EP #48 Finding Your Fitness Community: Courtney Dorsey's Premier Athletics

Ever walked into a gym and felt completely lost or intimidated? You're not alone. Meet Courtney Dorsey, owner of Premier Athletics in Stafford, Virginia, who's changing how people approach fitness by combining supportive community with personalized strength training.

As a lifelong athlete standing 5'11", Courtney grew up in the "smaller is better" mentality that dominates women's fitness. After having three children, she discovered weightlifting and had a revelation: "Muscle is beautiful. Being strong is beautiful." This transformative experience inspired her to create Premier Athletics, where members get the benefits of group workouts with individual attention from a certified personal trainer. "We're all in a group doing the same exercises, but everyone's going at their own pace, using different weights," Courtney explains.

What makes Premier Athletics special isn't just the physical training, but the educational approach. "I don't just tell my clients what to do, I teach them," emphasizes Courtney, who spends considerable time debunking fitness myths and dismantling diet culture. Her goal? Empowering clients to walk confidently into any gym or restaurant knowing exactly what supports their goals. This military spouse and mother of three has built more than a gym – she's created a community where people find friends, motivation, and a space that cares about them as individuals. As Courtney advises other entrepreneurs, "Take a chance on yourself. Do everything in your power to make it succeed, and you won't fail."

Ready to experience Premier Athletics for yourself? Your first class is completely free! Visit premierathleticsfitness.com or find them on Instagram @premierathleticsfitness to see what classes look like and become part of this empowering fitness community.

Courtney Dorsey

Premier Athletics

premierathleticsfitness.com

[e-mail]

[phone]

2773 Richmond Highway Suite 105

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is the Fredericksburg Neighbors Podcast
, the place where localbusinesses and neighbors come
together.
Here's your host, Dori Stewart.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
Welcome back to another episode of the
Fredericksburg Neighbors Podcast, where we share the stories of
our favorite local brands.
I'm excited to introduce you tomy guest today.
Courtney Dorsey is with PremierAthletics.
Courtney, welcome to thepodcast.

Speaker 3 (00:30):
Thank you so much for having me today.

Speaker 2 (00:32):
Of course.
Well, I'm excited to learn allabout you and about your
business.
So let's start there.
Share with us a little bitabout Premier Athletics.

Speaker 3 (00:41):
Okay, awesome, I'm Premier Athletics.
I'm in Stafford Virginia.
We are a strength trainingfacility, so what I really focus
on and specialize in is helpingpeople change their body
composition.
So, essentially, losing fat,maintaining or gaining muscle.
I'm strength training in agroup setting, so what that

(01:01):
means is we're all in a groupdoing the same exercises, the
same programming, but everyone'sgoing at a different pace,
using different weights, and Ican modify for anybody.
I'm a certified personaltrainer, so that allows me to
modify for any injuries oranything like that for people.
So I do one hour classes Mondaythrough Saturday.

(01:22):
The goal is to get you in herethree days a week With your
membership.
I also offer nutritionalguidance, so I help people
figure out how to get into adeficit, how to eat higher
protein, how there are no badfoods, only the amounts we eat
of them, and we really focus oncreating a community where you
know it's not taking away, butgiving you more more of the

(01:45):
things that you like like justin the right kind of portions
and sustainable, lifelongresults.

Speaker 2 (01:51):
Awesome.
I love your format so much.
I love that it's a groupsetting, so you get the energy
of working out with other people, but then you're able to
customize, because I think thatit sometimes can be intimidating
.
So I love that you are payingattention to everyone's
different levels, that's awesomeyeah, definitely Definitely.
Awesome, so tell me about yourbackground.

(02:13):
How'd you get into this?

Speaker 3 (02:14):
Okay, cool.
So I was an athlete my wholelife and even did athletics in
college, and so I've alwaysloved being active and being fit
.
I was kind of brought up in thesports that I was in to think
that being smaller was better.
Right, and kind of womenespecially, we grow up in this

(02:36):
diet culture of smaller isbetter, and so after I had kids
I have three kids I startedgetting into weightlifting and
it started to change my body ina way that really let me embrace
I'm a large human.
I'm 5'11".
So, I've always been the biggerhuman right, so weightlifting
helped me understand that muscleis beautiful, that being strong

(03:00):
is beautiful, and it just kindof trickles down into your
entire life.
You have this confidence andyou have this sense of
empowerment.
And so I've trained at manygyms before and then finally
kind of pulled the trigger onopening my own small business
about 18 months ago.
And it's just little thingsI've taken away from my life and

(03:22):
my experiences to build it intowhat Premiere is today.

Speaker 2 (03:27):
Amazing.
Well, congratulations on 18months.
That's exciting.

Speaker 3 (03:32):
Yes, we made it one year.
I guess, as a small business,only a small percentage make it
that first year.
So that was the goal.

Speaker 2 (03:39):
Yes, yes, congratulations, thank you.
So do you find that there aremany myths or misconceptions
about your business?

Speaker 3 (03:49):
Maybe not my business in particular, but the health
and fitness industry as a wholethere's.
So I mean diet culture.
I spend a good amount of timejust debunking the myths,
debunking everything we see onsocial media, everything we've
been taught to grow up againthat less is more, all of those
things you know, trying toshrink yourself in a sense.

