Your Yes Life Now

"Everyday Is a New Day to Be a Better Version of Yourself"   About Today's Guest Myrna Brady has more than 27 years of combined Education, Fitness, Music, and  Business experience. She has a very eclectic and diversified background and has worked in management and or executive positions in each of the following areas, Sales, Marketing, Human Resources Management and Retail Marketing. Myrna has worked for fortune 500 companies like Nabisco & Nike as well as start up internet ventures.   She is national fitness presenter, certified personal trainer and group fitness instructor/coach and motivational speaker and she has been educated by some of the most recognized fitness certification bodies in the world: ACE, NASM, Spinning®, PHI Pilates, ECITS and the YMCA to name a few.   Prior to her career in fitness, she was a Humane Resources Executive and Professional Opera Singer.   Myrna has been a licensed school teacher for the East Coast Instructor Training School, an Instructor Trainer for ACE's CPR, First Aid, AED program and Corporate Regional Faculty Instructor for TSI/NYSC. She has also been a fitness presenter for ECA, DCAC, TSI, LIFNG conventions and worked in a management capacity for many of the top tiered health clubs in the industry.   She has taught fitness, health and mindfulness workshops in several Westchester, New York City School Districts and at the Boys & Girls Club in Mount Vernon. Myrna prides herself one offering value added & results driven solutions to her clients. Her solutions helps her clients  meet their personal goals and or enhance their bottom line. Myrna currently offers Virtual Fitness Classes and Professional Development Talks and Workshops.   Stay In Touch With Myrna Website Facebook Instagram   Mentioned In This Episode White Fragility by Robin Diangelo How To be An AntiRacist by Ibram X. Kendi Trevor Noah  

"Believe The Dream" About Today's Guest John Jantsch is a marketing consultant, speaker, and author of Duct Tape Marketing, The Referral Engine, Duct Tape Selling, The Commitment Engine, and SEO for Growth. His newest work, The Self-Reliant Entrepreneur: 366 Daily Meditations to Feed Your Soul and Grow Your Business taps into the wisdom of 19th-century transcendentalist literature and the author's own 30-year entrepreneurial journey to challenge today's entrepreneur to remain fiercely self-reliant while chasing their own version of success. Stay In Touch With John The Self-Reliant Entrepreneur Book Website Facebook LinkedIn The Self-Reliant Entrepreneur is a collection of 366 meditations designed to both inspire and challenge the reader through a practice of daily soulful reflection. The book is anchored with readings and quotes from some of the original and most impactful entrepreneurial writing ever created. Authors and essayists such as Ralph Waldo Emerson, Margaret Fuller, Henry David Thoreau, Louisa May Alcott, and Walt Whitman encouraged individuals to trust and develop the gifts that only they could bring to the world. Best-selling author of Duct Tape Marketing, John Jantsch curated this rich vein of literature and used his thirty-year entrepreneurial journey to create a work that is inspirational, timely, and relevant for today's entrepreneur or anyone who seeks to live a more fulfilling and joyful life. The book challenges you to think deeply about why you are doing the work you are doing and living the life you are living.

"What Is The Whisper That Will Not Leave You Alone?" Today's episode is a solo show for this moment in time. While the word is still on a global pause, I invite you today to start moving ahead as you plant the seeds for tomorrow. There are many moments when we look back and see how our seemingly small choices move us either closer to a life we love to life or shift us away from what we hoped - we and our life - would be. Here is the reflection sheet for today's episode. ReflectionSheet_108 To sign up for The Confidence Catalyst Course and a Year of Group coaching click here. Join before May 1st and receive a $100 thank you on both the full and three month payment. Full payment: HOPE2020 Three month payment: HOPE3  

Success Is Generous Today's Guest Susie Moore is a former Silicon Valley Sales Director turned Life Coach and Advice Columnist. Her work has been featured on the Today show, Oprah, Business Insider, The Huffington Post, Forbes, Time Inc, Marie Claire and she's the resident Life Coach Columnist for Greatist. Susie's work and insights have been shared by celebrities and thought leaders including Arianna Huffington, Paulo Coelho, Kris Jenner, and Sara Blakely. Her first book What If It Does Work Out? was named by Entrepreneur as one of the 8 Business Books Entrepreneurs Must Read to Dominate Their Industry. Susie lives in Miami with her husband Heath and Yorkshire To Stay In Touch With Susie Book  Website Instagram Facebook  Let's Connect Community Calls: Tuesday and Thursday 10 am EST Book Club The Confidence Catalyst Course and Community  As a thank you for being a podcast listener and purchase before May 1st enter these codes to receive a $100 gift for your course: One Payment: Hope2020 Payment plan: Hope3      

Staying Centered, Creating Community and Moving Forward So the show notes today are the resources that are helping me get through these unprecedented and challenging times and I hope they help you too. How To Stay Updated Without The Overwhelm The New York Times is offering free updates on the virus and you can find them here: Books on Creating More Revenue Streams and How To Make A Change Entrepreneurial You by Dorie Clark Pivot by Jenny Blake Free books by Matt Church  Meditation Insight Timer  Petra's Favorite TV Show Schitt's Creek Petra's Positivity Playlist Get Up And Dance Community Building Jon Giswold  Trina Gray  Finding People To Help You With Your Business Fiverr  Upwork Jenny Blake and Podcasting 10 Lessons In Three Years of Podcasting – The Pivot Podcast Episode 100  Connect with my awesome podcast editor: James Ede of Be Heard Now who offers a free trial episode for new clients.  Previous Podcast Episodes That May Be Helpful  Chantal Broderick  Shannon Fable Fantastic Podcast by Chalene Johnson on Creating Revenue Today Be well, be safe and I will be here as long as need be to share strategies and ideas to help you not only recover but come out on the other side stronger than before.   

A short meditation to help you find the calm in the chaos.

