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Utah Lee is a woman of many talents. She is a fitness trainer and influencer, fashion designer, artist and a devoted mother of two. We caught up with her to find out how she manages to wear so many hats and raise her kids in an ever-bustling city like Hong Kong.
Anyone interested in fitness, fashion or even keeping up with the latest happenings in Hong Kong is likely to be following Utah Lee. A well-loved Hong Kong influencer, Utah was made for online stardom. What makes her journey all the more surprising is that she was actually a shy girl, who hated studies, dropped out of college and is entirely self-made and self-taught. Here’s how she has found her calling and built her perfect life with her loving husband, two kids and three dogs in Hong Kong.
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What were you like growing up in Hong Kong?
I am a Hong Kong Native – I grew up eating fishballs and siu mai! I was super shy and super quiet when I was little. My mom told me that I could play by myself all day long without talking to anybody. I was also creative since I was young, always drawing, making things.
My parents too enjoy creating DIY projects… my mother would make us clothes, my dad would make anything he could with his hands; fixing things around the house. He taught himself to make furniture and fix electronics. I guess, I was influenced by my parents.
How did observing your parents’ work ethic influence you?
My parents both worked crazy hard. My dad used to work seven days a week…Monday to Friday at the Police Station’s Supply Department. On the weekend, he worked as a First aider – he would be on duties at public events and would provide supplements for drug addicts and the government health centres. In the summer, he would turn himself into a life guard on public beaches or swimming pools. I loved to listen to his stories of delivering babies at the Vietnamese refugee camps and driving speed boats to save people’s lives at the beaches, and occasionally funny incidents at the pools. From him, I learned that I need to work hard irrespective of whether I meet my goals or not. I am a slasher myself and have always had my finger in many pies, just like my father when he was younger.
How can I describe my mum? She was the proverbial bada*s and till today, she remains the same go-getter! Because my dad worked every day, she would bring little jobs to home so she could take care of the four of us all day long. She used to bring small toys home to package them while watching us.
I get my creativity from my parents. I use it to teach fun fitness classes, play dress up, create social media content for myself and brands. Not many people know this but I often do the art direction, product and wardrobe styling and even event execution for the companies I work with.
I definitely got that trait from my parents. I also think my childhood with them trained me to be flexible, which is invaluable when I have to deal with challenging things in life.
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You decided not to go to university and pursue a career in fashion initially. Were there any objections from your family?
I just didn’t like to study at all! I was in Fashion Design school for a year and then joined the garment or fashion industry. My parents didn’t object – maybe because I am the youngest in the family, I always got away with a lot of things! But in truth, my parents were cool with anything we chose to do as long as we are and stayed good people.
From there to fitness – how did the journey happen?
Back when I worked in the garments industry, I didn’t enjoy travelling back and forth to China twice a week to check samples so I quit! Later on, I bumped in to a dancer friend on a street one day and he invited me to apply at the gym where he was working. I did because I literally had nothing to do!
I started out at Hong Kong’s first fitness chain as a receptionist and fitness machine cleaner, moved to sales for memberships and fitness classes! One day, the manager asked if I could teach anything. I had taken dance lessons when I was young…I did ballet, Jazz, Folk, Modern and Chinese dance, so I thought why not give it a try and agreed to teach dance.
I started teaching dance and for some reason, the fitness chain members really liked my classes! Then I got serious about my classes and I started handling other classes as well – Personal Training, Group Fitness Instructor Training, Pilates, Kickboxing, Yoga, Bosu, TRX…you name it! And that’s how I became a fitness instructor.
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What does Nike Master Trainer mean and how do you enjoy the job?
Nike Master Trainer means I am able to to present Nike Globally. When Nike launched the NTC app (Nike Training Club), Nike Master Trainers were part of the package. There were only six Master Trainers globally and I was the only Asian representative. I loved being a fitness trainer and 25 years later, I still do!
Let me ask you this, who gets paid for yelling at people? Me! Who gets paid to work out? Me! Who gets paid to be someone’s rock and support in a journey of getting fit? Me!
