According to Brad Sheppard (personaltrainerbusinesssystems.com) there are 15,000 new personal trainers graduating across the country ever year. Interestingly, each of these graduates has their own story that led them to the decision to take their interest in fitness to the next level. Toni Krasicki spoke to four PTs to find out what led them to become a trainer.
Alice Williams: Ensure mind & body work together
“After years of learning about the mind, I had the desire to also learn more about the body and its role in reaching one’s potential.”
Upon completing her university studies Alice Williams embarked on a career in performance psychology. Her current role as a Provisional Psychologist at Condor Performance sees her working with coaches, athletes and other performers to improve their mental toughness, and teach them skills such as concentration, motivation and decision making under pressure.
In her non-work life, Alice enjoyed numerous outdoor boot camps, indoor gyms, yoga and Pilates and, she explains, “it was a combination of this exposure to the fitness world, my own background in competitive sport, and my psychology studies that prompted me to enrol in a course to become a personal trainer.”
While completing her fitness studies online with Australian Fitness Network (www.fitnessnetwork.com.au/ePT), Alice found a mentor in Libby Babet, the founder and owner of ‘Bottoms Up! Fitness’ and ‘Agoga’ in Bondi, who has since been providing Alice with invaluable support, knowledge and guidance.
Upon successful completion of her studies, Alice established her own fitness business called ‘Infinitus’ (www.infinitusperformance.com.au), which is based at Bronte Beach (NSW). In this business Alice ensures the training programs she creates are innovative, engaging and functional, and she believes incorporating exercise “helps to facilitate the limitless performance that is only possible when a sound mind is combined with a healthy body.”
Alice is a big believer that effective training requires mindfulness of how the body and mind are entirely integrative of each other. “My background in psychology enables me to create an effective workout environment through the integration of physical training and positive psychology techniques.”
“After years of learning about the mind, I had the desire to also learn more about the body and its role in reaching one’s potential.”
Andrew McKee: He’s been there and done that!
“My training philosophy is personalised programs to suit individuals, hence the business name ‘Personally Trained’.”
Andrew McKee knows how his clients feel when they start training with him, because just over four years ago, he was in a similar position.
In a former life, Andrew weighed over 140kg, and was an unfit, unhappy and overworked “corporate bloke.” After barely squeezing into a business class seat on a flight to San Francisco, he realised it was time to make some changes and detoxify his life. He signed up with a trainer and over the next two years his life completely transformed. Through sweat and tears he shed more than 40kg, got fit and smashed some impressive fitness goals along the way.
Andrew’s physical transformation led him to realise that although he earned hundreds of thousands of dollars a year, it now felt soulless. So he quit his corporate job and sold everything he owned in a bid to help him identify what he wanted his future life to look like.
When his trainer suggested he become a PT, Andrew eventually realised this was, indeed, his calling. So he completed his qualifications with the Australian Institute of Fitness (www.fitness.edu.au) and later established his own PT business called ‘Personally Trained’ (www.personallytrained.com.au).
Andrew’s client base consists of “all walks of life” and includes working closely with the local high school in Narrabeen where he helps train, educate and mentor the students.
Andrew believes training programs should be highly personalised (hence his business name!), and due to popular demand he’s recently started offering his PT services online.
“My training philosophy is personalised programs to suit individuals, hence the business name ‘Personally Trained’.”
Matthew Mitcham: Diving into a new career
“I have had wonderful opportunities to feel fit, healthy and energised throughout my life and this is a gift I would like to encourage and share with other people.”
Best known as the man who won Gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics by scoring perfect 10s after delivering the single greatest dive in Olympic history, Matthew Mitcham has secured a plethora of medals for his prowess on the dive board.
With his extensive sporting experience, Matthew has always had a fascination with human movement and, due to his elite-level training, has always had the opportunity to feel fit, healthy and energised, and this is a gift he would like to encourage and share with other people in the next phase of his life, explains Matthew, when asked what motivated him to become a trainer.
“To help people integrate health, fitness and overall wellness into their lives would be a great feeling,” he adds, “and through my studies with FIAFitnation I have learned the information and tools required to help me do this.”
FIAFitnation (www.fiafitnation.com.au) named Matthew their official Ambassador – a wise decision, considering that during the London 2012 Olympic Games Matthew was identified as the most influential Olympian on Twitter, and upon return was named one of Australia’s ten most influential people on social media.
Matthew says, “I am committed and passionate about having the knowledge to train people and help them reach their fitness and lifestyle goals. In many ways it’s a transition for me from being the student, to becoming the teacher.”
“I have had wonderful opportunities to feel fit, healthy and energised throughout my life and this is a gift I would like to encourage and share with other people.”
Krista Dennis: Police officer turned PT
“If I could make a difference to one person I have done my job!”
Tasmania-based Krista Dennis, has been a police officer since 2005 and is currently a detective constable in the criminal investigation branch.
A former state-level netballer with a long-standing interest in health and fitness, Krista always harboured a desire to broaden her own fitness knowledge, as well as help others achieve their health goals.
“I love my job and I love exercise too, so I thought – why not become a personal trainer and maybe one day I can combine the two roles and train police recruits in fitness?”
As a result, Krista enrolled in Australian Fitness Network’s online Elite Personal Trainer course (www.fitnessnetwork.com.au/ePT) and gained her Certificates III and IV in Fitness.
“Even though I enjoy exercise, I know that some people find it monotonous, so I want to be able to show those people how exercise can be fun,” she says. And nowadays she does exactly that! Through her part time role as a trainer with Citywide Fitness in Mornington in Tasmania (www.citywidefitness.com.au) Krista has successfully combined her fitness dream with her dream job.
“If I could make a difference to one person I have done my job!”