How Hollywood’s Favorite Fitness Instructor Wrote and Directed Her First Film

When you’re young and finding your niche in the professional world, you’re trying everything out. Although you may be a jack of all trades for a while, you find your true passion and get your foot through the door. Once you’ve become more experienced and respected, no one can imagine why you would change careers. While it can be risky for early professionals, it can be particularly damaging for more established workers. However, as scary as a career change can be, when you take the leap it can turn your life into a spectacular journey that provides fulfillment.

In Kit Rich’s case, she had a picture-perfect career. For well over a decade, she’s been revered as one of Hollywood's favorite fitness instructors. Her portfolio of clients extends past A-list celebrities. Kit has worked with chart-topping musicians, billionaires, and other prestigious individuals. Her fitness videos have millions of views, and Kit has been branded as the go-to celebrity trainer. This has allowed her to have flexible hours and focus on her true passion: writing.

Outside the fitness studio, Kit spends her day writing essays and screenplays. She’s been published in notable outlets and the numerous plays she has written have been performed by well-known casts. This side hustle soon evolved into a full-time gig during the pandemic.

In October of 2023, Kit completed her debut feature film, Isabel’s Garden, which she wrote, directed and produced. The film was originally structured as a play, but Kit quickly realized the characters wanted to go beyond the stage.

Isabel’s Garden is a beautiful movie about blended families, grief, and the power of choice. As a stepmother, Kit was inspired to write a story about blended families. It is an amalgamation of different experiences within the blended family environment. The movie’s mission is to provide hope in a polarized world.

After perfecting the script, Kit started the pitching process. It didn’t go well considering that this was her first film and she had zero experience or knowledge of how the industry worked. Additionally, her reputation as a successful fitness instructor led people to think she shouldn’t make a drastic career pivot. People didn't take her seriously and encouraged her to stay in her lane.

Her naivety about film and its struggles fed into her rejections but made her fearless about starting from scratch. Looking back, Kit is grateful that she didn’t get her way. Being turned down was a catalyst for her to educate herself and keep moving forward.

Despite countless rejections, Kit brought her story to life and followed her true passion. As she scouted talent and prepared to shoot, Kit read numerous books about first-time directing, watched videos on YouTube, and studied award-winning films. Her experience in fitness provided her with a valuable set of transferable skills. Kit was able to communicate with and manage various kinds of people, stay on time and budget, and practice patience.

Kit made a bold career transition in her 40s but wouldn’t have it any other way. Unlocking your creative potential is possible, but it happens on a nonlinear timeline. While others might’ve made this shift sooner, Kit knows that her lived experiences gave her the confidence to try new things and her career in fitness gave her the tools to progress forward. Without this mindset, she wouldn’t have been able to discover the underlying goal of her art and how to convey it.

Working as a fitness instructor also motivated Kit to apply the advice she gave to clients in her own life. “Fitness focuses heavily on stepping into the best version of yourself, tapping into your power, and creating a life that works for you, inside and outside the gym. Continuously telling clients things like this pushed me to reflect on what steps I should take to reach my goals and face my fears.”

Since completing Isabel’s Garden, Kit has focused her attention on new projects. The details of these movies are still under wraps, but Kit is working hard to flesh them out and put them on the big screen.

As Kit’s career as a writer and director solidifies, she hopes that her movie Isabel’s Garden and future projects instill hope, create change and inspire, similar to her fitness career.

“During my work as a fitness instructor, I was on the sidelines, witnessing my clients' artistry,” says Kit, “I saw firsthand how they were making it happen and how bravely they made mistakes and kept moving past difficulty. When writing Isabel’s Garden, I bottled that appreciation and fascination into a heartwarming and relatable story. Writing, pitching, and directing my film has been exhausting but worthwhile. I learned that it’s never too late to invest in a new passion and that amazing things happen when you’re brave enough to try.’’