"Stop the Swirl, Access the Quiet, Tap into the Whispers, Share with the World" Show Notes This week's show is inspired by my recent experience at the Oprah Winfrey 2020 Vision Tour. Below are a few questions and insights from the day. I encourage you to print out these questions and take some time after this episode to get quiet, turn inward and listen to the whispers. What do you have to do to get closer to a place to doing what you want to do? What is it you really want to do with the rest of your life? What allows you to expand versus fit in? What is it that you can do to live out the truest, highest, expression of you? What is it you are afraid of? What is the thought under your fear? What do you want more of in this life? What do you want less of in this life? Where do you let yourself down? What lights you up? What would your life look like if you removed the word "When" from your life? What thought is standing between you and your dreams? What thoughts empower you to live into your best life? How would your life change if I looked at my life through the lens of intention? Download your FREE Confidence Catalyst Reflection Book Here

Confidence is Trusting That You Will Show Up for Yourself Show Notes In this solo episode I walk you through a few of the steps that I take my clients through when working with them around the feelings of confidence. A few of the highlight takeaways are: Know your strengths and write them down on a post it note or index card. Place the cards and notes where you can see them throughout the day. These reminders will help you remember all the gifts that you already have inside of you Stop looking outside of yourself for answers When talking to yourself always treat yourself as you would treat those you love Begin your day with anticipation and end the day with gratitude The challenging thing is that we have to act confidently before we feel and believe in our own confidence. And to act more confidently we need to focus on our strengths versus our gaps. The Five Reasons That People Often Lack Confidence Are: Setting expectations too high Self judgement The Fear of failure Lack of experience Lack of a skill The Circle of Confidence happens when: We assess the areas we need to strengthen We do the work and begin to practice We stop after a few days or week to assess We modify our actions – keeping what is working and tweaking what could be done differently to get us closer to our goals We repeat The difference between those that so and those that don't has very little to do with talent and a lot to do with the belief that we will show up for ourselves, without judging ourselves and simply doing the best we can each and everyday. Mentioned in This Show TED Talk Embrace The Remix Character Strength Survey  Downloadable Handout on Confidence     

Movement Can Be a Life Preserver About Today's Guest Kelly McGonigal is a health psychologist and lecturer at Stanford University who specializes in understanding the mind-body connection. As a pioneer in the field of "science-help," her mission is to translate insights from psychology and neuroscience into practical strategies that support personal well-being and strengthen communities. She is the best-selling author of The Willpower Instinct and The Upside of Stress. Through the Stanford Center for Compassion and Altruism, she helped create Stanford Compassion Cultivation Training, a program now taught around the world that helps individuals strengthen their empathy, compassion, and self-compassion. You might know her from her TED talk, "How to Make Stress Your Friend," which is one of the most viewed TED talks of all time, with over 20 million views. Her new book, The Joy of Movement, explores why physical exercise is a powerful antidote to the modern epidemics of depression, anxiety, and loneliness. Stay In Touch With Kelly The Joy of Movement Website Instagram Facebook Twitter TED Talk Show Notes Kelly McGonigal is the author of a game-changing book called The Joy of Movement and if you are in the fitness industry this is a must-read. We dive in by talking how movement has helped both and Kelly and myself with anxiety, and the importance of embracing movement as a gift that can help us in so many ways, including depression, anxiety, loneliness and finding community. Kelly discovered very early on that exercise made her feel good but it wasn't until she was in college and graduate school that she really understood how important movement would be to her life. It was moving her body that gave her an embodied sense of hope and courage and it was movement that allowed her to start a workout feeling anxious, stressed out, and judging herself and by the end of the workout, she would feel as though she could take on the world. In this episode, we discuss how exercise can help us deal with feelings such as anxiety, depression, trauma, and grief. We also look at the research that is showing how exercise goes much deeper than just the endorphin rush that we get when we're working out. Kelly also shares how exercise changes our brain in ways that make us more resilient to stress which in turn makes us braver. I ask Kelly what her dreams are for this book and she hopes that this book will change the conversation around movement, to move it away from the myopic conversations around calories and tracking steps. She is hoping that we all get to understand that our bodies are our best vehicles for experiencing so many human joys and it is the vessel that will take us forward into our dream life. We move on to talk about music. Kelly shares that music is a universal human joy. We are reminded how people love listening to music, love making music and how people love moving to music. The research also reveals that when people move together, they form friendships and it strengthens relationships. She goes on to reveal that research is demonstrating that music has a much more powerful effect on mood and on strengthening social relationships when we move our body to the music rather than when we just listen to it. Kelly and I talk about the panic attacks I used to have and how exercise helps us create a new relationship with the physical symptoms of stress or anxiety. When we exercise, our heart rate increases, we breathe faster, we sweat and we blush, which feels a lot like a panic attack. The research shows that one of the reasons that exercise helps with panic attacks is that it starts to color the meaning of those symptoms differently. This is a great piece of information for anyone out there struggling with anxiety and panic. Kelly's book is full of heartwarming stories about people whose lives have been changed by movement. No matter whether she was talking to rowers or runners, dancers or weightlifters or Cross Fitters or Gardeners, the common them that came through was the feeling of interdependence and how much we rely on one another to survive. This is important for fitness professionals who need to know their value in the world, along with the opportunities that they are creating for people to experience themselves and create communities in new ways. Kelly hopes that the heartwarming stories found within her book will help people see the possibilities that are present in movement. It's not about finding a workout that you like enough that you can stand it so that you will lose weight. This is a completely different thing. This is about embracing our full potential as human beings and enjoying life and participating in life as we also find community. Kelly shares that any form of movement tends to make people feel better. It's called the feel-better effect. One of the things that exercise seems to produce what is called an achievement sensation. This is a physical sensation of having done something good or worthwhile or meaningful or difficult that then transcends into whatever you face next. So as in your workouts, you feel as though you have achieved something challenging it has a ripple effect into your life. I share my journey to healing a broken heart of five years ago and how it was being on a yoga mat, and taking walks in Central Park that allowed me to slowly and steadily heal from grief. The stories in Kelly's book reminds us that no matter what your age or what you are dealing with, movement can be a life raft. Kelly and I share our own workout stories and the importance of instructors and coaches making us feel seen. One of the side effects of movement is we become socially vulnerable because we enter that physiological and neurochemical state of being open to connection. So if you are an instructor or a coach it is important to remember that you to have an extremely powerful impact on the people in front of you for good or for bad, hopefully for good. Kelly goes on to share that writing this book has given her the complete freedom to share that this is the most important thing in her life. She believes, as do I that movement has the power to change lives and build communities. I hope you get to experience this too.

