Owner Spotlight: Elise Caira

Hey everyone, it’s Amanda here – and today is Elise Caira’s BIRTHDAY!

I asked the crew to describe Elise in one word. This is what they said:

Motivational. Tenacious. Badass. Confident. A Machine. Fire. Beast. Powerhouse. Gritty.

None of us would be here, without her. She single-handedly made rowing a thing that has taken Wakefield by storm. Friendships have been made, personal bests have been crushed and every day we get together for 45 minutes to push each other to be just a little bit better… because of her.

So, as Elise celebrates the start of another year, I thought it was a fitting time for us to get to know the force behind Sweat Fixx. We all see her multiple times a week, whether it’s when she’s challenging us in her Instagram videos or pushing us to go one inch lower, so it’s about time for us to get to know what makes Elise tick.

Sweat Fixx has now been open for just shy of 6 months… how are you feeling? 

AMAZING! Honestly, everyday I continue to be blown away by this awesome community. I had a vision when I was about to open Sweat Fixx, and the instructors & members have taken that vision to a whole other level!

When we say #FixxFam,  we aren’t lying.

It’s been awesome to be able to walk the lake and see people rocking Sweat Fixx tanks, and to see how the community rallies behind any of the fundraisers (i.e. $950 in 45 minutes of rowing for the Rines family)! Watching people who would’ve never stepped foot in a fitness class before, not only embracing our challenges, but dominating them has been amazing. When you walk into Sweat Fixx, there is always a positive energy that is contagious, and I can’t help but be proud that I had something to do with that.

What has been the highlight of 2017 so far?

There have been a ton of highlights, but obviously finally making that jump from the corporate world to follow my dream is by far highlight number one. Opening Sweat Fixx has been a crazy ride and it hasn’t even been 6 months yet!

What has been the most surprising thing that you have realized about yourself in these past six months?

I always knew that I liked social media after I started my fitness Instagram account a few years ago. It used to be a fun way to motivate myself & create posts that I could look back at. But I didn’t realize how much I would truly love social media and the branding aspect of business, until I started Sweat Fixx. I truly feel that one of the reasons our community is so great, is because we are all able to connect on social media and constantly motivate each other. This is an aspect of the business that I never knew would be such a blast to work on.

When you aren’t on the rower, what is your favorite way to workout?

I love lifting.

I think it’s something that for many females takes a back seat. Lot of ladies just love to just cardio cardio cardio. Not me – I think strength training is huge. It gives me a way to challenge my body and stay competitive with myself.  I ALWAYS combine lifting  with my cardio, and that’s the combo that Sweat Fixx was built off of. Build muscle, and let it burn fat for you.

When you aren’t at the studio or working out, what can we catch you doing?
I am very type-A and I feel like I’m constantly moving. So if I’m not working out… I love walking the lake, it’s my happy place- so you can catch me there a lot! I also love trying new restaurants (tapas especially!) and taking weekend trips. This summer, I already have the following trips booked: Portland, Maine; Wells, Maine; Nashville, Austin; and my all time favorite town -Burlington, VT.

Favorite place to eat or grab a drink around here? 

I love sushi, if you couldn’t tell by my constant sushi pictures on my Instagram story. At this point, it might be considered an addiction. At least once a week you can find me at Oye in Reading pounding sushi. For drinks, lately my jam has been YardHouse at Market Street in Lynnfield. I love trying new beers (huge IPA fan) so we go their a lot and grab a couple beer flights!

Did you always see yourself becoming a business owner?

 I always had that fire to be my own boss. Right when I graduated college,  I entered the wonderful world of public accounting. I was always scheming and thinking of ways to get out and do my own thing. I had a bunch of other little ventures, from running bootcamps at the lake for my friends, to basketball clinics at Wakefield high, to even working on social media programs for fitness studios in the areas. I knew I was passionate about fitness, and I knew if I got the chance to work in the fitness world full time, no one would out work me. Looking back, I’m thankful I took that chance on myself, because now I can never see myself working at a desk again!

How’d you pick your crew?!

That’s a great question! Most people think I knew all my staff before we opened, because we are already such a close knit family.

BUT that’s not the case.

When I opened Sweat Fixx, I didn’t hire anyone who I was friends with or any of the top trainers in the Greater Boston Area. Every single crew member had to interview/audition with me. (Ask Amanda, she had to put me through a 1 on 1 ab workout the first time she ever met me 🙂 ) With each of them, I knew within the first two minutes that I NEEDED them on my crew. Each one brings their own fire and personality, which I feel makes the studio so great. Everyone works hard, but is HUMBLE. Everyone is unique, which I think is important because not everyone likes the same style of instructor.  I think the fact that our crew genuinely gets along and that there are no egos, reflects onto the community. This studio is made for everyone – for people who workout 6 days a week to people who haven’t worked out in six years. My instructors embrace that, and I love them for it.

 

Favorite quote that inspires you to put the work in every day?

“If something burns your soul with purpose and desire, it’s your duty to be reduced to ashes by it. Any other form of existence will be yet another dull book in the library of life.”― Charles Bukowski

I use this quote a lot when asked, and when I was making the decision to leave my safe corporate job, this quote was constantly replayed in the back of my mind. When you do something, you should go all out, be passionate, and work HARD! If you are just going through the motions, you are doing yourself a disservice. I was going through the motions in the accounting world. I can now finally can say that I wake up every day and am passionate about what I do.

Does that mean everyday is easy? Hell NO.

There’s days when I’m tired and I’d love to sleep past 4:15am. But, when I show up and see someone tear up, because they hit a PR on the rower, or when I see the change in someones push-up form over a few week period – it’s worth it.  This community inspires me to be better person… it gives me a purpose.

What’s one thing that you could tell us, that we wouldn’t have guessed about you?

One of my guilty pleasures is watching Keeping Up with The Kardashians….