She Lost the Biggest Deal of Her Career ... Then Everything Clicked. Plus, TROUBLING Fitness Trends (Kick It By Eliza)

<p>She built a global fitness brand without investors, business degree, or plans for becoming an entrepreneur.</p><p>When <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/eliza-shirazi-24b5a259/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Eliza Shirazi</a> graduated from UMass, she thought she&#39;d spend her career working in public health. Fitness classes were simply a side hustle—a way to make a little extra money after work.</p><p>Over the next decade, that side hustle became <a href="https://www.kickitbyeliza.com/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Kick It by Eliza</a>, a kickboxing-inspired worldwide fitness community that has transformed thousands of lives through live events, instructor certifications, social media content to her 25,000 Instagram followers, online memberships, and partnerships/appearances with brands like New Balance, NBC&#39;s &quot;The Today Show,&quot; POPSUGAR, and more.</p><p>But as is often the case, things don&#39;t always appear as they seem.</p><p>In this conversation with <a href="https://www.instagram.com/troy_farkas/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">host Troy Farkas</a>, Portsmouth&#39;s Shirazi opens up about the rejection that&#39;s shaped her, the sponsorship deal she lost just when everything seemed to be working, the imposter syndrome she felt training in the boxing ring with George Foreman&#39;s son, the nerves she felt before making the biggest media appearances of her life, and the terrifying uncertainty of watching the pandemic threaten everything she&#39;d spent years building.</p><p>This episode, which is presented by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/seacoastnhselfcare/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Degree Wellness Seacoast</a>, is about much more than fitness. It&#39;s about betting on yourself before anyone else does, learning to separate your own dreams from everyone else&#39;s expectations, embracing rejection as a competitive advantage, and discovering that the biggest opportunities often arrive disguised as your worst setbacks.</p><p><strong>In this episode, you&#39;ll learn:</strong></p><ul><li>Why losing her biggest sponsorship became the catalyst for her greatest growth</li><li>How George Foreman&#39;s son helped her overcome imposter syndromeThe surprising business lesson behind building a fiercely loyal community</li><li>How <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDytx5ZCMh8" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">one YouTube workout</a> unexpectedly changed the trajectory of her career</li><li>What the pandemic taught her about resilience and reinvention</li><li>The simple goal-setting framework she uses to stay motivated during overwhelming seasons</li><li>Why rejection is one of the most valuable assets an entrepreneur can have</li><li>Troubling health trends and why she refuses to lean into them</li></ul><p><br></p><p>SUPPORT SEACOAST STORIES:</p><ul><li>⁠Visit the NEW <a href="https://seacoaststories.com/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">⁠⁠⁠SeacoastStories.com⁠⁠⁠</a> for our newsletter &amp; LIMITED-TIME ⁠⁠<a href="https://seacoaststories.com/shop?from=newsletter" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">⁠summer merch drop⁠</a>⁠⁠!</li></ul><ul><li>Follow Seacoast Stories on <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/seacoast-stories/id1750552627" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠</a> or on <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/3zg7za9HHoJeuQN3JVTJHN?si=93f6aabdddf442a4" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠</a> to get our new episodes every week.</li></ul><p><br></p><p>UPCOMING EVENTS:</p><ul><li>Seacoast Stories Dinner Club: The club that&#39;s regularly attracting ~100 people heads to Amesbury, Mass. on Wednesday, August 5, and back to Portsmouth on Wednesday, August 19! <a href="https://seacoaststories.dnnr.io/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Book your seat at the table here.⁠⁠⁠</a></li></ul><p><br></p><p>SPONSO