"Let It Be Easy, Let It Be Fun" About Today's Guest Jenny Blake is the founder of Pivot Method, a growth strategy company that helps forward-thinking individuals and organizations map what's next. She is an international keynote speaker, and the author of Pivot: The Only Move That Matters is Your Next One, which won the Axiom Best Business Books Award in the careers category. Jenny also hosts the popular Pivot Podcast, which CNBC listed among 6 podcasts to make you smarter about your career, and Entrepreneur selected as one of the top 20 female-hosted business podcasts. After two years at a technology start-up in Silicon Valley, followed by five years at Google in Training and Career Development, Jenny moved to New York City in 2011 where she has been running her own consulting business in the years since, helping innovative organizations like Google, Microsoft, and CHANEL incorporate the Pivot Method into their global career development and manager training programs. Her motto: if change is the only constant, let's get better at it. Today you can find Jenny at PivotMethod.com and on her Pivot Podcast. Stay In Touch With Jenny Website Jenny's Podcast FREE Founder Time Course by Jenny  LinkedIn Twitter Instagram Facebook Show Notes For my first interview on Your Yes Life Now Podcast, I had to invite my dear friend Jenny Blake back onto the show. As the author of Pivot, she was the perfect guest for this episode. We begin the conversation with the question "what are we saying yes to?" Jenny shares that saying yes for her is also saying I she is her first priority and that means that her health, her wellness, her rest, her space, her sanity is her first priority – a lesson we can all learn to be better at. The yes for Jenny and her yes life is about honoring who she is and giving herself permission to say no so that she's really clear and joyful when she does say yes. We talk about burnout and how quickly it can loom upon us if we are not careful. Jenny shares that having awareness of our own tendencies is so crucial. And then what she offers for us when we do find ourselves in a state of burnout, is to flood ourselves with self-compassion. So instead of the self-talk that burnout is a problem, flip the conversation to be able to say to yourself -  I can see that you've been working so hard and I see how much you've done. She goes on to share that If she is worried about someone else's wellness more than her own and she hasn't yet done her basics of movement, hydration, eating well, sleep, then she reminds herself to rewind so that she can stay full to help and love those around her. Jenny's life mantra is "Let it be easy, let it be fun." And for her, this is a lens she uses when making decisions about her life and work. As this show was recorded at the end of 2019 we talk about our words for the upcoming year. Mine is Financial Freedom, which moved us into a conversation about money, worth and income. We speak about money being energy and that if we allow ourselves to take the restrictions and the fears and the worries away and we allow full abundance to flow through us, we can serve others, we can serve the world, we can create more, we can reach more, we can donate to charities and we can earn more and share more. We move onto the topic of time and Jenny invites us to question what we have been told about traditional working hours and what it takes to be successful. Jenny wants 2020 to be a year where she can simplify. She shares that she has just blocked off her calendar in 2020. She has blocked out the fourth week of every month along with I blocking off Mondays and Fridays. She is going to experiment with compressing her time and elevating her focus with an estimated total of 1000 working hours in 2020. Jenny's word is luxurious and we both share that our words for 2020 feel a little uncomfortable and we invite you to pick a word for 2020 that is a stretch word – one that makes you feel a little pushed and challenged. Jenny is both spontaneous and also a genius as systems. She also has a mantra that comes from the agile development word and that is - each time you repeat a task, take one step toward automating it. What that means is saving yourself the time. Being kind to your future self. If you find yourself writing an email, giving directions to your home, or any task that you can anticipate you're going to do move it into a system that can be replicated. Jenny and I both believe that you can be successful on your own terms and that it takes courage and perseverance to figure out what works for you and your life and on your terms. With that as we move into 2020, both Jenny and I wish you a journey that is easy and fun -and has systems in place to help you out along the way. Mentioned In This Show The Seat of The Soul by Gary Zukav It's Not Your Money by Tosha Silver Creating Money by Sanaya Roman  

"Your Dreams Were Given To You" So here we are, a new year, a new decade, the 100th episode and a new podcast name "Your Yes Life Now!" So I thought if there was anything I could share with you, that I have experienced recently about what it takes to live your yes life now, your best life now, not your perfect life now – it would be my DJ Journey. The journey began on August 18th, 2018, the day of my book launch for The Perfection Detox in NYC. During the event, I had a Q and A, and was asked, "What's next?" My answer was that I would love to explore DJ'ing, and right then and there, three people came up to me with the sole goal to help me make that dream become a reality. The journey was long, humbling, frustrating and exhilarating. It is one of the most challenging adventures I've undertaken and during the year where I was practicing and mentoring under the eyes and ears of Mike Babbitt, from Yes Fitness Music, I had many ah-ha! Moments and many more moments when I wanted to quit. In this episode, I share some of the lessons I learned that can be applied to both work and life and what it took for me to keep going when all I wanted to do was give up. Life Lessons From The DJ Booth: Bad habits set in early. So review often and fine-tune and Up-level as needed. Number two, liking music and knowing your music are two very different animals. Three to pursue a big audacious goal, you need two things outside of you: A mentor, time-trusted and someone who believes in you. An advocate who sees your vision and opens a door to an opportunity that holds you accountable. The time you are most likely to give up is right before you have earned the wisdom to know that with effort you are capable of doing the work and making your dream a reality. Music in your headphones sounds very different on a big speaker, because sometimes the headphones just lie. Dreams, curiosity, and learning keep you young. Technology is your gateway drug to creativity if you use it correctly. Then a week before I was about to DJ the V.I.P party in Toronto for over 500 people, my second and greatest lesson appeared. I'd gone down to Washington for a tune-up mentorship session. For the past six or so months, I'd been practicing for hundreds of hours, but now looking back – I hadn't been practicing, I had been perfecting a set. Note for note, transition to transition, but that wasn't DJ'ing, that was curating a playlist. During my session, I realized I was no longer spontaneous. I had lost all my curiosity and I had lost all my intuitive skills for trying to be perfect. I had forgotten that nothing worth doing is easy and that perfection will kill your creativity. Life just as a DJ set is best lived and created when being in the moment, and reacting to what is versus what do you have planned for. It was a disaster and I only had 5 days before the big event. I have never been so scared, and have never wanted to quit more – ever. And so what I spent the rest of that week doing, in the five days left before the event, was being in the moment, mixing songs in different ways, trying different intros, outros, fades, beat matching, not beat matching, fading out, fading in, echoes, reverbs. Not being perfect but working with the music in the moment. And then the evening arrived, and it was magical. It was messy and spontaneous and the dance floor guided me the entire evening. It was a conversation,  and a relationship between me, the music and the dancefloor. The dance floor was packed until midnight, and what it taught me is that it's about being in the moment, not being in your head. Leadership, your voice, your course, your new podcast, your new keynote, your new class, your new romance, it doesn't happen in your head, it happens in your heart. It happens through curiosity, it through connection. It happens through doing the work. It happens from your failures. It happens from feeling that fear and recognizing that this is a sign that you need to lean in, not back away. And that's why I have changed the name of this podcast from The Perfection Detox to Your Yes Life Now! Not your perfect life now, not your flawless life – your YES life. I'm excited to hear what you will say "YES!" to this year.    

