Not only is Kathryn McKenzie an award-winning personal trainer, but she is also a leader with a powerful vision for our industry’s future. I had the chance to interview this influential woman and I cannot wait to share her advice with you. Listen below or anywhere you listen to podcasts. Podcast Home Page Apple Podcasts Spotify Google Podcasts https://youtu.be/LgojSzHmG7U
Bonjour! We know our services positively impact not only physical but also mental health. I’ve been incredibly impressed with the shift in our industry towards a more well-rounded approach to how we communicate the benefits of an active lifestyle on wellness, yet I know that this is an area in which many crave more knowledge and skills. There are simple ways you can not only confidently support your clients and classes towards positive mental health within what you already offer, but also mindfully coach them to strengthen their resilience and cope with mental health challenges. These include building resilience and coping
Offbeat Fitness Education? While that is Trevor Pickett’s business name, it is far from his outlook on the fitness and wellness industry. Trevor may have started out as a local personal trainer, but he has grown to become a canfitpro Personal Trainer of the Year nominee as well as an industry leader. Take some time to listen to his advice on how to weather through the ups and downs of a fitness career, while continuing to inspire your clients in meaningful ways. Listen below or anywhere you listen to podcasts. Podcast Home Page Apple Podcasts Spotify Google Podcasts https://youtu.be/N7ycrXmycjA
We likely chose our fitness careers because we love connecting with people, helping them reach their health goals, creating fun experiences they crave coming back to. All the behind-the-scenes documenting, administration, and operations? Not so much. What’s required to successfully manage our clients and classes has evolved over time and the requirements are now more entrepreneurial than ever. This means we’re likely tracking well beyond who simply showed up that day or the number of sessions a client has banked. Becoming the phenomenal health and fitness advocate our careers deserve we need to improve our skills beyond sets and reps and
Have you met Vysh Sivakumaran? I have and she’s amazing! Vysh is a leader in the Toronto fitness community — working to create inclusive and accessible fitness classes, along with her partner Pat, through their virtual platform called Fitness in Place. She advocates passionately for representation in the industry for South Asian women, but more broadly, she aims to be a voice for all people who may face barriers in the wellness world. Check out this edition of “In Bed with…” to learn more about how you can be your own biggest advocate. As a special bonus, use the code “NEWYEARSTRONG”
Believe. Learn. Achieve. That’s Sue Staresinic’s motto. In this recording, Sue Staresinic and I talk about how to combine skills and expertise to thrive into an award-winning career. She believes that she owes her success to her niche in cancer rehab and lymphedema management. Why? Because the riches are in the niches! Listen below or anywhere you listen to podcasts. Podcast Home Page Apple Podcasts Spotify Google Podcasts https://youtu.be/M8YFy1VZWyc
The findings of this research might hit the spot for some of our clients: there is a causational link between exercising and eating fruits and vegetables and happiness. At a time when many of us could best describe our emotional state as languishing, positive causation between lifestyle and life satisfaction is an uplifting discovery. My invitation to you, my fellow fitness and wellness leaders, this week is simple and sweet. Take a moment to read this article, and perhaps the related article in the Journal of Happiness Studies, then share with your clients, participants, and loved ones. A highlight from
The concept of “meeting our clients where they’re at” has expanded tenfold in its meaning since 2020. The most successful fitness leaders are now providing opportunities to move using a combination of at home, either virtual or in-person, outdoors, and in a gym or studio. What many of us have been wondering is if and when the majority of our former gym members and clients would be returning to the bricks and mortar facilities we loved. The answer so far: it depends. As frustrating as that can seem I’m happy to share insights on what we’re seeing in key markets. Canada:
Have you met Suaad Ghadban? She is an award-winning fitness leader who has managed teams of talented instructors, launched her own fitness program and uplifts our industry through her leadership. In this recording, Suaad Ghadban and I talk about compensation within the fitness industry, how to become a better leader, and so much more. Listen below or anywhere you listen to podcasts. Podcast Home Page Apple Podcasts Spotify Google Podcasts
You asked for it and I’m thrilled to meet your needs! In Bed with the Fitness Industry is now a podcast on Spotify, Google, and Apple Podcasts! We’ve rolled out of Bed so you can take us anywhere and listen to the phenomenal insights provided by our incredible guests. The first NEW episode with Jessica Maurer is already available as she shares her insights on building a sustainable career as a fitness leader! Helping you thrive as a fitness professional is what I’m dedicated to, therefore all of “season 1” is also available now. The generous guests we featured are Ann
