Among the offices and classrooms on the Winter Park Presbyterian Church property, one of the hardest working personalities in the local fitness community puts her clients through their paces.
“I’m up to 90 clients,” said Julie Rooth. “I’m there Monday through Saturday, I work 50-hours a week.” Her grassroots business is the product of a contagious enthusiasm for health and wellness and a loyal following that earned her the title of Best Personal Trainer.
Rooth graduated from Rollins College with a degree in education in 1998, and taught kindergarten and Pre-K before switching gears on the advice of a personal trainer. “I was taking a class at the Winter Park Community Center,” she said. “The trainer told me I really had a knack for it and that I’d make a good instructor.”
Looking for a change and inspired by the possibilities, the teacher became a student and Rooth began studying for her American Council on Exercise (ACE) certification in 2017. “It took a while and I failed the first test, which really upset me,” she said. She reached her goal and interviewed for positions at some local gyms before striking out on her own.
She invested in equipment and mats, transformed her garage into a studio, and began working with a few friends and newly referenced clients. But the investment really paid off during the pandemic. “Every gym was shut down, but not me,” she said. Classes small enough to accommodate social distancing quickly grew and sessions began spreading into the driveway. “It really grew; I had about 30-40 people coming throughout the week, but it did start to annoy the neighbors.”
Complaints led to a code violation notice from the City of Winter Park and an order to cease operations would follow. Classes were moved to Blue Jacket Park and the Peggy & Philip B. Crosby Wellness Center as real estate rentals were beyond Rooth’s budget, as was professional advertising, which made little difference. Customers became friends who referred their friends. “It all just happened organically and having classes full of people who already know one another makes it a lot of fun.”
Rooth’s popularity was a bit of a culture shock as her day-to-day schedule was fully upended, but the timing worked out for her homelife. “My role did completely change, but my kids aren’t little anymore,” she said. “My son is at Rollins now, my daughter is a senior in high school, my husband is an attorney at UCF; they have their own schedules.”
Business really picked up when Rooth began posting workout videos to her Instagram account. “My 17-year-old daughter kept telling me my posts were so generic and boring, but I got up to 20,000 followers and people started following me all over the world.” Rooth realized the next-level attention she was receiving when a referral was made from another country.
“I found out about Julie from my sister, who lives part-time in Mexico,” said Winter Park resident JoAnne Stevens. “She found Julie on Instagram while looking for workout inspiration and said I should go see here when she realized Julie was in Winter Park.”
Stevens became a client in 2022 and remains impressed by the inclusiveness of the classes. “She welcomes everyone, and everyone is there by word-of-mouth,” Stevens said. “We’re all at different stages and she’ll challenge you if you’re ready for it, but there’s never any pressure or feeling like you’re not good enough.” Rooth credits her experience as an educator for her success but admits an ongoing tendency to skew toward younger age groups.
“People like to remind me we’re not in kindergarten,” Rooth quipped. “I’m very specific with demonstrations, some people need to see directions written on a board; it all comes from teaching, and I think I do it without even realizing.”
As her class sizes grew, so did her need for additional space. Her desire to stay local meant that rents would generally be out of her budget, but a manageable solution was presented near her classes at the Crosby Center.
“I would pass by Winter Park Presbyterian Church and saw that it happened to be really quiet there,” Rooth said. She discussed with administrators renting an open space in 2023 and an affordable agreement allowed her to schedule individual sessions and classes that include outdoor sessions in the parking lot. “We run and have outdoor sessions when the weather allows, but it is Florida so sometimes it’s just too hot.”
She goes back-and-forth between two locations with 11 classes per week at the church and seven at the Crosby Center, and she continues to welcome new clients. “People are what truly make this the greatest job. I’m very lucky to watch them build confidence and strength and develop healthy habits. Just being a part of that really makes me feel good.”
Rooth recently settled on a business name – Julie Roth Fitness – and is working with a branding company to develop a logo. She hopes to develop a website and plans to someday have her own studio space, but has not yet considered hiring an assistant. Despite the nonstop pace, Rooth insists on managing everything herself, for now. “I handle all scheduling, planning, and money management, but I like that,” she said. “This is my baby, and it has grown, but I absolutely love when I’m doing, so right now, it’s absolutely worth it.”