"Always Begin With The Customer In Mind" About Today's Guest Brynn Putnam is the founder and CEO of ​MIRROR​, a fitness technology company poised to revolutionize the way people work out by bringing the boutique studio experience in-home. For more than a decade, Brynn has been well-regarded as a pioneer of the fitness industry. She started her career as a professional ballet dancer for the New York City Ballet, spending years training to peak performance while also working in some of New York City's top gyms and boutique fitness studios. In 2010, Brynn took her learnings from elite trainers and physiologists across the nation and founded Refine Method, the acclaimed fitness studio dubbed "Best New Workout" by ​New York​ magazine. Now, Brynn is applying her deep expertise in fitness, both as an entrepreneur with a proven track record and an accomplished athlete, to transform the fitness industry again. Brynn graduated from Harvard University with a B.A. in Russian Literature and Culture and is based in New York City. Stay In Touch With Brynn Refine Website Mirror Website Instagram Facebook To Receive a FREE Downloadable Confidence Reflection Book click here: To Stay in Touch with me  Facebook Instagram   Show Notes Click here Thank you so much for listening today, we are taking a brief hiatus to rebrand the show but subscribe below so you will receive notice when we come back on air shortly: iTunes Spotify    

"Fitness is Too Important To Be Boring" About Today's Guest Michael Piercy is the owner-founder of The LAB, a member of the Under Armour training team and a TRX Master Course Instructor and Global Presenter. Mike is the recipient of two of the most prestigious awards in the fitness industry the 2017 IDEA Personal Trainer of The Year Award as well as 2013 TRX Overall Instructor of the Year award given by his peers and colleagues for a great attitude, community spirit, and inspirational teaching. Michael came into the fitness industry full time following a career in professional baseball in which he played for Major league organizations consisting of (Pittsburgh Pirates, New York Mets, Montreal Expos. Mike has had the pleasure of working with and creating programs for many athletes from a vast array of major sports including competing athletes in the NFL, MLB, and NBA. Stay In Touch With Michael Website Facebook Instagram Show Notes Michael got into fitness to stay off the streets. At the age of 15, his mum signed him up to help out at a local health club to help him stay out of trouble. Michael also became fascinated with his elder brother's weight set and to help him not use it all the time, his mum purchased a Hulk Hogan Kit for him to use. Jump rope, a cassette tape, and some instructions later – Michael began to deepen his commitment to the world of fitness. He got his start in a large gym chain which enabled him to experience the many different aspects of a health club. Michael encourages new trainers to also try this entry point when starting out. You will learn a lot about what to do and then also a lot about what not to do. You can gain a tremendous amount of experience in a shorter period of time when you have so many different elements of fitness in one location. Michael moved into the world of baseball when he was drafted by the pirates. He spent 99.9% of his time in the minor league which taught him many valuable lessons. In the minors, you have to do everything yourself for the most part. You're your own strength coach, you travel a lot, you learn to eat a little bit better and in turn, become your own advocate for a healthier lifestyle. When talking about what Michael learned from his time in baseball that he carried with him into the world of fitness he replied with, "It would be split-second adjustment." The ability to be able to adjust to certain things when things sometimes go your way and when things sometimes don't. During his time traveling in baseball he also learned of the importance of being able to get on with many different personalities, cultures, and people from around the globe, this too has also served him well inside of the fitness world. Michael shares how his world expanded when he attended his first fitness conference. He was captivated by the energy and the other attendees and saw there was an entire fitness world outside of New Jersey that was waiting for him to step into. After working hard and applying several times, he became a brand ambassador for TRX and his career was put on a jumpstart. Michael shares the importance of asking the right questions when it comes to building your future and to also set meaningful and inspiring goals. He invites us to do goal setting every year. Write down your goals, write down what you want your life to be like, write down how you want your business to be. Write it down in as much detail and breakdown into as many micro-steps as possible. Just like a fitness program, this is a life program. Another lesson that Michael learned from baseball was that "you have to stay on an even line across." This meant you can't ever really get caught up in the hype, and can't ever get lost in the doubt. To always believe that you're better than your bad days and to never believe the hype that you're so good on your good days. Remain consistent and keep a consistent work ethic, because the game will humble you. In baseball, the guys in the hall of fame, are only good 30% of the time. Michael talks about the importance of looking at your processes that you create and the people you surround yourself with. The importance of creating a tribe of people who you trust and who you can grow with. He struggles, just like most of us to delegate, but Michael also believes in the delegate or die principle too. Michael encourages us to find our lane, to really discover where and with whom you do your best work. Take the time to figure out where you want to be. And in times of doubt ask yourself these three questions: 1. What are you worried about? 2. What are you protecting? 3. What are you waiting for?

"When It's Not Working Hit Delete and Move On" About Today's Guest Sara, CEO of SCW Fitness Education and WATERinMOTION®, is a visionary leader that has transformed the fitness education community. A successful business owner and advisor, she is a keynote speaker, published author, podcast presenter and sought-after industry leader. Sara has launched nine successful MANIA® fitness-professional conventions and over 35 live and online certifications. Her company has touched more than 100,000 Fitness Professionals face-to-face and engaged another 300,000+ in virtual connections. Having produced over 600 Fitness Instructor Training videos, written several books and been published repeatedly in magazines and newspapers, Sara is well-known for her creativity and impact on the health and wellness industry. She has a unique ability to share her passion and devotion towards fitness education through her humor, enthusiasm and her effervescent no-nonsense personality. Sara is committed to sharing her knowledge and expertise as a fitness industry leader for the past 3 decades through speaking engagements across the world. She is a favorite presenter for the Athletic Business Show, Medical Fitness Association, International Council on Active Aging, JCC, Club Industry, YMCA, Illinois Park & Recreation Association, AYP, CanFitPro, IDEA, FitPro, Filex, IHRSA, Marriott Vacation Club, Gold's Gym, WIFA, Nevada Recreation & Park Association as well as over a dozen international events throughout the world. Sara is also the former Owner and CEO of Les Mills Midwest, which she successfully led for over 10 years. Sara is an attorney who graduated from Washington University School of Law and completed undergraduate work from Cambridge University in England. Sara was selected as a Gold Medal winner distinguishing her as a business leader who has contributed to the economic health of her community. She also is the proud recipient of the Illinois State Business Woman of the Year and AEA's Global Award for Contribution to the Aquatic Industry. Having been a former adjunct faculty member for the Kenneth Cooper Institute, ACSM, NASM, ACE and AFAA, Sara serves on the Gold's Gym Think Tank, is on the Women In Fitness Association (WIFA) Board of Directors, and is a proud inductee into the National Fitness Hall of Fame. Sara has left an indelible mark on the fitness industry as she continues to make her impact on fitness professionals worldwide. Stay In Touch With Sara SCW Website Sara's Website SCW Facebook Sara's Facebook Page SCW Instagram Show Notes We begin the show by reflecting back on how I remember first meeting Sara. Her event was the first fitness convention that ever I presented. I still remember the nerves that I felt, as I took to the stage for the first time. Sara's memories go back a little further to the time when I was introduced to the Reebok Faculty as the new "face of Reebok." Well, maybe you can imagine how that went down. Just like anything I needed to earn the trust (and respect) of the team and that was going to take a few years. Sara shares that inside her business she is always looking to hire people with stronger and different talents to her own. She believes that working this way elevates both her business and also her own path to success. Sara talks about how her father encouraged her from an early age to share her voice and have it heard by others and she goes on to talk about the importance of surrounding yourself with good people. People who will lift you up and see the best in you. She shares that while you can't choose your family, you can choose your extended family and the people who will be there for you when things are going great and also there for you when you are in the struggles of life. During the more challenging times, if things are not going as planned Sara shares how her husband invited her to simply, "hit delete and move on." Not always easy, but always worth it. Sara currently runs nine very successful conventions but we go back to a time where she had to cancel her first event due to a lack of attendance. She shares how she managed to get to the others side through the kindness of some vendors and presenters, and even in her darkest times, her husband would remind her of all that was still so good and positive in her life. We go back in time to the time when Sara first moved into the world of fitness. It began through the world of dance and she shares that it was only when she was dancing that she felt beautiful. She was also a runner at school and it was the combination of athletics and dance that brought the world of aerobics into her world. During her start as a fitness instructor, Sara attended the IDEA convention, which was and still is one of the most recognized fitness conventions in the United States. She loved every moment but realized that the cost was going to be prohibitive to attend every year. It was this thought that propelled her to create and develop her own fitness events. She began by renting space in a hotel, asking friends for help and Sara City Workouts was born. Sara shares her thought that not everyone needs to do fitness full time, and that teaching fitness part-time is a fantastic way to contribute to the industry. She then shares if you do want to try to move into fitness full time, to try different things and see which types of projects and people resonate with you and where you do your best work. Sara encourages us to take risks and to learn from our mistakes and the "seeming" failures that happen as we go for our dreams. She reminds us that what social media shows is only half of the story and for any success to happen we will have to have setbacks along the way. Sara believes the future of the wellness industry will be both in bricks and clicks, meaning both the online portals along with face to face connection. Sara believes that one of the best ways to get where you want to go is to simply show up, work hard and persevere. She invites us to choose carefully the people we choose to listen to and to schedule and plan our time carefully so that we can create our best future.

