Herrington turns passion into profits

PHOTO: Lisa Herrington founded “FIT House” in Davis after returning back home.

By Leila Farinsky

BlueDevilHUB.com Staff––

After moving back to her hometown, Lisa Herrington started her own business, FIT House, to share her love for fitness with the place she grew up. 

Herrington’s love for exercise started young. She played soccer throughout high school and spent her first quarter of college doing collegiate soccer before she switched to intramural soccer so that she would have time for other sports and collegiate activities. It was through soccer that she first became interested in fitness. 

After graduating college, she continued to pursue this passion by working at gyms in San Diego. “The community at Davis High is so supportive which made it really fun to play soccer here,” Herrington said. “I left confident in following what I loved doing.”

Later, her husband’s job required them to move back to Davis. She noticed that there were no exercise boot camps here, while in San Diego they were everywhere. 

Herrington decided to start a business running boot camps with her friend. Her parents were their first two clients, and they had no indoor space at first. 

Eventually, she quit her job as a sports marketer for the Sacramento Kings and opened “brick and mortar” classes at a building on G St. She said the decision was “a leap of faith.”

Herrington also wrote a book about grief, Your Amazing Itty Bitty Grief Book, after the loss of her eldest son’s twin at birth. She noticed that people wanted to help her, but they didn’t know what to say, and she didn’t know how to communicate what she needed. She used her book to give tips on supporting someone who is grieving. 

After her loss, she started focusing more on mental fitness and strength in both body and mind. “Grief is about finding the right tools to get you through a tough time so in the future, you’re better equipped,” Herrington said. “One of those tools for me is movement.” 

“She is a superb trainer who not only works on physical health but mental health and connects the two,” a client of Lisa’s, Petrea Marchand, said. “Lisa is the most talented fitness professional I have ever met.” Petrea has been going to FIT House for a decade.

Herrington’s kids had a huge influence on her business. During the pandemic, she wasn’t sure if her business would make it through, but she kept picturing her kids working at the front desk when they were older. She loves teaching her kids about mental and physical fitness and resilience and sharing her love for exercise with them.

“You leave and you spread your wings and you learn who you are and what you love to do,” Herrington said, “and if you’re lucky you get the opportunity to come back and share what you’ve learned.”