Katie Wasilisin On The 5 Things You Need To Create A Highly Successful Career In The Health and Wellness Industry

An Interview With Luke Kervin

Know who you are and stick to your guns — Above all else, as you embark on your health and wellness career, as cliche as it may sound, you have to stay true to who you are. I’ve seen and have personally felt the effects that the pressure of this industry can have on your mental wellbeing. Sometimes, the industry can feel littered and cluttered with “perfection” and strive for the best workout routines, meditation practices, workout routines, etc.; however, try your best not to feel clouded by the smoke and mirrors of others perceived success. Stay hyper-focused on your mission, your values, and who you are. Don’t lose your uniqueness because I promise you that that’s what the world wants from you anyway. You’ve got this.

The global health and wellness market is worth more than 1.5 trillion dollars. So many people are looking to improve their physical, mental, and emotional wellness. At the same time, so many people are needed to help provide these services. What does it take to create a highly successful career in the health and wellness industry?

In this interview series called “5 Things You Need To Create A Highly Successful Career In The Health and Wellness Industry” we are talking to health and wellness professionals who can share insights and stories from their experiences.

In this particular interview, we had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Katie Wasilisin.

Athletic from a young age, Katie was always kept her body moving, participating in sports such as roller hockey, basketball, and even figure skating briefly. The need to move was vital to her. After graduating high school and being out of sports, she found herself perplexed and dove into running and watching what she ate. This quickly developed into an unhealthy obsession with being “skinny,” which led to an eating disorder and severe body dysmorphia. Luckily, through a scary and sudden discovery of scoliosis, Katie was informed she had to stop partaking in all impact activities. Frustrated on the need to move her body, her doctor recommended Yoga — An unexpected turn into what is now the origin story of her career in health and fitness. She fell in love with how Yoga empowered her to find love and strength within herself, discovering and teaching various forms of it. Her energy quickly translated into her classes, deviating them from your standard practices and making them the most sought-after in San Diego.

Her magnetic energy quickly caught the attention of Dr. Michael Wasilisin, creator of MoveU, who insisted she share her talents with the world. Falling right into the health and fitness world, like she always dreamed of, Katie is currently one of MoveU’s leading instructors, a model, coach, and assist teaches at several other brands, including her recent On-Demand classes via Bosu Ball.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive in, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your ‘backstory’ and how you grew up?

Thanks so much for having me! Absolutely. I was born in Vallejo, CA, to my beautiful Chinese mother, Helena, and very brilliant, mid-western father, Steve. We moved from The Bay Area when I was two and headed to the conservative town of Prescott, Arizona, where I grew up. To give you an idea, Prescott is one of the last towns Trump visited prior to being elected in 2016- it’s very right-winged, so much so that it almost feels “stuck in time.” These same ideals paralleled in my upbringing, and I was sheltered and shielded from anything “bad” most of my life. However, my inner rebellion, zest for life, and love of pop culture always led me down the rabbit hole of curiosity. It allowed me to discover a world outside of the strict values I had come to know (obviously ending up in lots of “groundings” along the way- hah!). Now I live in San Diego, California, running MoveU and modeling exercise techniques (sometimes even in my underwear ) to millions of people on the Internet- a stark contrast to how I grew up!

Was there a particular person or event that inspired you to live a wellness-focused lifestyle? Can you tell us about your main motivation to go all in?

I remember the day vividly. I was running training for a 5k in college and started to feel a foreign “tingling” sensation down my leg. I paused my run and immediately collapsed to the ground. I went straight to the Doctor and discovered that I have scoliosis, a minor form of spina bifida, and a missing spinous process, causing imbalances in my body that create severe pain and sciatica. The Doctor advised me to stop all impact activity, to which I asked, “well then what should I do instead, Doc!?” He said, “yoga.” And right then and there began the beginning of my health and fitness career. I became a heavy yoga practitioner and decided to take a job straight out of college managing a studio. It was there that I met a fellow yogi who was practicing a tribal/dance/yoga class which was this hodge-podge class that incorporated booty shaking with traditional poses. But more importantly (at least to me), let you listen and practice to hip hop, EDM, and songs you don’t normally hear in your yoga class. I fell in love with this practice and eventually became a certified Yoga Instructor. From that day forward, wellness and movement became an integral part of my everyday life, and I have been teaching my own variations of yoga and fitness classes ever since.

