29 nov Shanice about working at mac: ‘Sometimes I see myself as a therapist’
Shanice (25) is bursting with ambition. More than a year and a half ago she started as a front office employee at mac. Recently she started teaching the group classes Box-Kick and Strong by Zumba in her own passionate way. But she wants more. Shanice is currently being trained by mac to become a Personal Trainer. That is a big career switch, after her study to become a beauty therapist. “I will be a beauty therapist when I am older. For now I want to work in the fitness world”, she says.
Shanice arrived at mac a little by coincidence. “I was a bit tired of my old job. My niece Nathaly – a teacher at mac Body & Mind – asked me if I would be interested in working here. I’ve always been very sporty. I used to play volleyball and also did hip-hop dancing. Yet I was not consciously looking for a job in sports, but I liked to work here. It started with a few hours a week and now I am here almost every day. I really love being around people. As an employee at mac you create a strong bond with our members. Sometimes I see myself as some kind of therapist, because I hear a lot about the private lives of all the members,” Shanice laughs.
Stage fright
Last summer Shanice started teaching at mac. “It has always been my idea to become a group class instructor, but it took me quite a long time to actually start teaching. I had a bit of stage fright. But I really love teaching. It is so much fun to stand in front of a group of people, to see them sweat and to help them go to the limit. Box-Kick is a freestyle class in which I can put all my ideas and energy. Constance thought Strong was a class I would like to do, so she asked me to start teaching that too. It really suits me, because I used to be a dancer. Strong is heavily influenced by dance. The combination working at the front desk and being an instructor is ideal for me.”
Hard work
At the moment Shanice is working on again a next step in her career. “I am being trained by mac to become a Personal Trainer. That means lots of studying. The theory behind the training is very important. For instance, I have to learn how the human body works, what muscles you use in the exercises and so on. It has been a while since I went to school, so this is a challenge for me. My days are really busy at the moment. But the result will be great. I am really looking forward to working with our members in about six months’ time.”