A CEO’s Journey from Doubt to Defiance
The Fall That Taught Me to Fly
If you had told the younger version of me – the insecure, underpaid, overthinking fitness instructor in her early twenties – that one day I’d be leading an international fitness movement, I would’ve laughed. Or maybe cried. Because back then, I felt more like a failure than a future CEO.
I learnt this over my years of career:
Your power is not in being liked. It’s in being aligned.
It’s a lesson learnt with a lot of pain after I leveled up and came up with my own international brand. Lost tons of friends (thought to be friends to be precise)
I didn’t know this when I started. I thought success meant pleasing everyone. I believed leadership was about being polished, polite, perfect and loved
But now I know better.
Let me take you back to where it all began.
In 2009 it started. It was love at first try.
The immediate first thought was in my head: oh my! I never knew exercise can be so fun! I want every single person on this Earth to experience this fun!
I felt something I hadn’t felt in years: joy. Joy in exercise.
This moment is also very special because my dear mom, who has since passed away, took me to this event, and we tried rebounding together…. #forevermemory
I didn’t know it at the time, but that bounce would one day build a global brand.
Next step was, I became a certified instructor, not really good at it first… I also became a Canadian Exclusive Distributor for a brand where I stayed for 12 years. I climbed up on the ladder and became a Master Trainer for that brand and was teaching instructors all over the world.
Building a Brand on Rebounds
Over the years, I trained, failed, restarted, and pivoted more times than I can count. It’s a journey that might look glamorous but it’s the sleepless nights, the drama we deal with daily, the issues we encounter but all this is done with the attitude: ‘nothing can stop me’ .
Let me be clear: I didn’t have funding during my initial idea phase. I sold my apartment to get money to start. The vision grew into a prototype, when I was able to bring investors on board. I didn’t have a business degree. I didn’t have a blueprint.
BUT I had grit. I had a vision. And I had a non-negotiable belief that fitness should feel like fun—not punishment. And the will to help people find a fun way to get fit.
- Fit Boots was born from rebellion.
- Rebellion against boring workouts.
- Rebellion against body shaming.
- Rebellion against burnout, comparison, and conforming.
- Rebellion against the stagnating rebound fitness industry.
We weren’t just selling rebound boots. We were building a movement.
The Leader With the Cracked Voice
In the early days, I was still trying to be what I thought a leader should be—calm, collected, corporate.
I spoke softly, even when I wanted to shout with excitement. I downplayed my Hungarian accent and made my voice smaller so I could “fit in.”
And I burned out.
Because trying to be everything for everyone is the fastest way to become nothing for yourself.
It wasn’t until I lost a major team player—someone I had bent over backwards to please—that I realized how far I had strayed from my essence.
I cried for a day. Then I put on my boots and jumped again.
This time, as me.
Alignment Over Approval
Here’s what changed everything:
- I stopped selling.
- I started storytelling.
- I told our instructors: “Lead with your joy. Wear the wild outfit. Play the music that lights you up. Make your class unforgettable.”
- And I told myself: “You don’t need everyone. You just need your people.”
Our people came—slowly, then suddenly.
From Montreal to Lyon. From moms to millennials. From shy beginners to bold performers.
The community grew not because we were perfect, but because we were REAL
And with every new instructor, I felt a new layer of my own armor fall off.
The Power of Play
Do you remember what it’s like to play?
Most women forget.
We grow up fast. We become good girls. Then good wives. Then good mothers. Good workers. Good friends.
But playful? Joyful? Wildly alive?
That’s inconvenient for society.
So we tuck her away—the wild girl inside us—and become responsible.
Fit Boots reawakened that girl.
That’s what makes it powerful. It’s not just the boot. It’s the bounce back.
Women who rebound with us say things like:
> “This class gave me back my confidence after a divorce.”
> “I never thought I could enjoy fitness again.”
> “I used to feel invisible. Now I feel invincible.”
If I had known back then how important joy is to leadership, I would have made more space for it sooner.
