Health and Happiness Lead to Successful Business
Cristina Rodriguez, Iowa’s first Latina Zumba® Master Trainer. Photo by Tatiana Peña / JEFAS Magazine
From Puerto Rico to Iowa: Cristina Rodriguez’s Journey to Zumba® Success
The beats of salsa and merengue pulsed through Cristina Rodriguez’s veins long before she became Iowa’s first Latina Zumba® Master Trainer. “I grew up in Puerto Rico dancing and knowing Latin rhythms,” she says of her path toward a fitness business. She moved to Iowa set on becoming an architect, a career that focuses on creating buildings but doesn’t require a lot of movement. She got her degree from Iowa State University and after a stint as a Fulbright scholar in Macedonia, landed her first architectural position in Waterloo. She didn’t know many people and a chance dance class changed the trajectory of her life.
How Zumba® in Iowa Became More Than Just a Workout
It wasn’t just exercise. As familiar Latin rhythms filled the room, something inside her began to reclaim itself. Back then, there were very few classes where she could let loose in the sounds of her childhood, so she decided to become an instructor. “By doing Zumba® I could not only start a side hustle, but also get to know the people in the community.” Over time, Rodriguez invested a lot of time and money in getting various certifications and licenses to teach group fitness and become a personal trainer. “I spent many years providing classes and teaching in gyms, volunteering at events to become known for Zumba®. In 2017, there was a call from the company looking for master trainers in Iowa. They call it a Zumba® Educational Specialist,” explains Rodriguez.
She spent hours on her application materials, choreographing and recording herself demonstrating her knowledge of the brand and its values. She was selected out of hundreds of applicants and became the state’s only representative licensed to train Zumba® instructors across Iowa. “That’s when I began my business. It originated out of the need of not only leading classes but also working for Zumba® Fitness.” As an independent contractor, she went from side hustler to business owner. “I was investing a lot in my trade, but I wasn’t necessarily understanding the benefits. By creating the business, I was able to separate my personal life and my business,” she says of starting Live It Up, LLC and learning how to consolidate expenses and create return on investment.
Balancing Architecture and Fitness: A Dual Career Success
Today she thrives in her two careers, creating living spaces by day, dancing, and teaching by night. She teaches Zumba® instructors choreography, music selection, pacing, and modifications in person and online from the studio she created in her basement, complete with lights and a sound system to boost quality. She also partners with brands, events, and businesses that help her spread her brand. Some of the highlights that encourage Rodriguez in her business include gathering with top dancers from all over the world, since Zumba® is in 180 countries, and training at luxurious resorts across Mexico. Rodriguez has even become an ambassador for their clothing line, using the newest fashions in her classes and training. She loves that the moves she knew and loved as a child now help millions around the world live healthier lives.
Cristina Rodriguez, Iowa’s first Latina Zumba® Master Trainer. Photo by Tatiana Peña / JEFAS Magazine
Zumba® in Iowa: Making Fitness Accessible for Everyone
“I want to make fitness accessible to everyone,” she says of what drives her. “I want them to feel that they belong and can achieve their wellness goals.” She recalls a class where a woman with polio completed an entire class, despite her crutches. “I could see her smiling and doing the moves however she could with the body she had. It reminded me that we can enjoy this life however it comes.”
Building a Community Through Dance and Wellness
Through every dance step and every instructor she trains, Rodriguez continues to prove that fitness is not just about movement, but about an environment where everyone, regardless of ability, can find joy, connection, and personal transformation. Because of her, instructors from Australia to West Des Moines create inclusive spaces where people of all abilities discover pleasure in dancing. “I’m helping people improve their mind and body connection.” She takes pride in shaping instructors into catalysts for community health, focused on accessibility and empowerment through dance. Rodriguez’s business is built on the belief that our bodies tell stories, every step matters, and community can be built beat by beat.
