Dominic Kennedy is a personal trainer in Hollywood, Beverly Hills. He has certifications from the National Academy of Sports Medicine for personal training, weight loss specialist, corrective exercise specialist, and in nutrition. He is also the CEO of the Dominic Effect app, a fitness and wellness app that launched in November of 2020. Dominic is also a luxury realtor with the Compass Aaron Kirman Group.

Vincent Ferguson:

Before we talk about the Dominic Effect App, let's dig a little bit into your personal life and talk about you, Dominic. Where did you grow up and what was your childhood like?

Dominic Kennedy:

I grew up outside of Philadelphia, in more of a smaller town so it was about 20 minutes outside of the city. Growing up, I had a great childhood. I wouldn't say it was a cookie cutter, but there were challenges like everyone goes through. But I really enjoyed the area that I grew up in. I enjoyed the city of Philadelphia. Very athletic from a young age. Very involved in sports. Rarely ever would be inside. So very, very active from a very young age.

Vincent Ferguson:

Very nice. Do you come from a big family Dominic?

Dominic Kennedy:

I do. I come from a huge family.

Vincent Ferguson:

Really? How many siblings?

Dominic Kennedy:

On the one side, there's four and on the other side, there's eight. So I was surrounded by a lot of people. A lot of different personalities.

Vincent Ferguson:

When did you know that your career path would take you into owning your very own personal training business?

Dominic Kennedy:

It was at my teenage years. I've had a very independent mindset since I was younger. I was always off on my own. I had jobs when I was 11 or 12 years old delivering newspapers, working at restaurants, whatever I could do. I just had this entrepreneurial mindset. I knew that when I first started working in corporate pharmaceutical, this wasn't for me and I quickly after college realized that I wanted to be an entrepreneur. And here I am.

Vincent Ferguson:

Very interesting. Did you have any role models who were entrepreneurs?

Dominic Kennedy:

I do. I worked at a restaurant when I was younger, his name was Michael. And he started from nothing, grew up very poor. He grew a huge franchise and I really honored, and respected, and looked up to him from a very young age. I was by his side watching his work ethic and it instilled in me because I have a very similar work ethic.

Vincent Ferguson:

So would you say that mentorship is very important for young people?

Dominic Kennedy:

100%, for young people. I'm 35 and I still have mentors. And I will always have a mentor.

Vincent Ferguson:

Excellent. You're not only a personal trainer, but you're also a luxury realtor. How do you mix the two? How does it work out for you?

Dominic Kennedy:

Well, owning a private personal training business, I'm around a ton of different personalities in Los Angeles. Clients have been with me over 10 years in a row. So it's developed a really deep relationship, friendship. It's almost like family. But you get into the luxury real estate, and it is in Beverly Hills, my clients who have... They trust me. I work side by side on their body, mentally, emotionally. So if somebody wants to sell their property or look for a property or start an income property, they know I do this. Not only will they use me, but they'll also refer me to their friends. So I use both interchangeably because in personal training, just like hiring a realtor, you really have to trust the person that you're going to work with.

Vincent Ferguson:

Yes, most definitely. But why did you choose to become a personal trainer?

Dominic Kennedy:

I love helping people. Like I said, in the beginning of this, I worked in corporate pharmaceutical for two years behind a computer, on a spreadsheet and it does not reflect my personality at all. I have always been a personal trainer on the side throughout college. So when I moved to Los Angeles and decided to make a career out of it. It's so fulfilling to me to be able to watch somebody grow and also achieve their goals. I look at everyone as an individual and whatever they are coming for, that's how I designed their program. It's not my body. I'm just there with them along the physical and emotional process to help and guide them and be there for them.

Vincent Ferguson:

Yes. You mentioned your body and I've visited your Instagram page, and honestly, you have a phenomenal body. So when someone sees you, they can't help but wonder, "Wow, what does this guy do?" What's the most common question you get when people see you, whether on the beach or your Instagram page, they see you in a social setting, what do they ask?

Dominic Kennedy:

What do you eat and how do you attain a body like that? I get this question a lot at the grocery store. When I'm in line, "Oh, can I ask what's in your basket, what kind of food do you eat? I want to look like that." And I love it because it's a great question.

Vincent Ferguson:

Oh, most definitely. So what do you tell them when they say, "How can I look like that?" How do you answer that?

