Good Neighbor Podcast for the Greater Chattanooga Region
Connecting Business Friends to Local Neighbors!
Our goal is to enable business owners and executives such as yourself, who serve Cleveland and the Greater Chattanooga Area, to share your stories and connect with your neighbors residing in the nearby communities. Through the local projects and programs offered from the Friends & Neighbors Group, including The Good Neighbor Podcast, residents are able to learn more about local entrepreneurs and executives including the products and/or services your business offers them
EVERY LOCALLY OWNED BUSINESS HAS A STORY TO TELL...
THE GOOD NEIGHBOR PODCAST HELPS TO TELL YOUR STORY LOUD & PROUD!!
Good Neighbor Podcast for the Greater Chattanooga Region
Dawniel King: Building Community Through The Flow and The Grit House Fitness Ventures
Ever wondered how a gym can transform not just your body, but your entire outlook on fitness and community? Prepare to be inspired by Dawniel King, co-owner with her husband Nathan, of The Flow and The Grit House in Cleveland, as she takes us through her incredible journey from Ohio to becoming a local fitness icon. In this episode, Dawniel shares her own fitness evolution, from initially resisting weightlifting to becoming a dedicated bodybuilder with an IFBB Pro Card, all while raising two athletic sons, Ethan and Alex. Listen in to hear how Dawniel and Nathan have built two gyms that cater to very different fitness needs—intense training at The Grit House and a less intimidating class-style training environment at The Flow.
Looking for a workout that feels more like play? Dawniel introduces us to the innovative fitness classes at The Flow, including bungee workouts that reduce impact on joints and make exercise accessible to everyone, from beginners to individuals with physical conditions like MS or Parkinson’s. From the "Mario jump" to customized fitness regimens, the bungee system offers a fun and effective way to stay active. Dawniel also shares some light-hearted family moments, like the challenges of food-sharing during bodybuilding prep and the broader impact of her fitness journey on family dynamics.
As we wrap up, Dawniel’s passion for fostering a welcoming, uplifting community shines through. By offering free "first" classes with no contracts, Dawniel’s commitment to making fitness inclusive is heartwarming. We discuss the strong sense of community at both The Flow and The Grit House, and the variety of training options available, including personal training in powerlifting and bodybuilding. Don’t miss this engaging conversation that celebrates local business and the transformative power of fitness!
Good Neighbor Podcast Show Media Accounts
Good Neighbor Podcast
https://www.friendsandneighborsgroup.com
https://www.facebook.com/FriendsNeighborsGroup
https://www.instagram.com/friendsneighborsgroup (COMING SOON) https://www.pinterest.com/FriendsNeighborsGroup (COMING SOON)
https://twitter.com/f_n_group
https://www.linkedin.com/company/friendsneighborsgroup/about/
https://www.tiktok.com/@friendsneighborsgroup (COMING SOON)
https://www.youtube.com/@FriendsNeighborsGroup
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/good-neighbor-podcast-for-the-greater-chattanooga-region/id1739303534
https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-good-neighbor-podcast-for-156268559/
https://open.spotify.com/show/5YYkezp741rmU6Bmjzme5A
...
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Scott Howell.
Speaker 2:Hello good neighbors and welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast brought to you by the Friends and Neighbors Group of the Greater Chattanooga Region.
Speaker 2:My name is Scott Howell and I'm your host.
Speaker 2:The Good Neighbor Podcast desires to bring an awareness to the residents living in our communities regarding the locally owned and or operated businesses in the same areas. You know, whether it's in your neighborhood or across town or all the way across the region to Chattanooga. We just want to bring awareness to all of our local communities and local businesses there that are needing our support. You know, in this day of corporate giants, sometimes we forget these local businesses are in our communities and they need us, they need our help, they need our support or, you know, for us to use their services. And every local business has a story to tell. Local business has a story to tell and on the Good Neighbor podcast we just want to help them, shout it loud and proud so that we'll all know they're out there and we'll know what they offer to us.
Speaker 2:And today we have one of our good neighbors. Her name is Donnell King and she is at a gym called the Flow. It's a combination of the Grit House and the Flow, but it's two separate buildings and she's going to talk to us today about the Flow and Donnell. We are just so glad to have you with us on the podcast today.
Speaker 3:Thank you so much, I'm excited.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I've been looking forward to it.
Speaker 2:You know, I interviewed her husband although all that y'all that maybe haven't seen it, it's called the grit house with nathan king and I uh, interviewed him and donnell was supposed to be with us that day and something came up and she couldn't.
