Name: Built Different: Women Leading the Future of Fitness
Uploaded: 2026-08-05T17:30:08.417Z
Duration: 1 h 30 min
Description: Built Different: Women Leading the Future of Fitness

Transcript for "Built Different: Women Leading the Future of Fitness": operating, or if it's not yet and you're here to learn a little bit more on how to get there, what you think your future business name is. So let's start thinking about that, that future self as well. Dina, hello from Iowa. So glad that you're joining us. Hi, Katie. So glad that you're here. Austin, I see you in the comments. Thank you. And, Katie, where are you from? Jacksonville, Florida. Okay. Okay. So is it hot and muggy in Jacksonville? I'm sure it is. It's that time of the year. Okay. And we've got, an exciting, cast with us today. I'm super excited to welcome, a few inspirational women. We've got, Emma Montgomery with macros with m, Des Piper from BFIT, and then Tara Laferia from Broads. So excited to bring them on. We've got several things that we're gonna be talking about today. So, you know, just overall, I wanna get to know the panelists. I want you to get to know them and, you know, just talk about their overall journey, when they made the decision to start their own business, what it looked like for them to build their own business, and, when they were thinking about building their business and actually in the meat and potatoes of it, what it looked like from a day to day perspective, talking a little bit about priorities, and then also just some inspiration for all of you that are still out there thinking if you should, and they wanted to give you some some things to think about there. And I've got a few quick questions at the end, the lightning round, and, we wanted to save time for you. So please make sure to, you know, type your questions into the q and a, and we can get to as many as we can at the end. And, with that, I'm wondering if we should go ahead and bring in our panelists. What do y'all think? Okay. And hi. We've got somebody from Los Angeles. So excited to see you. Oh, and it looked like North Carolina as well. I'm excited that you're here too, Jess. Oh, hi, Hello. Deb. Hi, everyone. So excited. I'm back back on on stage here like I never left. Super pumped. Thanks for hosting this, Celeste, and really excited for everyone that chose to come in today. Super excited. And I, you know, I'll wait till everyone's on so we can kinda meet everyone, but pumped to be here. So thank you for taking some time, and I hope you can walk away with some goodness today. Absolutely. Thank you, Des. And, Tara, it looks like you've just jumped in. Hi. I'm officially on stage. Thank you so much for having me. I'm down in Austin, Texas, and I'm really excited to talk all things fitness and business today with y'all. Thank you. Awesome. And I think we have one more joining us. Let's see if she can join us up on stage. I think we're gonna get there. I think we're gonna oh, and here. she is. Okay. Miss Emma, why don't you, introduce yourself to everyone? I'm the last one on and the first one to go. How about that? I am Emma Montgomery, the founder of Empowered Fitness. I help women lose fat, build muscle, and honestly just create a sustainable lifestyle change through science back fitness, nutrition, and mindset coaching. I serve thousands of women through my membership, one on one coaching, and my seasonal challenge as well as my podcast and, online content. So excited to be here and share what I can. So yeah. Awesome, Emma. Thank you so much. And, Dez, it looks like you are next on, on the list to tell us a little bit about you and your business. Yeah. I'm super excited to be here. I actually I've been with x well, with Daxko, since 2019. So I have been a part. of kind of the glow up of even this company in and of itself while creating my own, which is super exciting to, I'm excited to talk about. I'm a women's health and fitness coach. I do specialize in pre pre and postnatal. I'm a content creator. And today, my business is mostly including online coaching, one on one coaching, fitness programs, seasonal challenges, memberships, one off programs, in a community made up of just busy moms, busy women who want fitness to support their life and not consume it. So, I have a background in. exercise science. I was a division one volleyball player. I have BB Bikini Pro, and then went on to have three beautiful children, and come back in even bigger badass than before. So I'm here to help women build confidence and, kind of stop the idea that motherhood or even just a busy life means that you have to disappear. So it's kind of my little elevator pitch, and I'm really excited to be with these three women who, not only serve women as well, but we all do it so differently, and we use this platform so beautifully. So really excited to chat about it. Awesome. Thank you, Des. Last but certainly not least, Tara, why don't you tell us a little bit about you and your business? Yeah. I'm I'm really excited to be here. I'm the owner and founder of a fitness program called Broads, quite literally taking up more space for women's, but also just that broad over there. So we are here to, strength coaching for women. We're dedicated to helping women get stronger and healthier as they age, specifically for longevity and mobility. I work with women specifically 35 that are going into perimenopause and menopause and wanting them to feel more confident, more capable for the rest of their lives. So, I do a lot of premium coaching. I have, a few people that work for me, and we also do some group programming and coaching as well. That's awesome. Thanks so much. Well, guys, you know, I'm I'm wondering if if everybody wanted to get started. I've got some pre made questions just to get the conversation going, but, you know, let's let's try it on topic. But if we move off topic, that's okay too. Let's just make sure that we're giving all the good vibes and all the great ideas to the women out here that have joined us. So, the first big question, that people really wanted to know is, you know, what were you doing, before you decided to start your own business? And what was that point when you said to yourself, I just can't do this anymore? Des, I see you right here on the screen first, so, I'd love to hear, you know, your story around this. Yeah. So, I actually when I was in my last semester of my exercise science degree, what we had to do was go into a unpaid internship. During that time, you hear the word unpaid, and it makes you wanna physically crawl on a hole. You know? You're like, how am I supposed to do something unpaid, to finish out my college degree? So, during that time, I was selling workout plans from Microsoft Excel, via Cash App on campus to people around, just kind of, you know, if they wanted a six week plan, I'll make it. There's to keep, all the goodness. And so I started sharing that on my Instagram, and this