The life of a touring musician is often glorified in the media as being a circumstance that entails little more than fun, time with friends, and doing what you love. In reality, being on the road can be pretty rough for musicians and their touring crew, and the physical and mental repercussions of this lifestyle are far from idyllic.

Not a lot of people have taken the time to talk about this issue or explore its root cause, but Project Spaces member Andrea MacNeil is stepping up to the plate with her company Fit On Tour (FOT).

Andrea’s passion for helping people stay healthy while on the road began with her identifying a need that wasn’t being met.

Having spent the past ten years as a tour manager and live event producer in the music industry, Andrea experienced firsthand how touring can negatively impact your physical and mental health. She wasn’t alone in that experience, and her future business partner Jess, who worked as a project director, was also struggling to maintain a healthy lifestyle while touring.

Andrea explained, “Just over a year ago, I was touring in Australia with my business partner. We were there for a music festival called Corona Sunsets and we hit an all-time low. We had both gained upwards of 50 pounds each and we were just feeling awful and suffering from anxiety and depression. I even had panic attacks. We felt like shit, we looked like shit, and we knew it wasn’t good.”

Instead of resigning themselves to a life where their physical and mental health suffered, Andrea and Jess decided to do something about it.

Andrea recalled, “On that tour, we made a commitment to each other to workout every single day, whether that was fifteen minutes or an hour, a walk or a run. So we started doing that in Australia, and we posted about bench pressing on hotel room furniture and running up and down the stage on our Instagram.”

Once Andrea and Jess started sharing their struggles online, it didn’t take long for others to reach out and share the trials and tribulations they were also experiencing. In fact, they were getting flooded with messages from people on the road that were also looking to make a change.  

Andrea states, “The conversation started organically, and we realized this is a real problem and there is a real need here. That week, we trademarked the name ‘Fit on Tour’ and got the ball rolling.”

Just like that, Fit On Tour was born! Jess and Andrea’s goal with Fit On Tour is to help people in the entertainment industry prioritize health and fitness in a way that is attainable, inspiring, and fun.

The company is still in its first year of business, and Andrea’s day-to-day life consists of developing workout programs, hiring trainers, finding different organizations to partner with for programs and workshops, and doing a lot of speaking engagements.

Even though the company is still in its early stages, the fact that there’s now a dialogue about the issues surrounding physical and mental health in the entertainment industry is a big win. For Andrea, being able to connect and get through to people is the most rewarding part of the job. She explained, “Getting those messages from people who have been dealing with the repercussions of being in the industry for so long and having them be inspired and thankful for this movement has been a really positive experience.”

Another significant change that Andrea has made in her life as of late is becoming a member at Project Spaces. She decided to give coworking a shot after getting to know Jeff, the co-owner of Project Spaces, through mutual friends. He invited her to try it out, and Andrea has not looked back.

She said, “It has changed my productivity so much. My life has been so out of routine for so long and I was craving a routine. Coming here has given me that structure and routine and helped me take things to the next level.”

To learn more about all the latest happenings at Fit On Tour, follow them on Instagram @fitontour or give their website, fitontour.com, a visit. To optimize your productivity and give your hustle a home, book a tour of Project Spaces and become a member!