We recently connected with Marcus Gates and have shared our conversation below.
Marcus, appreciate you joining us today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?
I grew up the same way MOST of you did. I was taught to work hard at what I did but received ZERO education on health at home and at school.
My parents worked so hard to make sure I had what I needed and raised me well but just like the average, busy, over-worked American, health was last on our priorities.
Busy running from school to sports practices, stopping with the family to get fast food between things or at 9pm on the way home from practice and games. We ate lots of processed foods, lots of pop/soda, “normal” home cooked meals for the family but far from healthy.
I can’t blame my family; it was a different time when the average person received their health education from magazine ads and commercials. To top it off, our school system fails to teach us key things that we MUST know for our lives such as finances and the vast aspects of health and how to maintain a healthy lifestyle. We know what is “healthy” but have no idea how to apply that knowledge especially when we factor in stress, energy, and a go-go-go lifestyle.
Something I have learned through my life as a teacher and a coach is that kids either grow up to BECOME their parents, or they grow up to be the opposite in spite of them.
Most kids like me would have grown up to take on the same lifestyle habits as my family; poor sleep, lack of exercise, poor stress management habits, and terrible nutrition but I chose a different path and that path has led me to helping over 500 people, in just under 7 short years, make sustainable, healthy lifestyle changes – improving their health, habits, mindsets, confidence, energy, longevity and self-efficacy.
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 a Nutrition and Lifestyle Coach, and Personal Trainer. I started Thriving Lives Fitness while in college at Northwest Missouri State University in 2016 as an undergrad.
Prior to starting Thriving Lives Fitness I played college baseball. After I finished playing baseball I immediately transitioned into bodybuilding to give me an outlet for competition as well as learn how to live a lifestyle centered around health. Just before turning PRO in natural bodybuilding I created Thriving Lives Fitness which a vision to help people gain the knowledge and skills to optimize and maintain their health.
Over the past 7 years, I have continued to grow TLF, pouring into my clients, into my own education, and aiming to provide the highest value possible to my clients. My goal is not only to help them reach their physical goals but to reach down deep into the reasons why being healthier and more fit is so important to them; my goal is to help my clients improve 1% each week and continue striving to become a better version of themself every day – physically, mentally, emotionally both for themselves and their families.
I help my clients with a variety of problems: fat loss, muscle gain, improving lab work (cholesterol, thyroid dysfunction, hormonal imbalances, etc.), stress/cortisol management, movement deficiencies, and all of this boils down to small daily lifestyle and mindset changes that are all fueled by weekly accountability checkins and weekly community zoom calls.
I feel most proud about TLF when I see my clients achieve results (and MAINTAIN THOSE RESULTS) that they never thought were possible; when I see my clients gain confidence, energy, and take CONTROL back over their lives.
Have you ever had to pivot?
I used to be like most trainers working on nutrition with their clients, especially in terms of fat loss.
I’m sure you’ve heard the term, “Calories In vs. Calories Out”. This simply means, that when you eat less and workout more, that you’ll lose body fat. For the ideal, healthy body with no metabolism down-regulation, hormone or gut dysfunction, then yes, the CICO (calories in vs calories out) approach will work.
Well I took that approach to nutrition with all of my clients when I first began TLF but couldn’t figure out why it worked for 50% of my clients and not 100% of them.
I had to find out. I had to learn how to help that other 50%+ clients.
So I pivoted my approach and started educating myself more and more, reading books, listening to more educational podcasts on nutrition/functional medicine/etc, I started taking more courses and earning new certifications to learn a more functional approach. Now I work with my clients on managing stress/cortisol (essential in building muscle and losing body fat), improving gut health, balancing hormones, regulating the thyroid, alongside building a truly sustainable lifestyle for each and every client that I work with in a way that works for THEM!
What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?
The most effective strategies for growing my clientele are: 1. Building a foundation of clear, honest, and consistent communication.
2. Building meaningful, genuine relationships with every client.
3. Delivering amazing results and helping my clients maintain those results and newly formed habits for the years to come.
4. By providing the highest value and quality coaching possible, my clients have continued referring more and more people to come change their lives with Thriving Lives Fitness.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.ThrivingLivesFitness.com
- Instagram: @thrivinglivesfitness
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1202093723244634
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcus-gates-8a1a05204/
- Twitter: TLFitness_MG
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCAh_y4J81ktn4TnRyL4BumQ
- Other: Podcast Links APPLE Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/food-fitness-family/id1646815903 SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/show/5dg4aQk6xSV1uGEq66OKX6?si=e72746aa3b7b41ac
Image Credits
Rob Batista Photography