Keli Simlesa
Born in Sao Paulo Brasil, the passion for music and dance runs through her veins. Keli Simlesa is Co-Owner, lead Personal Trainer and Dance and Fitness instructor at Diva Den Studio. Her fitness journey began in May of 2009 when she came to Diva Den Studio looking for a fun place to workout. "I didn't want to run on a treadmill or wander aimlessly in a gym without direction, I wanted to attend fun classes that would give me a great workout." Not only did she find what she was looking for, but she found her calling! Keli never wanted to be a fitness instructor (or at least she didn't know that she did) until she joined Diva Den Studio. With a lot of prompting and guidance, she began teaching and getting her fitness certifications shortly after she began attending the studio. She became consumed with health and fitness and realized that there was a dire need for professionals such as herself to educate, guide and change the way women view health and exercise. Keli became co-owner of Diva Den Studio 2014 and the experience continues to be incredibly rewarding. "I learn something new everyday. I am truly humbled by the love and support I receive from my community and feel blessed that I get to spend my day doing what I love."
Keli has obtained several certifications including Certified Personal Trainer, Certified Health Coach, Fitness Nutrition Specialist though American Council on Exercise (ACE), Precision Nutrition Level 1 Certified, Behavior Change in Exercise through PTA Global and is licensed to teach various formats of Zumba® Fitness.
Keli is mom to a very busy two year old girl, Nela who is the love of her life. In her spare time, she loves traveling with her husband, journaling, salsa dancing, samba dancing and pretty much anything that involves being physically active.
https://www.instagram.com/kelisimlesa/
www.divadenstudio.com
www.kelisimlesa.com
A Blog from Keli “Are You a Handful?”
"Hey Keli, we would love to have you as a Handful AmBADASSador” is what I heard on the other end of the phone when talking to Alena who is the Marketing and Social Media Manager for Handful. At that moment, I was glad that this conversation was happening over the phone instead of in person as I was literally jumping up and down in my garage with a smile so big on my face that it almost hurt. I am pretty sure she would have retracted her invitation had she seen what I was doing. Then it hit me, "what the heck is a Brand AmBADASSador?" I have heard of brand ambassadors before but never amBADASSador. If you knew the amazing ladies of Handful, the word amBADASSador would make total sense!
The Handful team is made up of crazy strong women who each have a unique story and whose journeys through life brought them together. They created Handful with every woman in mind, whether you are a cancer survivor who had to go undergo a mastectomy or a busy mom who juggles work and home. No matter your breast issues, Handful was made for you!
I first discovered Handful a few years ago when they launched their first bra. I didn’t know too much about it but fell in love with Jennifer, the Founder and CEO. She is the type of person who lights up the room when she comes in! She is loud, happy and not afraid to grab you and pull you on stage to dance with her (which is exactly what happened to me). Her energy and personality is infectious and you can’t help but want to know her. The original bra was super cute, and I could wear it under summer tops, but it wasn’t necessarily going to be my everyday bra since I have double Ds to tow around with me.
Then came the second version of this bra which was adjustable. Ok, now we’re getting somewhere! I still couldn’t wear it for working out, but this gave me more support on a day-to-day basis, not to mention, they started making the bras in the US and the material was absolutely delicious! Then they came out with the Y-Back bra! Give me a moment to jump around the room with excitement! It’s almost like they crawled into my mind and pulled out the most comfortable, perfect fitting bra for my active lifestyle. The Y-Back was made for me! I am a runner (as long as the weather is nice, and by nice I mean 65-85 degrees and sunny, so let’s be realistic, I live in Portland, OR, so I am a runner for a good 2-3 months). I digress. I teach 9 classes a week ranging from Tabata, Zumba, Strong by Zumba and more. Before the Y-Back, I used to wear this bra that I swear to God I used to call iron gate! This puppy did the job, but it left very little to the imagination, and I could not wear it on its own. The Y-Back has become my everyday bra. I wear it for working out and then slip a cute top over a clean one and wear it for going out. I even wear it as a swim top. To say that that this bra is giving me a great return on my investment is an understatement.
Handful continues to create activewear that is functional and stylish. You literally could wear their leggings for a hard ass workout and also dress it up with cute heels and a stylish top, and no one would ever know that they are workout pants. That’s the same for pretty much everything in their line right now.