Imagine, Get Clear, Create I loved this conversation with Mark and we begin by him sharing that the reason he got into the fitness industry was because he was not very excited with his body when he was in middle school. Wanting to be an actor he knew he would need to take some to feel confident in his body, but unlike many in the wellness industry, he did not enjoy his first experiences with exercise. However the period of many years, he slowly fell in love with fitness. He became fascinated by the experience of seeing the body change in response to different inputs and metrics. Mark moved to New York in his twenties, in addition to acting some of the time he needed to make money doing other things and essentially developed a clientele among fellow performers, actors, Broadway performers, teaching them about fitness. Fast forward to the summer of 2010 when a number of serendipitous things happen, not the least among them it was the summer he adopted a practice of reading two to sometimes three books per week and became very serious about visioning and goal setting exercises. Within a 12 month period of making the decision to focus a little bit more on his training business, he started Mark Fisher Fitness. Mark talks about the importance of goal setting in all areas of our life. He believes there needs to be a balance of having the ability to see a clear vision of the future, something that's compelling, something that's inspiring, a future version of yourself you want to live into AND also the importance of developing the executive functions that allow you to do the day to day things that will move your vision into goals and then turn those goals into smaller goals and then turning those into habits and skills. Mark shares, "I'm fond of saying, having a clear vision of where you want your life to go will not guarantee that it's going to happen. However, to not have any vision for where you want your life to go will make it very unlikely that you will accidentally create the life that you truly want to be living." A large part of what Mark does is time management and speaks to the idea of a planning fallacy, meaning as humans we are not great at understanding how long things actually take to complete and this includes our fitness goals. He also encourages us to look at money and compensation for our time as an energy exchange. That when we can take in information, consolidate it and then transfer it onto others to help them live better lives, is all worth being compensated for – and well. Mark gives us some great questions to consider when starting or continuing an entrepreneurial venture: Is what I am creating going to help the people I want to serve? Is this something I am excited about and prepared to do the hard work for? Is this something that will make sense financially? We talk about authenticity and how important it is to be yourself when doing your work. Mark shares his journey on how we flipped fitness on its head especially when it came to traditional marketing by using the power of magic and unicorns to stand out from the crowd. The one element that was consistent throughout this part of his business growth was keeping his (target) audience in mind and creating offerings that would resonate with their dreams and desires. Mark also encourages us to have the courage to have the confidence to narrow down our market so that in fact we may not attract and appeal to everybody. Know who you want to serve, know who it is you want to help and then write them a love letter with your work. Stay In Touch With Mark Mark Fisher Website Business for Unicorns Website Instagram Facebook Books Mentioned In This Episode This is Marketing by Seth Godin To Sell is Human by Daniel Pink Blog Post mentioned In The Show The Quick and Dirty System for Goal Setting  

