About Kym Zest

Kym grew up in an old fashioned apprenticeship. Coaching is in her blood. Her father, Ben Zhao was the head coach for Cross-Country running and Track and Field for Southwest High School from 1989 to 2015. She spent years of countless hours observing the team, the coaches, the changing athletic industry, Zhao’s philosophy, and sitting in the back of coaching education lectures.

She was nine when she started swimming competitively and taking it seriously. From the beginning she was curious about what made a good athlete. She remembers the workout when she asked her coach not to let her whine when the workout got tough. A early lesson was discovered after a crushing failed personal record attempt. She spent the next weeks analyzing why it failed and making her plan for the next competition.

At 14 she was at an all-comers track meet. Coach-Dad Zhao pointed to a wrinkly silver haired woman warming up and said “If you stick with her, you’ll go under 6 in the mile.” It was a brutal 8 laps in the dry winter indoor air, but Kym stayed on her shoulder and was so proud of her new personal record. She was just as awestruck by the woman. She set a new goal that day; to be fiercely athletic well into old age.  It was no longer just about the next race, or next season.  It would be a life-long journey. 

This journey would include: Running in college, 10 years with plantar fasciitis, rock climbing trips, sea kayaking in Alaska, bike trips, 20+ years of triathlons, many BWCA canoe trips, 8+ years of winter camping, Ironman triathlon, yoga and meditation, 10+ years of year-round bike commuting, run commuting, flexibility and handstand training, and hopefully by 2025 the winter ultra Arrowhead 135 miles.

In 2002 Kym established her coaching career by founding Bumble Beez Athletics. It was a value based athletic program for youth 9-13 years old. She saw the need for a non-competitive, non-sport specific youth athletic program. The kids met 6 hours a week. They learned nutrition, decision making, goal setting, emotional intelligence, mental health, social skills, group dynamics, and leadership. Critically, this was learned through challenging workouts to make measured improvements to their fitness. She was fully committed to the kids and the program. It was an education that sucked the life out of her early 20’s. By 2008 she was exhausted, so for many reasons the business folded. It was a life changing experience for her and one that set the bar for effective meaningful work.

After a couple years rebelling and exploring other other possible careers, Kym realized she was destined to work in the fitness world. In the summer of 2010 she got a job as a Personal Trainer at the YWCA Minneapolis. Many other titles were added over the years. The community of athletic adults and fitness professionals was just what was needed to reignite her passion for athletic education. 

In 2016 Will pushed Kym to pursue her entrepreneurial drive. It took two years to dream and combine their skills and passions for outdoor and athletic education. Zest Ed is the result.

In nearly 20 years of coaching she’s come to dislike the fitness industries’ love of the single transformative moment. “I was ______ then I did** **______ now I’m awesome and you can do it too!”

In her 38+ years she’s had a rich complicated history as an athlete with detours, sidetracks, and many many transformative moments.

Her job is to help guide people from one transformative moment to the next. She believes that in the process of achieving a fitness goal you should learn more about yourself and the process of training.