SUBSCRIBE TO PFP HERE LETTER FROM THE ADVISORY BOARD By Lindsay Vastola
The branch has broken There’s a saying that goes something like, “A bird sitting on a tree is never afraid of the branch breaking, because its trust is not in the branch but in its own wings.” This is a fitting lesson for many life situations, but especially timely for many fitness professionals. If the bird represents you, the fitness professional, the branch represents the fitness industry or perhaps the business you own, or the company you work for. The last year has shown us that the branch — the fitness industry, the business or the company — is not as reliable or predictable as it once was. Up until a year ago, while the industry has always swayed with the winds of trends, technology and consumer behavior, there was a level of trust that it would always hold firm and be the strong foundation we needed in order to feel safe in our careers. For fitness professionals who have relied on the stability of an industry, in the last year we have been faced with making one of two choices. One choice is to put trust in an industry, a business or a company, and hoping the comforts of business-as-usual will return. The second choice is to put trust in our own “wings” — our knowledge, skills, experience and potential — giving us the flexibility and agility needed to move to whichever career “branch” we choose. By trusting in ourselves, we will never have to rely on one single industry, job, company or business to determine the trajectory of our success. Most of us have been faced with significant career decisions. Many decisions — especially of recent — that are extremely difficult and even heart-wrenching. The last year has shown us, even with all its uncertainty, is that WHY we do what we do remains unchanged. What has changed is HOW we do it. When we no longer depend on the “branch” to support us, and instead trust in our own “wings,” the options and opportunities to successfully pursue our passion and purpose truly become limitless.
Congratulations to Alexis Batrakoulis for being named our 2021 PFP Trainer of the Year!
Lindsay Vastola is the founder of VastPotential, a professional development company helping fitness business owners, managers and success-driven fitness professionals develop and apply the Emotional Intelligence (EQ) required for personal and professional leadership. Lindsay is the founder of Body Project Fitness (2007) and served as the editor-in-chief of Personal Fitness Professional (PFP) magazine from 2011-2019. She serves on several fitness industry advisory boards and is a speaker and educator across industries.
Read more about Alexis on page 10 in our Journey to Success article. And check back here throughout the year to hear directly from Alexis on topics like education, business and technology in his “Follow the Trainer of the Year” column.