This week’s installment of “Sub Spouse Small Business” – meet Tabitha Martin, a sub spouse and founder of Warrior Goddess Fitness! Based in Guam, Tabitha created a local community to help women on their wellness journeys. Read more below!
Name: Tabitha Martin
Hometown: Lake Ozark, Missouri
Current Duty Station: Naval Base Guam (PCS’ing to Hawaii in November)
Q: Tell us about your business.
Warrior Goddess Fitness was created to design workout and lifestyle programs for women in every phase of their health and fitness journey. My goal is to help women focus on fitness, nutrition, and emotional health to help them live a healthy, balanced lifestyle. I currently offer local group fitness classes in Guam, along with online fitness programs that can be customized to meet individual goals. Warrior Goddess Fitness is more than “just a workout,” I strive to create a community of women who help lift each other up and hold each other accountable to live their best, healthiest life.
Q: What made you choose this type of business?
Looking back, 2007 -2008 were very impactful years in my life that started me on this path of health and fitness and the birth of Warrior Goddess Fitness. In 2007 I was diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome and put on medication to help me conceive. In 2008 I gave birth to my son who tragically passed away shortly after he was born. This was a turning point for me in my health and fitness journey.
I was overweight most of my adult life and a complete slave to cardio and fad diets. The loss of my son made me reevaluate how I had been living my life and start figuring out how to do better. I started to educate myself on nutrition and exercise outside of what the latest trends were. I started learning about bio individuality and how to eat for hormonal imbalances. As my life started to change for the positive, I realized I was genuinely happy for the first time in a long time. I started to share what I was learning with those around me who were also struggling and watching them succeed sparked a passion inside me that I didn’t know existed.
Q: What motivated you to start your business?
Most people are shocked to learn that I was in the Army for 10 years prior to starting my company. While I loved my time in the service, I did not feel fulfilled. After the loss of my son I did not want to settle for just living life, I wanted to thrive and do something that made me happy. Helping people who were struggling to find health and fitness made me happy! I enrolled myself into school to further my education in health and fitness and hung up my uniform for activewear!
Q: How do you manage the work/life balance as a submarine spouse?
My original plan when I started my business was to be a brick and mortar studio. But when I met my husband, I realized I was going to have to make a few adjustments to my plan. I realized very quickly if I was going to be happy and thrive in this lifestyle, I was going to have to learn to be flexible.
The hardest part about having a business as a submarine spouse (for me) is moving every three years! However, each PCS I find myself getting set up quicker and even adding new services each time! Instead of letting it stress me out I keep notes of the process and learn how to make the transitions easier each time.
Q: Any advice for fellow submarine spouses who want to start their own business?
The goal pusher in me will tell you to DO IT! Make sure you have a business plan that aligns with moving every few years. Each move brings on new permits, insurance, and fees that you want to be prepared for.
Q: Favorite thing(s) to do in your current duty station?
Guam is so beautiful, I try to be outside as much as possible. I love to start my mornings by taking my dogs to the beach and having coffee or grabbing my paddle board to hang out with the sea turtles and dolphins.
Q: Where can we support and learn more about your business?
To learn more, visit my website at www.warriorgoddess.fit and follow me on Instagram (@WarriorGoddessFitness_), Facebook (@UnleashYourWarrior) and YouTube (@WarriorGoddessFitness).
As a fitness student of Tabitha myself (pictured above), I can say that her program was a total game-changer for me both mentally and physically. During my time on Guam, I joined one of her many group fitness classes and it was hands-down one of the best decisions I made. I am by no means a fitness junkie. Group fitness classes always felt intimidating to me, filling my head with thoughts like “Will I be able to keep up?” or “What if I don’t know how to do any of the moves and look totally lost!?” After finishing my first week with Warrior Goddess Fitness, all of these fears were erased from my mind. Tabitha creates an environment tailored to every level of fitness. Seriously! Every. Level. It is truly a judgement free zone where women come together to support each other on their individual fitness journeys. Her class became the highlight of my week, especially during the times where my husband was deployed!
When COVID hit Guam and in-person classes were not an option, Tabitha took to YouTube and immediately got to work on her channel. Let me tell you, the workouts she has built up on her YouTube channel have been a total savior throughout quarantine! And the best part…you don’t need any equipment besides your tennis shoes and a mat!
So, for any of you who may be headed to Hawaii for your next duty station (or for those of you who are already there) be sure to check out Warrior Goddess Fitness! And for those of you spread out at duty stations across the rest of the globe, check her out online – there are multiple ways she can virtually support your fitness journey!