Except for their different tastes in music, Richard Smiley and his stepdaughter, Brittany Johnson, have a great working relationship.
"She likes a little more of that girl music; I'm more old-time rock," said Smiley, the owner of Smiley Fitness by Design.
For the past five months, Johnson, 23, has helped Smiley breathe new life into the quaint fitness center in the Buena Vista neighborhood. It has been open for almost 12 years, and although Johnson didn't realize it, she had been preparing for a career in fitness.
"I've just kind of grown up around it, and I've always been interested in being fit and what it can mean to living a healthy lifestyle," said Johnson, who graduated last year from the University of Florida with a degree in psychology.
A 2003 graduate of Reynolds High School, Johnson was one of the best swimmers in the country at one point, making it to the U.S. Olympic Trials in July 2004. She went on to win a scholarship and swim for Florida.
Soon after graduation last spring, she decided to take an internship in Gainesville, Fla., working for the state attorney's office. She had designs on going to law school, but found out that she wasn't quite ready.
"I looked around for a social-services job, and I could have stayed in Florida and worked with the state attorney while going to law school," Johnson said. "Law school isn't completely out of the question down the road, but I love what I'm doing now."
Johnson has helped with everything from personal training to directing spin and yoga classes at both of Smiley's gyms. (The second one is in Lewisville and has been open for about two years.)
Since a shoulder injury ended her swimming days at Florida, Johnson has stayed in shape by running marathons and riding her bike. That eventually led her to competing in triathlons. When she moved back to Winston-Salem, she got her own place, and then started working for Smiley.
"What Brittany has done is, she's embraced this industry," Smiley said. "In the first four months, she got her personal-training and yoga certifications. And when she says she's going to do something, she does it and doesn't mess around.
"She keeps up with all the trends in fitness, and she incorporates that into her training sessions with clients."
Another bonus is that Johnson and Smiley, 45, train together for triathlons, and both are competitive in their age groups. On a recent, rather warm morning they took a two-lap (about 14 miles) trek around Salem Lake and were fresh enough afterward to do another lap.
"I do like working within the family because I can spend more time with Richard and my mom (Theresa), because she's pretty involved, too," Johnson said.
Johnson says that she is getting paid pretty well, but more important, she enjoys sharing her knowledge of fitness with others.
"I thought I'd get her off the payroll once she got out of college," Smiley joked, "but now she's back on it again."
■ John Dell can be reached at 727-4081 or at jdell@wsjournal.com.
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