Speaker 2:And I told her I said I think it worked out perfectly because nathan's the, the hardcore, you know, get in there gym bro, getting our work hard in the gym. And and he mentioned the flow, and of Donnell comes from that same background, as she'll tell us, a little bit bodybuilder and all. But the flow has a little bit different audience, a little bit different clientele somewhat, and a little bit different offerings, if I could put it that way. And so that's what we're going to talk about today is we're going to talk about the flow and we're going to talk about Donnell's journey and her life and kind of what's been going on with her and a lot of exciting things going on in Donnell's life and looking forward to hearing all about it. So, donnell, before we jump into talking about the flow, would you like to share anything with us about yourself and your family?
Speaker 3:Well, yes, I have. I have been married to Nathan. We've been together. August 5th We'll be 24 years that we've been married, so, and then we've been together almost 25. So that really sounds old when I say that out loud 25 years. So we and so we are both originally from Ohio and came down here for Lee and I have two boys. One just graduated from Walker Valley, Ethan King. He was an exceptional runner over there and then he got a scholarship to Lee for academics and their track team, so he's going to be running for Lee this fall. And then my youngest one is Alex King, and he also he'll be a junior at Walker Valley this year and he just started track. He used to be soccer, but he started track this past year and he did pretty well. He's more my sprinter and Ethan's more distance. Okay, so yeah, so it's just the four of us and we've been down. Nathan was down here before I was, but we've lived here the whole time. We've been married.
Speaker 2:Oh really Okay. Yeah, what part of Ohio were y'all from? He didn't tell me that.
Speaker 3:Mansfield, ohio, I'm an hour north of Columbus. He was originally from Willard, ohio, which is a small town up a little further from me. His sister actually introduced us and so I met him and I knew pretty quick that I was going to marry him. Took him a little bit more, but uh, so we yeah, but yeah, we met Christmas.
Speaker 2:Eve of 1999, and then we got married in 2000. Wow, that's great. Well, it sounds like y'all had a great life together, had the same passions like passions about a lot of things. But Nathan told me that your jump into the fitness world wasn't as hard, as quick as his.
Speaker 3:No, I always had been. I'm short, so I'm 5'3" and both my parents were short people. You know my dad, I think he was maybe 5'8" and my mom's like 5'2", and so my dad, you know, built-wise was pretty thick for a shorter guy. And then, you know, my mom was a little more petite, but she was a muscular. She just got muscle. You know she's got good calves, good legs. You know my grandma would always say we had Tina Turner legs.
Speaker 3:So I didn't know what that meant until I got a little older. But so I was always afraid that I was going to be bigger, you know, because you kind of that's what most people thought at that time. You know, you start lifting weights I'm going to get big, because I was never really a small looking girl and so or a small looking girl and so, or a small built girl and so I didn't really ever lift. I you know I cheered and ran and rollerbladed and that I was active, but I had saw an article in 2010 about a girl. I was up in Ohio visiting my family with the boys and I saw an article about a girl that was 33, and she had four girls and she was going to be competing in the Arnold Classic in bikini. That was first year they had that. But what really caught my eye is they had a picture of her and she was pretty muscular, but she was 105 pounds.
Speaker 3:And I was like, ok, she doesn't look 105, because that's really really little, but but she just looked really good. So I had called Nathan and of course, since we've been married, he had tried to get me to do that. And I was like like, no, I'm good, you know. And uh, I liked doing my classes and uh, um, so I was a group fitness person, I liked doing that stuff, and so I told him, I said all right, I said I'm gonna give you a month if, if, I'm gonna try this for one month, and that was it, and see how I like it, and then we'll go month to month. And and so I I came back home and started at the 1st of March.
Speaker 3:He helped me with my food and you know, I was so new at working out that I would take pictures when I was in the gym by myself. I know that they even said the weight on the side, but I was. I would sit there and be like, is this good weight? Like I would send him pictures. I'm like, am I getting strong enough, you know, cause? And he's like, no, that's good, you know. Or he's like, no, you probably need to go up, but very, very new to all that stuff. And but he helped me uh along the whole long way and uh, and then I competed that year in chattanooga at the battle of the river. It was my first show in june so it was.
Speaker 3:That was. It was the hardest thing I had ever done in my life um, uh, right up there but it was one of the most rewarding things I had a lot of a lot of. I didn't realize how much I liked food or how much food kind of had a hold on me, you know, until until it was like, oh, you can have that, but you can only have this much of it. It's like wait, what? So? But and then I? I competed for another four years.
Speaker 2:So I really liked it. Yeah, did you did. Was it ever your goal to get a pro card or anything like that?
