Today we’d like to introduce you to Rachel Wolfpane.
Hi Rachel, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was never an athlete. My entire sports résumé growing up consisted of one summer of tennis camp. It wasn’t until my mid-twenties that I discovered my love of strength training. Eleven years ago, I decided to go back to school to see if I could make training a career.
Fast-forward past yoga school, teaching boot camps, earning multiple specialties, managing several facilities, educating future fitness professionals, competing in powerlifting, and working with hundreds of humans, and here I am celebrating the 10-year anniversary of Wolf Strength Training.
Over the years, Wolf Strength has evolved quite a bit, and I have no doubt it will continue to change. But one theme has remained constant: I tend to work with people who reflect me. We seem to attract like-minded and like-bodied people. Wolf Strength’s goal is to demystify strength training for all bodies and help people realize that strength training doesn’t have to be intimidating.
My specialty is working with the hypermobile athlete. I’m on the hypermobility spectrum myself, and I’ve had to learn how to navigate that throughout my own training. There is so much fear and fragility built into the way hypermobile people are often taught to think about their bodies. I want to replace that fear with education and empowerment.
Nothing brings me more joy than working with someone who has been taught not to trust their own body and showing them just how strong they can be. There is something pretty magical about removing the box someone has been put in and handing them a barbell.
Along the way, I’ve had the opportunity to work in several gyms and meet countless other fitness professionals. About nine years ago, I met Ashley Bergren while we were both training out of a studio gym in Beaverton. Then 2020 happened. Like so many businesses, that studio shut its doors and it never reopened.
We needed a home for our clients, and Ashley came to me with what seemed like a slightly wild idea: “What if we just opened our own gym?”
Six weeks later, Independent Iron opened its doors.
Two women deciding to open a gym in the middle of a pandemic may not have been the most conventional business plan, but somehow, we made it work. We wanted to create a home where other trainers could grow their own independent businesses and have the opportunity to make training their full-time career without being micromanaged, controlled or taken advantage of. Six years later, Independent Iron is stronger than ever.
Being a female-owned strength and conditioning gym is something I’m incredibly proud of. We didn’t set out to prove anything. Ashley and I saw a need, took a big leap, and were just bold enough to make our delusion a reality.
I think that’s been the theme of this entire journey: I didn’t start out as an athlete, I never had the intention of owning a gym, and often times I wasn’t sure if I even knew what I am doing. I just kept following the things I cared about, saying yes to opportunities that scared me a little, and building something that felt meaningful along the way.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
If it had been a smooth road, I probably wouldn’t be who or where I am now.
Independent Iron was born out of a crisis. We were building a business while the entire fitness industry was trying to figure out what the heck was happening. Just like every other business we had to navigate shut-downs, regulations and the uncertainty of knowing if we would be able to attract enough tenants to remain open at all. The past six years have been a roller coaster, but Ashley and I have so much pride in the community we have built and the odds that we continue to defeat.
Wolf Strength has also gone through several transitions over the last 10 years. I think one of my biggest personal struggles has been learning to give myself permission to evolve. When you build something that becomes such a big part of your identity, it can be easy to feel like every change is a risk. Every risk has managed to pay off, and I sometimes sit back in disbelief of where I am now. That little girl holding a tennis racket wouldn’t believe what she ended up doing.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Wolf Strength Training is me, myself and I. I am a strength coach offering training out of Beaverton, NE Portland as well as remote coaching that allows me to work with clients around the world. I specialize in working with hyper-mobile athletes but work with any and all individuals who have a desire to get strong. My favorite tool is a barbell, and I am really good at convincing everyone to use one.
Independent Iron is a women-owned strength and conditioning gym located in Beaverton. Alongside my business partner, Ashley, we provide a private space for trainers to grow their own independent training businesses. We also offer a few spots for gym members and currently have a wait list that can be accessed on our website.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
Value your worth, protect your time and never stop learning.
Contact Info:
- Website: wolfstrengthtraining.com and independentirontraining.com
- Instagram: wolfstrengthtraining
