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This is Day 19 of my 30-day blogging journey.

Want to know the “why”? Check out Day 1.

Piggybacking off of sentiments from yesterday’s post, there’s another element to creativity that matters:

What your unique voice provides.

The health industry can be a loud one.

It’s a space where often the person with the biggest megaphone (platform) makes the most noise and gets the most attention (even if what they’re saying isn’t true).

That makes it difficult to position yourself as an authority if your platform to speak from is smaller and you’re little more than just a tiny fish in a rather large pond.

I was speaking with a fellow coach recently and she’s trying to find her footing in the industry.

Some degree of shyness, impostor syndrome and not feeling comfortable marketing her skills and knowledge is holding her back.

It’s not a lack of knowledge, it’s confidence and knowing how to position herself amongst the noise.

Here’s the thing (and what I tried to impress on her): The audience we, as coaches/health professionals, are trying to reach is HUGE.

And you don’t need a big slice of pie to make it.

You just need a slice.

Which means that competition only matters by how much credit you give it.

For the coaches out there who are afraid to put their information into the world, remember who you’re writing for: NOT other coaches but to your ideal client.

Some coaches prefer to write with lots of peer-reviewed studies, reference points, and scientific jargon.

That’s all fine and good but is that what your client is coming to you for? A breakdown of PubMed studies?

The advice I gave to the coach was to approach her content from a more inviting place:

If I were a potential client and I had a question for you about how much protein I should be eating to help me reach my goals, would you sound like a professor or like a friend?

I’ve always tried to operate like the latter.

What many people don’t know is that plagiarism is rampant in the health field. Coaches will swipe the work of others, remove credit where it’s due and simply slap their names on it posed as original work.

That may not mean much to the general public, but it pisses off a lot of people who put the work in to make original content.

If you were a musician, there’s a good chance you might write a song with the chords G, C, and D but how you play those chords matters a lot. Something has to make those chords not sound like you’re rehashing “Every Rose Has Its Thorn” from Poison.

What your left with is your interpretation of those chords: the speed, the style, the inflection, and your personal mark on the chord sequence.

So, if you’re a coach, take the knowledge you have (which is likely enough to impress and attract your ideal demographic) and explain concepts in the way you think will have the best effect; with care and empathy and YOUR personality

Your words won’t affect all people in the same way.

That’s ok.

Remember: You just need a slice of the pie.

My approach may not appeal to many people and I sleep just fine at night with that truth.

What I also sleep well with is the knowledge that my voice is mine alone; influenced by many and constantly evolving.

(Photo courtesy of Jason Rosewell)

This is Day 18 of my 30-day blogging journey.

If you’re just joining the trek, Day 1 can explain more.

I don’t know when it registered for me, but I have a prime time of each day where I’m at my most creative.

It falls somewhere between my normal waking time of 345a and about 530a each morning.

That’s not quite two hours where my mind races about all manner of things: the next blog I want to write, what my next Instagram reel will be, the email I need to send out, the post I need to make to my clients, etc.

My mind starts going shortly after I have my first sip of coffee, while I read a few pages of a book, scroll through emails and messages from the night before, while I wash my face, brush my teeth and throw my clothes on to head to work and during the whole 20+ minute commute from home to the studio.

Some days are better and more fruitful than others.

I find that the more I create, the more ideas I tend to have.

The knife stays sharp.

The problem isn’t what do I have to talk/write about, the problem is: Which idea am I going to pick next?

A few days ago, I did something that I haven’t done in over ten years.

I wrote an original song.

Mind you, it was meant to be a joke for a post I did on Instagram, a very snarky take on carbohydrates dedicated to people who choose not to consume them.

It took me about 10 minutes.

When I was in a band, many years ago, that wouldn’t have been a big deal. Some lyrics just came to me quickly.

However, in that span of time since I haven’t been writing lyrics, I’ve still been writing.

And the biggest difference between creativity with a blog and creativity for a song is the fact that you generally want lyrics to have a rhyming scheme.