Speaker 3:It kind of. It's one of those things that it's very hard. I mean, you realize, when you're in it you're like, oh yeah, I want my pro card, I want my pro card. But I had to kind of almost be realistic, because I was 30 when I started and a lot of these girls that were in it that I was competing with didn't have kids. You know, they were young, I mean, they're mid-20s, you know. And so, yeah, I would have liked to.
Speaker 3:It would have been really cool, you know, because I thought about it, but it wasn't something that I had to have thought about it, but it wasn't something that I had to have. Um, I actually, when I actually got my pro card, I was on stage and they, we were up in new jersey. It was at the mpc national show, was called team u or team universe, and it was in new jersey. And so nathan it was just nathan and I and he was actually looking at the pictures through the camera when they call us up on stage and stuff he's just looking down at the pictures that he had just taken and I'm standing off to the side and they called my number.
Speaker 3:I didn't realize it was me. They called it again. They called it a third time and I was like like wait, that's me. And so, and he, we were all like you know, and uh, because they, they call us all out in the top three and and I was, it's like I got off the stage and I was like did, did that just happen? You know, because it was. I wasn't expecting it. You know I've I've faced decent going to national shows, but I was. You know it was either I was too big here, you know, my legs were too big, or my back was too small, or I needed more shoulders, or you know it was.
Speaker 3:You go to one show and do this, change that, and then you go to the other show and it was flipped. So, um, it was one of those dreams that was very unattainable looking at it. So when it happened, I was. I was very surprised and very happy for my husband, cause I think he wanted it more than I did, but it was, yeah, that was. That was pretty cool.
Speaker 2:Yeah, when they, when they. When you walked on that stage, I bet they knew who your husband was that day. He was probably cheering.
Speaker 3:He was probably the only one going. That's my wife. Half that trophy's mine. Oh, that's funny. Is the my pro card trophy is the smallest one. Most important, yeah, and it's clear, so you can't really see it, you know. So it's like that one right there.
Speaker 2:That's the most important I set up a light to shine on that one. So how many years were you into your journey, the bodybuilding journey, when you got your pro car?
Speaker 3:two, two okay, wow, yeah that's not common um right, yeah, wow, yeah it uh, common, I had always competed in figure and my legs were too big or I needed bigger back to kind of balance me out. And then in 2012, they came out with a new division called Women's Physique, and it was at that time girls were supposed to be, like they said, 20% bigger than figure girls.
Speaker 3:And so I was like, well, that's me, cause it was very hard for me to shrink or to lose muscle, um and uh, cause I, just I, I can develop pretty quick but it's hard for me to get smaller, um and so. So I and it was just, it was a good category for me to fit into at that time and it's changed a little bit since then. Um, so I probably wouldn't be able to hang in that division anymore if I would compete again. But, uh, I think that that was just. I think it was honestly, I became a little bit, I became closer with God.
Speaker 3:So it was kind of like a spiritual journey when I would compete because I did, I focused a lot, like there was times when I would be like God, I need you to help me get through this hour to not eat what I'm not supposed to eat, you know like it would. Or running, you know I said I like food, so I would, I would pray a lot when I would run, I would listen stronger and stuff, and so, no, god, I really think helped me in that journey a lot.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and plus the prep is grueling, isn't it From what I've been told it's grueling, isn't it from what I've been told? It's grueling.
Speaker 3:It's just a mental. It's keeping your head straight.
Speaker 2:I was interviewing another couple and she's a bodybuilder, he's a gym bro and she's a bodybuilder. They own their own gym in East east ridge and you, you probably know them, but uh, uh, I was. I was interviewing them and he said, yeah, when, when, when she's on, uh, the prep. So we put, we hang signs up saying beware of bodybuilding. It was, it was so fun and I'm talking about it, but I typically only lose my myself with my family.
Speaker 3:You know I just get short. Sometimes it's almost like what, what do you want? But I can typically be cordial around other people and I don't share food. That was you know. My kids learned really fast. They're like what do you have? I'm not sharing my food, this is all I get.
Speaker 2:It's all measured out, get your own. I want to talk about the flow. It's obviously on the on the uh behind your back on the wall. There it says the flow and the beautiful logo I love the Hoover designed that for you. And talk to us about how y'all decided to open the flow and what the reasoning behind it was and kind of who you're targeting. Just tell us all about it.
Speaker 3:Okay, Well, we were kind of wanting to. We wanted a different demographic, basically. Basically because the grid house, there's a lot of people. When I tell them that we own it, they're like, oh yeah, I know that place, that's where the serious gym goers go, and I'm like, yeah, but when you walk in, but it's uh.
