YOLO Spotlight - Marilyn Clark and SL8 Fitness!
Welcome to YOLO Spotlight! Once a week we will focus our KLJ Studios blog on someone in the community because we believe everyone has a story to tell.
Since March is Women’s History Month we will focus this month’s Spotlight on local women business owners. The good news is there are many to choose from! The bad news? There are many to choose from! It was hard to narrow down, but we figured anyone we missed we can catch in a later month.
So, to begin.
How fun that our first “victim” is a lovely ball of energy and fun in a human shaped package. And, if you have met Marilyn Clark, I am sure you agree. She is approachable, intelligent, and packs plenty of charisma.
Marilyn co-owns SL8 Fitness, a woman-centric gym in Esparto, and when the opportunity to also buy former Oases (also a woman-centric gym) in Woodland came about, Marilyn and her partner took the plunge and found themselves trying to keep two gyms alive during a pandemic. They have used a creative combination of virtual classes and personal training to keep going until just recently they were allowed to have in person activities. The layout of the gym allows for good social distancing and other COVID safety protocols are followed to keep everyone safe.
FUN FACT #1:
Marilyn, a Massachusetts native, worked her way out West via college in Connecticut to New York to Seattle to the Bay Area, eventually moving to Woodland where her husband is from. Extra fun note: she met her husband on AOL back in 1997 before online dating was even a “thing”. This woman is a trailblazer in more ways than one. She loved Woodland from the first and loves being part of this community.
FUN FACT #2:
Marilyn “retired” from a state job to now spend 12 hours a day at her business. And anyone who owns a small business knows it is essentially a 24/7 gig. She keeps her sanity by exercising and reminding herself to celebrate self-care.
FUN FACT #3:
SL8 is named to remind everyone that you can always start with a clean slate and its never too late to try something new. Her own personal training experience was so positive she became certified as a personal training and a nutrition coach in order to help others get that second, or even first, chance at a healthy life. As Marilyn says, “I want to find a way to make health a priority in your life and to find a way to make it work”.
WHAT CAN YOU FIND AT SL8?
1. SL8 Fitness on College St in Woodland is surprisingly large and has an efficient layout. There are separate rooms for cardio, weights, and classes as well as three tanning beds and, when allowed to do so, sauna and showers. There are also makeup and hair styling services available.
2. You can still enjoy virtual classes and personal training.
3. SL8 Fitness has designated March as “Women’s Empowerment Month” and wants you to claim one goal for yourself. Empowerment will come when you achieve your goal and motivate you to take another step.
Every year SL8 chooses a word or phrase for the year. For 2021, the word is resilience, which perfectly sums up 2021.
Go grab a guest pass at 1317 College St in Woodland (530-662-4444) or 15856 Yolo Ave. in Esparto and try it out. Or you can email at info@sl8fitness.com.
As Marilyn says, you are a culmination of all of your experience. Make your experience a healthy one!