382 Why You Don’t Need a Perfect Plan to Succeed with Jennifer Van Barneveld.
How do you build strength beyond the gym (in life and business too)?
What does it really take to build strength not just in the gym but in life and business?
This week we are sharing an episode where I sat down with Jennifer Van Barneveld (Coach JVB), owner of Strong Fitness Magazine and the powerhouse between Team Strong Girls. Her story is nothing short of inspiring.
Jennifer went from selling printer toner, to hitting what she calls her “MacDonald’s Miracle” rock-bottom moment, to building a 7-figure coaching business and leading one of the most recognizable fitness publications in the world.
Here’s what you’ll learn in this podcast:
Why you don’t need a perfect plan to start
How to turn setbacks into fuel for growth
The power of momentum and why clarity comes after action
Jenni’s biggest lessons in leadership, resilience, and staying grounded through success.
If you’ve ever felt stuck, uncertain, or like you’re waiting for the “right time” to make your move, this episode is your reminder that strength isn’t about doing it all perfectly. It’s about moving forward, even when it’s messy.
To connect with Coach JVB:
To connect with Kelsey:
Access the transcript for this episode:
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Visionaries. I just recorded an epic interview with coach JB aka Jenni van Barneveld Pei and I cannot wait to share it with you. So Jenny, if you don't know her, is the president of Strong Fitness Mag. Yeah, I know you've seen that on newsstands before. That is her baby right now. She's also the founder of Team Strong Girls. She's a fitness coach turned fitness publisher, and she is the host of her own podcast called the Find Your Strong Podcast. Jenny is also a mom of two little boys. She's a wife and in fact, she's in business with her husband, Vince. Jenny does a lot, but she still shows up to serve and connect with her community, just like she did back in 2012 when she launched her bootcamp classes and was trying to escape her job selling laser toners, which was not her passion. So in this episode, we really go all over the place chatting about Jenny's journey from hitting kind of a low point and finding herself calling it the McDonald's miracle. That was a true wake up call. And then what happened after that? We talk about the moment she decided to enroll herself back at school and to stop her partying lifestyle. The one that had her out late at night drinking and really abandoning her greater future. We talk about the highs and lows over the past decade that she has experienced as a business owner, and also why she calls herself unemployable. We chat about where the business is at today, what her team looks like, and how she's managing to continue to find her own strong with such a jam packed schedule. You can connect with Jenny at probably on Instagram is the best spot. She's coach, underscore, JV and everywhere else we will link in the show notes. So they've got certification programs. They have find your strong programs. So I would definitely suggest opening up the show notes and going to connect with Jenny in whatever way makes most sense for you. So I hope you enjoy this week's episode, visionaries. And if you feel so inclined, why don't you just grab your phone and quickly take a screenshot of the episode and just share it? Or tag me while you're doing something around the house? I'm at Kelsey Riddle on Instagram, or you could also tag myself and Jenny. She's coach underscore. JB let's get into this week's episode. Jenny, welcome to the Visionary Life podcast. I'm really excited to sit down with you today. I think I was first kind of introduced into your world because we were part of the same business mastermind, and I know you have worked very closely with one of my clients, Doctor Stephanie, and I've just been so interested in the business story behind what you've built, and I know our listeners will be as well. So thank you so much for being here today. Thank you for having me. I'm really excited to chat with you. And yeah, like this. This is going to be fun. It's gonna be awesome. Yeah. Let's do the business talk today. So, you know, if you were to introduce yourself today, you would probably call yourself the president of Strong Fitness. Meg, founder of Team Strong Girls. You are the host of the Find Your Strong podcast. But I know it wasn't always this way for you. So can you kind of take us back to your 20s? I know you kind of had a low point. You weren't always this, um, you know, like set on your path and knowing of where you were going to go. So why don't you take us back to your 20s and just kind of give us a rundown of what you were up to in that decade of your life? Yeah. So, you know, a little over nine years ago, I started my online coaching business while living in my boyfriend's now husband's parents basement, while working at a laser toner company and teaching bootcamp classes in the evening. So I had very humble beginnings. And I truly believe that, like, you know, strength comes from your struggle. And I mean, I, I had a few struggles with, you know, just personal, personal struggles with, you know, having an eating disorder. And in my teens and in my 20s, um, and I, I was a personal trainer at the age of eight, age of 18. And around that time I actually fainted while I was training one of my clients on the gym floor. And it was that moment. It was like my wake up call, because I knew if I kept on doing what I was doing, you know, I was, you know, under eating carbs, I was over doing cardio. I was, you know, just doing it all just to get lighter. Right. And it was completely making me sick. And I knew that I couldn't continue this way. That's when I decided, you know, to go back to school for holistic nutrition. Uh, you know, I started to learn how to eat. I obviously got some therapy, and I learned how to lift weights and and focus