If you have noticed anything about this series or me- you will have gathered how much I simply adore individuals that find the positivity in almost everything. Because it is not easy. Life is hard and I would be lying if I didn’t heavily lean on or look to these people and others around me when I need to just wake up and well - smile. 

Or sweat. I have featured two other BOAM of the Month that are fitness instructors before, there’s something about this unwavering personality trait I just can’t quit. Which is why I decided to highlight yet another inspiring woman in fitness who isn’t afraid to admit her faults and fight them everyday like the rest of us.

Claudia Erban of @urban.meets.erban who I met via IG through my favorite clothing brand TanLines is a fitness instructor in Toronto Canada. Claudia was born in Austria and is Czech but moved to Vancouver at a young age and has called Canada home for quite sometime. We’ve never actually met in person- I feel pretty strongly in knowing we’d be bff if only we lived a country closer. She’s known around the web as a pun-ny and witty capitative instagram caption queen- I know that’s a mouthful but it’s true. Her micro blogs on any given post add value to my day and have me feeling like we really are equals in this rat race.

A law clerk by day, Claudia is no stranger when it comes to hard work and consistency. She started at Starbucks ( me too sis!), found herself in insurance and then furthered her education business through George Brown and Reyerson University while simultaneously completing her law clerk exams. Working for one of the highest regarded female counsel in Toronto, Claudia considers herself lucky. 

So how did she become the fitness inspo we all know on Instagram? Becca ( @torontoblondie) ,a good friend of Clauds, both worked out regularly together and the more they worked out, Becca pushed her friend to pursue becoming a personal trainer-

keep reading because this story isn’t all rainbows and butterflies.. 

So she did. Well, sorta. Becca and Claudia spent some time at Barrys bootcamp. Of which I have never been but anyone who has, says the same thing “Hooooly-shit so good- but SO HARD” along with that “Hold off” look. Or “if there’s an excuse.. maybe take it” look.. you know the one. As the story goes, Claudia knew a trainer there- got an audition.. and then got royally rejected, “they ripped me a new one, told me ‘you don’t have your certification, you have never taught a class, our members expect a lot and someone who has zero experience just isn’t going to fly”. Claudia agreed, “Thats fair”. There was one trainer she remembers telling her, “I can see you want this bad enough- go get your certification and come back to us one day”.

So, Claudia did just that - and Becca joined her. She got her certification in the Summer of 2019 and was immediately hired by her boxing studio - Big Hit. She quickly grew a strong community there! But, at the start of 2020, she was asked to lead a boxing class for Sweat & Tonic (one of the top studios in Toronto) and inevitably was asked to work there!

“I learned really quickly that it’s a brutal industry. You pick up so much of what other people do, you use they’re vocabulary, and then you are so hard on yourself- if I could look back on what my training style was, I could tell you when I watched someone else’s class and copied them. Or I listened to peoples advice that were more senior to me ‘Oh you know next time do this, your class was great but’..that was when I realized that if I was going to be an instructor- you have to find your own voice, and you truly have to take what others say with a grain of salt. People above you will never give you bad advice but people below you will nick pick you because they want what you have.” 

I will say that anyone - ANYONE that has put themselves out there- me for example, to be judged essentially, goes through this sort of metamorphous. And its not that “you’re not yourself” but you are afraid of how you are being received, then you morph into the “this is me and I’m okay with it” to “what are people liking?” As a fitness instructor this whole thing is HEIGHTENED. Because then, you have to also make sure you are delivering a program that isn’t hurting people amongst the list of 100 other things “not to say” or “how to or not to” push people. 

“You never know who comes into your class, you don’t know what everyones day is like, what their injuries are like, what they ate that day- its an immense amount of pressure and you really have to put your ego aside”

Her focus is to encourage others in this space to understand that “diet” isn’t a bad word and that being a work in progress, making mistakes and moving on are all very “in”. She is mindful in the language that she uses and is intentional with not only making sure you are getting a good sweat on, but thats it’s fun. So wait where does @urban.meets.erban come from? Well Erban is Claudia’s last name and Urban means city-so basically she could take this handle everywhere and it would apply. At the time she had moved across the country so it was very apropos. 

If your not already wowed by the complete candidness that Ms Claudia has so graciously presented to us in just these few paragraphs, she decided to speak publicly for the first time about the worst moment that has made her better- we go deep. 

Inspiring? One Hundred FKN Percent- and isn’t afraid to share the lessons she learned.. this (these) are what makes you a Babe On A Mish of the month. There is no triumph without struggle babe. There is however soundtracks and snacks- and all of these things are why I ask these 10 questions.. 

I have repeated that last quote a few different times.. I feel it applies so universally that, you don’t really need to be in the worst place ever to utilize it. I’ve been able to chat with Claudia a few more times and we’re manifesting a great meet up soon.. I kinda feel like I’d even maybe aggressively hug her and laugh -maybe fall to the ground? She has become a guiding light in my day.

Remember babes: “Your diet isn’t just what you eat, its who you consume, its what you read, its what you watch..”

We’re all babes on a mish- doing our very best. Thanks Claudia for reminding me that making mistakes, don’t define you- but its how you move forward and through them that shows your true character. 

You can find Claudia on instagram @urban.meets.erban