0:02

Get control of your words, get control of your story, get control of your breath, get over your fear of not being good enough, get your dream clients, get them results and get in lifted.

0:15

All right friends, welcome back another episode of Get in Lifted this show I was just saying before I hit record.

0:28

This show has been a long time coming and is going to be a very well received episode for all of our gym owners, fitness professionals, people who work in group fitness, people who work fitness adjacent.

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This is going to be a fun conversation.

0:41

We have Cody Ringle here with us today. You may have heard his name before.

0:46

You may have seen him around the coaches community.

0:48

Cody, welcome. Hello, as he takes a sip of his drink.

0:54

That's exactly great timing.

0:57

So, Cody, you're a level three in Lifted Coach.

0:59

You have owned CrossFit gyms, you have coached CrossFit classes.

1:04

Obviously, Now you work with the Active Life team which maybe that's how some of our listeners have found you here today or have interacted with you and you're doing a really cool job right now managing and organizing the first flagship location of the Active Life.

1:19

What is the actual location called?

1:22

How?

1:22

do you call it? It's the flagship, yeah, and I'm the team lead.

1:26

So one of the things we were very intentional with was the language.

1:30

I despise the term manager.

1:33

I was like I'm not coming to manage anybody.

1:37

Perfect, I'm happy to come and lead and I will not come and manage.

1:42

I love that. Yes, I got to go see Cody and his partner, Amanda was like two or three weeks ago when I was up in New York and I packed that trip full of so many things and you guys are out on Long Beach, which is one of my favorite spots to escape the city, and so I got to come out for a day and hang out with you guys and we had gone to breakfast.

2:02

Amanda and I were getting ready to go to the beach and Cody's like oh, I'll take you over and show you the facility.

2:06

We walk in to a massive leak.

2:08

So that meant that Cody was working for the rest of the day and Amanda and I went to the beach to play.

2:13

Yep.

2:15

We figured out it was the AC. The drain was all clogged up.

2:20

Yeah Well, the joys of brick and mortar locations and the things.

2:25

You never really know what you're going to walk into.

2:28

It's a constant adventure.

2:29

Yeah Well, what I will say is that was an absolutely gorgeous space and so flawlessly designed, super clean and meticulous.

2:38

And as you took me on the tour to walk around and show me like how much intention went into the layout of the space, how much intention went into before you even get to the parts where you're going to work out right and we were talking a lot about the language that you positioned on that your clients see as well.

2:56

So can you give us, can you give everybody, a breakdown of what the facility is, what you guys offer there, how you tell me all the things again so that everyone else can hear it about, how you set it up and how intentional you are with your language around, how you, how everybody's titles are just like yours team lead, and then we'll get into the good stuff.

3:17

Yeah. So active life is a personal development company that uses education, exercise and mentorship to empower our clients to live a life without compromise.

3:27

Beautiful.

3:29

That's what we do. The process by which we take clients through that has four phases.

3:36

So we start off in a phase of assessment.

3:38

We gather all of the data, get the information.

3:41

We help them develop confidence and competence one on one with a professional.

3:45

That's one of the language is language pieces that we were intentional around is we don't have coaches, we have professionals.

3:52

We don't have trainers, we have professionals.

3:56

There's a lot of reasons for that.

3:58

Right Partially, we want to differentiate in the market.

4:01

It's easy to be a coach and it's even easier to become a trainer.

4:05

It's a couple hundred bucks and it's a weekend certification and you get to be a CPT.

4:10

Yep.

4:12

Our process. Our professionals have a 13 month long education curriculum to become an active life professional.

4:18

So you're going to work with a professional, one on one, to develop confidence and competence, get all the tool, skills, resources, education that you need to be successful in a small group, setting Our small group very different than any other.

4:32

We've done small group classes before.

4:34

Right, you know, like you said, I started in CrossFit and typically how small groups operate is everyone comes in and does a version of the same thing.

4:41

It might be scaled to them or modified, but you and I in that session we're doing the same workout.

4:47

Our small group at ActiveLife in the Ascend sessions, if you and I are in there, we're doing two completely different things because we recognize you and I are climbing two completely different mountains.

5:01

Yeah.

5:03

Right. It's all in the ambition to help our clients reach freedom.

5:07

If we do a really great job, all of our clients get to the point where they are no longer clients and it could be they decide to stay because they want to and they no longer need to.

5:22

That's freedom to us. It's getting to the top of the mountain, looking out and going.

5:26

You know what? I want to go? Climb that mountain now.

5:28

Which could be the templated group?

5:30

It could be CrossFit. It could be at 45.

5:32

It could be SoulSec, it could be any of those things.

5:34

It could be going to the 24 hour gym and executing your own programming that you found online, because you now know how to modify or edit the program for you and your goals.

5:45

That's what we're working towards with our clients.

5:48

Yeah, it's so awesome to see, because I worked in Group Fitness for a long time.

5:54

I did manage a studio at Roe House which is definitely my title general manager and I totally, if I could rewind the clock back, I would have stolen your language translation there of Team Lead and the.

6:07

I've seen. I've also.

6:10

I've been in the fitness space for a long time and I've seen the evolution of quality in coaching as I started to develop my own coaching skills.

6:19

And I'm going to start with the point of calling your coaches quote, unquote professionals, which I think is is something that.

6:28

Is it one? Yes, absolutely. It's a key differentiator for you guys as how the client perceives the coach, right, there's a level of seriousness there and there's also a level of identity for the coach, right?

6:42

Because if I'm a professional, I take my job a lot more seriously.

6:46

I can remember a time where, when I was coaching classes at Roe House, I had a conversation with someone who they're just like yeah, your classes are just so different, like I just I don't know what it is, but it's just so different.

6:59

And I'd had a conversation with Mark a couple of days before about how I was a professional coach.

7:04

So I looked at them and they're like.

7:06

They're like, yeah, I mean, it's just, you're just so different and I don't know why I go.

7:09

I know why and they're like why? And I was like I'm a professional coach.

7:13

And they're jaw dropped and they're like yes, you are.

7:16

And that was a key moment and I and from that moment on I like took that identity on.

7:22

I was like I'm a professional coach, like I take my job seriously, I love what I do, I know that I can, I can do this well.

7:28

And that was a key shift in my identity and and it took a lot of steps to get there it took a lot of self work to get there and if somebody had just handed me that title without putting me through the process of learning it and to develop it and to reinforce it, I'm not sure I would have received it as well.

7:46

But I also love that you guys are talking about how long your, how much training and education is going into earning that title, versus the weekend cert or the online course or the whatever other ways you can get quote unquote certified.

8:01

A lot of the people listening to this podcast, or a lot of people that have gone through the enlisted certifications, do work in the fitness space and one of the main things that I see and notice the type of person who is a fitness professional who comes into and lifted is like they already have that professional identity in the sense of that they've developed their skills, they've honed their craft, they're doing they, they take it seriously and they struggle to recognize that they're a professional coach.

8:25

Like they still get stuck in the story of like the um, mike Bledsoe, how did he describe it?

8:30

He was like all trainers are just like dumb jocks or something Like.

8:32

He used to say something like that and like that's the collective story of what a trainer is.

8:37

And so in your journey, talk to us, let's rewind the clock back a little bit on Cody and talk about how you got to this stage and where in your path you started to to take on that identity of professional or like how that happened for you, going from the beginning of just starting to work in fitness all the way up to where you are now, because you have a very impressive career in it.

8:57

So tell us, tell us the story, tell us the origin story of Cody as the fitness pro.

9:01

Yeah. So I actually started in a Nautilus facility in 2009 and everybody um, no, everybody who's in the fitness space knows Nautilus.

9:11

They're all the machines, the isometric like curls, chest pack, all of those and it was nothing more than counting reps for people, and I did it for a couple of months and it was the worst experience in that I had ever had.

9:25

I was like, well, I never want to do this again.

9:27

It was.

9:29

It was then six years before I and through life and going to college and doing all of the things, I ended up in a CrossFit gym.

9:37

And six months after getting in and becoming a client at the CrossFit gym, I had the same experience that a lot of people in 2014, 2015 had with CrossFit, where it was so transformative for me.

