Who's that Gal: Heather White, CEO of TRILLFIT

Name: Heather White
Occupation: CEO, TRILLFIT
Hometown: Bronx, NY
Current Location: Brooklyn, NY
Currently reading: Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson
Currently listening to: Honestly, today I remembered how incredible southerplayalisticadillacmuzik is and I’m listening to the album on repeat.
Favorite quarantine activity: Facetiming friends. Therapy. Walking outside. Taking long, luxurious baths. Reading.
I never leave home without____: My cell phone.
Favorite music to dance to: Hip Hop
Dream vacation: I’d love for the entire TRILLFIT team to go on a Kardashian-style vacation in Negril, JA. It would literally be a dream.
Favorite place in Boston: Milkweed. It’s an incredible restaurant right next door to TRILLFIT and it’s home to my favorite food, people, and my favorite booth. Every time I walk in I feel like I’m home and I know I’m going to be taken care of. Holly, the owner, has translated her vision perfectly and I’ve loved every experience I’ve had there.

Tell us a little about you! What gets you excited in the morning?

I have an incredible morning routine that I’ve been really getting into. I wake up, I burn some sage, then I’ll say a prayer. Then, I turn on an afro beats playlist and I literally dance myself awake. I started last week and it feels so incredible and really gets me ready for the day. Gratitude and dancing <3

How did you get interested in fitness?

I fell into it! I, like so many people, was unhappy with my body and wanted to lose weight and was on my fitness journey. I got the lit corporate membership, didn’t stay and actually wasted a ton of money, and created TRILLFIT to be the answer to what I was missing. Through TRILLFIT, I fell in love with fitness, myself, my body, and my community.

What made you want to start TRILLFIT?

Realizing that I was the only Black girl at Equinox outside of the cleaning staff made me want to create something new. Seeing only white skinny faces on fitness ads made me think there might be a place for those of us that simply don’t look like that. And we created it.

Can you tell us a bit more about TRILLFIT, what makes it different than the typical fitness studio?

Wow, TRILLFIT is so different than your typical fitness studio. First, we put the health back in wellness. We believe that all equity begins with health equity so we invest in the training of instructors of color and lower all of our costs to be accessible to the community. We practice radical acceptance and transparency. Everyone belongs at TRILLFIT. And from the moment you open our doors or enter a digital class we want you to feel love, seen, respected, and heard.

How did you decide on the name TRILLFIT?

I’m a writer by trade! The name just came to me :)

How has COVID-19 impacted TRILLFIT and your work?

COVID-19 has radically impacted our work. We were the first studio to close in Boston - and we closed out of love for our community. We kept our classes free for 6 months out of love and respect for our community because we feared that feelings of loneliness and anxiety and isolation would rise. Overnight we lost 40% of our revenue but we pivoted to an incredible digital platform and were able to grow YoY 15%.

What do you love about starting your own business?

I love taking risks and watching them pay off. As a young black woman, you get used to people not believing in you. My favorite thing in the world is proving them wrong through TRILLFIT.

What’s hardest about the work you do?

Leadership is hard - especially when you stand for what’s right and important in the midst of a cultural zeitgeist. TRILLFIT aims to decolonize and desegregate the wellness industry. To do that and be that in a time where black people are being murdered in the streets - it’s revolutionary, it’s also hard as fuck. To take a stand and run my business based on principle and belief is really hard - but we’ve made it work.

What skill is most important for you to be successful? Why?

Your ability to adapt to your surroundings and pivot when necessary will prove invaluable to you. Look at what we were able to do during COVID. We lost 40% of our revenue, got no breaks on our rent, and literally still prevailed. While raising money for non-profts in our district. All because of our pivot.

How can JUGs readers support you or learn more about TRILLFIT?

Check out TRILLFIT online and drop into one of our daily live classes! If you want to get a juicy booty for summer I can’t recommend our guide to booty growth enough.