Aiden Braun

I currently hold a personal training certification and a nutrition coaching certification from the National Academy of Sports Medicine, or NASM, one of the most respected names in fitness today. I spent several months studying hard through my courses. I supplemented the things I learned from NASM by reading studies, poring over journals and other articles, and watching videos from trusted sources to further my learning. I also used the study skills I gained in college to test myself at every step of the way and ensure I would be beyond proficient in the field.

My profession wasn’t always personal training, though; I came to the world of fitness from a unique background. I attended Ithaca College from 2014 to 2018 where I studied music education with an instrumental focus. As a teenager, music and especially marching band were my refuge. I have always loved music, I have a natural knack for teaching, and it felt logical to me to pursue a career in teaching music. I visited IC early in my senior year of high school and decided it was the school for me. My four years studying at Ithaca were wonderful. I loved (most) of my professors, I made a ton of wonderful friends, I joined a music-based fraternity, and I learned an incredible amount about music, education, and myself along the way. I student taught both in Ithaca and in Brooklyn, where I learned invaluable life lessons from my students and my cooperating teacher. 

It took me some time to find a full-time teaching gig, so I spent a year living at home post-grad, working in preschools as well as K-12 classrooms as a substitute teacher. I had the opportunity to move to Binghamton to be a middle school music teacher and finally moved out on my own. Unfortunately, halfway through my first year teaching, a pandemic broke out. I had the privilege of working from home from March of 2020 through the end of the school year. At the start of the 2020-2021 school year, my district wanted me to come back in person, which I knew was not safe for my physical or mental wellbeing, and made the decision to leave teaching. I had enough signs from the universe and from within that it wasn’t the career for me.

The next several months were filled with exploration as I took all sorts of classes online, spoke with people from a variety of disciplines, and ultimately decided that I wanted to work in fitness. I had been interested for years, but kept telling myself that I wasn’t right for it - I was too out of shape, not muscular enough, didn’t have the right look. But I realized I would never have dreamt of saying those things to another person and had to come to terms with my own perceived shortcomings before proceeding. Through a ton of hard work, both personally and professionally, I am proud to say I have begun my career in personal training with nothing holding me back. I can’t wait to get to know you and help you on your journey, whether this is your very first step or your 10,000th. Thank you for reading, and please reach out if you have any questions or want to get started training with me!