As we watch the demand for artificial intelligence grow, there are a lot of things that can be created through algorithms and data and trends.

It may become difficult to discern what’s created by (wo)man or machine.

Honoring my creative process is one way to keep alive something that is uniquely mine.

I’m going to talk more about this tomorrow.

In the meantime, pay attention to the times in your day when you feel the most creative; whether that’s 10 minutes or 110 minutes.

Guard that time and keep it to yourself.

Use the time to create without limitations and without judgement.

If you’re anything like me and random ideas pop into your head at odd times of the day, make sure you plug some notes into your phone before you forget.

My memory may not be improving over time, but my ability to create has barely lost a step.

(Photo courtesy of Nick Fewings)

This is Day 17 in my 30-day blogging journey.

The “why” for the journey can be found HERE.

Both of my sons love Legos.

Jackson (15) has been a fan of Legos for years and while he doesn’t seem to have the same fascination for them at this age as he did when he was younger, he still will pick them up at stores to work on.

Sebastian (5) just started getting into them. He doesn’t have the same patience (yet) that his big brother did but he’s getting there, slowly but surely.

There’s one distinct difference between the two boys when it comes to building Legos.

Jackson will only follow the directions from what’s provided on the set. He rarely, if ever, will free build.

Sebastian, by comparison, will happily do both. He’ll follow the instructions AND he’ll build items with his own imagination.

Because Sebastian gets frustrated more easily with following the instructions for a set, I’ve had to help him a few times.

There’s a sense of calm that comes over you when you’re working on them.

Mind you, I’m helping him put together a kit that’s sold for ages 6 and up, but there’s a certain wonder in putting all of these tiny little blocks together to form something that has not quite taken shape yet.

Much like putting together a puzzle, things only tend to fit a certain way.

However, there’s a lesson from Legos in both life and work.

Which kind of person are you?

Are you a rule follower: the person who needs the guidelines and systems to put things together in a strategic way?

Or are you a creative: the person who needs to free build and let things happen spontaneously so you can find the flow in the process?

Of course, you don’t have to be exclusively one or the other. You may have areas of your life where you lean to one side more than another.

Rules and guidelines can be helpful. They can give structure and order when there’s a sense of chaos.

A sense of creativity matters, too. Life isn’t black and white, we need to know where to ebb and flow in the gray areas (and when to add color).

Because I spend much of my days coaching strength training and nutrition, the same concepts can apply.

There’s value in structured training plans and there’s value in just winging it to move for a sense of feel as opposed to a quantitative measurement.

There’s value in calorie counting and meal plans, just as there is value in trusting or listening to your hunger signals and your body’s feedback when you eat certain foods.

The next time you’re at the store, buy a Lego set. Expect to spend $30-50 for something that interests you, whether it’s a Star Wars ship or a Harry Potter set.

And as you’re building that set, think about the process that appeal to you most: the structured plan or the ability to free build.

And what does that say about how you approach your life as well?

This is Day 16 in my 30-day blogging journey.

If you’d like to know why I’m doing this, read Day 1.

I never considered how amazing it was that certain businesses would hire individuals with developmental disabilities (DD) until I had a child on the spectrum. 

Nowadays, I can walk into my local grocer (shout out to Giant Eagle) or large chain retailer like Target or Wal-Mart and see someone with disabilities working there. 

It always make me smile. 

Of course, those are more visible examples. 

I work with clients who have DD and one helps package products for a local essential oil supplier while another does janitorial work at a nearby university. 

In many cases, it helps when the job has a great deal of structure and routine to it. What might be considered boring and mundane for someone who is neuro-typical, can be great for someone who has DD because there is consistency to the job. 

There’s even been some conversation in our family about getting my oldest, Jackson (15), to start working this summer. My mother owns a flower shop and I have my personal training studio. 

We can find work for him to do that gives him some responsibility, interaction with the public and the ability to learn new skills for a paycheck. 

I can’t put into words what that might feel like to have him help me at my studio so that my clients can engage with him on his shifts. 