Because joy is not a luxury. It’s our leadership fuel.
Mistakes I Made So You Don’t Have To
Let me be brutally honest.
I’ve made all the mistakes:
– I hired based on charm instead of character.
– I ignored red flags because I didn’t want to rock the boat.
– I kept underperformers too long because I was afraid of being “mean.”
– I undercharged. I overdelivered. I gave discounts out of guilt.
And every single one of those mistakes came from the same root:
> I thought being loved was more important than being respected.
It’s not.
If I could whisper one truth into the ear of every woman stepping into leadership today, it would be this:
> You’re not here to babysit emotions. You’re here to build an empire.
Let kindness lead, yes. But never confuse kindness with compliance.
You can be warm and wild. Soft and strong. Nurturing and unapologetically bold.
What Success Looks Like Now
Today, Fit Boots is the most alive, most inclusive, trendiest rebound boots brand on the market.
We’ve trained thousands of instructors across the globe. We’re collaborating with top trainers and wellness visionaries. We’re growing a movement that’s joyful, diverse, and unapologetically fun.
But success doesn’t look like a sales chart to me anymore.
It looks like:
– A single mom in a small town teaching her first Fit Boots class.
– A 60-year-old woman doing cardio for the first time in decades due to previous joint issues
– A teenage girl finding community in a world that often tells her she’s not enough.
Success is when freedom, joy, and strength collide
Dear Future Woman Boss
I wrote this for you.
The woman who doubts if she’s enough. The woman who’s still waiting for permission. The woman who wants to lead but fears being too much or too bossy.
Let me be clear:
You are not too much.
You are not too late.
And you do not need to shrink to fit in.
The one thing I wish I would have known earlier is that everything I tried to hide was the very thing that would one day make me magnetic .
Your accent? Your story? Your past? Your quirk? Your scars?
They are your superpower
Lean in. Bounce high. Make noise.
Because the world doesn’t need more polished perfection.
It needs you—wild, real, radiant you.
The Woman in the Mirror
Sometimes, I still catch a glimpse of her—the woman I used to be. Quiet. Doubtful. Waiting to be chosen.
Now, I smile at her and say:
> Thank you for surviving so I could lead.
She didn’t know it then, but she was a warrior.
And so are you.
And remember my ladies, you were never meant to fit in a mold—you were born to break it.
With love, rebellion, and rhythm,
Dorina Rigo
Founder & CEO of Fit Boots®
You can have the best idea in the world, the sleekest branding, the smartest tech – but without community, you’re just another product collecting dust.
I learned this the real way.
When I launched Fit Boots®, it wasn’t about building a fitness empire. It was about building a bridge – back to movement, back to joy, back to ourselves. I had a pair of rebound boots, a dream, and a gut feeling that fitness and specifically rebound fitness could be something so much more.
What I didn’t expect? Was how our community – our Fit Fam – would become the soul of everything.
It started small. A few women bouncing in a few studios, cheering each other on between jumps. Then came the online messages. “I haven’t worked out in years, but I tried this and felt alive again.” “My daughter bounces with me now. We haven’t laughed like this in ages.” “I thought I couldn’t do cardio after my knee injury… but here I am, sweating and smiling.”
And just like that – Fit Boots® stopped being my company.
It became ours.
Moms bouncing with their kids. Grandmas dancing in their living rooms. Women in recovery reclaiming their power. Busy professionals squeezing in joyful 20-minute sessions between meetings. All of them saying, “Me too. I’m with you.”
That’s the magic.
Fit Boots® was built with love and mindset – but it’s held up by sisterhood
These women have turned bouncing into belonging.
They’ve turned workouts into connection.
They’ve taken a pair of boots and created a movement.
Thanks to all of you we are where we are today!
So yes – one thing I know…
Fitness trends come and go. But community?
Community is what makes a product a purpose.
And if you’re out there wondering where you belong…
We saved you a spot in the circle.
One thing I know? We were never meant to do this alone… and now, we never have to again.
