Fairfield Trainer Hopes To Heal Bodies, Minds

FAIRFIELD, Conn. ? Loredana Trandu has led a varied life. Her story stretches from Eastern Europe to eastern Fairfield County, from tennis courts to classrooms.

That might be why her new business, Transcend, is so difficult to sum up in a few words. Part fitness center, part yoga studio and part psychological counseling service, Trandu’s Post Road center covers a wide range of services. But her stated goal is much simpler: make Fairfielders healthier.

“Using meditation, counseling and movement, we will help our community to realize its highest potential and reach out to others in a loving way,” Trandu said.

Trandu was born in Romania during the country’s communist rule and came to the U.S. with her family in 1990. In her home country she was a professionally trained athlete and she continued to train when she arrived in Fairfield. But she realized as she grew older that her obsession with fitness had more to do with her self-esteem than being healthy.

“My initial interest in fitness came from vanity and fear of not being accepted unless I looked perfect,” Trandu said. She added, “Even though on the surface, I looked like I had it all together, inside, I was filled with anxiety and grief.”

To help deal with her issues, Trandu studied psychology when she went on to Sacred Heart University. But she stuck with her passion for fitness and after graduation co-founded FreeStyle Fitness in Westport. 

Still, she thought something was missing. So, after a few years, she sold her half of the business and returned to Europe. She studied yoga first in Austria and then studied it on an ashram, or spiritual commune, in France. 

“In the months that followed I practiced karma yoga, which means service to others: cooking, cleaning, teaching classes and learning from the old yogis who had been on this journey a lot longer than I. It was inspiring and humbling,” Trandu said. 

Her time in Europe inspired her to start a new business, helping bodies as well as minds. She returned to Connecticut and earned a degree in Community Counseling from Fairfield University. She then opened Transcend a few months ago. 

Trandu and her staff offer fitness classes, personal training and yoga sessions at their 1735 Post Road studio, along with nutrition plans. But Trandu also runs counseling sessions, psychotherapy and support groups for females with body image issues. 

For more information visit Trandu’s website.

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