Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Desiray Coleman. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Desiray, appreciate you joining us today. Was there a defining moment in your professional career? A moment that changed the trajectory of your career?

I look at my entrepreneurial journey like burpees, lots of ups and downs!

When I was 23, I moved back to Argentine and became the first trainer at the first and only local 24 hour gym in the neighborhood. I had little idea that how pivotal it would turn out to be.

During my time there, I developed as an entrepreneur. I learned how to operate my business from a back office/professional standpoint. On the front end, I became deeply involved with developing the gyms day to day operations and our involvement in the community.
I was invited to serve as a member on the Argentine Neighborhood Development Board. In addition I organized large community events, fundraisers and bootcamps on behalf of the gym. All things that community hadn’t experienced at that level.

Five years into my career, I changed gears to become the Regional Manager of the 3 additional locations that we had opened.
But we all know the saying, “ What goes up, must come down.”

At 3am on November 17th, 2022 I received an email from the owner of the gyms that he “no longer needed my services and I was terminated effective immediately.”

This is the “face down” part of the burpee. I was devastated.

I spent the next year struggling emotionally and financially. I had reached the peak of my career at that gym, making a 6-figure income doing what I loved. I poured my heart and soul into someone else’s dream just to have him rip it away and leave me questioning my entire career choice.

If you’ve done it once you can do it again, but better!

A year and a half later, I’m pouring my heart and soul into my very own dreams! I’m training clients at a new fitness facility that I love! I started my online training business to create financial stability and a way to help more clients than 24 hours allows.
Additionally, I’m at the beginning stages of creating a community of local wellness entrepreneurs to work collectively to improve the health of our clients.

I learned how important it is to continue your personal growth and knowledge, no matter what career you’re in. Starting over was not easy or fun, but the steps were simple. What took me 5 years to build, took me less than 2 years to build the second time around.

Rebuilding and restructuring my business from the bottom up required me to get clear on my long term goals, step outside a comfort zone I didn’t realize I was in, learn new business skills, be flexible in my approach and diversify my streams of revenue.

I told you, my journey has been like one long burpee.
I’m on the up-swing part of the burpee now!

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

My Name is Desi and I own Body by Desi Personal Training!

I first grew interested in the fitness industry because of my small stature. As a 5’4’’ AAU basketball player, playing center, I had to do extra work to become stronger.

This discipline bled into my adult life when I was on my personal fitness journey to get in shape post high school sports. In the midst of training I realized I could do this for a living.

Now, I help my clients reach their weight loss goals and improve their health, such as prevention of chronic diseases like diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol and heart disease.

Whenever I help one of my clients realize their fitness and health goals, I am proud. One example is an middle age man contacted me because he wanted to lose 50 pounds. When we started training together he was pre-diabetic and taking cholesterol medication. After a few months of training, he lost the fifty pounds, but that is only part of the story. More important than the weight loss, he is no longer dependent on medications and no longer suffers from high cholesterol.

I want people to know when they train with me it’s about more than muscle. Fitness and training goes beyond weightlifting.

When clients train with me, they do not just lose weight. Committing to fitness impacts your life by improving your mental health, sleep patterns, diet etc. Although my clients may not realize when they call me, I am in the wellness business. Training with me provides benefits beyond the mirror and vanity.

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

I love listening to entrepreneurial podcasts. My favorite podcast right now is “ The Diary of a CEO” hosted by Steven Bartlett. He interviews some of the most influential people/experts and invites them to share their stories. My favorite guest on the podcast has been Barbara Corcoran.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

When you get caught up in the hustle and bustle of sales and operating a profitable business, it’s easy to forget that you’re dealing with real people, real lives and real problems. Learning to slow down to RESPOND to others instead of reacting was pivotal for my personal and professional life.

I had to unlearn that “busy” does not mean being productive. I have learned that I have to prioritize. First, I had to learn to prioritize “self-care.” If you take time for yourself, you actually are more productive because you are not burnt out running on fumes. Second, I learned business is always busy—training existing clients, developing new clients, managing the books, among other tasks. I learned to prioritize certain tasks over others and set hard boundaries.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/body_by_desi?igsh=MWcyY3JwNjExdTZ6dA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61555702381186&mibextid=LQQJ4d