Dominic Kennedy:

That's a good question. It really depends on the person who stuck to me because I wasn't always... I'm 220 pounds now. So I know if somebody comes up to me and they're around 150 pounds and they're just into this. I really recommend to anyone, no matter what their goals are, to stay consistent and that it does not happen overnight. So many people expect I'm going to do this for four weeks and expect this amazing transformation. If you're a 160 pounds and you want to be 220 pounds of lean muscle, that takes time. If you want to lose weight, that's different. So if someone's looking at my body and they want that type of lean muscle, there's amazing things you can do in four weeks. But if you want a lean, dense quality muscle, and to really pack that on, I always say to stay consistent and focused and keep going, because it's what's going to get you to your goal.

Vincent Ferguson:

But what brought you out to Hollywood, Beverly Hills?

Dominic Kennedy:

I have wanted to move out to California since I was around 12 years old. I'm a huge beach boy. I love going to the ocean. I meditate at the beach all the time. I love sunsets. The energy out here really corresponds with who I am. I'm highly into meditation. I find it very peaceful out here on the hikes that I go on to really re-center myself. And the second I moved here, which was almost 11 years ago, it felt like home to me.

Vincent Ferguson:

Really? Do you have any celebrity clientele?

Dominic Kennedy:

I do. I have such a wide variety of clientele from famous professors. Actors is something I can't disclose. Just really incredible top scientists and doctors that work at UCLA. I mean, I have a really amazing range of clientele who I learned from as well all the time.

Vincent Ferguson:

The actual name of your business, Dom, is what?

Dominic Kennedy:

The app is The Dominic Effect. And my business has always been called Dominic Anthony Fitness and Wellness.

Vincent Ferguson:

Dominic Anthony Fitness and Wellness.

Dominic Kennedy:

Correct.

Vincent Ferguson:

Okay, excellent. Excellent. And you said you've been in business now for how long? 12 years?

Dominic Kennedy:

Over 12 years, yes.

Vincent Ferguson:

Over 12 years. Now, this current government shutdown, the pandemic, how has that affected your personal training business?

Dominic Kennedy:

To be honest, I'm very proactive in approaching this or anything in life. I've always been like that. And when this happened, I quickly within two weeks converted most of my clientele onto ZOOM. And for me, I have to find a way around this not being able to physically train in a private gym with the restrictions. I'm so thankful for FaceTime and ZOOM and so are my clients, because it's made all the difference.

Vincent Ferguson:

What would you say makes you stand out as a trainer above the rest?

Dominic Kennedy:

I don't just meet a client and bring them on, and train them, and they leave. This is my life. I live and breathe this. And also when I meet somebody, I want them to feel very, very comfortable with me because it's not just about the physical body. There's so much more that goes into this. Why people have blocks with food, or working out, or emotional eating? There's so many things and fears to tackle. So I incorporate not just the physical aspect, but I really encourage affirmation, meditation. And I'm very hands-on so my clients don't just come in for an hour and then leave. The next day I'm going to text them, "How are you feeling? Did you do your cardio?" I'm very, very responsive and very hands-on. And I really like to keep open communication where they can reach out to me anytime, because I'm so passionate about this industry.

Vincent Ferguson:

So you really add that personal effect that people need to motivate them and to keep them going?

Dominic Kennedy:

I add The Dominic Effect, yes.

Vincent Ferguson:

There you go, The Dominic Effect in the house. All right. Now, as a personal trainer, you're limited to the amount of people you can actually personally see and train throughout the course of the day, but you created a fitness and wellness app called The Dominic Effect. Tell my listeners about The Dominic Effect and why it's so special.

Dominic Kennedy:

So the premise behind this is, I want to reach as many people globally as I can. So like you just said, I can only reach a certain amount of people throughout the day that are ongoing or whether it's one-on-one training. However, coming up with this app, it's not just somebody goes on. They create that customized workout plan with video tutorials, there's customized meal plans with shopping lists. All the macro counts, the proteins, the carbs, the fats, how to cook the food. I've made this so user-friendly, which was so important to me because many people who use other apps and it's confusing to them. So this is so user-friendly for anyone of any age group who wants to use it over 17.

Dominic Kennedy:

And I also incorporated a big part of me which is the meditation and wellness. That section is on there. Where we have live meditation. I'm bringing in other people who I really respect, who will lead live guided meditation, yoga workouts. So I really want this to be a community where people feel safe, and where they feel they are benefiting from this app. And not just from the physical standpoint, but from the inside out. So it's really important to me that people feel really center grounded, especially during this pandemic right now.

Vincent Ferguson:

Let's talk about the nutrition because that's very important. So many people, they eat differently. Some are vegans, some are vegetarians. How does your app address those people?