Most people with a wellbeing centered lifestyle have a “go-to” activity, exercise, beverage, or food that is part of their routine. What is yours, and can you tell us how it helps you?

I’m obsessed with EMOM’s (every minute on the minute workouts) and do them nearly every day. Running two businesses, instructing fitness, modeling, and running a household does not allow me a lot of time to work out. Therefore, I honestly have to “fit in” my movement/fitness routines. So, I will often pick four to five exercises and make myself a 20-minute non-stop every minute on the minute workout. It’s easy, simple, and makes me a better all-around human.

To live a wellness-focused life is one thing, but how did it become your career? How did it all start?

I’ve always been an athlete and actually played co-ed high school ice hockey with the boys growing up. I love pushing my body to its limits and seeing what it is capable of, and this carried through to my adulthood, especially after I became injured after running back in 2015. I was told to “never run” and/or do any impact exercise ever again, which spiraled me into depression and full-blown body dysmorphia. I turned to yoga per my Doctor’s suggestion and began to manage and instruct at local studios. I dove in and loved the meditation and movement aspect of the practice, as it helped me manage my depression and keep my dysmorphia at bay. Eventually, instruction became my side-gig as I started to climb the ladder at a boutique Marketing Agency working for and alongside brands like Apple, the X Games, large snack brands, cannabis companies, and more. Thinking Marketing is what I “should” do (especially since this is what I went to college for), I started to think my career in fitness would only ever be teaching a class or two weekly. I began to feel stagnant in my career and eventually quit my job on a whim, emptied my savings account, and started my very first company, On Beat Fitness. Since then, I have transitioned to fully running my husband, and I’s company, MoveU.

Can you share a story about the biggest challenges you faced when you were first starting? How did you resolve that? What are the main lessons or takeaways from that story?

You know that saying “you are your own worst critic,” well, in my case, that was especially true. I had a lot of days of self-doubt, especially when I was first starting out. I remember days, where I would arrive to class with a “perfectly” planned routine for my students only for no one to show up. In those moments, I remember having thoughts about being a bad, incapable instructor- not being fun enough or knowledgeable enough to teach a decent class. However, I stayed the course, and I focused on improving with every class I taught. I remember specifically growing my average class size from 0 to 4 over the course of 2-months and one day saying out loud to myself before I taught, “this is going to be the best class I ever teach.” This mantra has stuck with me ever since, and I truly put the intent into every class I teach (whether in-person or online) to make that moment in time the best I possibly can for my students. It’s their moment, and I’m just here to facilitate the best experience possible.

Can you share with us how the work you are doing is helping to make a bigger impact in the world? Can you share a story that illustrates that?

I genuinely believe that I was put on planet Earth to help individuals feel their most confident. Therefore, I put this integrity behind all the work that I do. Specifically, I made friends with a woman who discovered me through our Instagram page and began following my personal story closely. She ended up subscribing to my online workouts, and she coincidentally moved to San Diego (where I reside) a year after we had connected. She discovered that I was teaching in-person classes where she made new friends and found true freedom in her body through movement for the first time ever. Like me, she, too, had grown up sheltered. Unable to explore who she truly wanted to be, she realized that her self-confidence was always lacking. A few short weeks into my classes, she decided to put herself out there: she booked a photoshoot, built a portfolio, shared her story online, and has since begun a successful modeling career (which she is killing it at, by the way)! I am honored to have been a part of her journey.

What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now? How do you think that might help people?