9:48

It was an outlet for all of my athletic and competitive energies as a former college athlete and I was like this is it.

9:57

This is what everybody needs to be doing.

10:00

Eight months later, I was coaching. Six months after that, I get invited to Buffalo Wildwings by the owner of the facility or the gym that I was working at and he goes almost immediately.

10:11

As soon as I sat down, he goes. So I'm either going to close the gym, or I'm going to sell it to you.

10:16

What would you like to?

10:19

do Straight to the point. We love it.

10:22

Ah shit, all right, well, I guess we're doing this.

10:25

I brought on a couple of partners with me at the time entirely out of fear, fear that I wasn't going to be able to do this, fear that I was if I did it, at least if I failed.

10:36

This way, I don't fail alone, so it's not all on me.

10:39

For all of the wrong reasons, I brought on partners.

10:42

We ended up taking that facility at the time.

10:46

That gym at the time that had 20 to 30 clients.

10:49

We bought the book of clients and the equipment that was there.

10:52

That was really all that there was as far as business.

10:55

There was 20 to 30,. It was making $4,000 a month gross.

10:58

They were charging $30 for three times a week and $50 for unlimited and we took it and transformed the business.

11:08

Between that span grew in the space.

11:12

I ended up developing a relationship and contracts with local high schools to deliver the strength and conditioning for one school.

11:19

It was all of their athletes.

11:21

So they had essentially contracted a strength and conditioning coach, which was unheard of in the Midwest in a town that had 12,000 people in it and working as a strength and conditioning coach for other programs at other schools.

11:35

Then building the business up, we end up obviously changing the structure of the way that we're building.

11:41

We offer more value than we ever could have as a part time facility.

11:46

And the end of 2016, my father died, passed away.

11:51

That was a really key and pivotal moment for me in the way that it happened, because he was 59.

11:58

I was 26 at the time and I had this image created in my imagination of what my own potential future could look like, and all I saw what I saw from my father is dying, with all of his dreams unfulfilled and the things that he did not pursue out of fear.

12:17

Six months after that, I stood on a box in the middle of my facility and I said I'm going to go full time as a gym owner here.

12:24

So July or June of 27 2017, I was a full time facility owner.

12:30

I had the identity that most coaches carry when they start in fitness it's the.

12:37

I'm not doing it for the money, I'm doing it because I love it.

12:41

Mm, hmm.

12:42

Sounds familiar. Yes, that's.

12:44

That's like the thing that we hang our hat on. Yeah Right, it's like this is a passion for me.

12:49

If I and the money, it doesn't matter, it does.

12:53

Yeah, it really doesn't matter when you're 25.

12:57

When you become 28 and 30 and you want to buy a home, you want to have a family out of your mom's basement.

13:05

Yeah, like you want to start creating a life for yourself.

13:07

Yeah, you need to take that into account, you, you choose to take that into account because this is why so many people who are really passionate about fitness have an attrition after around five years in the industry Because they're they're burning hot on passion and energy and they burn themselves out because they can't make a living doing it for a bunch of reasons.

13:34

The system that they're in, they don't value themselves enough.

13:37

All of the reasons there's, all of the stories.

13:39

So I build the business up, we build the business up, start working with Active Life.

13:46

So I hired them. Actually, I was in the first cohort of what was called the propath.

13:51

What is called the propath? It's a gym mentorship, covid hits.

13:54

We restructure the business. We start delivering more personal training to, we start doing some small group, highly individualized things and having a group model over the next two years.

14:06

We built this business that was doing four thousand dollars a month when we, when I purchased it to one that was doing a quarter of a million dollars a year gross in a market where the median income is 40,000.

14:20

Yeah, wow.

14:21

It's significant.

14:22

Yeah.

14:23

I end up then engaging in and lifted I had started to listen to.

14:29

I heard Mark on the first barbell shrugged in like twenty seventeen.

14:33

Yeah, I bought Procabulari.

14:36

Yeah Right, I bought Procabulari.

14:38

I started doing it while I was working at my other job in early twenty seventeen Was like you know what.

14:47

This is really powerful. This is impactful stuff.

14:50

I'm at this point in my life where I don't really understand my own motivations, why I'm here, where I want to go, and I recognize that I'm holding on to a lot of stories Doing lifted level one, two, three, some point in time through and lifted level level one.

15:06

They tell you to go for a walk Right. Every week you go for a forty five minute walk, no devices.

15:11

It's maybe October.

15:14

I'm walking around this small town of cold water in an area and I'm just it dawns on me it's kind of gray.

15:20

You know those weird fall days where it's gray out.

15:24

Yeah.

15:25

And it just hit me how I was no longer inspired to be in the place that I was in.

15:30

I was no longer.

15:32

I was like. It was so profound.

15:35

I remember the moment walking around, looking up and being like fuck, I don't belong here.

15:41

Yeah, I've had one of those moments myself.

15:43

Yeah, it is profound.

15:46

It's always like, isn't it? This is just like a side note.

15:48

Isn't it wild how you always can remember exactly where you were and exactly what the weather was like, and exact like these details of like.

15:54

It's like a picture snapshot in your brain.

15:57

Yes, well, they're cornerstone moments. Yeah, yeah, I remember all of the things that happened the morning that my father, that I found my father I remember all of the things that happened on this day and I came back, had this conversation with Mark, started having a conversation with Sean from Active Life because he was essentially my mentor at the time.

16:15

Over the next, you know, six months to a year, I had made it known that I was no longer inspired to be in cold water and I was building the business up to live without me.

16:26

I was hiring an operator, I had a team and I was going to be leaving cold water.

16:32

I wasn't really sure for what, but I made it known that I was no longer interested and inspired to be there.

16:38

Maybe a month after that, the head of ProPath at the time asked me if I wanted to become a mentor for Active Life.

16:44

I said yes. Two weeks after that, he said you know what?

16:48

We're actually building our first brick and mortar facility in Long Beach and we are looking for an operator.

16:56

You're one of the first people that we're asking.

16:59

We'd like that to be you. What do you think?

17:02

I said yes and six weeks later I was here in Long Beach.

17:08

Yeah.

17:08

It. I credit in lifted and the work that we went through through that process with a lot of the awareness that allowed me to make the decisions and say yes to the life that I was inspired and fulfilled by.

17:21

Yeah, absolutely it's so. It's fun to hear everyone's journey and it's fun to hear how lifted fits in, because it's such a your journey parallels a lot of coaches that I know that we have worked with.

17:33

That people have heard on the podcast. Similar with Chase right, like he was Jim owner, gets to a place, realizes I want to go deeper.

17:39

I've got to get out of this thing. How do I do that? How do I let this gym run without me?

17:42

And I've heard that from many CrossFit gym owners because they hit a point where they're inspired to either do more or to do something differently.

17:50

And how did you uncovering, like the stories and the identity shifts and like working through your internal dialogue, potentially any imposter syndrome, victim mentality that you had?

18:02

How did that shape how you wanted to coach differently?

18:06

It's a great question. I had started to implement a lot of the unlifted light and language and storywork and workshops at my facilities and I was very inspired by the change that I saw in the clients who engaged in those workshops and the level at which it had allowed them to elevate themselves to the next level and the next version of themself.

18:33

Right, I remember I ran it in and lifted heavy one of the last ones that I did.

18:38

We did some story work and I remember a 53 year old woman writing a story about her gym teacher in high school who spoke to her a certain way, made her feel a certain way about her capacity and ability to run or not be able to run, and this was 30 plus years removed from when it actually happened.

19:06

And she's having an emotional response in the moment.

19:10

She's crying and this energy comes out of her.

19:14

We do some translations around what the things that were said and how they impacted her and reframed, which allowed her to see oh, that was one of the catalysts.

19:26

I'm deciding that that was one of the catalysts for me to be so involved in fitness.

19:30

Now, right, it's not about proving him wrong, it's about proving myself right.

19:35

So I'm like shit, this is pretty cool.

19:38

I had already known it was really cool, right.

19:40

But by this time I'm an in lifted level three.

19:42

I've done a couple of instructor led core language upgrades, I've done an instructor led way of the in lifted athlete and I've done maybe five workshops between the facilities.

19:52

And I see that I have that experience and I'm like this is awesome.

