I’m very excited to welcome back Kate Galliett to the show for our next 4-part series. Kate was previously on Episodes #123 and #272. This time, we’re reconnecting initially in promotion of her new book “Becoming Unbreakable” which we’ll be chatting about throughout the series but our first episode actually takes a few steps back. Kate and I talk a little bit about our origin stories into this industry and how the way we treated our bodies and evolved with them has shaped the way we coach.
Here we are nearing another end of year and 2021 showed only certain differences from 2020. I won’t go too far down any COVID rabbit holes except to say that we are still “dealing with it”. I, myself, had a breakthrough case this year which was anything but pleasant and I’m glad to be on the other side of it.
As for RevFit, we continued our trajectory over last year and I can say, happily, that 2021 was our best year ever. To every single person, client and coach, who made that happen, thank you. I certainly could not have done this on my own.
So, as I’ve been known to do at year-end, here’s my annual list: My Top 5 most downloaded episodes of Revolutionary You, the podcasts I was featured as a guest on, my Top 5 most read articles, and all of the books I consumed in 2021.
The Top 5 Most Downloaded Episodes Of Revolutionary You in 2021
I took my podcast in a different direction this year after my milestone 300th episode. I wanted to challenge myself as a host and I wanted to highlight more of my guests. As a result, I pivoted the show to 4-part miniseries. With the exception of a 4-part client spotlight, each segment featured coaches and health professionals for 4 episodes in a row to give you the topics they were most passionate speaking on. I’m not sure how far I’ll take the direction, but I’ve enjoyed the change of pace and I can see myself doing this up until at least episode 400 and then I’ll decide where to go after that. Here are the Top 5 most downloaded of this year:
I wrap up this 4-part series with Dr. Susan Kleiner this week on a fascinating topic regarding nutrition. In this episode, we talk about how the food we eat affects not just our bodies but our moods and our performance. Dr. Sue offers an example of an elite athlete she had the privilege of working with in efforts to highlight how our diets affect not just the way our bodies move but how brain function and emotions are affected as well. This is a highly recommended episode and series!
Maybe it’s because I’ve been speaking about this with a couple of my coaches lately who are each trying to build their own coaching businesses up, but I wanted to take some time to write about how I’ve marketed my business.
I began marketing RevFit on social media, and specifically on Facebook in 2016. I had already been in business for 7 years and nearly all of my leads for new clients up to that point had been through face-to-face interactions, business to business (B2B) networking groups and word of mouth referrals.
I didn’t understand how to use Facebook for marketing beyond having someone do graphics work for me and then pay Facebook for ad exposure.
At the time, it wasn’t money I was certain would present a good return on investment for me and I didn’t have a great deal of discretionary income to put that direction anyway.
It somewhat innocently began when I posted some pictures of our Richard B., (we’ve always affectionately him called “King Richard”) who was 75 when he started and is now 81 and still training with us.
Richard was training with battle ropes and the trapbar deadlift and everyone who watched him was inspired by him.
I would post pictures of Richard training, post them on my personal wall on Facebook (privately not publicly) and then tag him.
Over time, it not only brought attention to my wall but Richard’s friends would comment outside of his gym time about the work he was doing. It was getting my business name out there, slowly but surely.
Then, I started posting pictures of clients who were succeeding with their weight loss goals. The same system would apply: take the picture, post the picture, tag the client, get the post engagement. Rinse and repeat.
It didn’t take a lot of time, it was fun to do, I got to brag about my clients, and, it was free.
Fast forward six years, and I’m still aggressively marketing my business and the work we do in a similar, but different way.
I post personal bests on the big lifts (assuming that I have the permission of the client), weight loss success and random “quotables” that clients say during their training sessions.
Typically, the quotes are intended to be humorous and since there are many things that a client might say in a workout that has sexual innuendo, it’s good for a laugh. Some of the quotes are inspiring, some risqué, and some can be taken however the reader finds them (especially when presented without context).
There’s a risk in posting some of them because there is always a chance that the quote might offend someone, which is never the intended effect but a possibility. Of course, I could edit them more but I feel it shows a true glimpse of conversations that actually happen in the gym and people can determine if it suits their flavor or not.
One thing is certain: we train people of all variety of backgrounds/upbringings, political/religious affiliations and romantic preferences. Everyone is welcome which means that there is a wide array of personality dynamics and I try to highlight many of them. I consider us fortunate that we can cater to as many people as we do and as diverse as they are, we embrace all of them.
As a result of what’s been termed as my “relentless” posting on social media, we generally attract people who want to lose fat in a sustainable and fad free way, we attract people who value getting strong and we attract people who want a smaller, “boutique” environment to train in.
Because my business is, and always has been, frequented by at least a 65% female demographic, we’ve attracted the women, especially moms, who want to regain their sense of self, their sense of strength and their sense of confidence. In many cases, they bring their spouses and/or their children to come train here as well.
As far as what else we might attract, I’ll reference something that happened in 2020 (leading into 2021) as an example.
Late in 2020, there was a spike in our area of the coronavirus and this was prior to vaccinations being available. I made a judgment call based on the perceived anxiety levels of my clients and opted to mandate masks for our facility, something I had declined to do when we were allowed to reopen after the initial lockdown.
