Today we’d like to introduce you to Zack Fenderson.
Hi Zack, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
My story goes all the way back to high school, when I decided to join the swim team. For a majority of my childhood I was skinny and scrawny, and for a long time, that affected my confidence. But after a few years of training and, admittedly a little help from puberty, my body started to change. More importantly, so did the way I saw myself.
By the time I walked into college, fitness had become about so much more than being strong or fast. I joined the rowing team, started strength training 5 days a week, and even did yoga on Wednesday nights. Along with helping me make friends and find a community I loved, fitness gave me confidence, taught me discipline, and it helped me feel proud of who I was and comfortable in my own skin. Somewhere along the way, I realized that I wanted to take the passion and confidence fitness had given me and make it my career so I could help other people experience a transformation of their own.
After graduating from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (Go Mocs!), I began my career with Orangetheory Fitness. Over the next 10 years, I had the opportunity to coach and lead in Chattanooga, San Diego, and Nashville. I taught more than 9,000 classes, worked with thousands of people, and learned an incredible amount about fitness, leadership, coaching, and most importantly, people.
After an amazing decade of growth, I started asking myself a different question: *What if I took everything I had learned and built something of my own?*
That question became Foundations Fitness.
The name “Foundations” comes from the belief that the most important things in our lives are built on strong foundations. Those foundations can include our relationships, careers, purpose, spirituality, and our health. Because when our health is strong, it gives us the ability to show up more fully in every other area of our lives.
Foundations Fitness was created with a simple mission: to help people realize that life has so much to offer, and that we can experience more of it when we choose to eat well, move well, and live well.
I don’t believe wellness is about chasing perfection or trying to look like someone else. It’s about becoming stronger, more confident, and more capable so you can enjoy the life you’ve worked so hard to build.
Today, I’m proud to be a husband to the most incredible woman, a father to the most amazing daughter, and the owner of a business that represents something I truly believe in.
If there’s one thing I hope people take away from my story, it’s that it’s never too late to start taking care of yourself. You don’t have to be in shape to begin. You don’t have to have everything figured out. You just have to invest in yourself and take the first step.
When it comes to your health, there is no perfect time to start.
The best time to start is now.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Has it been a smooth road? Absolutely not. There’s no way I’d be where I am without the love and support from family and friends.
I’ve spent money I didn’t have. I changed career paths at a time when I wasn’t sure I was ready. I left a job that gave me not only financial comfort, but more joy and fulfillment than I ever thought I could find in a career. And then, somehow, I decided that starting a business was also the perfect time to start a family.
Turns out, it became the most challenging and wonderful chapter of my life.
I’ve cried more, slept less, pushed harder, questioned myself more, and loved more deeply than I ever thought I was capable of. There have been moments when I wondered if I had made the right decisions. Moments when the business felt overwhelming, when the uncertainty was uncomfortable, and when I had to remind myself why I started in the first place.
But those moments have taught me some of the most valuable lessons of my life.
I’ve learned that building something meaningful requires patience. That confidence doesn’t mean never doubting yourself, it means continuing forward even when you do. I’ve learned that success isn’t always measured by revenue, clients, or how quickly a business grows. Sometimes success looks like having the courage to bet on yourself, being present for your family, and continuing to build something you believe in even when the path isn’t clear.
Those lessons are now stitched into my business, my relationships, and my heart.
So while I probably wouldn’t recommend starting a business and a family simultaneously as the easiest route for a new entrepreneur, I also wouldn’t change a thing.
The struggle has made me a better business owner, a better coach, a better husband, and a better father; and I’m incredibly grateful for that.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Foundations Fitness?
Foundations Fitness is a personal training and nutrition coaching business built around a simple idea: everyone deserves the opportunity to become stronger, more confident, and healthier, regardless of where they are starting.
We specialize in helping people build strength, confidence, and sustainable healthy habits through individualized personal training and nutrition that’s easy to understand and apply to everyday life. We meet people where they are and build a plan around their goals, lifestyle, experience, and needs. There are no cookie-cutter workouts or one-size-fits-all approaches. Every program is designed with the individual in mind.
But what really sets Foundations Fitness apart is that we don’t believe fitness should consume your life. It should enhance it.
Our goal isn’t simply to help someone lose weight, build muscle, or hit a certain number on the scale. We want our clients to become stronger and more capable so they can enjoy the things that matter most to them, whether that’s keeping up with their kids, feeling confident on vacation, improving their health, getting stronger as they age, or simply feeling comfortable in their own skin.
We also believe that fitness and nutrition shouldn’t be intimidating. You don’t need to be in shape before you start, and you don’t need to completely overhaul your life overnight. We focus on realistic changes that people can actually maintain while continuing to live their lives.
From a brand perspective, I’m most proud that Foundations Fitness represents something bigger than a workout. The word “Foundations” reflects the belief that our health is one of the foundations that allows us to build a great life. When we eat well, move well, and live well, we’re better equipped to show up for our families, our careers, our relationships, and ourselves.
Our mission is to inspire people to believe that it’s never too late to start taking care of themselves, and that the best time to start is now.
If you’re feeling stuck, unmotivated, or unsure where to begin, Foundations Fitness is here to meet you where you are and help you build something that lasts.
Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
If there’s one thing I’d like readers to take away from my story, it’s that you don’t have to have everything figured out before you start.
For a long time, I thought confidence came from looking a certain way or reaching a certain level of fitness. Don’t get me wrong – looking great and feeling good in your body is an amazing feeling, and I believe everyone deserves to experience that. But what I’ve learned is that true confidence comes from keeping promises to yourself, taking care of your body, and knowing that you’re capable of more than you thought you were.
Whether you’re 25 or 65, whether you’re already active or haven’t worked out in years, it’s never too late to make a change. You don’t need a perfect plan. You don’t need to completely change your life overnight. You just need to take the first step and be willing to keep moving forward.
I’m incredibly grateful that what started as a personal journey to become more confident in my own skin has turned into an opportunity to help other people do the same.
If you’re waiting for the “right time” to start taking care of yourself, this is your reminder: *There may never be a perfect time. But the best time to start is now.*
Pricing:
- $65/session – First month of Personal Training PROMO
- $80/session – Regular cost of Personal Training
- First Personal Training session FREE!
- $100/month – First month of Nutrition Coaching
- $150/month – Regular cost of Nutrition Coaching
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.foundationsfitnesstn.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/foundations_fitness_tn/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61578982803268
