“To Better Themselves”

by Hillary Green and Kireston Luptak of Peak Vitality LLC

KIRESTON: Hillary and I worked together at the University. A simple phone call from a local company seeking to hire a trainer for their new company fitness facility led to us creating Peak Vitality. Everything snowballed very quickly and we found that there was a dire need for corporate wellness programming within the Pittsburg community. 

HILLARY: So we set up the LLC and began to teach classes, train employees, do lunch and learns, and provide fitness assessments to the employees.

HILLARY: While I’ve always wanted to own my own studio, I wasn’t expecting this to start the journey, especially since I had just had a baby. However, once we started working with Kendall Packaging, we started to recognize the lack of corporate wellness in this area and that we could make a greater impact on the community and employees’ health and wellness.

I love the fact that I work with so many different people, each with a completely different story. This challenges me to find what works best for each individual person, increasing the value brought to them. I never used to think of myself as a creative person, but training a variety of people who trust me with their health and fitness journey forces me to be creative with their programing in order for them to see progress and meet their goals.

KIRESTON: According to the SEK-CAP and Project 17, Southeast Kansas Regional Assessment published in 2015, "The US Census Bureau estimates 16.34 percent of the population or a total of 42, 587 persons (in SEK) are living below the poverty level within the report area, a rate much greater than state of Kansas (13.52 percent) and the United States (15.5 percent). Also, Crawford County "has a poverty rate of 20.8 percent, compared to Miami County on the far north end of the report area, which has poverty rate of 9.5 percent.

With those statistics in mind, most individuals would be terrified to start a business, but those statistics are what drive us to offer the services that we do and take care of the employees that help keep our economy in Pittsburg alive. A large amount of the individuals that we work with do not have the means for a gym membership, to seek treatment with a dietitian or nutrition specialists, or work with a personal trainer in a private setting.

HILLARY: We are stronger together and complement each other very well, I think. We take advantage of that. Basically, people say Kireston is a lot meaner than I am. When they need someone to whip them into shape, it’s Kireston’s turn. Lol kidding. Kind of.

KIRESTON: We definitely have distinct roles and strengths we bring to our company, and fortunately those roles and strengths create balance instead of chaos. Hillary is tactful and patient with her words and actions, whereas I am bold and ardent. Our teaching styles are far from stagnant and boring. One class might get the kind, sweet Hillary, and the next they might work with the loud, drill sergeant Kireston.

KIRESTON: Because of how everything started in the beginning, we kind of did things backward. We didn't start with the idea that this is what we wanted to do and then take the proper steps to doing so, we just went for it and did things as we went. That was hard, and it's a lot easier now that we know what we are doing. My advice would be to form a plan, sort out all the details and take things step by step. It will save you a lot of time, frustration and money.

HILLARY: Have a good support system. Whether that be family, friends, or business partner (luckily I have all of the above). It makes it so much more fun to celebrate even the small achievements with people who truly care.

HILLARY: Pittsburg means everything to me. It’s where my family is, where my friends are, where my husband and I chose to establish our own family, and I want nothing more than to see it succeed. I want to make Pittsburg a little better by improving the lives of the residents, and do so by improving their health and well-being.

KIRESTON: In elementary school we would write these little stories and submit them into a "Young Authors" competition. When I was in 1st grade, I won and got to come to Pittsburg State University to meet a famous author. At seven, I was already aware that Pittsburg was a very significant place, as it was the Alma mater to a majority of my family and a large portion of the population in my hometown. I also knew it was the only place I ever wanted to be. Really, what were other colleges? Fast-forward to the day I drove into town, my car jammed packed with my belongings, I could feel the school spirit, the pride, the pure love that the people in the community had for their small town tucked away in Southeast Kansas and that day I knew I was home.

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