I wasn’t entirely sure what would happen but within a couple of days of the mandate, I had a very small handful of clients who declined to train with us while the mandate was up. It was disappointing but I respected the decision.
And then, something unusual happened.
We got A LOT busier.
You see, despite the mandate, I kept the marketing up and so, in each picture, you would see clients showing off their weight loss success or hitting a personal record, and everyone was wearing a mask.
I believe, and I could be wrong, that it attracted more people to the gym who wanted a place they could go that was enforcing the masks. When I dropped the mandate, membership continued to climb and some of the clients who initially left came back in with us.
Now, allow me to share with you a time when my marketing effectively “lost” a client.
Over the last year or so, I’ve been posting in one of my closed communities and on Instagram, the meals that my wife and I eat for dinner. Marissa and I are both bourbon/rye fans and I will typically post what we’re enjoying that night. Part of the inspiration to do so was to 1) show my clients what the dinners look like in our household 2) how we moderate our alcohol consumption.
I know that many of my clients partake and my wife and I have bourbon as a complement to the meal, not for the goal of getting drunk or carried away with alcohol.
I have routinely attracted clients to the studio who are actively in recovery for either drugs, or alcohol or both. Part of this is because of my own history as a recovering drug addict (I’ve been clean since 2006). I understand addiction as it has been a very real aspect to my life. Alcohol has never had the same effect on me that drugs did and measuring what we drink is how I maintain things to not get out of control for me.
That being said, not every person who has struggled with substance abuse can say the same. In the words of one of my clients: “I know that one will turn to several and I can’t afford for that to happen.”
I completely understand that.
On one occasion, I had consulted with a potential client who mentioned that they were in recovery. I will typically reference my own past with drugs as a way to establish a common bond and I will also normally ask if it’s triggering for them to see the posts I make with our food and drink of choice. I failed to do the latter with this particular client and after they decided to join, I added them into our closed community.
Unfortunately, the posts were indeed triggering for this individual and they decided to no longer be a part of what we do here. I apologized for any negative experience I gave them and respected their decision. I know that every person in recovery has to forge their own path, as I did for mine. It’s my hope that some day, they might feel comfortable to rejoin us but I am not certain it will happen.
After all of these years of experimenting with how I market the business, I know that what I do works and it works very well. It has remained a free source of advertising for us and I handle all of the marketing myself. Like a lot of things, it’s a slow burn to success but I’m willing to put the time in because I’m proud of what this business and my clients have accomplished, and I am more than happy to put that out into the world.
When I give advice to my coaches, I remind them that how they approach their marketing can work in a similar fashion.
Namely:
–Be willing to try new things and gauge the response.
–Be flexible to change course if you feel that something doesn’t resonate with your intended audience.
–Be genuine, be human, and learn, to the best of your ability, how to market to your desired demographic.
–Be relentless (or aggressively consistent).
–Have fun. If it’s not fun, you won’t stick with it.
Come to think of it…edit just a few words on each of those bullet points (and ignore #3) and you’ve got a pretty good plan for your health, your diet and your training plan. 🙂
Dr. Susan Kleiner is back with me for the third part in our 4-part series together. In this episode, we talk about the differences in knowledge and application of when a registered dietitian would be utilized for the needs of a client versus a nutrition coach and the vast disparity of education that happens between these two options. We also chat about the inclusion of nutritionists who might fall in between these two distinctions (of RD and coach).
In the 2nd part of my 4-part series with Dr. Susan Kleiner, we take a look at how macros have taken over the conversation regarding food. Dr. Sue and I talk about the nuance in that conversation and where it can be perceived as a reductionist view of what we eat. She talks about when it’s appropriate to take a micro-look at food and when simple principles work better for the general population.
Rumor has it that I turned 46 this week. As I haven’t done a list this lengthy in a while, I thought I’d go rapid-fire and give you some ideas to make your life a little bit better, happier or healthier. Feel free to revisit the list routinely as what applies to you now may be different in a few months. This list is in no particular order.
Tip your server 50% of the cost of the meal the next time you dine out.
Drink more water.
Find an exercise routine or fitness community that you love and commit to it for 90 days.
Go to bed 30 minutes earlier than normal.
Watch your favorite comedy movie.
Buy coffee for the person behind you when you’re at the drive-thru.
Read a book. Preferably physical. Bonus points if it’s hardcover.
Visit an art museum.
Purge your fridge/pantry/freezer of any foods that aren’t getting you closer to your goals.
Take a candlelit bubblebath.
Go for a hike/trail walk.
Find a recipe that directly correlates to your heritage/ancestry. Cook that for dinner.
Use your “Netflix & Chill” time to “Netflix & Treadmill.” A 30 minute episode/walk is perfect.
Talk to a therapist.
Find one vegetable you’ve never cooked with and pair it with a lean source of protein for dinner
Buy a meal for someone who’s dining by themselves the next time you see it at a restaurant. Stay anonymous.
Support local business.
Slow dance with your spouse/significant other. Each of you picks a song.
