Meet Elissa Fairchild, AKA The Enforcer! Elissa has been in the BEYOND fam since 2011, and loves cooking and music (and working out daily, of course). Elissa is the Director of Business Development and Strategic Planning for the Henderson, Lovers, and Preston studios and can be found teaching classes almost every day of the week.
How did you come to be a part of the BEYOND family?
I have been a part of the fam since June 2011—my mom became a regular client when BP (that’s what we used to call it!) opened in June 2010, and whenever I visited Dallas from Los Angeles, I would jump in a Brandi or Bethany class with her. I moved back to Dallas in Spring 2011, and Brandi said we should grab coffee to chat about L.A. (where she and Bethany met and started developing the BEYOND concept). I had plans to continue my work in the sports marketing industry, but after a vibrant coffee with B, I quickly accepted a job as the Studio Manager of our original 4314 Lovers studio.
We then opened BEYOND Pedaling in January 2012. I remember scrubbing the floors at 2 a.m. before the first class at 6 a.m. I managed both of those studios before becoming the Pedaling Director in February 2013. I was offered the Assistant Store Manager position at lululemon athletica Knox Street in July 2013, a position I held for one year while serving as Master Instructor for BEYOND Pedaling, and then I came back to BEYOND to help Brandi open the Henderson studio and concept BEYOND500. And now, almost four years later, I’m the Director of Business Development and Strategic Planning for Henderson, Lovers, and Preston. Quite a journey full of many hats!
What jams can clients expect when taking your BEYOND500 class?
Music is everything. I have a wide-ranging library. I make a new playlist for every class because I want to be sure those tunes are exactly what I’m in the mood for that day. I usually have a theme of some sort; all of the songs will sound similar or play off one another: EDM, Nu-disco, soul house, Progressive house, hip-hop remixes. I’ll crazily try to time it up with the run you’re doing on the Curve.
You most likely won’t hear any Dubstep, Trap or Body by Jake/Jock Jams-sounding stuff. You’ll usually hear 2-3 non-remixed songs and 6-7 remixes that I don’t think you’ve ever heard before. Everything will have a very catchable beat. And I’ll most likely make some sort of yelp of excitement every time a big beat drops. It’s everything.
What’s your favorite BEYOND500 exercise?
Favorite run – Fastest Quarter Mile. I feel so accomplished with that one and LOVE to try and beat my record every time.
Favorite chair – Chair Pistol Squat, Side Pike and Seesaw Pushup.
Favorite Kettlebell – American Swing, of course. All day, errryyy day. Or the Weighted Curtsey Squat since nothing makes my butt as sore.
When not leading a BEYOND500 class you are…
Working out – I wake up for a 5:30 a.m. workout on weekdays that I’m not teaching at 6 a.m. I think of it as my “stolen time.” No one knows I’m awake to ask me questions yet, I can’t make any excuses for other things I should be doing, and my day is started on a positive, goal-setting note.
Cooking – I meal prep like a boss on Sunday or Monday, but I still enjoy spending time in the kitchen during the week when I have a couple more stolen hours. Besides, meal-prepped bacon and eggs just ain’t as grand as the hot-off-the-stove version.
Being a music junkie – I gave up TV in 2013, so my main source of entertainment was live music shows…I saw something ridiculous like 50+ artists in 2013. Now that I’ve decided sleep is more important than late night concerts, I mostly just listen to my downloaded music at high volumes in my apartment (good thing I’m friends with my cul-de-sac neighbors). Latest obsession: my bae’s Bluetooth speakers.
What days can clients book your classes?
Mondays:
BEYOND500 at Preston 8:30 a.m. and 9:30 a.m.
Tuesdays:
BEYOND500 at Henderson 6 a.m. and 7 a.m.
Wednesdays:
Pilates at Lovers 9:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.
BEYOND500 at Henderson 5:45 p.m. and 7 p.m.
Thursdays:
Pilates at Lovers 4:30 p.m., 5:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.
Sundays:
BEYOND500 at Henderson 9 a.m. and 10 a.m.
How did you start your fitness journey?
I played three sports all four years of high school plus club sports at SMU, so I’ve always been active. BEYOND Pilates classes in 2011 made me enjoy working out again. I found yoga in Fall 2012 when my dad passed away, and that was when fitness really began for me. It provided me a mental escape and a deeper connection with taking care of myself and living a long life. That brought about my interest in becoming a spin instructor (which later spun into me teaching close to 10 classes per week in 2013), and then my job at lululemon allowed me to test all types of fitness (CrossFit, pole-dancing, barre).
I love to have a very diverse week. Give me some sweatiness at 500, some intensity with weightlifting, some flow at Pilates and I’m set. And if none of those group classes fit into my schedule, I’ll kick my own ass at the Henderson studio in some way!
What motivates you to live an active and healthy lifestyle?
My boyfriend, Andrew. He’s the reason my life over the past year and a half has been as healthy as it has – he makes sure that I prioritize healthy food, ample sleep, positive perspective, and overall work/life balance on a daily basis. He’s pushed me to reach huge physical and mental goals, and my understanding of and appreciation for those goals has allowed me to bring the right type of energy, knowledge and understanding for our clients.
What’s your go-to post workout snack?
Orange juice, eggs, bacon. Or after a particularly hard workout…why not go for the Bowl of Doom at Kozy Kitchen?
What’s your favorite go-to training gear/ apparel?
I love me some lululemon, of course.
What’s your idea of going BEYOND?
Making people feel like they had an experience. When Brandi, Chris Hudson and I were sitting in a room last September brainstorming about WHAT THE HECK the BEYOND500 workout was going to be, we listed our top three most important things we look for in a fitness class. For BEYOND500, our goal was to marry the three concepts.
Brandi wants to leave the class feeling educated…like she learned something. You can definitely tell this by taking a class with her.
Chris wants to feel like he’s going to see results, and he wants to do moves that he knows are effective. No wonder he always formulated his workouts so perfectly to feel the moves in the ultimate way and pushed us so hard.
I want to feel like I’m a part of something. An atmosphere. I want to connect to the workout in more ways than one. I want an unforgettable, totally tailored, exciting, full-body, one-time-airing-episode, energetic experience unlike any other. So that’s what I try to create so that others can go BEYOND.
–BEYOND
