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

Hi Damien, thanks for joining us today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

As a fitness professional and enthusiast, I’m aware of the current state of the fitness industry and how the public perceives health and wellness as a whole. Here’s the run down. The average person has a relatively negative perception of most things fitness related. Some easy examples are how people perceive weightlifting to be dangerous, or the idea that in order to lose weight you have to starve yourself. Not to mention all the conflicting and overwhelming amount of information online. These are a few of the challenges the public faces when navigating fitness.

As I entered graduate school, I started to think about these problems in a serious manner. I wanted to find the most effective way to help people make positive changes in their life. I came to the realization that it’s important to be knowledgeable and have experience, but what’s most important is mastering strategies that help people work to change their behavior.

I found some of the best methods for helping people change their behavior is focusing on gradual, sustainable changes over time. Ideally, you want to SHIFT people’s behavior, mindset, and habits. The problem is that telling people you’re going to focus on gradual and incremental changes over time isn’t very sexy. Social media and popular culture have warped people’s expectations relating to health and fitness. Every influencer on Instagram has a 6-pack, and they claim that you can too in 30 days with this “1 unique exercise”. Or, claims are mad that you can try this juice cleanse and you’ll “instantly have a flat stomach”. A lot of these sensational topics in my industry have the same thing in common in that they propose a unique and exciting way for you to get results fast. The problem is that long term, sustainable success isn’t achieved that way. Sure you might see some benefit from trying an extreme diet or exercise program, but will you stick with it 6 months from now, what about 6 years from now?

It was then that I knew what my mission was. My new goal in life was to shift the culture of health and fitness from a public perspective. This is accomplished by making my interactions with my clients centered around behavior change, education, self-efficacy, and making fitness fun! I help clients break down their goals into short-, medium-, and long-term objectives with tangible, action-based means of achieving them. I focus on building great relationships with my clients, because I genuinely care about their success and how it positively impacts their life. I’m constantly providing education for my clients to help make them as self-suitable as possible, which empowers them to adopt and utilize healthy behaviors outside of the time we’re together. And of course, and maybe most importantly, I make my workouts fun! Fun doesn’t mean easy; it means I find ways to help my clients stay engaged and ensure they’re looking forward to the next session. I challenge them in ways that get their competitive side excited. I pull different levers of motivation by referring to their goals and reminding them of their WHY when it comes to their fitness journey. I do exercises they enjoy and try my best to bring in novelty to keep things fresh and exciting! And of course, I’m their biggest cheerleader. I support my people, no matter what, to let them know that while their success is because of their hard work that they aren’t alone during this journey. When my clients have bad days, I’m giving them the support they need. When they’re feeling great, I’m the first one to hype them up!

That is why my overall mission is “To provide evidence-based and holistic coaching EXPERIENCES so that individuals can identify, pursue, and achieve what they value for their health and fitness journey”.

Damien, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I didn’t know that I would end up in the fitness industry until I got to college. I was that kid growing up who was convinced that I was going to join the military. At first, I wanted to be a fighter pilot in the Airforce, then I realized my eyes weren’t the best when I failed the vision test to get my driver’s permit. After that I decided I wanted to be in the Marine Corp! I wasn’t exactly sure what I wanted to do as a Marine, but I figured I’d join right out of high school, or maybe go to college, become an officer, and join from there. I even did JROTC all 4 years of high school to prepare myself for the transition.

Well, life rarely goes as planned, and I unfortunately came down with a rare and life-threatening autoimmune disorder in my sophomore year of high school. I’ll skip over all the major details, but the point being that because of this diagnosis, despite being perfectly healthy by my senior year, every branch of the military I spoke with (Army, Navy, Airforce, and Marine Corp) said I would be ineligible to participate in military service.

