Next week, I’m traveling to Long Beach, California with my team for the Perform Better Functional Training Summit. This event is the premier training and performance conference on the west coast. I’ve been attending this event for 15 years. It will be a time of learning, but also a time to see old friends. I’m not sure which is more important. The relationships I’ve developed in the fitness industry have grown over the years. The studio provided me a platform and many of my peers respect the type of coaching we execute at the studio. What’s funny is it’s some of my earlier experiences at this conference that motivated me to establish a welcoming and fun culture at the studio. My first 2-3 years of attending I would sit in lectures and hands-on demonstrations for 3 days and not have a single person speak to me and I hated it. I felt like an outsider, even though I was seeking the same objective of everyone else in attendance- to learn.
I can remember walking in the hallways of the Long Beach Convention Center between lectures, having no one to speak to, and how it affected my outlook on the experience. I was there because I knew the leaders in my industry who were presenting and to improve my coaching prowess, I had to be there. I listened, took notes, and participated in the hands-on. It just wasn’t something I looked forward to. I just maintained my discipline and did it.
As the years passed, I gained multiple national certifications and started to build friendships in the industry outside of my hometown of Las Vegas. I started to write for trade journals and speak nationally which elevated my name recognition. I become the Nevada state director for the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA). In 2015, I participated in Men’s Health Next Top Trainer competition which was broadcast over 8 30-minute episodes on their website, which received millions of viewers. This is when I started becoming recognized nationally. It was at the Training Summit a few years ago, I was approached by someone in the hallway randomly. He introduced himself as a coach in Southern California. He saw me on the show and thought I should have won. If you’re interested, I finished 3rd.
I’ll attend next week and I won’t have time to chat with all my friends. It has taken on the form of a reunion when I attend now and I love that experience. I still listen to the lectures, take notes, and participate in the hands-on, but my outlook is completely different. It’s a lot of work, but now I’m surrounded by my friends.
When I opened J & D Fitness Personal Training Studio, I knew keeping people happy would come down to more than sound training protocols. People had to feel welcomed. I knew we had to have an environment that people looked forward to coming. I knew it wouldn’t happened organically, it had to be fostered. A huge part of our success would be determined by our culture.
In The Culture Code, Daniel Coyle’s follow up to his best seller The Talent Code, he states that it comes down to 3 specific cues we are all pre-wired to pick up that make the difference. “A feeling of belonging doesn’t come from character or discipline. but with building an environment that answers basic questions: Are we connected? Do we share a future? Are we safe?”
Not everyone can be coached. To be a member of our studio, it’s required. You must trust that we’ve spent the necessary time to be an expert in strength and conditioning and believe in our process. The sense of being connected comes from training in small groups in a close proximity, working towards a similar goal. The goals aren’t just fat loss or improving strength. The goal is to get better. Whatever better is for you, which may be losing fat, getting stronger, or moving better. That’s how our members connect.
When Hippocrates stated “Do no harm,” I don’t think it was for doctors only. I take that oath very seriously after someone entrusts me and my team to train them. We take specific steps to ensure no one gets injured in our workouts. Everyone receives an assessment. Every exercise is put on the Risk/Reward scale. If the risk outweighs the reward, we don’t perform it at the studio.
I won’t state our membership retention rate, but it’s very high. I attest that to good coaching and that people enjoy training together in our small groups. Many friendships are grown within the walls of our studio. Whether it’s your 1st or 500th workout at our studio, I’m determined to make you feel welcomed. At J & D Fitness Personal Training Studio, everyone is an insider.
See you at the studio.