Betina Gozo was a dedicated band member and an all-around music enthusiast. Now she’s a gym guru and fitness superstar. She says she’s lived the best of two very different worlds.
Betina Gozo is a finalist in the Next Fitness Star contest. (Provided photo)
Betina Gozo was a dedicated band member and an all-around music enthusiast. Now she’s a gym guru and fitness superstar. She says she’s lived the best of two very different worlds.
Fulfilling and eventually letting go of her longtime career as a musician, Gozo, a 2005 Homewood-Flossmoor High School alumna, has taken up one of the most intense, hard working, thrill seeking jobs there is ― a Nike master trainer.
She will be in town visiting H-F on Thursday, July 27.
“When I saw how much better I felt when I worked out versus staying up until 4 in the morning every weekend playing music, I knew it was something I really wanted to continue doing,” Gozo said. “Playing music for people was so tiring, so the fact that I could work out and make myself feel so good was an amazing feeling.”
Gozo is in a field she never could have predicted for herself. At H-F, she participated in activities such as choir, jazz band, the dance team, theater performances and musicals.
“When I was at H-F I danced on poms then stopped my junior year and started working at a coffee shop and started playing music. I really thought I was going to play music for a while and that would be my thing.
“But I think another reason I gravitate towards fitness is because, like music, it’s a way to kind of cater to people and that connects me to my true passion which I believe is to help other people,” Gozo said.
As a Nike master trainer, she leads workouts that include functional strength moves, plyometrics and core work at the Nike World Headquarters. With a mission to help women find a balance between tough and functional workouts, Gozo believes that breaking down bigger goals with smaller tasks is the fastest way to reach your full fitness potential.
As the founder of Canvas Training, Betina has worked with a wide variety of clients — from 8-year-old athletes to active aging seniors.
She made it clear her drive doesn’t always come from within. Being in the gym and pushing your body to its limits on a day-to-day basis is taxing, and can and is very physically and mentally draining. However, Gozo has created a plan for herself that she uses regularly.
“Sometimes I just try to remind myself of why I am doing it and how it’s going to make me feel in the end. But if I really don’t want to be in a rut, I will either listen to some podcasts that will motivate me or some music that will pump me up; or I will ask someone to come and work out with me. I’ll even text one of my friends and ask them to make up a workout for me,” Gozo said.
While living in Chicago, a mutual friend connected her to the Chicago Nike team. She made a great impression and Nike offered her a contract, similar to an athletic contract, at the Nike headquarters in Portland, Ore.
The rest is history as Gozo continues to make her mark on both Nike and the fitness industry.
“I love being inspired by other trainers. I love listening to other trainers’ podcasts and the one that I specifically love is the ‘Strength Coach’ podcast. It’s really technical and for me there is just something about wanting to get better and know my craft better that motivates and inspires me,” Gozo said.
When she’s not in the gym, she says she makes sure to keep the intensity going. In her spare time, she enjoys participating in other sports such as hiking and snowboarding.
