Sep 6, 2021
Navigating your passion as your profession with Ava Szilagi
Highlights from S2 Ep6 of What Should I Do With My Life? with Steph Horwitz featuring Ava Szilagi
Meet the incredible Ava Szilagi!! Born and raised in New York, Ava is a firecracker — business owner, freelancer, mom, queen, and everything in between. Ava is a certified pilates and yoga instructor, Zumba teacher, 305 fitness instructor, and a personal trainer. In this episode, Ava talks about the role that dance played and plays in her life, we discuss the aftermath of living and breathing something you’re so passionate about in such an intensive way, she shares about the challenges and perks of mixing freelancing and motherhood, and talks about how 305 fitness is shaking up the industry. This really was a talk between girlfriends, it was so much fun, and you wouldn’t even know that I lost internet about 5 times in this conversation! Ava always makes me laugh- I am a huge fan of her and her work, so much so that I am in a group chat with friends called Ava’s Fan club!
Three Pearls of Wisdom from Ava Szilagi
- So many people talk about the notion that if you can live your passion and get paid for it, you “made it.” Being a professional dancer or following the path to be one is so grueling and so intense; most of us cannot even fathom the kind of dedication and effort it requires to succeed. Getting paid to “live your passion” is not always what it’s cut out to be. The competitiveness and intensity of being a professional dancer helped Ava realize that this wasn’t the right path for her, and she learned incorporate her love for dance and movement in her personal and professional life in other ways.
- A unique element in the fitness industry is that Ava can keep her ear to the ground to pick up on up-and-coming trends. Through her own work, Ava can ebb and flow and learn new techniques and methods, ultimately growing and learning as different trends and experiences emerge. For freelancers in various industries, be mindful of new information and trends so that you can continue to grow, expand your services, and go above and beyond for your clientele.
- In terms of not panicking when you start off on your freelancing journey, Ava suggests having a safety net of either cash saved up, or a steady flow of income from a parallel gig to generate income. Her biggest piece of advice? Get yourself acquainted with the cycle that is freelancing. Ava shares from her personal experience that there will be crazy months where you are booked and can’t take any more clients, and then there will be months where you have a much more flexible and free schedule. Ava suggests to get to know your freelancing cycle, and use the more “lax” months to reflect and rest, so you are fully charged when things pick back up.
Ava is currently taking new clients, so please check out the links below to get in touch.
Haute Body TLV- Instagram
Haute Body Fitness with Ava — Facebook
Haute Body Fitness- Website
305 Fitness — Instagram
