The Accidental Influencer

Meet Lara Brodkin, The Accidental Influencer.

There’s a reason why I write endorsement blogs. I love to write about people who leap out of their comfort zone to tackle a goal. Especially if this goal involves helping others.

Why?

Just because they care. Lara is one of those people.

Lara Brodkin is the creator of @glowfit_bylara and she probably doesn’t realize it, but she has been influencing all those around her for as long as she can remember.

Since January of 2021, Lara has been teaching exercise classes online through Zoom. Each class is set to great music. Her instruction is excellent and there is also a fantastic stretching segment along with a 5-minute guided mantra meditation. Modifications for all of the exercises are demonstrated to suit all fitness levels and ages. Checking off all of the boxes to take care of your body in one hour is the best feeling. At least that’s how I feel after her classes.

That’s all very nice and good. But how did Lara and her Glow Fit enterprise get here? Why is she an accidental influencer?

There’s always a story behind the curtain and the thought of finding out all the juicy details brings me the same amount of joy as my morning coffee. That’s A LOT of joy, by the way.

And I’m here to tell you how she did it.

My questions are in black bold titles, Lara’s answers are in paragraph form and my personal comments are in italics.

Tell me a little about yourself.

I love non-fiction, psychology-based books, and my favourite one is The Choice by Edith Eger. As for movies, I think The Greatest Showman is incredible and I adore all types of Broadway shows. I am emotionally charged by the music and I am known to shed a few tears from pure joy. For the past 27 years, I have been married to Andrew Brodkin and we have three kids. Sabrina (23), Cole (21), and Kyra (18). Before I had children, I worked as a Journalist for 6 years.

Any family activities?

We love our family time at the cottage. It is here where we all cook, watch Jeopardy and take walks together. Our family selfies have become quite a tradition as we love to compare them year after year. During this COVID period of lockdown, I have taught my entire family -including the boys – Mahjong. It was quite a success!

As for the kids and exercise, Cole moved from hockey to weight training and running. Kyra, who was a competitive figure skater until recently now loves how she feels after a great workout. Sabrina is hooked on strength training. She sends me the “nod” of approval that every mom waits for. You know the nod that says “You were right?”

Do you think Lara’s family realizes that they live with the accidental influencer?

Any guilty pleasures?

I love chewing Double Bubble. Not the sugar-free kind. I’m talking about the good old-fashioned pink wrapper pieces. I also love cupcakes! Especially the icing, which I devour from time to time and give the cake part to Andrew to finish. 😉 Dark chocolate is also one of my go-to treats.

When did your love of exercise begin?

Since the age of 17, I have consistently exercised as a pure blissful choice. It was never a chore. My first exercise class was at the JCC, which was the spark that got me going. That feeling I had while I drove home after my aerobics class was nothing short of amazing. I didn’t know that much about endorphins, but that was obviously what I was feeling. Step classes soon followed, as well as high and low impact ones too. Throughout my time at The University of Western Ontario, while I was studying English, I sought out the classes and corralled my friends to come with me.

Starting from university! Did I tell you she was an accidental influencer, or what?

How did Glow Fit Begin?

It was June 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic that I had an epiphany for the class format. This idea was an exciting one, but it was easier said than done.

My sister-in-law, Karen became a driving force to help me get over my fear and move forward with my vision. She invited me to be on her panel to interview guests on her podcast in Chicago called @GratefulGoddesses where she interviews fearless women making impactful contributions to the world. This experience was quite intimidating to me, but it taught me that with my fitness and nutrition training and some courage, I could leap out of my comfort zone.

And then people started to sign up for classes?

Not so fast! I began to offer complimentary classes on Zoom to my family and close friends, for about two months. I reached out to acquaintances and people on social media who I thought would enjoy a fitness class.

One early stumbling block was that some of my clients were hesitant to be seen exercising on camera. However, Zoom allows you to turn off your camera, so it’s really up to the participant to do what is most comfortable. You can even say hi to everyone and then turn your camera off and attend the class “privately”.

Then, a really huge learning curve occurred.

Sharing music through Zoom is a whole other ball of wax. There were so many times when the wifi cut out the music right in the middle of the class! I had to call in my internet provider and hardwire my computer for everything to work properly. I am also extremely grateful for my daughter and husband. They helped me with my website, sign-up logistics, and the posting of my blogs. It takes a village.

I have two main goals for my classes. The first is to strike a balance of motivation and challenge while emanating an aura of warmth and encouragement throughout.

The second is to have my clients make the correlation between working out and a chemically induced mood boost that occurs from the endorphins. Once the reasons for exercise move away from vanity and become about the mind – magically, a consistency starts to evolve. And this is definitely it!

After teaching for the past 6 months, how do you feel?

My life has changed so much since the inception of @glowfit_bylara. I am thrilled that women are leaving my class feeling balanced in both body and mind. As I say in my classes, we want to acquire a good burn because we know that leads to growth and strength, which also manifests in our everyday lives. Getting involved in something challenging yet fulfilling is exhilarating during this stage in my life. Growth is possible at any age or stage.

I attribute much of @glowfit_bylara‘s success to the live format. While there are many available streaming options, booking a class for a particular time and showing up “in class” leads to an element of accountability and ultimate consistency in exercise.

If you are lucky enough during the course of your lifetime to be able to pay close attention to who you surround yourself with and how you spend your time, the unthinkable can happen. You can leave your comfort zone. And fly. Lara Brodkin: An accidental influencer par excellence!

Check out Lara’s website and you can sign up for classes and also…

  • Read blogs about all things health and fitness
  • Find Lara’s original recipes
  • Learn about Lara’s favourite go-to wellness products  
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I’m so grateful to be able to have the opportunity to write what I’m passionate about and what I think will serve others.            If you would like me to write for a product or service you represent or for your own company, please be in touch.