What Happened To Fitness Trainer Kathy Smith?

Kathy Smith got into fitness in high school and college when she started to seriously consider making her passion into a profession. This led her to eventually create the videos of the 1980s and 1990s that we know her for. At the time, she was also often compared with Jane Fonda, the activist and actress who also had a successful workout video collection. In 1993, according to Billboard, Smith had a vigorous strategy of trying to release at least two new titles per year. While the goal for Smith was to release videos tailored to weight loss, fat-burning, and generalized fitness, she also expressed interest in more niche topics, such as stretches to support lower-back health.

After the aerobic workout video craze of the 1980s and 1990s, Smith started advocating for people to do gentler exercises, too. Some of Smith's well-rounded fitness philosophy was expressed early on through some of her video titles, but the market may not have been there yet. However, this changed, as Smith explained in an interview with writer Steve Obsborne in 2000. "I'm always listening to my consumer and reading between the lines," she said. "It started back when I was doing high impact aerobic tapes. I'd ask people for feedback, and they would say how much they loved the tape. But every fifth person would say, 'The tape was great, but the workout was just too hard on my knees.' So I responded by creating a low-impact workout tape." Since then, Smith started advocating for gentler exercises she personally enjoys, including yoga and Pilates.

Kathy Smith had the honor to cheer on Team U.S.A. at the Rio Olympics in 2016. This was all due to the fact that her daughter, Kate Grace, competed in the women's 800-meter race. The accomplished runner placed 8^th at 00:01:59.570, finishing in the top 10 according the Olympics. In speaking of the generational differences between her and Smith, Kate Grace told The New York Times, "Even if I didn't envision this path, I always had coaches telling me, 'You can do this in college; you can even do this after.' My mom had cheerleading available in high school; she is fitter than most of us, but of course she wasn't told that. But I was told it, and I believed it."

What you may not know about is that Smith's own fitness journey started with running. "It helped me discover who I was and brought up my confidence level," she previously explained in an interview with Ability magazine. "It helped me sort out my life at a time when I wasn't sure whether I wanted to continue college ... It was a very confusing time, and running really helped clear my mind and get me focused. It also helped me deal with pain. When you're training for a marathon, you go out for an hour or an hour-and-a-half run. You're by yourself, so there's a lot of time to think. It was an amazing experience, and that's what really hooked me on wanting to be in this profession."

Kathy Smith previously shared how she got her start into personal fitness and running as coping mechanisms following the separate, untimely deaths of her parents. "My father died of a heart attack when I was 17; two-and-a-half years later, I lost my mother in a plane crash," she told Ability magazine. "It was a very depressing time for me, and that's when I started running and doing aerobics. In college, I attended clinics given by a doctor who was working with marathon runners who'd had heart attacks but were on the road to recovery. I was drawn to what he was doing with these men and was excited about how running and aerobics were changing my outlook on life." 

In May 2021, Smith shared more details about her parents and their tragic deaths. In a Mother's Day post published on her blog, Smith explained how her father Carl died three days before she graduated from high school. "He was at the office, standing up to give a debriefing, and because he had a very good sense of humor, everybody thought he was joking when he fell down," Smith said. "When they realized he wasn't, they rushed him to the emergency room. He'd had a massive heart attack." Shortly after that, her mother Lorraine, who had already been fighting with alcohol use disorder, started having even more problems with drinking. "The drinking was so bad that she wasn't functional ... And I was aware at that point of a shift in our relationship, how in some ways, I became the mother," Smith said.

When writer Steve Osborne first talked with Kathy Smith, they discussed how the fitness icon adopted a more holistic health approach in which she listens to her mind and body to help guide her toward what she needs on any given day. "What I do on any particular day depends on which season it is, which week it is, whether it's a holiday, whether I'm traveling, how energetic I'm feeling, and so on," she said. "I believe that you should listen to your body. It goes through natural cycles. When you adjust your fitness routine to what your body is telling you, you'll enjoy exercising more." Not only has Smith fit various types of physical exercises into her routine, but she also adopted meditation practices. 

A lot of Smith's strategy involves staying active, whether it's through cardio or gentle stretching, all while following her energy cycles. "Coming to terms with my energy cycle was one of the secrets I discovered to living with increased vitality," Smith told Ageist. "It's all about trial and error, and learning to spot your patterns ... It's one of the reasons I developed a unique blend of strength and flexibility training that combines traditional yoga with toning exercises that helped transform me mentally and physically." She also advocates for others to follow these same principles, staying true to her motto, "progress, not perfection."

Kathy Smith previously told Steve Osborne over two decades ago, "If in some way I can be an inspiration to people who are working through problems and trying to change themselves for the better, I feel blessed for that opportunity." Today, Smith has kept that promise in many ways, whether it's inspiring others to stay fit through mid-life and beyond, to try out activities you truly enjoy, or to maintain a holistic self-care practice.

On top of all this, Smith holds the title of motivational speaker. She has delivered numerous speeches to large companies, non-profits, and small organizations. As her website notes, just some of these organizations include the American Diabetes Association and the American Heart Association, as well as private businesses. She's sought after for her "Gamechangers" program, which helps engage corporate workforces to stay healthy. "Kathy is by far the best speaker we've had at our organization!" said Joe Molinare, a guest at one of Smith's corporate addresses, according to testimonies on her website. "Her dynamic, content-rich style is incredibly effective at empowering people to take positive steps forward. And, she provides step-by-step techniques to advance in all facets of life." Smith still continues her motivational speaking gig, and numerous testimonies have hinted at her positive reception overall.