I was working in Selfridges and my plan was to then work in marketing for a company. This was before I discovered personal training could serve as an actual job - this was about 10 years ago!
It's been challenging and also has had a lot of rewards. Being self employed in the fitness industry can be very competitive and also stressful making sure you really commit in order to secure a decent income.
The highs so far would be working with some big brands (Myprotein, Gymshark, PHD Nutrition, Whoop), A low would be the instability of working as an online coach and constantly being ‘on’ plus also the stress of having to worry about producing content continually to stay at the forefront of the industry.
It can be very fickle when it comes to working with brands and also with social media - so many people, who aren’t qualified are now becoming “coaches”, which devalues the offering from those who have taken the time to get the necessary qualifications. Many gimmicks are also prevalent In the industry, if you don’t have a gimmick it's harder for you to make as much impact within the space.
I originally wanted to make a good living as a personal trainer, to open my own gym and to eventually work less but lately it has definitely changed with now wanting to start diversifying my income more, to ensure I stand the test of time.
I love meeting people who are just as passionate about health and fitness as I am. getting to change people's lives and meeting those that follow my programs and watch my fitness content is something that I will always cherish. Whenever I travel from Cape Town to Bali I have met at least 1 or 2 people that have been impacted by my programs or fitness content which is a major highlight that will live with me forever.
