Meet Your Neighbor: Kelley Sinclair | Lioness Fitness in Fitchburg, WI

We spoke with Kelly from Lioness Fitness in Fitchburg to get to know her better as a Fitchburg business neighbor! 

Tell us about yourself, who you are, and what you do!

I am a former public school music teacher, turned stay-at-home-mom, finally landing on women's strength training coach! My current role is business owner, group fitness instructor, personal trainer, marketing director, equipment fixer, website troubleshooter, jack of all trades. The journey has been long and winding, but I love the ability to combine my love of teaching with my desire to empower women to feel strong and confident both in and outside the gym.

When did you open Lioness and what got you started?

I'm not actually the founder of Lioness. I met Kim through our husbands, tried a free class and was hooked! I loved the community of women and the flexibility of bringing the kids along to class. In that phase of life it was hard enough to find time to shower, let alone get in a workout, and this program seemed to be just the ticket. After leaving my teaching job, my family moved to Colorado for a year of adventure and when I returned, I reached out to Kim to learn more about becoming a personal trainer. Lucky for me she was about to open our first Fitchburg location and needed more trainers. I completed my cPT in 2017 and it's been quite the journey ever since! We opened our first solo space in January 2019, closed it in September 2020 due to the pandemic, went fully virtual for a year and a half before coming back in person in Verona, became the official owner in March 2023 and finally found ourselves back in our own space in November of that same year! Whew!

What makes Lioness Fitness unique?

While other gyms offer women's only classes or workout spaces, Lioness is the only true "women's only" gym in the area. We pride ourselves (pun intended) on creating a space where women can safely learn how to lift weights without the outside pressure to look a certain way or do everything perfectly the first time. We are here to empower our members to listen to, trust in and challenge their bodies to stretch outside their comfort zone. For many of us growing up, we didn't feel welcome in the weight room, or we were trained alongside the boys' teams without any attention to our specific needs as young women. This paired with society's message that women should be focused on cardio exercise only, with the ultimate goal of shrinking our bodies through food restrictions, has led to entire generations of women who claim to hate exercise. However, more and more research is being shared about the importance of strength training, especially as we age, and we are thrilled to have a place where women can build skills and habits that will help them live longer, stronger lives. They come here to be inspired by their classmates and cheer each other on. Plus they are developing connections and friendships that extend outside of the gym, which is my absolute favorite part.  

When you're not here at the gym, what can we find you doing?

My time outside the gym is filled with soccer games, dance practices, choir concerts, birthday parties and all of the other joyful chaos that comes with having kids. When we are able to ditch the schedule, you'll find us going for hikes, camping, baking delicious treats, doing a puzzle, hanging with family and friends or scheming our next trip to Colorado to breathe the mountain air.

Thank you for your time, thanks for being such a great part of our community here in Fitchburg!

Thanks for taking the time to sit down with us, Kelley!