How this publication came to be
Why Subscribe for FREE?
Why a PAID subscription as a Fitness/Health consumer?
Why a PAID subscription as a Coach/Personal Trainer?
At the end of 2022 I decided that I wanted to get back to doing something that I had always been passionate about… writing!
I found Substack and it provided me with the perfect place to begin doing this again. I had a blog in the past that I had to maintain and keep up on Wordpress. It was cumbersome and I spent more time tinkering with making sure the plugins worked and the page displayed appropriately than actually writing.
Not only that, I had to then either send links to Facebook or put links in my email newsletter to distribute. That was the beginnings of all my blogging in 2009 or so.
I had pretty much given up on the idea of writing on a blog of any sort because I felt it was a waste of my energy. Who was going to ever see it and how can I get feedback as to whether people were seeing it or reading my content?
My newsletter was floundering and I was finding very little time to reach people.
Instagram provided text space in the caption, but how many people actually read it?
Long form content was being crushed by short, quick clips and catchy trends.
But I knew there were people out there who still wanted long form information. There were still so many people who did read the entire Instagram caption or did want to see my longer YouTube videos.
I wanted the chance to create a community surrounding my content that would be for the people who truly value my content. So I chose to go in on Substack.
I began with an article a week. I could commit to that. And once I was in rhythm, I hit my stride and began pushing out an additional piece here and there. It was at that point that a client and fellow coach suggested that I should be charging for my work, because according to her it was too valuable to be FREE.
Why subscribe for FREE?
I didn’t want to create a barrier to entry for people to be able to learn and grow. For that reason, my mission is to provide high quality free content for everyone who wants to learn.
A part of my overall mission of the company I founded in 2012, Xodus (Moving the people), is to Engage, Educate and Empower both consumers and coaches.
Social media provides a platform for me to engage people in a variety of different ways.
Once people like yourself are engaged, you can be educated on the subject matter.
That education now empowers you to take control.
Unlike my common newsletter, you won’t have to worry about missing anything. Every new article goes directly to your inbox.
Why a PAID subscription as a fitness/health consumer?
When my personal training client suggested that I should be charging for this content I was initially resistant. But over time I realized that although this was a labor of love, I still need to make a living. The thought process, consolidation and articulation of information is a valuable thing.
Not only that, as someone who is a third generation San Francisco resident trying to raise a family in arguably the most expensive region in the world, I have to keep it real.
My unique skillset, thought processes and education deserve compensation. You have to believe this in order to achieve the goals set out before yourself.
I did not come from the same wealth that permeates this Bay Area.
I was born of an only child who was raised by two “asylum seekers” essentially fleeing the Jim Crow South. My grandfather relocated in order to find work and make a way for his family. My grandmother came shortly afterwards and worked in the homes of wealthy San Franciscans, while my grandfather often worked construction during the day and janitorial at night.
They made a way for their son to create a life, and when their son (my father) had his first child (me), he would stress education and do his best to provide whatever he could. He never told me that he hoped I would attend Lowell High School. He just provided whatever tools he could. I ended up at Lowell and he told me once I graduated that as a kid growing up he had hoped he would be able to send his child to this sought after magnet school.
I went on to apply to UCLA as my only option from Junior College, gained acceptance and graduated with my Bachelors in Physiological Sciences. My grandparents would pass within months of one another, in my final two quarters at UCLA. All I had ever wanted was for them to see me walk that stage and realize the dreams they could’ve never dreamt with their middle school educations, but I take solace in knowing that they saw me reach the campus and navigated it.
I later went on to gain my Masters in Sports Management from the University of San Francisco.
Why do I do what I do?
I’ve traveled the world and lived in two different countries, and now I do all that I do in order to make a way for my two children to attend a good school, participate in a variety of activities, and experience things I never did.
My son sees me at the computer and doesn’t fully understand what “I have to work” means when I’m writing, answering emails, building websites, etc. But as I begin to explain to him the life of Entrepreneurship, and he begins to understand it, he gains a different perspective on what’s possible.
As a paid subscriber you’re not just paying for access to an archive of information and new exclusive content, you are supporting my children’s future.
This is not Amazon or Jeff Bezos. This isn’t Apple or Tesla where who knows where the funds are going. This is direct support of a small business and the family it supports.
Why PAID subscription as a Coach/Personal Trainer?
When I first became a Personal Trainer back in the early 2000’s, I had no idea what I was doing. There was very little information out there on the internet about how to do this job or the nuances of working with people.
Many people saw Personal Training as a side hustle or just something bodybuilders or people with nice bodies did for fun. Since then, the industry has evolved. It’s evolved in ways that I never could’ve imagined. With that evolution has come a variety of things.
Social Media has created a monster. Now, everyone is a expert. People who just got certified as a trainer are experts because they have a large following. Often those large followings came from unrelated fields (ex athletes, etc)… It’s a popularity contest that usually benefits people who have an "ideal physique” or constantly display their ableism as proof of their expertise.
The internet is full of Charlatans and Grifters preying on people who don’t know any better.
Trends and magazines don’t help as they push products, clickbait and other nonsense.
If you’ve followed any of my Instagram then you know I chop the heads off clowns who make false claims and prey on the masses with their misleading or false posts.
“Old lions don’t roar so the clowns ain’t nervous” - Pusha T
There aren’t many professionals willing to step out like that and speak, but I believe that if I want my field to maintain any level of respectability, then some of us need to speak up. Allowing the clowns to run the circus is a death kiss.
My mission is to not only help coaches improve their overall thought process with regards to training and coaching, but to empower coaches to stand strong within our field, advocating for what’s right.
Justice and Equity in Health & Fitness is just as important as understanding how to improve your business.
As a coach it’s important to continue to grow and learn. Continued education is key and my publication can fit neatly into your continued education category and be used as an annual business expense.
So let’s grow and learn!
