Motivating clients to love their bodies and transform their lives
Name: Raquel Ciara Rakovac. Age: 31. Position: Owner, lifestyle coach and motivational speaker at Rock Body Fit.
Job description: I play many roles within Rock Body Fit, my coaching and motivational speaking company. My partner, retired CFL veteran Michael Cornell, and I perform many tasks that include construction and renovations, accounting, social media, public relations and marketing, website and graphic design, performance training, class instruction, nutritional coaching and public speaking. It was important for us to be active participants in building our business from the ground up so that we could learn as much as possible.
Is this the job you thought you’d be doing?
Absolutely. I have always been driven to take action in shaping our community in a positive direction. Over the course of three years, I have been coach and mentor to train and teach young girls and women about the importance of a healthy and active lifestyle, empowering them to positively transform their lives physically and mentally, and love their bodies. I have worked with many community groups and local teams to continue to inspire females (of all ages) to take action toward their goals, create a positive relationship with themselves, live a healthier lifestyle and believe in their ability to create the life they dream of.
Advice to others on launching a career:
Inspire, teach and empower others through your talents. Passing on the knowledge you have acquired triggers a positive ripple effect. Be an active participant in making your dream(s) come to fruition.
Roots: My name is Raquel, but most people know me as “Rocky” or “Rock,” hence, the creation of Rock Body Fit. I was born and raised in Hamilton and grew up immersed in the city’s culture. My father is a developer, and I had a strong passion to play a role in the development of our beautiful city. An athlete for a large part of my life (basketball and running), I suffered three severe leg injuries that took me out of sports as a career and into the role of coach and motivator. Michael and I started our parent company, Cornell Performance Academy, in 2013. Having both shared athletic and coaching backgrounds, we wanted to open a facility for teaching people about physical and mental transformation.
iPhone, Android or BB? iPhone!
Recent Tweet or FB update:
An Instagram post: “It takes a very wise woman to realize that she is worth the time to invest in and to take action toward actualizing those thoughts. A woman’s body is a beautiful thing because it is a direct reflection of her progress and all the hard work she endured on her journey to get to this rewarding stage.”
Networks: We partner with many local artists, organizations, local teams, trainers and instructors to build, promote and grow one another’s businesses. We also offer our coaching and speaking experiences to not-for-profit organizations and teams to help our youth better understand their goals and work toward educating them on how to achieve them.
Favourite restaurant in the downtown:
The Purple Pear: great food and excellent portions! I am also a BIG FAN of Berkeley North’s smoked salmon eggs Benedict (do yourself a favour and upgrade to the tater tots). Any soup at Burnt Tongue, and its kale fruit salad is amazing.
Best feature of life in Hamilton:
If the people love your product and believe in what you do, they will continue to support your endeavours for many years. Second, you can come here, create a name for yourself and make your mark. This city is a great place to be a young entrepreneur.
What would make Hamilton a better city?
The continual development of our downtown core through new thriving businesses and condominium projects is adding to the positive changes we are seeing.
I have been a part of the King Street East neighbourhood since the age of four and over the past three years there have been so many great additions and changes to our area.
I have a deep love of and connection to our beautiful West Harbour.
This is an area we must continue to focus on and put our energies toward developing.
Quote: By helping to change the lives of others, you are helping to fuel Hamilton in a positive way. Contacts: email: raquel@rockbodyfit.net Instagram: @rockbodyfit website: www.rockbodyfit.net email: michael@cornellperformance.com
Instagram: @cornellperformanceacademy
website: www.cornellperformance.com
If you know a Hamilton Professional who would make a good candidate for this profile series, send an email to shenderson@thespec.com.