All Episodes

November 12, 2024 15 mins


Inspiration struck when Tierra was an electrical engineer on her own wellness journey. It was during that time she uncovered the need for holistic wellness consulting for corporate workplaces. Listen how she became an entrepreneur and launched Tii Fit Wellness with guidance from the MORTAR program and a dedicated SCORE mentor who has become like family. 
Mark as Played
Transcript

Episode Transcript

Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 3 (00:04):
Hello.

Speaker 1 (00:04):
My name is Michael Dawson, your host of my Sinsei
Small Business Stories. In this episode, we'll be talking with
Tiara Turniz, the owner of key Fit Wellness LLC. We'll
find out more about that, but first we'll be right
back after this message.

Speaker 2 (00:20):
Did you know twice as many small businesses survive past
five years when they have the support from a mentor.
My sincey small business story is brought to you by
the volunteer mentors of Score Greater Cincinnati, a nonprofit organization
that helps launch hundreds of new small businesses and even
more jobs in Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky, and Indiana every year.
Our vision is to give every person the support they

(00:41):
need to thrive as a small business owner. Visit score
dot org slash Greater Cincinnati to request a free business
mentor or share your own expertise. You can also listen
and subscribe for more stories about overcoming challenges, clearing obstacles,
and owning a successful small business.

Speaker 1 (00:57):
So tell me a little bit about your journey for
corporate America to entrepreneurship. And it seems like you might
be in the engineering field at.

Speaker 3 (01:06):
Quite fort Yes, so I went to college for engineering,
got my bachelor's in electrical engineering at the University of Cincinnati,
and I never was in a space where I did
any sports or anything like that, so wellness wasn't quite
at the top of my to do list. So when
I got in corporate, as you can imagine, that was

(01:26):
a lot. I was the first woman in that group
was predominantly males, and I dold a lot of stress
in that space, and so I went to get a trainer,
and during that time frame, they said, oh, wow, you'd
be great at teaching. And I decided to pick up
that extracurricular while I was still in corporate and start

(01:47):
teaching classes. And I found out, hey, I like this
and I was making money, and I decided to create
a business around it because I just I love being active.
It was a great way for my mental health. And
so I was little really working at the gyms like
the BIMCA was my first job while I was still
in corporate, so I was on call, I was flying out.

(02:08):
My job was very busy, right, it was like twenty
four to seven. Support is the department I worked in
for after sales, and so it was a lot. So
I was literally working seven days a week doing my business,
and I went through Mortar the Accelerator in twenty eighteen
because I was like, hey, I'm making money. I don't
have a clue about business. Let me try to learn.
So I went there and changed created te Fit Wellness

(02:31):
because I realized, you know, wellness, it's holistic, it's not
just the physical aspect. And so recently I left my job.
I'm not gonna say recent. I was like twenty twenty two,
so it's been about two years. I left Corporate America
as like from an electrical quality engineering position and did
my business full time. And so now I'm here, you know,

(02:52):
as a full time entrepreneur with te Fit Wellness. And
it's so much more I can say. But that's the
high level view of just how I got from there
to this present moment right now.

Speaker 1 (03:04):
Well, tell me more about your business. What is t
fit Wellness?

Speaker 3 (03:10):
Just a story about the transition and the way it
has evolved. Again. I started out in the physical space.
I was teaching classes and workshops around just wellness as
a whole, just how to develop better habits. And I realized, okay,
we have this corporate space, right I'm still in Corporate America.
So I'm like let me dive into that a little bit.

(03:32):
I got my first contract to do a wellness workshop,
and I practice wellness at work. I started like a
walking club. I would be the tea person in the job.
Everyone's like, I'm having these issues, help me, Tierra, and
I would come and like, do this, eat that. So
I was living the life as I was in corporate
And so when I did my first contract with Corporate America,

(03:54):
I did a wellness workshop on how to develop healthy
habits on the clock, so while you're at work, and
I really like, I love this because I live it,
I do it. I think we don't do it enough.
So when COVID happened, I think a lot of people
realize workplace wellness was so important. And before COVID, I
was already doing it practicing. I've done some contracts with

(04:16):
companies already, and I've recently transitioned my business this year
into doing full time consulting. So right now, as it stands,
t FIT is about implementing wellness initiatives to improve employee retention.
But it's looking at the seven dimensions of wellness. And
we take the voice of the customer, which is your employees,

(04:39):
and we turn that to a strategy that allows employees
to feel value, to feel heard, to know that okay,
we're not just here with a yoga session or just
you know, mindfulness, but you're really looking at all aspects.
So you have physical, mental, financial, social, environmental, vocational wellness.

(05:01):
You have these different dimensions that makes up the whole person.
And so I helped organizations create strategy around that based
off employee insights so we can create a holistically fit culture.

