The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Kim Janifer seemingly had it all.
She held a successful account sales position with Verizon and was back in school pursuing her master’s degree in business finance. On the surface, life was good. But Janifer took a detour off the corporate career path.
‘I just found out that was not the path I wanted to be on,’ Janifer said. ‘I was overweight. I was a size 14, was on high blood pressure medication because of my weight. I said, ‘You know what, this is not right.’ I took an active approach to become healthier.’
Married with a child, Janifer left the corporate environment and dedicated her life - and much of her savings - to fitness. She and her husband, Bob, last April opened Xtreme Transformations in Buford off of Hamilton Mill. Janifer, who routinely puts in 10-hour days, has a steady stream of 35 personal-training clients and the couple also teaches a rigorous boot camp led by Bob, a retired Army officer.
The business is growing nicely, but Janifer wants to keep it small. Xtreme Transformation’s size and privacy are part of what appealed to Kim Skoczen, a former member of BodyPlex who has been training with Janifer for 2 months. Skoczen likes the one-on-one intimacy and Janifer’s style.
‘She’s tough and strict but in a more gentle kind of way,’ Skoczen said. ‘It’s tough but we have a good time while we’re there.’
The larger gyms, with hundreds of machines, and reputations as ‘meat markets,’ can be intimidating to some women, Janifer said. It’s a family atmosphere at Xtreme Transformations, where it’s more about building relationships. She wants to know what her clients ate for breakfast. She always emphasizes form, not weight, in every exercise. Every new client receives a physical assessment. She even assigns ‘homework,’ a list of exercises to do when clients aren’t with her. Janifer often calls them at home to follow up.
‘It’s really important to her that we’re doing what we’re supposed to be doing at home as well as at the gym,’ Skoczen said.
Janifer loves helping a client slim down their waist, tone their thighs and butt as their self-confidence grows. ‘It’s a high,’ she said, adding that she has no regrets about changing careers. Instead of touting a familiar slogan of ‘Can you hear me now?,’ Janifer, down to a size 6, is saying ‘Look at me now.’
She’s healthy, she’s off blood pressure medication, and she’s doing what she loves - helping others become healthy and achieve their goals.
‘When God is pulling you in a certain direction, how can you say no? This is my purpose in life. This is my calling.’
Subscribe 
