Photography by Nicole Hill
If you’re a woman who’s even remotely interested in fitness, there’s a good chance you’ve heard of Katrina Scott and Tone It Up. The lifestyle and fitness brand is synonymous with prioritizing you, feeling your best, and connecting with supportive gal pals. But the latter wasn’t always something that came easily for Katrina—in fact, you could say this community, which is now home to over four million women in the pursuit of living a healthy lifestyle, was born out of necessity for the 37-year-old.
When the New Hampshire native moved to California, she was on the hunt for friends (and without the aid of social media, if you can imagine). After meeting Karena Dawn at her local gym, the pair found friendship through fitness and set out on their mission to help other women do the same. With nothing but a small camera and a big vision, they filmed some of Tone It Up’s first videos on Manhattan Beach.
“When Tone It Up first started there wasn’t such a thing as a fitness influencer. Instagram wasn’t even a thing yet, it hadn’t even come out,” says Katrina. “There really wasn’t a place for women to connect through fitness unless you happened to run into someone at the gym or in a workout class. There was a huge gap in the community and if you wanted that sense of community, you had to go out and find it.”
Fast forward 11 years, and Katrina and Karena turned their friendship and initial YouTube channel into a fitness empire which now also includes over 40 employees and a variety of trainers with diverse experiences and backgrounds so that any woman can find a coach who speaks to her preferred workout style. Tone It Up has evolved to include a merchandise and nutrition line, a workout app, and rotating challenges to keep their members’ motivation revving—including Katrina’s own newly launched program, 6:40, which was specifically designed for busy women in mind. This six-days-a-week program that asks women to devote a window of time to putting themselves first is something that Katrina calls her legacy program. “As a mom, you start thinking about your legacy, even within your own family, and I hope that this very personal message means something to my daughter one day,” says Katrina.
Katrina’s passion runs deep for empowering other women to pursue both motherhood and their careers. “You can do both. You can be 100 percent mom while you’re working. You can be 100 percent multiple things, and I think that might just be a bigger conversation for women. You can have your career and you can start a family,” says Katrina. Now, with her recently launched personal brand, Live Beautifully, Katrina’s methods for holding it down in business and as a mom are enviable—but not impossible. And luckily for us, she shared a few of her favorite non-negotiables for wearing however many hats you want in life.
Keep It 100: Katrina's Tips for Going All In, Efficiently
Whether you’re a mom or not, us ladies are BUSY. We want it all, and heck, we go out and get it. But that doesn’t mean it’s always easy. If you’re looking to tighten up your schedule so you can devote your energy to the things that matter to you, the do-it-all queen herself has some tried and true tricks.
1. Learn to delegate. It’s true—you can do anything, but you can’t do everything. By shortening meetings where possible, replacing unnecessary live meetings with emails, and clearly communicating expectations of herself and others, Katrina has been able to uncover more time in the day. After years of being the sole trainers of Tone It Up, Katrina and Karena have now delegated some of the workouts and programs to new trainers who share their diverse expertise. “The ultimate dream to do anything as a leader is to create more leaders,” says Katrina. “Our dream all along was to create this community and platform for women to not only find their best selves with us, but to also connect with other incredible women out there.”
2. Utilize (nap)time. “I never knew how efficient I could be before becoming a mom,” says Katrina. “What I used to get done in 12 hours, I can get done during naptime.” Mother or not, setting a timer for dedicated stints of work can be an effective tool for focusing and accomplishing tasks. This is a technique Katrina utilizes in her newest Tone It Up Program, 6:40. In this six-week program Katrina encourages women to work out for 40 minutes, six days a week. When? For Katrina, before 6:40 in the morning, before her almost three-year-old daughter wakes up, usually works best for her.
3. Be 100 percent in. Whether you’re in a meeting or in the middle of your kiddo’s nighttime routine, Katrina believes being present in where you are is necessary for success. By setting boundaries and time blocking, not only are you more efficient, but you’re more fulfilled in each aspect of your life. “I never used to be great with boundaries, but now I’m getting better when I say, ‘This is my family time, this is my work time, this is my time with my husband,’” says Katrina. “As you get older you get more efficient in your life.”
4. Accept the seasons. Katrina flows through the seasons of her life accepting the priorities of the moment rather than stressing over “finding balance.” The key, according to Katrina, is to not fight time, but cherish the moment. “You can work really hard in your life, but what matters is what’s in your life every day when your head hits the pillow,” says Katrina. “My biggest advice for anyone starting a business or thinking about it is this: Every day the sun will set, and it won’t wait for you. And the next day, it’ll be up again. So, you have a choice of how you spend your time, how you take care of yourself, how you take care of your family. Make sure you take care of the things you want.”
For more on Katrina’s journey in motherhood and business, pick up STRONG Fitness Magazine’s Sept/Oct issue on stands now.
