Exercise not only changes your body, it changes your mind, your attitude and your mood.
If anyone knows the struggles of being a working mom, it’s Danielle Natoni. Danielle became a mom at an early age and worked as a mathematics teacher at an elementary school while struggling with crippling debt. During this time, Danielle was looking for a way out of her situation. Once she was introduced to Beachbody, her life changed. This was the catalyst for Danielle to create her fitness brand and fitness family “Fit and Funky,” which transformed her life from fractions to fitness star. You can take the teacher out of the classroom, but you can’t take the classroom out of the teacher.
Danielle Natoni is a fitness icon who came from a struggling background and inspires others to implement change in their lives. Danielle propelled the Fit and Funky brand to success through social media. Fit and Funky propelled to have over 5,000 coaches and over 15,000 fit family participants that follow her lead to living a healthier life.
Women Fitness is #CelebratingWomen this International Women’s Day, with a new story of an inspirational woman going out every day. Lets check out this one about the fitness star Danielle Natoni.
Women Fitness:
Share with us your story that has brought you to where you are today.
Danielle Natoni:
8 years ago I found myself broken…both financially and emotionally. I was up to my eyeballs in debt, couldn’t even make it from paycheck to paycheck, and was in an unhealthy marriage. I had two small children, and a “good job” as an elementary school teacher, and was pretending to be perfect when life was anything but. I needed a secondary stream of income and decided that if other people could be successful and change their life around, WHY NOT ME. That philosophy of WHY NOT me has stuck with me ever since. That mindset of why not me propelled me to work hard, never give up, and to truly make a change in my life. I wanted to be an example not only for my girls but for women everywhere, that it’s never too late to change your life around and start living the life you deserve.
Women Fitness:
What were the factors that propelled you to launch the Fit and Funky brand?
Danielle Natoni:
When I decided to transition from fractions to fitness I started to think about who I was, who I wanted to serve, and who I wanted to be part of my tribe. I realized that I wanted people to be “fit” –not because they had abs or great muscle definition, but because they were healthy in mind, body, and spirit. As for the “funky” part, I wanted my tribe to be filled with unique individuals…people who were being one hundred percent their authentic self and doing it with flare~!
Women Fitness:
How has fitness transformed your life?
Danielle Natoni:
I grew up in a healthy household, so fitness has always been a part of my DNA. However, over the years I have gotten fitter and healthier with every piece of knowledge I have gained. But truly, through fitness, I have formed friendships and relationships that have changed me. It has given me mental strength through challenging times, and it has given me a career and a platform to impact the world that I am forever grateful for.
Women Fitness:
Elaborate to us the 5 F’s of The Funky Method.
Danielle Natoni:
Fitness, Food, Family, Finances, and Frame of Mind. Let’s start with food. Our relationship with food is one of the most powerful relationships we have. Food can cure, heal, and fuel us for the journey ahead. The recipes I share with you will be recipes that are approved by my family. If I share it, they eat it. Because in the funky method, we do not make our family separate meals. Everyone enjoys healthy meals together.
When it comes to fitness, if you aren’t moving forward then you are standing still. Our bodies need movement in order to thrive and take us on the path to a healthy and happy life. The workouts that I provide for you can be done in addition to your daily workout or you can do them as a stand-alone workout as I provide you with both options. I will give you modifications and you will need little to no equipment or space because I want you to have the freedom and flexibility to work out between the legos and the couch.
Finances are something that people are often afraid to talk about, but are so necessary to focus on. Money can’t buy happiness, but it can make life less stressful. In order to have freedom and opportunities, we must be smart with our budgets and our bank accounts. I want to show you how to not only save money but how to make money!
You are somebody to someone. In order to be the best mom, wife, daughter, sister, friend, you have to focus on communication, love, attention, and positive mindset. While my family certainly has its challenges just like any other, my hope is that I can share with you tips that allow you to enjoy your family in a meaningful way. Family is the foundation of everything we do and it’s important to not only be healthy ourselves but to model healthy behaviors for our family.
And finally, we come to my favorite F, frame of mind. In order to be the best person for ourselves, we first to have to get into a funky frame of mind. Motivation, inspiration, and positive messaging that allows us to achieve all of our life goals. We have to on our brains as much as our bodies. Through mindset training and journaling exercises, we will unleash those superpowers you have inside of you to optimize our lives.
Women Fitness:
This International Women’s Day, what advice would you like to give to the women out there?
Danielle Natoni:
You don’t need a penis to have a purpose. We can do anything and everything we set our mind to and we should never settle for anything less!
Follow Danielle’s journey on Instagram!
For more such real inspiring stories on this Women’s Day, click here.