Tell us about your business!
The purpose of CPI is to encourage, empower, and educate God's people and their Spirit, Mind and Body through movement. CPI ministers through dance at various events such as worship services, prayer breakfasts, weddings, home going services, revivals, reunions, retreats, special occasions, conferences, etc. We also conduct health and wellness workshops and fitness classes such as gospel aerobics.
What inspired you to start your business?
My business was truly inspired by the Holy Spirit!!! I was in my basement about five years ago just praising God, and He gave me the vision for teaching gospel aerobics as another way to praise Him, and to work on our temples that He entrusted us with.
Clearly you are a woman of faith and a woman who believes in health and fitness! How did you merge these two passions into the creative enterprise we see today?
Really, it was a vision from God that showed me how to merge these two passions into the creative enterprise that you see today. God showed me in His word that our bodies are temples that belong to Him (1 Corinthians 6:19), but so many Christians are not taking care of the vessel that He has entrusted us with. He gave me an innovative way that would not only be fun, but also effective in the improvement of our overall health.
From a business start-up perspective, what did it entail to launch your business?
Mainly the leading of the Holy Spirit has led me every step of the way. It is still a work in progress. Getting a mentor that has already done it helps tremendously. God has brought many people in my life that has been a blessing and assisted me. Pastor Dawn M. Harvey with the “Embrace Your Greatness” program assisted me with a location to get started, in addition to guidance and support. She also has a publishing company that will be publishing my upcoming gospel aerobics DVD. My cousin Kris has been my assistant and really has poured a lot of volunteer time and energy into the business. Personal development is very important also. I read a lot of books about how to start a business in the health and fitness industry.
I also had experience from other jobs that helped me a lot. From my experience working as a Financial Specialist for a popular bank, I learned the basics about starting your own business, like how to get a tax ID number, getting registered with the state and all of the legal aspects of getting a business started. Additionally, my experience as a graphic designer helped me learn how to compose fliers for advertisements.
Staying focused has also been a key element. There are many distractions that can come your way when you’re in the process of starting a business, so I have to stay focused, pray and press through all the distractions that have come and will come my way.
What was/has been the greatest challenge in getting launched?
I would say that the working capital and funding has been the greatest challenge in getting launched. That is a challenge for many other businesses; however I have the faith to know and believe that God has supplied ALL of my needs according to His riches and glory. Again, even in this area God has sent people to sow seeds, services, spaces and all kinds of things into Creative Praise International.
Describe your typical day at the “office” or should I say on the exercise floor!
For me there is really no typical day. Things vary so much from day to day. We are currently in the process of producing our first gospel aerobics DVD. So we are working on things like getting permission from the gospel recording artists, communicating with the videographer and publisher on a regular basis, and all of the things that we need to work on to get the DVD out with excellence. We send out a lot of information online, such as reminders for the class and we post information on the message boards to really get the information out there to the masses.
Melanie, as you know, health and wellness is one of SisterSpeak Online’s central messages to Black women. We’ve got to put HEALTH FIRST understanding that it is our primary source of wealth. We know the risk factors, the disproportionate impact of certain illnesses on our health. The research is clear; now we’ve got to act to change the landscape, defy the odds, and start a culture of wellness. How do you see yourself and your business impacting the building of a culture of wellness among Black women?
I see us impacting the building of a culture of wellness among Black women in a variety of ways. First, I strive to always remind myself and my community of the Word of God, whether it’s through prayer, our mini Bible study lessons that we do once a month before class, or just encouragement. Many times people are impacted and/or motivated by a higher power than themselves or others. I also make my classes fun. That way learning about health and wellness doesn’t seem like a chore, and more people are impacted because they enjoy it, not because it is mandatory or required.
You’ve gotten some great press recently! Tell us about this.
I was contacted by Newsweek Magazine in mid July. After the interview with Newsweek, I have been getting calls and/or emails almost every week by others such as, Agence France Presse (AFP ) (French Press Agency), NBC, CBS, RTL-German TV, N24- German TV, BBC Radio (London), a Colombia, South American radio station, and the list goes on. If you do a Google search for Gospel Aerobics Melanie Kelly, you will find many articles from many different countries and in many different languages. Sarah Ball from Newsweek said that when she was searching for someone that teaches gospel aerobics, she was looking at a message board and saw my reminders. She saw that it was consistent. I call it FAVOR!!! I believe that God gives me favor because of my obedience to Him.
Melanie, tell our readers in the DC-MD area about your classes, what they would experience in a class, and how they can get enrolled.
In our class you can expect not only to get a real good work-out, but it will also be an awesome praise and worship experience as we get our bodies in shape for the Lord!!! They will encounter aerobics in a way they’ve never experienced before. We pray before and after class. We also have Bible study before class once a month. We have a lot of fun and they will be encouraged to keep pressing on, but most of all, they will feel the presence of the Lord!!!
We currently offer the Purpose Driven Praise gospel aerobics classes very Monday at 7pm at Park Place Professional Center (DMHM) in Camp Springs, MD. Rates are very reasonable. Contact allfaithnGod@yahoo.com or call 800-731-5765 for more information. We will soon be starting a class in Beltsville also on Thursday nights.
Ok, Melanie, getting a little personal, as a mother of five who wants to get my body back into pre-baby shape and firm up my trouble spots (LOL) how can your classes help!
I’ll share a testimony of one of my class participants: Trina has been coming to our class since May. From May until the end of July, Trina lost 18 lbs from putting her all into the classes and eating a little bit healthier. The camaraderie from the classes helps others to push and to continue to give their all. As long as you are committed and consistent, you will lose the weight and tone muscle. I have actually lost weight myself during the past couple of months, of course not intentionally, so I have been eating more to avoid losing the weight from teaching the classes. I think it’s a different type of class because we teach the participants to look at our bodies as temples that belong to the Lord. The commitment is done more unto God than to ourselves, and that makes the class more doable.
What’s your vision for the future of your business?
To keep encouraging, empowering, and educating Gods people and their Spirit, Mind and Body through movement, and to carry-out the gospel with creativity, clarity, and commitment to all God’s creation across the world through ministry in dance and gospel aerobics.
We currently have been invited to travel all across the country, in several different states, to teach the gospel aerobics classes and to minister through dance. I see us traveling to many other countries to send out the message as well. Through the dissemination of our DVD’s, we will be able to reach many more people. God has given me many ideas for several gospel fitness DVD’s. I believe that our classes will be promoting health and wellness through the gospel on television stations like TBN, the Word Network, Fit TV, On Demand, and many more. I also do some inspirational speaking to encourage others to reach their goals and dreams. With God, the possibilities are endless. I will be obedient to whatever He tells me to do with the vision of CPI!!!
What words of wisdom can you offer to other sisters who want to bring their passion to life as you have?
I would say “Put God first in ALL that you do because only what you do for Christ will last.”
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