"Keep Moving Forward and Look For The Gaps" About Today's Guest Colin Milner is the CEO of the International Council on Active Aging and founder of the active-aging industry in North America. Milner is also a leading authority on the health and well-being of the older adult and has been recognized by the World Economic Forum as one of "the most innovative and influential minds" in the world on aging-related topics. An award-winning writer, Milner has authored more than 300 articles. He has been published in such journals as Global Policy, and the Annual Review of Gerontology and Geriatrics. He also contributed a chapter to the World Economic Forum book Global Population Ageing: Peril or Promise? Milner's speeches have stimulated thousands of business and government leaders, industry professionals & older adults worldwide. Whether Fortune 100 companies or governmental organizations, Milner's efforts have inspired a broad spectrum of groups to seek his counsel. In addition, Milner received the CanFitPro "Lifetime Achievement Award" for his contributions to the Canadian fitness industry, and had been recognized as one Canada's Top 100 Health Influencers by Optimize Magazine and as one of the "Who's Who" in the Fitness Industry, by Club Industry Magazine. Milner's tireless efforts have leading-edge publications, television networks and radio stations seeking his insights. Among these outlets are: CNN, US News and World Report, Newsweek, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, Dow Jones Market Watch, Money Magazine, Entrepreneur Magazine, WebMD, The National Post, Globe and Mail, Parade Magazine, and Fox Business Radio.   Show Notes As always, we begin the show by finding out how the guest got into fitness. For Colin, it was wanting to become a professional soccer player. After traveling and putting on some weight he decided to become (what was called then) a weight training instructor for the club where he was working out. Colin was pegged later in his career as someone who could also be successful at sales, although he had little interest at the time. He accepted the position of Assistant Manager and realized that during the selling process he could also create meaningful relationships with the potential clients. He realized that he was able to help people reach their goals by getting them involved in the process. One of his mentors told Colin that "nothing will happen until somebody makes that commitment " and that his job of representing the club was to help them make that life-changing decision. Colin realized that he could help others live a better life through fitness and all of that started with them making the decision, to begin the journey to a healthier lifestyle. Colin was one of the first to really embrace the active aging market. He saw that the fitness industry kept going after the same market, and believes that as much as we have all this creativity, we also have a lack of vision. When it comes to the demographic of the boomer market he believes that what we sometimes fail to remember is that more people have gone into the 50 plus segment than ever before. And that segment has grown in wealth. Their disposable income has also grown from 50% to 70% which is a huge leap. He invites us to decide if you want a piece of that action or not? Or do you still all want to scrape over the 20%, who we are already working with. Colin believes we haven't done a great job of using our creativity with this generation. He goes onto say, "If you don't explore this market, you have nobody else to blame but yourself for being ineffective with it. If you put in a poor effort to serve this segment of the population, by thinking that you can just do the same thing and you don't get the results and then you turn around and say, oh, but they don't come to my facilities, all you have to do is look in the mirror because you haven't made the commitment. You have to explore, make the commitment and then sustain that commitment." Colin reminds us that the older generation can sniff out BS, but that is what also makes it really exciting. The active aging market is diverse because as you get older, you become more yourself. We have more, life experience. We have more disparities in income, in functional levels and so on. This is not a one size fits all approach that you can just use. Colin says that the first thing to do is to make a commitment to yourself that you will actually understand who you are serving before you serve them. This incredible generation wants to reignite their lives and they want to discover delayed dreams. Colin gives us a great reminder that the only people who think health isn't worth it are healthy people. Once you start becoming unhealthy, whether it is through a health condition or whatever, a lot of times you'll pay you whatever you have to - to regain that health. Colin reminds us that there is also the importance of building social connections. So much so in the UK right now they offer social prescriptions for patients to go and connect with people. He also shares that the new definition of healthy aging according to the World Health Organization is now the ability to keep your functional abilities at a high level. It is no longer about the absence of disease. We touch on a few of the failures along Colin's journey and how they shaped him for the better. At 29 he needed to declare bankruptcy and it was his sports background that helped him survive this turbulent time. The discipline of showing up even when things were tough. Colin shares that what he is really excited about for the future is that wellness encompasses virtually everything. This means you can get into it in a multitude of different ways. You don't have to be a fitness trainer. You can be someone who is a spiritual leader and then blend into all the other dimensions. You can be someone who is there to help people emotionally. He also reminds us of the startling fact that by the year 2020, the second leading cause of premature death and disability is expected to be depression. He encourages us to think of ourselves as agents of change as each and every one of us will experience an awful lot of changes. He sees one huge opportunity that has been untapped is what he calls change management. Whether you lose a boyfriend, whether you lose a husband, whether you lose a house, money, whatever it is, we all go through change and to help someone navigate that change, is a terrific opportunity, especially as they get older. As we begin to close our conversation Colin reminds us that even in times of challenging change that tomorrow will come and the sun will rise and so will we. Stay In Touch With Colin ICAA Website Active Aging Week Website Facebook Twitter Linkedin

"We All Lift Each Other Up" About Today's Guest Pete McCall is a strength coach, personal trainer, author of Smarter Workouts: The Science of Exercise Made Simple, education consultant, public speaker and host of the All About Fitness podcast. As a consultant, Pete has experience delivering education and content solutions for a variety of health and fitness organizations including the American Council on Exercise (ACE), the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM), Reebok, 24-Hour Fitness, Core Health & Fitness, ActivMotion Bar, Hyperwear and Terra Core Fitness. Frequently quoted as a fitness expert in publications such as The New York Times, Washington Post, San Diego Union-Tribune, SELF, Glamour, and Shape Magazine and featured as a fitness expert for TV news outlets including WRC-NBC (DC), Fox News, Fox 5 San Diego, and NBC7 San Diego, Pete is a sought-after media resource for accurate, in-depth insights on how to get results from exercise. Stay In Touch With Pete Website Instagram Facebook Twitter Podcast Thanks to: This Episode is brought to you by the help of Yes Fitness Music. To try their no-credit card needed, 14-day free trial click here: Show Notes We begin the show by Pete reminding me that we had met in the early nineties when he was an assistant, checking presenters in at the ECA conference in NYC. This leads to us talking about the importance of creating our own opportunities, including volunteering at local conferences. Pete shares that his fitness journey began when he was working on Capitol Hill. He grew up in the DC area and after college returned to Washington, and it was while he was working on Capitol Hill that he began working at the front desk at a local gym. After he earned a certification from the American Council on Exercise, he eventually went on to work for ACE directly in 2008. Along the way, he got his master's degree but the one thing that he took from politics was the power of networking and getting to know people. Pete talks about the benefits that can come from working within a gym chain. It is here where you can get a lot of reps, teaching, and training. Pete suggests that one way to have a solid career is to work within an organization, do the most you can, work 25 to 30 hours a week and make a very good living. Then to expand your career ask your company for ways that you can expand your services, and help them by offering workshops, etc. for both trainers and customers. We talk about the hustle and grind that has to happen behind any successful career or venture. We both discuss how it can look easy to be at the top, especially with social media but we all have to remember that there was a climb to get there. Pete shares his thoughts on the importance of learning both within and outside the industry that you are in. He talks about the need to develop skillsets in leadership, marketing, sales, and social media. Staying on the topic of social media we talk about how to be resilient and move forward when there is so much opportunity for people to share their opinions of us on the internet. We talk about whether to niche down in one area of expertise or to cast a wider net. Pete shares something a friend told with him many years ago when he said, "you want to be an inch wide and a mile deep." However, at the end of the day, we both believe the most important thing is to do something and get started. Pete talks about the importance of doing your best- daily. On bringing your best effort forward to every day, regardless of whether it's a good day or bad one. It is when we do our best and create a positive environment for others, everything will fall into place. We close out the conversation with Pete sharing a daily practice that we can all use to stay on track and moving toward our goals, called S.W.OT.Strengths - look at your strengths. What are you doing well? Weaknesses – what are your weaknesses and can you turn them into an opportunity? Opportunities – where are they and where can you create more? Threats – where do you feel challenged? Which elements are in your control and which are outside of your control? So this week I encourage you to remember your strengths, look at areas where you could improve as opportunities to grow instead of signs of weakness. Explore new opportunities and follow through on existing gateways to greatness and view your threats as motivation to rise.  

