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Article
Interview with Hannah Purbe
- Fitness Director of The Sporting Club at the Bellevue
Growing up in Uppsala, Hannah Purbe started her career as a personal trainer working part time at one of
Sweden’s biggest gym companies at the time, Nautilus. Fitness and an athletic lifestyle was always important
for Hannah. She played soccer for many years and was a competitive gymnast. It was a natural choice for
her to start a career in personal training.
After graduating from PT- Skolan (personal trainer school), Hannah became the General Manager of Nautilus
Elite in Stockholm. In 2003, Hannah visited Philadelphia for the first time. She immediately fell in love with the
City and moved here shortly after, obtaining a position as fitness instructor at The Sporting Club at the Bellevue.
Today Hannah holds dual citizenships in Sweden and the U.S. For the past eight years, she has served as the
Fitness Director of The Sporting Club at the Bellevue. SACC-Philadelphia’s interns had the opportunity to meet
with Hannah for an interview.
How would you describe your profession as a PT compared to someone who works a 9 AM to 5 PM job?
Fitness has always been a big part of my life. To be a successful PT, I think you must practice what you preach.
You are in one way selling an image of a healthy lifestyle to get clients to choose you as their trainer. Having
a fully booked schedule with clients has made me do my admin work at home. In that sense, I also take the
work home with me. I would describe my job as being an entrepreneur since I can decide a lot of my hours
myself and after becoming a mom I value being able to work from home even more.
Do you feel a responsibility being a personal trainer in these times with a constant focus on “healthy lifestyles”
and the exposure on social media?
I do. It is a problem that people constantly compare themselves with others instead of being proud of their
own strong bodies. Even though the “ideals” have changed from when I started working in this business, the
instant comparison has not. What message I want to deliver to my clients is that the body is cool and strong - it
does not matter what it looks like.
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