was when I also had no friends because I moved to, somewhere out of state. So I was just kind of documenting the rest of my last semester online and just kinda sharing what I was learning, started to get people asking, you know, what are you doing? What are you doing? So that's when I started kind of creating personalized plans for all of a sudden people online. And, again, take this back. This is 2017. Mhmm. So this is pretty, like, what we even have available to us now. So, from there, I was able to kinda just start to create my business right out of the gate. So I actually graduated college, stayed at, my corporate wellness job while I took over a maternity leave for a woman, and I just took a gamble on myself. So this really started for me off, Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel. That's when I came into, what is a a kind of upon us now with Daxo and being able to, create actual products that are then delivered off of a, you know, white label personalized fitness app. Right? So, there wasn't this dramatic, you know, Mhmm. I quit moment for me. It was more of anything a dramatic, I'm gonna do this a different way than most people do when they come out of college. I'm gonna take a gamble on myself. So while as much as. I was kinda building this beforehand, it was really something that once I got a taste of it, I was like, why would I ever want to, in my capacity, work for anyone else again? You know, I'm really gonna grind this out and see what this looks like. And here we are now ten almost ten years later still doing it. So very grateful, and the leap was worth it for me. That is awesome. Tara, I'd love to hear you. Yeah. So, I ran track in high school and college. I got into fitness originally after that through group fitness. I was a group fitness instructor for a long time, did some personal training, but in 2018 is when I took my business online. Similar to Des, I started with a, you know, a one off program just anyone can follow along with. It was eight weeks long. I had a 100 people sign up, and I thought I was, like, the coolest person alive. I did that again and then ended up actually doing a a web app first. I had a group membership for several years before I really lean into building my own app. All the while, I was actually co owner of a studio when I lived in Denver. I did a lot of stuff in person and on the side. There was a kind of a all the things, and I never really was able to, really wanting to lean into just myself and my own business. And it actually took COVID for me to. really lean in, and I was like, alright. I'm gonna either do this or I'm not. And that's when, I just really focused on my online business and building it to what it is now. I went the route of building my own custom app, which was not for the weak of heart. I would not recommend that. And now I work with a white label, and it's such a better experience. And I'm now able to be a, founder and less of a tech CEO that I never really want to be. So happy to be here now, and all ended up working out. I definitely would love to dive in a little bit later around trying to build your own custom app and some of the things that maybe you didn't think about when you were like, I could do this on my own. So we'll cover. We'll we'll go into that a little bit. But, Emma, what about you? Tell us tell us a little bit about your backstory. Yeah. Mine's a little different, than both of theirs. So I worked in retail management, bank management. I was actually managing a bank, when I got into all of this. And I through high school, always very athletic, played basketball, ran track, all the things. And then as I got older, weight gain, crept on, had a baby, gained 60 pounds. So then I was, like, eighty pounds heavier than I'd ever been. So then when I. started losing weight after having my son, I was still managing a bank and just sharing recipes and things on a private Instagram at the time. And people just started asking, like, how are you eating, you know, that and losing weight and doing this? And so, through joining, like, a twenty one day challenge, I helped this girl that had this challenge. I was like, I'll help you do this. I wasn't getting paid to do it. I just enjoyed it because it it lit me up. It was something that I looked forward to every day. So helped film the workouts and things from home. And then it got to where people, you know, we're just asking, hey, can you help me with the food part or teach me how to count macros? And so that just started, you know, helping people for free on the side. And then it come to a point where I was, it it was one of those where you literally go to bed on Sunday, and it's like your whole Sunday is is ruined because you dread waking up tomorrow and going to work. And it wasn't that I had a bad schedule or worked with it it just didn't, like, light me up. I just I dreaded going to work every day. And I just remember, Mhmm. telling my husband at the time, like, this can't be it. Like, this just you just live to, like, make, you know, ends meet, you know, kind of thing. And, so it got to a point where I ended up giving my notice at the bank and I was going to take a job working for another bank, but doing it from home and doing customer service stuff, which I was well overqualified for, but it was it was a paycheck to help me do the fitness stuff on the side. And so, with that, I remember the first week, the phone just never stopped ringing as far as, like, answering questions for people. So it it I didn't have time to do my stuff. So I remember it was literally the first, like, three or four days. My husband came home from work that day, and I told him, I was like, I think I quit work today. And he was like, what do you mean? And I was like, I clocked out for my lunch break, and then I just never went back. And it was one of those that I knew that I had to have a moment where I was you know, my back was against the wall, and it was like, you sink or swim. And I. was the breadwinner, so it wasn't like, it's okay, babe. I got it. It was I had to figure it out so that we could afford to live. So, Yeah. I just completely took a gamble on myself at that point. But it has been obviously the biggest blessing to be able to help more women at a larger capacity and obviously, you know, build a living off of doing something that you truly did out of enjoyment. So, and then of course, you know, finding you guys, I went through the experience of working with different apps and things and like Dez, everything was PDF in the beginning because this was almost ten years ago. So it's definitely, evolved quite a bit but it's funny because the program that I run now is still the program that I remember when I launched it nine years ago or however long and there was like 10 women and I thought it was the coolest thing ever. And. in that same program now, I've had launches with 1,200 women. So it's wild how, it's just grown over the