We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Casey Simmons. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Casey below.
Hi Casey, thanks for joining us today. Parents can play a significant role in affecting how our lives and careers turn out – and so we think it’s important to look back and have conversations about what our parents did that affected us positive (or negatively) so that we can learn from the billions of experiences in each generation. What’s something you feel your parents did right that impacted you positively.
My parents had different approaches on life and how to succeed, but I was greatly impacted by them both. I’d like to think I took a lot of lessons from my mom, and my dad, and used those lessons to grow into my own.
I began playing tennis at age 7 and began working out with a trainer at age 12 to help strengthen my tennis game with a lot of stability, agility, and strength training. I took my tennis career all the way to college, where I played for Florida State University.
If you, or someone you know, played competitive sports while growing up, you probably know that it consumes their life. And when I say consumes their life, I mean it; traveling on the weekends, practicing for hours every day after school, spending just as much time in hotels as you did at home, teachers getting used to handing you numerous assignments at a time so you can do them on the road, being gone for most holidays for when the bigger tournaments are held, and so on.
My mom’s approach to this lifestyle was to make sure you’re having fun, celebrate the wins, if the passion deflates, it’s okay to make a change in course. My dad’s approach was to not waste your talent, work hard even when you don’t feel like it, losses are only okay if you are truly outplayed, and that everything in your life is related, so if you don’t push through here, then you may not be able to push through somewhere else. Both have great philosophies and numerous takeaways.
Fast forward another almost 10 years, I am now 31, doing what I love, celebrating the wins, large or small, working towards my goals even when I’m tired and have had long days, and have realized that everything in life is, actually, related. Everything takes time, everything takes work, everything takes nurturing; relationships, friendships, expanding your knowledge base, staying healthy, keeping your boss happy, parenting, and any other aspect in your life where you want to be successful.
My parents taught me how to be strong, how to work hard for what I want, and that when committed, I can overcome any challenges I may run into. They taught me that it’s important to stay positive, and to grow from the wins, and the losses, along the way, and that success will come with failures, but to have a vision and not give up.
Five years ago, I had no idea I’d be where I’m at now, but I am committed to where I’m at in my career, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Casey, 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?
I was a tennis player my entire life, starting at the age of 7, and always loved being active. I began working with a trainer at the age of 12, quickly soaking up the knowledge, and continued educating myself. Fitness immediately became my number one hobby. I had a passion for keeping my body healthy, strong, and flexible, so I immersed myself in research on anything and everything fitness and exercise related. Muscle movement, movement patterns, safe and effective ways of building strength without discomfort, agility training, building lean muscle…if it was in the fitness space, I was learning about it.
It was a few years after college that I realized fitness was more than a hobby to me, and that’s when I began my career in the industry. It’s had its challenges, like any job, but it’s been an amazing ride and I can confidently say I never see myself doing anything else!
Building a strong foundation for your workouts are so important, and that’s what I do with my clients from day one. Form, control, and proper movement are discussed, explained, and understood with clients. I see my job as not only a trainer, but an educator. I want my clients to know what they’re doing, why they’re doing it, what we, as a team, need to do to reach their goals, and the steps we are going to take to get them there.
Once the foundation is established, we build on the basics. As a trainer, I take the basics, and I “spice them up.” I incorporate new, unique, and challenging moves that engage way more muscles than one would expect. These exercises are all designed to tone, strengthen, and lean out your muscles in a safe, effective way. I do a lot of functional training with my clients that is beneficial for everyday life, and give a lot of attention to the smaller muscles of the body. In addition to a variety of free-weight exercises, I make it a point to incorporate creative bodyweight and resistance band work, that not many clients see coming, but always enjoy the burn!
When it comes to exercise, I pride myself on my creativity to design workout programs that are different, challenging, have a pattern that the clients can follow and understand, and are guaranteed to build self-confidence. Because my clients and I have established those basics in the beginning together, I am able to motivate them, encourage them, and help them prove to themselves how strong they are, by taking those basics to completely new levels.
Fitness is not just about getting the body you want, it’s about building confidence, work ethic, consistency, pushing your boundaries, being in the moment, fighting through and overcoming obstacles, setting goals, and being comfortable in your own skin. I make sure my clients understand that, and believe in that, as I work with them, not only as their trainer, but as their friend.
What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?
There are a lot of factors that go into growing one’s clientele, and since I just started my business in February of 2022, I can confidently tell you that it’s a continuous learning process. In addition to my website, (www.CaseySimmonsFit.com), where I provide my audience with testimonials, partnerships, services that I offer, a free trial workout to CSFIT, previous publications, and more, social media is the go-to platform for growing my clientele.
When it comes to social media, I try to stay consistent and I try to engage my audience. I make sure to provide fitness and health focused posts that educate my audience, by providing them with fitness tools and tips, workout clips, healthy recipes, and more.
I have a newsletter that clients can sign-up for, which provides similar information as my social media platform, but on a deeper level. It provides my audience with discussion topics, things to think about throughout their fitness journey, ways to connect and communicate with me, and how to work out alongside me, by joining my follow-along subscription workouts, CSFIT.
Lastly, I keep it real. I think staying genuine to who you are and not letting other people or things sway where you stand at your core, is one of the most important things in this world today. I want my audience to get to know me, the weird, silly, “energizer bunny” that I am. I curse, I make jokes, I make fun of myself, I post photos where I don’t always look my best, and I post what I want, without overthinking if people are going to like it or not; they can take me as I am, or not.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
I’ve built my reputation by collecting testimonials, before-and-after photos of clients, and most of all, putting the time and work in myself. It is so important to practice what you preach if you want to succeed. You must prioritize your work ethic, your motivation, and your goals, just like you are expecting your clients to do. If you want them to work hard for you, and listen and trust your judgment, you need to be a role model to them. If you want them to be consistent, you must be consistent. If you want them to push their limits, you must push your limits. Be their rock, be their support system, and show them that they can be a stronger and more confident version of themselves after each and every session.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.CaseySimmonsFit.com
- Instagram: @CaseySimmonsFit
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/CaseySimmonsFit
Image Credits
Jared Ruschmann, Kaya May, Matt Roy