We recently connected with Katie Jeffers and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Katie thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What do you think it takes to be successful?
What I truly think it takes to be successful is having a growth mindset. A growth mindset is defined as “having the belief that your own basic abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work”, and I couldn’t agree more with this from my own experiences whether they were in school, in my careers, or starting my own business. Integrating a growth mindset means understanding that when (not if) you fail on the way, you learn from that failure, grow from it and find a solution to the problem. The reason I say when you fail and not if you fail, is because you will fail along the journey to becoming successful, but that failure is not what defines you or your success! You didn’t learn to walk by not getting back up when you fail, and the same goes with becoming successful – you get back up and try again.
Katie, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
For those who may not know me or my business, I am owner of Body By Katie LLC wellness services and head trainer and macro coach at My Way Fitness! I have been a personal trainer at My Way Fitness for the last 3 years, and started my business out of the studio 3 years ago, as well. I perform assisted stretching, myofasical release cupping, muscle scraping, as well as train one-on-one and group training clients of all skill levels at the studio in Queen Creek, AZ. Growing up as an athlete, I have always had a passion for fitness and helping others which lead me to where I am today. I began this journey in high school, when I wanted to go to school to become a physical therapist, I stayed on that journey and became a Physical Therapist Assistant, worked as a PTA for 2 years before the pandemic hit, then I lost my job due to the pandemic. Reality set in, and my 10-year plan turned into a “now” plan. I decided to start my own mobile self-care business with the clients I had, when not even weeks later, I got the offer to work at My Way Fitness as a personal trainer, and I was lucky enough to bring my business to the studio, because the two go hand in hand. I am very proud of the journey it took to get here because in no way was this easy! Becoming a business owner and having a slight career change, you work endless hours because you are trying to establish yourself in a new industry and in a pandemic. However, when you love what you do, it doesn’t feel like work. I change lives for a living, and I couldn’t be more proud of this career I have built with the support of my loved ones and colleagues.
We’d love to hear about how you keep in touch with clients.
Being in the fitness industry and working with clients who have individual fitness goals, keeping in touch and in communication with clients is key to not only their success, but yours as a trainer. In our fitness program, we have a private app where we can communicate with clients 24/7, as well as create group chats where the clients can talk with other clients regarding their macros, training, bring about ideas to others that could help another, etc. We also perform client check-ins weekly as coaches with our clients, which holds them accountable to their goals on a weekly basis, if not daily. In order to foster brand loyalty, we get to know our clients first by understanding their goals, their jobs and lifestyles which is key to building their custom programs. Each client has their own private profile on the app where progress photos are uploaded weekly for their coach, we can see their food tracking daily and encourage them to stay on track because results take time. Encouraging clients to hold themselves accountable via posting on social media and tagging their coach, also helps us coaches gain clientele because others will see what that client has been doing and may want to join them! The fitness community we have built is very supportive and inviting for both in-person and online clients, which is important because joining a new gym can be intimidating, but we welcome all skill levels and goal-types into our studio.
Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?
While I am not the owner of the studio, I am the head trainer which means being a team leader. We have multiple coaches at the studio that coach at different times in the day or evening, so we don’t always get to see one another in-person. With that being said, as a team leader, I ensure we communicate via group chats and team meetings to make sure we are always on the same page and have similar goals to building the clientele for all of us. We tag one another in our social medias so we are always growing together, not as one. In order to maintain high morale, we make sure to come into the studio with positive attitudes, build trust with one another, and have fun with our clients while working hard. When the holidays come around, I put together a giant bootcamp for our clients, and us coaches will wear spirited outfits to boost the fun and encourage clients to join us. It is so fun! We have a great team of coaches, and always supporting one another in their success with their clients, as well. Each coach has their specialty, which we teach and learn from one another to help us grow, too. I couldn’t be more thankful to be apart of this team.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.mywayfitnesstraining.com
- Instagram: bodybykatie_mwf
Image Credits
@femforceshoots for professional headshots and professional photos