We recently connected with Dr. T. Ph.D. and have shared our conversation below.

Dr. T., appreciate you joining us today. How did you get your first job in the field that you practice in today?

One piece of advice I always love sharing with both my personal training clients and academic learners is how important each and every step is in achieving any goal. For example, when pursuing your first job, it’s critical to recognize the journey and process of attaining that job. In my case, I landed my first job in the health and fitness field back in 2005 by complete accident. I was working as a personal trainer at a fitness center known as the Perimeter Summit Health Club, in Atlanta, Georgia. In between clients, I would kill time by going out on the fitness floor and asking if any of the members needed my assistance with their workouts. I would also grab a rag and spray bottle and clean the machines and equipment. If the locker rooms needed attention, I would go in and pick up trash, towels, and any other items to help maintain the cleanliness of our facilities. I recall my boss, the manager of the club, asking me why I spent time doing all that when I was merely a personal trainer. Without hesitation, I quickly answered quite simply that I took pride where I worked, and besides, the better our club appeared, the better chances I had of gaining more clients. It was the most honest and transparent answer I could think of, and she nodded her head in approval and walked away. The next week, my boss told me that there was an opportunity with the management company (WTS International) as they were looking to hire a new manager at one of their clubs, and she put in a good word for me. I met with the hiring manager at their corporate offices, and when asking them which club it was, they surprisingly informed me that it was for the Perimeter Summit Health Club (where I was already training at). I was very puzzled and asked them: “What about my boss” (the current manager)? They answered by saying she had accepted a promotion to a larger club that they had just acquired, and when asking who would be the best person to replace her, she referred me. I excitedly accepted that position as it was my first opportunity to prove myself as a club manager. What I find so cool about that story was how I wasn’t even looking for a new job, but it just fell into my lap without asking. What I find most crucial is what led me to being recommended for that position. That’s why I always stress that no matter what job we are working at, someone is watching…and that someone may be important enough to help find us our next opportunity.

Dr. T., 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?

I offer a specialized list of mindful health and physical fitness services, which are specifically customized for you.

All of these services are available in many convenient ways including:

* In-home (primarily within the general radius of the Buckhead-Atlanta area or Peachtree City)​
* Dr. T.’s commercial fitness center located in Buckhead on Peachtree Road (no gym membership required)
* Your corporate office gym (liability insurance available upon request)
* Outdoors, enjoying the healthy sun, in the fresh air at a local park
* Virtually online (Zoom, FaceTime, Skype)

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

Unlike any other personal trainer, I pride myself on the sport psychology dimension that I uniquely have and love sharing with all my clients. “A personal trainer is a personal trainer is a personal trainer…” as the saying goes. They are usually a dime a dozen. However, the ones that stand out are few and far between. I wanted to distinguish myself from every single personal trainer by building my reputation as a Ph.D. The fundamental aspects of mindful health are embedded within sport psychology, and this is something neglected that clients don’t normally receiving within their training. For example, any personal trainer can help someone lose 5 pounds. But, the question that most clients (and most trainers) don’t understand is how and where that motivation comes from because it’s different for everybody (clients and trainers alike). I pride myself in that I have the merits and credentials of psychologically assessing a client, analyzing their own set of self-determination components, and then appropriately designing the intrinsic motivation factors needed to specifically address their health and wellness goals. Simply put, I’m not just focusing on the physical goals of a client; rather, I go a step beyond and help realize that client’s psychological goals, which reciprocally are responsible in achieving that person’s overall goals and sustaining them.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

I have many professional influences that have directly impacted my creative abilities, and they include: Dave Ramsey, Gary Vaynerchuk, Joe Saul-Sehy, Paula Pant, Who Moved My Cheese, the Millionaire Nextdoor, You Don’t Have to be Born Brilliant, the Millionaire Mind, Get Rich Slowly…and really any book focusing on the importance of budgeting, living within one’s means, and conservative wealth-and-retirement building.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.DrTPhD.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gotarryn
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GoTarryn
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drtphd
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/gotarryn
• Youtube: http://www.YouTube.com/GoTarryn
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/gotarryn-atlanta
• Other: http://www.TarrynHoff.com http://www.GoTarryn.com