a lolly after class ! I moved on from there but stayed friends with the manager .
I then worked at the Southern Indoor Tennis Centre – the senior staff , Raelene and Tommy , were fitness gurus back then – and together we launched Tai Bo with Billy Blanks . I then went on to work at the YMCA , where I wanted to teach BODYJAM . The manager there told me I wasn ’ t good enough and would never teach dance there , so I went home and told my husband I wanted to open my own gym .
Back then – and still today – I don ’ t understand how another person can think it ’ s okay to hold another person back , especially in an industry where we are supposed to be role models and encourage growth in others .
To be honest , I just didn ’ t understand why somebody didn ’ t want better for somebody else ; I didn ’ t comprehend why or how someone could ever make a career decision for me . I was in my mid-30s and somebody is telling me I can ’ t do something ? No thanks ! Interestingly , in 2017 I still see this happening at senior levels in some clubs .
Brad asked me how much it would take to open a gym . I said some stupid amount like $ 25K , as I had no idea at all – I was a group fitness instructor who was more concerned with what to wear and the next Tai Bo class , than the cost of anything other than the next Les Mills release !
After about 18 months I left my job at that centre – well , actually had no choice . Sadly , the ongoing ridicule and embarrassment that was being forced on me as a result of my dream became intolerable . They could reject me and they could push me out , but the thing they couldn ’ t do was stop me !
You ’ d think they ’ d have been happy that I wanted to open my own business ; they were an integral part of my growth . One of the key things about living with my grandparents was that I ’ d learned really quickly real quick to become street smart – that ’ s what happens when you live in a commission area
where there ’ s no protection from people with their own agendas . I also had a big mouth , which meant I tended to tell people how it was , and not everybody likes this trait .
Often being loud comes from rejection – it ’ s kind of like a defense mechanism . To this day I ’ m still living loudly , and probably will for the rest of my life , but as I ’ ve grown older I ’ ve learned that good timing is the key . I ’ ve learned that silence can sometimes hurt even more than words .
Slowly , we began to purchase pieces of gym equipment from eBay , or from gyms that had closed down . We started to accumulate one piece at a time , storing it all in our house in Ballarat .
We ’ d not long moved houses , so we could be closer to the kids ’ schools . We ’ d left our house in Ballan that had an extra bedroom , and moved into a smaller house in Ballarat . Our new house soon filled with gym equipment – we had no kitchen table or chairs ; instead , upright bikes lined the hallway . In winter we ’ d hang the washing on them to dry - knickers , bras , you name it ! Similarly , dumbbells lined the dining and garage areas , and yep we had to park our cars on the street because the garage was full of pin-loaded machines and treadmills .
Finally , we found a building that was owned by a businessman in town . We organised the necessary leases and permits , but at the 11th hour he changed his mind ! We couldn ’ t afford the legal process to dispute him , so we just had to start the process all over again . Later his building became headquarters for the YMCA .
Nine months went by and eventually we found a building that belonged to the Anglican Church . It was situated on a main intersection on Victoria Street in Ballarat . We moved into the top half of the building and started by offering group fitness classes for six weeks , while the rest of the building was being renovated .
FROM SURVIVING TO THRIVING : THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF MEL TEMPEST 7