19:59

I transitioned to Long Beach and I'm like, okay, I now work for this company who says that we're a personal development company first.

20:09

How do I take this and integrate this into the culture of active life?

20:16

Yeah, it was super cool to see because Mark and Sean had done some sessions and things together before.

20:23

I believe Mark set up the active life team, like probably years back before, maybe before you even started working with them in the mentorship capacity, doing group trainings and team trainings and whatnot, and I had a conversation with Sean about that and he said something to the effect of like yeah, it was cool stuff, but it didn't really, it didn't stick.

20:44

You know, it wasn't. I would love to say it was revolutionary and it wasn't.

20:47

And I was like okay, and I just took that and I said you know, like cause I know what the capacity of it is and I'm just like okay, so they got a taste, but they didn't get the full, they didn't get enough to like recognize how important an integral it would be.

21:01

So I remember thinking, when I saw that you took this job, I was like, oh, cody Wrangles gonna teach them, they're gonna get it.

21:09

Now oh, there's an implementation phase, right, there's this testing and feedback phase, and then there's an implementation phase, and what the company was missing at large, I imagine, back then was an implementation phase.

21:21

There was nobody who was going to take ownership of that thing and move it forward and I was very happy to do that yeah.

21:29

And then we see, like you know, activelives put in language on their Instagram posts, and I was like.

21:34

Cody, yes, we're getting like all the feedback of them, you know, and that's why, like I love, I get excited when I see other people and other professionals and other companies using the in-lifted method in ways that showcase and educate people about the power of their words and their story.

21:52

It's not a competitive thing, it's not oh, they took our stuff in any way, shape or form.

21:56

It's a hell, yes, when I see it being shared, because it's important work and people need access to it.

22:03

And when I think about like, bringing it back to the idea of like developing the staff and the coaches and integrating it and implementing it into the team, it really does.

22:12

It takes somebody who's at the capacity of like where you're experienced prior to actually to get it done, which is that you had a deep understanding of the knowledge.

22:22

You had already applied it in your own facilities and within your own teams and with your own clients, and so you knew what worked.

22:27

And this always comes back to the conversation of reps Right, like it's not like, you just showed up and we're like oh, I took the same course one time and I'm gonna like it's like.

22:35

No, I had actually. I have studied this material deeply.

22:38

I've applied it in my own life, I've applied it with my clients, I've applied it with my team.

22:42

I know how this is going to work, and so so much of what I'm excited to get into even deeper with you in this conversation is about like how that, actually how that went, how that worked, like some of the testing and trying and, as you said, professionalizing the use of story work within the fitness space, because it is something that I know.

23:02

Again, we have so many fitness professionals that come through the in-lifted certs and some of them walk out with these giant question marks with our head of like how the hell am I gonna use this in my classes?

23:12

We can I mean we could make this into like almost like a workshop style thing.

23:15

I know you're gonna teach this workshop at the in-lifted experience which is coming up, which is so, which is gonna be awesome.

23:19

So if you guys anybody who's listening to this is coming, that is a works in the fitness space, like that is one session you're gonna absolutely want to be at.

23:26

Where I like to start, or where my brain is logical to start, is with the coach identity, right?

23:32

So when I am the coach or even maybe it's coach and business owner identity can be similar conversation.

23:37

When I first learn these new tools and I first understand that there's more going on for my clients or maybe I already understand it right.

23:45

I'm already if I've been in the fitness space for a while, I understand that there's more going on in the conversation about getting people results and transformation and helping them feel better about themselves than simply a program, a fitness program to follow or a class to show up to or a schedule to come or a nutrition plan.

24:00

I know there's more. I don't I'm not really, I haven't been able to and this is a consistent story that I hear from many people coming into in-lifted is like I know there's more.

24:08

I don't know what to do about it. Okay, now I learned the tools of language, story, words, breath and wow.

24:14

This is awesome. But how the heck do I put this into a CrossFit class?

24:19

How the heck do I put this into a group fitness class?

24:22

How do I use this in my personal training sessions?

24:24

Cause my clients aren't expecting this from me.

24:26

So what were some of the first few ways that you started to use the material in a fitness space?

24:33

Yeah, one of the first ways is starting to audit.

24:37

We talk about this all the time. Right, it starts with self audit, the way that you are speaking, because most group fitness still starts with the whiteboard brief, right, so I'm auditing the way that I'm speaking at the whiteboard when we're doing something like, hey, here's the movements and here's the options to modify, it's not don't do this if you have a shoulder thing, it is, do this instead if you have a shoulder limitation.

25:05

It's walking around the sessions.

25:09

When you see the people, the clients, going to that place.

25:13

Right, where we talk about you, know the four pillars that are affected by the story, and one of them being your posture, your physiology, you can tell when someone's beating the shit out of themselves in the middle of a workout.

25:25

Yep, it's being the mentor, being the coach.

25:29

Not just the person who teaches, but the person who guides is walking up to that individual in that moment and asking the question that they're not asking themselves.

25:39

And maybe the scary question is like hey, what's going through your head right now?

25:43

What are you saying?

25:46

What's the story? There's a lot of coaches who see those moments and they don't capitalize on the opportunity to become more than just a coach.

25:59

That's where I, that's where I was able to start taking these things in the beginning, and the limitations of a coach.

26:06

If you're good being the person who stands in front of a room and instructs people, call yourself a coach forever.

26:12

Be a coach forever. Just go do that and do it excellently.

26:16

Understand the ceiling that you have provided and created for yourself by only being a coach.

26:22

If you start to think of yourself as the mentor, the person who advises and not just instructs, you start to look at the world or your world to be more accurate in a different way, because you see all of these micro moments, in these opportunities for you to really make a difference in these people's lives.

26:41

Outside of the sets and the reps and getting your friend done in three seconds faster and PR'ing your snatch or your deadlift or your clean those things are cool moments and it's not as impactful and it's not going to make negations acknowledged.

26:58

It's not going to make the difference for the client, the individual that you having that conversation with them about the story that's going through their head in the moment when they fail that rep, when they don't PR, when they get in the middle of that difficult workout and they hang their head.

27:15

Yeah. So I want to break this down and just reiterate a lot of what you said in, just so that it is crystal clear for people, which is that when you set the tone for your class, when you open it up and the language that you use whether you're using negations, affirmations, projections, reflections, soft talk, solid talk, any sort of dramatics right, this is like the pillars of the uplifted method in the system of language.

27:41

You are creating pictures in the people's head, you're creating the feelings and emotions in their body, you are changing their posture and you're changing their breathing patterns by how you first set the tone in class.

27:55

So what you want to do is create constructive pictures, positive feelings, relaxed posture, low and slow breathing for your students in your class from the second that you show up and the clock starts and then, once the class is underway this is what you're talking about, about the posture and the physiology.

28:16

That that fourth, one of the four things we just mentioned is that when you have the tools of understanding language and breath, you can see, you have a different awareness to track of how people are engaging with themselves.

28:30

So it's not just about Billy over there in the room.

28:33

I'll use the. I'll use Billy because of course, he's always the victim Billy over there, like huffing and puffing and kind of stomping around and dropping the bar and slamming the thing, and like tossing his belt or like whatever, like outbursts he's having, rather than you as the coach looking at that and being like, oh, billy's having a tough day today.

28:49

It's like, oh, what's going on?

28:51

What's going on with him? Like, can I go over there and ask a question, can I engage with him in that more mentor guideway to help him process what's happening in the moment and or to help him resolve it, which, like you know, most coaches would look at that and say, well, I don't know what to do there.

29:08

And most especially in group fitness, like in a lot of the more.

29:12

Like how we started this conversation with the like the fast what was he called them?

29:15

Like the fast certified coaches, like it's like weekend coach, I don't know.

29:18

It's like they get one certification, they do one thing. It's like they have no skills and it's not their fault, it's honestly, it's like I don't mean to like belittle that because it's not your fault Like I was having this conversation that sparked yesterday that I was telling you about before we recorded, which was that I've I've reactivated my class pass membership and so I go to a lot of group fitness classes and I was out of Pilates class that they talk so damn fast you can't even hear.

29:41

I was like I want this is Pilates. We're supposed to be moving slow and controlled and you guys are talking at a rate of speech that is so damn fast.

