PERSPECTIVE : REFLECTIONS OF INDUSTRY LEADERS
THE MORE YOU KNOW
THE BETTER
When we learn something new , we open the door to opportunity . To grow in this industry , you must keep continual learning at the core of everything you do , writes industry educator and group fitness guru Marietta Mehanni .
W hen a comment on one of my
recent social media posts mentioned the name of a fitness industry colleague that I hadn ’ t thought about for a long time , it brought the power of the word ‘ learn ’ vividly to mind . The name was Meredith King , and as my aqua coordinator at the Ivanhoe Aquatic Centre in the early 90 ’ s , she was one of the first people that I worked for in this industry . As an instructor in my early 20 ’ s , I was well aware that she knew a lot more about delivering great exercise experiences than I did , and to be honest , I was a little intimidated by her - while also respecting her enormously . Meredith never missed a thing , and when she was on duty I could feel her gaze on me as I taught my aqua classes . I desperately hoped that she liked what she saw : it was important to me that she felt I was a competent instructor . So , the day that she came up to me to provide me with some feedback following a class , I was anxious . ‘ Marietta , why don ’ t you teach anything in the deep water ?’ ‘ I haven ’ t really done anything in the deep water before , Meredith ’ ‘ Learn ’ I ’ m sure she said some other words , but that ’ s the one that made a huge impact on me . To this day , I hear it reverberating in my head every time I quietly say to myself ‘ I don ’ t know how to do this ’, or ‘ This is really hard .’ Ten years later , I was asked by Jennifer Schembri-Portelli ( affectionately known as JSP ) to copresent with Meredith at an Aqua Summit that was the annual highlight of the Victorian aquatic industry . It had been several years since I had last had any real contact with Meredith , and here I was , being asked to present with her . Yes , I was much more knowledgeable and experienced now , but so was Meredith . JSP requested that I deliver a lecture , complete with PowerPoint presentation - something that I ’ d never previously done , as all my sessions to date had been practical . ‘ Jenny , I can ’ t - I don ’ t know how to use PowerPoint and I ’ m about to go on holiday to Greece ’. ‘ How long ’ s the flight ?’ ‘ It ’ s about a 24 hour transit ’ ‘ Then you have time to learn ’. There was that word again - and in a context that highlighted how powerful it was in comparison to the weaker ones of ‘ can ’ t ’ and ‘ don ’ t know ’. JSP and Meredith are women who greatly impacted my life and how I view challenges . I feel blessed to have benefited on Through learning , you are capable of overcoming any obstacle you set your mind to . numerous occasions from their very simple , yet very effective advice . Life changes can be instigated by some of the most simple , but powerful , words , and ‘ learn ’ is , unquestionably , one of these . When you find yourself challenged by the need to do something you ’ ve not done before , remind yourself that you have the ability to do hard things . Through learning , you are capable of overcoming any obstacle you set your mind to . That ’ s what has got you to this point in your life . It will take you to the next .
Marietta Mehanni Monash ‘ Outstanding Contribution to the Industry ’ 2019 award winner and Australian Fitness Presenter 2018 , throughout COVID Marietta provided hundreds of free online live workouts . She is the international Master Trainer and Education Coordinator for Gymstick International Oy , co-founder of My Group Move and co-creator of mSwing , a fascia-based group fitness program .
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