years. Man, that's amazing. All of y'all have such inspirational stories. That moment of clarity when you're like, yes. I can do this and just having the will. Great job, ladies. Great job. But questions don't stop there. So what did getting started actually look like? Was it easier, or was it harder than expected? I know, each of you made that decision. Two of you were saying that you're doing your one off programming and the excels, and I'm sure y'all were excel masters. So let's let's start with let's start with that. Was it harder? Was it easier with the one off programming? Then, Emma, I wanna come back to you and and, talk a little bit more about your story and what you think. As far as getting started, I'm one of those. If I get an idea, I will even if I don't talk to anybody, kinda like quitting my job. It's like if it's enters my mind, I will run with it, and which is can be a great thing and can also be, you know, Okay. you learn from it later. I do think in, getting started with my business, it just the taking action has gotten me so far because if I knew all of the shit that you have to learn along the way, and that you'll go through and the challenges and the setbacks and the failed launches and just the disappointing moments and the money that you set on fire. Had I known that in the beginning, I would have never started a business and I would still be working for someone else at a job that I dread in going to every Monday. So I will say, getting started for me was easy because it was if I get an idea, I will go with it. So that was easy. Now the challenges that you run into as far as, like, the way I did things back then versus, like, having the technology I have now and the app and, like, doing things, PDF, like yeah, that was a nightmare when you're doing it back then. So it's much easier today, but the actual getting started part and the taking action has always been easy for me. And like I said, sometimes it's a blessing. and sometimes it's a, you know, a learning moment. Yeah. Tara, how about you? I so agree with that, Emma. I'm like, if I have an idea, I'm just gonna, like, react on it. I think it's actually easier to get started. I think it's harder when you're in the middle, actually. I think. it's harder when you're making pivots, you're transitioning. It's when you do have some sort of fail and you're like, well, where do I go from here? I've personally never been a perfectionist at heart. I'm like, hey, if it's out there, let's do an MVP. Let's see how it works, and we can always make it better from here. And most of the time, people don't notice the small details anyway. So I personally am the type of person that would jump out of the plane if you ask me tomorrow. I would jump off the bridge if we had a bungee cord on it. So I'm I'm a jumper. Mhmm. It's, harder in the in between, though. It's like the when you don't actually see that needle moving. For me, personally, that's a little bit harder than, like, seeing the actual outcome or or taking the leap. Absolutely. That that resonates with me just when I think about my workouts. You know, when I first start, I'm really excited and then things get hard and then it's like, if there's a set of four, it's that third one, then I'm like, oh gosh. And then the last one you gotta finish, you know, last one, best one. So, being in the middle, definitely, that resonates for me as well. But, Des, how about you? Yeah. I mean, I I echo everything. It's it's not glamorous. I think, a lot of entrepreneurs come from families that weren't entrepreneurs too. Right? They just come from wanting to. blaze a path that no one ever has. So, I was a first gen college graduate, nonetheless, someone wanting to start their business. I felt like I had no one to really ping pong things off of. I just had very, like, regular degular, you know, blue collared parents, and they're hard workers. So they always encourage me to do that. But it was like, no. Like, I need you to tell me what accounting means. Like, what is QuickBooks? Like, I have no idea. You know, all these things that you just don't understand how when you first really take that gamble. I mean, you are playing accountant. You're playing CEO. You're playing HR. You're playing. marketing. You're put you know, all these things and, you just you have no idea where to go. But I think that's the coolest part. I think all of us can probably agree looking back and just being like, damn. We had no idea what we're doing. No idea what we're. doing. We just had a vision. We had a passion. And so I think that's the really cool thing. But being a good business owner and being a good coach, being a good mentor, two very different skill sets. And there are two that you definitely have to learn or make sure that you're then outsourcing what that part of you, isn't and be able to really, excel in what the best parts of you are. Yep. And I think, you know, the the question up here, you know, is asking, was there a time when you almost wanted to quit? And, we've we've been hearing, from every one of you that it's that middle part. But what kept you going? So, Des, you know, you just talked about how you knew you were helping people. What else kept you going? Or, tell tell me a little bit more. So when going got tough, what'd you do? Yeah. I mean, there has been throughout the again, ten years, call it, of doing this. There's been moments going up, going down, and and sometimes it's going like this, you know, which you come to actually really appreciate. Right? You're like, wow. That was nice. Just. having a little bit of maintenance for a while. But I think when you are taking, pivots and you're changing and you're hiring and you're teaching and you're mentoring and and then Mhmm. you're firing. You know, things happen, and it's a really hard thing that kinda just makes you be like, oh my gosh. I wish, and it sounds very privileged to say I wanna preference this. But, man, I wish I could really just clock in somewhere and turn this off. You know, I really miss the idea of someone telling me what to do. And I I wish. I had that or whatever it might be, but I think that's where, you know, the moment you almost turn around is really the moment that continues to define you in your business. And remembering too that not any no business out there, whether it's Starbucks, Clorox, it doesn't matter. There are ebbs and flows, and that works on the biggest. scales and the smallest. So I think just remembering that any business owner is just in it, in the same thick of it, and you're not gonna get it any differently by running away and doing something else, kinda kept me going as well. I love that. Tara, how about you? Yeah. I will say I will start and say that I don't think a lot of people get into fitness to make a ton of money. I think they they get into it because they're just so passionate about who they wanna help, and they come from a story. I I have my own fitness