Real-life resilience - Ellen Latham

This week’s edition of The Resilience Brief tells the story of someone you likely have never heard of. But that doesn’t make her story any less relevant. In fact, in my opinion, it makes it MORE powerful. This is a story of an everyday person turning adversity into something incredible. Fired at 40. A billion dollar business at 50. This is the story of Ellen Latham and Orangetheory Fitness.

At 40, Ellen Latham was an exercise physiologist working as a fitness instructor at a high-end spa in Miami. She cared about her work, it was a steady income and she was helping people improve their health and fitness. Then, without warning, she was let go. There was no gradual transition and no contingency plan. It was a corporate restructuring and she was out - an abrupt ending to the job she loved.

For a single mother, the shock was immediate and overwhelming. She had bills to pay, a son to support, and no clear next step. When I find stories like this, I try to imagine what that person would have been feeling at their lowest point - I imagine it would have been scary, a lot of unknowns and likely plenty of self-doubt. Moments like this are a true test of how we respond.

But, instead of dwelling on the loss, Ellen got to work. 

With limited resources, she worked with what she had - her fitness knowledge, experience as a trainer, and a spare bedroom. She started training clients privately in her home. There was no grand vision at first; it was just something to keep going. Over time, she refined her training techniques, experimenting with different approaches until she developed what would later be known as the “Orange Effect” - a workout method designed to maximize fat burning through interval training to measure the hart rate. ‘Orange’ comes from the fact that the goal is to keep your heart rate in the orange zone (84% or higher) throughout the workout to maximize calorie burn and boost metabolism.

That small idea exploded. With the help of two business partners who saw the potential in her method, Ellen opened the first Orangetheory Fitness studio in 2010. Today, it’s a billion-dollar fitness empire with over 1,500 locations worldwide. Not bad for someone who started in a spare room!

Ellen didn’t succeed because she had everything figured out. She succeeded because she was willing to adapt, innovate, and keep moving forward. What I love about this story the most is Ellen’s age and situation. It’s a reminder that it’s never too late to adapt. Change is inevitable, but how we deal with it is the real test.

Here are the key takeaways for me.

• Channel our energy. Instead of dwelling on what had happened, Ellen focused on what she could control and got to work. She used her expertise to create something new and, in an extremely competitive industry, she found a different angle that made her unique.

• Embrace change. Rather than chase another job, Ellen built her own opportunity. And she saw that age is just a number. Plenty of people start businesses later in life (Colonel Sanders founded KFC at 65 years old) and Ellen was ready to give anything a shot.

• One step at a time. Ellen started in a spare room. It wasn’t about immediate success, it was about survival. Once it was showing promise, it became about building something sustainable. Slow and steady (and consistent) improvement added up to immense success over time.

Ultimately, her ability to turn rejection into redirection is why Orangetheory exists today. Ellen bounced forward.

Applying these principles to our world.

We might not all be building billion-dollar fitness empires, but we all face setbacks - whether it’s a job loss, a failed project, or unexpected criticism. Here’s how we can channel Ellen’s resilience into our own lives:

• “What CAN I do?” This is probably the most important question we can ask ourselves when faced with a setback. The past is done, but we always have a next move. It may not be perfect, but action leads to momentum.

• Experiment. Instead of fearing failure, we can approach difficult situations with curiosity. What if we tried a completely new approach? For example, David Bowie used to cut up words from newspapers and randomly rearrange the words and phrases to create unpredictable, surreal lyrics that shaped some of his most iconic songs.

• Play the long game. Consistent action always pays off. Ellen didn’t build Orangetheory instantly. Instead, she started with what she had, but took small intentional steps that compounded into massive success over time. Focus on small wins that will eventually add up.

• Rejection, or an opportunity? Losing her job felt like a devastating blow, but in hindsight, it was the push she needed to build something greater. The next time we face rejection, we might consider that it’s actually an opportunity in disguise.

Resilience is about using what we have, making the most of it, and taking the next step, even if we don’t have the whole path figured out. Here’s to practicing a little bit of resilience every day, to prepare ourselves when times get tough.

Until next time friends, stay resilient.

Carre @ Resilient Minds