Currently, I am developing an App for my husband and I’s company, MoveU, where users will be able to discover specific exercises, posture, and lifestyle tips and apply them to their specific interests, hobbies, jobs, etc. We hope to make the application accessible and affordable to the world. We want to create a world where technology and physical movement can live in synergy and bring our mission to helping people “move better to live better” to light.

You are a successful leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?

Without a doubt, the three-character traits that have been most instrumental to my success are humility, creativity, and cheerfulness.

To be a leader, you have to be humble. You have to be willing to shed your ego, learn, fail, and repeat. In business, and especially in the ever-competitive world of fitness/wellness, there are loads of perceived “failures.” You have to be willing to learn from your mistakes, evolve, and grow. For me, there is no better example of this than when my husband and I’s company experienced a stark downturn in revenue back in 2020. We went from making more money than either of us had ever dreamed of to literally losing hundreds of thousands of dollars per month. We realized that we had grossly underestimated our ability to run our businesses. We both had to evolve as leaders in our industry, business owners, husband and wife, and of course, human beings. Humility is everything.

To lead, you absolutely need to create. I can’t remember where I heard this, but someone once told me that in order to continue creating, you need to continue to expel your ideas out into the “universe.” Because how do you get new ideas? Well, you have to have room and perceived “problems.” Ideas offer solutions, and ideas are born from creativity. Work to be creative. Do things that feed your innovation and dedicate specific time to nurturing your creativity. Personally, I practice this nearly weekly. I dedicate time on my calendar to feed my creativity. I make my favorite food, snag my favorite drinks, and set up a specific creative hour to let ideas (no matter how ridiculous, free-flow). Many of the Viral videos that I have created an endless marketing campaigns were crafted this way.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m a realist. I’ll take it one step further, I’m a Taurus, meaning that I’m stubborn as hell and that I crave safety; therefore, this particular trait does not always come easily to me; however, in order to be a great leader, you absolutely have to be positive aka “cheerful.” I can’t tell you the endless amount of times that being hopelessly optimistic saved me from giving up my hopes and dreams. It will serve you to be nearly unrealistically positive in this industry, as you have to think positively to see the opportunity in every hardship. For me, no greater opportunity presented itself but to be hopefully optimistic than that of covid. When the shutdown occurred, there was certainly a part of me (like most) that thought my business could be over. However, optimism allowed me to get through to the other side.

OK, thank you for all of that. Let’s now shift to the main focus of our interview. Let’s begin with a basic definition of terms so that all of us are on the same page. Wellness is an incredibly broad topic. How would you define the term “Wellness”? Can you explain what you mean?

For me, wellness is a state of being. It’s a vibration that both our body and mind hold. It’s mental, physical, and everything in between. Meaning that we cannot just be well-versed and optimized in one area of our life, but rather knowledgeable, open, and understanding of many different aspects of our lives and how they affect who we are and who we want to be every day. Curating “wellness” in your life means taking the good with the bad and making the most of it, every time, no matter the circumstance.

As an expert, this might be intuitive to you, but it will be instructive to expressly articulate this. Can you please share a few reasons with our readers about why focusing on our wellness should be a priority in our lives?

I genuinely believe that you cannot fulfill your life’s purpose unless you first find wellness within your own life. If you can think of “wellness” like a garden, you absolutely have to water and maintain your own garden before you can even begin to appreciate someone else’s. It’s extremely difficult, if not, impossible to go about loving and /or admiring someone else’s garden if yours is riddled with weeds and parasites. Taking care of yourself and making your wellness a priority will help you reach every goal, dream, and aspiration you’ve ever had, guaranteed. Get ready for the journey!

What are your “5 Things You Need To Create A Highly Successful Career In The Health and Wellness Industry”? If you can, please share a story or an example for each.

