For Charlotte Hinson, fitness isn’t a trend or a phase. It’s a thread that has woven through her entire life.
A Bossier native and independent trainer, Hinson’s relationship with movement began early. At just seven years old, running was a form of therapy for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), setting the foundation for what would eventually become both a passion and a profession.
“My mom, who was way ahead of her time, decided I didn’t need medicine and started running me at seven years old,” Hinson said. “My temperament changed, and that’s where my love of fitness began.”
Today, Hinson has built a career around meeting people exactly where they are. Literally, as an independent trainer and fitness coach, she helps new and experienced runners and offers personalized fitness training in parks, neighborhoods, and even clients’ homes. She also teaches a beginner boxing class at LSU Shreveport and leads group fitness classes at the YMCA, weaving herself into the daily rhythms of the community.
But the path that led her here was anything but linear.
Before returning home to northwest Louisiana, Hinson taught school in San Diego, California, and Nashville, Tennessee. Education was her first calling, and when she came back home, she found herself reflecting on how to build a life that felt just as meaningful in a new way.
“I feel so blessed to have had two careers that I truly love,” she said. “I’ve been able to help students with their minds and people with their health.”
While teaching, she quietly built her second path, moonlighting as a group fitness instructor. About a decade ago, she made the leap from the classroom to the gym as a full-time instructor.
She pursued certifications in aero boxing, spin, strength training, High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), cardio, and water aerobics, immersing herself in rigorous training programs filled with textbooks, videos, and science-heavy coursework. It was demanding and humbling.
What proved even more daunting, however, was leaving behind the structure of a steady paycheck, health insurance, and state retirement to build a career from scratch.
“It was scary,” Hinson said. “I went from teaching little kids with a structured schedule to making independent business decisions. Am I going to work for an organization that takes a cut of my pay? What about insurance if someone drops a weight on their toe?”
Still, fear never outweighed purpose.
Her desire to make a difference one person at a time pushed her forward. Her years in education had already taught her how to manage schedules, relationships, and responsibility. Those skills became the foundation for her success as an independent trainer.
And the rewards, she says, come in moments that rarely fit into metrics or milestones.
From clients reducing antidepressant medications to stopping diabetes treatment, from physical transformation to emotional healing, Hinson sees her role not as the hero of those stories, but as a guide.
“They’re the ones doing the work,” she said. “They’re committed at home, and they show up here. I don’t know how to handle compliments like that. It just melts your heart.”
Those small victories keep her coming back, even as the work demands more than physical training alone. Hinson is not just a fitness coach, she is often a counselor, a motivator, a listener, and a source of stability for people navigating change.
“There are so many layers to this that people don’t realize. It’s a challenge,” she said, “but it’s beautiful.”
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