Dominic Kennedy:

It does it for everything. So if a client signs up, they're going to be asked a list of questions. And one of the questions is your preference of eating. So whether you're vegan or vegetarian, you eat meat, paleo, you'll select that. And there's a whole bunch of other questions you're going to answer after that. From there, you'll be generated in 72 hours that much I look at the customized meal plan, where if you eat vegan, then it's just customized to you in that sense. And then it will still come up with all the macros, pictures of the food, how to cook it and a grocery lists.

Vincent Ferguson:

You said how to cook it as well, really?

Dominic Kennedy:

Right. So not only does it come up. It's a beautiful picture of what the food can look like and all of your proteins or carbohydrates, your fats and calories, but then there's a dropdown list and it'll show you the exact ingredients. And then the second list is how to cook step-by-step. So you don't even have to think about it. If you're not a good cook, then you can follow this. And it even has pictures so you know how it should look. You can print or email the grocery list to yourself or just on the app as you go to the store, pull it up and check each item off as you purchase it.

Vincent Ferguson:

That's incredible. This is definitely the type of app you need to explain to people. I don't think most people will get the full gist of it. When you just say The Dominic Effect app, it really encompasses a whole lot more than what the name says, which is great.

Dominic Kennedy:

Correct.

Vincent Ferguson:

Now tell me about the fitness aspect, because sometimes some of these fitness programs can get stale.

Dominic Kennedy:

Right. So it's a personalized workout. So just like the nutrition aspect, where you have a list of questions, the workout portion as well, will come with a list of questions. So you'll answer all of your stats. There's dropdown menus with pictures. So you can pick where your body fat is because no one knows off the top of your head. So I have pictures of 12 different types of bodies with the body fat, and you'll select that. And then what your goals are, how often you work out and injuries. That's very important too. There's an option for that. So that's within the app, it'll pop up. If the exercise... If you have a shoulder injury, that'll let us know for that particular workout. So once that's submitted, then it will generate within 72 hours a workout plan.

Dominic Kennedy:

The workout plan comes with all of your exercises for that day. So you'll just click on it. It's very simple. And then there's eight exercises for that day to complete. You'll click on it. It tells you the muscle group and what it's for. And then you can, if you want to know how to perform the exercise, so it's almost like I'm there with you, you click on the video and it's me performing the exercise. As well as explaining tips and techniques, keep your core tight, watch for this, so that you can follow along with me. And then you just hit complete when you're done.

Vincent Ferguson:

Oh, and now you said eight exercises. So that's approximately a 30 minute workout?

Dominic Kennedy:

Right. It depends on what the person's goals are. But eight exercises, if they're four sets and then there's cardio at the end too. So it really depends, you can do a half hour or hour. And that's one of the dropdown box question the user will be asked to set. Do they want a 30 minute workout, an hour workout? And you will also select would you like home only workouts or gym workouts. So if you are only able to work out at home that's okay, you can select that. And the exercises pulled in for your plan, are ones that do not need the gym equipment. So it's very intuitive. And then you can also change it. If you decide to go back to the gym a month later, you can select it so that for gym only. And then the exercises pulled in for your plan will then show exercises that you can perform, like a chest press, in the gym.

Vincent Ferguson:

Excellent. And again, with the current situation taking place today, for instance, if gyms are closed again, you still have an opportunity, a way to work out and exercise. Correct?

Dominic Kennedy:

Correct. Yeah. And that's the beauty of this, you do not physically need to be in a gym. You also don't need a ton of equipment because I created a ton of body exercises as well to do at home, or with bands, or dumbbells, or kettlebells. Things that you can order online at Amazon. Pretty easy to get. But then if you want to switch it to the gym, you just do it on the app and then we will convert the exercises to equipment that you see in the gym.

Vincent Ferguson:

And because it's The Dominic Effect app, are you saying that the user will also have the experience of having you with them, doing the exercise? Are you actually demonstrating the exercise? Did you say that?

Dominic Kennedy:

Correct. So once you look at your plan for the week, you can click on day one. And if they are eight to 10 exercises, each exercise will tell you the muscle group and how to perform it. Then you can click on the video that pops up. So if you're at home or at the gym, and it's me performing say a squat. And also explaining how to do it, giving you techniques and things. To be able to keep your core right, exhale on the way up. Things is like that. It’s almost like I'm there with you during the step, because that can be very intimidating for people in the gym when you don't know what you're doing. So it's very user friendly and very easy to follow.

