#171: From Civil Servant to Fully Booked 1:1 Personal Trainer: My Business Mentee Gary Brazil's Inspiring Journey!
The Fitness Business PodcastShow Notes
In today's show I interview my business mentee and friend Gary Brazil, a personal trainer who transitioned from a 30-year civil service career to pursue his passion for fitness Gary shares his journey of overcoming personal challenges, including mental health struggles during lockdown, and how he built a successful personal training business. He emphasizes the importance of patience, self-belief, and authenticity in coaching and marketing. The conversation also highlights the significance of building relationships with clients and the evolution of Gary's confidence in using social media to connect with his audience. In this conversation, Gary Brazil shares his journey of leveraging social media for engagement, the importance of idea generation, and tailoring content to meet the needs of his audience. He discusses the challenges of managing creativity and the significance of mentorship in building confidence in business. The dialogue emphasizes the need for personal connection in content creation and the value of understanding client demographics to effectively communicate and serve them. Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction to Gary Brazil's Journey 02:58 Overcoming Challenges and Finding Purpose 05:50 Building a Personal Training Business 09:09 The Importance of Patience and Self-Belief 11:53 Authenticity in Coaching and Marketing 15:11 Growing Confidence and Social Media Presence 22:32 The Power of Social Media Engagement 24:24 Idea Generation and Creativity Management 25:58 Tailoring Content to Your Audience 30:06 Bridging the Gap: Content and Client Needs 32:53 Building Confidence in Business Acumen 36:38 Finding the Right Mentorship Fit
Detail for my six month business mentorship: https://briankeanefitness.com/mentorship-and-business-coaching
Follow Gary on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/dubgaz/?hl=en
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Today, I break down my biggest takeaways from the Philip McKernan BraveEntrepreneur leadership retreat in County Clare — and why experiences like this are non-negotiable for serious entrepreneurs. Top Takeaways: 1. The Power of the Room — Being physically present with other high-level operators changes your baseline. Your OS coach says it best: when you're stuck or hitting a wall, having people you can actually reach out to is a different level of support than any online community. 2. Identity Work Shows Up in Business — Imposter syndrome, childhood wounds, self-sabotage — these aren't business problems. They're identity problems that manifest in business. Until you do the inner work, the strategy won't stick. 3. Thinking Bigger Becomes Easier When You're Around Bigger Thinkers — When you're sitting across from someone doing €12M a year, your own goals start to feel not just possible, but inevitable. Proximity recalibrates what you think is realistic. 4. Vulnerability as a Leadership Skill — Retreats like this strip away the performance. The breakthroughs often come not from the content but from the honest conversations that happen off-schedule. 5. The Cost of Isolation — Most entrepreneurs plateau not because of strategy gaps but because they're building alone. The retreat is a reminder that community isn't a luxury — it's part of the operating system. Business Mentorship: https://briankeanefitness.com/mentorship-and-business-coaching The Circle: https://briankeanefitness.com/online-mastermind
Email: [email protected] I'm making some changes to The Circle from July.
GLP-1s are changing who needs a coach. AI is changing what coaches do. So what's left for fitness professionals in 5 years?
I asked Chat GPT and Claude "whats the best way to build a fitness business?" - and I got ten answers ranging from decent to flat our wrong.. Listen to find out what he came out with.. Timestamps: 00:00 Prompting Chat GPT and Claude 03:02 Evaluating AI Advice for Fitness Coaching 05:49 Niche and Target Audience 09:10 The Role of Certifications and Business Plans 12:01 Building a Client Base and Marketing Strategies 15:08 Networking and Professional Relationships 18:13 Investing in Yourself and Continuous Learning www.briankeanefitness.com
Watch the full video on YouTube - Click Here _________________________________________________________________________________________ You're showing up, creating content, and putting in the work — but the clients aren't coming. The problem isn't your consistency, your niche, or a saturated market. It's three specific mistakes that most online business owners never fix. In this video I break down exactly why your content isn't converting and the shifts that turn it into a real client pipeline. You'll learn: • Why attracting attention and attracting clients are two completely different things • The call-to-action mistake that costs you clients even when people love your content • Why performing on camera builds an audience but teaching builds a business If you're a coach, consultant, or online business owner who's tired of creating content that doesn't lead to clients — this one's for you. 🔗 Ready to go deeper? Apply to join The Circle — my community for online business owners serious about scaling through content or DM me the word 'Circle' on Instagram and we'll figure out if it's the right fit for you.