to talk about how you speak to instructors. Um, you put out a lot of content for fellow instructors. To me, it feels inclusive in that you're just trying to, again, normalize experiences, normalize teaching to empty rooms. Like it doesn't mean that you're a terrible instructor. Like there are all these other factors. You know, so what makes you want to talk to the industry in that way, like peer-to-peer? Where's the thought behind it?

SPEAKER_01

I think that when people are thinking about becoming an instructor or they are an instructor, there's all of this like self-inflicted pressure to be perfect. And whether it's like perfect number of people in class or perfect social media presence or perfect cueing, whatever it is, and I know this is true across so many different industries and styles of work, but it's this feeling of perfectionism. And I think that some of the greatest instructors are actually imperfect and they show their flaws and they humanize an experience. I just think like there's this interesting situation of an instructor being at the front of the room with a mic, maybe on a podium or a stage or something. And all of a sudden, it's like it has to be this like perfect show because teaching really is a performance. That's yeah, I mean, it's for people, which I also like to remind instructors, including myself. I get two in my head. It's for people. It's not for you, but it's something about having like the person at the front of the room with a mic on. It just turns into this game of like, I need to show up and present and perform perfectly. When I think people have a much better experience when the instructor humanizes like a class or a moment, and it helps people connect better to them, and that creates loyalty and longevity. Like people just want humans. Um, I think that Peloton is an interesting example of putting instructors on a pedestal, but somehow many of those instructors still are able to connect with all of these people because it's they humanize it, you know, it's like humor and kind of like self-deprecation sort of thing, you know, like it's it's a lot of human moments that although they're on this like big stage, they can connect with their audience. And I don't know if that's true for all of those instructors, but just kind of from what I've seen, there is a little bit of like that magic of connecting with their communities because there's a human element to it. But I think that takes time. I think when you're a new instructor, of course you're trying to get it perfectly, you know? Of course. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

You have to go too far the other way in order to like bring yourself back to center. You have to know what it feels like to kind of go off the rails. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. You just have to like go through that experience of maybe trying to get every cue down or like every countdown or whatever it is. I think the more experience you have, that starts to come naturally so that you can settle into like your human experience as an instructor. So I I think it's part like wanting to take pressure off for instructors, but also like opening people's eyes to like, you don't have to be a robot. Like you don't have to hit every single mark and you know, be quote unquote perfect.

SPEAKER_02

Right. I mean, I think this too like goes back to a little bit of the conversation we were having last time, which is because you're so successful and you've created so much. I do think that there's a perception that you don't experience any of these, any of these things, right? Like that every time you step out to teach, there's 300 people there, right? That you never experience any quote unquote failure. And whenever I read your posts as a seasoned instructor, I still take away this fact of like we are always in process. And especially when we're really becoming grown-ups, like you're inching closer to your 40s and and beyond, you know, your audience may change because you're changing, because what you value in life is changing. Just like you said with our bodies, there's so much that's in flux in life in general. And I think sometimes, sometimes it's it's you're you're you have to keep teaching through those transitions and allowing the old people to fall away and the new people to find you. And there's just so many dynamics of of everything, you know. So I love that you kind of to you just you seem like you're in it with everyone, whether you're a beginner or you've been doing it forever.

SPEAKER_01

For sure. And I think too, like I am also giving myself these messages, you know, it comes from a place of like, what are things that I struggle with that I think other people might struggle with? So that's where these messages come from. And it's always a work in progress. Like I just had a class this past weekend and there were 12 people there. And it was like, it was this conversation in my head, honestly, of like, okay, do people not want this anymore? Like, is this a mirror or reflection of my business? You know, like you go down this spiral a little bit. Like, what does it mean? Um, and what it means is it's a busy spring, almost summer weekend. People want to be there, but there's competing schedules. And the people that did come had a great time. I was able to like nurture those relationships. But I am I I don't think there will be a point where I don't also struggle or like I'm not in the trenches because you're it's when especially when you're running a small business, it's like you're always trying to keep a pulse on what are people enjoying, what do these numbers really mean? Like what do they like really mean? Not like what my ego is saying. Like, what does it really mean? Like it's a that's a constant conversation with myself. And I think that it's also important for people to remember, including myself, that no matter how long, no matter what industry you're in, really, but for the fitness industry, I guess, in in in this, in this context, no matter how long you teach, like there's going to be waves and ebbs and flows. Like it's not just like up to a hundred percent forever, like to infinity and beyond. It really is like up and down, up and down. And it doesn't necessarily mean something about you. It just means like get curious about where are your people? What do they want? You know, it's it's not like a personal dig. Um, so that's definitely something that no matter how long I I get to teach, it's gonna be like an inner dialogue of like kind of like rewiring.

