In Her Sixties, Linda Mitchell Is Better Than Ever

When I sneezed loudly (and quite unprofessionally, if I’m honest) at the beginning of our interview, Linda Mitchell warned me to be careful. 

“It always starts that way,” she cautioned in a tone one might expect their mother to take under the same circumstances. But she was speaking from experience, being herself in the midst of fighting a brutal chest infection and making her way through a round of antibiotics. It was an illness that had emerged some weeks earlier, prior to her STRONG Fitness Magazine cover shoot, and though it had come dangerously close to derailing her trip from Ohio to Toronto, Canada, she had soldiered through. 

For those who know Linda, they wouldn’t expect anything less from this mother, entrepreneur, and decorated pro Fitness competitor—and for those who don’t know Linda, they’re about to come to terms with the fact that she isn’t one to let anything stop her, especially a low-grade fever.

Family Matters

A self-proclaimed “glamma,” Linda’s face changes when speaking of her children and their accomplishments, lighting up with pride as she lists their personal and professional achievements. Her daughter Tiffany is a photographer who “shoots all of the stars—people like Jane Fonda, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Sydney Sweeney,” she gushes, though when pressed admits it might be “a little” weird for her daughter to be behind the camera while she poses in, say, a bikini, but to never say never. Similarly, her youngest son is a cinematographer who has had his work screened at Cannes, and his recent movie, Riddle of Fire, is streaming on Amazon. And her oldest, Mike, who writes and produces music under the name Digital Tapestry, has found the same passion for athletics as his mother, which she admits may have had something to do with her kids’ upbringing. 

“I think that it was my husband and I [who influenced them],” she shares. “Jake, my younger son, when he was a child he sometimes would complain, because I was always making recipes that had a healthy twist. But now he tells me, ‘I miss your healthy experiments, mom.’”

This same penchant for physical activity and healthy living extends to her two grandchildren, Parker and Elliot. While Linda’s daughter finds herself exercising as she chases the kids around the house, when “glamma” visits, they put her through their own type of home workout, a YouTube series called Danny Go!

“It’s a crazy cardio workout,” Linda insists. “My grandson was so into it, and then my granddaughter was like, ‘It has a lot of running and jumping, but this one [the video she had queued up] isn’t bad.’ 

“It’s really cute though, and very adventurous. Like, they’re climbing mountains and dodging things [on the screen]. We had to jump up on the footstool to get away from the alligators—it was so fun.”

Her only regret? “I do wish I could see them more,” the 64-year-old shares, echoing a common desire of many grandparents. The distance between her and her grandchildren, who live in New York, is nearly a nine-hour drive or an hour-and-a-half direct flight, so you can bet when she does get to see them she goes all out—living room obstacle courses and all.

Many Hats, Many Crowns

But of course, Linda is more than her maternal instincts. Her list of accomplishments reads like a wishlist for any 21st century woman: owner of the Sisterhood of Sweat gym, based in West Chester, Ohio, as well as an online program called SOS Sweat City; founder and host of the SOS: Sisterhood of Sweat podcast, where she has interviewed the likes of Newt Gingrich and Howie Mandel; author of two inspiring books; a four-time champion competitor who has achieved her Fitness and Bikini Pro cards; and the current reigning Mrs. Ohio USA, a title that has taken her around the country in support of worthy charities that speak to her personal interests.

“I was looking for something that had a platform and could really help you reach people, because I want to make an impact,” she explains as to what drew her to the organization. “And you can’t do that hiding in the dark—you gotta shine like a light.” The fact that she could use her title to reach women across the country while giving back really spoke to her. “They have a charity, Love Without Boundaries, for children who need surgeries or foster care. And then the charity I support through my work with the organization is Women Helping Women, here in Ohio. They help women overcoming abuse with whatever they need, like housing, legal care, or groceries.”

This foundation truly hits close to home for Linda. Decades ago, she found herself in a similar situation, trapped in a relationship that sapped her of her individuality and made it nearly impossible for her to function in a healthy manner. It was through the help of others, including organizations like Women Helping Women, that Linda was finally able to break free.

“I remember working at a Y with some abused women and children. I remember listening to them talk in the circle, and I thought, ‘Someday, when I….’” Retelling the story, Linda’s voice breaks. But after a few tears were dabbed on both sides of our Zoom call, she returned to painting the picture of how all of her business endeavors were sparked by those early difficult years. 

“I could have sailed off into the sunset and retired, you know, but I wanted to build something where women have a place to bond, a soft place to fall, a place of sport and community,” she says of her women-only gym. “And because I am the survivor of domestic violence, I really wanted to build a place that I wish I would have had way back when, where they can rebuild themselves and start to feel whole again. 

“I really have moved past that [relationship]—you know, it was a long time ago,” she continues. “But I still see abuse in this world, not just physical, but emotional and mental manipulation. I want women to realize what they’re worthy and deserving of, so they won’t settle for less. And one way for that to happen is for them to have self-esteem and confidence, and I feel like you can really build that in the gym with a bunch of great women surrounding you.”

That dream has come true at Sisterhood of Sweat (which stands for “strong women empowering, achieving together”) where clients of many different backgrounds come together to celebrate their own power through fitness. And because Linda has been there herself, she knows how it just takes that first step—and someone to believe in you, like she has found with her husband Tracy, who she calls “a brilliant engineer” that helped build her studio—to put you on a new, better path. She’s living proof of it.

Continuing the Tradition

After we signed off from our chat, Linda was already back in competition mode, preparing for her July Mrs. USA show with other title holders from around the country—where she placed second runner-up, by the way—and a couple fitness competitions in the fall where she plans on tackling the Figure, Fitness, and Fit Model categories. While that show schedule may look daunting to younger competitors, for Linda it’s a no-brainer. But it wasn’t always that way.

“[The Fitness category] is my first love—in fact, I taught myself how to do all the tricks at 40,” she says. “A lot of people started in gymnastics when they were young, but I never did, since my dad was very conservative. So I just said to myself, ‘I’m gonna keep going and keep improving.’ And I did. I think I was between 56 and 58 when I started doing a one-hand planche!”

Let that be a lesson to us all: the passage of time is a blessing, and certainly not something to be feared. Thanks to it, Linda has been able to spread her message of self-love and perseverance around the world, inspiring women of all ages who want to feel better, move better, and be the best version of themselves.

As Linda says, “It’s the same line I say on my podcast: be who you are instead of who others want you to be.” It’s this believe-in-yourself attitude that has allowed her to achieve goal after goal, year after year—and who knows what records and accolades her upcoming years will hold.