I was devastated. Even though I was quite young and had my whole life ahead of me it felt like my world was coming to an end. The thing that I wanted to do most, what I was preparing to do my entire life had been taken from me, and there was nothing I could do about it. This is when I first discovered the power of knowing your WHY! So my senior year of high school I took some time to reflect on exactly why I wanted to join the military. As a lifelong athlete, I enjoyed being physically active, I enjoyed working with teams for a common goal, I really enjoyed motivating and educating people, and of course found leadership roles and public speaking came quite naturally to me. From there I thought that I could pursue some job related to fitness or teaching. I even enrolled in some courses in high school to see if I really enjoyed these aspects of my character. I signed up for a new sports medicine course, took Anatomy for my science credit, enrolled in advanced weight training, and for JROTC I was the Captain of our Varsity Fitness Team. Much of my senior year course work and experiences were centered around exercise science, and I WAS HOOKED!

From there, I started looking at colleges that could provide a degree in exercise science. As luck would have it, I lived quite close to Florida Atlantic University, which had a well-respected exercise science and health promotion program. I enrolled in that program, and it was one of the best decisions I’ve made in my life. From there I became a Certified Personal Trainer, Group Fitness Instructor, and Fitness Manager at the college Rec Center. I then went on to graduate school at Purdue University where I received my Master’s in Health and Kinesiology. I also had the opportunity to work as a Graduate Assistant at their Rec Center, overseeing the Fitness Department. I got to be a Teaching Assistant for a few courses and even conducted some qualitative research. For my thesis project I created my business concept for “The Shift Method”, my coaching platform that helps people shift their behavior and ultimately achieve their health and fitness goals for the long term.

In terms of what I have to offer, I’ve served clients from across the fitness spectrum. From youth and professional athletes to grandparents and everyone in between. The primary person I work with today is what I call a HIGH PERFORMER. These are extraordinarily high-achieving individuals who excel in their career and life and are quite motivated. The problem is because of their busy and hectic lives their personal health and fitness has been neglected over time. This demographic typically wants to accomplish three things. The first is to lose weight, second is to get in better shape, and third is to improve aches and pains. These are the individuals I love working with, because they are successful in most other areas of their life, they simply don’t have the expertise or resources to take control of their health. I offer people 1-on-1 or small group training sessions, and Virtual Coaching where I write people’s workout programs for them to follow. My services help simplify the process of getting active by helping people overcome nagging pain all while making fitness fun and sustainable for their lifestyle.

In addition to training services, I provide educational resources for the public and fitness professionals. I have a podcast, YouTube channel, and Instagram account centered around various health and fitness topics to give people a nuanced perspective of the ever-changing landscape of health and fitness information.

What sets me apart from other coaches is my emphasis on behavior change like I mentioned prior. The focus isn’t really about the exercises or tracking your macros, it’s about finding ways to motivate people to do the things needed to achieve their goals. That’s what a good coach does. While I have a wealth of knowledge and experience (almost 9 years as a coach) my most valuable attribute is my ability to relate to people, build relationships, and help them find the strategies that they can refer back to day in and day out to help change their lives for the better.

What I’m most proud of are my clients and their success stories, it’s as simple as that. Nothing makes me feel more fulfilled than seeing my client accomplish what they set out to do. Often, they aren’t 100% confident in themselves and their ability to accomplish their goals, but when they do it makes this job the coolest thing in the world. Hearing that your client now has their disease in remission because they’ve completely flipped their health around with diet and exercise is priceless. Knowing that your client doesn’t need to take certain medications anymore, or that they can climb up flights of stairs when they could barely go up a few at a time is amazing. Seeing youth athletes go to college, and watching people with pain and injuries recover and not be burdened with either are some of the most heartwarming experiences of my life. That’s what makes my job the most rewarding thing ever.

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

I believe my resilience in life comes from being a very sick kid in high school. People wouldn’t know it today if they just met me, but growing up I was a shy and reserved kid. Getting sick in high school made what little self-esteem and confidence I had much worse. My disease unfortunately impacted the things that were most important to me, and one of the main effects is severe joint and muscular pain and inflammation. This made exercising very difficult. The other main area it impacted was my airway, which made speaking and breathing extremely difficult. What made matters worse is that the medications used to treat the illness have several nasty side effects. I had to take large amounts of steroids, and not the kind that builds muscle. These steroids fought inflammation and pain but caused issues such as muscle and bone loss, increased blood pressure, mood swings, and other complications. Another type of medication I had to take was various forms of immunosuppressants, fancy way of saying lowering your immune system so that your body doesn’t attack itself. Of course, the main side effect of this medicine is your immune system doesn’t work very well, so I got sick easily. At one point I had spent almost a month in the hospital, was taking over 20 medications per day, and was in life threatening situations due to some medical complications.

