Meet Maddie Casadonte | Founder of The Boots Camp, Personal Trainer + Fitness Instructor

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

Hi Maddie, what habits do you feel helped you succeed?
I love this question. One thing that becomes tough as a solo business-owner is finding the time to do it all. So if there’s one thing that gets me back to feel-good productivity, it’s when I tap back into my positive daily habits.

For me, those mean — making a to-do list each night for the day following, waking up without my phone, thorough skin and teeth care, morning reflection, gratitude + intention, balanced meals throughout the day, proper water intake, daily exercise, vitamins, 10 mins of reading, and tackling most of my personal + work to-do list.

The daily work habits of course factor in here too. Creating an aesthetic work-space, boundaries with my hours, breaks when I eat, spending a little time in every department every day, and a new one, rating my energetic window of regulation to see where my stress levels are at daily. This helps me gauge how much I can realistically handle each day.

That also means taking the time to talk to my friends and family regularly. Time flies when you’re running your business so making sure you’re staying tapped in with the people that really matter is important to me or else I can tend to spiral emotionally, especially since I live so far away from them over here on the west coast. Since I’m a Jersey girl!

And I won’t lie, I don’t get to these things EVERY day. And saying them out loud right now is reminding me of a few that I need to get back into practice.

But when I’m doing that kinda stuff, I succeed. Why? It’s not that having all my basics visited every day magically makes my business better. But when I do those things daily, I perform better. I’m more confident in myself and my work. I show up with better energy.

They keep me human, too.

When I take create peace in my space and honor my boundaries and am honest with what I can handle, I actually handle it. And that’s what makes my business better. Otherwise, they end up getting swept under the rug.

And the energy does too.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
The truest version of me is a dancer. And a quirky one, to be specific. Lover of puns and illustrating through analogies, etc. Fitness really came into the picture as an after-effect when I wasn’t dancing as much, and my goal is to use them in tandem. When I moved to LA, just a year before starting my business, I was still recovering from an injury in my foot. So I haven’t been dancing as much as I’d like — but that is also a narrative that’s changing for me! By action and *habit* so hold me to it if you follow along!

I do believe my love for dance has lead to my creativity in other areas as well. The ways it played into my Advertising and Digital Marketing Bachelors Degree and my general love for the arts. Choreography is my purest love of art and oddly my love for math plays into that too. (I originally went to college as a Mathematics major to become a higher education teacher.)

I think it played into how I came up with the name of our business. One day I was working out outside during the pandemic and thought about how much I missed teaching and how impactful virtual fitness classes could be. Simultaneously and for a reason I cannot explain, I was also thinking about my nickname from my family, “Boots’. And I threw it together in probably 3 minutes by claiming the handle on Instagram and the rest is history lol!

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.
With a week in LA!? The world is your oyster!

I will say that I like to pick the atypical places to spend time out here. One of my favorite areas here is the east side — Glendale, Pasadena, Atwater Village area. The scenery of it all is just unlike anything else out here. And we love to catch up with friends at Golden Road Brewery over there! Such a good time. Both Pasadena and Glendale have endless, delicious restaurants to enjoy.

Next place I love is near my home — Burbank! Mainly because my boyfriend and I like to have some nearby go-to’s so we spend a lot of time there. We adore the bike path that runs through the valley. And not to mention the Burbank hills. Living there would be absolutely to die for. A little further away but Lake Balboa is another gem.

If you’re looking for a night out, West Hollywood is the place! Between Sunset and Santa Monica Boulevards, you’ll have more fun than you might be able to handle!!

And lastly, some beautiful places to hike and enjoy the beauty of Los Angeles. Of course, the beaches! Malibu, specifically an area called El Matador, is absolutely stunning. Any and all parks over there will not disappoint. Next, the beautiful hills of Coldwater Canyon, as you head over towards Beverly Hills. At the top of the mountain, there’s a hike that makes you feel like you entered a different reality! Topanga Canyon is also beautiful for this.

If there’s one other restaurant I’ll put on here — it’s Cafe 27! Pure MAGIC!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Giant shoutout to my Mama, Teresa Casadonte. Her unwavering support for me has brought me to where I am on every level. She has never blinked an eye when I share with her my dreams — unless she believes it’s ignorantly irresponsible haha — but she has supplied me with it all. A hustling example, an education-ongoing, the most loving and giving heart, the freedom to fly and figure it out, and so much more. So, thank you, my Mama . The strength you teach me is what makes Boots Camp strongest at its roots. I love you!

Website: thebootscamp.com OR studio.thebootscamp.com

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

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-boots-camp/

Twitter: https://x.com/thebootscamp

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bootsthecamp

Image Credits
Second Square Media