We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Joel Silva. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Joel below.

Joel, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What’s the best advice you ever gave to a client? How did they benefit / what was the result? (Please note this response is for education/entertainment purposes only and shouldn’t be construed as advice for the reader)

The best advice I give clients was actually repeated back to me by a client. The advice was the following:

“When it comes to working out, losing weight, gaining muscle – whatever the goal may be – there is no big secret. You just have to show up and keep doing it.” My client then added, “people be doing too much.” He was referring to what he saw on social media for get fit “hacks”.

I saw this personal training client five times per week for one hour. He very rarely missed an appointment and took direction well during our sessions. He lost 20 lbs in 4 months. This success is partly because of my coaching but is MOSTLY because he kept showing up!

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Background
I am primarily a runner. I’ve completed several marathons and countless other races in my life. Every other habit including indoor cycling, biking, yoga, and weight lifting (to name a few) I’ve picked up over the years to support my running longevity.

I first became active and interested in physical activity when I had mental health struggles while in college. I truly feel that running saved my life then and continues to do so today. After graduating college with a B.S. in Biology and working in labs, offices, and doing field work in the environmental consulting field, I realized – with the help of the global pandemic- that life is too short to spend it not doing what you love.

This is why I started ExhaloFortis.com – to share my passion and expertise for different modalities that could support your overall wellness. I’ve helped a diverse group of people reach their health and fitness goals. From individuals with chronic pain looking to strengthen, to busy single moms juggling full time careers looking to lose weight, to folks simply wanting to learn how to move and eat well – everyone has a unique path and I am here to support that journey.

My Mission
I started ExhaloFortis.com to change the status quo. I want those who feel intimidated by the fitness industry to have a place to turn to. A safe space for women, queer, gender-non conforming, and BIPOC folks to get active and make healthier nutritional choices. I designed ExhaloFortis to be accessible virtually and in-person so everybody has access to holistic wellness.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

Starting a solopreneurship can feel overwhelming in the beginning because you are relying on your own ability to obtain clients. The hardest part is obtaining the first few clients. This is when I focused on my immediate networks and purposely expanded my social networks.

Immediate networks are friends and family or friends of friends. Purposely expanding the networks meant volunteering in different organizations unrelated to the health and fitness field and getting yourself out there. I volunteered for a few organizations and obtain a few clients from the staff at those orgs. Once I obtained those first few clients, I gave them the best service I could so they could see results – and they did! From here, it was word of mouth and online reviews. Once word got out I obtained more and more clients where now I feel stable and can spend the bucks on online marketing.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

I often hear that my clients appreciate how conscientious I am. This is very much intentional. Treating each client like a unique individual is of the upmost importance for my business. I do not offer cookie cutter, copy/paste workouts or meal plans for them. They are tailor made to suit their specific needs. I achieve this level of customization by having lots and lots of communication with my clients via the ExhaloFortis App and with virtual calls. I also limit the amount of clients I take on at a time. I focus on quality not quantity.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://ExhaloFortis.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/exhalofortis
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joel-silva-8134367a/
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@exhalofortis?si=Y40VOjU1IImRTM29