Sydney Payne

My short story :)

Born & raised in Charlotte, NC... Sydney was constantly moving and shaking in the world of athletics. Her family is the 5k on thanksgiving, workout on vacation & early morning riser crew the "sleep in until noon" families dread. 

She was taught to work hard, push limits and challenge herself as she played soccer competitively through high school and college. Her passion for movement and exercise outgrew the collegiate dream of playing D1 sports. She noticed that being apart of a team was beautiful and wanting to continue building community inspired by positivity and fitness. 

Sophomore year she started teaching group fitness classes at UNCW Recreation Center. Anything from bootcamp, indoor cycle, cardio dance to power yoga flow.. she wanted to utilize her leadership skills to motivate others to take control of their healthy able bodies.

After graduating from UNCW with a sales & marketing degree.. She moved to Atlanta, Georgia to work in Financial Services. The real world hit her like a wrecking ball. She started to realize what defined success, happiness, and unraveling habits that she had built up over the years. 

Physically and mentally the light bulb clicked on and it was time to finally confront some underlying body image issues, disordered eating and change the relationship with exercise. 

One healing decision flowed to the next and she ended up recognizing that the stress of the job was too much on the body. She found her way to the US Virgin Islands and started a job as a Kayak & Snorkel Guide. 

When the pandemic shut everything down, she found a cheap flight to Big Island, Hawaii and leaned into learning more about Holistic Wellness, addressing Trauma, Breathing through emotions and functional fitness techniques. After a year and a half of self work.. she continues this journey back in St. John , USVI. 

Her mission is to be as authentically raw and real with anyone she interacts with, step up as a fitness instructor, stand tall in an able body and inspire you to lean in to your highest potential. 

The ultimate dream is to share these teachings, lessons and movements with everyone to feel empowered, to heal and to enjoy this beautiful life we can experience together.

Certifications

NASM Personal Trainer 
ACE Group Fitness 
Yin Yoga TT - School of Yogati
Reiki Level 1 & 2
​XPT Performance Breathing

Sydney is constantly adding to her education in the fitness & wellness realm. She specializes in blending techniques from mentors like Big Wave surfer Laird Hamilton & Gabby Reece, Ben Greenfield, Jay Shetty, Joe Holder and many other inspirational teachers.