29:47

You're also like the way you're talking is making me not remember to breathe, Like totally like just a wild experience.

29:54

But at least like I, I I know how they're trained, I know how the structure of the class works, I know how to control myself so I can deal Right and I enjoy it for the most part.

30:02

But what I keep thinking about is I'm like damn, these other people in the room that have no skills to interpret, to understand, to apply, to control themselves, like this is a disaster in here and anyway.

30:14

So I bring it back to the idea of that. Like the coach sets the tone in the beginning of class by setting the expectations, by engaging with the students, by setting up a constructive environment, but then throughout the entire experience of class and end maybe the 10 or 15 minutes afterwards where people are still hanging around, you are in the position to make a real impact deeper than just hey, great job, joe, awesome, awesome lift today.

30:39

Linda Like no, like there's you.

30:42

Like if you're listening to this show, you have a desire to do more than that.

30:45

So. So the ways to do it doesn't exactly mean like every single time you see Billy having the fit in the corner oh, we got a four step him.

30:53

Like no, not always Walk up and add and start asking questions.

30:59

Mark England answers push questions, pull right.

31:03

Like he'll repeat himself 5,000 times. I'm sure you've all heard it.

31:06

So the idea is it's like it is starting in the smaller component.

31:10

So, to break it down again, it's like you set the tone, so you've got to have your story and language straight.

31:15

Then, when you are facilitating your group fitness class or CrossFit class, your one to one training session, it's not so much about trying to catch every word that they say or trying to change every limiting belief that pops up, or trying to get them back to the story that happened when they were five and it was them.

31:30

You know this huge trauma. It's like, no, let's just ask some questions about what's happening right in this moment and then, when you get an answer.

31:36

What has been your experience, like when you've done, when you've when you've done one of those types of things in a coaching, in a class or a session, where you've walked up to someone to ask a question what happens next?

31:46

It's what's going on right now. What's the what's the story, what's the thing?

31:50

And before we go there, one of the things that you had mentioned that I definitely want to highlight as well is Look that weekend certification that was $1,000 three days in a test.

32:01

That's how I got involved in this game.

32:03

Yeah, there's nothing wrong with that being your starting point.

32:08

Yeah, the mistake is when you let that be your only point.

32:13

Yeah.

32:13

Right, this is good enough, right? Good is the enemy of great we start.

32:18

Everyone starts somewhere. Do that weekend certification, start there.

32:22

All also have the ability to see that your growth requires your investment time, effort, energy, money, likely, all four of the things.

32:35

When I decided to become a full time gym owner, I spent $50,000 of money that I didn't have over the next three years.

32:43

I took less from the business so that I could invest in my own skill set to become a better business owner, to become a better coach, to become all of the things the person that I needed to be.

32:56

So it's a. It's a start of a journey.

32:59

It becomes a problem when that's the only point on your journey.

33:03

Yeah, it'll only take you so far. That's where the the burning out on passion.

33:07

That's what. That's what it is Right it's.

33:09

I just did an episode with David Chase about.

33:12

It's ultimately about like start and keep going.

33:15

But the pain points were when I ran out of time because I told myself I don't have time.

33:18

When I ran out of money because I told myself I didn't have money.

33:20

And when I ran out of talent, which is like I told myself I didn't know what to do next.

33:24

And and we talked about we, you guys can listen to that.

33:28

When it's out, it's like the experience of, like our own personal stories of each time that happened and then choosing to make the investment of time, energy, money and talent exactly the way you just described, to get over ourselves, because we're the only thing blocking it.

33:41

Yeah, okay, so we get back to.

33:44

I love, I love that clarification and emphasis on that.

33:47

We get back to that, that class, and we ask them what's the story, what's going on?

33:52

And once the client starts responding what, what have been the tools that you've used?

33:57

Or how have you seen? How have you seen that play out? Cause I'm sure there's I mean there's.

34:00

I've seen many different responses to that type of conversation there's always a branch, right.

34:06

That's and there's this. Okay, I imagine the conversation is going to go this way.

34:10

It could go this way, this way, this way it's. It's a conversation that's dependent on the client's response.

34:15

Typically it goes something like I'm so weak, I can't.

34:20

I can't believe I'm so weak today.

34:22

I can't. I'm obviously frustrated.

34:25

I thought I could do this.

34:28

This is what I actually created.

34:30

So then it becomes more of a conversation around.

34:34

Is it the fact that you were unable to do that today, or is it that you?

34:40

Your expectation was you would be able to do it today and you were unable to do it?

34:46

And that's what's actually the friction point here for you.

34:50

Is it that you couldn't actually do the extra 20 pounds, or is it that you told yourself I can't do the extra 20 pounds, so I'm weak?

34:59

I'm the type of person who fails. This is just another piece of evidence as to why I'm a piece of shit.

35:05

Yeah, exactly, cause it's never the thing, it's the meaning about the thing.

35:10

Yes, it's that thing. So, to get them to acknowledge it we all know awareness is the first step Getting them to acknowledge, okay, you know what?

35:19

It's not actually the thing. It's the thing about the thing, and it's all of the other shit that I got going into my life, that I brought into the gym today, that I'm using this as another piece of evidence for why my life is not what I want it to be.

35:33

Okay, great. Would you like something to be different?

35:36

Yes, I would, or no, I wouldn't.

35:38

If it's no, I wouldn't high five and be like when you want that to be different, let me know I'm here to support you.

35:45

Yeah, if it's yes, actually I'm open to it.

35:49

I'm open to the idea of it, at least Great.

35:52

Here's one of the things that you can try.

35:55

Let's just see how it goes. Insert the translation, insert the statement of affirmation, whatever the thing is, all right, your homework.

36:02

Do this for the next five days, twice a day, five times.

36:07

Add in the breath Nice and slow. I'm going to check in with you and see how this goes.

36:11

There's layers of accountability there.

36:14

There's the actual process of mentoring the individual.

36:17

There's the real help that we're all inspired.

36:21

At least we get into the business because we're inspired to do.

36:25

Yeah.

36:25

Absolutely To your point around. Look, it could be a hundred different ways.

36:30

That's the way, the example that I can remember of the way that it went.

36:36

Yeah, I can add a couple more. I can add a couple more examples of how I've seen it go, which is that asking the question, or even maybe not even getting to the point of asking a question.

36:45

This is, this is. I'm sure you've had this happen to you before.

36:47

You just say hello to somebody, how's it going today?

36:50

And all of a sudden, you hear about their impending divorce, about how their mother died, about how they're getting fired from work, about, like, like, big stories come out because people are looking to get that off their chest.

37:00

Right, look at the words Get it off your chest, get it out A sigh of relief.

37:04

Right, when you come to the gym to let it out, to get into your body, to, well, people most people don't say that, um, most people, the gyms, therapy, they want to, um, forget about their problems for a minute.

37:16

Right, like the way I like to translate that is, I want to get into my body and out of my mind.

37:20

Like that's how, that's how I say it, because I can be more present, I can feel like I can feel the energy move.

37:25

There's the unloader, so like that's okay.

37:27

So this is one scenario. So is the unloader? So like you basically start the conversation.

37:31

You haven't even started the conversation and you hear the laundry list of problems or the things that are going on.

37:35

When that's happening, like right before you're trying to start class, or that's happening at the end of class, or maybe it even happens in between sets.

37:42

There's a couple of things that I've done that I've found to be effective, which is one to slow them down without them realizing that you're slowing them down.

37:50

So one first thing is, like the entrainment of the breath Keep your breath low and slow.

37:54

As a coach, give them your attention and focus and see if you can get them to slow down their rate of speech.

37:59

See if you can get them to slow down their breathing. Get an opportunity in there to ask a question and maybe it's focused on one sentence and ask a question and reframe.

38:08

Or even, if you are in a space where you can do it, give them a piece of paper and a pen and just say write this down, write down what you're thinking about.

38:15

Maybe that's like an after class activity. I had a coach do that to me before I even knew any of these things.

38:19

I was like, here, write that down. I was like, right, what do you mean Write it down.

38:22

We're at CrossFit, yeah, and he was, you know, it's funny anyway.

