We recently had the chance to connect with Michelle Martinez & Chris Martinez and have shared our conversation below.
Michelle & Chris , we’re thrilled to have you with us today. Before we jump into your intro and the heart of the interview, let’s start with a bit of an ice breaker: What do you think is misunderstood about your business?
I think most people believe that our business is purely about teaching physical skills. However, we teach so much more than that. Our students learn valuable lessons like overcoming fear, how to push through when things seem hard, how to work with their peers, how to turn negative self-talk into a positive mindset, the importance of good sportsmanship and how to cope when faced with negative situations.
Through physical sports, we help them develop tools that will help them in school and in life outside of the gym.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
We are the owners of Phoenix Athletics in Leander TX.
We both grew up in New Orleans, LA and were very involved in sports from a young age. Chris was the Captain of his high school football team and played rugby at LSU. Michelle was very involved in dance and tumbling, eventually becoming a member of the LSU Tiger Girls dance team and the New Orleans Saints Cheerleaders, the Saintsations.
After moving to Texas, we continued our love of sports through coaching. Our 3 children have all been involved in athletics, our oldest played football and did taekwondo, our middle child is a competitive Parkour athlete and our youngest is a competitive cheerleader. We know the value that being active and playing sports brings to a child’s life, and we want to help as many children as possible have the opportunity to be involved in a sport that they love!
Since opening Phoenix in June 2022, we’ve worked hard to create a place where kids can grow with confidence, care, and support. We offer All-Star Cheerleading, tumbling classes, parkour classes, open gyms, and birthday parties—all designed to help athletes learn, have fun, and feel at home. Our goal is to make sure every child feels seen and encouraged, and to give each athlete the individual attention they deserve. We celebrate all progress, big and small, and are proud that we’ve created an environment where kids can learn more than physical skills, they also learn valuable lessons that will help them in other aspects of their lives.
Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What breaks the bonds between people—and what restores them?
The thing most likely to break bonds between people is a lack of trust. A strong bond will never be built if you can’t trust that someone if being fully open and honest with you. I find that an open line of communication is one of the best ways to restore trust. Being able to truly listen to what someone is communicating to you will help build the trust that is needed to create meaningful bonds with others.
What fear has held you back the most in your life?
I think like most people, the fear of failure has held me back . All big decisions come with risks, and I’ve sometimes let the risks overshadow the good that might come from what I’m trying to accomplish. Owning a business has taught me that sometimes it’s worth the risk to try something uncomfortable in order to possibly accomplish great things.
Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
The biggest lie in our industry- Winning equals Success.
Of course, everyone likes to win, but that is not what defines success. Success happens every day in the little things. Success is watching a child accomplish something they never believed they could do. Success is seeing teammates pull together and support each other. Success is when a student comes in and tells us how something we taught them in class helped them in school. Success cannot be measured by the number of trophies or banners hanging on the walls of the building. Success is measured by the personal victories of every child at Phoenix and knowing we helped them on their way to becoming the best version of themselves.
Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. Are you tap dancing to work? Have you been that level of excited at any point in your career? If so, please tell us about those days.
I get excited every day! I truly love what I do and every day is different. Each day brings new possibilities and I never know what victories I may get to be a part of each day, which I find incredibly exciting.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.phoenix-athletics.com
- Instagram: @phoenixathleticstx, @phoenixfreerunningtx
- Facebook: @phoenixathleticstx