Speaker 3:But I think that's some of the social media prep or presence that we have yeah, because when you come in, it's like a family, so, um, but, and most of our members over there they show up and I think that's what is different with our gym, you know, even though they just if they have a membership, they actually they use it um and I think that's yeah, we, we have a very high retention rate over there.
Speaker 3:Um, most people when they and that's why we wanted to make something pretty. It's not just a women's only facility, but it's geared more towards women primarily With the bungee it's just a fun way of working out that you don't feel like you're working out and you know you're able to get a little bit more mobility, um, with your, your body and stuff. But we also have, you know, other classes, um. And then, of course, you interviewed tanya and she's just fabulous. I love her and uh so. And then we have millie and Danny, two other teachers for us, and Danny does dance that we have. And then Millie also teaches bungee as well, and she's. They're both wonderful. I really we have a good group of women here.
Speaker 3:But so we wanted to have a safe place that women could come to have fun, work out and leave, feel better about themselves. But it's supposed to be like a happy environment when they come in. I want them to come in and feel like they are appreciated. I am glad that you are here at my place. You know that you're going to be working out.
Speaker 3:Try to, because women, especially nowadays, it's almost like they come in and their their glasses like less than half full, and so I like that is something I love to do is pour in to women, compliment them or make them feel better about themselves, you know, encourage them, lift them up, so then when they leave, they leave better. They came in, and so that's kind of the purpose of it is to whatever, whatever they feel about themselves, that's not who they are when they're here. They, you know, they may think, oh well, I can't do this, I don't care, if you can, we will get you to where you can try. We will, we will, we will build you up and you may not be able to do it today, but you might be able to do it in four weeks and just slowly help improve them. And but it is, it is more of I wanted it to be a, a loving place that women come to, that when they did leave that they felt better than when they came in.
Speaker 2:Well, you know, and I appreciate the fact that you said it's not just, it's not a women's only, because you know when I, when I, when, when I interviewed Nate, he was actually in the room where you're at when we did the interview, and so he mentioned Bunggee right toward the end, when we were wrapping up, he said Scott, come on up and I'll put you on the bungee. And so, just as we were wrapping up, so when we went off camera, I said, what in the world is a bungee? He turned the camera so I could see it. Oh yeah, because it just showed me what a bungee looked like. And so when he did, he invited me to come up and do it. Well, I haven't got the opportunity to do that yet, or haven't taken the opportunity.
Speaker 2:But then, when I interviewed Tanya the other day, she was kind of insistent on me that I take her, come try one of her stretch classes. And when I say insistent, she kept texting me and reminded me. You know that, hey, it's coming up. That sounds like her. Yeah, I was headed up there. Anyway, I was headed. So I thought, well, I'll just go do it on Monday. And so I had a reason to be out that direction and I thought I'm'm gonna go do it. And I went over there and I I was the only guy there, but that I did the 12 o'clock class. There was only at that on that particular day. There's only two people, there being another lady and tanya yeah and uh, so I.
Speaker 2:But the thing I noticed it was, even though I was a guy, I was very comfortable, uh, you know, I didn't feel intimidated.
Speaker 2:Uh, I was very comfortable. Uh, you know, I didn't feel intimidated, Uh, I was very comfortable. Now I'm going to be honest, you know, Tanya, uh, the class she put me through, she told me after the class was over it was the advanced class and and here I was my first time. So I'll admit, I hurt for two days after that. It was a good kind of hurt, All right, it was a good but uh, but it let me know that. You know, even I need to move a little more. It's what it let me know. I need to have a little bit more movement than I'm having. And it was a good thing, it's a good reminder. But, but, as a guy, I just wanted to speak that to other men. If you're not the type of guy that likes going in a, you know the hardcore gym where other guys are swinging weights, but you need something, Uh, I invite you to go check it out because I felt very comfortable there.
Speaker 2:And and I saw the bungee and I've saw, I haven't, I've saw some of the things y'all put on social media about the bungee. I didn't, I didn't actually see anybody do it firsthand, but, uh, but it looks fun and I know Tanya talked about it. She said I asked her, did she lead the class? She said there's no way I can. So I laughed hilariously the whole time I'm doing it. So I could not lead the class because I'm laughing the whole time. I'm having so much fun doing it. So what I'd like for you to do for a moment, if you would, Donna, just kind of picture in your mind that people are out there listening to this podcast, but they can't see the bungee and kind of describe it.