38:27

So the idea is like you can have people, you can, you can slow them down, which will help a lot.

38:32

It's going to help them down, regulate. The other things that I've experienced is having having somebody like say one of the sentences of a language game, like maybe we'll use the show detox, because I think a lot of people know that one.

38:44

Right, it's like, oh man, I should really make sure that I'm getting in here three more days a week.

38:48

And it's like, oh, you should. What if we try to say this exact sentence again, I could come three more times a week.

38:54

And they're like huh, oh, wow.

38:57

And then you're like what's the difference?

39:00

Right, and you play the show detox with them and you could have them write it down or you could just do it verbally.

39:04

Some of the other stuff is like, oh, I have to go pick up the kids from school, or like you know, I have to go to the post office or something like that.

39:10

And you can like do the have to get to? You can do the need to get to.

39:14

Whatever there's ways you can insert the language games in conversation.

39:17

That just gets the perspectives shifted.

39:20

And then I'll say this is my favorite way, which granted that the type of fitness classes I was teaching is row houses, more similar to like a soul cycle or a spin class than it is to a cross-bite class.

39:30

So I'm talking the entire time and there's no dialogue back and forth.

39:34

But what I did do was make sure that I was queuing them to breathe, always, always queuing them to breathe, like like excessive amounts of queuing them to breathe, which gets them downregulated, right, queuing their posture, having them sit up straight so they could breathe better, and then exclusively talking in affirmation, so only speaking in affirmation, and then saying things in the way of like asking them questions while I'm teaching.

39:58

What picture does that put in your head? What do you see yourself doing achieving that goal?

40:02

How are you show, how is the you that's going to achieve that goal showing up today?

40:06

Right, like asking questions, to intentionally use my language, to paint mental pictures in their head.

40:12

So you can do that while queuing in a group fitness class where there isn't necessarily dialogue, because you understand how the language influences the feelings and emotions, the pictures in your head, the posture, the breathing right, so you can.

40:25

I just want to call it. I'm like I'm spelling on them because I am, because they and then they tell me oh, I heard your voice in my head the other day when I was taking someone else's class and I was really struggling, right Cause that coach is probably saying don't quit, push harder.

40:39

This, like you know, they're saying this stuff, that like is, is digging them into the ground and stressing them out, and then they can recall another way to say it, or a different picture or a different feeling that it elicits.

40:50

Like I think we all know that feeling, especially in group fitness, where you like, kind of it's like usually like two thirds of the way through the workout where all of a sudden the endorphins hit.

40:58

It's the best feeling in the world and you're like I can do anything Right, like that, like you have to, like you know, as a coach, you're building them up to that moment.

41:07

You're building them up, you're building them up, you're building them up, they're there, and then you're bringing them back down right, and you're helping them take that out into the world with them throughout the day.

41:14

So there's just so much of like tools that you can use without them, even knowing that you're using those tools and then we get to.

41:23

So let's go back to the unloader, because I'm sure you've had that experience.

41:25

I know every fitness coach has had that experience.

41:27

When did you start integrating more one-to-one work off the floor with them, where you're actually just sitting down to have conversations and going through the story work, because that's the part where I know many coaches are like oh, I know I could with this person.

41:39

I really want to. How did you invite them into that style of coaching?

41:44

In group fitness. One of the easiest ways for me to do that was to schedule a goal session with the client.

41:50

Yes, super smart, yes.

41:52

Every client like in. One of the opportunities that group fitness presents that I imagine not enough facilitators or coaches are taking advantage of is getting to know the clients who actually show up to your session, why they're showing up to your session, what they want to get out of being a client of yours, what mountain they're climbing.

42:12

So invite them in for a goal session. It'll be 30 minutes.

42:14

You're going to sit down and you're like what's important to you?

42:18

Why is that important to you? What does success look like?

42:22

And they're going to unload, they're going to tell you all of the things and you're going to hear all of the patterns of language by asking those three questions and then you can start to go.

42:34

Okay, you told me losing 20 pounds was important to you, and it was actually important to you.

42:38

And it's the Y five times. It's not the surface level.

42:41

Why so I want to get ready for next summer.

42:43

It's actually because I've battled my weight for my entire life and I have a poor self image and it's most important to me to have my myself confidence.

42:52

Okay, are you open to writing a couple of things down around this?

42:57

Yes, I am. Okay. Now you've opened the door because they trust you because you actually understand their motivation, why they're doing the thing.

43:11

Many people in group fitness where they fail their clients and they just be they stay coaches and never mentors is they assume that the clients are there to get fit.

43:22

No one's there to get fit. People go.

43:26

People get fit fit because of what they want to do and they believe that fit people have the capacity to do.

43:34

That's why people engage in exercise and activity is because of the life that they want to lead and the things that they imagine they can do with that fitness.

43:45

It's not just to have abs or like those things are nice.

43:50

It's about the feelings and the confidence and the life that I can actually live, the adventures that I can have, the activities that I can go on, the way I'm going to show up for my wife, my kids that is exponentially greater than the way that I believe I'm showing up right now.

44:05

Yeah, it's interesting what I was just thinking of. I think it's chase that says this, because that's the voice that's popping into my head, but it's like people think they want to look how fit people look, because really they want to feel how they think fit people feel, which is interesting in the sense of that a lot of the fittest looking people that I know feel like shit.

44:25

They're broken.

44:26

Exactly because they have not addressed the story in their head and because they've not been able to move past the physical layer of themselves and at some point in time, on your journey of regular exercise, fitness, consistency.

44:40

This is my story. This is also the story of countless other people.

44:43

You realize it, because it is not about the fitness.

44:47

It's about what that means about me. It's about what I'm able to achieve.

44:51

It's about how strong I am, how powerful I am, how much I show up for myself.

44:54

There's a deep dive. That's why I love that active life is calling themselves a personal personal development company.

45:00

First, because it is about that. It is about what, the conversation I'm having with me, the feeling I have in my body, the way I feel walking out of a class, how good I feel in my body when I know it's strong and capable.

45:11

It's about the energy that again those endorphins rushes.

45:14

Like that it feels really good. And so it's like how can we create that experience for people?

45:20

Knowing that, like as a professional coach, knowing that?

45:23

That's why they're there, knowing what? That? That's what they're seeking, even if they're not directly saying it to you.

45:28

Figuring out how to pull it out of them by asking those questions, taking the time to sit down and work with them and then getting to know them on a little bit of a deeper level and what I find like at least I knew this was challenging for me in the beginning of my coaching.

45:42

I so I in a lot of ways I went backwards of many people in the fitness space.

45:45

I started in nutrition coaching, thought that I wasn't capable of being a fitness coach, all the reasons why I couldn't and then I switched and I went into fitness and left didn't do as much nutrition coaching.

45:56

And one of the things that nutrition coaching taught me was that those deep, vulnerable conversations they were essential to really getting the client to, to implement the change.

46:07

And that's what led me to unlifted, because I realized I didn't have great tools to be able to get in there and to change the dialogue and to change the actions and the behaviors.

46:15

And then, when I, what I learned from that was that in order for me to have that same style of results and coaching and fitness, I still had to have the vulnerable conversations.

46:25

I still had to ask the deeper questions.

46:28

And what I noticed in my peers or the coaches that I was leading and teaching they were so afraid to go there, like they were just like oh, I can't ask somebody that, but what do I do if they tell me that?

46:39

I, what do you mean? I can't if somebody is just telling me about how they're like they just lost all their money and their divorce and now they're like they don't know what they're going to do with, how they're going to feed their kids, like what am I supposed to do with that?

46:48

Right, and it's like, and they're like I'm not a therapist, like throw the hands up and like you know, I'm not a therapist.

46:54

And it's like well, you don't need to be a therapist to support someone.

46:57

You don't need to be like, you don't need to go into their deepest rooted traumas.

47:01

You just you can change a couple words. You can help them feel better in that moment.

47:05

We're not asking you to take them to full resolution on every scenario of everything.

47:09

It's just being more equipped to handle when it gets a little bit more real, because that's what vulnerability is is realness.

47:17

Well, there's validity to that, that thought about not being a therapist as well, because having the ability and recognizing your lane and having the skill set to identify where your scope begins and ends is so essential.