So….I love being a fitness trainer, as is probably obvious!
How and where did you meet your husband?
Haha! That was at the first gym I worked at. I met his sister, Jacqui. Then she asked him to come meet me…the rest is history!
What role does he play in supporting you?
He does EVERYTHING! He helped me write CVs, taught me English and improved my interpersonal skills because I was so painfully shy. He even comes to my events and massages my legs when they are sore!
How similar or dissimilar are your children? Who takes after you and who takes after your husband?
My son, Jacob is 16 years old. He is exactly like my husband, very straight forward – they are best friends and very annoying! They dress alike, they eat similar food and they share same interests in technology and hockey. Jacob copies everything his dad does and gives me trouble the same way my husband does!
Whereas my daughter, Sophia is quite like me; we are both free-spirited and we appreciate beautiful things. And well, our rooms are on the messy side because we are both artists!
How have you divided your parenting roles?
I am the easy-going parent. I am in charge of fun experiences for the family. I don’t really have a whole lot of rules for my kids. My husband, on the other hand, is the educator and manager. I let him do most of the talking and disciplinary stuff with our children.
How did you manage a fairly hectic and public lifestyle when the kids were younger?
In Hong Kong, we are very blessed with live-in helpers. We used to have two helpers to take care of the kids when they were little because they went to different schools and went to different interest groups. At that time, I was also very busy with my retail business. I used to have a store called House Of Style on Wellington Street, Central and I did everything for that store. I was designing and making jewellery, furniture, home decor and kids’ clothes! At the same time, I was still teaching a few fitness classes per week. So I was really busy and couldn’t have managed without my amazing helpers!
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Speaking of House of Style, any regrets or unfulfilled dreams of launching your own retail business again?
It was all started with a dream and the luck of having an investor who believed in my dreams. I learned so much through the process. I literally built that retail business from scratch with no proper business or PR or marketing training. We were earning significant income but having the store on Wellington Street and on the ground floor was a challenge. We eventually had to shut it down because the rents were too high, but given half a chance, I would love to do run a retail business all over again!
You are also a jewellery designer. How did that happen?
I’ve always been self-taught! Though I started with fashion designing, I realised that it takes a lot to create, produce and sell clothes, so I moved on to designing and making jewellery myself. I then got selected to work with a Hong Kong fashion chain called Toppy; they made middle-upper class executive, ready-to-wear evening wear and had stores in Hong Kong, Singapore and China. For seven years, twice a year (Spring/Summer and Fall/Winter), I would design their jewellery and accessory collections.
What do your kids think of your work? Do they share your interests?
Well, I definitely hope my kids think I am a rockstar! They love that their teachers often use me as fitness examples in class when there’s a relevant topic being discussed. My kids often appear on my feed and model with me sometimes. Jacob is keen to model and Sophia enjoys learning about new products and product packaging, she’s on the artsy side, so they both play a role in my work.
What do you enjoy most about being a mother?
I enjoy bossing the kids around! Jokes apart, motherhood has helped me appreciate kids and human beings of all ages a lot more.
What is your proudest achievement?
There are so many things to be proud of and grateful for! I believe that I am lucky to be able to meet and learn from different people with varied experiences.
Are there any ways you support women/women businesses in Hong Kong?
I am proud to day that I do support Hong Kong local brands, especially small startups and independent brands. I buy from them, I talk about them on social media and just show love and support in any way I can.
I’m also passionate about some causes and try to get behind them. You’ll often see me wearing W;ink Atelier‘s upcycled jewellery and clothes from Redress (just recently, my son and I walked the ramp for them!). I support ImpactHK and the tremendous work they do in Hong Kong. And I love animal rescue shelters – my dogs are from SPCA HK and Catherine’s Puppies. In fact, next month, I’ll be helping SPCA raise funds by mixing and serving cocktails at a bar, so do come!
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What’s your work mantra?
- Keep learning
- Be humble
- Work hard
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All images courtesy of Utah Lee via Instagram.