on getting stronger and not lighter. And when I did this, I call this Finding my Strong because it was just an epiphany in my life. I felt so amazing. I didn't want I knew so many women were always focused on getting smaller, and I didn't want anybody feeling the way that I had felt. That's when Team Strong Girls was born. I was like, I want to empower women. I want to teach women how to lift weights and not to be afraid of food. So Team Struggles was born. But again, like I said, it was very humble beginnings. My husband and I both had decided to go back to school at the same time. You know, he was just he was coming out of a marriage and, you know, he well, he was divorced, so getting back on his feet. So we were both starting out in, you know, pretty much having nothing to our names. And I remember one specific moment, uh, we call this our McDonald's miracle. We were. Yeah. McDonald's miracle. We, you know. Had our priorities all wrong. We would go out on the weekends and party. Now, looking back, I knew we were probably just trying to run away from our problems. And one weekend in particular, you know, we were hungover. We were we we were trying to recover and we had $20 left between both of us. And we decided to go to McDonald's and eat because we could finally eat. You know, when you're hungover, you don't feel like eating. We're like, okay, let's let's go get him. Let's go to McDonald's. And I call it the McDonald's miracle, because after that and we realized, like, we literally just spent our last $20. We, we we were completely like, that was our lowest ever low. I remember having to ask my brother for $500 that week just to get by. And that's when we're like, no, this is enough. Like, this is enough. So I decided I was, you know, doing bootcamp classes that night. I decided to offer my bootcamp class, you know, like an eight, eight week challenge at the time, 8 or 12 week challenge to, you know, offer them nutrition. And, you know, they paid me a little bit of money, but I used I transformed these people, and I used their transformation as a marketing tool to share stories. And that is what really started my online coaching business. I remember posting those transformations and just getting hundreds of inquiries coming in and. Guru are guru, our online coaching business, within three months. I remember looking at in in our, at our bank account that three month mark and we were making like 30 5KA month. We and all organic traffic, no ads. Back then it was just sharing transformation stories. It was sharing stories, tagging them and then getting their testimonial. It's so cool because I know a lot of what you do is helping women transform, especially their bodies and the way they eat and the way they train. And I think it's really awesome to hear your transformation story. To like this time in your life was completely transformational to the woman you've become today, the entrepreneur you become today. And I think it's really important to actually hear these stories from people that have businesses to know that we don't all know where we're going when we start out in business. Sometimes we just have to do that first thing. And it sounds like for you, it's kind of a combo after the McDonald's moment or the miracle. Yeah, miracle number one, enrolling in school. I think sometimes a decision like that can really solidify. Like I'm putting money on the line. I am changing course here and something so simple as enrolling in a diploma, a certification, going back to holistic nutrition school, it can really like lead you down a new path. And then I love that. The other thing you did was you launched boot camps and started to, like, take photos of women and say like, let's transform you. And obviously you had a remarkable product like the boot camp was working, and it's not like you had this grand master plan. It sounds like to publish a magazine and to have this huge online coaching business. It just started with running boot camps and then it started to flourish from there. Absolutely. And it was just like I was I was already doing the boot camp and it was like, what else could I offer? Write them, you know, like, what else can I offer them so they can actually make a full transformation? And it was when I offered the nutrition side of things and offered like the full programming for them, and then also giving them a little bit more, you know, accountability and motivation with like, okay, we're coming in, we're going to do your before and after photos. And it was that that just, you know, just sharing that whole journey was a game changer for for me. Yeah. And I know a lot of people would assume that maybe you had a lot of business or entrepreneurial experience or you kind of grew up in an entrepreneurial family. Is that true? Like, did you come in with an idea of how to run a business or how did you learn those skills? Great question. You know. I didn't know I had those skills, but now that I look back, I think I did like my parents. My parents had a restaurant, so I grew like they. My dad's family owned a Dutch and Indonesian restaurant, and then my dad and my mom took it over. So they had a family. We had a family business. I started working there at age 12, you know, like bussing and cleaning child labor. And then, you know, I worked as a waitress, you know, in that family business. And just being around it and seeing my dad, like having to renovate it and change it and make it relevant again and seeing that, I think affected me, I also I also ran these um, I just remembered this now, actually, I ran these these dances at school like they were separate dances from the school. And I sold tickets for like $20 with another friend, and I would organize the whole thing and made money doing that. I did like 3 or 4 of them. So I think I always had a little bit of it, but I always wish that I went to school for some formal business training because, you know, after