We were lucky to catch up with Jocelyn Thomas recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Jocelyn, thanks for joining us today. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?
My mother recently passed away this year so questions like this sit in the forefront of my mind nowadays. What did my mother get right? A lot! How did that impact my life and career? Tremendously! When I reflect over the adolescent years of my life, I always think about how my mother told me I could do anything. Sports, academics, making friends, truly anything. Most people believe it now, but I was an extremely shy child growing up and a true mama’s girl. So, making friends and fitting in was a challenge to me. I was a tomboy and had a deeper voice than most girls my age, so I didn’t always fit the typical mode of “a little girl”. My mother would always reassure me that my differences were what made me authentically me and one day I would grow to be proud of that. In my teenage years I grew into my own, just like she told me I would, and became well received by others. Now maybe, just maybe, I got beside myself during that time of my life by using my influence on others in silly pointless ways. I still remember what my mom said to me to help snap me back to reality. “People will follow you anywhere, I just wish you would choose to not do stupid stuff.” I could not use her exact verbiage here, because she 100% did not use the word stuff. Hey, what can I say I was raised by a southern mother. Seriously though, looking back, that statement helped mold me to be who I am, and it also helped me to realize life is so much bigger than me. That statement is how she helped mold my career. The love, validation, and encouragement she poured into me when I had no real understanding of what that even meant, is how she impacted my life.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I am Jocelyn Thomas, CEO and owner of LHNF, Legendary Health and Fitness. And let me be the first to tell you that every day is a great day to be legendary! I am a wellness coach, personal trainer, and master fitness trainer by trade. But most importantly I love helping others learn how to holistically love themselves. And I coach them to do so by exercising the 3 pillars of fitness; spiritual fitness, nutritional fitness, and of course physical fitness. I train with my legends (clients) a variety of ways; online, 1 on 1, and group settings. Whatever is the most convenient and the most comfortable method for them to achieve their goals. As far as expansions and collaborations, I am currently a brand ambassador for Mayweather Boxing + Fitness, one of the fastest growing fitness franchises in the United States, and Webe Life, an up-and-coming mental health and well-being app. What sets me apart from others? Accountability, extreme accountability is probably a more appropriate phrase. I contact my legends 2-3 times a day, but my keen social skills make it feel more like a conversation than a punishment. There aren’t too many trainers who are going to do that. Usually when you leave the workout session that’s it. But what I’ve discovered over the years is that most people need more of an accountability partner than a trainer. They usually know what they need to do, most just need a little push to help them do it. I provide that push multiple times throughout the day. What am I most proud of? My legends, of course! Seeing their lifestyle transformations is by far the most rewarding and humbling part of the job. Becoming the most legendary version of yourself is not easy and it takes a lot of hard work and dedication. So, to witness their continued success stories over the years truly impacts me just as much as it does them. What do I want readers to know about me? I am a real person, who really cares about people. I care about what you do to your body, what you put into your body, and how you feel about your body. That’s why I work so hard to help my legends stay accountable to themselves and their goals.
Other than training/knowledge, what do you think is most helpful for succeeding in your field?
Networking! Turns out the statement “it’s not what you know, but who you know” is often true. Personally, I have been blessed to just meet the right people at the right times throughout my journey. But I know none of that would have happened if I did not actually go out and have conversations with people. Starting off in a new career field or a new town can be intimidating. Having the backing or influence of someone known in that field or that city can be a gamechanger. Whenever I’m speaking to a group of young men and women I always say, “you have not met the person who will change your life yet”. Well, that saying applies to us, more seasoned adults as well. There is always someone out there that can get a door opened for you at a facility you haven’t been to. Or that can drop your business card on the desk of the organization you want to partner with. Or they could simply just bring up your name or your business’s name in a group full of influence and potential. Networking is key to the successful development of any person or any business. Funny story, I met the franchisee’s husband at a networking event one night and that’s how I got the opportunity to be a part of Mayweather Boxing + Fitness. Even funnier story, I did not want to go to that networking mixer that night, but something told me to go. Now looking back over a year later, I would say I made the right decision.
Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?
When managing my team I apply two concepts, the golden rule and the Army’s definition of leadership. The golden rule – do unto others as you would have them do unto you. The Army’s definition of leadership – the process of influencing people by providing purpose, direction, and motivation to accomplish the mission and improve the organization. Those two things come naturally to me because my mother raised me to apply the golden rule when dealing with others and the Army taught me how to be a leader in any circumstance. The advice I would give to someone managing a team is to outline the purpose and direction of the job immediately. Because you cannot expect someone to successfully perform a job if they do not know what that job is. Now once the job is defined, work on different methods of encouraging your team while also monitoring the progress of the job. I have always looked at myself as being a leader of presence. One of my mentors early on in my career taught me to never expect someone to do something you would not do yourself. So, I always perform the first repetition or take the lead on the first project to show them the expectation of what the result should look like. And to also show them that I am a walk it like I talk it leader. That would never ask someone to do something that I have not or would not do myself.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.legendaryhnf.com
- Instagram: legendaryhealthandfitness
- Facebook: legendaryhealthandfitness
- Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/jocelyn-thomas
- Twitter: legendaryhnf
- Youtube: lifeofalegend
- Other: podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/jocelyn-thomas2
Image Credits
Jordan Chavez Email: [email protected] IG: iykonmultimediapros