Let’s get real fitfam; we have a relationship problem. Business owners and managers are struggling more than ever in finding the right staff and fitness pros aren’t working WITH them to build the compensation they want. As the cupid of the fitness industry, I absolutely see both sides and am here to help! Let’s not waste a crisis and use the current employment climate to break away from traditional compensation models. Fitness pros keep telling me they hate being seen as staff who just come in to teach their class or train their client, and then leave. They are paid as
If you want to know more about building a career you love, join Jessica H. Maurer and me in this edition of In Bed with the Fitness Industry. We share tips to take you from a job you like to a career you love. When you want more, make sure to join us for 21 days of coaching for $21 starting September 21st. You can register here!https://youtu.be/fI9bDk5mf7M
You’ve done the work to identify your “why”. You’ve read the books, been on the webinars, spent time reflecting. You’re now clear on you’re the reason you’ve dedicated your fitness career to serving others. Great! Now, what do you do with that information? It becomes the filter you use to make decisions moving forward: the places you chose to work, the classes and clients you take on, the partners you collaborate with, the projects you invest your time and energy into. Here are your next 2 steps: Make a list of your non-negotiables. These should include: The types of company
I read a post by Cory Muscara that stopped me in my tracks last week. “Not being willing to let go of a life we like is often the reason we don’t have a life that we love.” Does that resonate with your current job in the fitness industry? I know the reason I stayed at a few jobs was because I “liked” it: the work, the people, the salary. The push to move away from those jobs just wasn’t enough and I didn’t have anything much better lined up. So, I stayed, sometimes longer than I should have for my
Congratulations Louise Vigneault for winning canfitpro’s prestigious Participant’s Choice PRO TRAINER Award! Please join us in celebrating our phenomenal PRO TRAINER team member Louise who was selected by canfitpro thanks to her incredible mentoring and support of each and every student that comes through her certification courses. Here is just one example of feedback we’ve received from a former participant in her course: “Louise is a fantastic teacher having the knowledge, the methods, the talent to connect to people, and the patience to help her students overcome all the obstacles. Louise is honest, friendly, and very pleasant. I know she will
Have you walked by your headshot at your gym or studio and noticed you changed your hairstyle 4 times since then? Does your LinkedIn bio still have you working at your old job? Not keeping up with all the in-person and digital places where we identify ourselves can lead to some serious confusion as to who we truly are and the fantastic services we now offer. It can be a bit embarrassing. How do you consistently communicate the best of yourself to ALL potential employers and clients? You need to attract more of the right career opportunities and build your
Do you have everything in place to get the most out of your fitness career this Fall? Here are my top 3 tips to use in the next 3 weeks of August to set yourself up for 3 phenomenal months of Autumn! The last 6 months have been a whirlwind of adaptation and resilience and all indications are that Fall 2021 will be thriving in health and fitness. If you’re like me, you not only kept serving your clients and participants as well as staying agile to respond to new opportunities that came your way. The stage is set to thrive
We are only 10 days away from canfitpro’s Online Global Conference and Tradeshow and I am thrilled to have 2 FREE REGISTRATIONS to give away!! As your fitness industry coach and cupid I’m making this easy-peasy; let’s prepare ourselves for a phenomenal Fall career by dedicating some time on learning in August. Enter to win!! Name 1 thing you’re doing this summer to build your fitness career on any of my social posts (Facebook or Instagram) or below in the comments. I’ll draw 2 winners of the FREE REGISTRATION this Friday August 6th at 9am EDT. https://youtu.be/DnzUvW0GkCQhttps://youtu.be/CyuY-J-b348 I look forward to
“If you are not embarrassed by the first version of your product, you’ve launched too late.” – Reid Hoffman, the founder of LinkedIn The biting quote that kicks off the article from my colleague Jessica Maurer; she explains how we were motivated to change our own program and shares her five steps to help you do the same: Maybe that quote is extreme for your business. Perhaps embarrassed is not the right word, but you can sense something is wrong. The offering isn’t selling, you don’t have people in your classes, or it’s attracting the wrong clients. What can you do