"What is Fear Trying to Reveal to Me?"  About Today's Guest Todd Durkin, MA, is a world-renown trainer, coach, author and motivational speaker who trains dozens of elite, high-profile NFL, MLB, and MMA athletes, including two Super Bowl MVPs (Drew Brees& Aaron Rodgers), Olympic gold medalists, Heisman Trophy winners, and MMA champions. Todd is a 2-Time Trainer of the Year, the 2017 Jack LaLanne Award recipient, a member of the Under Armour Training Team, and a Top-100 Most Influential People in Health & Fitness. He was a featured trainer on the popular TV show, NBC STRONG, which is now airing on Netflix. His gym, Fitness Quest 10 in San Diego, CA, is a Top-10 Gym in America. His two books, The IMPACT Body Plan and The WOW BOOK, have changed thousands of lives world-wide. Todd is also the President/CEO of Todd Durkin Enterprises where he conducts motivational keynotes/presentations, educational & leadership workshops to high-performers in all sectors of business & life. If you need a dynamic, motivational speaker for your business, club, team, or organization in 2019, now is a great time to book Todd. As a 20+ year veteran in the fitness and coaching industry, Todd leads the "best-in-class" Todd Durkin Mastermind Coaching program that is designed to help fitness pros in business, leadership, marketing, training, and personal development. He takes great pride in his coaching program and has devoted 10+ years of his career in helping others achieve massive success, significance and IMPACT as well. Whether one is a green-trainer looking to ascend up the success-ladder or someone is a 20+ year veteran looking for new motivation, tactics, and techniques, the TD Mastermind is an incredible family of devoted "fire-breathing" dragons committed to becoming BETTER! Show Notes Todd Durkin is as kind and energetic behind the scenes as he is on stage. This week's conversation is filled with useable tips and strategies, in addition, Todd will refill your inspiration tank so you have the energy to go out and execute on your dreams. We begin our conversation by Todd reminding us that we are not in the sports, exercise or wellness business but we are in the people business. We move on to talk about how Todd became the person he is today, and like many people of impact, his journey was one of trials and challenges. As an athlete at the peak of his career, he was injured and with three herniated discs, spinal stenosis and degenerative back disease he had to give up on his dream and stop playing professional football in Europe. Todd's journey back to wellness was not just the physical aspect of rehabbing from the serious injury, it also included going through a lot of meditation, Yoga and was the introduction of Todd getting in touch with the gentler side of recovery, including Zen body therapy and Feldenkrais movement therapy. This took Todd to another side of fitness which he had not been accustomed to as an athlete. He realized that there was another side to performance especially at a high, high level that was different to just doing power cleans, and bench presses - the things that were often equated to high performance as an athlete. It was at this moment Todd realized that if he really wanted to tip the iceberg and get the top, that he was going to have to marry the modalities of traditional strength and conditioning with the inner wisdom of the body. We talk a lot about Todd's faith and how has always been determined to be his true self and he has always understood that it is okay to be different. He encourages us all to not be like everybody else. Todd believes that each of us has different gifts that we've been blessed with and that it's our opportunity and responsibility to make sure that we share that in the most, most authentic way. We move the conversation to the challenge of facing our fear and Todd suggests we simply "get over it." With a smile, he reminds us that he too has fear all the time and but it is also a sign. To Todd, fear is an opportunity and the day he doesn't have fear or feel a bit of anxiety is the day he will step out of the industry. Todd believes that what is important is the quiet time as it is here where you can discover what you are BIW in? What are you best in the world at? What are you great at? And when you really honor and stay true to that - it allows you to be the best at your unique gift. It is here where you are going to attract who you're supposed to attract and do your best work. When asked about how to move forward Todd replies, "by getting more time away from what you are trying to move forward to." He goes on to say that when we step away from the minutia of all that we are working on - we get a lot of big ideas – which is called vision. Todd believes that if we're always in the weeds doing the work that we love to do, we often forget about the vision. The harder you work the harder your recovery needs to be. Todd talks about the importance of planning and also having systems in place that can support that plan. He encourages us to constantly be writing down and planning our goals. Todd has a specific system that's called an annual roadmap along with an ongoing strategic plan, and he encourages us all to get really clear on our long and short term goals. He brings up a great point and that is that most of us have two to three hours a day, that he calls swing hours. Those swing hours could go to either watching Netflix or TV or doing something important. He encourages us to design our ideal week, to know when our peak productivity cycles are in any given day and then create blocks of time around our peak productivity cycles where we get to do our best work. We move on to talk about Todd's recent knee surgery and he believes that this was one of the greatest blessings as it forced him to get still and get clear. It also made him realize that it was time for some changes in his business so that he could reach more people without burning out. By stepping back and slowing down, he realized he needed to build a schedule that would allow him to be in a creative mode more often. I ask Todd about his thoughts on why we often have a difficult time charging our worth and I loved his answer. Todd views money as energy. "It comes in and goes like energy. You have to attract energy. You have to attract money. When you attract money and if you attract it and hold on to it, you block energy and that blocks it. If you keep it circulatory and keep it moving and investing in good things and giving back, it's going to come back to you 10 fold. But the minute you hold on you will have energy blocks. So when you asked me about my energy, even with money, it's changed a lot and I'm always affirming myself. I am deserving of attracting it, manifesting it, giving it back to new great things and to other people. And that's how I've shifted. And I know there's a lot of people that may be listening in today, money is just a form of energy and that you are deserving." We close the conversation by touching on Todd's morning ritual. For him, it's imperative to get his mind right and to get his mind ticking and operating at the highest level. Todd typically spends about an hour each morning to prepare, this consists of quiet time, some reading and a workout. Todd also reminds us to listen to the whispers and so as you come to the end of the show, be sure to take the quiet time and listen to your whispers. Then write down your dream goals and create a strategic plan which will set you up to take action and for success.