journey, and I'm so grateful for that. And I am the coach I am today because I didn't have that coach back then. And for me, it's I'm just so passion driven. I have such a purpose behind women. You know, they're always told to be smaller and take up less space and be quiet. And my whole goal with working with every woman that we're able to work within broads is for them to take up space and stand up for themselves and be confident. And so, for me, personally, I don't really have a moment where I'm, like, turning back. I just know that there's going to be failures, but it's not a failure if you keep trying. The only time it's really a failure is if you completely quit, and I don't have any anything in me that wants to quit. I love that. And, Emma, do you have anything? Oh. I think they're kinda like Des was saying. It's you'll have moments, and I still do this, and I've been in business for almost ten years where it's the ebbs and the flows and the flat lines where you'll question, is this working or should I have done something different or should I have kept doing what I was doing, you know, when you do make pivots? And I think you'll continue to have that throughout the the life of your business. Have there been times that I wanted to set it on fire and start over? Absolutely. Have there been times like this said that you're like, you know what? I miss having somebody just telling me what to do. It was easier just like following a leader kind of thing. So, yes, I definitely think that's just the very human element. and being. a business owner because you especially in the beginning, you are wearing 3,000 hats. You're doing all the things. You're the customer service. You're the tech support. You you're the coach. You're the all the things. So, yeah, there's definitely been moments where I wanted to just burn it down. But, again, the you know, having that underlying why and and remembering what it's all for, definitely makes showing up every day. And again, like Des was saying too, like, it's a privilege to to be able to do this. There are people literally, that are watching this that are like, and even me, I think about back in the day where I'm like, I am where I used to pray to be. And so then, you know, it's a privilege to complain about some of the problems that you'll have as you're growing through your. business. Absolutely. Okay. Well, ladies, thank you all so much just for, giving us a little bit of your history, and, I wanted to open it up to the audience. So, guys, we've got a poll, that we'd love for you to participate in. And the the question is, what's the biggest thing holding you back from going full time on your own? I don't have enough clients yet. I'm scared of losing stable income. I don't know where to start, or I'm already doing it. I've seen a couple of the comments in the chat section, about someone just getting their certification. Congratulations. And, someone that just went public on Instagram, and is in the education process. So I I think I think, you know, you're in the right place. Definitely oh, and we've got three votes, so far. Oh, wow. We've got a lot of people already doing it. So overwhelmingly, that seems to be the majority, but, we do have somebody that doesn't know where to start. Don't worry. You're not alone. Glad you're here. And, we've got people, that are absolutely happy to help you out. So, I think, I think we're pretty up, and then we don't have enough clients yet. There we go. And I'm scared of losing stable income. We're starting to see a few people jump in there as well. These are all real fears, but one thing that I heard from these wonderful women is, you know, they just took that leap. They really believed in themselves and that belief. That moment of clarity was what, gave them the courage and look at you now. Okay. Let's go ahead and close the poll. And it looks like, the number one is we are we are, they're already doing it. So congratulations to those ladies. But we've got a fast follow with they don't have enough clients yet. Luckily, there are ways for you to get new clients. And there we go. Okay. So let's I I think that's a really great transition into building the business. So for those that don't have enough clients yet, let's let's talk a little bit about how your business is structured and, what you do to find more clients and, you know, what's the best part of a fitness business nobody, says out loud to talk about? So, who wants to start? I feel like, Tara, you haven't gone first yet, so I'd love I'd love to hear from you. Sure. Yeah. I love this. I also saw some comments about busy being full time in person. I was there too. Mhmm. You have a lot of in person clients. You do a lot online. Like, how do you know and how do you get there? And, really, you build both at the same time until one really takes off and lean into that. My business is structured today. I do have a team of coaches. One of my coaches is here today. Thanks for being here, coach Taylor. She's on the Broad's team. We do premium one on one coaching, and that's really the bulk of our business. We also do a group membership. as well. I started off on my own. I had been working on my own for a really long time, and I just leaned into the fact that I can't I couldn't scale as much as I wanted to without having people to help me get there. And like Emma was saying, we do wear so many hats at once, and sometimes you gotta take the leap of faith of spending the money to make more money. And so I have been able to hire several people on my team to be able to grow it to what it is today. And it that was probably, for me, the scariest part because it was it was solely reliant on me. But I would. not be where I am today with my business without actually, like, leaning in and trusting other people to, put the values and the core belief behind what it is today. So took me a really, really long time to get here. If you're listening and you're new, please just take your time, be patient with the progress, put in the reps just like you do in the gym, and I promise. it will, give you what you want it to be. Absolutely. Des, how about you? Yeah. So my, business I mean, today, a lot of the chunk of it is probably the same, the one on one coaching, as well as my seasonal challenges that we do. I do also have a team behind me. I have a few other coaches as well on top of, you know, copywriters, designers, etcetera. Right? Running our social channel, etcetera. So there is a lot that has come off my plate, and I think Tara made a really good, point to that of just in general, gotta spend money to make money and scared money don't make money. You know, it's two of the biggest things you have to remember. But it also took me time to get to that point of spending that money too. Right? So again, if you're new in that journey, it's not, oh, I'm six months in, I'm gonna go spend, you know, this much and take a gamble. You know, give yourself