Amber’s in love with coaching

Amber Cumberbatch’s goal is to empower young women.
The former athlete turned coach believes her life’s purpose is helping athletes, especially females, to reach their greatest heights on and off the track.
“A big part of what makes me happy in life is training and coaching girls and women into becoming the athletes that they are. I believe that regardless of your age, your experience, your goals, your history, that in every person there is an athlete just waiting and wanting to be released,” Cumberbatch told Barbados TODAY in a recent interview.
“However, we all know that it takes applied effort, strength and determination for this to come alive and grow and my purpose and passion as a coach is to lift women up to that place of understanding and coach them into becoming fit, fast and strong.
“My mission is to help groom girls and women into unleashing their inner athlete and start living a more active and good life through movement and exercise,” she added.
Cumberbatch’s journey as a fitness coach began in 2014.
She said since then she had witnessed many of her clients experience a positive mind shift during their sessions.
“The feeling is so alive and refreshing and I didn’t want to keep it to myself anymore, so that’s when I stepped out of my usual set up of training alone and stepped into the life of guiding and coaching others into their journey in movement and exercise,” she added.
Cumberbatch represented Barbados at regional track and field events which earned her a full athletic scholarship to Missouri State University in the United States.
This fitness expert spoke also about how she initially started coaching and the rush of excitement she gets from working with children.
“I initially started out training adults, but recently I have been working with kids who have an interest in running or just overall fitness and to be honest, working with these kids brings so much joy to my life and I always look forward to our training sessions,” Cumberbatch explained.
“I have been told that I’m a very loving and easy person to be around and because I love people and enjoy taking care of their journey in fitness, along with my fun and variety focused programmes, many of my students remain with me over the years and we’ve built a close family connection at the same time.”
Cumberbatch admitted that seeing the results from her client’s hard work and dedication was especially rewarding.
“I enjoy seeing the results and when I see the transformation happen in my students it re-ignites the fire that I have for coaching. Sometimes, it even brings tears to my eyes in my quiet times of reflection. It really wows me when I see them improve and hit their new targets,” she said.
Cumberbatch revealed that she got involved in track and field from the age of eight and has no plans on stopping any time soon.
She said even during the Covid-19 pandemic was in-person training was prohibited, she found ways to continue her training.
“COVID-19 stole the atmosphere of in-person training and I surmounted this new way of life by being extra creative. I took my classes online and worked in the virtual world until the all clear was given to be outdoors,” she pointed out.
As for her inspiration, she says that she looks up to one “superwoman,” her mother Michelle Cumberbatch, who she described as extremely strong and resilient.
“She always motivates me to grow without any barriers,” she said putting it simply.
(MR)