Samantha Sauve, who trains NHL players like Andrei Vasilevskiy, knew she wanted to be a personal trainer by the time she was seven. Now, she owns her own gym, Sauve Athletics.
Samantha Sauve’s determination to become the best personal trainer and fitness model she could be is the same driving force she spent to create her fitness spa, Sauve Athletics.
“My goal was always to have my own club with my name on it,” says Sauve, 38. “I like to set challenges for myself. Owning my own business is the best.”
A personal fitness trainer, author and competitive fitness model, Sauve and her husband Guy Blondin, a black belted martial arts trainer who’s competed in many ITF competitions, opened the studio in Greely in 2019.
Today, they train the likes of Tampa Bay Lightning’s Andrei Vasilevskiy and the Vegas Knight’s Valentin Zykov in the NHL.
And now Sauve can add “designer” to her resume as she is set to launch her own line of activewear in April. Business, as it’s often said, is booming.
Situated inside the Sauve household, Sauve Athletic is a luxurious wellness retreat with a private gym, weight room, TRX boot camp, martial arts facilities, a swimming pool and a balcony for yoga. There’s also a small café and beverage bar, rest area and showers and a retail area.
Assisted by trainer Ashley Wilson, Sauve and Blondin focus on good nutrition and making exercise fun, encouraging clients to set fitness goals and test the limits to attain the best mental and physical health possible.
“Mental and emotional wellness depends on how we feel physically,” Sauve says. “Many people found it hard during the pandemic. Diet and daily exercise are so important. If we feel good physically, we feel better emotionally.”
“The biggest part of what we do is provide accountability,” she explains. “We all know when we have someone to answer to it’s a game-changer. I’ve worked with a top coach for my fitness modeling career. As disciplined and motivated as I am, I know I have to see [my coach]. Personal training, I know, is a luxury, but if you can afford it, it’s the best for optimum results.”
Naturally, you can see the results on Sauve, a beauty who regularly competes as a fitness model. As if that isn’t enough, she’s written two books on fitness.
Sauve was only seven when, as a young soccer player, she fell in love with competitive sports and fitness. By 17, she was training others as a fitness instructor at Curves For Women and Good Life Fitness, becoming their top personal trainer for 10 years.
“I was at the top of my profession and I still wanted more,” she recalls. “I needed to challenge myself. I was married to my work — the business was my own baby, it’s all I did seven days a week.”
Then in 2010, she took her first steps to open her first business — a mobile fitness club — training clients at home until 2017 when, engaged to her fiancée Guy, she realized that, as a pair of highly skilled fitness professionals, their combined market potential was promising.
“I wanted a retreat that was unique, not a box gym but a pretty place where people felt comfortable. This is a dream location. I couldn’t have asked for more.”
“I wanted something with my own name. Sauve. My dad has always been one of my biggest inspirations. His will to survive cancer and work hard — he taught me about perseverance.”
She adds, “I’ve always been ambitious, very driven. I always like to set goals. I always like to have something to work towards. I’m a ‘what’s next’ kind of person.”