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✨founder @soulfuelfitness_to
✨fitness, feminism, dance
✨advocacy, education, family
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🪩7 YEARS OLD TODAY🪩 Soul Fuel opened its doors to this community…

I’m not from these parts. At all. I didn’t grow up in the city, I don’t belong to any fancy groups or clubs, and I don’t live on this side of the Dundas West tracks. You feel me? 

To fund Soul Fuel I wrote a business plan to get a bank loan, dumped my savings and hustled. My father moved in with us for a year to renovate the building, while I worked full-time with a newborn and my husband took pat leave. Opening Soul Fuel was a big gamble, without much soft landing if it failed.

But it didn’t. At all! Thanks to an incredibly supportive community that embraced me and my small business with open arms.

During the pandemic (6 months after opening) they came to my rescue, taking some 5000 (!?!?) online classes over 2 years to keep the business afloat.

When we reopened, they came. And they didn’t just come to workout, they brought their friends and family, came to events, fundraisers, stayed to socialize, laugh, cry, and fill this studio with the resin that makes it the third space and place that it is today. 

Last year we raised $50,000 for St Joe’s with our Daneathon - we even surprised the hospital foundation! That’s the kind of thing this community is capable of.

I started the team from past contacts, but also drew from neighborhood talent, whose energy and efforts are Soul Fuel’s life force. It’s been  wonderful to witness their professional growth alongside the studio’s.

Soul Fuel exceeded all my initial expectations. And that’s thanks to ALL OF YOU. I’m so deeply grateful. And I’m excited to see what’s possible for us next…

But this week, we celebrate our seventh! There will be sweet lil treats and heart warming videos all week. Thank you x infinity💜.
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🪩Staff spotlight🪩 We are thrilled to announce that Chelle has been promoted to Studio Director. 

After retiring from a 31 year career as a teacher last summer, she launched into working on our leadership team as Program Coordinator. The last year of learning, collaboration and sheer hard work and commitment to Soul Fuel has had a profound positive impact on our team and community.

Chelle came to MJ through her bestie Michelle Hillier (forever grateful), taking a FITPOP class when the space was a gutted shell. Since that time 7 years ago she went from teaching Pound to becoming a certified trainer, yoga instructor and Pilates mat/reformer instructor. All while working a full-time job+, putting her two sons through university, and being a devoted wife and friend. Her drive and passion are authentic and contagious; we are so lucky to have her in our corner.

Chelle is proof you can start a new career in midlife. Proof that the goodness you put out, you can get back. Proof that your intentions can make a real difference in your circle of influence.

Please congratulate her on her well-deserved new role. She’ll be popping in and out more often to keep things running smoothly on the ground level. We cannot wait to see her thrive.
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