Best Fit Friend Story: A Fit Friendship — and Business!

What makes a fit life even better? A BFF! And by that we mean a Best Fit Friend! As part of BFF Week, we’re sharing some of our readers’ best fit friend stories! Today’s is from Sara Haley (Yep, you might know her from this workout DVD!), whose partner in (fit) crime and even business is Anna Kaiser! See all the BFF stories here.

Anna and I met in New York City doing what we love: dancing. Because we are both fair-skinned petite women, we actually got called in and auditioned for the same parts all the time. She was always one of the friendly supportive women in the room (which is not always the case in a room of dancers all auditioning for the same role). It wasn’t until we both got cast for a fitness dance project that we really got to be friends — we immediately hit it off. Not only did we have similar dance styles, work ethic and passion for what we do, but we also shared similar life goals and priorities. To be honest, I knew early on that we would be friends for life.

We took our friendship to a new level when we became business partners in 2010, with the creation of Expecting More, our pregnancy workout DVD. Because of my background in making DVDs with Reebok and the fact that I was the pregnant, I became the lead talent and choreographer of the DVDs, and because my name is in the title (Expecting More: Sara Haley’s Pregnancy Workout Program), people don’t always realize what a collaborative effort this was. Not only did Anna work on the choreography and concept of the DVD with me, but she 100 percent did set design and wardrobe, as well as assisted in editing. Expecting More is one of the projects I’m most proud of in life, and I couldn’t have done it without her.

Most recently, we collaborated on a big pre/postnatal event in New York City: Expecting More Bootcamp. It was a four-hour event for pre-conception, pregnant and postnatal moms. Anna and I taught a fun master class, followed by pre/postnatal nutrition, Pilates, yoga and physical therapy experts. We did it at her new studio, AKT InMotion on the Upper East Side.

Although we are on different coasts now (I moved to Santa Monica in 2011), we continue to support each other. I have a family and continue to produce fitness DVDs, consult with fitness brands and work as an on-camera host. Anna’s studio and brand in NYC is growing like wildfire. She trains some of the top celebs in the business — Kelly Ripa, Sarah Jessica Parker, Shakira, the list goes on.

So how do we continue to support each other? Professionally, we both continue to promote Expecting More and encourage women to work out during their pregnancies. I love Anna’s fitness technique of dance-interval training, so I will occasionally train clients for her when they come out to LA. But moreover, we are ALWAYS here for each other. Because Anna’s originally from the Los Angeles area and her family is still here, and I am still very much obsessed with NYC, we get to see each other a few times a year. Our husbands also enjoy each other, too, which makes the friendship even better.

In my mind, friendships should be easy and when that happens, it adds to making them especially amazing. That’s how it is with us. I don’t ever have to worry about whether she is “mad at me” because I know we are both honest and open and would just tell each other. It’s what has made our business relationship work and what makes our friendship even better.

If I don’t talk to her for a month, I know we can jump right back in where we left off, and I know she would be there for me whenever I need her, despite the fact that she might be the busiest woman I know. —Sara