Speaker 1 (05:14):
So you'd mentioned that you went through the Mortar program.
Part of that program is that you were assigned a
score mentor to help you. Are you did you work
with the score mentor during that period of time?

Speaker 3 (05:30):
Yes, I did recently in there, but I actually got
my I transitioned to my business was evolving, and so
I ended up working with a new score mentor, which
is Greg and also Yoshika, and I got them through
the Chamber, the African American Chamber, and literally Greg told
me he was like, here at this point, we're family
because I've been working with you for like three four years.

(05:53):
He's been with me for a very long time and
just helping me with my business. And I would say,
it's really nice to have a board, right, someone that
you can come to say, Hey, this is what I'm
thinking to do. Can you connect me? Can you help
me flesh out these thoughts. So it's been awesome working
with just my new Square mentors and for this long
and my business has definitely evolved and has blossomed into

(06:16):
something too.

Speaker 1 (06:18):
So how are you redefining wellness in the workplace?

Speaker 3 (06:22):
As I kind of stayd that you know earlier just
with what te fit on Us is. So I'm redefined
by really gathering the insights from employees. I feel like
organizations tend to gather this information actually right, they send
out surveys. But I like to engage employees. I like
to create fun ways to collect data. At the heart
of what I do at t feel on Us is
data centered because we cannot it's hard to make decisions,

(06:46):
accurate decisions when you don't know the why. So I
help with gathering the why to understand why are we
doing this? And that comes from the heartbeat of the company,
which is your employees. Right, everyone said, you know I'm
not We're Today a lot of companies are going to
have a very hard time sustaining business. So my approach

(07:08):
is not only just listening to the voice of your
employee and knowing what they want. But it's really getting
them to understand what are the seven dimensions of wellness,
how does that apply to the company, and which one
do we want to prioritize, And so I help gather
that data and then turn that into strategy into initiatives.
So it's not just a wellness program that you're doing.

(07:29):
It's not just someone comes in once in a while
and do something. It's really looking at creating sustainability because
it's a cultural shift and in order to do that,
you need to rally the troops, so to speak, and
get your employees to really tell you what they need
and how you're going to make them feel comfortable so
that they do want to stay so you can attract people.

(07:50):
So it is a great place to work. Right. So
it's a win win for both sides, for the organization
and for the employees because the employees get to say,
I feel appreciated, they're listening to me, and the company
gets to see that in the back end when it
looks at cost savings, right, we're not spending money on
things that we don't really utilize that we're not getting
engagement from and our employees want to be here, they

(08:12):
want to work for us. We are attracting people because
we're being innovative. We're thinking outside the box when it
comes to engaging our employees outside of the normal initiatives
that companies normally, you know do.

Speaker 1 (08:24):
So it sounds like that each of your clients you
do some customization for their employees or for the program.

Speaker 3 (08:34):
Is that the case, Yes, I do customization, but the
basis of it have a three part system. So it
is one just getting to know you with thirty minute conversation,
and then from there it's an audit. So again I
like to go in. Before we just go head first
in and say I want to buy this product, I
try to maximize your dollar, right, I try to say, well,

(08:55):
let's make sure we're creating the strategy that makes sense.
So we do an audit, and then from that audit,
we can create a strategy, a plan, a roadmap to
getting to the goal that you want to hit. So
that's pretty much the three part process. And then after
that you just you know, you maintain it, right. You
have to make sure after we implement something that we're

(09:18):
sustaining it. So that last piece is that sustainability aspect
of creating that plan.

Speaker 1 (09:25):
So is your target audience then corporate America or do
you also do individual programs?

Speaker 3 (09:34):
My target audience is corporate America, but I would even
kind of downsize a little bit further, drove down a
little further. It's really small businesses. I would say five
thousand or less employees. When I say small, it might
not be the you know, Kroger so to speak. I
maybe great Kroger's like, hey, come on, Tierra. But in reality,

(09:54):
the organizations that I've really been working with our small
companies because they have the almost like that family sort
of environment. They're like, you know, they're in a spot
where they want to scale, they want to attract more people,
they want to bring in more revenue, and in order
to do that right, you have to retain people. You

(10:14):
have to make sure that people want to work for
you and that you're not creating a revolving door. So
I really work with organizations that five thousand or less employees,
and from that, you know that that's pretty much my
target audience right there.

Speaker 1 (10:31):
Well, if fine were a small business and I needed
your services or wanted to talk to you more about
what you offer. How would I find you?

Speaker 3 (10:40):
It's two ways. You can email me. My email is
info at my t fit that's m y T I
I F I T dot com. Or you can go
to my website at ww dot mytfit dot com.

