Today we’d like to introduce you to Emily Huebner.
Emily, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Growing up I was always very big into sports and being active. It wasn’t until I joined my high school cross country team that I decided to look into pursuing a career in the fitness industry.
Being a woman in the field, I knew I would have to work harder to get myself where I wanted to be. I pursued a Bachelor’s Degree in Exercise Science at Hofstra University and along that journey found myself in a CrossFit box. The group fitness aspect was a lot like being on a sports team and I was hooked immediately. Offering comradery among members and even some friendly competition was exactly what I was looking for. Eventually, I became certified to coach classes and especially enjoyed showing the women in the class that they were so much stronger than they thought. It really solidified for me that I was in the right place!
After undergrad, I decided to jump right into pursuing a Master’s Degree in Exercise Science at Northeastern, which brought me up to Boston. While in grad school, I had the opportunity to work with D1 athletes at Northeastern, along with some of the top names in the strength and conditioning/ sports field. Though it was a great opportunity, and the athletes were amazing to work with, the world of CrossFit, and group fitness, kept pulling me back!
After graduating, I helped to open the first CrossFit box in Brookline. This was where I was able to grow my confidence as a group class instructor. It was such a great experience building an amazing community of likeminded individuals and watch them grow towards their goals. After gaining valuable experience, I decided to pursue a full-time role which brought me to working as a personal trainer and CrossFit coach in Cambridge. Again, giving me the fulfillment of building an amazing community of friends.
Though having no previous experience with Burn Boot Camp I was immediately hooked on the concept. I loved the idea of building a community of strong women, showing them how strong they are and empowering them to be the best versions of themselves. The past 5 months with Burn Norwood have been unlike any other and I think I’ve found my home!
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Being a woman in this field has never been easy. I have found that I have had to work much harder to get where I wanted to be. Getting D1 athletes, who are halfway to being drafted in the NHL, to listen to you and accept you as a superior was a tough feat. Luckily, I had an amazing mentor who pushed me to better myself. She used to bring me into the indoor track at Northeastern during our breaks. It is a huge, huge dome with terrible acoustics. And we used to stand on either end of the track and hold a conversation. It seemed silly at first but that is how I learned to project my voice in the weight room. I am now known for my loud voice during camps.
I am also a Certified Strength and Conditioning Coach through the NSCA, which is one of the tougher certifications to pass. I was told by a college professor and an employer that, because I was a woman, I would never be able to pass that certification. Needless to say, I worked hard and proved them wrong!
Burn Boot Camp Norwood – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Burn Boot Camp was first started down south in North Carolina and has completely exploded throughout the US. There are over 100 locations open and at least 200 more set to open in the next few years. It is a women’s only fitness facility, though we do offer a few co-ed camps throughout the week to give the men a chance to try us out as well! Monday through Friday we offer 8 45 minute long camps and Saturday we offer 2 morning camps, both 45 minutes as well.
Each membership offers complimentary childcare during certain camps, unlimited camps (which means you can come twice a day if you’d like!), one-on-one focus meetings with one of our trainers, complimentary nutritional guidance to assist in weight loss goals, an amazing community of uplifting women, and a universal membership (you can use your Burn membership at ANY Burn location across the US so you don’t fall out of your workout routine while traveling or on vacation!)
Every Sunday we release our protocol for the week which allows you to plan out your weekly schedule. We have a mix of strength training days and more cardio/ conditioning based days to give you a variety. Our workouts are NEVER the same, so each time you come in for camp you will be doing a completely different workout than the last day. The workouts are meant to challenge you to achieve what you didn’t think possible, but we can always modify down without taking away from your workout.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
I consider myself very lucky to have found what I am most passionate about and been able to pursue it as a career. For that I consider myself successful. I see many people who are stuck in jobs they do not enjoy or do not feel passionate about and, though they are “successful” in the amount of money they are making or the status in society they are given, they are not happy.
I measure my success in the amount of lives I get to change every day, the transformations inside and out that I witness on a weekly basis, the community of women that has been built around me pushing each other to be better and the prospect that there is always more opportunities in front of me.
I will never forget, the first CrossFit gym I ever coached at there was a mother and daughter that came in to train with us and I had the pleasure of working with them both. They were not your typical CrossFitters, and there is nothing wrong with that because they we willing to work just as hard. Anyway, after a month of training with them they each hit personal goals. The mother, after working to fix her squat form, was finally able to squat with a barbell on her back and the daughter squatted 100 pounds for the first time, all on the same day! To me that was, and still is, all the success I need!
Pricing:
- 14 days for free
- 30 days for $69
- Saturday 9am camp is free to public and co-ed
Contact Info:
- Address: 686 Washington Street
Norwood, MA 02062 - Website: https://burnbootcamp.com/locations/norwood-ma/
- Phone: 781-956-2876
- Email: norwood@burnbootcamp.com
- Instagram: @burnbootcampnorwood
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BurnBootCampNorwoodMA/
Image Credit:
First picture- Jen (support trainer), Leah (owner), Emily (head trainer), Tara (owner)
Getting in touch: BostonVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
