In early 2013, Chelsea was juggling a lot: she was living in Austin, working full-time at Apple, and studying for her Master’s degree, while also teaching indoor rowing classes, coaching on the water, and coordinating regattas. Though her hands were full at the time, Chelsea loved it all. Her passion for rowing began in 2012 after completing her first marathon — a bucket list dream. It would be her first and only marathon, leaving her sore for weeks and unable to do much of anything. During this time, she rediscovered indoor rowing — her saving grace to help her body recover. “I started creating workouts for friends to do together, and it was, dare I say, fun. It was at that point I started to realize how valuable the skill of rowing was for my life. Low-impact, full-body, AND fun?! Why wasn’t anyone else using this as a workout, like they do with spin bikes?” Soon, she was coaching on the water and feeling inspired as she saw the value of rowing through her clients’ progress. "That light in people was the start of something for me.”
When the indoor rowing studio where Chelsea taught closed suddenly, she and a colleague needed a new venue. Luckily, the Austin Rowing Club, where Chelsea was already involved, was about to open a new boathouse and was looking for a fitness vendor. Chelsea saw a golden opportunity. Leveraging her connections in the rowing community, she pitched the idea of indoor rowing classes. Her proposal hit the mark, and soon, Rō Fitness was born. As Chelsea put it, “BOOM — I was suddenly a small business owner, diving headfirst into the whirlwind of small business ownership!”
Chelsea’s roots are in rural Oklahoma, where she recalls having a normal childhood as the youngest of three sisters in a hardworking family. Coined as the “good kid” after learning what not to do from her older sisters, she grew up with a mother who was a devoted homemaker and a father who worked in business. To Chelsea’s surprise, she wasn’t the only business owner in the family—her father had started a new business just six months before Rō Fitness opened its doors. She also discovered that the business he had worked for during her childhood was one he co-founded, later selling his shares before her birth. It seemed business ownership was in her genes, and she couldn’t resist following the same path.
Running a business is no easy feat, and Chelsea acknowledges that small business owners often don’t receive the recognition they deserve. Through her own experience, she affirms the most important thing she's learned has been understanding there are multiple complex layers to running a business, and focusing on the “most important thing, today” has been key to keeping operations smooth. Starting with personal loans to bootstrap her company, she successfully paid off her debts by 2019.
Unfortunately, her final loan payment was made roughly 60 days before the pandemic hit. Reflecting on that time, she shared, “That was a huge mental and emotional obstacle to overcome [...]” as the lockdowns disrupted the economy. During these challenging times, Chelsea often draws strength from a piece of motherly wisdom given during her childhood. When she was haphazardly drawing graphs for a math assignment, her mother suggested, “If you’re going to do something, do it well.” This simple yet profound advice became a guiding principle for Chelsea, shaping her approach to both her personal and professional life. As she faced the trials of entrepreneurship, this wisdom, combined with her commitment to her clients and determination to see Rō Fitness succeed, kept her focused.
It is no wonder Chelsea’s story seems to be the result of good karma given her philosophy throughout her life has revolved around a “pay it forward” mindset. This belief has been a cornerstone of her life, shaping her journey from her early days in rowing to her current success. Chelsea first took up rowing in 2005 and began coaching in 2009, rowing for the University of Oklahoma’s inaugural varsity team. The more she pursued her passions, the more it seemed to create positive changes in her life. She describes her journey as being simple and believes that athletics, specifically rowing, have altered the trajectory of her life profoundly. Naturally, after college, while searching for jobs she kept rowing in her life to “keep pushing the passion forward in others.” Seizing every opportunity that comes her way, Chelsea is determined to make the most of it, sharing as much as she can in the hope that it will continue to propel her toward even more opportunities.
What's next for Rō Fitness? Chelsea is eager to expand the reach of her rowing program beyond the local Austin area. Currently, there are two Rō Fitness locations in Austin — Waller Creek Boathouse and Ro at Castle Hill Fitness. She envisions spreading what she’s developed to showcase the benefits of rowing to more states across the United States. She is confident she can achieve this by building a team of dedicated, like-minded individuals. A personal mantra Chelsea lives by, “Be the change you want to see in the [fill in the blank],” serves as a reminder to remain authentic to one's values, regardless of who you are, where you’ve come from, or what you’ve experienced. It’s something Chelsea certainly embodies!
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