grace, give yourself patience. But I think and, you know, I didn't start with all those options. So, as I kind of developed my coaching and also took a lot of turns in my own personal journey and where my passions were, it really led me to the road that I am. So I echo a lot of what Tara said and just I think at the end of the day, it was structured quite chaotic at first because I was just trying to figure it out. And then from there, you're able. to kind of pinpoint, again, what you're good at, where your brain can work best and most efficiently. And that's when I began to really outsource and figure out what needed to come first to start buying back some of my time as well to be a creative words where, where I really thrive. Absolutely. I actually just saw in the comments somebody typed out, scared money don't make money. They're stealing this. Well, miss Maggie, that's so interesting because I totally wrote that down in my notes. So everybody out there, if you didn't know, I'm actually taking notes too just like you. So I'm super excited. So, Emma, how how about you? Is, is your business structured today similar to these ladies, or is. it a little different? Very similar. And, honestly, it's pretty much what I've had since I've been in business. So I have a monthly membership, and then I run seasonal challenges. And I also offer one on one coaching, and I do have a team. In the beginning, I was doing all those things, and it was just me. And so, again, kinda like Des was saying, scared money don't make money. You. you get to a point where, you realize you're going to have to invest, and there are people, the the fear in your mind is no one's going to be able to coach them the way I would or do this the way I do, when honestly, when you're trying to do all of these things, you're likely you know, it's very watered down at the end of the day. Like, if you're trying to give a 100% to everything, nothing's getting a 100%. So, Mhmm. you'll find people that you can trust and bring on that will do those things likely way better than you and probably in a shorter amount of time. So same kind of thing there with being able to get to a point to hire team, have people that, you know, take stuff off your plate. So you can focus on the things that you do love the coaching or the content creation, which is now, I think, a large part of all of our businesses. And honestly, that's, you know, how I got here today as far as, social media sharing online. I have never ran paid ads and I'm not saying that to brag. It's just one of the things like I've, always just grown organically, and that has been how my you know, I've, brought clients on and and things of that nature. So, yes, very similar business structure to theirs. Well, to your point, Emma, you said that you grew organically. So and you never did paid ads. Tell me a little bit more about, what you did do on socials and, was there a magic, you know, a silver bullet, a magic wand, or, you know, tell tell me a little bit about the work. Yeah. Consistency showing up every day. You'll have post that you're like, this is gonna be absolute fire. I'm gonna put it out. It's gonna go viral, and it is crickets. It's just not being afraid to look stupid, not being. afraid to say something wrong or offensive or and I say that because you definitely can't be, you know, super vanilla when you're you're posting online. You have to have draw a line in the sand and, you know, that that sort of thing. But, and nothing against paid ads. I'm sure that there will be a point that I need to do that as well. There are so many things in my business that I did what I would say is, like, ask backwards because I grew very quickly. And so a lot of the things, like, again, you just kinda learn as you're going. But. yes, just consistency and showing up online. Even if you think it is something that is stupid or people already know, I guarantee you the clients that you're trying to work with are literally just one step behind you. And. a lot of times the people that you're trying to help and work with, you know, there there are women that don't want to work with somebody who sounds like so overly advanced in how they speak and it's like, they're almost intimidated. Like, Yeah. I can promise you that just showing up as yourself, being consistent is the biggest thing. I will say that over and over. Just showing up daily, giving free value before that was the thing. I I gave tons of free value for years before I ever asked anyone to pay me for anything. I never had the intention of creating a business. So I think that was part of it too. Like I genuinely was just showing up and sharing things that I loved and that I did, and that helped me lose 80 pounds. Mhmm. Mhmm. And then it naturally grew and evolved into a business. Yeah. Tara, how about you? Yeah. First paying client was very much the same. Give, give, give, and they will come. I will just say, on top of Emma's, like, the consistency putting in the reps, and I will also add that a lot of trainers speak to other trainers. They are not your ideal client. You wanna figure out who your ideal client is and create content for them. So exactly. what Emma was saying, like, it doesn't need to be this super high level. Who do you want to work with and speak to that one person, and really speak to that one person. The more you can connect with them and the more you can build their trust, the more likely they will keep showing up to your feed and want to work with you. If not right now, then later on, for sure. Absolutely. Des, do you have anything you wanna add? Yeah. The last thing I'll add is that, it's funny how many times over and over, and I'm sure even people who have already been a trainer can relate to this. You get the people that go, you know, it's taken me years to finally book the call, or this is my first program or my first challenge, but I've been wanting to do this for the last year, whatever it might be. So you just never know who you're nurturing. And that first paid client could be that person that you've already DM'd with 20 times, you know, but it's that twenty first time that they're finally like, I'm in. And I think it's even a, like, Mhmm. scientific. Most people need to see something nine times to buy it, for example. And that goes with anything on a typical shelf at Target. Nonetheless, what I always consider coaching and fitness and stuff is that extra luxury that people are typically paying for that thing. That isn't the first thing on their list because maybe they have groceries to pay for first, etcetera. So, it really is just continuing to show up and nurture all of your ideal client or, like, your ideal clients with all of them at once, because you never know who when that, like, is that final straw that they're like, you know what? I'm in. So it might not be that instant reward of that first time you posted on your Instagram, but it could be the second, the third, or