owning, you know, after starting this business and having it grow so very quickly. You're doing what you're great at, but then you don't realize that there's so many other things that come along with it, like taxes and, you know. Yeah. So that was totally a learning curve that, that I had to go through. Um, but yeah, that entrepreneurial mindset, I think, I think I was probably born with it. I just took a while for it to actually come out and work. I think you said in one of your podcasts that I was listening to in preparation for this show, that you always felt like you were unemployable in a way. And I totally resonate with that, like thinking back to how I felt and how I acted in the corporate world. I just felt like I was a misfit and like, I didn't want to follow the rules. And I had this little fire in me to, like, sell things on the side. And just like all these character traits that when you reflect back, you're like, maybe I was born with these entrepreneurial tendencies, but then you actually have to, like, give yourself permission to leap into that and almost have to cultivate that belief that, like, I can do something with this even if I don't know what that big vision is like, I'm just going to get started and see what the feedback of my clients is, and they'll tell you what they want next from you. Like your client said, I want nutrition programs now, and you just keep following that path and eventually things start to make sense. So I'm curious, like, what have been some of the other major milestones, like since those boot camps, since you started working with that small group of individuals, what are some other big milestones that have happened along your journey? Oh my gosh. So I mean being able to help. A few women actually throughout their cancer was has been huge, you know. Um, one woman in particular, her name's Jackie, and she's from San Francisco, and she was one of my first clients, and she trusted. She was she had breast cancer, and she had all sorts of different side effects from the medication. And she just wanted to feel better again. And when I started coaching her and changing her nutrition protocol, um, she started to feel better again. And she could cope with all of those, you know, side effects from the cancer meds. And we became such close, dear friend. She still, like I call her the heart and soul of our community because she's the first person to welcome someone, uh, to make them. She'll send gifts like she's just an angel on this earth, and she's had a few other health scares, you know, along the way, you know, the brain tumor and all this. And, you know, she's she's just such. It's an honor to have coached her or still coaching her. Um, and a few other women, actually, that that have experienced, you know, cancer and trusting me to help them along the way. Mhm. Um, for business wise and for my own personal brand, you know, like. Strong fitness magazine. You know, having that opportunity to take over and become president and really give a platform to share even more of our stories for our clients and and to help more fitness professionals become visible. So that was a huge one. We actually, my husband and I took it over just more than a year ago. So that was quite a big step in our professional career. And then just getting recognized, you know, and being on fitness magazines. And not only that, it's when you are recognized like that, you're able to help more people. Yeah. You know, and I always like to say to my, my girls, because when we're coaching, we always try to get them to do like a, a photo shoot in celebration of themselves. Because I just don't think I think women just don't celebrate themselves enough. And, you know, instead of looking at it like, oh, is this too much? Look at it as like, aspire to inspire. When you put yourself out there and you share your story, you're going to help someone. Even if it's just one person, you're going to help somebody to make that first step. A quick word from our premier sponsor of the Visionary Life podcast. And that is Healthy Planet. If you are a health nut like me, you're going to love that. You can save money on the brands you already purchase by ordering online from Healthy Planet. They love our visionary community and want to support all of us in living our best lives. So you can shop at Healthy Planet entirely online, and products will be dropped at your doorstep within just a few days. It's so easy, so convenient, and that gives you no excuse to say it's really hard to eat healthy because it's not. So treat your body, your mind, and your business with the fuel it deserves. From Healthy Planet. You can shop by department, dietary need, or even just check out the sale rack. It's such an efficient way to ensure your stocked up on all your favorite health goods all of the time. Use Code Visionary ten at checkout to save on your healthy planet order. That's visionary one zero at checkout. It's so true because a lot of our listeners are in the coaching industry like you are, and the moment they start to crack open a bit and share more of their personal journey, even their struggles like you've shared, you know, you went through some challenging times. It allows people to really connect with you and to find some sort of common thread that they go, oh my God, I'm dealing with that too. And then when it's time for them to look for somebody to hire or somebody to work with. They're going to go with the person who they feel most understands them and that they most relate to. So every little thing that you feel comfortable sharing, um, in promotion of your business, I think is actually a really great point of connection to your audience, whether it's sharing that you have a dog or, you know, sharing that your kids are sick, or sharing that you've gone through struggles with your eating or training or whatever it is. It just like gives people permission to also open up to you. Um, and I