(04:11):
There's so many short-termquick fixes out there that I
just teach people that's not,that's not what we want to do.
We want sustainable results andthat takes time.
Um, so really just educating.
I always say I don't just tellmy clients what to do, I teach
them.
My goal is to teach you thatyou could walk into any gym and

(04:34):
know exactly what you need to do.
You could go to any restaurantand know what to do, what to
pick.
That's going to best supportyour goals.

Speaker 2 (04:42):
That's a huge value, oh yeah, oh yeah.
I walk into a gym and I'm justlike so intimidating.

Speaker 3 (04:50):
And it can be.
And you know people will havegym memberships for years and
years but never get thoseresults.
And you know strength trainingis so science-based it's a
science and just hiring someoneto be in your corner and teach
you that science, that's whenthe results come.
So my goal is always wherevermy clients are, they know that
they can confidently walk into agym, get a great workout in,

(05:14):
and they know they're going tosee those results.

Speaker 2 (05:16):
That's amazing what a gift you are to your clients.
Very cool, oh, thank you, Ilove that.
Okay, so 18 months in I meanthe first couple years are so
hard I imagine you are puttingin a crazy amount of hours.
So tell me, when you're notworking hard, what are you doing
for fun?

Speaker 3 (05:34):
Mom life is fun.
I'm not here, I'm the busdriver.
I love fitness myself.
Right, it's not a job for me.
I just truly am living a dreambeing able to teach people what
has really changed my life.
I do love online shopping, longwalks on the beach, all those

(05:56):
fun things.
I'm human, like everyone elsetoo, but, yeah, just you know,
doing fun stuff with the kids,mini vacations here or there.
I love relaxing.
That's important as well, too.

Speaker 2 (06:10):
I love that.
I love that.
Okay, so when you started yourbusiness, was there some advice
that someone gave you, or isthere some advice that you would
give someone who is in yourshoes and is getting ready to
start a new business?

Speaker 3 (06:27):
Sure, yeah, great question.
So my mom is an entrepreneur.
She's a hairdresser, and soshe's.
I grew up watching her thrive,you know, renting her chair at
the salon and being thatentrepreneur.
And something that was reallyimpactful to me is she got to
set her hours so that she couldbe around her kids, and so

(06:47):
that's always been something inthe back of my mind going into
finding whatever career I was in, that I want to be able to, you
know, be there for my kids, andbeing a small business owner
allows me to do that.
I'm so lucky to be able to dothat.
The one piece of advice I wouldgive other people that are
thinking about opening a smallbusiness is take the chance on

(07:08):
yourself, just tell yourselfthat it's going to succeed, do
everything in your power to makeit succeed, and you won't fail.
You just won't fail.
You just have to really 110%believe in yourself.
There's going to be challengesalong the way, but that's normal
, that's how we learn, and whenyou find those people that are
in your corner, just let themkeep rooting for you.

(07:29):
Create that community that is,you know, rooting for you.

Speaker 2 (07:32):
I love that.
I love that you said take achance on yourself.
Yeah, absolutely, yeah,definitely.
I love that.
So you, your business, is inStafford.
How long have you been in theFredericksburg area?

Speaker 3 (07:46):
We're a military family, so we have been on and
off in Stafford slash Quantico.
I have been on and off inStafford slash Quantico this
area this is our third timebeing stationed here, so we've
been here without kids.
I've had two babies here, sowe've been here a long time over
the 17 years of service Yep.

Speaker 2 (08:06):
And now a business owner here in the community.
Yes, I love that.
I love that.
So what is something that youwish the?

Speaker 3 (08:17):
listeners knew about your business.
I would love for them to knowthat it can be intimidating
walking into a gym, especiallywalking into a gym with barbells
and dumbbells everywhere.
I know that can be intimidating, but I am huge on community.
I mean, the community that Ihave created here is something
that I'm very passionate aboutand I'm very proud of.

(08:39):
Everyone here has been in yourshoes, scared to come through
the door.
That's the hardest hurdlegetting through the door.
So I would just love for peopleto know that you will find your
people here.
You will find new friends.
You will find new motivation,new goals.
You will find a space thatreally cares about not only your
goals, but you as a person aswell.

Speaker 2 (09:01):
I love that.
If the listeners want toconnect with you, learn more
from you or take a class, wherecan they find you?

Speaker 3 (09:10):
Yeah, so you can go to premierathleticsfitness.
com.
The first class is completelyfree.
You can also find us onInstagram.
Instagram is such a greatlittle eye into what classes
look like.
I take all the pictures, takeall the videos.
Our Instagram handle is atpremierathleticsfitness, so they

(09:30):
can do that as well, and myphone number and email is listed
on our website as well.

Speaker 2 (09:35):
Amazing, amazing.
Well, Courtney, thank you somuch for joining me on the
podcast today and sharingPremier Athletics with us.

Speaker 3 (09:43):
Yes, thank you so much for having me.

Speaker 1 (09:47):
Thank you for listening to the Fredericksburg
Neighbors Podcast.
To nominate your favorite localbusinesses to be featured on
the show, go tofxbgneighborspodcast.
com.
That's fxbgneighborspodcast.
com, or call 540-534-4618.