We were lucky to catch up with Mike Gallagher recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Mike, thanks for joining us today. What was the most important lesson/experience you had in a job that has helped you in your professional career?

Always exceed members expectations. Work hard to serve others. They taught me how to develop other coaches. They taught me teamwork, how to teach classes, leadership, understanding the sales process and the importance of program design and assessments to help clients reach their goals.

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 first got into the fitness industry when I was 14-15 years old cleaning equipment and running the front desk and I fell in love with it. I knew it’s where I wanted to be in life. I loved it so much that I gave up every sport I was doing at the time ( except amateur wrestling that I did when I was a senior in high school) to get into amateur bodybuilding. At age 19, I competed in Amateur Natural Bodybuilding winning several teenage championships. At age 21, after completing my associate degree and my first CPT, I worked for Equinox in NYC and never looked back. equinox provided me the foundation on which my practice is built upon by utilizing those foundations and shared principles and creating a product that bridges the gap between the medical and fitness communities. By utilizing Strength, Cardiovascular, Nutrition, Recovery, and Mindset practices and program design specific to the individual, these 5 foundations of optimization allow for clients to reach their full potential and step into the life they were meant to live. Differentiating factors for me are the advanced data collection that I use, having a naturopathic doctor on staff to help collaborate with program design and advanced medical testing, taking all of this data will help design the most specific program possible.

– we offer virtual, semi-private, one-on-one, and distance coaching packages.
– I am most proud of the fact that I have been able to build a loyal, sustainable business, offering best-in-class client services and experiences and the relationsips that i’ve builit. I am also proud of the fact that I have been able to help develop and mold the next generation of “trainers” to help change the culture from “Trainer” to “Health and Human Peformance Coach.” Proud of the fact that i have been able to promote exercise as the best medicine to help lower lifestyle risks that can lead to health issues and promote longevity.

Throughout my coaching career, I’ve had the pleasure of working with countless individuals and out of those experiences I was able to create a partnership with my best friend, Greg Todora, to launch THE EmpowerMAN Podcast that is geared towards men, creating a platform to take control of their lives and step into the life they were meant to live. On the show, we discuss topics such as relationships, self-worth, accountability, and how they can affect your life both in a positive and a negative way. Throughout our experiences in life and through the work we’ve invested in ourselves, our goals is to create positive change in men to create better people. It compliments my personal coaching practice to create an awareness of gatekeeping the mind for optimal body performance.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

Client retention. My clients know they are getting value and having a dedicated health and wellness professional invested in them has illustrated a loyalty and a commitment to the program that others have been able to see and want to experience. Most of my clients come from referrals and as I build my network and attend events, my passion for what I do stands out and others can feed off that energy.

Other than training/knowledge, what do you think is most helpful for succeeding in your field?

I think the most important thing for success in our field is work ethic. The bible states that “the harvest is great but the workers are few” and having a client centered approach to constantly try to overdeliver for people is extremely important. The latter part of work ethic, ethics, play an important role in realizing that every client is someone’s child, parent, sibling, or partner. Being entrusted with that is a huge responsibility and understanding that God uses us to serve and help others helps change the narrative to not look at what you can make financially but a higher responsibility. The money will come if you genuinely work hard and care for people.

Contact Info:

• Website: axis-integrated.com
• Instagram: @axisintegratedcoaching
• Facebook: AXIS Integrated Health and Human Performance
• Linkedin: Mike Gallagher

Image Credits
Stuart Photography Company