Women In Wellness: Kaitlyn Buche of Orangetheory Fitness On The Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Help Support People’s Journey Towards Better Wellbeing
An Interview With Candice Georgiadis
Prioritize your own health. No one else is going to do it for you so you must be the champion of your own health and make time to make it happen. There are a million reasons not to make time for your workouts but all of the benefits of making the time far outweigh those reasons, especially if it allows you to live a longer, stronger, more active life.
As a part of my series about women in wellness, I had the pleasure of interviewing Kaitlyn Buche.
Kaitlyn Buche has been with Orangetheory Fitness for the past 5-plus years. In her most recent role as the Director of Training and Administration at Orangetheory Fitness — Afterburn Holdings LLC, she focuses on building training programs, and rolling out initiatives to help with the knowledge, skill and efficiency of the field.
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?
My story with Orangetheory starts in 2015. A good friend told me about Orangetheory and how the energy and thoughtfulness of the coaches was like nothing she had ever experienced. She talked about how the coaches were not only thoughtful of pushing you hard enough, but also encouraging you to dial it back at the right times. It sounded like something worth checking out.
I went to my first class and knew it was something special. I joined Orangetheory Fitness as a member in July of 2015 have been taking classes ever since. At the time I joined I was in the restaurant industry working nights, weekends, holidays, and traveling for work A LOT. Restaurants had been my life since 2008 and I thought it always would be. In September of 2015, I lost my dad suddenly to cardiovascular disease and after taking some time to recover from the shock I decided I needed to do something different. I wanted to dedicate myself to something that contributed to people’s health and wellness in a positive way and encouraged life-improving behaviors. I was not sure how I was going to do that or what it looked like, but I started exploring.
I soon found out someone I knew through the restaurant had opened his own Orangetheory Fitness locations in Texas and I expressed my interest in joining in September of 2016. After several months I finally got my sign, it was time to trade in fettucine alfredo and wine for pushes and all outs. In March of 2017 he reached out to me and let me know if I ever had any interest in relocating to Texas to let him know, and by June of 2017 my husband and I packed up the car and the dog and moved down to Houston to start a new adventure in the fitness industry. Over 5 years and zero regrets later, we are still growing and working to give people more life in their workout.
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?
Honestly, reopening after the pandemic was one of the most interesting things I have encountered in my career. With the nature of our normal business, we had to reinvent the way to do literally everything. We threw our normal playbook out the window, rewrote a brand new one from the ground up, and then had to update it and communicate with the field weekly to ensure we were being meticulously diligent about the safety, health and wellbeing of our staff and members.
Balancing getting people in to continue working toward their health and wellness in a time it was of the utmost importance, while also keeping them safe is no small task and certainly not one we took lightly. The biggest learning experience from the situation was being able to pivot, adapt to, and embrace change. Flexibility is a valuable skill to have in any industry and the more fluidity you can maintain the easier it is to make the right decisions for everyone.
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?
My biggest learning experience doesn’t have a specific mistake, thankfully! However, what I learned early on was to not make assumptions and always focus on how to improve a situation or process. When you operate under the mindset that “there could be a better way” or “things aren’t difficult” it creates unnecessary blind spots that close your perspective to the ways you can have the biggest impact. So rather than focusing on what may need fixing, continuously ask yourself how you can leave any given situation better than how you found it.
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?
Orangetheory and the program surrounding it is truly a lifechanging opportunity. The number of success stories (including my own) from people who are willing to commit to their long-term fitness journey is just incredible. In focusing on the heart and a healthier version of yourself from the inside out it makes a serious change in your overall health. When I first started with Orangetheory as a member I would be hard pressed to run a mile without stopping. The cardiovascular conditioning I have worked towards over the years has allowed me to run not only a mile without stopping, but also to accomplish things I did not even know I was capable of, including 8 half marathons and my first full marathon in 2020. We hear of people who have seen incredible sights thanks to their improved endurance, been able to stop taking medications they depended on previously, and the ability to do activities with their families they previously would have struggled to do. It is truly inspiring, and the impact is huge.
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.
- Strength training is just as important as cardio, and you should have a good mix of both. That is why our workouts focus on several components to give your body a well-rounded workout
- Balance is important, you cannot have an all or nothing attitude towards your fitness journey or it will be much more of a struggle. You only get one body, and you also get one life to live so value both equally.
- Patience is key. Be patient with yourself. Some days you may have less in the tank and other days you may feel like a world-class athlete. Every day is different, and your body will feel different every workout. Listen and adjust knowing tomorrow is a new day. Be patient with the process … fitness improvements take consistency and TIME.
- Drink more water! I can’t say this enough. I know I am the best version of myself in 100 different ways when I am well hydrated.
- Prioritize your own health. No one else is going to do it for you so you must be the champion of your own health and make time to make it happen. There are a million reasons not to make time for your workouts but all of the benefits of making the time far outweigh those reasons, especially if it allows you to live a longer, stronger, more active life.
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 would work to normalize making the time to be active and do the things we know will make us healthier whatever that looks like for each person. The world is so busy, and it’s so easy to get caught up in the day to day and let our own wellbeing fall to the wayside. Everyone needs food, water, and air to live, so what if we prioritized our physical activity the same way?
What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why?
- Time is precious. Guard it as a valuable resource. You’re unable to be as valuable and impactful to your team if you allow yourself to be inefficient or get pulled in too many directions.
- Never stop interviewing. Staffing challenges can happen at any moment, but more importantly there are a lot of talented people out there so continuing to search for people to level up your team is never a waste of time.
- Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. We’re all human and everyone makes mistakes, but if you also learn from them and if you take those lessons and do something with them, then that is a win. Otherwise, you may find yourself playing it too safe.
- Schedule time for self-development. Continuous growth is important, and just like your fitness routine no one is going to make the time for you.
- Nothing is forever. Appreciate the times when you’re on top of the world and do not take them for granted. Things can change on a dime so always have a plan and learn enough about the business so you are prepared to handle the downs just as much as the ups.
Sustainability, veganism, mental health, and environmental changes are big topics at the moment. Which one of these causes is dearest to you, and why?
Mental health is important because of the impact it can have on all other aspects of your health and well-being. I think it is an important priority in our current world.
What is the best way for our readers to further follow your work online?
Follow our local Orangetheory Fitness locations in Houston on Instagram and Facebook!
Thank you for these fantastic insights! We wish you continued success and good health.
Women In Wellness: Kaitlyn Buche of Orangetheory Fitness — Afterburn Holdings On The Five… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.