"Be Amazing, Wherever You Are Planted"  About Today's Guest Trina Gray is the 2018 IDEA Fitness Leader of the Year. She is an internationally recognized fitness entrepreneur who owns two health clubs in rural Michigan, where she has lead a crusade against obesity and sedentary living. Her clubs, Bay Athletic Club and Bay Urban Fitness, transform lives and celebrate people. She created the Corporate Fit Challenge workplace wellness program and is sold worldwide. She founded an online coaching team for women in fitness through Beachbody, called Team Rockstar Fit, and is one of the top coaches in the country. She is a mom of two amazing teenagers and teaches others to live their life with purpose and freedom. Stay In Touch With Trina Website Team Rockstar Fit Website Instagram Facebook Twitter Mentioned In The Show The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy How successful people think by John C. Maxwell Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert The Mastery Sessions Podcast by Robin Sharma The Life Coach School Podcast by Brooke Castillo Show Notes We begin the conversation as I normally do, by going back in time to how I first my guest. I really only met Trina quite recently, when we were both speaking at a Women's Leadership Event at World IDEA and I was immediately a fan. Trina shares that she originally went to school for journalism, envisioning herself on 60 minutes as a famous broadcaster and journalist, traveling the world. She was on that path in college writing for her local school newspaper and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, but along that journey she realized had lost sight of her own personal self-care habits, not eating well, not exercising and not sleeping enough. Deciding she needed to get herself in shape she went to the University of Wisconsin Recreation Center for Students but her first experience was one of not fitting in, feeling out of place and so she turned around and left. This first impression memory would serve her well down the road, as she built her own career in fitness many years later. It took a personal invitation from her mother to a family-owned community health club that began her exploration into the world of fitness. With her mom beside her, Trina went to a high-low class at Prairie Athletic Club in 1997. While she went to the back of the room she felt as though she fit in and became a regular. Through another invitation, this time by an instructor she eventually moved from taking the class to teaching the class. Trina eventually moved from her home town to a rural town in Michigan and I found herself as a young married woman, now unemployed in a community where she knew no one and no one knew her. So she did the only thing she did know how to do and that was to teach group fitness classes. She built incredible relationships through her classes and fast forward several years she expanded her career to span across the United States as Master Trainer for Turbo Kick, whose creator we had on the show recently – Chalene Johnson. By traveling across the USA and seeing many other clubs, a seed was planted that maybe one day Trina would own a club. A few years later, through relationship building, a ton of heart and hustle Trina opened the doors to a large medical-based health club. In the preparation phase, Trina understood that she had no experience in running a club and so she reached out across the country to the people she had met on her travels and asked them two questions: If you could do it all over, what would you do differently? What are the biggest complaints you get from your members? Throughout our conversation, Trina talks about how to move through the negatives and the disappointments. She reminds us to keep asking the important questions: Why am I doing this? Who am I doing this for? Where am I going? She also encourages us to remember the importance of creating more than one revenue of income. She shares that it was never her vision to live paycheck to paycheck and do fitness just because she loved it. She believes (as do I) that wellness should pay well. Wellness is as important as acute care that and that if you're going to be in the fitness industry, don't be in the fitness industry to be broke. Trina is also a Beachbody Coach and she leveraged her coaching by teaching what worked for her in business to other women in the industry. Through her experience and skill set, she shows others how to make an impact and an income, without always have to show up physically in person. She shares a fantastic exercise for the times when you are searching for more clarity: Pull out a blank piece of paper and write down: What would your ideal day look like and be something that you can get behind right now? What time would you get up? When would you do your own workout? Who would you work with? Where would you be working? What would your schedule look and feel like? When would you have time off? What kind of time would you spend with your family? This is a terrific way to get super clear on your personal values and vision for the future. Trina ends our conversation with a fantastic reminder that "you have to find discipline over motivation." So perhaps take some time to do the self-reflection exercise above and use that as your discipline driver for your future.

"Your Questions are My Feedback, Ask Questions, Ask Questions, Ask Questions" About Today's Guest Shannon Fable, Executive Vice President of Learning & Product Development for the FIT4MOM® Franchise, is an experienced business and program developer in the health and wellness space. With over 20 years in the industry, Shannon has presented and educated in six continents on group fitness, personal training, management, business development, and time management. With a proven track record for assessing needs and developing programs, systems, and structure for a wide variety of businesses in the fitness industry, she has helped impressive brands such as Anytime Fitness, Schwinn®, Silver Sneakers, Power Systems, ACE and BOSU®. Shannon, honored as the 2013 IDEA and 2006 ACE Instructor of the Year, is a certified Book Yourself Solid® Business Coach interested in helping fitness professionals navigate the industry and make more money. She is the owner of Sunshine Fitness Resources, sits on the Advisory Board for the Association of Fitness Studios and serves as Chair of the American Council on Exercise's Board of Directors. Shannon has presented at a number of industry shows such as ECA, IDEA World, IDEA PTI, Asia Fitness Conference, SCW, DCAC, IHRSA, Club Industry, Canfitpro, and AFPA. She is a frequent contributor to industry publications such as the IDEA Fitness Journal, Club Solutions Magazine, IHRSA, the Anytime Fitness Blog and more. Most notably, along with her developer husband, she co-created and founded GroupEx Pro®, a revolutionary software designed to streamline and operationalize the management and marketing of group fitness programs for health clubs, which they recently sold to Daxko. Shannon holds ACE Personal Training, Group Fitness, and Health Coach certifications, as well as AFAA National Certification. Stay In Touch With Shannon Shannon's Website Fit4Mom Website Facebook ACE Fitness Facebook Instagram Twitter Mentioned In The Show No Sweat by Michelle Segar, PH.D. Show Notes As always, I begin the show by asking my guest how they got into the industry of fitness. Shannon shares that "I traded an eating disorder for an exercise disorder and the rest is history." Shannon's expertise of her past was as a former dancer and cheerleader, and as she liked the music and the movement found in the world of group glasses, that is where she put her focus at first. After joining a mentoring program, and after not much time in the program, Shannon was soon teaching on a regular basis. She was part of the first group of fitness instructors to teach Body Pump in the United States and it was that experience that began her fast track forward within the industry. We talk about what it takes to gain the courage to move forward and up and Shannon shares that at first, it was the fact that she was naïve and didn't realize how hard it would be. Then she believes it is about asking yourself what is the worst that could happen, and then doing your best to swim to success. Shannon also shares an important point, that when people see something in us and give us an opportunity – believe them. They would not put you in a position to soar if they didn't believe you would be able to meet the challenge ahead. We talk about what it takes to become as fully prepared as possible and Shannon invites us to ask questions, ask questions, ask questions. Shannon reminds us that we do not need to know everything about everything. Find your love, find what you are passionate about and then do a deep dive into that area and then get help and reach out to others for their expertise when you need it. She encourages us to experiment, experience and explore all the various options within the industry. Also, understand how what you do also fits into the bigger picture of the industry in general. We both discuss how we have been sidelined by an illness or unexpected life event and the importance of cultivating a way to still keep income coming in, even in the event that you cannot show up physically. We share our thoughts on the gig economy and trading time for dollars, where many of us ask for more money and do more things, but haven't fully thought out how do we make money without showing up? It is a discussion about not putting all of our eggs into one basket, and if we are putting all our stock into our body then what happens if that body crashes? We both agree on the importance of setting aside dedicated time, proactive time to look outside of our industry and learn about business in general. Shannon shares that her morning reading includes: Books on Productivity, Leadership and Sales & Marketing. Shannon encourages to look at what other people have done, look at their map, study their map, be inspired by their map, And also trust that yours might be on a parallel track, but it's going to diverge at some point if you're going to make it and sustain it. Use others for motivation and inspiration but at the end of the day, you will need your own GPS to create your unique path to success. Shannon invites us to reconsider our ideas about what fitness means. To drop our thoughts about what we think it has to be and embrace what people want to do and then help that plan work for them. She believes that it has got to become more individualized, more holistic, more about moving and being, versus exercise and doing. That fitness is truly a mosaic and that we have to embrace how a person weaves it together so it can fit into their life, and then create that experience for them. We wrap up the show by revisiting the idea of experiencing and experimenting. Learn by reading, learn by watching others, learn by getting out into the world and doing many things. This will help you find your own GPS and navigate your road to success.