We are perfectly poised for long and rewarding careers, as long as we understand key opportunities. Are you ready to adapt to trends in the $1.5 trillion wellness market? Your current and potential clients are looking for programs and services that are at the fingertips of savvy fitness professionals. Here are three key skills that will have you serving your clients’ needs in the years to come: Skill #1: Moving Towards Better Sleep With most adults stating that they aren’t getting enough sleep, we owe it to provide guidance towards better sleep hygiene. Its impact on productivity, energy, food choices and
Recently, I was interviewed for KIPS FitPro Foundations Podcast; I am so excited to share with you my tidbits of truth about post-COVID opportunities, knowing and understanding your worth, and how to develop skills to move you forward in the fitness industry. Take a listen here or in the video below. Do you agree with my thoughts on if the fitness industry is essential? Nathalie Lacombe is a coach and cupid of Canada’s fitness industry. Blending 25 years of international experience with degrees in psychology and exercise science, Nathalie passionately supports thriving careers for fitness leaders. Drawing from her vast knowledge
As we enjoy the longest day of the year in the northern hemisphere things are heating up in the fitness industry! Is your summer programming setting you up to thrive in your career in the Fall? Some of us are jumping right into some new routines with our clients and classes while others, especially those who kept going the past 15 months, and taking some much-needed rest. For me, I’ve adapted my planning from 2 seasons-ahead to 1 season-ahead in order to stay agile and be truly adaptable to faster-moving changes and needs of my clients and partners. I thought I’d
Are you feeling like you’re now spending half of your free time deciding what, how, and when to post on social media to grow your fitness career success? I hear ya! Remember the old days when we just prepared our classes and training sessions and just showed up?! Now it seems like the minute you get good at Facebook; Instagram launches a new feature that you “have” to start using. (Those of you who follow me on Instagram may remember me begging for a teenager to come help me with Reels a few weeks ago lol). It’s exhausting. How do you
Depending on how long you’ve worked in the fitness industry, you’ve probably been through a few iterations of stretching versus flexibility versus mobility. We all want our clients and participants to benefit from pain-free movement and are drawn to theories, systems, and tools that can support it. As a Yoga teacher, I constantly get asked which movement, or asana, helps “stretch” which muscle by my clients, and my answer is rarely as simple as they’d like it to be. My colleague Mai-Linh Dovan from Rehab-U wrote this comprehensive article that helped me reframe the concept, I hope it does the same
Are you worried your style is training is too niche? Do you know if your brand and your services are clear enough to attract the types of people who can and want to serve? It’s tough to imagine saying no to a potential client, but you wouldn’t have to worry about that if your brand both attracts the right clients and repels the wrong ones. Knowing how to put yourself out there authentically and having potential clients and participants actually notice what you offer is key. It’s overwhelming. Where do you start? You need to attract more of the right
Do you have the desire to provide a motivational boost to your community? I have the perfect solution for you! National Physical Activity Day will be held on June 5th and I invite you to participate by offering an event. While this is a Canadian event, I promise my fitfam around the world that you’ll be inspired and find great resources on these web site and apps! It is my pleasure to be a part of it again this year along with you, my wonderful colleagues. This year’s National Physical Activity Day will also give you the opportunity to speak out
Do you use exercise to numb the feelings and emotions you find challenging? Plenty of fitness professionals do; I’ve even heard some call it their “drug of choice” as if stating that the healthy behavior of exercise is perfectly acceptable as a means of avoiding mental and emotional challenges. As the coaches who support our client’s physical, mental, and immune health I invite us to reflect on this year’s theme for Mental Health Week: Name it, don’t numb it. The Canadian Mental Health Association is inviting us to express and deal with our emotions, even the uncomfortable ones with their hashtag
Have you invested in tools meant to improve mobility? Have you suggested your clients and participants do the same? So many fitness professionals have included “mobility training” in their repertoire in the hopes of keeping their clients pain-free and even injury-free; that’s why this article written by my colleague Mai-Linh Dovan from Rehab-U resonated with me and I decided to share it with you. Let me know what you think! Foam rolling doesn’t improve mobility. That’s her starting statement… Now you’re probably saying: Then why does it make people feel good and why do they feel more mobile after foam rolling?