It’s a reminder that, when many people are searching for good help, maybe they need to think outside of the box for ways that someone who has DD can be of service. 

It can help that individual, it may be of tremendous help to their family and, I think it makes the company look good as well. 

As we hear in the autism community: Different, Not Less. 

To all the companies proudly hiring those with DD, thank you. 

Stay “special”. 

Featured below, one of our aforementioned clients, Butch, making his deadlift “debut” with a 225×1 lift.

This is Day 15 in my 30-day blogging journey.

If you’re just now reading these, check out Day 1.

I used to love going to concerts.

I saw my first show when I was around 10 or 11 years old with my parents.

It was Mr. Mister headlining with The Bangles as openers.

Do you feel old yet?

Over three decades later, I know I’ve logged hundred of concerts since.

When my wife and I started dating we saw a lot of shows, too.

And, then, life starts to get in the way as does the prioritization of finances.

COVID aside, we see very few concerts now.

That being said, I’m a strange type of music fan.

Most (not all) of the bands I listen to are either not popular or are no longer popular (if we’re gauging against sell-out tours by artists like Taylor Swift, Imagine Dragons, Chris Stapleton or the Dave Matthews Band).

Which means, many of the shows I’d like to see or have seen are at smaller venues where the only option is standing room only so that you can push and jostle your way to the front (or simply be pushed and jostled back by a more aggressive fan).

And as I get older (or more selective), I just don’t want to fight those crowds much longer.

Never mind the fact that when I was younger or even in those early dating days with Marissa, we’d be up close & personal with bands like Bayside and I Am The Avalanche or watching up & comers like Father John Misty pull off an opening acoustic set for a larger band at the time.

Now, on the few times that we strike out to see a show, you opt to be seated and possibly closer to the stage, all at a higher cost because as I write this in 2023, EVERY THING is more expensive.

So, it leads into the question I started this article with: What will you pay for an experience?

How do you justify the expense?

With concerts, it’s the cost of the tickets, any associated (and outlandish) fees for those tickets, it’s looking to see where you’ll be seated, if you’ll have a good view, if the sound will be good enough based on the venue, how long the commute is to the venue, whether or not you’ll need lodging the night of the show, parking fees, snagging a babysitter for the kids, and whether or not you’ll be dining ahead of time or stomaching the expense of food and drinks at the show.

There’s also consideration of: how often does this artist tour, how often do they come close to where you live, how much longer do you think they’ll be putting on shows before retirement, and can they still pull it off like they used to?

All that to say, the Mrs and I will be heading to Cincinnati in July to see Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds co-headline with Garbage and opening act Metric.

I was fortunate to see Noel when he was part of Oasis a total of four times before they disbanded. This show will mark my fourth time seeing him and my first time to see the other two bands. Our seats will be close but not quite as close as we were when Noel toured for his first album outside of Oasis.

It’s a lot of time and money to spend over 8 concerts total, all memorable in their own rights for completely different reasons.

And I know I don’t hold a candle to those who follow bands like Dave Matthews, Phish or what used to be The Grateful Dead.

Like a lot of things in life, you pay a price for an experience.

Make the experience a good one.

This is Day 14 in my 30-day blogging journey.

If you missed the “why”, check out Day 1.

Mike Roder started working with me in 2017.

At the time, he was wrapping up his Bachelor’s in Exercise Science at Kent State University. He would work third shift at a retail store, drive home, sleep for a few hours and then drive into the studio to help me out with the training blocks here.

Mike caught on to how the flow of the business worked early on.

It may have been his second week here and we were looking at client training sheets during a busy block. I was going to show him a trajectory of where to take the weights for a client when he explained to me what he was trying to do. I looked at him with something of a blank stare: “I’ve got you, J. I know how your mind works.”

And he was right.

Mike and I have always been able to work well together and we have a complementary but different way of training.

One thing I discovered shortly after bringing him on was that he was intensely passionate about sports.

You would see a total shift in his demeanor from the Mike that would talk to you about the weather and school to the Mike that would talk to you about sports. It was a 180 degree turn.

