Prison Worker uses redundancy woes to launch new fitness business online

Leeds prison worker launches new business in lockdown
From personal development on the inside to personal training on the outside
 
When a prison worker from Armley, who is a qualified personal trainer, was put on furlough, she decided to use her skills to help others stay fit whilst at home in lockdown.
Katy Padam, 37, ran a series of free Instagram live workouts each week from the attic of her home which she shares with three generations of her family.
 
She said: “I’d gone from working inside the locked doors of the prison where I loved being a personal development coach to finding myself without a job to go to and having to spend most of my time inside my family home.
“But as a trained life coach, a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and personal trainer, I knew it was mind over matter and this was a challenge that so many people were experiencing.
“So, I decided to use my PT and life coach knowledge to help others online.”
 
Katy had also been working as a fitness instructor in her spare time in boutique gym Trib3 in Leeds City Centre and F45 training in Manchester northern quarter, another 2 jobs she was “gutted” to not be able to do in lockdown.
“With all my experience from prisons, gyms and overcoming my own life challenges, I decided to do something positive and see the time as an opportunity to help others as well as share my love of exercise and my ambition to become a personal trainer full time.”
 
Katy who had previously used her Instagram @katypadam to share her love of travelling, going out with friends and self-development, began to focus on her passion of sharing content to help others become fit and healthy and “most of all confident.”
“I have always struggled with my self-esteem, but I found that fitness, life coaching and my mindset helped me to overcome any blips in confidence.
 
“Initially I was petrified about delivering live workouts online as I’d only ever coached people one to one & in Group fitness classes, in real life so it was out of my comfort zone.
“But I pushed through it and committed myself to a weekly timetable so people could make sure fitness and a good routine was part of their day whilst being confined to the home.”
Within weeks Katy built up a strong online following, all from the attic in her family home which she had also grown up in.
 
She even got request for personal training clients over zoom and FaceTime.
 
Katy said: “The live video workouts helped people to see the real me and that I just want to help.
“Then when I got the bad news that I was actually being made redundant from the prison, this period had made me realise that I can help people just in a different way.”
 
Again, with several social media posts, Katy’s business ‘Coached by Katy’ was up and running and she was overwhelmed with the interest.
 
Katy now runs Zoom classes, one-to-ones online and offline, park bootcamps and online coaching plans. For more information, follow @katypadam on Instagram or email: coachedbykaty1@gmail.com
 
More about Coached by Katy in her words:

• Prior to lockdown I worked full time at a male prison in Leeds
• A couple of nights a week I would work at Trib3 Leeds and on a Saturday at F45 Manchester teaching group fitness sessions.
• In lockdown I was furloughed from the prison and gyms shut.
• At the beginning of lockdown, I started doing free live Instagram workouts 4-5 times a week. I did this till the end of May
• The last week of May I posted on my social media that I was offering 1-2-1 PT in the park and via zoom. I was amazed by the response I had from people wanting me to train them
• I began doing PT in the park and via zoom and within a couple of weeks my diary was full.
• After a couple of months of doing this, I became worried about my role at the prison as I was so busy with PT, wasn’t sure how I would fit in both jobs once the prison asked me to come back to work.
• In August I became redundant, although I was sad as I loved my job at the prison working as a personal development coach, helping prepare prisoners for release. I was happy that I had set up as a PT during lockdown.
• I am now working as a full time PT, doing training sessions in parks, peoples' gardens, via zoom and I run park bootcamps too.
• I have also recently set up as an online personal trainer.
• I registered my Business “coached by Katy” and I’m absolutely loving being self-employed and growing my business
• During lockdown I was on bestfit TV where I did a televised Fitness session
• I was also on Punjab radio and interviewed by an ex England cricket player Monty Panesar, discussing all things health and fitness

 
FOR INTERVIEWS, CONTACT KATY PADAM DIRECTLY ON: coachedbykaty1@gmail.com or call: 07838303726
 
 
By Sophie Mei Lan 
Co-founder of EvokeMediaGroup.co.uk 
Blogs at mamamei.co.uk / yorkshirefamilies.co.uk / blogupnorth.co.uk