Women In Wellness: Angela Gentile of Sweat Remix On The Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Help Support People’s Journey Towards Better Wellbeing
An Interview with Candice Georgiadis
First, slow down. I gotta come back to that, especially as someone who used to go a million miles an hour, crash and burn. So, I think we get eager, hungry and operate from a heightened and adrenal state. That can lead us to do things that are inauthentic to our vision. That pause just gives us space to assess what we need, what would be beneficial, what is working and so on.
As a part of my series about women in wellness, I had the pleasure of interviewing Angela Gentile.
Angela Gentile, founder of the Sweat Remix wellness brand, motivates you to start and sustain physical exercise, guides you towards greater self awareness, and provides keeping it real life coaching.With an undergraduate degree in English from Fairfield University and a graduate degree in Educational Leadership from Western Governors University, she traded in her decade long teaching career to launch a business helping folks gain clarity, confidence and courage through movement, change their body, mindset and life through movement, meditation and mental health coaching. If you’ve been stuck and feel ready to move and grow, this trailblazer creates opportunities for folks to live strong, authentic and EPIC lives. Follow her and join her community at https://www.sweatremix.com
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Our readers would love to “get to know you” better. Can you share your “backstory” with us?
Thanks for having me and letting me share my story.! I grew up pretty humble and middle class in a small Massachusetts city; then, after my parents divorced and my mom remarried, we moved to a small tobacco farming town in Connecticut during my adolescence. And as a result, I think my childhood was vibrant with a variety of experiences. Growing up, I LOVED school and its connection to achievement, mostly because that is where I felt seen and valued.
In high school, I was a star student, super involved in clubs and activities and a varsity athlete. Since I always felt like an outsider in my own house, It was by throwing myself into school and activities where I realized how capable I was and how valued I could be, a toxic pattern I would have to dive into later on life, but more about that later! I had big dreams of something outside of that small town. I always just wanted more, for myself, for life. I mean, as the first woman in my family to have a college degree and a passport to boot, I was trying to carve out a path for myself that I couldn’t even see from anyone around me, let alone was it even valued. I just felt it in my bones. I am and will always be a mover, a shaker and a badass.
I went on to graduate from Fairfield University and a Master’s degree from Western Governors University. I have had careers in education, radio and entertainment, fitness, and now sort of combining all of them into my entrepreneurial endeavors.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career? What were the main lessons or takeaways from that story?
For sure! I got to know myself. Probably not the most glamorous answer, but it’s the truth! I say it all the time and it is the honest truth. I mean, there have been some pretty interesting events, people and experiences, but all of those are the byproduct of self-exploration.
Being a business owner through a pandemic has been a wonderful challenge to test confidence and self development. It has allowed me to see some things about myself that I may not have had the chance to in such a short time: I am brave and I take risks. I wholeheartedly believe in what I am doing and building, so the sacrifices I am making don’t really feel like sacrifices at all, but stepping stones. Business ownership will do that in general, exacerbated by a pandemic, right?
Traveling through grief and pain and my own inner suffering has helped me to better understand how I show up in life and in business. It helped me to create my Business, Sweat Remix. It was born out of my own struggle with mental health, grief, loss and a way to understand myself through my own spiritual journey.
Can you share a story about the biggest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
Oh man. There have been so many. But I think by looking back, I wish I made more investments in myself, with hiring the right coaches and team to help me. I did so much alone and invested into the business without a plan or a sales strategy, doing everything myself and burning out. Now, I have an amazing team of coaches, mentors, women’s groups and entrepreneur groups that I belong to and invest in so I can learn and make sure I have what I need to execute and run my business effectively. I also think this directly correlates to the healing journey and making sure you prioritize your mental health.
Let’s jump to our main focus. When it comes to health and wellness, how is the work you are doing helping to make a bigger impact in the world?
Sweat Remix! This brand and classes are NOT about losing weight, posing selfies in matching legging sets, barely sweating or being sexy in a very mainstream way. It is so “anti” all that and such a powerfully inclusive way to approach movement.
We are about moving in a way that is safe and effective for all levels with conscious programming that elevates the mind, body and spirit, not just the booty, ya know? We don’t use movement to check out, but rather a way to check in and connect deeper with the self.
Sweat Remix is a fitness class using a three step #ZenRageHeal process designed to move out negative emotions and get connected to your inner badass. We use this process as a way to embrace the complexities of the human experience from the pain to the joy and the anger to the aligned. We don’t have to pick a side ya know? Why can’t we be everything? We can get healthy inside and out by moving our body and spirit. Workout or meditate, why not remix both!? We are dynamic and the way we move can be, too. We can use movement as a way to heal ourselves and intentionally get results inside and out.
