When Brooke Vass signed up for Career Lab in August 2025, she thought she was attending a networking event. Mentors she respected had encouraged her to go, and she saw it as an opportunitynity to meet people learn about thening herself in the fitness industry. What she got was something entirely different—a day that would reshape her career in ways she hadn’t anticipated.

Eight months later, Brooke is presenting at major industry conferences, authoring courses, and collaborating with leaders she once looked up to from a distance. Career Lab returns to Santa Monica, California, on January 17th, 2026, and Brooke’s story shows exactly why it matters.

Brooke Vass

Brooke came to Career Lab for guidance on how to build her career in fitness and wellness. She wanted to understand how to expand her professional presence and navigate the industry with more confidence. Every piece of it—the breakout rooms, the flow of conversations, the way the day moved—felt deliberate and thoughtful.

What struck her most was how much care went into creating the experience. The organizers invested in people. Brooke left feeling seen, supported, and genuinely excited about where her career could go. That feeling laid the groundwork for everything that came after.

How Career Lab Changed Brooke’s Trajectory

Brooke built real connections at Career Lab—the kind that lead to follow-up after the event. These were conversations built on mentorship, collaboration, and potential for the future.

She finally worked up the confidence to approach leaders she’d admired for years. Talking directly with Christine Conti and Tricia Murphy-Madden became one of the defining moments of the experience. Christine went on to connect Brooke with leadership opportunities through her company and her work with various associations. Those conversations opened doors to level up her career and make moves towards her future.

Career Lab proved something important to her: when you build relationships rooted in authenticity and mutual respect, they create real pathways. Casting opportunities emerged alongside future potential roles, and revenue streams. Brooke walked away with a clearer sense of how to conduct business and build her career intentionally.

The personal growth hit just as hard as the professional wins. Career Lab helped Brooke step into a different version of herself—one with more self-belief and clearer direction. She gained clarity on where she wanted to go and how she wanted to show up in the fitness space. One of her biggest realizations came from being surrounded by people who encouraged thoughtful questions and honest dialogue. She was ready to lead, to present, to contribute at a higher level. The experience gave her the confidence to claim that space.

Eight months later, the proof is everywhere. Brooke is presenting at HFA, TEX-FIT, and the Southeast Collegiate Fitness Expo in 2026. She’s co-teaching a new course with Christine Conti called “Future Proof Fitness: Engaging Gen Z and Gen Alpha with Purpose, Platforms, and Personalization.” She became a course author for Fit Fix Now and published “Beginner Barre Blueprint,” based on her YouTube channel, Barre by Brooke. 

Career Lab provided her with the connections that enabled her to take action and move closer to her dream career. It helped her achieve her goal of presenting and sharing her knowledge with others in the fitness industry, something she had long looked forward to.

Why Join Career Lab in January

When asked what she’d tell someone sitting on the fence about joining Career Lab, Brooke said, “I would tell them to do it, without hesitation. Career Lab is an investment in yourself, your career, and your future, and the return is truly invaluable.” She’d tell anyone to attend, no matter where they are in their wellness career. The event creates something rare—a space where learning, connection, and personal growth happen at the same time.

For anyone curious about joining, her story shows what’s possible. One day at Career Lab can shift your entire path if you show up ready to engage, learn, and build real relationships. It creates an environment where you can recognize you’re ready to step forward and claim your place in the industry.

Final Thoughts

Brooke walked into Career Lab looking for guidance and walked out with a completely different career trajectory. She left with specific people to call, clear next steps to take, and the confidence to pursue opportunities she might have talked herself out of before. That kind of tangible result makes Career Lab a special event for trainers and coaches specifically. 

Career Lab comes back to Santa Monica on January 17th, 2026. For fitness professionals ready to invest in themselves, this is the kind of day that can change everything. Brooke is living proof. When you show up prepared to fully engage, one event can rewrite your whole story.

About Elisa Edelstein
Elisa is a curious and versatile writer, carving her niche in the health and wellness industry since 2015. Her lens is rooted in real world experience as a personal trainer and competitive bodybuilder and extended out of the gym and on to the page as a writer where she is able to combine her passions for empowering others, promoting wellness, and the power of the written word.