FITNESS AUTHOR
Monica Hand
LEADING DOUBLE LIVES n Meet these Austinites who are deeply rooted in both the music and the fitness communities of ATX.
M
eet a few Austinites who have found their rhythm not only in the music industry, but also in fitness. It can be a tough set of passions to balance, but these musicians have found their callings.
DRE W DAVIS
Drew Davis made her way to Austin after college to start her career in marketing. Although she had always been drawn to music, it had never seemed like a plausible career path — that is, until she arrived in Austin. “Because there are so many places that want live music, Austin creates this welcoming, collaborative atmosphere for musicians instead of a competitive one,” Davis says. “It’s something really unique to Austin.” Davis started picking up gigs all over town. In 2014, she took a year off from work to tour around the country, living out of her Toyota Corolla. Once back in Austin and working in marketing again, she started to find her nineto-five work days a little dull. Luckily, that’s when a yoga studio asked her to take over their marketing. The job would give her the freedom to continue her music while paying the bills. There, Davis had to take all of their classes and figure out the studio’s marketing strategy and what other classes to offer. Having spent every day at the studio, either in class or listening from outside, it was a no-brainer to get certified to lead classes herself. Within four days of completing her certification, she was leading a class — and rocking it. “My experience with music made a lot of aspects easier for me than for the other instructors,” Davis says. “Things like setting the right music, counting beats and keeping the flow of the experience full of energy.” Now, Davis works as a personal trainer and corporate group instructor for various companies. She’s a certified personal trainer, Pilates instructor, barre teacher, nutrition coach and pre- and post-partum fitness coach. As for music, she has all sorts of things going on. Pre-COVID-19, she was playing every night of the week all over town, either playing her own, original music or playing with the cover bands Matchmaker Band and PDA Band. She’s had songs featured in all kinds of TV shows, and she even writes and stars in some of Toyota’s digital commercials.
OCTOBER 2020
56