47:31

Absolutely agree To what we do as fitness professionals, and tools like and lifted allow us to better navigate those conversations Because we can really say all right, the things that you're presenting, the problem stack that you're identifying here.

47:50

Let me make a connection to you with a professional that I believe will be even better suited to help.

47:57

Yeah, yeah, we did a whole conversation about that with Jen Proxman, who you'll get to meet in a couple weeks, talking about scope and talking about, like, when to know, when to refer out and when to like, when you get to the edge of your scope, what to do.

48:08

And so much of that, too, is like I think about where we, where we get again and bring it back to the person who's, like, driven by passion and recognizing what our real motivations are, about why we're so passionate about changing the lives of other people.

48:22

The best thing to do is, like, if you're, if you're finding yourself in that place where you are effectively burnt out on your passion and you're trying to figure out how to professionalize your career and you're trying to figure out how to go deeper with your clients and you're still, like, not really sure how to go there, go there, the first thing that has happened is you have to go there with yourself and you have to, after you have to, like, dig deeper about why you're so passionate about this what did getting fit or healthy really do for you?

48:46

What has it really transformed in your life?

48:48

And work on those stories for yourself and start to recognize, like, especially, you know if this is, if, if you've been listening to the get and lifted podcast for a long time, you've come to our workshops, you've heard Mark speak, you've taken some of the courses and you still haven't dove in on your own story.

49:02

It's time. It's time because you got to go there and so much of the and if you are still diving in, if you've done that and you've also gone through the certifications, you've dove in on your own story, but you're still walking out with the question marks over your head about how I do this with my students and my clients in class or in the gym.

49:18

It's like you, you've. You got to just start, you just got to implement, you got to get over that hurdle of going a little deeper, breaking out of what they expect from you or what's normal or the way you've always done things.

49:29

Because that's how you progress, right, you, sometimes it's, it's, it's a matter of like, hearing ourselves say the things that we hear clients say, and we're like, well, that's done.

49:37

Like you can't say what do you mean?

49:40

Like you just want to do this because it's comfortable. Well, we both know that lifting the same amount of weight every day because it's comfortable is not going to produce progression right.

49:48

It's not going to make you stronger, it's not going to actually get you the adaptation you want.

49:51

You have to do something different. Do something different, get something different right.

49:56

The next question I have for you around this is like so it's like you're using this within, integrating that into those sessions, the goal setting.

50:02

When did you start to get into or maybe this, maybe the bridges, the workshops you mentioned?

50:06

You hosted lots of workshops. You did the core language upgrade, instructor led way of the unlifted athlete, instructor led courses.

50:13

When did you start implementing the deeper Story?

50:17

work it starts. For me, it started with all right, we're now doing goal sessions.

50:22

We're asking all of the questions. We're starting to analyze the way that people are speaking to themselves about themselves.

50:27

We're giving them tips and tools to be able to do that better.

50:29

Step number one got it. Step number two is after we do those goal sessions, with enough people for them to start to have an experience and begin speaking about it in a way hey, let's do a workshop around this.

50:45

And we called it cognitive fitness because mindset works for some people.

50:50

You know words, words and stories like I'm not really sure what that is, so you want to make it something that they're going to be attracted to and inspired by.

51:01

You know it was cognitive fitness. One of them was the language of goal setting and they're like okay, perfect, I definitely want to do better at setting goals.

51:10

So I'm going to come to this workshop. We're having conversations in the workshop.

51:15

It's very presentation, slightly interactive based, and then everybody who comes to that workshop gets booked for a free one on one.

51:24

It's not like a hey, do it if you want to do it.

51:27

It's, the link is pulled up.

51:30

People who are early get booked before the workshop.

51:33

People who showed up on time get booked after the workshop, and it's a part of the offer.

51:38

It's a part of the thing that you're doing is you're going to get a free coaching session at the end of this.

51:43

That's how we started to integrate it, how I started to integrate it with clients, one on one, immediately.

51:52

And it's a lot of reps. Yeah, the same conversation is like you, your client signs up for a gym membership or something and you know what they need to get started is going to be a certain amount of personal training sessions or whatever it is going to be.

52:07

That, like you know, you as a professional know what's going to get them the result and you don't give them the option of choosing it Right.

52:13

And so, like we've I'm sure that in a fitness space, you've given that offer to somebody another time like you know, like, well, we, to get the result you want, we have to do this first Right.

52:23

Same thing with this to get the result you want to achieve those goals, we have to go into your story first, right, so it's.

52:30

I'm not making, I'm not making this optional. This is just, this is how the result is delivered, and so that's an important piece for coaches to understand and to to stand firm in right, like it's like.

52:41

You said that so solidly. It was like no, you're not, this is not an option, this is your do it Like and not to force them into it, but it's just like you enroll them into the idea of like, this is how the result is achieved.

52:52

So, okay, great. So then you get a lot of reps.

52:54

You're doing one to one. How did your clients take that?

52:57

Most of them really well. I don't. I didn't have an experience where any one of them were like this fucking blows.

53:03

I don't ever want to do this again. Those are like wow, that was really valuable for me.

53:07

Thank you for that. Some of them will then be like I can see the value here.

53:12

I would like to continue doing this.

53:15

Yeah.

53:16

And that's where you're like great, this is what it looks like for us to continue.

53:19

And what I did because I was coming from a fitness facility is I used my personal training rate for one on one sessions.

53:26

Going back to the, you know the identity around the coach and there's there's this martyrdom that exists in coach, like this noble intention of I'm not doing it for the money, I'm just going to give all of my time and my re, I'm going to give it all the way and then people will pay me because I'm just so awesome.

53:46

Yeah, how exactly right.

53:49

In Christmas tips. You're right.

53:52

Yeah, they'll come to the community events and they'll.

53:55

They'll be awesome. But know and understand that you're bringing value to the market and start where you're at with the skill set that you have.

54:06

When I talked to group fitness coaches now who are like, look, I like this idea of being able to make this a career in this, this I have no idea how I couldn't deliver a valuable personal training session or a one on one session and solve a high level problem.

54:21

So, okay, what can you solve?

54:25

You coach CrossFit, right, so you're really good at teaching people CrossFit things.

54:28

Start doing one on one. Where you're teaching them CrossFit, do that better, get reps and doing that it's just like the story work.

54:36

You get the reps and doing the things individually and then they start to achieve outcomes that were previously unattainable for them because they were doing a general thing and a non-specific thing.

54:48

That's the workshop, right. It's your group fitness class.

54:51

It's your general offer to get them to the specific thing that actually solves the problem for them and with them.

54:58

That's your personal training.

55:01

That's your one on one, that's your story work sessions.

55:03

And I've used personal training sessions that people booked as personal training sessions, as story work sessions, because of the way that they showed up that day.

55:15

Absolutely yes.

55:17

Right Example A client shows up the question, like you were talking about the unloader.

55:22

It's like how are you doing today?

55:24

Boom, all the tears, all the things.

55:28

It's like, great, well, we're not exercising today, right, let's go.

55:34

We can go for a walk, we can go.

55:36

Do we sit with a pen and paper? Whatever's most approachable for you.

55:39

But that's going to be the most valuable use of our time, effort and energy today, and it always is.

55:46

Yeah, that's one of the things that I've I, I, every personal trainer.

55:52

Somebody who's done personal training sessions knows that they've put somebody at some point in time.

55:56

They've likely put somebody through a workout who was not in the shape or capacity or ability to do a workout, and it was.

56:03

It was a net negative, right? Because they didn't know what else to do, because they thought the only thing I'm supposed to do.

56:09

Well, they're here for a workout and even though they feel like shit they didn't sleep last night, they haven't eaten anything they're clearly upset about whatever their husband said to them night before.

56:17

Well, all right, jill, let's go, we're going to get this dead lifts in.

56:20

Like no, like you have to be able to have more tools to identify how to support somebody in that type of scenario, and in lift is certainly one of them.

56:30

I can think of some other opportunities and ways that you could do it as well, but like, ultimately, is that knowing this kind to me?

56:37

That comes back to scope. Like you're being irresponsible if you take somebody who's not in a place that physically, mentally, emotionally into that.