And, as our community evolves in their own personal development, we have opportunities to connect as a community and have weekly badass conversations around what we experience, where we need support and how we relate to the world around us. Now, we have added in a deeper and more meaningful way to connect with the self with our Life Remix 90 day coaching program. This is the ultimate way to build the clarity, confidence and courage we need to do bold things and take steps to live a life that makes us truly joyful.
This is why what we do is great for companies to implement for busy working professionals: a mindful approach to fitness in one place so folks can really manage stress, take care of their bodies and show up fully their best self. We have a pretty robust corporate wellness community along with individuals who are also on board with our #ZenRageHeal Process
Can you share your top five “lifestyle tweaks” that you believe will help support people’s journey towards better wellbeing? Please give an example or story for each.
When we are talking about living a fully aligned and conscious life, we have to start diving into our life beyond a surface self-care plan. We are most healthy and thriving when we live an aligned life.
So, what we can do first is slow down. We often go so fast, rushing to work, to activities, to the next thing we have to do to check off a box. This is a constant state of stress, where we are operating in an adrenal state, so many of our decisions can be made from stress, creating more of it. So, it is important and necessary to slow down, take some space and pause so you can get centered and approach life from a real place of authenticity.
Secondly, Get clear on what works and what doesn’t. The beauty of slowing down is that it invites this conversation to the table and begins a deeper connection with the self. We can start asking ourselves better questions around how we are living, what is working, what isn’t and create a real authentic plan that moves and inspires us, not one that is rooted in external expectations.
Thirdly, set an intention and make a plan. Once you know it, feel it and are focused on it, just do it! Make the plan and activate it. Seriously, just do it. Take a brave, badass step and just do it.
Fourth, release negative energy. I am a firm believer that we have the power and ability to attract our dreams. Energy is powerful. When we hold on to negative energy, trauma and low vibrational frequencies, we are putting up energetic roadblocks in our path. We are unconsciously letting the world know we are not ready for the gifts and dreams we seek. So, until we release and make space, the dream will have no place to go. That is why it is so crucial to let go, surrender and be open to what is in store for us.
Fourth, reflect and spend time alone. I can NOT stress this enough. The power in reflection helps us stay on course or change it. This way we are always in alignment with what we need and what works best for us.
If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of wellness to the most amount of people, what would that be?
I am doing it! Sweat Remix is a way to change the way we move and maintain our health from the inside out. It is a revolution for the fitness and mental health industry. No more checking out, external body esthetic noise, arbitrary shit with fitness. Let’s be human together and MOVE in a way that works. We matter. Our human experience matters. We have members from all around the country and an international online community who show up for live chats, classes, on demand workouts, courses, coaching programs and are active in our facebook groups. So, join us and we can make magic to change the world!
What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why?
I will do my best to narrow this down to five things. First, slow down. I gotta come back to that, especially as someone who used to go a million miles an hour, crash and burn. So, I think we get eager, hungry and operate from a heightened and adrenal state. That can lead us to do things that are inauthentic to our vision. That pause just gives us space to assess what we need, what would be beneficial, what is working and so on.
Secondly, invest and learn! Before taking any journey and diving into something, it is important to educate yourself and get super curious about what is happening, what you are experiencing and where you want to go. This helps to be as conscious in your decision making as possible.
Next would be to make time for myself, my health and my values. This was a hard lesson to learn, and often unlearn! Sometimes, we get lost in the toss of life and we operate on auto pilot. And sometimes, we don’t stop until we are forced to. And maybe, by that time, we recognize that we haven’t been fully aligned, living a connected life and truly enjoying our life! Everything can wait! What is important to you, what fuels you and serves you deserves your attention first.
Then, be vulnerable, open and curious. This is where we find the deepest connections with ourselves and others, through vulnerability.
And lastly, cry. Oh man, do we need to cry! It is the most cathartic experience and release you can give to yourself. It is where we stir up and move out what isn’t’ working, what hurts and create the space for clarity and new opportunities.
Sustainability, veganism, mental health, and environmental changes are big topics at the moment. Which one of these causes is dearest to you, and why?
These are all so important and I would have to say mental health, sustainability and environmental changes. I think what we want to change always starts with us; one of those “put your life mask on first” type of situations. When you level up your healing, your energy and vibration, the world will elevate too. So, simply by being our best most conscious self is a huge start to lift the world. And, that sort of connects to sustainability and the environment. When we can get conscious and connected to ourselves, we can see that we are NOT the center of the universe and that all we are part of and do is connected. Taking care of ourselves AND the world by what we consume and not consume will have a direct impact on sustainability and the environment.
What is the best way for our readers to further follow your work online?
Amazing! Thank you. You can follow me on instagram, tiktok and twitter at @Sweatremix and online for workouts, coaching and our weekly badass banter chats on the website, www.sweatremix.com
Thank you so much and looking forward to connection with your readers.
Thank you for these fantastic insights! We wish you continued success and good health.
Women In Wellness: Angela Gentile of Sweat Remix On The Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Help… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.