A Coaching Rant (and Rave)
One of the Few
Currently, 53.7% of fitness coaches are women, but would you believe me if I said this was the only stock photo available with a female coach (personal trainer, actually) standing beside her client?
When I graduated with my Master’s degree in Human Performance, Strength and Conditioning, I’ll admit, I definitely had a “pie in the sky” point of view. My lofty sights were set on being a strength and conditioning coach at the collegiate level at least, with dreams rising as high as maybe one day working with elite athletes at the professional level.
Fast forward to post graduation, and after countless submitted resumes, un-returned phone calls, pleading prayers, and multiple conversations with God, I was hired as a lowly personal trainer at the local gym back in my home state. It wasn’t ideal, but it was a job, and as always, I was determined to make the most of it by being a positive impact on as many people as possible during my time there.
Start at the bottom and you’ll become grateful during the climb
I’ll always look back at that first job as a fitness rookie with gratitude. I had so many kind clients who gave me grace as I bumbled through long days filled with new experiences, and I am forever thankful for their willingness to respect someone who really had much to learn. I was humbled, and God answered my prayers in His time by bringing along an experience I’d been waiting for in the form of a phone call from an athletic department at a university, looking for an interim strength coach.
I was ecstatic.
While the position within collegiate athletics was shorter than I liked due to COVID and a returning coach, God again pivoted me in the direction He wanted me, and I was hired by a CrossFit gym in Virginia that would set an incredible foundation for the remainder of my career. My boss and his wife were not only role models and mentors, but they also gifted me with their friendship. I was tenacious, outgoing, and definitely in need of guidance (I’m sure I drove them nuts sometimes!). This Virginian gym was the epitome of the CrossFit experience, embodying the inclusive coaching, amplifying skill-based techniques, effective group management, and an understanding around personalities that kept members coming back for years. In short, it was an invaluable experience.
I’ve since left the CrossFit space and have embarked upon this entrepreneurial adventure fueled with a passion for helping as many people as God brings my way to align their goals with their values with the vision of positively impacting each facet of their lives (Faith, Family Fitness, and Finances are the four pillars upon which we design our goals here). It’s definitely been a rollercoaster experience full of ups and downs, to say the least.
The greatest of these “ups” would be the incredible client base that has trusted me to be part of their health and wellness adventure. As I type, I have a client who has gone 35 days without missing a single programmed lifestyle or exercise intent, and it’s blowing my mind! She is truly a gift to this weary coach.
And now for the rant
The biggest challenge as a coach, hands-down, is knowing that you will rarely, if ever, receive public recognition for the hours of research, the checking and re-checking (about 10 times) your client’s program, the moments spent worrying about the personal aspects of their lives which they’ve confided in you, and the overwhelming feeling of being completely inadequate for the task of being both motivator and instructor day in and day out to multiple people for over a decade and beyond.
Of course, I have had clients who shouted their gratitude from the rooftops, so let’s not walk into the territory of ingratitude without stating that fact about the loyal few.
What many don’t realize is that a good coach will use basic principles to craft a simple program bereft of any notes, details, or intentions. A great coach will communicate their overarching plan (to give the client assurance of the long-term goals), provide education and inspiration (by means of daily quotes to set the focus and occasionally educational videos to show intent of each training block), and continual challenge (this is crucial to maintaining forward momentum).
The most common response to progress I’ve witnessed (from athletes/clients belonging to myself and also other coaches) is the plethora of “look what I accomplished” posts on social media. They’re rampant at the beginning and end of each year, and while yes, absolutely, the individual did complete those feats through hard work and determination, it misses the greatest perspective-shaping fact. There is almost always someone who supported and worked just as hard on their behalf to help them make that accomplishment possible, and it guts the coach to the core when their client leaves them completely out of the public picture when they reach their proverbial highest peak of athleticism after following the coach’s program/protocols.
I explain my journey to give perspective, not to complain, and to further that point I humbly pay homage with this article to the many, coaches, mentors, family members, and friends who have put out their hand so I could stand on my wobbly legs as I navigated this wildly varying career path. Without God I would never have had the courage to leave the corporate world that left me feeling unfulfilled each night. Without my family I wouldn’t have been supported through the years of thin budgets and major financial needs. Without the good bosses and great mentors God hand-picked along the way, I’d have made big mistakes that could have been avoided if I’d simply heard their valuable advice.
Bear with me, I’m almost finished.
You see, without those who believe in our ability to step into our God-given purpose, those who challenge us to step outside our comfort zone, who humble us kindly when our heads have grown too big, and who ultimately walk beside us through each stage of life - we would not be who we are today.
So, whether you’re an athlete or grocery store cashier, find someone who spoke hard truths in love when it mattered most, who supported and cared about you along your journey, and thank them for the positive impact they’ve made on your life.
We could all benefit from more notes, texts, and calls simply to say, ‘thank you’.
With love, Coach Sarah