In order to create a highly successful career in the health and wellness industry, you need to 1) Own a niche category in the industry, 2) Own an up-to-date phone, 3) Create a tentative plan of execution, 4) Be resilient and consistent and 5) Know who you are and stick to your guns

1) Own a niche category — In a World where you can seemingly find “anything” on the Internet, how are you going to stick out from the rest? Whether you are an educator, an aspiring Influencer, or a brand looking to launch the next TRX. You need to find what makes you unique and different and hone in on that. Become obsessed with your craft and focus on making it the best that it can be. The more you own your niche category, the easier it is for you to stay focused,

2) Own an up-to-date phone — Although it seems intuitive, you absolutely have to own a well-operating, up-to-date phone. In the Health and Wellness industry, content is king, meaning that you need to have a tool that allows you to view, take photos, upload, document, and communicate every day and with as much ease as possible. You certainly don’t need to be an “influencer” to be successful in this industry; however, you do need to stay in the “know” and understand the latest trends in the industry. If you are hoping to become an online wellness personality, then this is a no-brainer. Get yourself the best phone you can afford; it doesn’t have to be the latest and greatest, just enough to get you by for now.

3) Create a tentative plan of execution- I know, I know… This one may be a bit intimidating! BUT don’t panic. I don’t think you should create a whole business plan or anything; however, anyone looking to enter this industry should create some sort of tentative plan to execute their goals within this industry. A few things you need to decide, describe, and put in this plan are as follows: Do I want to offer my services nationally, worldwide, or locally? How do I want to deliver my message? Is Instagram, Tik Tok, Youtube, Facebook the best place for my message? These questions and so many more are going to help you decipher how to best execute your vision as you move forward in your career. If you prefer not to type it, voice memo it to yourself, create a vision board, do whatever you have to do to ensure that you have your ideas mapped, and at least a tentative path to help direct you as you proceed.

4) Be resilient and consistent- Not everything you do is going to be successful. In fact, get ready to fail a lot. Even though one-hit-wonder successes do happen, be prepared, no matter what, to be met with challenges and frustrations as you embark on this new career path. Know that your career, even if it’s going well, is going to wax and wane and that that’s just a part of the journey. Stay consistent, show up, and make sure to refer to your plan from tip 3.

5) Know who you are and stick to your guns — Above all else, as you embark on your health and wellness career, as cliche as it may sound, you have to stay true to who you are. I’ve seen and have personally felt the effects that the pressure of this industry can have on your mental wellbeing. Sometimes, the industry can feel littered and cluttered with “perfection” and strive for the best workout routines, meditation practices, workout routines, etc.; however, try your best not to feel clouded by the smoke and mirrors of others perceived success. Stay hyper-focused on your mission, your values, and who you are. Don’t lose your uniqueness because I promise you that that’s what the world wants from you anyway. You’ve got this.

You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would promote the most wellness to the greatest amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

This may be an oddly specific answer, but if I could help start any new “movement” to the world, I would get people to abdominally vacuum for five to ten minutes per day. This action helps activate your transverse abdomens, your deepest core muscle, and is often overlooked and neglected in today’s “ab-obsessed” society. The yogi in me still firmly believes in the Chakra system, and this area, our core, is linked to our place of personal power; therefore, I believe that if most people focused on training and bringing direct attention to this area of their bodies, we’d all be better humans. We’d also have better tummies as it aids in digestion and helps flatten the stomach while supporting the spine… Triple whammy!

We are blessed that some very prominent names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them.

I am a “How I Built This” Podcast fanatic and have listened to nearly every episode. So, Guy Raz is most certainly at the top of my list. In addition to Guy, I would love to meet Sara Blakely the founder of Spanx as she inspires me every day to be a badass woman in business, Lucy Liu, as I feel she helped me feel represented as a Chinese actress when I felt out of place as a little girl, and of course, Uncle Snoop Dogg, just because I genuinely believe he is a good human being with many stories to share.

How can our readers further follow your work online?

Find my company @moveu on Instagram, Tik Tok, and Youtube, as well as our website www.moveu.com. You can also follow me personally at @yogi.ish — I look forward to connecting!

This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for the time you spent with this. We wish you continued success and good health!