Speaker 3:To describe, Well, I will say, my class, if you, if you search it on the Internet, usually you'll find, and so you'll find them flying a lot mid through the air or doing a bunch of like pretty things. You know, and we're not that graceful, that is very choreographed, yes, I was going to say, and some of them are just well they're. They must be a little more balanced friends than I am, and so, if you would kind of almost think of it, as I think I said this earlier, it assists you holding your body weight up, so it's based on weight with which bungee you get, and so it will give you an assisted pull up or assisted dip type feel when you're doing it.
Speaker 3:It doesn't hold you completely up. You have to force yourself down. So my kids had jumperoos. It's like a walker but it was like a bungee thing so so my kids jumped in that. But another way to explain it is like those bunch like the doorway jumpy things that your kids would hang in Like I had one when I was a kid. I was in. That's the idea about it. So it like helps hold you up and you have to like use your legs to bring you down, and so you're strapped in.
Speaker 2:You're strapped in right, it's not. You're not just hanging onto a cord by your hand. You're actually strapped into around your waist, right.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I always like when I, when they put the harness on, which is kind of like if you're going rock climbing or zip lining because I've had some of those types of girls come in or guys, so the harness is kind of like that and then we hook you to the, the bungee hook, and then I have them like sit, like they're going to sit in a chair, and then that's the first feeling that they get to see, and and if I want it to hold you up to where you look like you actually sit in a chair just hanging in the air, and if it holds you up, you know about chair level, then we know we're good, so, um, so that's kind of what we do.
Speaker 3:But, um, we will move forward and back with the bungee to make it easier. If we're sitting back or if we're going forward, we'll do jumping jacks in it. So we lean forward a little bit in the jumping jacks so it takes off. I would say probably 20, 30 percent off of uh, lower body to do things. So it takes a little bit of that weight off. People can run in them because we'll, we'll lean forward and run a little bit because um and uh and then some of the girls that will come in and do maybe tanya's class or danny's or millie's? Uh, you know that we don't do bungee They'll do one of the other classes.
Speaker 3:They're like yeah, the jumping jacks were not as fun, so we'll do high knees and things in that. But we'd also do fun jumps. So we'll do like a Mario jump and it sounds exactly like it means, you know, it's like one leg up, uh, one leg down and it's you know, you know um, so uh, and then squats or pop, squats. It it's just really you can do things that you probably cannot do on the ground without help much easier in the bungee. And that's what I think that's what makes it fun, because you can move your body in ways that you typically can't do, because you might hurt something or, you know, tear something or whatever. But yeah, it just it helps you be able to move better.
Speaker 2:You had told me earlier that before we started recording that you can modify it. So can you help somebody that comes in and maybe you know they can't do standard exercise because of maybe arthritis problems or hip issues or maybe joints in their knees or ankles or something? Can you help modify it so that they're able to enjoy more movement with maybe less a pain?
Speaker 3:yeah, yeah. So, um, sometimes it's just like new people, um, you know, when they come into a class if they're not full up to speed, um, especially if I have a combination of people in different levels in my class, so I will have some that will be doing high knees and so if you can't do high knees then you do your feet almost. If you kind of think of how you would do like a, like a jump rope, so I would just have them just barely pick their feet up off the ground or just side to side so they're still moving, but it's a very, very poor low. If they feel like that's too easy, then they can just do a, you know, light jog to the side. Same thing with pop squats. So I have several people that can't do the amount of pop squats that I'll do sometimes, so I'll just have them do standard squats. So I can.
Speaker 3:I can pretty much modify anything that I do in class because I've had so many variations of people do it. And then and then I look to see who is coming to my class, to see if they're, you know, new or if I do have an advance. So sometimes I'll tell the advanced people I'm going to have you do these, you know, and then my new ones will do this. So yeah, it's very customized. I kind of take that into account, even because we'll do a section with weights slow weight or low weights, you know, two, three, five, eight, whatever you know the person wants to use, and so so I'll try to do a little bit. You know more of an easier exercise and or we'll do maybe less reps than I would in a more of advanced class. But yeah, it modify pretty quickly on the class and I do. I express that when I'm at the beginning. If there's anyone that's like, okay, I can't do that, I do not mind to be interrupted, like that.
Speaker 3:Where it's like is there something else I can do?
Speaker 2:So I've done that a lot. Yeah, that's great. What about if somebody has issues with the Parkinson's or MS type issues? Do you see any benefit in that for people like that? Is there any kind of almost see?
Speaker 3:I didn't know if there was research or anything, I didn't know. I haven't seen any research on that. That's something interesting because that would be, because that would be very interesting to see what it would do to their body If it would, if it would help them, cause that way, cause the mobility.
Speaker 2:Exactly, balance is huge and mobility yeah.