SPEAKER_02

That's true. That's true. Yeah, same for me always. And also like I've been noticing too recently, I would say like this year, 2026. Um, you know, if something is not going well or something's not going the way I think it should be, I I I've kind of like, what's the word I because I don't want, I don't want to sort of misrepresent the conversation or make it seem like I'm being harder on myself than I am. But I've been thinking about my thought patterns around myself and ways that I've undervalued myself in the past, and I'm now living the manifestation of the things that I've said yes to, the pay that I've said yes to, the people that I've collaborated with. I have felt the effects of like certain things coming to bite me in the ass. Totally. And I'm in the pattern of trying to recognize when I have like just sold myself short, or maybe I didn't show up as my full self. So now the people that connected with me are not getting the real version of me because I didn't give them the real version of me. And maybe this is just something that happens as you get older. I don't, I don't know. I haven't really had this conversation with anyone, but I definitely feel like I will always feel like part of the problem is always gonna be me. My friend Katie's like, we are 50% of any relationship, right? So if things are not going right, yeah, what's your what's your piece? And so that's the space I'm in as an instructor as well. Of like, it means something to have longevity in this industry. It means something to have your own brand. It means something when people follow you, quote unquote.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

And that doesn't mean you have to be a diva. But right, it also like you worked for that, right? Anyone else in any other industry would, you know, the equivalent would be like they're an executive making 300 grand by this point, right? And somehow in fitness, it's, you know, just a different thing.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. I think values change like the older you get, you know, like the way you value your time or the way you value yourself. Yeah. And I know for me personally, like with some like more professional relationships, things have felt like not as exciting as they may have in the past, or like a a a number, uh, a dollar amount to do something that would have been so exciting to me like two years ago, now is kind of like, I don't know, like it doesn't feel exciting to me anymore. Or you know, like just things like evolve and change, or things that I would I would do maybe for free now that I wouldn't do in the past. I'm doing that because my values have changed a little bit, you know? So it's for me too, it's it's not always even like higher in dollar amount and this and that's like what things do I want to do? Like complimentary. Yes, you know, like purpose and alignment. Yeah. Because that that matters just as much as like bringing in dollars. It's like, what am I doing that feels aligned and like feels really good and makes sense? And you know, maybe like because I do this, there'll be a kickback like down the line, or maybe not. Maybe it's just an opportunity for me to grow and show up, you know? So I think that's been a part of my evolution too. I mean, to be honest, when I first was teaching in Boston, I was doing everything for free.

SPEAKER_02

Like literally, I believe it. Yeah, yeah. Because you just feel like you have to, right? Just to get out there.

SPEAKER_01

Totally. And it was really good to kind of like build almost like this kind of um, what's the word I'm looking for? Almost like endurance. Like get out there, teach as much as I possibly could, learn all of these experiences. The hard part for me was when I gained the experience, I was like, uh-oh, how do I stop doing all this stuff for free?

unknown

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. Um, and I remember I was teaching for this series. They were wonderful partners, but I had decided, I was like, I can't, I need to ask for more for these classes. And I remember I was just so nervous. Like my voice was shaking.

SPEAKER_02

I believe it. I believe it.