Speaker 1 (10:54):
So I want to get back a little bit about
the score mentor how the person helped you you and
your success. Would you recommend score to other budding entrepreneurs
or startup businesses.

Speaker 3 (11:10):
Yes, absolutely, I will say that, And I'm not just
saying that because I'm on the podcast. I promise I'm
saying that because I'm saying that because it's true. I
really do think that when you're on this entrepreneur journey,
it can be very difficult, and you can almost feel
like you're in a silo. And if nothing else, your

(11:31):
score mentor will absolutely help you remove yourself from that
silo and start to connect you, start to listen to
what you're wanting to do and try to get you
in position like obviously, no one's going to have all
the answers, right, it's up to you. You're the entrepreneur,
You're the brains behind the operation, but you do need
someone to help guide you to say, hey, maybe you

(11:53):
need to do this step before that step, or if
you do want to experiment and do this new thing,
you know, at least let me kind of put up
these guardrails so you're not just going crazy out there.
You know that you're still staying on track to hit
your goal. So I think absolutely everyone should have a
mentor because those mentors can also turn into sponsors. Right now,

(12:13):
they can say your name in a room now they're like, oh,
I know this business, I've worked with them, I see
their progress. You know, now I can introduce you to
this group of people here because I know your work ethic,
I know what you do. So absolutely I recommend sport.
I think every business owner should definitely, you know, get

(12:33):
a mentor for a mentor.

Speaker 1 (12:35):
So what's in the future for key Fit Wellness?

Speaker 3 (12:39):
Yeah, so the future. So right now I am working
on creating a report, a report for so that organizations
can take or individuals who work in corporate America in
any field really it could be manufacturing, it could be
the financial field, whatever office, whatever it is, it is consulting.

(13:01):
And with that report, I am looking at collecting information
in regards to employee engagement and what you know, employees
are feeling right now as it pertains to their workplace environment. Now,
this report is anonymous. It's nothing that like, I don't
have to know your company or your name. It's really

(13:22):
just the data because what it's going to do is allow,
at least in Cincinnati, organizations to see the need for
something that I'm offering. Right, I'm not saying what I'm
offering something so new and you know, like it's never
been here. But I think my approach, my methods are
unique and that takes time to build on. Right. That

(13:43):
takes time for people to see the value and it
so creating this report will show the data behind the why, right,
why I'm doing what I'm doing, Why to fit wellness
exists in the first place, and to show that information.
So I'm doing that report and really just looking for
new clients to help with their organization. I think one
of the things I will say when people hear wellness

(14:04):
are like, wait, so you're going to create a fitness program,
And I'm like, no, it's not that, because wellness is holistic, right,
So it's not just I'm trying to create a wellness initiative.
When we think of wellness again, it's holistic and It
could literally be just documentation. It could be training. People
leave companies because they're like this training on boarding is horrible.

(14:27):
I don't want to be here. I don't know what
I'm doing, I don't understand my purpose. Well, that falls
under vocational wellness because people like to know direction, right,
They like to know that I can move up in
an organization, that there is some means to an end.
So maybe you don't need a wellness or to speak
initiative like mental health program or someone coming in. Maybe

(14:47):
you need documentation. And that is what I stand for.
It's again holistic. I help a documentation all these things.
So looking for new clients and helping them understand exactly
what I do and how I can create their organization
to be a people want to work at. So report
and new clients, and that is what we're going into
twenty twenty five.

Speaker 1 (15:06):
Terrific. And tell me again how people can contact you.

Speaker 3 (15:09):
Yes, you can find me at ww dot mitfit dot com.
That's my website and that's m y T I I
F I T. You can also email me at info
at mytfit dot com. And I forgot to mention my
social media links the same thing my tfit. You can
find you on Instagram and LinkedIn.

Speaker 1 (15:29):
Very good well, Tara, thank you very much for appearing
on the show. If you would like to sign up
with a mentor, or you would like to become a mentor,
please go to score dot org and click on the
appropriate link
Advertise With Us

Popular Podcasts

Stuff You Should Know
Dateline NBC

Dateline NBC

Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com

New Heights with Jason & Travis Kelce

New Heights with Jason & Travis Kelce

Football’s funniest family duo — Jason Kelce of the Philadelphia Eagles and Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs — team up to provide next-level access to life in the league as it unfolds. The two brothers and Super Bowl champions drop weekly insights about the weekly slate of games and share their INSIDE perspectives on trending NFL news and sports headlines. They also endlessly rag on each other as brothers do, chat the latest in pop culture and welcome some very popular and well-known friends to chat with them. Check out new episodes every Wednesday. Follow New Heights on the Wondery App, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to new episodes early and ad-free, and get exclusive content on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. And join our new membership for a unique fan experience by going to the New Heights YouTube channel now!

Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2025 iHeartMedia, Inc.