We were lucky to catch up with Daniel Hagerty recently and have shared our conversation below.
Daniel, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.
About 14 years ago I had decided to go back to school full time and was personal training out of a local gym. My wife at the time and I were running a weekly bootcamp at our local church in the parking lot. Some friends approached us about opening a gym together since I had years of experience in the industry. We prayed about it and felt a calling to do so. While planning, they backed out and we decided to move forward with it as we continued to feel Him pushing us in that direction. So we liquidated all we owned and took the leap of faith and started Metroflex Gym San Marcos. Through faith, His blessing, hard work and determination, almost 12 years later we are still going strong.
Daniel, 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?
My past is anything but boring. I grew up with next to nothing, raised by a single mom, who at times worked 3-4 jobs at a time just to pay the bills. We moved from Ohio to Texas when I was a kid, grew up in Texas until I joined the Navy and ended up back here in Texas. I’ve overcome physical, mental, and sexual abuse growing up, I’ve battled drug addiction, alcohol addiction, mental illness, bulimia, even survived a couple of suicide attempts. I suffer from Bipolar 1 Disorder and work daily to keep that in check as I balance my family, my business, and my goals. I’ve always been into physical fitness growing up watching Arnold and Stallone movies as a kid, wanting a physique like that. I would read every fitness article I could get my hands on. I played sports as a kid, and even played semi-pro football for a short stint. It was bodybuilding that really got me hooked and finally in control of my eating disorder. Hit the gym hard, took control of my diet, and never looked back. As I started making progress people would always ask me for advice, eventually I got into personal training. I really enjoyed helping people transform not just their bodies but their self perception. There is no better feeling then seeing yourself in the mirror and actually liking who you see. I could relate to my clients because I knew what it was like to struggle with my weight, my appearance, my self esteem. So now I work this people from all walks of life to help them achieve their goals. I’ve worked with amateur and professional athletes, to everyday folks just trying to better themselves. I help my clients work on learning proper nutrition and eating habits, correct exercise form/technique/intensity, time management, mental and spiritual strengthening as well. One thing that sets me apart is I care about my clients and their goals. I may not have all the answers, but I’ll work with you and we will figure it out together. See, best advice I was ever given is “no one cares what you know, until they know you care.” The one thing I am most proud of, besides being a father, is how much I have overcame and I am still standing. I feel like God has given me the path I have traveled so I could help others along similar paths. I am living proof that no matter how bad things may seem, you can fight and make it. I bring this to life at the gym. Metroflex Gym isn’t just a gym, but a sanctuary. A place people can come and leave their troubles outside for a little while, focus on the good, progress, and get on with their day. I want everyone to know they aren’t alone in this world and can overcome any and all obstacles they may be facing.
How do you keep your team’s morale high?
Two words, extreme ownership. As a leader, it is falls on you if your team is successful or fails. You have to put your ego aside and really grasp this mentality. Also, don’t treat your team as employees, employees work for you, a team works with you. A huge difference in how this can keep morale higher and make them feel appreciated and feel valued.
Do you think you’d choose a different profession or specialty if you were starting now?
Simply put, yes. I love what I do, helping others. It started as personal training helping folks one on one and has grown to helping all my gym members, to now hosting a podcast that reaches thousands. Sure there are probably things i would have done differently but the right choices, and the mistakes have all led me to where I am and who I am.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://metroflexsanmarcos.com
- Instagram: hagerty_pt
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hagertydaniel
- Twitter: @BigD_PT