the twenty third. Yeah. Absolutely. And, in regards as to, you know, building your fitness business, what's what's one part that nobody wants to say out loud? If you wanna take it to the word business, I would say being passionate is not enough. You know, you have to learn to to do this again at first, especially you have to learn the marketing, you've got to learn the sales, you got to learn the finances, the leadership, and and you got to learn to make decisions without anybody else's permission. You know? So I think a lot of people underestimate that emotional side of it, Mhmm. because your business can be doing really well, and you can still feel behind because you're, again, on the back end consistently thinking about what's next, what what do I need to build next, what do, you know, etcetera. So, if you're really wanting to make this again into the word business, sometimes the passion, like I said, is not enough. And that's not to say it doesn't add to it. But that would be the thing that, you know, no one wants to say. I know a lot of people that are passionate about a lot of things. I'm passionate about acting. I'm never gonna be an actor. So it's it's really you gotta be honest with yourself, that just because you're passionate for it doesn't mean it's just gonna blow up and explode. And, again, I really like that Tara keeps bringing this up. It's just putting in the reps. It's like you're not gonna walk in and do a leg extension and have huge quads one day of a workout. You know what I mean? It's what are you doing for years. So that'd be the that'd be my hot take. Yep. Yep. Well, Tara, how about how about you? Since Des just brought you up, let's hear from you, girl. I love it. Yeah. As I said from the beginning, mine is, like, so I have so much passion behind my business, but that's because I'm a coach first and not a business person. Even though I went to school for business and have a degree in business, I just love coaching. I love helping people, and no one wants to say that there's a lot more in your business that you don't think about. It's all the hats that we wear. You have to figure it out. People are like, where do I start? What do I do? I'm like, Google is your best friend, was for me before AI. Right? And, ask your mentors, ask other coaches. Don't ask, can I pick your brain? It's more, how can I learn from you? How can we learn from each other? Because at the end of the day, as women, I can speak for myself. We I want other women to succeed. And so the more we talk about it and the more open we are about our successes and failures and also how hard it is to run a business, I think the more women will feel less scared and actually wanna do the thing. But there is a lot of pieces to the puzzle that you don't think about when you start, which is why I think so many trainers, do the in person thing because you just show up and you leave. Mhmm. With an online fitness business, there's so many other pieces to the puzzle and customer service things that you don't even think about. Mhmm. Absolutely. Emma? 100% agree with everything they said. The only other thing I would add is I I feel like it doesn't ever really get talked about. You never get to a point in your business where even if it's like a milestone or a goal that you set, when you get there, it's like, okay. What's next? There there's never like I've arrived. So I I will say that is Mhmm. one of the things that I feel that doesn't get talked about a lot just with any business in general, but especially with the fit a fitness business. And like Tara was saying, it's there's so many things that you'll do that you'll never think about before you start the business. And if you start thinking about those things right now, all the things that, you know, creating an LLC LLC and opening a bank account. I have people ask me that stuff all the time. What do I need to do first? And I'm like, you need to start posting content yesterday and just, you know, you're worrying about the things that are so easy to, like, do along the lines, but. we want to worry about all of those things in the beginning when it's not gonna help you make any money. Yeah. No. I get it. You know, and, I can't remember who was I guess, Des and Tara, you were you both were talking about Excel, earlier in the conversation and, Excel and Word. And, obviously, we've upgraded the technology play, a little bit. But I wanted to learn a little bit more from you guys about how technology has helped you scale. I know, Emma, you even mentioned posting content. Like, what is there a technology out there that's helped you gives give you some time back? For me, specifically, I will say, just speaking back to the the first program I ran, it there were 10 women in it. And, of course, this was PDF, everything, so it's much easier to deliver that to 10 people. That program has had 1,200 plus women in it. So trying to do PDFs and personalized stuff for with on p that would have taken me, like, centuries. So my app that I've had with you guys, I'm trying to think I feel like I'm with this, like, a 2019. It's been, around that time frame, 2020 maybe, has changed the game for me as far as being a being able to work with, thousands of women and at a larger scale. It's just that has been obviously, I would say, one of the most pivotal things in my business was just having that, again, because you're able to to help more people at once versus, and the same thing with having a membership. You know, the work that. you're gonna do for one person in that regard, you can do for thousands of women. But, again, if I was doing that on a PDF, it just wasn't possible. Yeah. And then Des? Yeah. I the biggest thing I think for me too was my back in the PDF era, the way that I would, like, show workouts, that would correspond with a certain workout in the PDF program was on Instagram. I would upload a separate video on my business account and then use a hashtag like DESB bicep curl. So then I created this own glossary of workouts, that it would be like, you know, look this up on Instagram and see the video how I do it. And, you know, with the help of an app, it plays right there. Right? So that automatically not only saves time, but it also delivers a better customer experience, a more, premier experience where back in the day, I was maybe charging $30 for an ebook. But now I have this, you know, beautiful app, this opportunity for them to build off, see progression, see their weights lifted, all these beautiful things that are key features. And all of a sudden that opportunity for a $30 program now shoots up in doubles because that that premier opportunity for them to succeed with also tech and inexperience, it really just levels up what you're also offering them, while also obviously what you're investing in your business. So technology has been great and especially having that app experience. Absolutely. Tara, would you like to share anything