Amy Richardson
I was born and raised in Bryan/College Station graduating from Bryan High in 1988. After completing my internship at the Downtown Dallas YMCA, I received my B.S. in Kinesiology from Sam Houston State University in 1993. As a new graduate and not too many job prospects, I decided to continue working at the Downtown Dallas YMCA. I worked miscellaneous jobs such as front desk/customer service and data entry in the membership office.
After 2 years, a full time opportunity arose at the Park Cities YMCA in the Highland Park area of Dallas as a Membership/Program Coordinator. I accepted this challenge. I worked hard and showed what my capabilities and work ethics were all about. Patience paid off and when one of the 3 full time Fitness Coordinator positions came available at the Park Cities YMCA, I accepted this position with great joy. I was finally able to work in a position that used my degree and my knowledge. I soon realized this was my passion and what I was meant to do. I enjoyed going to work every day and once again proved myself and worked my way up. After 3 years as a Fitness Coordinator, the Wellness Director position came available and I was encouraged to apply and interview for this job. I did and got the position. I was the Wellness Director at the Park Cities YMCA, one of the most prestigious Y’s in Dallas for 6 years. It was some of the best days of my life. I worked with such a great group of people and the members were awesome! I have made some great friends for life!
I soon got tired of the hustle and bustle of living in Dallas. I wanted to get back to more of the country life. I was searching the YMCA job vacancy list and saw a Wellness Director was wanted at the Palestine YMCA in East Texas. My mom was from Palestine and I had family that still lived there and in the surrounding area. So I figured why not? I applied and interviewed and of course got the position. They couldn’t believe that someone from the Park Cities YMCA would want to come to Palestine. I didn’t know if I really wanted to go either but had to make a decision and I decided to take the leap. It was scary and hard to pick up and leave everything and everyone I had known for the past 13 years but I did it. The Palestine YMCA had just expanded their facility and added on a brand new fitness center. I was starting from scratch and that was exciting! I had free rain and could set the facility up how I wanted and create programs to get the members excited about leading a healthy lifestyle. I enjoyed my time at the Palestine YMCA. Once again, I made some wonderful friends through co-workers and members that will last a lifetime.
I had always seen myself moving back to Bryan/College Station eventually. Due to some personal circumstances, after 2 years in Palestine, I decided to make the move back home. My parents still live here as well as my brother and his wife and my little niece. I’m so glad to be here… I love it here! It’s nice to be close to family and to be able to watch my little niece grow up.
Now, when I moved back I thought about a career change. A 9-5 job more like the norm. I applied to several different jobs around town but ultimately decided that I wouldn’t be happy doing anything else. Fitness is the only full-time job I have known. Unfortunately, there is no YMCA in B/CS so I had to take a look at the fitness options around town. I eventually heard about Train With Charlie and decided to shoot him an email. We met and did the whole interview thing and here I am. I am grateful for the opportunity I have been given, so glad to be a part of this team and able to work at a job I enjoy doing.