56:44

Like that's not, that's not being a professional coach, that's being an amateur coach who just is going through the motions and so so much of like, where, where I can see people who are just getting started in and lifted work and who are wanting to deliver more, using those specific opportunities because they will show up to offer the client something else.

57:04

Hey, you know what Actually like, I'm learning this method and right now, today, I think this will serve you really well.

57:08

Can we? Can we use our session to go on a walk for 30 minutes?

57:12

Or maybe do the story work and then go on a walk for 30 minutes, right?

57:15

So it's like you can help them clear it out and just being bold enough and confident enough and competent enough to offer that versus expected.

57:24

Yes, One thing that I I imagine is impactful here and I've been thinking about this a lot lately is if we're going back to the identity of the coach.

57:32

Most coaches see themselves in their business as a commodity.

57:37

And somebody comes in.

57:40

I need to engage with them within the first five minutes of them filling out the form.

57:44

I need to get them booked for the discovery session of the consultation within three business days and then they need to get started next Monday.

57:52

That's how a commodity positions themselves, because they're afraid that they're going to be able to get the thing somewhere else.

57:59

So I got to get them in now. Start thinking of yourself as a solution.

58:03

You're not a commodity, you are a solution.

58:05

What does a solution mean? It means that I'm going to do the right thing for the individual at the time, and it's.

58:12

They're not coming to me for the workout. That's a commodity, I can go get a workout anywhere.

58:16

They're coming to you for the solution. They're coming to you because you are the professional.

58:22

If you go to the physical therapist, you go to the the mental health therapist, you go to the doctor.

58:27

They're not like hey, you're really fucked up today.

58:30

What would you like to do?

58:32

Right, you can get a six pack or a membership, but this like it's like no, yeah, exactly.

58:39

Yeah, I think about this too from a place of like this really translates super well when we're talking about cause.

58:44

Really, what we're talking about there is like enrollment and sales.

58:46

A lot of coaches have a and this comes back to yours same exact point about money.

58:50

A lot of coaches have a hard time selling because they see selling as something separate from coaching and they see selling as this like dirty four letter word of like and they see money as being like the root of all evil.

59:02

Like there's like some aspect of like. Well, it's not. I can't ask people for this much money.

59:05

I'm not talking about something right now. Coaches, your sale is not a sale.

59:10

That is your first coaching interaction. That is your first solution to a person Yours, yours, you're solving a problem for them.

59:16

In exchange for solving that problem, they're going to pay you handsomely, right, because you're worth it and because that problem, the solution to that problem, is worth it to them.

59:23

Yes, you know that you can solve the problem and you know that you know how to solve the problem, and you know that you're going to solve the problem because you're a professional coach and you're not dealing with imposter syndrome, you're not dealing with your own stories and bullshit and you're not dealing with the problem, like, oh, I don't know what to do here.

59:38

Then making an offer for a more expensive package is easy and it's also excitedly received by somebody who knows wow, this is a relief for me.

59:48

Wow, this is going to get me what I want.

59:50

Wow, this is going to really help me out. I'm sure that the what the offers that you guys make it active life.

59:56

I mean, I have to imagine that your services are expensive by by fitness standards.

1:00:01

Right, like, because it is a very complete solution, because it is a very high touch, high value offer.

1:00:06

Do you have any doubt that when you sell those that you're going to solve the person's problem?

1:00:10

Or like, do you ever think, like, this is too much money?

1:00:12

No, I never think that it's too much money and sometimes I for accuracy.

1:00:16

There's 10% of the time that I don't know if we're going to be able to solve the problem, because the problem stack of the clients that we're getting is is large and I let them know that it's not like, yeah, we can do it, and me on the back side going, I don't know if we can do it.

1:00:31

It's hey, look, I'm willing to go on this journey with you.

1:00:36

If you're willing to go on this journey with us and full transparency, I'm 85% confident that we're going to be able to do this.

1:00:46

Is that if there was an 85% potential that you received the solution that you're coming to us for, would that be a worthwhile investment for you to just see if this works?

1:00:58

Yes, it would Great.

1:01:00

Let's get back together 12 sessions from now, 24 session, whatever the appropriate timeline is based on the process, and reevaluate so what you're talking.

1:01:12

People need to trust four things. They need to build certainty in four areas in order to accept you as a solution.

1:01:19

They need to trust you, the individual.

1:01:22

They need to trust the business.

1:01:24

They need to trust actively. They need to trust the process, which I noticed most coaches, many coaches struggle to articulate and they need to trust in themselves.

1:01:35

The closer that you can get them to certainty in those four categories, the more likely they are to say yes to whatever the solution is.

1:01:43

So if you get to that point, that friction point, where you're like here's what it looks like and they're like I don't know, the next reasonable question is okay, do you understand why we as a business are uniquely suited to help you?

1:01:58

Yes, I do. Do you understand why me, the professional sitting across, is the right person for you to be working with?

1:02:07

No, I don't. Okay, great, let me do a better job then.

1:02:11

I apologize for that. Let me do a better job of explaining to you the 13 month education process that we go through in order to be able to call ourselves active life professionals.

1:02:19

I don't understand the process.

1:02:22

I apologize, I've done a poor job of explaining it to you.

1:02:25

Here's the process again. Here's all of the steps.

1:02:28

Here's where you're at. Here's how long it's going to take.

1:02:30

Here's what I expect the outcome to be. Is it that you do?

1:02:35

You believe in your ability yourself and your ability to show up and do this thing?

1:02:39

Maybe, all right, let's do some story, let's do some language to do a translation here.

1:02:45

You said maybe what that says to me is you're uncertain, right?

1:02:49

Yes, I am. Why All of the things that I've tried and failed before Got it?

1:02:55

What if this is the last thing that you try?

1:02:59

What if this is the first thing?

1:03:02

That's a we're? What ifing the good shit?

1:03:04

Yeah, exactly.

1:03:05

Right, what if this is the final solution for you?

1:03:08

What if? What would it look like?

1:03:11

What would it need to look like for you to have more confidence in your ability to show up for this?

1:03:17

Now they're articulating the solution to the problem and they're thinking through it and telling it to you.

1:03:23

In the moment, that's the mentor asking the next question after the question, and not the coach who's like first objection, okay, well, how would you like me to follow up with you then?

1:03:35

Yeah, yeah, yeah. There's so many layers to this and I think it's like, really it's important to talk here from a perspective of like the way that I'm seeing the progression from that like first starting point of getting your first certification and then all the way up to the point of like really feeling comfortable in your professional identity.

1:03:52

There's so much that has to happen. It's like a staircase that you're walking up and I think there's a handful of people, maybe a large percentage of people, that have been in the fitness industry for a long time and think that just by the years in the game that they've climbed that staircase and and I don't think that that's true I know that's not true from from the professionals I've interacted with that have 10, 15, 20 years in the coaching space and still haven't caught that like, still haven't figured out how to, how to really solve people's problems or really go deeper or really get to the point and to most of their, most of the credit of like those people that I interact with have come to us for our next level solution.

1:04:29

So it's like, oh hell, yeah, we can get you, we can help you get going on it.

1:04:32

And most of the time what plagues them is that they are aware that they're not able to do what they want to be doing, and so their imposter syndrome gets so big that it's like I've been doing.

1:04:45

I've been doing this for 15 years Like I know the right way, but like, but it's not working.

1:04:49

So why am I not good enough at this? Why can't I make more money at this?

1:04:52

Why can't my business be more successful? Why can't I sign up more clients, like all of the dominoes that happen from that place?

1:04:58

And I've also seen coaches and I would actually classify myself in this camp like I jumped into the fitness industry and I try and will not even fitness coaching space and I tried to get as much education as I could, as quick as I could, so I could get as good as I could as quickly as possible.

1:05:13

And the thing was was like and I'm still on that path I would say I have less years of experience in the game than plenty of people and I have more tools because I've sought them out.

1:05:22

And that doesn't make me a better coach, it doesn't make me more qualified, doesn't mean I earn more money, none of those things.

1:05:26

It's just that I'm able to cultivate that professional identity sooner, which will then allow me to have more clients and get more money, and you know all of that stuff right.

