Divorced mom turns side hustle into huge money maker: “It really is a very rewarding business to be in”

Looking for a way to support her three children on her own after leaving an abusive relationship, Kelly Matsunaga used the $6 she had to her name to develop what had been a project she hadn’t taken “very seriously” into a business that more than makes ends meet these days.

The fitness instructor went from teaching in-person classes in Arizona for $25 to accumulating a massive global following for her various workout routines posted online under the name Fit by Coach Kel. “My workouts are designed to improve the lives of women who are juggling work, kids and a million responsibilities,” states her webpage.

The side hustle that became a profitable business

The former ballerina turned stay-at-home mom noticed that there were no barre workouts, a low-impact exercise that combines different elements of ballet, yoga, and Pilates, on YouTube. So, she set out to make some herself which filmed in the family kitchen with her kids and dog making impromptu cameos she shared with USA TODAY.

Matsunaga abandoned that side hustle after leaving her husband in Florida and moving in with her parents in Arizona, where she had to find a way to make a living.

However, Matsunaga had no work experience to speak of, having followed what she was taught growing up in a Mormon family, that her duties were to be a wife and mother. So, she turned to ballet, which had always been a major part of her life growing up, and taught dance and fitness classes at nearby studios.

Like many people, the covid-19 pandemic changed everything for Matsunaga. Those old grainy YouTube videos “suddenly took off.” Using what little money she had, Matsunaga set up a studio in the garage and launched Zoom Sessions.

Fit by Coach Kel goes global

Word of mouth helped her Fit by Coach Kel become a global sensation that now has communities across the globe. She has over 450,000 followers on Instagram and nearly 500,000 on YouTube where she posts a selection of workout videos.

People can get full access to the whole Fit by Coach Kel library of on-demand classes for $25 a month, or $250 for a full year subscription. Matsunaga also offers in-person classes to local subscribers in cities around the world, having done so already from Sydney to Buenos Aires.

She told USA TODAY that her community of students have become her “biggest cheerleaders” and share with her their own stories of abusive relationships, struggles with motherhood and more.

She says that’s it’s “so much more than just fitness” and that it is ”almost like therapy” for her. “It really is a very rewarding business to be in.”

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