Speaker 3:Cause it does, it does hold you up, cause there's, you know, I mean, we'll do my more advanced people, we'll do handstands you know, and handstand pushups with them. So the balance is definitely there because you know you're attached to the ceiling, but so it helps in other forms of balance. But that's a very interesting. That's something I'll have to look back on looking.
Speaker 2:Because I've talked to a couple of gyms that have programs for people the Parkinson's, but it's it's like a boxing type programs where they it's giving them that movement, you know, and different things. When you were talking about the bungee, that's what hit my mind. I thought, you know, that seems like that might be something that would be beneficial, you know, for them. Maybe if there's people that need that help in the mobility, the balance, you know, just, or nothing else, just giving them a little freedom to feel like they're still living, you know, a life, a normal life, you know, so to speak. So it might be something you can consider, you know. Anyway, yeah, that's a really interesting point.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I hadn't, I had never thought about that. That's a really interesting point because it I could see the benefits of it. But, um, because it does it just, it helps people. It helps a lot, and that's the one thing I do like is women are like I can't do a regular, you know class but, this you can, because it does it, it can work.
Speaker 2:You, I'll push you if you want to be pushed well, the good, the great thing about it is how long have you been? Have you been? Uh, has the flow been open?
Speaker 3:We opened um March of last year, so we've been open about 18, 18 months now.
Speaker 2:A year and a half. Yeah, so in that period of time. I'm sure you have a lot of people that are repeat that. I know the lady that I was in the class with the other day said she'd been coming for quite some time.
Speaker 3:Yeah, she's one of our like first members.
Speaker 2:Okay. I know she spoke highly of her and she didn't seem to be having any problem doing some of those movements. I was grunting over over there so Tanya said something about I hear y'all, uh, I hear some heavy breathing going on. I said that ain't breathing, that's gasping. I said that's gasping, I'm gasping over here.
Speaker 3:I'm preparing myself for the next move. So I guess you've heard a lot of good results over the year and a half where people have been coming.
Speaker 1:Yeah it I love when people review us and because it's well most people like compliments.
Speaker 3:So, it's usually compliments, so, but I do it, you know it, and they have fun, they laugh, um, you know, they smile, you know when we're doing it and I don't know, I do like I just go back, I want them to have a good time and I have a couple girls in my and the one in particular she's told me before she goes, she goes sometimes I'm tired and I'm like cause she works nights and she doesn't want to come in sometimes. But then when she comes in and she's like I'm so glad when I leave and I'm like that's a huge compliment where it's like I came in my day turned around, you know. So, um, but yeah, the group setting too.
Speaker 2:I mean there's. There's something to being part of a group and you know, you're getting in there and you're doing, you're looking around and you're saying, hey, I'm not the only one that that can't do what the athletic people can do. I'm new, and you look around, there's a group of people, but there are also those people that are doing. Maybe performing a little better in the unit gives you something to aspire to. You know, hey, I want to get to that level. You know, I want to get back into that mood.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it's because it's funny too, because some people sit there and they'll, they'll want to. They're like man, she's killing it. But then you've got somebody on the other side and they're like man, she's killing it. But then you've got somebody on the other side and they're like man, she's killing it. So they're thinking it about the other person, and then that person's like I'm dying, but yeah.
Speaker 2:Well, you know I love talking about the bungee and everything, but at the same time you did mention some other things you do there and I don't want to take away from any of that. So you mentioned that one of your girls does a dance class. Can you kind? Of give us some detail about that?
Speaker 3:Yeah, Danny, she teaches. She actually is a dance teacher, she's taught. Oh gosh, she actually is a dance teacher, she's taught.
Speaker 2:Okay.
Speaker 3:Oh gosh, she doesn't look as old as she is. So I want to say I think she's taught almost 20 years.
Speaker 2:Okay.
Speaker 3:Maybe 15 to 20 years. So she teaches on Friday mornings and yeah so she. She teaches just dance fitness and they move around. So they'll do some dance stuff. Little, you know repetitious dances, and then you know, and then sometimes she'll do some you know jumping jacks and other types of moves, you know that kind of thing. But so, yeah she, so we have her on Fridays. And then I have another teacher, her name is Millie Houston, and so she, she teaches bungee on Thursday nights and then sometimes on Saturdays.
Speaker 2:for me, just bungee on Thursday nights and then sometimes on Saturdays for me, and she's she's lovely too. Okay, all right, I didn't want to take away from any of those other classes because they're just as important to the people that you know enjoy that type of fitness. Of course, you know the word Zumba, you know that's been broadcast everywhere, but that's kind of a dance fitness system. But is that kind of? Is it that similar style that? Could you say? Her name's Millie, is that what you said?
