Hidden Gems: Meet Cierra Dunston of Crown Performance & Training

Today we’d like to introduce you to Cierra Dunston.

Hi Cierra, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today. 
I started my fitness career in 2018 after graduating college. At the time, I moved back home and didn’t really know what I wanted to do with my degree. I began interning as a group fitness coach at a local gym in Georgia, and this is where I fell in love with coaching, which I didn’t expect at all. It was never something that interested me. To fast forward a little bit, I moved back to North Carolina after a couple of months back home to pursue track and field professionally. Along the way, I began to gain experience personal training and dove into athletic performance coaching. Then in 2020, of course, all the gyms were shut down, but it gave me time to finally get my personal training certification. Around this time, my mom convinced me to start a YouTube channel for fitness. I posted mainly HIIT workouts and began receiving a lot of interest, which surprised me. I decided to do a 21-day fitness challenge on my channel to keep people motivated and consistent with exercising while everything was still shut down. In the midst of all of this, I decided to start my own business focusing on personal training and athletic performance, which is crazy now that I think about it because gyms were still shut down. To keep it brief, that’s pretty much what got me to where I am today. 

We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has not been a smooth road at all, and still isn’t. Starting a business in 2020 came with its own challenges, but starting a fitness business was even more challenging. At the time, not much information was available about COVID-19, and caution was high. So, it was a struggle getting clients in the beginning, but luckily, I had a few connections from my previous job as a performance coach. This lead to the bulk of my initial clientele being athletes I already trained. Another struggle has been balance. Balancing pursuing my dream and working, which I am funding myself through work and my business, is tough. I have to work in order to be financially stable, but I can’t work too many hours because of my training schedule. Then also setting aside time to train and gain clients through my business is not easy. Luckily, I love the work I do, and my clients keep me motivated. 

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Crown Performance & Training?
Crown Performance & Training is a fitness and athletic performance business. I specialize in corrective exercise, strength and conditioning, athletic performance, general fitness, and weight loss. I offer in-person training (private and group), virtual training, and online personalized workout programs. So, no excuses to sign up! The word “crown” originates from one of my nicknames “Queen” but it also signifies wealth. Being a healthy King or Queen requires strength within the crown and as the saying goes, “Health is wealth.” When I say health, I am encompassing all aspects. My training philosophy is to train everyone holistically. I believe whether your goal is creating a healthy lifestyle as an adult or becoming a successful athlete, in order to maximize results, you must be healthy within your mind, body, and spirit. I am a fitness trainer by title, but I understand how transformative my impact can be on someone’s life beyond the gym. My goal as your trainer is to remove the limitations you’ve placed on yourself and help you reach your potential and beyond in and outside of the gym. 

Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
The one thing I have learned is to give myself grace. I am still a work in progress on this. I am always encouraging family, friends, and clients to do this, but when it comes to myself, it is a struggle. I am a perfectionist and can get really down on myself if things do not go how I expect. However, I know it is important because no one is perfect, and failure is inevitable if I want true success. 

Contact Info:

• Website: https://crownperformancetr.wixsite.com/website
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/getfitwithqueen__/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cptraining20/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@getfitwithqueen

Image Credits
@shaneonig