SPEAKER_01

These classes because I held such value on them that I was like, if they say no, what am I gonna do? Like I was like my life was hinging on this. Yeah. You know, that that with just like time and experience, you have to go through the uncomfortable moment of evolving into like asking for more and also just having a conversation with people. You know, if if they can't meet you there, okay, like what does that mean? Can we work something out? You know, it doesn't have to be a hard and fast yes no, or like, I'm in, I'm out. I'm actually working with this really wonderful uh woman who opened, helped open a studio in Australia. I'm working with her like on a one-on-one capacity. And one of the things we're really talking about is negotiating with the owners about her role and context. And I see so much of myself in her because she's like, this is so uncomfortable for me to like ask for what I want, even though she's beyond talented, like beyond talented, has so much experience. But that's a part of like the evolution and kind of like thinking about where are your values right now. And I just remember saying to her recently, like, listen, just have a conversation with them. It doesn't have to be mean, it doesn't have to be scary, it doesn't have to be like yes, no. Like, there are ways to work with people. And so that's that's how I try to approach things now is like have a conversation, like, you know, what is their bandwidth? What's my bandwidth? It doesn't have to be a negative, you know, true tone. It's just a conversation of like, where's everybody at? Let's see what we can come up with, sort of thing. Um so that's kind of been my experience of like as I've got gained more experience, maybe my values have shifted, just kind of like moving from yes no to like exploring like what it could be like.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah. I mean, I I I hope people really take that in because, you know, especially if you're an entrepreneur or a solopreneur or a creative or whatever, because that's business, right? Everything's a negotiation and and everybody needs something that goes beyond money. You know, like a lot of we all want to get paid. It's not that, but there are so many other factors and dynamics that often, yeah, people will will be like, okay, maybe we can't pay more, but we can have someone do all the content. And, you know, then you're not paying a photographer. There's so many different ways that you can, you know, work things if you just have a conversation.

SPEAKER_01

Absolutely. And that's something that for the the folks that go through the kick instructor training, a lot of the stuff that comes up is like, should I teach this class for free? How much should I charge for this? What should I do for that? And what I always like to suggest to people is like, what is what's your goal for this? Is your goal to get in front of people? So maybe you do do it for free. Maybe you collect their email addresses, which is like gold, you know? So maybe like you you do that for free. Is it, is the is the purpose of this to make money? Great, great. Let's talk about like what do you want to charge for the class? Like, what does that look like? I I just I what I guess I'm trying to portray is like neither is like bad, you know, like you can do something because you want to make money from it, or maybe there's a different angle where you get a different kind of value from it. And so that's kind of the game that I play too of like, okay, what would this mean, you know, for me? Because that sounds selfish, but at the end of the day, when you're giving your energy, yeah, it might not be the dollars, it might be something else. But it is like from an energetic perspective, what what feels good. And I think that people who uh a lot of people who get into fitness, they have maybe a corporate job or something more quote unquote traditional. So of course they go into it thinking, like, how do I make money? You know, like right away. What's what's the ROI?

SPEAKER_00

Right.

SPEAKER_01

And um it it just it's it's not so like one way or the other. There's to approach it.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, 100%. 100%. What a game. What a game we're playing. I I wanna wrap this up or this like section up by asking you to answer like three very specific questions based on like literally the three kind of audiences like we've been talking about.

SPEAKER_01

Okay.

SPEAKER_02

So if you could give a piece of advice, I mean it could be more than one, but I no pressure, but like something for instructors, something for entrepreneurs, and then something for clients.

SPEAKER_01

Mmm, I love this. Yeah. So and and any kind of like piece of advice that comes to mind? Anything, anything. Okay. I think um for instructors, this is a big one. Remember that your fellow instructors are not your competitors necessarily, men. They don't have to be your enemy. I think that's really important and something I really try to, I I probably talk about like too much, but it's this idea of like, these are your, these are your pals. These are the people who get it. Yeah. Yeah. So like lean on each other, collaborate, network, don't be afraid to ask for help, or you know, ego is a real thing for everybody, including myself. It's very hard. It's very hard. So just a reminder to instructors, your fellow instructors, those are not your enemies, those are your best friends.

unknown

True.

SPEAKER_01

True. Um, and if that if that's not their approach, then probably not for you. You know, like we'll find your people.

SPEAKER_02

We'll find somebody, yes.