However, despite his love of football, baseball or basketball, Mike knew that he wanted to continue his education with a Masters focus in cardiac rehab. The goal was to be able to work in a hospital or clinic to help patients with heart issues resume their normal lives during and after being under doctor’s care.

And, at the same time, in the past nearly six years, Mike has gone from intern to coach to business owner.

When his work in cardiac rehab began to scale beyond 30 hours a week, he reduced his time working with me and began building a clientele of his own: youth athletes.

So, now Mike works full time at the hospital and part time coaching his roster of kids.

He’s also happily married now and the proud father to a beautiful two year old girl.

Throughout our time together, I’ve been transparent about how I run my business and he’s seen (or heard) it all: the good, the bad, the frustrating and the exciting. If there was something I did wrong, I told him or showed him so he could keep from making the same mistakes I did.

Within those lessons, he paid quiet attention to the things I did “right”. He didn’t always talk about it. He would just ask questions and absorb what I had to say.

And over the last two years, his business has skyrocketed.

It’s been purely organic growth.

He catches video and pictures of his athletes training and breaking records and then he saturates social media with the footage. He tags the parents of his athletes and celebrates their accomplishments on and off the field/court.

“I learned this from you…”

It’s the one aspect of my marketing that I make no apologies for. I post the things to celebrate: personal records, fat loss, you name it. If permission is given, we like to brag to the world about it.

It’s not fast growth, it’s slow growth.

But it works.

Of course, the service has to be good as well. No one’s going to show up if the results aren’t there.

In Mike’s case, it’s not just his athletes who are talking about the training experience, it’s the parents as well.

Mike’s schedule is currently quite limited, which means he can only take so many people in within a relatively short window in a given week.

It doesn’t matter.

The demand is there, the coaching support is there and Mike’s reaping the benefits of a patient process.

Nowadays, when a parent reaches out to me about sending their child to our studio, I always ask the same question: Is this for general strength or sport specific training?

If it’s the latter, I give them Mike’s number and say they’ll be in great hands.

If you’re local and you have an athlete that needs to raise the bar for their training, start following Mike.

And if you’re not local, give him a follow anyway. You’re watching athletes thrive and prosper.

To Mike, you already know how proud of you I am.

Stay patient, stay focused, your business will only continue to grow.

I’m learning things from you, too.

This is Day 13 in my 30-day blogging journey.

If you don’t know the background, check out Day 1.

Social media is a funny thing, isn’t it?

You’ve got the ability to connect with others, share pictures with friends and loved ones, promote your business, sell your wares, or just vent.

Let’s talk about the last one.

When you’re equipped with a voice (or fingers and thumbs) plus some variation of a keyboard, the world is your oyster.

Your social media page (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc.) is yours and yours alone to post what you like, how you like, when you like.

It’s also open season for anyone connected with you to view what you post, comment on what you post or unfollow you if they don’t like what you post.

They can also screenshot what you post so they have it for posterity…

One thing that’s puzzled me about social media behavior is when business owners/managers air their dirty laundry on their social media page.

Let’s assume “Joe” runs a business in an industry with high turnover.

Joe may not like the fact that he can’t keep staff on hand and, if he’s in the “right” mood, he takes to his social media page to let loose about it.

Now, if I’m connected with Joe, I might feel bad that he keeps losing team members but there’s the part of me that wonders if:

A) He’s “friends” with other staff members on his page who will see his vent

B) He’s looking for sympathy from other business owners who might commiserate with him

C) He believes that by venting, someone out there in the ether will be looking for a job and reach out to be hired

I have to assume that C doesn’t happen very often, but…what do I know?

Here’s my opinion (and anyone reading is more than welcome to disagree with me):

I think social media is a profoundly powerful tool for all of the reasons I mentioned above.

As we’ve heard: With great power, comes great responsibility.

If you have staffing issues, take it up with your staff.

If you need to hire people, direct message a few people who can help or reach out to a recruiting company.

By comparison, if you have to take to social media to talk about the need for help, try it with a positive spin.

