Group Fitness Real Talk

This week on the podcast, Will talks about a principle that is close to his heart and forms a big part of his approach to fitness. That principle is novelty. Novelty, by definition, is the quality of being new, original or unusual and is incredibly important if you want to train for longevity in fitness. But it’s also a concept that is often lacking in Group Fitness classes.  Now, in the Instagram...

Unless you've been living under a rock, you have probably noticed the huge transformation of the indoor cycling sector over the last decade. Just a few years ago, peloton didn't exist. Soulcycle was a crazy fad, and performance metrics were reserved for competitive cyclists. Flash forward to today and indoor cycling is everywhere. And there was a style for everyone. From dancing on a bik...

Diversity and inclusion. Two incredibly important concepts, but also two words that can cause a lot of emotion, confusion, apprehension and fear of judgement.  As a leader and voice in the Group Fitness space, I feel it’s my responsibility to champion diversity and inclusion across the Instructor community, and for you as Instructors, I strongly believe you have an important role to play in champi...

Over the past 12 months, Instructors have been forced to completely rethink the way we teach. We’ve been forced to wear more ‘hats’ than we ever have before. Not only are we the Instructor, but we also have to be the tech set-up, the marketeer, hone our digital delivery all whilst also acting as a rock to our class goers to help them through this tough time.  It’s a lot! And when you’re doing it o...

This week on the podcast, I'm going to address an issue that I'm hearing more and more from instructors in the Northern Hemisphere. And that is that while they've persevered for a long time during the pandemic, maintaining a positive attitude, being open to virtual, creating community, doing everything they can to bring their classes joy and exercise during lockdowns, numbers in vir...

Do you often worry about what people think of you? Or been concerned people might judge you for a certain aspect of your life or your body image?  These are all difficult, but common things for humans to feel, and they can be even more exaggerated for us as Group Fitness Instructors, as by nature of our jobs, we are putting ourselves in front of people every day, and that can make us feel very vul...

2021 is the year of ‘and’...but what does that mean? Well, here to explain more, is this week's podcast guest Shannon Fable. Shannon has been IDEA ACE Instructor of the Year and has spent more than two decades helping impressive brands such as Anytime Fitness, Schwinn and Bosu fitness business and programming consultant. She has a lot of expertise to share and I was super excited to have her...

Are you making smart decisions today that will set you up for the next 5, 10 or 20 years? When we are go, go, go it’s very easy to get caught in the moment, but now, more than ever, it's really important to take the time out to sit back and reflect on where you are at and where you want to be in future.  Today on the podcast, I’m excited to welcome Barbara Brodowsky. Barb has dealt with some...

Have you managed to make it through 2020 but feel like you are just holding on? Maybe you’re feeling a bit lost or unmotivated about how to grow your Group Fitness Business in 2021. Or are you rearing to go and looking for some tips that will help you in your journey? No matter how you are feeling right now, today’s episode should prove useful. My guests today are brothers abd business parnters Ch...

In the fitness industry of 2020, just staying afloat was an achievement in itself. But as we move into 2021 with hope of a more optimistic future, now is a great time to focus on the changes that have happened and how they have altered the fitness industry forever. So how do we try to get back to a place where we all feel a bit more comfortable and what exactly will this new normal look like this...

I was so excited to have Joel Freeman on the podcast this week! Joel is a Beachbody Super trainer, a Group Fitness legend and an all round great guy!  Joel has the dream job that many Group Fitness Instructors would love - but it wasn’t pure chance or luck that got him there. Today Joel and I discuss how he went from working the graveyard shift on reception at a local gym to being a Group Fitness...

Imagine having your first baby, opening your first fitness business and dealing with a global pandemic all within the space of a few weeks. This was the reality back in March for today’s podcast guest, Kate Slee.    In today’s episode, we talk about what it’s like to start your own fitness studio, dealing with finding out you are going into lockdown on the day that studio is due to open and finall...

Music is a topic that I get asked about A LOT from Instructors. It’s always been a complex topic, but with the rise of teaching virtually this year, everything Instructors thought they knew about music rights was flipped on its head. And that’s exactly why today's podcast episode is dedicated to the subject. Today’s guest is Denise Imbesi, CEO and Founder of Muscle Mixes Music. Denise got int...

