We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Ari Brock a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Ari, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about how you went about setting up your own practice and if you have any advice for professionals who might be considering starting their own?

I started personal training 25 years ago because I had two small children and decided I needed to do something from my home. My business name is Body Awakening Holistic Training. I had to do a personal training course and learn all about the body and helping clients with challenging themselves, motivating them to feel good about themselves and helping to improve their lifestyles. I loved setting up my gym and buying all the right equipment for my business. However, working out my target audience and trying to stay focused was a challenge for me. I also have to constantly keep up to date with the dos and don’ts of training a client. I trained clients up to seven days a week in person, which was very successful. My business changed completely in 2020 when COVID happened. I was lucky to keep my clients because I started training online and my clients were loyal to me and stuck by me. Training online via video chat was a challenge I had to get adjusted to, but after the end of the pandemic, I decided to continue doing my training online. My clients were all happy because of the time it saves them and it’s practical for everyone. My advice for someone who is considering starting their own personal trainer journey would be that they have to be passionate and dedicated. Personal training is a people’s business, meaning that you have to be a people person and be able to connect with them (I have clients that I have been training for 25 years).

Ari, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I started my career in hairdressing and loved working with people and making people feel good about themselves; when my children came along, I felt that my children’s well-being and the time I was home was important. I loved training myself and keeping fit, and because it made me feel good, I wanted to help others. I am a personal trainer whose clients are mainly women. My aim is to bring their inner beauty to the surface because with weight loss and fitness comes confidence in ourselves. I offer personalised one-on-one online sessions to help people achieve their fitness goals. What I do differently from other personal trainers is that I try to foster a deep connection with all of my clients to create a safe and comfortable environment for them. I have been a personal trainer for a long time, and it’s not common to see someone my age in that industry. It’s not about age, but about how fit you are and everything else comes after it: Positivity, eating well, and having an amazing attitude towards life. I have a motivational philosophy that is caring and sympathetic but equally ‘no-nonsense’. The thing I am most proud of is the length of time I have had some of my clients. This just proves to me that I am doing things right, and every morning I get up, I feel blessed about having a career that I am passionate about and love.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

I am a survivor of cancer. I feel if it had not been for my fitness level and positive attitude, it would have been different. I was working and training my clients while I was having my treatments, which wouldn’t have been possible without all the amazing people in my life, including my family, my specialist, doctors and nurses. I never once thought about quitting my job while I was battling cancer. My dedication to my work, my passion and my love for my clients kept me going.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

Since starting online training, I have become confident and comfortable working online and have recently decided to promote my business on social media. It’s challenging and also a lot of fun and I am hoping it will promote my business.

Contact Info:

• Website: Arivirtualfitness.squarespace.com
• Instagram: Ari.virtualfitness
• Other: TikTok: ARI.virtualfitness