SPEAKER_01

They're out there. They are out there. Um, what I would say to entrepreneurs or solopreneurs, which I really identify with, um don't be afraid to ask for help. And be honest. Something that I really struggled with and something that I continue to work through is again this idea of perfectionism, like self-inflicted perfectionism. Um, or comparing myself to um, you know, this is a big one, comparing myself to like my COVID self, which sounds maybe kind of crazy to people, but during COVID, my business took off. It was, it was like to the moon. And so I think it's really unfair sometimes when we compare ourselves to these moments that that were moments that, you know, like you use to launch yourself, but again, things ebb and flow. So I I think just normalizing what I would love to see, you know, for my own benefit from other people, is just normalizing the ebbs and flows of, you know, running your own business because damn, it's tough. It can be really tough. And I know that people talk about it and I appreciate it, but I just hope there can continue to be continue to be conversations about, you know, being your own worst enemy almost and comparison with yourself. Um, so I hope that resonates with people because there's a lot of talk about comparing yourself to others, which is common, but like, what about that game of like comparing yourself to yourself?

unknown

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, that's real.

SPEAKER_01

And then to uh to clients or participants, I would say it kind of goes along. Like there's this theme of like lowering the pressure, but lower the pressure for yourself a little bit when it comes to like what does like fitness mean to you? It doesn't have to be this really harsh strategic game. It can be a place where you can exhale and yeah, all of those other benefits will come. Like maybe you're trying to lose weight or you're trying to build muscle or whatnot. But maybe if folks can approach it from a supportive place versus like a restrictive place.

unknown

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Thank you.

SPEAKER_02

I'm just like taking all that in. Just nodding. Yeah. Smiling and nodding with you 100%. It almost it almost seems like the the like baseline theme of everything is it's just kind of like rejecting perfectionism and like embracing the humanity.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Like I I keep hearing that as the underlying thing.

SPEAKER_01

That's really what it is, I think, across the board. And I think it's because um especially especially in this age of social media where we're constantly consuming other people's taste content. It's it's it's too much, it's addicting and it's too much. So I think it definitely all of this stuff, you know, when people are sharing their ideas, it's coming from a personal place of what I would love for myself, you know, and and that's what I hope for other people is to just like lower the pressure and humanize the experience because we're we're all like much more similar than we think. It's just like social media can change this perception, or like once again, if you're at the front of the room with a mic, it can change the perception. But we're we're no like better than one another.

SPEAKER_02

Fully agree. Fully agree. I would also argue that sometimes like it's the person in the front of the room with the microphone that needs healing the most. Yes. You know what I'm saying? Like sometimes, like sometimes I want to I want to say to clients, especially young women, I want to be like, no, no, no, you don't want to be like her. You do not want to trade, not because there's something wrong with her, but because like sometimes when people are in the front of the room, they feel pressured to become something that they're not, or they feel pressured to look a certain way that can lead to unhealthy behaviors, or you know, just the all kinds of stuff that that just there's obviously something missing, right? That would make people search and search for some kind of fame or recognition or whatever, like you know.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, and it it really a question that I ask our instructors all the time when we're doing any kind of like workshops or training is why are you teaching? Like really man, thank you. For real.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, like for real.

SPEAKER_01

And it's okay if like the surface level stuff is first. Like I like performing or being in front of a room, but but then like underneath, but like why? What like why else? Because there's so much more underneath that. And I think that I I've posted content like this before and I've seen some of it popping up on my feed, but there's also this contrast of like having a mental breakdown before you put your mic on. And then you put your mic on, you're like, hey, everybody. Because you have to perform, you know, it's like listen, yes. It it's it's really like you have to flip that switch. But I always get curious about okay, if I'm having literally like a mental breakdown before I teach, how can I maybe softly invite people into that? Like let them know to I straight up tell them.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah. I'm like, guys, I'm not fucking okay. All right. But like, you know, this happened or that happened. They're so grateful. Yeah. Because because like once you say it, class goes better than you thought, right? Because now you're not holding on to whatever. They hold you, you hold them. You didn't lie, you didn't, you didn't like trauma dump either. You just said, like, I'm having a day, whatever.

