Her Story
About Adrienne
Adrienne Collins is a senior group fitness instructor, certified fitness professional, and health and wellness coach with a career focused on helping older adults improve their physical well-being, mobility, balance, posture, and strength. Since 2012, she has served as a fitness instructor through Anne Arundel Community College’s lifelong learning program, where she develops and teaches fitness programming for participants with varying levels of ability. Her instruction emphasizes proper body placement, corrective movement, balance, strength, and fall prevention. She also serves as CEO of Ace Total Body Fitness, Inc., providing fitness programming and instruction through in-person and online formats.
Before transitioning into fitness, Collins spent approximately 35 years in the grooming industry, including developing a grooming department at Friendship Animal Hospital and managing a team of eight. She later pursued education and professional development in health and exercise science, building the foundation for her transition into fitness instruction. She holds associate-level studies and degrees from Anne Arundel Community College and previously studied Liberal Arts and Biology/Biological Sciences at GDS/College of Notre Dame of Baltimore. Her professional credentials include Certified Group Fitness Instructor, Health Coach, Certified Personal Trainer, Zumba Instructor, and National Academy of Sports Medicine Golf Fitness Specialist. She has also continued expanding her knowledge through certifications in AI Fundamentals from Google and Introduction to Cybersecurity Tools & Cyberattacks from IBM.
In addition to her fitness career, Collins is a vocalist and songwriter with a longstanding passion for music and creative expression. She has written and recorded original music across multiple genres and has performed at venues including Blues Alley. She continues to release original music and pursue creative projects, including visual art. Her professional recognition includes being named an influential instructor by Anne Arundel Community College and being recognized twice as a Who’s Who member, along with membership in Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society. Collins attributes her success to following her heart, discovering her purpose through faith, and approaching her professional and personal endeavors with sincerity, empathy, patience, and love.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Adrienne
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to following my heart and discovering my purpose through faith. I believe in pursuing my talents and responsibilities with sincerity, empathy, patience, and love. These principles have guided me throughout my career and have helped me remain genuinely committed to helping others.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I have received is to focus carefully on the details and give everything I do 100% effort. I believe meaningful work should be driven by the heart and by genuine passion rather than ego. Paying attention to the details while remaining connected to the purpose behind the work makes a significant difference.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
My advice is to identify what you genuinely enjoy and what you truly want to do. Have faith in yourself, persevere through challenges, and do not allow doubters or negative voices to determine your direction. I encourage the next generation to follow the direction their spirit and heart are pulling them toward and remain committed to what they believe is meaningful.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
One of the challenges I see is financial uncertainty, along with broader uncertainty about whether to remain in the United States or potentially move abroad. At the same time, I see an opportunity to explore something new and potentially venture somewhere different by the end of the year.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Faith in the Lord is the most important value in my work and personal life. It guides my calling to help people improve their balance, posture, and strength. I also value sincerity, empathy, patience, love, attention to detail, and approaching my work from a place of genuine purpose and passion.
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