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

Hi Cole, thanks for joining us 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?

I grew up in Michigan, in a suburb outside of Detroit. After high school I went away to college, about 2 hours north. I knew I never wanted to move back home after graduating, but I didn’t really know where I belonged. I graduated with a Bachelor’s degree and found a “real job”, which proved to be super underwhelming. I took a job as an Assistant Event Coordinator – which was what I believed was my “dream job” – working at a weddings & events venue as a coordinator. In reality, I was paid $10 an hour to suffer the typical Corporate America abuse: a boss who barks orders at you, the confusion of “is this what people do at 9-5 jobs all day?”, a stuffy work environment with co-workers I couldn’t stand, and work I didn’t love. After a lot of back and forth, I decided to quit & go back to bartending full time, where I would have freedom and more money.

I spent the next few years working in bars, traveling, living my 20’s, and wondering if my degree was a waste of time. I took one other “real job” as a Catering Supervisor, which was slightly better – yet still low-paying and unfulfilling. I decided working for “real” companies wasn’t for me, and I was going to live my life however the F— I wanted.

Once I started to embody this “F U” energy I started dating my now-husband, Matt. He had also graduated (we went to college together but were just friends) and didn’t give a shit about using his degree. He was working in bars, taking trips, going to concerts & festivals – and we started to have the most fun, carefree relationship ever. Living in Michigan, you always desire to travel places that are warm, or more luxurious. We lived in Saginaw, Michigan – then Flint, Michigan (during the Flint Water Crisis of 2014) – so we both desired a life that was better than the one we were living. The economy was not great, there were little job opportunities, and when we lived in Flint we literally could not drink the water at our house because it was contaminated with lead. We’ve lived in some rough areas. I deeply desired change.

When I moved in to Matt’s house in Flint, I brought up the idea of moving out of state. We were ALWAYS traveling, always taking vacations to places that were warm. Why not move somewhere warm? We were working, partying like crazy, spending money, living a pretty wild life at the time – there was really nothing to hold us back. He had friends who lived in Tampa so he visited several times over the years. We went together to go check it out.

We vacationed in Tampa and looked at a few apartments “just in case”. We met up with people who lived here. I picked their brains about moving out of state. I had no idea what I was doing or what I would need to know or do to move across the country. But I just followed my gut and tried to figure it out on my own.

We made a savings plan to stash 10 grand before June 1st, 2017. It got a little sketchy at times, I almost thought we weren’t going to make it. I got a second job, Matt got a job he did not want, and we finally made it happen. We didn’t even have the money yet and I put in my notice at work so it would force me to quit and it would really happen.

Someone we knew was supposed to rent a house to us in Tampa, and last minute they backed out. The thing they don’t tell you about moving out of state – is that you have to have proof of income in that state to rent a house. But in order to work and show proof of income in a state you don’t even live in yet, you kind of have to have a house. So it was a catch 22 – we couldn’t rent a place, and we couldn’t find jobs until we rented a place.

I had a friend living in Tampa at the time, and she told me her apartment was easy to rent… but it was a bit expensive for us, especially because we didn’t have jobs yet; and I wasn’t sure I wanted to live there. We had our moving date, it came, and we just WENT.

When you rent a cross-country U-Haul it’s yours for five days. I knew it would take us two days to drive from Flint to Tampa, so that would leave us three days essentially with a place to store our stuff while we try to get keys to an apartment. If we didn’t secure a spot within those three days, I seriously did not know what we were going to do.

So we took the biggest risk of our lives, packed our stuff & my two cats, and just drove to Florida! We had no jobs, no place to live, no plan. I don’t know how my parents supported me on this one LOL. My dad helped us move down and he was so patient and kind as I was calling apartments in Tampa while driving across the country to my new life. We arrived, crashed with a friend, and went on the search the next day for an apartment that would lease to us.

AMEN for a great credit score & an A+ report because we found an apartment, and spent about half the money we saved up to secure it. But I didn’t care what it cost or where it was. I had DID IT. We might ruin our lives, become broke, fail in any or all of the ways – that was something I would worry about later. For now, we were in our dream apartment, the nicest place we’ve ever lived. Our apartment pool looked like a resort. I couldn’t believe this was going to be my life.

For the first year we bounced around jobs, dodged our first Florida hurricane, got engaged, and had one of the best years of my life.

I signed up for Yoga Teacher Training in 2017 and it changed the entire course of my life. I didn’t realize it would take removing myself from an unproductive environment in order for me to experience the growth I desired. Since moving to Florida, I have been dedicated to a path of self-discovery, personal growth, and chasing dreams I never knew I had. Had I not taken the risk of packing up and moving without a plan, a job, or a place to live, I would never be the person I am today. And I am really, really proud of her.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My name is Cole. I enrolled in Yoga Teacher Training in 2017 simply because I wanted to teach fitness classes. I had practiced yoga on and off as a teen and through college. I thought “Hmmm… I like yoga, it seems easy! Maybe I’ll be a teacher?” Well, YTT is anything other than easy and I had no idea it would change the trajectory of my entire life.

