Meet Tiffany Usavage | Strength & Conditioning Coach & Business Owner

I think risk-taking is crucial in one’s life to succeed. Growing up, I was super shy and was always afraid to do new and risky things. Fast forward to my junior year in college, I studied abroad in Australia and I forced myself to go outside of my comfort zone and take risks. I submerged myself in the Aussie lifestyle and only met people who were living there. Going to Australia was a risk because I was very quiet, self-conscious, and had a poor mindset, so doing something on my own was super new to me, and traveling across the world was scary. I knew at that moment when I got accepted to the uni in Australia, and I had my finances in order, that I had to go. I had the most incredible time and learned so much about myself, others, different cultures, etc. From a woman never leaving home and never being on her own, it was an experience that I am so grateful I took.

Fast forward to when I graduated college, I was an eager graduate who wanted to have fun and do what I loved to do. I worked a little at some gyms where I lived in Northeastern PA, but I had the opportunity to interview at a massive gym, Chelsea Piers Fitness, in NYC so I decided to try. For three weeks, I drove down once each week for an interview to then have received the job and was told to move there in a week. I would always tell myself I could never live in the city. Too many people, too busy, too much going on, etc. Being from a small town in Northeastern PA, it was very scary and intimidating for me, but I took this job opportunity as a sign and hopped on it. I quit my three jobs, moved to NYC by myself, and navigated the city alone for months. It was difficult and extremely different from what I was used to in a small town, but I THRIVED in it. I left what was comfortable for me and decided I needed more than to just survive.

Navigating the city was HARD and I felt scared a lot and sometimes even alone (like getting lost at 11 PM in the city when it was super cold, just worked 11 hours that day, my phone was dead, and I was carrying 4 heavy bags), but I always ended up figuring it out with my skills and my support system.

Then Covid happened and I moved back to PA and thought, “I can’t work for anyone else. I need to start a business”. I started an online business training women in mindset, weightlifting, and nutrition. I invested almost 10k in my first business coach which I have NEVER done, but everything inside of me told me I needed to because I needed to start this journey for myself and couldn’t do it alone. I was so scared to spend that money, but that was all the more reason to do it. Almost two months in, I made it all back and then some. It’s risky owning a business. You go through times of feeling broke to feeling like the richest person on the planet. Almost 6 months later, I took a leap of faith with my second business + branding coach and invested almost 20k in them. I knew it was a big investment and a big risk since I moved back to NYC and was living in Times Square at the time, so the rent wasn’t cheap, but I knew I had to do it. I had to take the risk because I knew I needed help and to make money you also have to spend money. It allowed me to trust myself with the decisions I made and trust my business partners/coaches and help gain a relationship with them and in return, my business.

Fast forward to now, I live in LA, still have my LLC, and train amazing clients privately and at Royal Personal Training. Last year, I decided I needed something new so I bought a new car, packed it to the brim, and drove cross-country by myself without a plan on where to live, but just a sublet.

Risk-taking can be very scary and nerve-wracking, and I understand that. However, it can be so freeing. The things that are the scariest, riskiest, and hardest to get are always the ones that matter the most. Easy things aren’t exciting. They aren’t rewarding. When you take that risk, you learn to trust yourself and a higher power (if you believe in one). If it doesn’t happen the way you want it to, you learn to change the way you approach it next time and or understand rejection is protection. Risk-taking and going outside of your comfort zone are paramount to a successful life. Yes, there is solitude, gratitude, and stillness in your comfort zone and one should cherish those moments, but don’t get too comfortable. There are doors that will open for you once you show that you deserve them. Charge forward and trust YOURSELF to take that risk because you’re STRONG and SMART and will figure it out REGARDLESS of the outcome.

If I never took risks or leaped outside of my comfort zone, I would have never become the woman I am now. I am so grateful to have felt like I lived multiple lives by the age of 25. These experiences have shaped my mindset and helped me grow in ways that will allow me to grow in years to come. The relationship with yourself is MOST important. Risk-taking will help you to shape that relationship with yourself and experience life in ways you never thought possible.

I am a strength and conditioning coach! I train men, women, and athletes in person and I have an app that I train women online in mindset, nutrition, and weightlifting. I am also a USA Olympic weightlifting Level 1 coach and I have my bachelors in Exercise Science from King’s College in Wilkes Barre, PA. I absolutely LOVE what I do. Helping individuals reach goals they never thought possible, is amazing to me.

