We recently connected with Colin Wirth and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Colin thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you recount a time when the advice you provided to a client was really spot on? (Please note this response is for education/entertainment purposes only and shouldn’t be construed as advice for the reader)

Sometimes advice that seems so obvious is actually not that obvious to the client until you mention it. There may be things they mention repeatedly that they aren’t totally aware of until you repeat their own words back to them (for example: “You have told me several times how you think your diet needs work, but so far you haven’t taken any steps. It’s obviously important to you, and we need to make it a priority”).

I have gifted the book Atomic Habits by James Clear to several clients, and they have all told me how impactful it was to read. We have been very successful in implementing the practices from the book, and I make sure to keep giving them reminders of specific bits of advice from it. One of the most important situations is when a client tells me they had a day when they missed their diet or workout goals. I tell them: “It’s ok, the most important thing is that we don’t miss twice.” In the grand scheme of things, one bad day is not very significant. But it’s important to not turn it into a bad two days, then a bad week, then a bad month… and it’s equally important that they learn not to punish themselves for slipping up on just one day.

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

As long as I can remember, I’ve been a science nerd. I studied biology in college, and afterwards pursued a Master’s degree and spent several years working in research. I found myself wanting a change of pace from the solitary lab and computer work, I was envious of people working in active jobs, and I knew I wanted to help people. My own personal trainer, and close friend, Luis Tortoledo convinced me to study for the personal training certification. I’m now in my 6th year of working as a trainer (3+ years in Miami) and it’s been amazing! I really enjoy my work and it pushes me to keep learning about biomechanics, physiology, and psychology. My favorite moments come when my clients surprise themselves with things they didn’t know they could do!

A year and a half ago I left the gym I worked at to start my own business. Now I travel to my clients all over Miami. I love my clients, and I love seeing all different parts of the city in a day. Every day is a little different for me, so that keeps things interesting.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

I was early in my career as a trainer when the COVID-19 pandemic began, shutting down the gyms where I was working (in New York). I felt like I had put in all this work to start a new career, and had just reached a point of stability, and suddenly, it all stopped. Fortunately, I was able to train clients virtually during the many months of lockdown. I am thankful I was able to keep working during that time, and that I kept working at it to get to where I am here and now.

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

Learning to be strategic in HOW I deliver advice to clients. After years of filling one’s head with knowledge and experience, one will naturally consider themself to be an expert. And thus, we end up always giving advice in the form of: “I am an expert on this, and this is what you should do…”. However, this creates a relationship where you are constantly putting yourself on a pedestal of authority over the client. I have found this to be ineffective with a lot of people. A much better approach is to remove yourself from the advice, and suggest things that have worked for other clients. For example, “You have been talking a lot about your poor sleep quality recently. One of my other clients was struggling with this and had success by spending more time outside during the day.” In that statement, I have reminded them of something THEY told me was important (giving them control) and presented them with a solution that WORKS based on evidence.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.trainwithcolin.com
• Instagram: @train_with_colin