SPEAKER_01

For sure. And I think that's the thing too. Like, I'm leaning so far one way that I do want to remind people that like the integrity of your teaching and like the way you're able to teach and like your education and like your form. Like all of that is so important. So I hope people don't take this and they're like, I'm just gonna show up and try. Yes, please, no, be qualified, be qualified, please. Please, be qualified for sure. I I just like as we're talking, I'm like, huh, I wonder if people that are listening to this are thinking, like, okay, cool. So I'm just gonna like show up and just share all my shit with everybody. But I know, I know is just like have some uh training so you can just just at minimum.

SPEAKER_02

I mean, we're going like we're going above and beyond the baseline of we're assuming that you already, you know, you have your CPR AED certification, like you know, you know the minimum.

SPEAKER_01

That's right. You want to be able to take care of people and you know, give them a really safe experience. But yeah, that's baseline.

SPEAKER_02

Okay. Now I need to know like who you wanted to be when you were a little girl. Like, how did you imagine your life?

SPEAKER_01

Hmm, I well, talking about performance. I always, I always felt pretty comfortable on a stage, like was grew up dancing, or before I went all the way with dance, it was like dance and cheer. So like there was always this like performance, or I was a theater kid too. So there's always like this performance-based kind of thing. But when I was thinking about my career, I always was like, I wanna be, um, I wanna be like on the news, like abroad sort of thing. So when I went to, when I went to UMass Amherst, I actually went in with the intention of like going down that route, which was interesting. So I all that to say, like there is this love of being able to like perform or like provide an experience for people. Um, but at the same time, I've also been very much like a caretaker. So I love making people, as you can probably hear through these conversations, just making people feel like supported and loved and like, you know, seen. So I think something in that space was always going to be in my future. And the further that I got into my college career, I actually um added on public health as a major because I really love the public health space. I am so um, I can't even tell you, painfully bad at like math and science, but I love I love the social side of public health. So, and this was kind of unique at UMass Amherst. They have you can go the science track or the social track.

SPEAKER_02

So for me, I was like, oh my god, this is perfect.

SPEAKER_01

So it's like learning about people's behaviors and like trends, and obviously much deeper than that, I'm really summarizing, but it was so interesting to me to understand like health trends and how people, you know, nature versus nurture and how you grow up and all of these things is just so, so interesting. So I think that I just wanted to be in a place of like supporting people's health and making them feel good. And that performance piece is just kind of a an added bonus on most days. Some days I don't feel like it, but on most days. Um so yeah, I I I never really grew up, you know, saying like I want to be a teacher or I want to be this or that. It was just kind of like a feeling of like the genre of work, like the general feeling of it. And I've also given myself permission the older I've gotten to be okay if that changes, which is weird and interesting. You know, like I've been teaching for so long that I have gotten curious about like, okay, just kind of checking in with myself. Do I still love this? And are there other things that I would ever want to do or other like paths maybe that are adjacent to this that I want to do? And I think that's another, I think, uh maybe interesting point for people who own their own thing or do their own thing. It's okay to dream, you know, beyond what you're doing. I think it's so badass when people are like, I'm going this completely different route. Like, wow. Yeah. Amazing. Getting really brave. It is. It's super so yeah, just kind of being comfortable with flexibility, you know, and not be not just kind of like anchoring myself for life to to one thing.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah. I wholeheartedly feel that. I agree with that. I'm just very much like you don't get to come back and do it again, right? So you better do it the first time because that's the only time. Right. That's it. And like, who cares what people think? You know, especially when they're not paying your bills. Like, girl, goodbye. This is such a big lesson. Uh I don't even know literally half the time why I consider like 99.9% of the people who I'm considering when I'm making decisions and stuff, because not not one of them is signing a check for me. Totally. Not one of them are paying the rent. And so I'm like, I don't even know why I'm talking to you right now.

unknown

Yep.

SPEAKER_01

Yep.

SPEAKER_02

Inconsequential.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. It's just so consumed by other people's like what we think other people think. And again, I really I'm sure this existed before social media. It's just so heightened. It's so heightened. It's constant. It's constant.

SPEAKER_02

And people, people feel emboldened to give their opinion more than they did because they don't have to say it to your face anymore. It's always a text or a DM or a comment. It's rare that that someone will like look at me and give me an opinion that I did not ask for, like standing three feet in front of me.