How does the UK's biggest gym chain approach Group Fitness? What are the differences between low cost Group Fitness and the rest of the market?  In this week's podcast, I’m talking to Dave Cross, Group Fitness Manager for Pure Gym, the UK's biggest gym chain. We talk about how they approach programming, being a low cost provider, what formats they focus on and how they empower their...

2020 has seen huge upheaval of our lives and many of the past podcast episodes have centered around supporting Instructors during this very difficult time. But today I wanted to flash forward to the future, to a time when COVID is a distant memory and ask - what will the fitness industry look like in 3 years time?  To help answer that question is today's podcast guest and good friend - Emma B...

What’s it like working in the fitness industry in your 50s? How do you set up and run a successful fitness studio? What makes an incredible studio experience? These were some of the many topics covered in this week’s podcast with guest Tracy.  Tracy is an incredibly successful boutique fitness owner in Asia and she was full of great tips and inspiration for those running their own fitness business...

In the last few weeks, we've been focused on bringing you some great interviews with people from in and out of fitness, giving you insights into how they're dealing with the challenges that this year is throwing at them.  This week, we’re throwing it over to the listeners and I’m answering some of the biggest questions I’ve been asked recently by you - our podcast listeners. I’ll be cove...

How do you deliver a super professional virtual class? This is a question Will gets asked a lot, so rather than fielding this one, we wanted to invite SH1FT Fitness Video Producer and owner of Sweatlife Films, Richard Playfair, onto the podcast.  Now if you’re just starting with digital and feeling a bit overwhelmed, then this isn’t the podcast for you. We’d recommend going back and listening to e...

What’s the secret to longevity as a Group Fitness Instructor? That’s the million dollar question - and if anyone’s going to be able to answer it, it’s this weeks podcast guest Bevan James Eyles. Bevan is a really good friend and was one of my biggest role models when I came into Group Fitness.  Bevan has been a world leading Instructor for a LONG time and one of the things I love most about him is...

We’ve all been thrown into teaching virtually this year and for, I would say, 99% of Instructors, this has been a MASSIVE learning curve. Trying to figure out the audio, the staging, the platform, the booking system, the payment provider. It’s been a lot to learn in a very short amount of time.  I’ve had a lot of Instructors asking for advice on how to simplify virtual and so I wanted to bring Kal...

We can all agree that this year has not been anything like we expected - 2020 has really challenged us all. Today I’m interviewing Sacha Coburn. Sacha is a wise giver of wisdom, outspoken and kind  Sacha has a wealth of knowledge and advice and we talk about a lot of things in today’s podcast. But what stood out to me most, was mindset. She talks about two mindset holes that people get stuck in; t...

Have you found that your relationship with social media has changed since COVID? As a fitness instructor, social media is a necessary tool for building your profile, now more than ever. It’s benefits can be hugely positive, but it can also quickly have a negative or even toxic impact on your life.  In today’s episode, I’m interviewing my good friend Danielle Natoni, former Format Expert for INSANI...

Have you ever felt pressured by the fitness industry to to look a certain way? Unrealistic stereotypes of what a fitness professional should be - around body type, age, skin colour or physical ability - is something that many, if not most of us have struggled with. Today on the show we are talking to my good friend Vanessa Labort about a her career, and her particular experience of working in an i...

Group Fitness Instructors all around the world have been put in a difficult position in 2020, we’ve all been either forced to shut up shop indefinitely, or move to teaching virtually - a situation that was uncomfortable and way out of most Instructors comfort zones.  Today I’m interviewing two Instructors and friends Jen and AJ who both jumped into teaching virtually after COVID hit. They each hav...

What’s it really like at the top of the Group Fitness Industry? Today I interview Susan Renata as she takes us behind the scenes at Les Mills and shares an insiders look at what it’s like to work for the biggest group fitness brand in the world. In true Susan style, expect a lot of real talk including the ups, the downs and the lessons Susan has learnt across her Group Fitness career.  Plus, check...