- Sara Colletti is a
personal trainer and cofounder of Hamptons Wellness on Wheels. - Since 2016, she's offered at-home fitness services for wealthy clients around the
Hamptons . - This is what her job is like, as told to freelance writer Jenny Powers.
When it comes to working with the 1%, convenience is a key factor, so I often train my clients virtually or in their homes. It's best to meet them where they're at, and in my case, that's the Hamptons.
I launched Hamptons Wellness on Wheels in 2016 with my boyfriend Ross Youmans. We both worked as personal trainers for Equinox in Long Island, and after watching stressed out clients racing in and out of the gym, day after day, we had this 'aha' moment.
We thought, what if we brought everything from the equipment to the trainer to the workout program to the client?' So we created a luxury concierge service, offering everything from in-home to small group personal training, to pop-up workouts, to full-fledged staycation retreats.
Soon, I found myself moving out to the Hamptons full-time, bopping from one mansion to another. Some of my clients have home gyms, but my wellness wagon is also fully-stocked with everything from mats and stretch tables to dumbbells and kettlebells to resistance bands, TRXs, and agility ladders.
From Memorial Day to Labor Day we're in overdrive, training clients who summer in the Hamptons, but we're also booked year round by local residents.
Training the Hamptons elite can be taxing - I work six, sometimes seven days a week.
I begin with 6 a.m. sessions, cap off my day with a 6:30 p.m. session, and typically train anywhere from four to eight people daily. Depending on the package, I charge $115 to 175 for an hour-long session and $35 per person for private group sessions.
Every training sessions is customized and can range from full body workouts, HIIT, or water aquatics to mobility, functional, and circuit or strength training. I work with clients of all ages and they all have different goals, from getting in shape for a wedding or staying in shape through their pregnancy, to sculpting their arms or building up their booty.
Our work is incredibly rewarding because we get to help people feel good in their own skin and watch them transform in front of our eyes. Training high-end clientele also comes with perks like complimentary wine, sports apparel, gift cards, plastic surgeon and filler doc recommendations, and even tickets to the most exclusive parties.
I'm close with a lot of my clients. I joke that I'm like a friend that makes you squat.
We enjoy silly banter during our sessions, and go to lunch or grocery shopping together. I even have one client who I go to see perform in his local chorus.
I absolutely love what I do, but like any job, it has its downsides too, like the type of woman who treats me less like an actual human being and more like an extra appointment she has to fit in between a manicure and getting her hair blown out.
Because I work for people in their homes, every now and then I'll get an odd request that has zero to do with my job. For instance, one client I adore recently asked me to dispose of a dead bunny she'd found floating in her pool. As much as I try to be accommodating, there was no way I was bringing a dead bunny in a plastic bag into my car in the Hamptons heat.
The people I train are not used to hearing the word no.
They want what they want when they want it. That's why late cancellations are so frustrating - even though I still get paid, it's disappointing I had to turn someone else down who really wanted the session.
At the beginning of the summer, I received a referral for a family that asked me to live in their house, hand them every meal, and make them exercise all day. They made it abundantly clear money was no object. I turned them down and assured them if someone is a highly successful trainer, there's no way they would have time for that.
I'm now in a position where I can turn down opportunities and clients that aren't the right fit for me, which is a luxury worth way more than any swag someone could give me.