SPEAKER_01

Totally.

SPEAKER_02

But remove my physical person, and now everybody's got like something to say.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

So I I find that interesting too.

SPEAKER_01

This idea of um I haven't used ClassPass in a very long time, but I guess like they're starting to put people's names behind the reviews. It's a Jewish thing that I I've seen because people can be so mean. Yeah. If if you can be anonymous, oh they it's just like it's crazy. And these reviews may or may not be true of like the whole experience. The fact that they can do that though. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Also, the audacity to like leave a review on ClassPass that like decimates an instructor or a business when literally using ClassPass in and of itself decimates businesses. Like, I'm like, you shouldn't even be allowed to talk because small businesses are being like ruined by ClassPass. So totally, totally it's the irony.

SPEAKER_01

No, I know, I know. But yeah, it's rare that people will actually say all of like these crazy mean things to your face.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, yeah. It's almost like if you do say it to my face, like I maybe I have more respect for you. I might be mad, but at least you looked like for real. For real. But like going the complete other way, in terms of like this big dream, or not this big dream, but more of like this like idea of a dream of who you could become. I'm interested in who supported you. Like, did your parents support you or try to pull you into something more safe or secure, or your teachers, or whatever? Like, how did you either receive a boost early on or did you have to fight through to become who you became?

SPEAKER_01

What a great question that I don't know that I've ever really talked specifically about, but the it was it was both of those things that happened. So when I graduated, I keep talking about like graduated and moved to Boston. It's just because it was like a pivotal time. There's a lot that happened there. And I was working at Brigham and Women's and really like flexing on my public health degree, you know, for real. Really going that route. Yeah. And uh I remember that I was so excited to have this, like be working for like this really amazing institution, like what a good resume builder, and like maybe a stepping stone into a future at Brigham, whatever that was. Because once again, I was just teaching on the side wherever I could. So that wasn't teaching wasn't my main thing right out the gate. And I remember my dad was so excited about like the uh stability that this job was providing. I mean, it it barely paid me, but it was like the stability. It was a job with a paycheck. Yeah, exactly. Exactly. It was like extreme entry level, you know, job. And I I remember just having conversations with him of him saying, like, you know, like, stick with it. This is like a great path. And then my mom, on the other hand, was like, give it your shot, give it a shot with teaching and kick it and go for it. Like everything will work out how it's supposed to. And that for sure just comes from like background. So my my dad, for people who don't know, he is originally from Iran. And he came over here for college and is really like a uh, I don't know if I'd call it rags to riches, but like rags to like some a life to be really proud of, you know.

SPEAKER_00

Right, right, right.

SPEAKER_01

You know, I did I didn't grow up living in like a mansion, but like I am so grateful that I I I always felt comfortable as a kid, you know, and growing up. So rags. I didn't know that. Okay. It's it's for lack of a better phrase. Um, but my dad is an entrepreneur. He had his own business until I'm not kidding, my brother went into business with him when he got out of college. They just sold their business this past year. So, like So forever, really. Yeah. My dad's an entrepreneur, and so he he knows the hardships. He knows how unpredictable it can be. And he worked so, so hard to build a life for himself and for our family here. That I think working for Brigham was like, stick with it, you know, like stick with it, Baba. That's what he'd say, you know, like very, very like classic. Um, it's a cultural thing too, like Persian Jewish mindset of like become like a doctor or a lawyer or like work in healthcare or a dentist or something like. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So I think there was this glimmer of like, amazing, like you're in that world. Um, and my mom, on the other hand, oh my gosh, I her support, it was so uh like well received on my end of just like go for it. You know, like what do you have to lose? So I never felt this daunting pressure from my dad to stay at my nine to five. It was more so his angle of, you know, stability and that path. He's always supported me in whatever I really want to do, but it was my mom that was really like just, you know, what do you have to lose? A little Dululu, honestly, but like, I mean, it worked though. Yeah, you need that. So yeah, those were those were early on uh kind of like conversations and ideas around my career from my parents. And it was very formative, very, very formative.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, I bet. Oh my gosh. Wow, thank you for sharing that. I'm always just so curious of what you know people's journeys are because we're all just so different how we how we land where we land and the reasons why, you know. Absolutely. Um, and our families just have such a big role to play in that, um, for better or for worse.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Um so as last two questions, what kind of world are you building? Professionally? I don't know. Um maybe, but but I also think that with what you do, sometimes it's a little bit blurred, the personal and professional. If you're coming toward the end and looking back over your life, like how do you how do you want to leave the world? What's how are you making your mark?

