Good morning and grand rising! Today we’re featuring my very first profile for Amplify POC. I met with Julie Workflow Rivera, Certified Instructor for Xtreme Hip Hop Step, who teaches xtreme hip hop step classes across the Cape. The entrepreneur and mom of three has been juggling, and I couldn’t have asked for a more motivated, dedicated and relatable individual. Her journey as a new fitness entrepreneur reveals what it takes to embrace a sense of rediscovery as she dances her way across Cape Cod. Julie identifies as Hispanic or Latina. Her parents are from Ecuador, but she was born in New York and moved to Hyannis when she was 12 years old. At 18, she moved to Boston and lived on her own in Dorchester until she settled down and became a mom and bought a house in Brockton at 30.

Julie “Workflow” Rivera has always had a passion for dance. But, after losing herself to the demands of a full time job, being a caretaker for her family, and breaking up with her fiancé, she found her way back to dance through fitness.

"I changed my mindset and I lost 35 pounds this year -- just by focusing on being consistent with my own fitness and nutrition,” she said.

Now teaching at three locations on Cape — Be Free Wellness in Harwichport, Studio Ex Cycle & Fitness in Hyannis, and Dance Design in Centerville — Rivera is reaching her dreams and helping others find theirs. In addition, Rivera teaches Xtreme Hip Hop Step in Boston and across the South Shore.

For Rivera, building the habits that led her to a new lifestyle, allowed her to both dramatically change her existence and also the lives of those around her. Even in the hardest times, Rivera said her path to success “wasn’t easy but it led to a whole new world … Xtreme has given me the opportunity to grow a following! When Xtreme Instructors create our own routines, we can freestyle anything we want to do while still creating a fun and effective workout.”

AMPLIFY: WHAT IS XTREME HIP HOP STEP AND WHAT DOES IT OFFER?

Julie: Xtreme Hip Hop Step is a high-energy cardio and step aerobics brand originally created by Phillip Weeden. With routines that sync to old- and new-school hip hop, “Xtreme gives its instructors the foundation to create their own individual class routines. A remix of traditional step aerobics, Xtreme is all about call outs. "Instructors break down the steps for you, calling out what the steps are, then we put the routines together.”

“I have to always call out the next move one to two counts before we actually do the move. So if we're doing “three knees”, the next call-out would be for example “side leg”. I have to make sure I call out, “side leg”, one or two counts before so people can actually hear me say it and know when to go.

Rivera offers beginner, intermediate, and advanced level classes and videos and says, like herself, most people start online.
“I’ve been told that the videos I share are intimidating but being Xtreme - that’s the culture," she said. “That’s who and what we represent. We wanna step out of our comfort zone and try something new. It’s not easy, but once you get the basics and know what you’re doing – it just clicks."

AMPLIFY: WHEN DID YOU GET INTERESTED IN HIP HOP STEP?

Julie: A friend of mine had reached out and told me about Hip Hop Step Hero. It’s similar to Xtreme but without the call-outs. She said I had to try it, and I was at a breaking point with myself and my relationship with my fiance, where I wanted more for myself.

Prior to that I had stopped going to the gym because of Covid-19 and had gained some weight and I started asking myself “what is making me happy and what was I doing with my own life that brought me happiness mentally, spiritually and physically."

I had a new job but with the gyms and schools closed it was hard for me to deal with all the demands of my family. Eventually a time came where I just could no longer undervalue myself and not focus on the things that made me happy. It was at that point that I became obsessed with my looks; the weight on the scale and I was so determined, so I could not continue with these old habits.

I have always loved dancing. I had taken African Dancing classes and was a fan of Zumba but as soon as I began with Hero Step, I immediately fell in love with the music; I fell in love with what Hip Hop Step was in general. I’d never seen anything like it. I was sweating my butt off; all the endorphins came out and it gave me the opportunity to look at myself again in a way I wasn’t seeing myself like before.

So I was a beginner not that long ago — I did online classes at first because the gyms were still closed.

Eventually I started changing my lifestyle. I started restricting junk food and other unhealthy habits and my fiance didn’t want to do the same and there were certain habits that I just could not see myself allowing. I felt like the only thing holding me back from the next level were these habits and my partner had no interest in changing his lifestyle. In some ways our separation was mutual because he had no interest when it came to Step.

Now we’re much happier co-parenting and we each have more time for our children. He does his own thing and I’m ok with that because he was a big part of my growth and when you feel better, you treat people better.

AMPLIFY: WHEN DID YOU GET STARTED?

Julie: "I’m still fresh. I’ve been teaching Xtreme for six months now. I started doing Hip Hop Step Hero a year ago last March of 2021. In Hero Instructors and participants memorize routines but without the call-outs. I found out about Xtreme later that Summer and by September of 2021, I had become a Certified Xtreme Instructor. From there I decided to reach out to a friend that worked at a dance studio to see if she’d rent space to me and from there it just took off. Everybody started reaching out and that’s when I started teaching on the Cape at Dance Designs.

At first I was doing this for fun but once my relationship ended, I started thinking about where this could take me. I figured I could do this as a side hustle since I’m already on the Cape visiting my parents on the weekends.
Julie’s parents, who were originally from Ecuador migrated to New York, where Julie was born and moved to Hyannis when she was 12yrs old. Her Latin roots can be felt through her fiery energy when she teaches.

AMPLIFY: HAVE RECENT EVENTS AND THE COUNTRY’S CURRENT FINANCIAL CLIMATE AFFECTED YOUR BUSINESS?

Julie: Yes and no because I’m just getting started. Towards the beginning of the pandemic people were reluctant but gyms began reopening after closing down for so long so there’s starting to be a rise in numbers. When my schedule is consistent. I can see those that follow me and my numbers grow. It’s when I had to change my schedule that I started to see a dip in numbers.

AMPLIFY: WHERE DO YOU SEE YOUR BUSINESS IN FIVE YEARS?

Julie: I see myself having a business that focuses on growth, education and fitness within my own community that supports a healthy work life balance; where I don’t have to punch in and out. I see myself networking more and eventually adding a website to my business but owning my own studio is the end goal.

AMPLIFY: HOW DO PEOPLE FIND YOUR ONLINE VIDEOS AND SIGN UP FOR CLASSES?

Julie: I post my weekly schedules to my Facebook and Instagram pages. People typically pay me through money apps like Venmo and CashApp. You’re welcome to message me or just walk-in.

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In Class: Be Free Wellness (Harwichport), Studio Ex Cycle & Fitness (Hyannis), Dance Designs (Centerville)
On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/juelz5.11.08
On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/harlem_hospital_beds/