How did I get into this? I was a ballet dancer my whole life. About 87% of it to be exact. When I reached the age of 18, I had to decide whether I was going to do it professionally or go to college. Since ballet was my whole life, it was really hard to decide to not do it professionally, but I knew it was the right decision for me. I went to school for exercise science because I knew that I loved exercise, and I’d figure it out while I went. Throughout my four years of college, I worked at various gyms in my area to constantly have hands-on experience in my field. It was my senior year when I REALLY started to love strength and conditioning. I was very good at it and I also worked with the head strength coach during my last year of uni. Working with athletes and being in the weightlifting room was thrilling to me. I loved programming and seeing athletes get stronger throughout the seasons. Being a leader was also something that I loved about the field.

When I graduated, I continued to work at different gyms in Northeastern PA, but then was offered the position as a coach at Chelsea Piers Fitness, in NYC. Working in NYC was the hardest thing I ever had to do at that time, but I learned so much about myself and my field. I worked next to some incredible coaches and cherished the moments I got to learn from them. When covid happened, I started my own business, which made me appreciate my job even more. I really started to understand WHY I do what I do and the impact it has on others. This business isn’t easy. It is a CONSTANT hustle. People don’t want training anymore, they hurt themselves, they can’t afford it anymore, they move, and the list goes on and on. Creating a brand that allows people to trust you can take a while, and there was a lot of soul searching that I had to do to help me in this process to align myself with ideal clients. It can be very draining and you can get burnt out very easily, so finding a balance is crucial. It is also important to take care of yourself since this whole job is taking care of others and we cannot fill others’ cups until we fill our own.

Since being a ballet dancer requires a lot of athleticism, I was strong, but smaller and was always bullied for “being too small” and being told I needed to “eat more cheeseburgers”. It made me super self-conscious and I wanted to have muscle and be bigger, so for years I worked hard to gain size and confidence. I then learned that mindset is JUST as important as the food you put in your body and the weights you are lifting at the gym. Yes, I was in the gym working out and trying to eat well, but I still had negative self-talk and did not work through my limiting beliefs, which delayed my process of self-love even longer. We aren’t born with the thoughts that we are not good enough, we don’t deserve to feel happy, etc. Those thoughts are taught to us and we make them our own. As a coach, it is my duty to help my clients not only reach their fitness goals inside of the gym but continue that work outside of it. I help my clients see their life and their capabilities, to help them manifest the life they want and the confidence they need to succeed. I know how hard it can be to go through life and not have positive self-talk and not trust yourself or feel deserving of things you want. That is why mindset work is SO important for whatever in-person or online client I train. I care about them for more than the hour they are in the gym with me or the workout program I give to them online. They deserve to feel happy and strong in every aspect of their life.

Los Angeles is SO exciting!! There are always new things here. Either on Tuesday or Wednesday, I would take them to La Descarga in Hollywood for a bachata or salsa class! I absolutely love that bar and the energy there. We would grab lunch at one of my favorite vegan restaurants, Honeybee Burger in Venice. There are too many great restaurants to count here, but we would explore all the different food options to get the full LA food experience. Since I LOVE the beach – Malibu, Manhattan beach, Huntington, and Palisades, will be day trips spent at the beach. During those days we would walk the boardwalks, piers, and surrounding restaurant areas to meet people, play nearby beach volleyball games, and ride bikes. On the weekend I would take them to a local farmers’ market to support local businesses. Hiking is also very important to do in LA and very touristy to see the Hollywood sign, so I would plan a day to attack both of those! I may need to bring someone who knows the trails because I have not hiked as much as I would have liked yet!

If there is time, I would also love to either drive or take the Pacific Surfliner down to San Diego to show them the glorious beaches in San Diego. I have not explored down there too much, but it would be a great excuse to go. The few times I went were amazing and the surfing and outdoor activities are endless!!

I will always thank the people closest to me for my journey. My mother and father are on the top of that list with always being my biggest supporters. Whenever I am in need or having a hard time, both my mother and father are there to support me. I am very grateful to have both parents stand behind my decisions and not question what I want to do. Although I’m sure it was hard for their young daughter to move around the world and do all of these new things, they were always there making sure I needed to do what made me happy. Thanks, Darcy and John!!

My closest friends will also always have a shoutout. They are always there to listen when I need to vent/talk about my life. Encouraging me to do the right thing and guiding me through life’s tough struggles is something they are very good at and I am very grateful for that.

My therapist from last year, Nicole, was a huge part in helping me shapeshift my mindset as well. If it wasn’t for her, I would have gone into a dark hole when I first moved to Los Angeles!! Therapy is a blessing!

Listening to Abraham Hicks on different social media platforms has helped me to grow a beautiful manifesting reality/mindset. She is such a beautiful soul and I enjoy listening to her words of wisdom and constant positivity!! Surrendering and living the life you know you deserve is something she always talks about and something I integrated into my mindset!