Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Bryan Iloka. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Bryan thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What sort of legacy are you hoping to build. What do you think people will say about you after you are gone, what do you hope to be remembered for?

The legacy I hope to leave behind is that EatGreedyFitness pushed many individuals to build self confidence while becoming their best physically mentally and spiritually. Regardless of what I’m dealing with, my job is to provide my clients with an abundance of energy to help them get through the sessions. I can truly say most people gravitate towards my energy and me being genuine about helping them transform into the best versions of themselves.

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?

My name is Bryan Iloka and I am a certified personal trainer. I have been in the industry for 5 years now. I grew up playing sports, specifically football and track. My initial dream was to go play football in college and possibly the NFL after. However, during my senior year of high school, I fractured my left clavicle which ended my season and football career. A very tough moment and shift in my life. I ended up graduating and attending University of Texas at Arlington to pursue a degree in Electrical Engineering. While going through the curriculum, I always made fitness a priority by going to the gym everyday. I even prioritized it over my homework which isn’t ideal but that’s just how much I enjoyed working out. Fast forward; I graduated with my Bachelors in Electrical Engineering in 2016 and began work beginning of 2017 in Dallas TX. Still, fitness was an everyday thing. It’s a part of me that never left. As I got more into my career, I realized I wasn’t truly happy working my 9-5, especially when fitness was at the forefront of my thoughts everyday. I took an engineering exam that I only pursued just for a possible raise, only to end up failing the exam. It took me a moment to realize, I didn’t even apply myself to study like I should have simply because the passion for it was not there. It was in that moment I chose to pursue my personal training certification. My whole thought process was being able to give back to the community doing something that I love. So why not acquire the proper education needed to help individuals achieve their goals in a healthy proactive manner. I not only studied for the certification, but I went above and beyond understanding the material because the passion was there. I aced the exam and became a certified personal trainer in 2019. I started working at 24 Hour Fitness part time on top of my 9-5 up until covid hit and 24 Hour Fitness closed down for good. It was in this moment I finally decided to take a leap of faith and start my own fitness brand. After many mental battles and self talk, EatGreedyFitness was born in 2020. I began training clients anywhere and really got my brand exposed. Fast forward to March 6, 2022, I was released from my 9-5 because they could sense I was unhappy and only performing the bare minimum to get by. I then began to pursue fitness full time. This transition was very tough because not only was I not prepared for it, but more so it became a financial struggle and my clientele wasn’t the highest at the time. I can’t thank God enough because truthfully there were moments where I didn’t even know how my bills would get by. It was then that I had to remember my “why”. It carried me though those tough times along with prayer. Before you know it, my clientele excelled drastically. I always provide myself in being my authentic self. I want people to believe in my real character. Everyone constantly tells me they love my energy and to never change. This confirms that they truly enjoy what I have to offer. So much has changed for then better but I do believe the hurdles I faced molded me up until this point and I can’t be more thankful for it all. Still continuing to grow.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

I had to unlearn living in comfort. I think with my 9-5 corporate job, it was easy to feel comfortable and safe knowing that my bills would be pay and I could afford to make a comfortable living. However, I knew I was destined for much more than that and my lifestyle at the time was not aligning with that. Me being released from my job was very uncomfortable. However, so much growth came from that and it molded me into the individual I am today. I needed that to happen to I can finally unveil my true potential.

We’d love to hear the story of how you turned a side-hustle into a something much bigger.

I was training part time and working my 9-5 full time. It got to the point where my 9-5 was exhausting and I knew I wasn’t going to be in it forever. My comfort kept me there longer than I needed to be so I’m glad I was eventually let go of my corporate job. The transition was uncomfortable. You have to constantly remind yourself why your passion is important to you because it will help you get through those hurdles in the long run.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eatgreedyfitness_/
• Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/profile.php/?id=100071602907263

Image Credits
Jeremy Thigpen