on it? Sure. I'll just, you know, add to that as well. You know, we've it sounds like we've all been in this for over a decade now, and it's changed so. much. And we've all been able to keep up with the technology, which is really great. People are expecting more out of us now as well. So, the more we can stay ahead of it, the easier it will be to continue to build the business and stick with it. And so, yes, on on the fitness side of things, everyone kind of expects you to have a fitness app. Everyone kind of expects you to be able to see your weights, your reps, your history, and all those things. And so having, a company to work with that is able to do that without actually doing that all yourself is pretty special. Mhmm. Awesome. Well, thank you, ladies. I know we're moving into another poll. And so, the audience, let's hear let's hear from you. How are you currently running your coaching business? Are you still figuring out your offer? You have a few clients, mostly word-of-mouth, running it, but piecing tools together or, you're established and looking to scale. And while we're letting the audience, respond, I did see a question, asked in the chat. And, Dana asked, what if you don't want to do social media? Does anybody have any suggestions or thoughts around that? You don't have to, and I'm sure all of us will will say that we've been able to build our businesses that way. I have several friends that work just through referrals. They work specifically with people in person, and they kinda shift to more online. But I would will say just you know, I'm sure I could speak on all of this. You can reach so many more people if you do. And my thing is, give yourself the opportunity to try. Try it out for thirty days. Just put yourself in front of the camera, see what happens, and don't be scared of the people that, don't agree with you either. But you don't have to if you don't want to. Not no one's forcing you. Okay. I. agree with Tara, and I also tag on Ken. And this might not be something they want to do, but, like, my assistant coach, she does nothing on social media. She doesn't get on strategy calls with clients as far as, like, check ins and calls like that. She does. But as far as posting anything on social media, I could care less if she ever posts anything. So if it's if your passion is being a coach, you can always find a role, working under another coach and not have to ever use social media if you wanted. Now I will say, like Tara said, you can reach far more people. And if you, you know, have a passion for something, very specific, obviously, social media is just a great way to get the word out, but you can absolutely build a business or work in a business, without using social media, I do I do think. Great. Now, Tara, on on a normal Tuesday, what does it look like for you today versus three years ago or maybe when you first got started? Gosh. Tuesdays now look different than Tuesdays. Three months ago than a year ago, but the the cool thing is. is that I'm able to start the day how I want to. I'm on more Zoom calls. I'm on more calls, that's for sure, than I am in the gym doing personal training with clients. I now lead a team, so we have different departments in our business, and I'm more of a business owner and less of just a coach. But I would say meetings, content creation, planning for the future, I'm more of a visionary myself, so I love to create and, envision what where we can go. So a lot of the time is spent, creating, and half of it is with the team. Love that answer. Emma, one of the things that I wanted to ask you is around your time. The question is, you know, how do you protect your time when clients expect you twenty four seven? And I think that this is probably a challenge for any personal trainer whether you're in person, or online creator. But then, also, I could see from the macro's perspective constantly being asked, you know, what's the best thing for me to eat in this specific situation? So what what have you done to help protect your time? I think in the beginning, you want to be or you think you need to be fully available all the time for all your clients, which I did. And I think that was one of the things in the very beginning, and I did grow quickly and I had a ton of clients and I felt like I never had any time. And all I did was spend my time working in my business. It is very important that you have boundaries And don't feel mean for, like, having to reinforce those boundaries. I still have to do that today with clients if they send a late check-in. Again, it's as an adult and if we have a goal, you know, that should be something that we take very serious, and if you're paying money for it. But I think it's just having those boundaries, not feeling bad for having the boundaries and making sure that if you ever need to reinforce them that you do. Because if you give people an inch, they will take a mile. If you give any kind of leeway, I promise you people will run with it, and it's not being mean by having boundaries and reinforcing those. I love that. Des I wanted you to answer this specific question. You know, when the flexibility felt overwhelming, how how did you handle it? You'd mentioned a couple of times that when you first started out, you felt a little alone because you didn't have a lot of people to go to, especially in your upbringing. So, you know, what what all did you do? How how did you stay mentally focused? Where did you go for help? Yeah. At the time, it was it was definitely YouTube. I was on YouTube so much, just trying to figure out, like, all the things from LLCs to what is, like, a Zapier, like, or however you pronounce it. You know? I was like, how can I do these things easier? Because it's just me. And a lot of times for people, flexibility sounds like freedom. Right? But sometimes, like, without the boundaries, it can feel like either a, you're always working. I think I worked freaking every day, all day, all night. I felt like I could never fully clock out into to my own fault, actually. Right? So when I started building a team, kinda creating routines with myself and and starting to separate what's urgent versus, like, what's important and what I wanna get done versus what needs to get done, and accepting that, like, you know, flexibility still needed structure. You know, until that I was just, like, doing almost way too much and again to the point of burnout, which as we all know is, like, just as bad. So I just made sure to really, like, find ways to get help from, like, people that have either done it before on social media, finally connecting with, you know, like minded coaches and, you know, asking them questions and learning from them, but also, honestly, just setting boundaries even within myself and, again, building that team. So highly recommend. Okay. Okay, ladies. If you're joining us, we just heard two people say setting boundaries. Super important. And I know