People of St. Pete: Dawn Wilder

St. Pete is celebrated for its fabulous weather, beautiful vistas, world-class food scene, and thriving cultural atmosphere. But it’s the people that truly make St. Pete special, especially those people we see every day—the store clerks and wait-staff, the bus drivers and baristas, the postal workers and park staff, the custodians and teachers. It’s easy to take these folks for granted but each of them has a story. Here at Green Bench, we want to do our part in recognizing the value of their stories, so each month we shine a light on one of the many people that make St. Pete so special.

Who is Dawn Wilder?

Today, that light shines on Dawn Wilder. Dawn is many things. She is a certified personal trainer and yoga instructor, a business owner, a divorced mother (of five kids ranging from 10 to 20 years old!) and a diabetes prevention teacher. She is a busy woman. Her day typically starts well before 5AM with an extra-large triple-shot unsweetened café mocha and doesn’t end until nearly 10PM. Despite the potential for chaos, it’s rare to see her without a smile. She really seems to have found a sense of balance. Finding a time to sit down and talk was a challenge, but I persisted. I wanted to know more about her and how she does it.

Why St. Pete?

Dawn is originally from South Carolina, but when she moved here in 1996, she immediately fell in love with the community. It just felt like home. In 2002, her husband’s job took them away and for seven years, she and her growing family lived in Europe, first in Amsterdam and then Paris. She has fond memories of her time in Europe BUT she also really missed home. As she told me, she often “dreamed about St. Pete” during her years in Europe. When I asked her why she loved St. Pete so much, she quickly replied “it’s perfect.” It feels small but offers big. Paris was great but she was thrilled when the family finally came home to St. Pete in 2009.

From Stay-at-Home Mom to…

Since that time, Dawn’s path has curved and widened a bit. She has transitioned from (what she describes as) “just a stay-at-home wife and mother” to a divorced mother of five that works a lot! She acknowledges that the divorce and the uncertainty that accompanied the process was “the darkest, loneliest, and most stressful time” of her life but she also knows that she emerged stronger than ever. Many things have changed over the last few years, but one thing that hasn’t is that her kids—Caroline, Peyton, Chloe, Charles, and Roman—remain “job number one.” Her oldest has left their Snell Isle home for university life in Paris, but the four youngest remain at home and their lives are as full as hers! Just juggling their basketball, football, and cheerleading schedules is a challenge. It’s a good thing she is feeling stronger than ever because keeping up with their activities requires planning and stamina!

Dawn Wilder. Photo by Evan Sigmund.
Dawn Wilder. Photo by Evan Sigmund.

Jobs and More Jobs

Dawn’s work as a personal trainer and yoga instructor also is a source of joy and juggling. Dawn knows that fitness requires both physical and mental awareness. It’s not just about heavy lifting. When she is with a client, she emphasizes the importance of “being in the moment” because those moments build your life, not just muscles! She brings that same mindset to her teaching. As part of the YMCA team, she facilitates a year-long diabetes prevention program at St. Anthony’s and for the City of St Petersburg. When I asked her about this program, she immediately exclaimed, “I love it!”. She helps students become mindful of the way everyday choices can change their future paths. It also offers her a way to give back to the community she loves. It’s a win-win.

Working It Out

I ended our conversation by asking Dawn how she manages it all. She laughed and shared her Wilder Fitness business motto: “as a mother of five, fitness keeps me alive.” It’s a great tagline for potential training clients, but this motto also describes the way she approaches her teaching and her life. As she told me, “I am the strongest I have ever been in my life – both physically and mentally – thanks to mindfulness and a healthy, holistic approach to life.” This attitude clearly has helped her find balance in this hectic and stressful world. I admit I am impressed. She really is working it out.

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Tina Stewart Brakebill
Tina and her husband Brian visited St Pete for the first time in January of 2017. Four months later, they waved goodbye to Illinois and moved to their new forever home in the Sunshine City! They both believe it’s the best snap decision they ever made. Leaving her job as a university history professor was the toughest part of the relocation, but she is thoroughly enjoying having more time to write. Currently, in addition to her work with Green Bench Monthly, she is working on her third book (and first novel) and loving life in DTSP.