1:05:36

So it's it cut. To me, it always comes back to the identity component when you're talking about developing your professional skill set, and this could be in coaching, this could be in anything, it could be in like hot air balloon driver, like I don't care.

1:05:47

Like, like, literally like whatever thing you do, you have to develop your skills to get better at the craft and to make it into a craft and to see it as that and to progress up that staircase.

1:05:57

And in the conversations of how we bring it back to the sales conversation, bringing it back to, like, the real solution conversation, that's, the places to think about these skills as only applicable on the coaching interactions or in the class or in the one to one session or whatever it's like.

1:06:17

No, that's not it. It's actually across the full stack of your business, everything from marketing to the floor layout to I mean, we talked about this briefly in the beginning Every inch of your facility is intentional, like you were like oh yeah, the desk is faced like this so that they can't see the room back here, and the this sitting area is meant to be like, you know, like this.

1:06:36

So they're not waiting in anticipation of seeing the workout in the back and they have.

1:06:39

We have these offices right here to like, make them feel safe, like it's like it's that type of level of detail and meticulousness and understanding the full picture of what people are going to experience when they walk into your space, and that's where you can show up that are different, differentiate, but also really, yes, of course, in the competitive landscape, you want to be different than the other gyms down the street.

1:07:04

And what if it was just about the feeling people got when they walked into your gym and it wasn't anything about what everybody else is doing and it was just wow, this is an amazing space and wow, I really feel cared for here and I really trust these people and I really like how this.

1:07:17

I love how these bathrooms are in this unique blend of essential oils and soap, like yes whatever you know we have our own scent.

1:07:26

Yeah, exactly which I love, yeah, yeah.

1:07:32

I mean, I think like this conversation is really like valuable and there's so many layers to it and there's so much at play in this and you know hearing it from the perspective of your years in the game and your professionalism and the advancement in your path.

1:07:47

What are you excited to teach other fit pros at the Unlifited Experience in the conversation around what we're talking about here?

1:07:54

Yeah, one of the things that I was hired in this position for and one of my unique abilities is in creating processes.

1:08:02

So taking an idea, creating a process around it, make it evolving it.

1:08:07

So there's a couple of things that we're going to do specifically in the section that I'm leading.

1:08:12

We're going to do, we're going to perform something called a value audit, on a score from zero to 180.

1:08:20

You're going to be able to look at your facility, your coaching, and you're going to decide and have an objective measure on whether you are providing the value that you would like to provide, and then have an opportunity to look at okay, where are the places that you can improve?

1:08:38

Is it in the way that you articulate your vision?

1:08:41

Is it in the onboarding process and the fulfillment process that you have for the clients?

1:08:46

Is it the layout of your space? Is it the bathrooms, all of the things?

1:08:52

So we're going to look at your business and be able to identify okay, where's my area of opportunity here?

1:08:57

Where's the low hanging fruit that can move me closer to the professional?

1:09:02

And then we're looking at your process, so specifically your client journey.

1:09:07

How do you communicate it, how do you articulate it?

1:09:10

How do you build that confidence for the person across the table that says this is the problem stack you've identified.

1:09:17

Here's how I'm going to take you from here to here in a measurable way, not just a yeah, you start doing the thing and maybe we'll get there.

1:09:30

And I love that. It's like this is I? My brain is immediately going to how soft talk, solid talk, right Negations, affirmations like coaches who under who already have a foundational understanding of the unlifted method.

1:09:42

It's like are you thinking about it in that scenario?

1:09:46

Are you thinking about it and how you speak in your interactions with your clients, with your students, with people in your space?

1:09:53

Right, like, are you thinking about how you're using your language in that way with your team?

1:09:56

Because, yeah, it's fine, it's all well and good to when you get into a coaching session.

1:10:01

It's all well and good to to think about your own thinking, but are you thinking about what's really coming out of your mouth as you're leading your team and as you're leading your clients?

1:10:09

And that's the part where I love, like, in that process place like I'm, I know you're going to get into all of that.

1:10:14

It'll be obvious to them. They'll be like oh, wow, yeah, I'm using so much soft talk in my sales process.

1:10:19

Oh, wow, you know what, when I lead my team, I'm I am projecting all over them.

1:10:24

I didn't even realize I was doing it right, and or maybe I realized I'm doing it, I don't know how to stop.

1:10:30

It's like right, cause that's usually a pain point for people, that once they've become aware of the tools and the skills, and then they're like, well, I know I'm doing it and I don't know how to stop.

1:10:40

Or I know I'm doing it, but I don't know how to stop and it's like, well, just change the butt to the end.

1:10:44

They're right, like whatever. So that's going to be fun.

1:10:46

Yeah, we're going to have a great weekend. We're going to have a great weekend.

1:10:49

We got a lot of people coming into town. I mean, I'm sure everybody who's listening to this these podcasts that hear me talk about it that's coming, is getting pumped, and everyone who is listening and isn't coming is having some of the effin foam and kicking themselves, which there's still an opportunity for you to get there.

1:11:02

We had last year. I keep saying this last year somebody bought a ticket the morning of so so this is still.

1:11:08

You know, get there and you can make it happen.

1:11:10

Yeah, we've got a whole packed weekend. We've got really great stuff and it's going to be awesome to spend more time in person, meet people that we haven't met before, and I know many of the gym owners, fitness professionals that are coming to the weekend are going to want to spend time around you, talk to you, come to your workshop, and for those that aren't there, how can they get in touch with you and get some of this magic or mentorship or fit, you know, have the opportunity to learn more from you, whether that's through other podcasts you've done?

1:11:36

What resources can we share with them?

1:11:39

I'm easy to get ahold of it's Cody underscore wringle on Instagram.

1:11:43

It's Cody at active life rx is my email.

1:11:46

I've got a lot of podcasts that I've done with active life about story work, language, how we implement that as a company.

1:11:53

Those are the two places I'm relatively responsive, so within a day, well, I'm always happy to jump on a call with anybody interested and just and jam on this stuff.

1:12:06

This is this is what I'm really passionate about and make a living out of, and I'd love to have conversations with you around how you can do the same.

1:12:14

So hell yeah.

1:12:16

Yeah.

1:12:17

Cody, I'm going to see you so soon. Yes, and this time there's going to be no leaks.

1:12:21

We're going to have. Yes, we're going to have, we're going to get to do whatever.

1:12:25

And you know, oh my God, I was having this.

1:12:27

I had this thought last night. I was out doing a yoga and sound bath class, out this like gorgeous Marina, and like, as I was laying there, coming out of the sound bath with, like snuggled up on my blanket, and it was like, about the same time of night, of what the breath work session will be with Brandon, and that was the exact thought that I had.

1:12:44

I was like this is going to be so perfect. And then, literally, like my brain goes what if it rains?

1:12:48

I was like what if no, no, no, I'm not entertaining this idea.

1:12:52

I was like, no, it's going to be perfect weather.

1:12:54

So now, every day, I'm adding to my visualization Perfect weather, great, perfect.

1:12:59

So it's going to be. I mean, richmond in the fall is gorgeous nine times out of 10, 9.5 times out of 10.

1:13:05

It's like it's just it's the best season here in a lot of ways.

1:13:08

So I, the gods are with us.

1:13:13

The first trip to Richmond?

1:13:14

Yes, I know, yeah, you've been to the lake house. We haven't been to Richmond, so that's going to be awesome.

1:13:17

Well, we'll be seeing you soon.

1:13:20

Everybody who's listening.

1:13:21

If you're coming, get your tickets. If you haven't already get your stuff booked, we're going to see you.

1:13:25

We're going to have a lot of fun. And if you are a super last minute person, yes, you can still buy a ticket the morning of, but you have to physically be here to show up to the event.

1:13:31

So you got a little bit of planning to do.

1:13:34

Yes, all right, cody, this has been a blast and I'm sure there's plenty of more follow up conversation to be had.

1:13:41

So, listeners, if you've got questions or things that you want to dive deeper on, hit them up.

1:13:46

He told you where to find him.

1:13:47

Thanks.

1:13:48

Thanks for coming. Thanks for joining us. Hey coach, ready to get your clients out of their own way and over their shitty mindset, start by learning the words and make mindset coaching practical.

1:14:00

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1:14:05

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