The Decisions That Shaped Our Fitness Careers | ETP#230

This one steps away from the training and nutrition stuff to talk about what actually built our careers in fitness. It came out of a question Aaron sat with before he left his software job to coach full time, which was basically, if it takes me ten years to make it, is it worth it? At 30, the answer was yes, and the episode kind of works back from there through the decisions that got us both to where we are now. The fitness space is a weird one. A ton of people want to work in it, and most of them end up washing out, so we get into why that did not happen to either of us. That starts with what making it even meant early on versus what it means now. In the beginning it was just not drowning, then it was comfortable, and eventually it became actually being able to provide for a family, which changes the math completely. There is also a lot in here about the stuff nobody really warns you about with self-employment, like how you kind of become unemployable because you know too much, and why the number you are at matters way less than the direction you are heading. The back half gets pretty honest about the expensive lessons. Aaron turned about 60 grand into almost nothing on an ad team and a mentorship he had no business buying into, and Bryan took two gyms that were both crushing and consolidated them into one, which ended up being the beginning of the end. We also get into the accolades we figured would change everything and mostly just did not, the pro card included. Then we close it out with the one piece of advice each of us would give someone who is a year or two in, or still sitting on the fence about quitting the day job. Covered in this episode The question that started it all: if it takes ten years to make it, is it worth it What "making it" meant in the beginning versus what it means now The three phases: not drowning, comfortable, then providing for a family Why you eventually become unemployable because you know too much Reverse engineering money problems instead of living on a fixed income The no-days-off reality of self-employment, and how we each frame it The turning point where the gym finally felt sustainable Why trajectory matters more than whatever state you are in right now Aaron's never-going-back moment: a year of 10 out of 10 sales calls and a launch that sold out in 15 hours Whether the pro card, or any accolade, actually changed anything The frustrating truth that the same advice lands differently once you look the part The biggest money mistakes: ad teams and expensive mentorships Bryan on consolidating two gyms into one and bleeding members Regrets, moving to Asia, and the Undefeated bet that has not paid back financially yet The group bodybuilding class as an underserved idea One piece of advice to your younger self, and protecting your name along the way Timestamps 00:00:00 - Intro and updates 00:10:25 - The question that started it: if it takes ten years, is it worth it 00:11:49 - What making it meant then versus now 00:13:15 - The three phases, from not drowning to providing for a family 00:18:10 - Becoming unemployable because you know too much 00:22:04 - The no-days-off reality of self-employment 00:24:19 - The turning point where it finally felt sustainable 00:29:01 - Why trajectory matters more than state 00:30:01 - Aaron's never-going-back moment: sales calls and a sold-out launch 00:32:55 - Whether the pro card or any accolade actually changed things 00:38:40 - The frustrating truth about looking the part 00:39:16 - The biggest money mistakes: ad teams and mentorships 00:44:18 - Consolidating two gyms into one, the beginning of the end 00:50:01 - Regrets, Asia, and the Undefeated bet 00:54:32 - One piece of advice to our younger selves Training hard, but don't look like it? Aaron closes that gap ⬇️ https://coach.strakernutritionco.com/bio Paragon Training Methods Programming ⬇️ https://paragontrainingmethods.com Follow Bryan's Evolved Training Systems Programming ⬇️ https://evolvedtrainingsystems.com Find Us on Social Media  ⬇️ IG | @Eat.Train.Prosper IG | @bryanboorstein IG | @aaron_straker YT | EAT TRAIN PROSPER PODCAST