When I first met Danielle Klein, she was shooting fitness videos with her partners. People who see her on the street would be amazed by her powerful body. In her point of view, fitness can change a person from the outside to the inside, and that is why she loves her work.

Danielle Klein. Courtesy of the interviewee

“I came to Shenzhen with my husband who was employed by Shenzhen Airlines from Brazil in 2006. As of now, I have been a trainer for 14 years. In these 14 years, I worked as a trainer in another gym for three years at first, and then I started my own gym,” the Brazilian, who would like to go by Dani, said.

Dani closed her previous gym and opened Daniklein Maxam Studio this January to give clients a better training environment.

“In Brazil, I was a professional swimmer, but I stopped swimming because I broke my shoulder ligaments. One year after I came to Shenzhen, I found a professional Australian trainer to teach me training, and I started my coaching career when I was 38 years old. Now I am 53,” Dani added.

When it comes to whether she will continue to be a trainer, Dani said that “if I can, that is for sure. I love what I am doing, not just for myself, but also for my clients. Each of my clients is different, because they have different kinds of goals. Their goals are my goals. It’s not just about business. It is my passion, it is a way of life.”

Dani believed that exercise is not only about the body, but also about mind, ego, self-confidence and happiness. “When you start exercising, it means change — not just about the body but about everything, and you will love yourself more and more. Many clients just want to lose weight at first, but when they see the changes in their bodies, they begin to increase how often they exercise, from once a week to three or four times and even every day.”

“For example, when work was not satisfactory, clients said that they were not ready for training that day, but I pushed them to exercise, even just doing light training. Actually, once you start exercising, negative emotions will gradually dissipate, and everyone feels better after exercise. So let us start exercising which will make differences.”

Daniklein Maxam Studio not only provides one-on-one training guidance via offline reservation, but also online training guidance which makes the gym still operational. 

Dani suggested that Shenzhen is safe and convenient, adding that “Shenzhen is a safe place to raise kids, to walk around. For instance, when I was in Brazil, I didn’t have that freedom to walk around with my phone on my hands, with money on wallet. Life here is also very convenient because I can meet most of my needs in Shekou instead of going far away. This is why I have been in China for 16 years.”