I say all this because although the experience was quite jarring and took years to recover from physically and psychologically, I have to say that I’m thankful for it. It was the most difficult and painful time of my life, and it makes everything I deal with today seem trivial in comparison. Seeing that I came back from barely being able to walk or breathe and now I can exercise however I want is nothing short of a miracle. Knowing that there was a possibility of dying at age 16 or at the very least living my life medicated and debilitated, and here I am today pain and drug free, makes any problem I confront manageable. The experience proved to me that I am resilient, physically and mentally. If I can get through that as teenager, I know that nothing can hinder me as an adult. This has translated into my business as well. It helps me relate to people dealing with medical issues, like chronic pain, and showing them that there is light at the end of the tunnel. I let people know that they are so much more resilient than they think. The experience also helps me keep cool under the pressures of owning a business where you’re the primary person responsible for your success and failures.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

The greatest resource for an entrepreneur is mentorship. Of course things like books and videos are helpful, but nothing can replace the guidance of someone who knows you well, is in your field of work, and has your best interest at heart. I have three mentors that need to be mentioned for my success as a Coach and business owner.

First, is Coach Lucas Woody. Lucas is one of the most humble and well-spoken human beings I’ve ever met. I had the opportunity to be an intern under him when he owned a gym during my time in grad school. Lucas was the person who helped inspire the creation of “The Shift Method” and he taught me how to Take Action, and not get too caught up on small details. I’m a perfectionist by nature, and a big problem with that from a business perspective is it’s a great excuse to not do something. You feel as though you haven’t done enough research, or haven’t made a thorough enough plan, or haven’t gotten enough experience. Lucas helped me overcome this mindset in one interaction we had. We were driving back from picking up some merchandise for the gym. We were discussing my business plan, and I was telling him how much I was struggling to come up with a logo for my company. Lucas (in typical fashion) patiently waited for me to finish complaining and hit me with a phenomenal life lesson. He said something to the effect of “Damien, what’s the logo for McDonald’s” to which I replied, “Golden Arches” he then said, “and what about Nike” I said “a swoosh of course”. Lucas then turned to me and said, “are those logos iconic because of their shape or because of what the company has accomplished and stands for”? I was floored, he was spot on. Most major companies have simple logos and designs, and that isn’t what makes them successful. It’s their mission, vision, values, and implementation that makes them noteworthy. Shorty thereafter I created the logo for my business and haven’t looked back since.

Second is Coach Joe Drake. Joe is known as one of the best Trainers in the state of Florida and a master educator for aspiring personal trainers. Joe has provided great guidance and mentorship since I moved back to Florida after grad school. He’ll check in on me from time to time, offer great ideas and insight into my business, and offers me opportunities to constantly grow as a professional. What’s really inspiring about Joe is how similar our career paths have been. He got his master’s in exercise science, worked in college Rec, and then started his own fitness company. I followed in his footsteps, and it’s been great being able to pick his brain and share experiences since he’s worked in similar roles.

Lastly is Dave Crump. Dave has mentored me since the start of 2024 and has really elevated my fitness business. Dave has been instrumental in helping me as an entrepreneur develop better systems and processes for being successful. He helped me narrow down my target audience, marketing approach, and overall interactions with prospective clients. He helped me better understand ways to get in front of people so they know how I can be of service to them and has tremendously helped me increase my sales and lower my expenses. Dave is fitness businessman through and through, and my recent success and growth couldn’t have happened without him.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.theshiftmethod.org/
• Instagram: @the_shift_method
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCN9eDVNzeWgiqCPA-58h-lg
• Other: Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/0dcjNdecErXqFtoLskZ1Gz

Image Credits

Photographer: Myriah Troutman
-Instagram @my_mediaa_