We’ve all been there! Feeling like a fraud when we’re trying to ask for a raise or increase our rates, or even post content on social media. We get stuck in “imposter syndrome” and it sucks. It’s not only keeping you away from your dreams and goals, but also not getting you any closer to serving the people who need and deserve your help! There are tons of fitness leaders, some with much less experience and fewer qualifications, posting oodles of content and making a lot of money. How do YOU become confident and stay authentic? You need to attract
An incredibly insightful article written by my friend and Certified Athletic Therapist Mai-Linh Dovan from Rehab-U, I just had to share! These days, everyone wants to sell you the latest, fanciest mobility tool. It’s pretty cool to have the latest tools like vibrating foam rollers and balls, high tech massage guns, colorful cups and scraping tools. Many people still think mobility tools need to be purchased. But tools aren’t necessarily objects. A tool is anything used to carry out a particular function or provide a desired outcome. So before spending money on an implement, best first make sure you are using
Positivity. It’s contagious, right? Take a listen to Krista Popowych as she shares ways you can share your positive outlook with other fitness professionals, clients & the industry as a whole in my latest vlog. https://youtu.be/F7HnV3SdsFk
Are you spending hours trying to create the text and visuals for social media in the hopes of getting more clients for your classes, sessions, and services? Then getting discouraged by the few likes and comments? It’s exhausting. How do you fix it? You need to build your brand, as simply and quickly as possible. The first step in knowing what to share and post is getting crystal clear on your “why” because people don’t buy a product or even service, they buy into what our brand promises to deliver. Ask yourself these three questions: What types of training or services
Fitness facilities are slowly reopening from coast to coast, and with everything in place to keep staff and clients safe we’re hopeful they will stay open. Are you ready to relaunch? Have you revised your products and services? Your pricing? We need to be incredibly well prepared to serve the clients who will be coming back, welcome new ones and, most importantly, have taken the time to create a brand new “post-crisis” strategy. Our industry will have undergone the greatest transformation since its inception because of the pandemic and the fitness pros who will enjoy lasting success are those who will
Selena Isles is a yoga +meditation steward, speaker, creatrix and international DJ Seriousblack. In my latest edition of “In Bed With…”, Selena is raw, unfiltered, and organically authentic. She shares how to fully embrace yourself while also embracing all of those around you. Selena packs a lot into this interview and I cannot wait for you to listen. *This interview has a few NSFW words…
The fragility of health care systems all over the world have come to light in the past year and the fitness industry quickly realized how it is not seen as an essential service by government officials, medical experts, or the general public. We’ve been surprised and hit hard by this realization, but I don’t think most of us were shocked. Less than 20% of the population exercises in a structured environment and if we’re honest with ourselves, we know that we’ve spent way too much time and energy talking about the bodies we sculpt, and not enough about the lives we
This February 1st to 7th is National Health and Fitness Winter Week in Canada. In collaboration with canfitpro, Fitness Industry Council of Canada has created a 7-day schedule to promote fitness that is accessible to everyone. I encourage you to share this event with your clients in order to help bring awareness to the importance of physical activity, getting in 150 minutes of exercise per week, as well as what our industry has to offer. We’ve learned over the past months that making fitness accessible in all forms is critical to continuing to build trust with government decision-makers and the general
Competition. It’s the current buzzword of the industry. Take a listen to what international industry veteran Geoff Bagshaw has to say about competition with other gyms, trainers, and technology in my latest vlog.
Maybe you should quit your job in the fitness industry. We are all being asked to come face to face with the TRUE reasons we became fitness leaders and for some of us the passion has shifted. There are oodles of opportunities in fitness, but there are also industries that have flourished since March 2020 and are heavily recruiting to meet the demand. If what’s required of you to continue in fitness no longer motivates you it’s perfectly reasonable for you to do what’s best in order to provide for yourself and your family. A little over two years ago I
So many fitness pros have launched 2021 with incredible enthusiasm and positivity, bravo! I’m hopeful that you had sufficient downtime during the holiday season to reflect on the right projects that will render the results for our industry and the general public. Are you focused on the right things in 2021?? Here’s what you need to know: 1. Never before has the general public been more aware of their health: The pandemic caused a tectonic shift in the way people think about their health. The concepts of risk factors and pre-existing or underlying conditions are now mentioned regularly in the media
In my interview with Mo Hagan, we discuss pivoting your business quickly and efficiently. But the only way to do so is to be linked with your purpose to serve in the industry. If you need some motivation, listen to her powerful message in the video below. https://youtu.be/P6ptgq0Fd4Q