Talk about the energy, talk about competitive pay, talk about your benefits package, talk about the flexible schedule.

But the venting?

You can do that privately.

Because when you need to hire again and your social media presence is indicative of how you handle turnover, I can’t imagine that people would be lining up to work with you.

Signed,

A fellow business owner who owns a business with great energy, very competitive pay, no current benefits package to offer and a very unorthodox working schedule (also with very low turnover).

(Photo courtesy of Eric Prouzet)

This is Day 12 in my 30-day blogging journey.

If you want to know why I’m doing it, check out Day 1.

On a daily basis, I’m receiving emails or direct messages from people who want to help me with some part of my business.

It may be someone who locally has a service they believe can help, or it’s someone located elsewhere who wants me to opt in to their services.

Most of the emails automatically drop into my spam folder or direct messages fall into an “other” tab.

For the remainder, I normally catch the first few lines and hit DELETE.

However, a few weeks ago, I got an email that caught my attention.

A gentleman (Siraj) reached out to me offering to edit short form videos for me and that was a service I had an interest in.

Out of curiosity, I asked him what he charged.

His response:

$5 for 30 secs

$8 for 45 secs

$10 for 60 secs

I ran some quick math in my head for the amount of videos I post on Instagram and told him I’d like to give him a trial run.

Siraj is based in India so, depending on the turnaround time that I need before posting, I have to factor that into my timeline.

There’s also a small but rather negligible consideration for language between continents and cultures.

Every so often we have to tweak some of the captions but it’s an easy fix.

For me and my needs, it’s perfect.

Siraj offers an upgrade in what I see with my Instagram videos from what I used to do.

You’re welcome to view an example of our work together HERE.

He’s also able to make small edits to the video itself so that it flows in a format that’s more conducive to the Instagram audiences.

I’m always happy to brag about people who’ve taken care of me and I promised Siraj I would do the same for him.

I make nothing off the referral. The only incentive I have is in knowing he’ll continue to grow his business and get better at the work he produces.

If you’d like to contact him directly, I’m sure he’d love to help.

Siraj can be contacted at: skhan965781@gmail.com

Tell him I sent you.

This is Day 11 in my 30-day blogging journey.

If you don’t know the backstory, check out Day 1.

In my 20s, my life was saved by Dr. David Deckert.

I mean that closer to the literal sense than the figurative.

In my 40s, my life was saved by Dr. Collin Myers.

This time, more figurative.

Shortly after my father passed away in 2011, I called up a therapist who could help with grief and sat down with her for two sessions.

In the first one, my grief overtook me.

I cried through most of that session.

In the second session, I had very little to say and she had very little feedback for me.

So, I quit.

I started back in therapy in 2019 when I was in great shape professionally but terrible shape personally.

I looked up therapists on Google who were close to my studio so that I wouldn’t have to travel far.

I found Dr. Collin’s name, saw some reviews which didn’t seem to sway my thoughts one way or another and set up my first appointment.

He was perfect.

He was exactly what I needed in a therapist: He knew when to speak and when to listen. He knew when to ask questions and he ALWAYS would nail me with a question that would leave me processing between visits.

He also was just enough of the paternal side of my life that I was missing with the loss of my father.

I look at therapy a lot like personal training and nutrition coaching.

A good therapist can’t do the work for you.

And a good therapist “shouldn’t” spell all of your bullshit out for you (but sometimes they need to).

Therapy is painful. Therapy is uncomfortable. Therapy is, in my humble opinion, necessary for basically everyone.

And if you’re the kind of person who says: “I don’t need therapy.”

My friend, you probably need it more than most.

Of course, it does take finding the right person for you…like personal training…and nutrition coaching…

Dr. Collin and I spent a lot of time together between 2019-20.

We have spent a lot less time together between 2020 and now.

Most of that has to do with the fact that my life feels pretty good right now.

Not perfect. It will never be perfect.

But it feels good. It doesn’t feel like it’s cracking.

One thing I appreciate when I’m able to reconnect with him, is that it can be like picking back up with an old friend. We know the story, we know the history, and we can fill in the gaps from there.

