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

Hi Sarah, where are your from? We’d love to hear about how your background has played a role in who you are today?
I am from Scottsdale, AZ and I was recruited by the University of Oregon to run on scholarship for the University of Oregon in Track and Cross Country. I excelled, failed and learned a lot about myself, my body, being apart of a team and self-discipline. I’m currently back I Scottsdale with my husband, son and baby girl on the way. I have been in the fitness industry for 5 years, training clients 1:1, teaching group classes and being apart of a larger community; a lululemon Run Ambassador. Competing at such a high level in college, with the best athletes in the world, I was able to set the bar high with the people I’m around and who I am as an athlete. College also humbled me and I am happy to say that I love to train ALL levels. Whether you are an ex-Olympian to a person that is working on their first pull-up. Being able to see someone get better (no matter where they start) is motivating and inspiring to me as a trainer in the fitness industry!

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
To get to where I am today, definitely was not easy, but when I look back at my running career and how it’s shaped me into the athlete and trainer I am today, I am thankful for every up and down in the process. The ups were from the friends I made and the coaches I was trained under. The National Championships I was apart and the PR (personal records) I was able to reach. I learned a lot from the downs of being injured. Dealing with injuries from major to minor, from sitting out for months and months due to stress fractures, to not making a National team. Due to my time at Oregon, I have a ton of credibility and it has set me apart from others in the personal training space. I can coach people who want to get fit and all the way up to professional athletes, because I was in their same spot back in the day. Looking back, the main thing I’ve learned is humility. As humans, we all have ups and downs. At some point in our life, we think we are better, except more and need to receive more than we actually should. Life is about helping people and providing something for someone else. Give back. As a personal trainer, I feel like I give back to my clients daily. I love to hear how their body feels strong and unstoppable when we are training together. I love to hear when clients say they feel like they’ve lost weight and how they now have so much more energy. That puts a smile on my face and I forget that my job is an actual job. I want EVERYONE to feel good, feel strong and feel like they can push their bodies and minds to the next level!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
The place my best friend and I are visiting is Portland, OR in the summer time. I lived there for a couple years, so there’s some sort of comfort there for me. We would wake up around 7am and do a long run on the Waterfront. We would then get coffee and walk around downtown to get breakfast and sit outside to enjoy the perfect weather. We would meet up with friends afterwards and go to an outdoor market and pick out yummy food to make for dinner that night. Before dinner, we would go for a hike in the trees. We would then go back to the place we were staying out in downtown Portland and make cocktails and pour yummy wine. Then we would make a delicious meal and walk to the ice-cream shop to end the night. The rest of the weekend would look similar – working out, eating/cooking yummy food and socializing with other friends!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would like to recognize my College Strength & Conditioning Coach back at the University of Oregon. He always expected 110% from his athletes and I respected him for that. I was able to receive the best coaching at the best Track school in the nation and it has made me into the Fitness Professional I am today. For my clients who really want to put in the time and work to get better, then I also except them to show up and put in 110% effort. That’s how we grow and get better, right?

Website: www.sarahwhipple.com
Instagram: Sarah.j.whipple
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-whipple-39046966/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sarah.penney.338/

Image Credits
@lululemon @thisphotogirl

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