Balance Gym’s Cassia Denton on Self-Care + Embracing Failure

Balance Gym’s director of human resources, Cassia Denton, turned her passion for movement and exercise into her dream job. She talked to us about Balance Gym’s community, her self-care routine and the importance of failure. Note: This interview is a part of our 20 Masters of Mindfulness, Movement + Connection roundup, which ran in our Winter 2021 issue.

Tell me about your journey and how it brought you to your current role.

 I have loved movement ever since I was little, but I didn’t decide to make it my profession until about 15 years ago. My master’s degree is in athletic training (sports medicine), which has given me an incredibly solid foundation in anatomy and physiology, and I have been able to take that training into the fitness industry. Balance Gym is a really unique community, and they embraced me with all of my skills and gave me a place to grow. I originally started as the personal training director, but Balance does a really amazing job at creating opportunity for those who want it, and they helped elevate me to the role I have now. I am able to teach classes, train clients, train other coaches and run the personnel of the gym, all while wearing leggings. It’s the dream.  

How are you practicing and prioritizing self-care, especially mid-pandemic?
Self-care to me is more about setting up my future self for success than wallowing in the present. My favorite forms of self-care are taking a shower, prioritizing my own workouts and not compromising on good sleep. If anything, the pandemic has allowed me to slow down and really make these a priority. If I can get all three of those in every single day, I am able to face all challenges with calm and grace. That, and maybe a spoonful of Nutella.

What does self-compassion mean to you, and how do you incorporate it into your practice?
Self-compassion is the reminder that perfection is a myth, and it is the journey that matters. I can be really hard on myself when I fail something, but failure is so important for growing. Especially in fitness, goals are important and necessary, but you cannot let the goal get in the way of the process. Journeys can be difficult and emotional and frustrating, and self-compassion is embracing those roadblocks as a chance to learn, not a moment of failure. Every time that I fail, I give myself a big mental hug, take a deep breath and resolve to learn.

Learn more at www.balancegym.com and follow @dentoncassia and @balancegym on Instagram.

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