Speaker 3:My dance girl is can you pause it a second? Sorry?
Speaker 2:So before we wrap up, donnell, I walked into the Grit House the other day. I saw this sign where it was shown that you were on some kind of a local Dancing with the Stars event. Yes, so tell us about that.
Speaker 3:That was so much fun. So one of my clients and she's also a flow member, kelly Morgan. She is on the I think you call it the board for the Boys and Girls Club, so she's part of that and so that's a fundraiser that she helps put on. So she had, she had I can't, I think she maybe had lost a dancer or something like that. And so she was in class and she was like, hey, she goes, would you be interested in doing something like this? And I was like I was like, yes, I'm like this is right up my alley. And so she was like she's like, oh, you'd be great, alley. She was like she's like, oh, you'd be great. And uh, uh. So she was like, uh, she said it's a fundraiser and all that kind of stuff.
Speaker 3:Now, I am not very good about asking people for money, but for the boys and girls club I told her, I said I will do it, and uh, so I, um. So I went. So I I signed up and got a dancing partner His name was Cade and him and his mom and another girl would come and we would all work on the routine and stuff together. They did a fabulous job with my routine and his mom helped me with my costume and she even I even got a costume off of Amazon and then she put stuff on it for me for free.
Speaker 3:And they were lovely and I had so much fun doing that. That was. If there is anybody that is listening that would like to be. If you are good at raising money and you don't mind getting up there dancing for kids with a professional partner, I would highly suggest that you do this because you know it is she she raised. I think she raised over a hundred thousand dollars this past year doing that, but yeah, they hadn't made that much before and it was so much fun just getting dressed up because they had judges and all that kind of stuff they would give you. You know that was a 10,.
Speaker 2:you know Was it locally, was it locally Okay.
Speaker 3:They, they had it at the country club here in town, uh, and so it was May 4th, uh, this past year, uh, or this this past May, and so, um, they sold tickets and um it sold out Uh and but uh, it was. That was really really fun. It was. She did it. Kelly did an amazing job with that production.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it was done very, very professional. That's awesome. But, Donnie, I know we probably need to wrap up and let you get back to work and everything, but I always like to ask this question If I had the opportunity. If there was one thing that you wish our listeners knew about the flow but they probably wouldn't know unless you shared it with them and you'd like to just state it loud and proud here today on the Good Neighbor podcast what would that be?
Speaker 3:Well, now you're gonna make okay, cause I mean this from the bottom of my heart. It's all right. I love people. The cash and flow. Yeah, I have, yeah, the flow.
Speaker 1:Let my tears flow.
Speaker 3:I love people, I love making people smile, I like trying to improve their day and so, if anything, if you walk in here, I am genuinely very happy that you have come and to be a part of our area, our little flow building here and our classes. But I hope that I can make their day better so that I want them to know that when they come here, they are loved, and I'm genuinely happy that they came. So, everybody, life is so hard nowadays and everybody is struggling over something or they have something that they're always dealing with.
Speaker 3:So, when they are here, I want them to feel safe and loved and that this is a good place to be, and I hope that they feel that way. So, I genuinely mean that.
Speaker 2:Well, you weren't there the other day when I came and did the stretch class with Tanya, but I can tell that is the atmosphere there.
Speaker 3:Oh, I'm so glad. Yeah, I can tell that's the atmosphere.
Speaker 2:You know not too many places you go. You can go take a class and have a coach there too, helping you modify and helping you do all the things you do. Hey, before we wind up the program, donnell, I just wanted to give you an opportunity to share any information that you've got where people could either maybe find out more about you or could get in touch with you, whether it's online or offline.
Speaker 3:Okay, we are the Flow on Instagram and Facebook and then, if you want to go directly to our page is where you can, how you can sign up for classes, classes online. You can go to the grithousecom backslash the flow. You can also just google search the flow and it'll come up um and then you can click there and find our schedule and stuff. The first class is free. That you come to um, which, whichever you choose, if it's spongy or if it's sculpt and tone, first class is free and then you can see all of our memberships there. And if you want to do a drop in class, it's $18 a class. If you want to do four classes a month, it's $50 and we have unlimited for seventy five dollars a month, no contracts no contracts.
Speaker 2:There you go. That's. That's important to a lot of people, I know, yeah, and and just so, just so there people can have a, a complete picture, do y'all have like a price where somebody could be members of both gyms?