Yoga was my gateway drug to the fitness world. I started teaching studio classes as soon as I graduated the program, and I would pick up any teaching opportunities I could. I really loved leading people in a movement practice that felt so good in my body, and I loved to share what I knew about the practice. Teaching came natural to me, and it lit me up in a way I had not felt before. What I love so much about yoga is that it is so much more than the physical practice. Yoga weaves in intentional awareness of breath, mindfulness, mind-body connection, and for me it’s a very spiritual practice. I love to hold space for my students to have whatever type of experience they’re meant to have on their mat. The practice is an ever-evolving thing, and the journey on and off the mat is never linear. My students can find the safety to express themselves freely, practicing radical acceptance towards self, when they get on the mat with me.

Hungry for more, I became Buti Yoga Certified in 2019 – and brought the first Buti Yoga class to Tampa. Buti combines power yoga, tribal dance, primal movement, and HIIT-style cardio to upbeat, vibrant music. This practice is all about connecting to the really primal version of you and releasing stagnant energy through intentional movement. It’s also a kick-ass workout and so much fun.

I hired a personal trainer to help me tighten up before my wedding in 2020. After working with her for a few months, I was like “I can do this!” (This is the natural leader in me.). I signed up through National Academy of Sports Medicine to pursue my Personal Training Certificate, and I completed the course in May 2020. I started taking clients wherever I could find them. I worked with several people virtually during Covid shutdowns, some people would come to my house because gyms were not open yet. Once we resumed life in Florida, I opened myself to taking clients in-person and quickly filled my schedule.

Ready to branch out online, I received my Certified Nutrition Coach Certification through NASM in 2022. I now take online nutrition clients in addition to my in-person offerings.

Now, I work full time in my personal training business. I teach weekly studio classes at Cocoon Tampa, and I take private yoga clients as well. I also host yoga retreats quarterly throughout the year.

Ultimately, I love to blend all my offerings together to help my coaching clients achieve their happiest & healthiest life ever. Everyone has different needs, goals, habits, desires. It’s my job to help you figure out what your goals are, and we work together to achieve them through movement, nutrition, and mindset work.

Blending spirituality and fitness is something that most trainers do not do. I don’t believe there is a one-size-fits-all approach to healthy living. Anyone can tell you to follow xyz workout program, but what if this doesn’t work for you because you hate it? Anyone can give you a meal plan to follow, or can tell you what macros you need to hit to lose weight, but where’s the support around making these changes? I truly believe habit change and mindset work are part of the process – I will never just be a drill sergeant. I walk alongside my clients and provide a deeper level of emotional support than what your average trainer or nutritionist provides. The yogi in me is quite tapped in emotionally. I take so much pride in my work, and I feel truly honored to deeply support my clients on their health journey.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

The most effective strategy for growing my clientele has been to become aligned spiritually in business.

I know, I know, this might seem a bit strange. But here’s the deal.

Every time I’ve tried to force something, it doesn’t work. I’ve hired business coaches, I’ve done trainings on strategies, and I’m always looking for ways in which I can grow. Yes, strategies are great, and coaches help a ton. But throw all of that out the window if you aren’t aligned with the work you’re doing or the people you’re trying to attract.

Every time I’ve wished to take on new clients, sell out a retreat or an event, make more money, or grow in some way; I’ve had to become aligned with the version of me who deserves that next level of success.

I spend a lot of time visualizing my next steps, then working to bridge the gap from where I’m at currently to where I’m going next. This includes calling in more clients, or higher paying clients. It’s been most effective for me to visualize my dream client, visualize who I will need to show up as to serve her, then let the universe do the rest. I’ve had to have unwavering faith that the universe will send me exactly what I’m looking for. Every time I ditch the question of “how am I going to make this happen?” and just visualize what it is I want – then behave as if it’s already done – I receive what I’ve asked for. Blending spirituality and business has served me well.

Training and knowledge matter of course, but beyond that what do you think matters most in terms of succeeding in your field?

Other than training/knowledge, putting your foot to the pavement and jumping into DOING is the most helpful thing you can do to succeed as a yoga teacher or personal trainer.

Most people who go through Yoga Teacher Training are terrified to teach. Oftentimes, a student in YTT will have practiced yoga for 10 or 20 years, yet still be afraid to actually get out there and lead. In YTT, you receive 200 hours of training. That’s a LOT of yoga knowledge. It doesn’t matter how knowledgable you are about the practice, it’s the putting it into action that counts.

When I started teaching yoga, I would pick up any classes I could as a sub. I would teach to anyone who would listen. I literally wanted to poop my pants before every single class I taught for at least 2 years. But I knew one day it would get easier. One day I would be less nervous. It took a VERY long time, but that day eventually came. Had I not spent hours and hours and hours putting myself out there, I would have never had the confidence to make this my career.

The same goes for when I began personal training, I had no idea what I was doing. I’d train friends on Zoom, or in my backyard. I had to practice cueing, correcting form, and demonstrating exercises for people. It took many, many sessions and tons of mistakes in order for me to be comfortable and feel confident enough to advertise myself as a trainer. You have to get out there, and DO.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @gypsysoulcole
• Facebook: Cole Coffman
• Other: Email: Colecoffmanfit@gmail.com

Image Credits
Images taken by Alli Mannix @TheMannixCo