Vincent Ferguson:

It sounds amazing. It really truly does. Now another reason people hire personal trainers is not only because of the experience and the knowledge, but also for motivation or inspiration, does your app provide that as well?

Dominic Kennedy:

It does because that's a huge part of who I am. So if you go, for instance, to my Instagram page, I post affirmations, motivational quotes, things that inspire me throughout the day, throughout the week are all on there. And that is also being generated in the app as well. For instance, I have a meditation and wellness section. So I have a list, like psychologist, on there with how to live a happy life, how to get through a stressful situation. There'll also be meditation 101, things that you can do to really center yourself and live at a higher vibration, which is always the goal for me. So that type of motivation and inspiration is included in the app.

Vincent Ferguson:

Absolutely amazing. And again, when it comes to motivation and inspiration or even positive energy, where do you get yours, Dom? Where do you get your inspiration, motivation, and positive energy from?

Dominic Kennedy:

A really good question. There's definitely people that inspire me. I follow them on social media or whether... For instance, I'm extremely spiritual. And I go to a spiritual center called Agape.

Vincent Ferguson:                                                                                                      

Yes, I've heard of it.

Dominic Kennedy:

Yeah, with Michael Bernard Beckwith, for instance. He's a huge, huge inspiration to me. Before COVID I used to go every Sunday and it's just such a happy, positive place. It's really just full of love. You can feel the energy when you walk in. And now I just live stream it, since we physically can't go. But people like him and there's so many other, they're just at such a high vibration and I aspire to be like them.

Vincent Ferguson:

I love it. Back to the app. How much does the app cost and where can we download it?

Dominic Kennedy:

So you can go to download it. There's a few different ways, you can go to www.dominiceffect.com. This will bring you to a page that lists all the different programs because there's three different options. You can do a monthly meal plan and workout plan combination, and that's $27.96 a month, or you can do a workout plan only for $19.99 or a nutrition plan only for $19.99. So really it depends on the individual and what they're looking for. For me to have both of the combination is important because the nutrition, along with the workout, it's going to give you the best results. It's also available on the App Store for the iPhone.

Dominic Kennedy:

So you can go and put in The Dominic Effect and it'll come up there. And it's also available on Android, Google Play as well. But the best option is to go to dominiceffect.com. Look at the different options to become familiar with it, or to my Instagram, or any social media pages, and then pick it and then download it from the app.

Vincent Ferguson:

Perfect. Now, where do you see yourself, Dominic, in the next five years?

Dominic Kennedy:

In the next five years... I'm so confident in this app because I have put so much energy and love into it. And I'm really including a lot of other people because I want everyone to benefit from this. So within the next year, we need to grow this app. But I also see myself become a motivational speaker, where I can help others really live a life to their full potential, and realize whatever obstacles that's going on or challenges, your path is already there. It's already carved for you, so just keeping walking your path and trust in yourself. So this is really important for me to be able to reach as many people globally as I can. So I'm hosting seminars, motivational speaking, and continuing to grow the app, as well as of course working in luxury real estate as well.

Vincent Ferguson:

Oh yeah, exactly. I almost forgot about that part of your life.

Dominic Kennedy:

Yeah. There's a few things going on in my life.

Vincent Ferguson:

Exactly. So now where can my listeners find out more about Dominic Kennedy?

Dominic Kennedy:

So you can go directly to the website, the dominiceffect.com. And then if they want to find more inspiration, or who I am, or how I live my life, you can go to Dominick Anthony Fitness on Instagram or Facebook. I also have a Dominic Effect App Instagram as well. It shows more of what the inside of the app and everything looks like. So I post everything on my social media is very authentic. If you look at my stories, this is who I am. So it's broadcasted to show how my day to day life is.

Vincent Ferguson:

I've been to your Instagram page, I'm definitely going to recommend it to my listeners. It's full of life, vibrancy, and health, and happiness, and really shows you having a good time living man, which is wonderful.

Dominic Kennedy:

I am. Thank you for saying that.

Vincent Ferguson:

Most definitely. So Dominic Kennedy on behalf of Body Sculpt Of New York And Six Weeks to Fitness, I truly want to thank you for coming on my show today.

Dominic Kennedy:

It's been an honor and I really, really appreciate talking to you.

Vincent Ferguson:

It's my pleasure. And to my listeners, I truly hope this program was informative, encouraging, and inspiring, and that you will continue tuning in to our Six Weeks to Fitness podcast. And if you have any questions, comments, or suggestions for the show, please leave them on my Six Weeks to Fitness blog at www.6weekstofitness.com or email me at [email protected].