SPEAKER_01

I just want to care for people and have them feel like whatever space I'm creating is safe for them. I think I find so much satisfaction out of uh people saying how much kick it has changed their lives. Like that's maybe I should be more money-driven, honestly, as a small business owner.

SPEAKER_00

Yes, amen.

SPEAKER_01

I I can tell you like that is the driving factor for me. Like the dollars, yes, I need to live. I need to, I want to be comfortable, I want to grow, but I'm telling you, the like star of the show is hearing, seeing, experiencing people, kick it, having a relationship with kick it, and saying it's it's changed my life. Like that is extremely satisfying for me. So I just want to keep creating spaces like that. And like, how cool, you know. I'm I'm not, I'm not like a doctor or, you know, some like high level whatever it is, but I'm able to still create an experience for someone that changes their life. That seems really cool to do that and very meaningful. I also I think like the meaningful piece is for me personally, I just want to create a meaningful life. So that's that's kind of a umbrella answer to the life I want to create.

SPEAKER_02

I love that. Thank you. And finally, is there anything that I did not ask you that you feel needs to be said on this podcast?

SPEAKER_01

Hmm. To be honest, I don't think so. I think it's just we covered a lot of ground. Yeah. I feel like it's really fun to share the beginning stages and like the behind the scenes to everything, even down to like talking about my parents and their different kinds of support and where they came from and how that influenced me. I think it's so fun to share that because that is like in the depths, you know, like it's underneath all of this stuff of what people see today. So I'm really glad I got to share that piece of it. It's so important. It's so like instrumental to who I am and like the work that I do. So I hope that that piece was fun for people to listen to. And other than that, I think we covered everything, really.

SPEAKER_02

I know we went on. I yeah, I was I'm always happy to hear, or or it's not even like I'm happy to hear who people are, but I'm like, I actually I need to know who you are, you know, because I know that social media is is so fake. Even when you're trying to be real, I know that I'm only gonna see bits and pieces.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

I'm never gonna have the full story. I'm never going to be able to truly get to know you. And so just I always crave that of people.

SPEAKER_01

As much as you try to convey it on social media to you, everything is so quick moving. And like, you know, like you it's just you refresh a page and like your post goes away, or like, you know, whatever your email pops to like the promotions tab, people don't see your story. You know, there's there's so many ways that people miss the actual story. So I really I really appreciate these conversations and thank you for giving me the platform to talk about all of it.

SPEAKER_02

Oh my gosh. Thank you for saying yes. So happy to have you. I know you plugged everything in the last episode, but still, let's make sure we cover all the bases in case somebody was moving too fast and missed it.

SPEAKER_01

So, where can people find you and connect? Everything is at kick it by Eliza. I'm most I'm most active on Instagram and new website is coming out soon. So by that is live that that'll come out, which is really exciting. Um, but yeah, everything at Kick Itby Eliza.

SPEAKER_02

Perfect. Easy. Um, I guess that's it. I guess I have to say goodbye to you now. I'm just now I'm kind of sad.

SPEAKER_00

It's like really over.

SPEAKER_02

Thank you so much for your for your time and your energy and your expertise and and your vulnerability. I appreciate it. I know other people are gonna appreciate it and that they're just gonna like love getting to know you better and and getting to check out Kick It. It's just the best case scenario. So thank you.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, thanks for having me.

SPEAKER_02

All right, everybody. Go follow Eliza and Kick It. You know what to do. And make sure you send this episode, these two episodes, this whole two parts. Send it to someone who needs to hear it. Send it to someone who would just kind of be soothed by getting to live as a human and being imperfect. Like that's all we can ask for. So we'll see you next time.