It reminds me of something that happens with my business too.

Some clients come and they stay for a long time.

Some clients come, take what they need and leave, never to be seen again (we hope it was a good experience, nonetheless).

And some clients come, and leave, and then return.

Of course, they all have value to us. There’s something to learn from each of those types of clients.

But personal training, nutrition coaching, or traditional therapy can feel like it’s a stepping stone.

Sometimes the service provided is merely a place for an individual to stop for a time before they go on to the next stage or chapter of their lives.

I can’t be stingy with Dr. Collin. If you want to reach out to his office, you can do so HERE.

Not everyone wants a male therapist, so if you need a female therapist to speak to, he has someone on staff who can help.

For as long as he can tolerate me, I know I’ll have a place with Collin.

Coincidentally, he dropped by my studio as I was writing this piece about him.

Perhaps that is serendipitous.

Thank you, my friend. My life would not be the same without you.

This is Day 10 in my 30-day blogging journey.

If you don’t know the background on this, check out Day 1.

Yesterday, I wrote about being a fan of limited edition bourbons/ryes.

Today, I’ll write about my other love of collecting: records.

I’m in a weird place as a record buyer. I currently have no more room for records, which means that if I want to buy more, I need to get rid of some.

It also means that if I buy a record, I REALLY want it.

And it means I’m a bit of a snob.

I can’t claim to be an audiophile by any stretch but I do have some stellar pressings of albums that make me appreciate why vinyl is better than digital and why some sources of audio are better than others.

It also led me to the company Acoustic Sounds.

Acoustic Sounds has been selling high quality records and turntable gear since the 80s.

Over the last few years, they’ve been releasing a series called UHQR which have raised the bar for how records arguably “should” sound.

As one might imagine, they only press so many of these titles and, discontinued ones are typically sold for 2-3x (if not more) of their original retail price.

Last year, they announced that they would be pressing many (not all) of the Steely Dan records. If you know much about that band, you’ll know that sound quality was important to them (perhaps to a fault).

That same care and attention is also on the UHQR releases.

Acoustic Sounds has also released two of Bob Marley’s albums: Rastaman Vibration (which came out first) and most recently, Exodus.

It’s my experience purchasing Exodus that inspired not just this post but yesterday’s as well.

Unlike the bourbon offerings that I referenced yesterday, vinyl pressings like this can reach into the low thousands (say, 3000 or so). However, demand can be quite high and, when you’re purchasing items on the internet, it’s every buyer for themselves.

Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you view this), the demand for Exodus was very high.

So high, in fact, that it clogged their website.

Mind you, those in the know complained that it was because Acoustic Sounds has an antiquated website that is in drastic need of being updated.

Maybe they’re right.

However, one customer in their frustration offered a suggestion not unlike what the business I wrote about yesterday does.

Give priority to customers who you know have spent the money in the past and open up access to them before you give the general public access.

Now, whether or not owner Chad Kassem updates the website to something that can handle the traffic, I am not sure.

And, perhaps, clogging the website is exactly the kind of publicity which may drive more people to check out the site.

I also understand that when things are limited, that means (by definition) not everyone gets the item.

Win some, lose some. No pouting.

I tend to agree with that customer.

Yes, quantity may be limited but give your faithful customers “first dibs” at access. They can opt in or out. Either way, the item still sells. The same revenue is made.

Sadly, many people purchase records (and bourbon, for that matter) simply to flip it on the secondary market and make a profit.

It’s not the way I choose to do it. If I’m buying something, I want to enjoy it.

It would take little effort on behalf of Acoustic Sounds to curate a list of customers who A) spend the most B) specifically buy the higher-end options and then put them on a separate mailing list.

As for me, I did get my copy of Exodus, and it did take me a long time to get through the site.

It sounds…amazing.

But the purchasing process was not amazing.

Not for me and, by the looks of it, not for many others.

I think The Prime Barrel had the right idea.

I hope Acoustic Sounds can follow suit.