Today, for the "Women’s History Month" project, we are celebrating this gorgeous, sweet and fabulous woman
Meet Tricia McIntyre, 56, wife, mom of 2, dance teacher, fitness instructor and owner at Perfect Fit Health and Fitness in Scarborough
“ Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass, It’s learning to dance in the Rain”
My name is Patricia Magnus McIntyre and I go by the name of Tricia or Trish. I was born in Rutland, Vermont on October 12, 1966, to Jane and Victor Altobell. I am the youngest of 5- one brother, Michael, and three sisters: Kathleen, Susan, and Mary Jane. My mom is my hero and the person who has inspired me the most. She taught me to follow my dreams, get backup when you fall, take a deep breath when needed, and to always “Keep the Faith”.
At age 7 I enrolled into Tap class at Miss Lorraine’s school of Dance. My three sisters danced there as well but I became much more serious about dance. All I wanted to do was dance. I danced at least 5 days a week for several hours of ballet, tap, jazz and acro. Miss Lorraine and Miss Pam were my mentors. To this day I think of them often as my whole life was about dance and being at the dance studio. At age 15, Miss Lorraine trusted me to teach classes on my own. I was in heaven! It was then I knew I would be teaching dance or some type of physical movement for a living.
I graduated from Emerson College in Boston, MA in 1988 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Dance. In 1988 I went back to the dance studio and taught part time. Knowing that I needed more financial security at the time I took a full time position at a local bank where I quickly moved up the ladder and became an Assisted Vice President of Merchant Services. I had many mentors at the bank with the recurring theme of following your heart.
I married at age 25 and welcomed 2 beautiful children to the world- Patrick Hayden and Bryanna Elizabeth. After my divorce I knew I needed to be my own person and start a new life so when a job offer in Portland Maine arose, I did not hesitate to take the risk. It was a huge step as I only knew one person in Maine and I was a single mom with an eleven year old son and seven year old daughter. The transition was for sure one of the biggest challenges for the three of us to endure but with grit, grace, and a lot of prayers we made it through. Maine is our home.
In 2012, I met my soulmate Bruce and we officially united our family in 2016. Our family is blessed with 3 wonderful adult children and their significant others as well as a 2 ½ year old grandson.
Since College, I always worked 2 or 3 jobs at a time, with dance always being one of the jobs. For 16 years I worked as a Vice President of a Payments Company and worked as a dance teacher and fitness instructor. It was my clients from the dance studio who kept encouraging me to open my own fitness studio. Timing wasn’t right and to be honest I was comfortable with my corporate job knowing I had a steady income, retirement, medical insurance etc. However, something inside me told me to be ready. Ready for what? Well in 2019 I decided to obtain my nutrition coaching certification, personal training certification, and create my LLC. I wasn’t exactly sure why this calling was so strong but I did it. Then January 6, 2020 I was advised that the Portland Office would be closing and operations moved to Texas. I was to stay on until September 2020. Bomb dropped - I was devastated to say the least. I believe in God and I know He has a plan for me. This became evident when I received notice that a local personal training studio was closing. Even though we were in the start of the pandemic, gyms were closed, I was being offered a chance to open my own health and fitness studio. I looked at Bruce and said I know the timing doesn’t seem right but at the same time it seems right!
Bruce and my family have been my biggest supporters. Even though a few of them thought I was crazy for doing this they trusted my instincts. My last day of work my daughter Bryanna gave me a sign that says: “ She believed that she could, so she did”. I look at this sign every morning, and this is just one of my motivations. I do believe that anyone can achieve their dreams as long as they get out of their comfort zone and take risks, work hard, and don’t be afraid to get on their knees, pray and listen for answers.
In July 2020, Perfect Fit Health and Fitness in Scarborough, Maine was open for group fitness and a few personal training sessions. The official Full time opening was October 12, 2020. That first year of the fitness studio was hard. It was a pandemic and when I tried to reach out to introduce myself no one wanted to open the door and let me in. Many calls and emails went unanswered. I did not let this stop me. I still woke up before the sun to do my own workout and be at the studio to welcome clients. Eventually they came and they referred others as the clients saw results, and the clients felt the difference of this unique training studio. My dream, my goal, my mission is to have a health fitness studio where folks feel like family. I want everyone who walks in the door to know that I have their back and I am honored to be part of their wellness journey. We all learned from these past few years that Health is truly Wealth. We have to take care of our mind, body, and soul. We have to invest in our own health now. I know I am still on my journey and I know that this journey was planned for me. It all started with dance which taught me determination and discipline.
If I could give one piece of advice to women it is to
"Follow your dreams. Be relentless in your quest."
“Always be humble and Kind”
and lastly
“Do what you love and call it work”.
Here is another one of Tricia's favorite quotes:
"If you can imagine it, you can achieve it. If you can dream it, you can become it." William Arthur Ward
*****
Thank you, Tricia, for sharing your story and empowering others!
#womenshistorymonth #womansupportingwomen #womanpower #mainephotographer
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