Be the Change: Bethany Mercer

Where it All Started

About four years ago, Bethany Mercer attended a FIT4MOM Stroller Strides class in Chico, CA. With a three-year-old son and a ten-month-old daughter, Bethany certainly had plenty of demands on her time. Adding Stroller Strides to her agenda gave Bethany a sensation of freedom by offering her a great workout she could do with her infant. “Fitness is a big part of who I am,” Bethany says. “After my first class, I knew I wanted to provide this opportunity for other moms. It was my calling.” Driven by this clear sense of purpose, Bethany earned a certificate for instructing prenatal and postnatal group fitness and moved into a teaching role.

FIT4MOM Beginnings

In 2014, the owner of FIT4MOM Chico offered Bethany the chance to purchase the franchise. Bethany saw the opportunity she had dreamed of and eagerly took the leap into the unknown world of business ownership in February 2015.

While many activities provide great workouts, Bethany says FIT4MOM fosters not just physical activity, but a supportive community united by common ties of motherhood and group exercise. As each mom pushes a stroller, Bethany and her co-teacher Heather Gordon lead routines that engage the kids while challenging the women toward physical, emotional, and social health. Heather describes Bethany as a wealth of health and fitness knowledge.

All Level are Welcome!

Bethany personalizes the difficulty of Stroller Strides exercises to welcome moms coming from all levels of fitness. “Motherhood can be really overwhelming for first-time moms,” Bethany says, “and it can be pretty isolating. A big part of Stroller Strides is creating a village of support with other moms who have been or are going through the same experiences. Moms can talk with each other, feel like they have friends in motherhood, and have group accountability to exercise.”

Outside Strides

A Chico native who grew up visiting the town’s extensive municipal park, Bethany now uses Bidwell Park as a beautiful outdoor classroom. Sarah Kearbey, one of Bethany’s clients, describes discovering the class while walking through Bidwell Park with her five-week-old baby. “I had been battling the isolation and loneliness experienced by many new moms,” Sarah says. A single class proved she had stumbled upon exactly what she needed: a workout without the worry of finding childcare and a community for discussing “the ins and outs of parenting.” Sarah says some of her closest friends have come from her Stroller Strides class and says that Bethany is a “supportive, inspiring instructor who offers Chico moms an amazing place to connect.”

Making those connections for moms like Sarah motivates Bethany each day. Beyond Stroller Strides, she offers Body Back classes, weekly playgroups and a monthly Mom’s Night Out. Regardless of the activity, Heather says Bethany relates with moms and babies through her authenticity, humor and compassion.

When she has time to spare, Bethany unwinds by running, often with her husband Michael. She and Michael enjoy watching the San Francisco Giants together, either from home or from the grandstands. They also love taking their children and two dogs into the great outdoors for active adventures. Now that Miles (8) and Maela (5) are old enough, Bethany has renewed her passion for travel; March found the family in Hawaii and the summer took them on several camping trips. Bethany loves that her work enables her to spend this precious time with her family. “I had always thought it would be neat to own my own business, but I never thought I actually would,” she says. “I love the challenge and I love that this business allows me to prioritize my family.”

The community Bethany has nurtured affects not only Bethany and her peers but their children as well. Maela, who has grown up with FIT4MOM, puts her dolls in a toy stroller and plays out her own version of Stroller Strides. Nothing could make Bethany happier. “Motherhood was not meant to be done alone,” Bethany says. “I tell the moms, ‘Find your tribe and love ‘em hard.’” Through FIT4MOM, Bethany has not only “found her tribe,” but formed her tribe. There, she can unite her passions for people and fitness, making the North State a better place for moms and families.

The mission of our be the change column is to feature community members from the north state who are actively making a difference in community life. If you would like to nominate someone who is making a difference, please write to pn@northstateparent.com.