that that's always difficult for me, especially starting out something new, and you wanna help. So learning how to set boundaries. Got that. Tara, what about, what's something that you had to let go of? So we've talked about learning how to learning new things like boundaries. What was something that you just had to say, yep, that's not for me? I think we've spoken about this a few times, but being able to say that you're gonna do it all yourself, I have this pride of this independent woman. I'm running a business that's for independent women, and I'm like, but why? Why can't we ask for help? Why can't we get the support we need? That's how we grow. That's how we become better humans. So, when you ask for help and support, when you bring on a team, you're only going to make yourself better. So I had to let go of, like, trying to do it all, and that actually allowed a lot more flexibility and building the brand and business as well. And then I will never give up, though, being a coach because I just really love it and appreciate it Love it. Well, thank you, Tara. so much. got another poll for the audience. What would a business that works on your terms actually look like? So we've got a a few options here for you. More time with your admin hours, more income without more clients, more flexibility, control over your schedule, and all of the above, honestly. I know mine is all of the above. And while we're waiting on the audience to start clicking in and, answering, I did see a question, that, Brianna had asked. We need let me we need to start running ads and marketing for our facility and business. Where is the best place to start? Just posting on Instagram, ideally, we need to bring new eyes in who don't already follow us. We have runoff referrals for eight plus years, but it's time to scale. Who who would like to give, Brianna some advice? I personally don't, run ads, so I can't speak out of, like, experience of doing them myself. But whenever I've heard people strategize about ads, I know a lot of people preface Facebook a lot. So I I don't know what that looks like, but a lot of people mentioned that being their first place. Now, naturally, I would assume that would maybe be having an Instagram ad and, like, boosting that where it's cross posting on both platforms and hitting those, and maybe a more cold sector versus, like, a warm lead, stuff like that. So sadly, I can't give, like, exact feedback, but I guess from what I hear, paid marketing on Facebook is at least the place where I think most people are seeing at least a payoff. Yeah. And I think it's a really great question. One of the things that, Daxko's exercise can actually provide, for everyone here is, resources. And so we've got your question. I'm actually gonna get somebody from our team to send you some some resources on where to start, what to think about, because you're not the only one that's asked that type of question, Brianna. And then Jess had asked, considering the rise of AI, how do we compete with virtual long distance trainers? So, does anybody, maybe, Tara, what what do you think about about AI and and the competition? AI is not our competition, period. Yeah. Right not right now. A lot of people think that it's, oh, I can just get the program and get the plan. What we offer as premium one on one coaching is a human experience. And I think now more than ever, people want that human connection. They want to be they wanna feel heard. They want the empathy, and they want people to meet them where they're at. So I don't know if you guys know this, but AI is just gonna agree with everything that you say. Mhmm. And so they might not give you what you actually want to hear and need to hear. We also offer accountability, structure. We offer human to human connection on calls and coaching. And so, personally, for me, I we use AI for our business to operate and systemize and automate, Yep. but people need humans need humans. Humans need humans. Absolutely. What a great answer. Emma, last question. And this is really, ladies, I want us to focus on advice that we can give to everybody that has tuned in. You know, if they haven't left, you know, what what what should they do? So what would you say to the the version of yourself, Emma, who hadn't left yet? Stop thinking and just do. Take any sort of action, whether it is showing up on social media, posting literally anything. I can promise you, you will ruminate in the thoughts and you will wonder about all of the things that that'll keep you from getting started. And if you are a coach already, you know, clients do this. They, they think of like the worst possible scenarios and all of the things. And it's like, just do so. I would say, just take some sort of action, whether it is messy and you learn from it or it's something that just gives. you confidence by putting in the reps. But 100 just do anything and just go from there. Yeah. And I know we only have a little over a minute left, Des. You know, what do you wish somebody would have told you before you had started? Yeah. To keep it short and sweet, everything isn't always exciting. Everything isn't always fun. Growth sometimes will look like having specific systems, uncomfortable conversations, delegating things, letting go, fixing mistakes, learning from things. But, you know, continuing to just show up through it all is the most important thing. Because at the end of the day, every day is kind of like a free lottery ticket, you know, for you to actually capture a new client. So that's what I would say. Love that. And last but not least, Tara, for the one the woman who's almost ready, you know, what's the first thing, they should do this week? Well, we should write down what Des just said. I know. Every every day is a lottery ticket. That was awesome. I'll I'll. take that with us. Yeah. The first thing they should do this week is, gosh, believe in themselves, Mhmm. post post a piece of content, do something that you've been saying that you've been going to do, putting on your to do list every single week, and literally just get it done. I think that a lot of times, most women are just in this, like, oh, I might or I'm thinking about it, and then I would just say that that time usually passed, so there's no time but the present. Love that. Thank you, Tara. So, guys, we are just about done. And, ladies, thank you so much for joining us. Now everybody that has tuned in, just know that we do have a link, that you can actually book a demo to learn more. So whether you've got questions about digital marketing or you've got questions about the technology or, you know, just where to start, we've got people here to help you. So please make sure that, you are, scanning that QR code, and we can book a demo, with some of the technology options that are out there. Guys, thank you so much, for tuning in. And once again, Celeste Bales with Daxko's exercise. We'll see you on the next round. Bye bye.