If you imbibe, buy something 50% more expensive than you normally drink. Treat yourself but take time noticing if the increase in price equates to an increase in quality. Bonus points if you can pick out the tasting notes.
Get a therapeutic massage.
Get a manicure/pedicure/facial.
Purchase some new cologne/perfume. If need be, get your spouse/significant other to help you pick it out.
Support your local theatre and music venues. Go to a show.
Send a handwritten thank you card to someone and show them how much you appreciate them in your life.
Write a love note (handwritten) to your spouse/significant other. Cheesy notes apply. Bonus points for being nostalgic.
Think of your favorite song from the last 3-6 months. Download it if you haven’t already and take it for a car test: Drive down the road/highway (speed limit please) and play it LOUD. You might want to hit repeat.
Buy your favorite treat/dessert. Share it with someone you love.
Hug your child. Tell them how much you love them. Fur babies count if kids don’t apply.
Put together a Lego set or puzzle. Pick something you enjoy but a piece count that won’t stress you out.
Write down everything that is currently upsetting you or giving you anxiety. Put the list away in a drawer and revisit in a couple of days to see what items have been resolved.
Turn off the news.
Unfollow people and pages on social media who don’t make you feel better about yourself, your life, and your body.
Write a letter to someone you’ve lost whose presence you miss in your life. Detail some of your most treasured times together.
Pray/meditate.
Donate to a local charity that has personal significance for you. You can also volunteer for them if they have a special event coming up.
Donate clothes that you haven’t worn in over two years.
Compliment three people today.
Go for an evening getaway. You don’t have to go far. Find a restaurant worth dining in, grab a hotel room or AirB&B, and make sure you sleep in the next day.
Grab your spouse/significant other, hold them as tightly as you can (reasonably of course), kiss them like they matter, look them in the eyes and tell them you love them.
Have mind-blowing sex. Preferably with the person in #39.
Laugh. If you don’t want to look silly laughing out loud by yourself, call a friend who you can count on to make you laugh.
Limit your screen time. This includes phone, computer, tablet, and television. If it benefits children, it can benefit you, too.
Take a deep belly breath. Hold it. Release slowly to a count of 5. Repeat if necessary.
Lift some weights. Make sure you challenge yourself.
Limit caffeine consumption to only the first few hours after waking. Stick to water afterwards.
Remind yourself that you matter, you are worthy, you are capable, and you can. Remove any verbiage or influence that states otherwise.
I am honored to welcome back Dr. Susan Kleiner for her fourth appearance on the show and the start of the next 4-part series. I highly recommend you check out her previous episodes: #135, 142, and 191. In this episode, we focus on the recent studies that have been released discussing the merits of a weight neutral approach to improved health. Dr. Sue takes us back to a conversation that started over two decades ago and looks at where nutrition, exercise and health overlap and why a weight loss approach may not be the most effective for long-term success with overweight clients.
Some years ago, I was speaking with one of my clients about fatherhood.
At the time, both of his sons were in their teens and he was commenting on the general sentiments of independence and the somewhat rebellious nature of teenagers.
I remember thinking, as Jackson was my only child at the time (and he would have only been maybe 7 or 8 years old), that even though I had challenges as a parent, they didn’t seem to be the same for a parent of a child with special needs as they might be for a parent of “neuro-typical” children.
I had relegated myself to the belief that Jackson’s autism meant that he would always need his parents and I wouldn’t experience those same feelings of his growing independence or any sense of rebellion.
And then, Jackson became a teenager.
The last couple of years of Jackson’s life, he has become not only more expressive, but his vocabulary is growing and, with it, he’s more than willing to express when he’s dissatisfied with something or if he simply does not want to go along with whatever the plans are for everyone else involved.
In a way, it’s impressive to me because with this change in hormones and all the things that any other teenager of measure goes through, I see it all as leaps and bounds of progress in his life. As his father, it makes me proud to see how he is evolving and growing.
And, in a way, I now share that bittersweet sentiment that my client had expressed to me years ago that maybe my young man isn’t quite as dependent on me as I had once convinced myself. Of course, I’ll experience this again in different (but similar) ways as Sebastian reaches the same age.
Such are the stages of life…
And it reminded me too, that as coaches, we play a similar role in the lives of our clients.
There is a message that coaches are impressed with, that we should equip our clients with all the tools they need to be successful without us: the appropriate way to train, the most advantageous way to eat, the self-confidence to see what their bodies and minds are capable of, and the knowledge that, if they wanted to, they could take those tools with them, no longer in need of our help.
The extension of that message being, that we created an environment and a place of support for them that even though they could leave, they could opt to stay as well.
As parents to children, coaches to clients, it’s our way of saying and expressing that I’m always here when you need me, here are the tools you’ll need, and that these are the wings you’ll fly on…
And then, we watch you take flight.
This article is being released in the week of Thanksgiving. I’d like to humbly express my gratitude to all of the readers of this site, the clients who inspire the majority of these articles, my family who inspire the remainder of the articles and to everyone who’s put myself and my coaches in position and privilege to see you get your wings.
Happy Thanksgiving from the RevFit family and the Leenaarts family to you and yours.
Jason Leenaarts 