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

Chris , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

How I stumbled into the fitness business…

Growing up, I always considered myself to be an athletic person. I ran track (400m, 800m) through high school and even at the collegiate level. During my track career, I was able to learn a ton about myself, but also about other people.

One of the biggest lessons that I learned was that I’m a natural born leader. It makes me feel whole to take charge of a team and march forward towards a goal.

Because of this attitude, I was able to rack up my fair share of medals throughout my running career.

Once track ended for me, I remained a regular at the gym, and even on the road for my long runs.

Eventually, I hit a wall where I began to question what I was training so hard for… There were no competitions coming up, so why was I working myself like there was?

As soon as I began to question things, I fell into some pretty bad habits. Hanging out with the wrong people, and placing my own health and wellness on the backburner. I even turned into a very heavy weed smoker. I needed it before I did anything. And I mean ANYTHING.

I wouldn’t make a move if there was any marijuana involved.

I realized that I needed to put myself in a new environment in order to get re-inspired in life so that’s what I did.

Next thing you know, I’m on a flight to Cartagena, Colombia.

This trip changed my life.

Not only was the country beautiful, but it reminded me that life has more to offer than meets the eye. I was able to make great relationships, experience new cuisine, and even considered moving there during my week long trip.

Coming home was bitter sweet because I wanted to stay obviously.

On the other hand, I didn’t mind because I knew what direction I would be headed in life going forward.

I touched down back in Baltimore the following day to some huge news…

I was laid off from my job…

Out of left field, the crypto industry began to tank, and as a result, Coinbase let me go as an employee without any notice THE DAY AFTER I RETURNED.

How was I going to pursue this dream of living abroad? How would I support my life? Pay my rent? Feed my son??

The only thing that came to mind was to BET ON ME.

The following day, I enrolled into school to become a certified personal trainer. Get back into physical shape, meet people on a regular basis, and make good money. This would kill all the birds with one stone.

30 days later, I passed the board exam and was on my way to my first job at La Fitness.

I was able to gain the experience of training over 100 clients during my time at La Fitness and decided to open up my own virtual fitness business.

I’ve always had a knack for talking to people, but now, being able to help them develop their mind and body put me into a different bracket.

Eventually, I picked up the kettlebell and achieved massive results for myself. I was able to further develop my body, sharpen my mind, and even learned to do a couple of cool moves. The kettlebell has by far brought me the most success during this journey and has allowed me to connect and work with people from all around the world. The next goal of mine is to open host kettlebell flow fitness retreats internationally.

Chris , 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 got into my industry by betting on myself. After getting fired from my desk job, I knew that I had to make a move in life that would re-inspire me and add value to others. I decided to become a trainer and develop my skillset in this area.

Since becoming a trainer, I have trained over 100 people individually and 500 together in group settings. I’ve also been sure to diversity my expertise as a kettlebell coach, functional fitness coach, & mobility coach.

I’ve realized that most people struggle, not only with knowing what exercises to do, but with the concept of accountability. When we are confused and don’t see immediate results, it’s easy to abandon the process. One of my strengths as a coach, is working with people to help them develop their mind, set clear goals, and build confidence to accomplish anything they want in their life, even outside of fitness.

What sets me apart from the rest is that I’m accustomed to meeting people where they are. I understand that we’re all individuals and have our own processes. We’re the main character in our own lives. Understanding this, I adapt my style to help all sorts of people reach their goals. It’s always a welcoming connection where we’re all able to be ourselves.

When it comes to my brand, I want people to feel the authenticity. I’ve built my skillset up to add value and to ultimately become a better person. One hand always washes the other when it comes to FitLikeChris.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

I can go on for days answering this question lol.

Here are just a couple books that have shaped my thinking and philosophy: The Four Agreements, Atomic Habits, The 48 Laws of Power, The way of the Superior Man.

As far as other resources/people, I’ve been influenced by Ed Mylett, Inky Johnson, Bob Proctor.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

My clientele grew tremendously when I began to think about how I could give to them before giving to myself. If you pour into your audience, they’ll flood you back.

I began by creating a couple of free, follow along fitness programs and a very consistent presence on social media. Through this, people became familiar with me and began to invest when I offered new products and services.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://zay-s-school-699b.thinkific.com/courses/fitlikechris
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fitlikechris12/
• Other: [email protected]