Speaker 3:oh, yeah, yeah, we do it, we do. It's a hundred dollars for both, um, the gym, uh, the grid house and the flow, and a hundred dollars a month and then uh, uh, and that the classes are unlimited for uh, here at the flow. So it's not you don't have just a certain amount, so unlimited at both places, basically.
Speaker 2:And you know I was telling tanya the other day after I did her stretch class. You know, honestly, that was really an awesome class to do before you go work out, because yeah they teach us to stretch before we lift weights and, you know, put that strain on our, our body and that stretch class was actually a good, you know, precursor to going over and picking up some dumbbells and doc barbell and working out, you know so yeah, it's all warmed up yeah, I can see how it all.
Speaker 2:It can all fit together. Uh, you go there, get on the bungee and get all loosey-goosey and then go over there and lift some weights right?
Speaker 3:yeah, that's the idea.
Speaker 2:Yeah, but either way, it's a lot of fun and it's a wonderful place in Cleveland to go, and you know, enjoy fitness and enjoy being able to. You're a good company too. Again, I like the class, but also, donnell, I want to ask another question. I haven't asked you this up front so I don't know the answer, but do you offer personal training?
Speaker 3:Yeah, I do personal training, you just. You can either find me on social media I'm just Donnell King or you can call up at the gym, or we have our email for the Grit House is thegrithouseatgmailcom. And so, yeah, I just started back. I had to take a little bit of a break off because my boys couldn't drive. So now they are of driving age and they can get around and my schedule is a lot more flexible. So I'm able to take on clients again. So I just actually started about two, three months ago.
Speaker 2:Okay, so the the, the way I understand it, the the you, the personal training, uh, you offer it as you take on clients for yourself. Nathan does as well, right?
Speaker 3:Yep. We both do, and then we have some other trainers that independently train out of the gym, and so if, if, if, you come in and you're like I'm looking for a personal trainer, these are the kind of things I'm looking for We've got. We've got a few to pick from and different specialties, you know, tanya is one of those that does personal training.
Speaker 3:We have another gentleman, dan Arena. He's excellent, he works, he does a little bit of teaching at Lee and so but he's exceptional with power lifting and form that kind of stuff. So he, he's everybody's kind of got their own specialty over there. So and then Nathan, you know, of course gives us a lot of bodybuilding or just normal people. I usually have the moms, so yeah, Do you also train men?
Speaker 2:If somebody said, I think I'd like for Donnell to train you, or do you just do it as close as you can I?
Speaker 3:have a couple right now that I actually train together, so it's a boyfriend, girlfriend and so. But I've done that with trained husbands and wives together or, yeah, separately. So, yeah, I can do both.
Speaker 2:Okay, awesome. Well, that's great to know. You know it's a if nobody. If you know to the listeners out there, if you've never been by their gym, go check it out, go go by there when they're having a class at the flow and you'll check it out. And then go go over there and, and you know, if, if you're not comfortable enough to actually try the class, go look, go watch and see, see how great it is, and then you know you probably won't want to go back and try the free class. And then, while you're over there, go over there to Grin House, say hi to Nathan and check out the facility. You know it's a wonderful place. I really enjoyed being there.
Speaker 3:Thank you.
Speaker 2:Absolutely, absolutely, and we're family. Yeah, exactly, donnell. Thank you for your time and, you know, for being on the program today, because it it's just. You've been a wealth of information and congratulations to you on your journey. You know it's wonderful to hear your story and how you came about being where you're at today, and congratulations on all that you've accomplished.
Speaker 3:Thank you so much and congratulations on all that you've accomplished.
Speaker 2:Thank you so much. Yeah, our pleasure and you know, to all the good neighbors out there in the greater Chattanooga area, after listening to Donnell's story and tell about all she offers and I mean you can hear the excitement and the passion in her voice when she talks about the flow and all they do. And you know they created this. They didn't have to create the flow. They had a gym, successful gym but they created this for a place that maybe people aren't so hardcore. You know you kind of intimidated the gym and you can go and enjoy yourself and take some classes and still have that movement. We all need to be moving.
Speaker 2:If you haven't watched Tanya's video, watch it, because she talks a lot about movement, how necessary it is to just move. And and so go, try the classes, try them out, try the gym out. You'll probably be pleasantly surprised. And I'd like to thank all your listeners today for taking time out of your busy schedule, of course, to to be with us at the Good Neighbor podcast and always remember to support the locally owned and operated businesses in your area and all across the Chattanooga region. This is Scott Howell of the Friends and Neighbors Group. Everyone, go out and make this a remarkable day.
Speaker 1:Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to GNPClevelandcom. Businesses to be featured on the show go to GNPClevelandcom. That's GNPClevelandcom, or call 423-380-1984.
