Chat with NoBeFit
NoBeFit Head Coach and Owner Abby McCormick
NoBeFit donates a portion of their monthly gym membership fees to support Open Up! To date, we have received over $1,000 from the NoBe community - thank you!
Tell us about yourself and NoBeFit!
I grew up playing tennis & fell in love with fitness coaching in my last year of high school which inspired me to pursue a career as a Fitness Coach. I studied Exercise Science & played varsity tennis at IUP, graduating in 2015.
I opened NoBeFit! in April 2018 with the goal of creating a space that just helped individuals feel comfortable being themselves in the gym & exploring what they can/want to do in the gym. Our approach to coaching is trauma informed/healing centered with the understanding that weight lifting can allow for individual & community healing. This year, I actually completed a Trauma Informed Weight Lifting Certification through the Center for Trauma & Embodiment at the JRI. At NoBeFit!, we work with individuals who feel overwhelmed, anxious or uncomfortable in fitness spaces for so many different reasons. We prioritize empathy, understanding & meeting each person where they are when they walk in the door. It’s a gym for you to be you.
It was also really important to me to build a culture & work environment that would help other great coaches build fulfilling careers, navigate some of the main challenges that come up with working full-time in fitness & create sustainable professional careers for others who are passionate in the same way I was when I decided to become a coach.
What role do you play in your community?
In our community, I am a full-time coach & founder of NoBeFit! I do all kinds of things on a day to day basis alongside my team of coaches, intern coaches & co-owner, Logan. I love being part of a team of people who are all striving to better themselves, care deeply for our clients & create an awesome place to work. It has been really fun (yes, challenging too) to evolve from a team of 1 (me) to where we are now - my role has certainly evolved as well which has been super fulfilling. This evolution has also allowed me to personally grow in so many more ways than I could have imagined
What is inclusion? What does it mean to be inclusive?
Valuing others for their uniqueness & creating spaces where they also feel valued, acknowledged & seen. Understanding how others may have been impacted simply for being themselves - including personal trauma, systemic trauma, generational trauma. It’s being curious & trying our best to do less harm.
What role do you play in the community?
As a gym, we play a role in creating a space that is for people to be themselves. Gym spaces can often be uncomfortable, toxic or cause quite a bit of anxiety. So, our goal is to create a place that is for people to be themselves. We offer a trauma-informed/healing centered approach that resonates with many individuals who have anxiety, depression, & generally feel really uncomfortable in the gym or around others. Our role is to be curious & understanding of how we can meet these individuals where they are to help them heal their bodies & minds through strength training & positive coaching relationships & a healthy community atmosphere.
How did you find and connect with OpenUp?
I found OpenUp through Lauren Sapienza back in 2019/2020. She connected us by helping myself & co-owner Logan to join a virtual yoga + brunch event that was so fantastic. After learning about OpenUp, who they are & how they do it we really wanted to come up with ways to be consistently supportive of their work, space and clients in ways that would be meaningful/impactful to the community at OpenUp.
