From Client to Trainer: Grad Spotlight

My road to becoming a personal trainer all started with me being a personal training client. A little over two years ago I was working full time in a high pressure, high stress position in health care. I was unhappy with my appearance and struggling with anxiety. I tried multiple online training programs in an effort to help reclaim my mental and physical health but I always plateaued quickly.  None gave me the guidance or long term changes I was looking for. Finally, fed up, I went to the gym and asked for the help of a trainer. Little did I know that this would be one of the greatest, most impactful decisions I would ever make.

I worked with my trainer Tony at the Cambie Steve Nash Fitness World twice a week for two years. Over this time, the physical changes were exciting but the mental changes were what kept me coming back for more.  As a result, my anxiety disappeared.  I was confident, energized and happy; certainly the best version of myself I had ever been. The gym started to feel like home.  I saw the trainers loved their jobs more than any group of people I had encountered before.  For that reason I began wondering if it was possible to turn my passion into a career.  So, with support from my family and a push from Tony, I closed my eyes and jumped in feet first.

BCPTI was an obvious choice for me. I knew many successful trainers who had been through the program,  The combination of theory and hands on practical learning was exactly what I needed.  The education team was so knowledgeable and their passion was infectious. I couldn’t have asked for a more supportive first step into my new career. After I completed BCPTI, going home to my Cambie family was a natural transition. I had spent two years getting to know the team and they embraced me with open arms now as a colleague and fellow trainer.  It really is a privilege to call these incredibly talented people my friends and co-workers.

Working as a personal trainer has probably been four of the most rewarding months of my life.  I don’t know many other jobs where you can meet as many people, and change as many lives as this one. In all honesty, I have been taken aback by how incredibly fulfilling it has been.  I get to support and walk alongside someone on their fitness journey, just like Tony helped me.  If a career in fitness has been something you are thinking about pursuing, do it!  Not only will you change people’s lives but yours will change for the better as well!

Turns out the saying is true, “do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life”

Thanks Tony and BCPTI!