think because obviously in the coaching industry, people need to trust you. It's just a way for them to really, um, get a better perspective of who you are and why they should trust you. So I think that's quite remarkable. Mhm. Thank you. Yeah. I feel like as a coach a lot of people look up to you. You might not think that you're human too. And when you, when you break down those barriers and, and share like real human experiences, it it helps you connect for sure. Mhm. So you've shared some of the high points and milestones over how many years have you been doing like since the boot camps. How long has it been. Oh okay. So I became a like this is this is a long journey. I'm actually going to be 40 next year I came. Oh hell yeah. celebrate. I hope you have a trip booked. Yeah, we're working on that. But, um. So. Yeah. So when I started the boot camps, I was we started the business in 2012, and I was doing boot camps like a couple of years, like on the side for two years before that. And I was a trainer since age 18. So I was like on and off training. You know, I did have some corporate jobs too. And um, of course my job of selling laser toners as well, but I would always do training on the side and sort of boot camps on the side. So I had always done boot camps as more of a side hustle, but my actual business started in 2012. Okay, so you've been at this almost a decade, which is incredible. Um, so are you shared some of the highs that have happened? I'm curious, was there ever any lows or times when you dipped or moments when you're like, I don't know if this is going to work and if so, like, would you want to share one of those? Yeah. So I started back in 2012, as I said, and that's when Facebook was super friendly. You know, I would I would put up a transformation story before and after of one of my clients at Show story. And I would have at least. 15,000 to 20,000 people that landed on that actual post. I would have comments. I would have like tons of DMs after just posting one of those. Now Facebook is social media. The algorithms changed one year. I think it was 2015 because I just had Jackson. I had my first son and my husband and I were noticing, okay, we're not getting the love on anymore. Like, we were noticing very little inquiries when we posted something. We did not know anything about email marketing. Yeah. And so we're like, okay, something's got to change. He started doing some research with business coaches. Uh, we signed up with, um, Bedros and, uh, Craig Valentine time. Okay. And so they were teaching us, like, how to actually like. They're like, do you have any emails? And I said, yeah, we have emails. They're like, oh, no, like an email list that you like email. And we're like, what is that talking about? Because we literally just had all organic traffic. But like like social media and as we know, like rhythms changed. It just wasn't working anymore. So. We had a dip in the business and we we were scared and we're like, I don't know if we can actually continue to do this, but my husband is very proactive and willing to change super fast. And that's why we did everything we could to learn about email marketing. We started, you know, building that gift for our audience. And then we started capturing emails and talking to them on email, also showing up on social. But, you know, an email list, as we all know, we own that those are people that actually want to hear from us and that, you know, we'll see what we have to say. Whereas it's sort of hit or miss with social media. Um, so that was that was troublesome. But after we got that up and going, um, this business started to pick up again, thankfully. Mhm. Um, I think the, the whole topic of coaching is super interesting because oftentimes we look at business owners and we're like they just figure everything out. But behind that is usually we're here, we recognize a problem and we're like, we need to be investing in ourselves as entrepreneurs, just as we expect people to invest in us as their fitness coach. Right. Um, have you continued to be a believer in the power of coaching? Um, and you know, when you are feeling like maybe you're coming to a halt in your business, what do you do to kind of get over that stagnancy and continue growing and evolving? Yeah. Great question. So we've we ever since that first mastermind, we joined a few masterminds after that. Yeah, I think it's super important, especially if you're a business owner and especially if you're online, because it can feel pretty isolating. Not a lot of friends and family understand what you do at all, maybe more so a little bit now, but but still, like they they don't have that full understanding. And you can feel alone and you can also feel a little stuck like thankfully. My husband and I are doing the same thing and we can often talk to each other. Yeah, but we do. You do need that community. You do need that support. You need that accountability as well. And you need like, I feel like you need that third person to run ideas off of. And so that's where we met you in, in the Archangel community with Giovanni. Um, and we've been working with him ever since. We do some one on one coaching with him, and we are most likely going to be joining the council next year, which we're super excited about. Yeah. So we are firm believers and every coach needs a coach. You need to have that because you need to grow. You need to keep evolving and growing. And the only way to do that, I feel, is, is to have that guidance in coaching. Absolutely. And I remember hitting a similar spot a few years ago. Like I was working at an office in Toronto by myself. And I was like, yeah, like, yay, my business is taking off. Things are great. But I looked around me and I was like, I have nobody to really celebrate this or to when I'm having a bad day to call and be like, how are you navigating this right now? And I felt so alone. And that was the moment I realized I'm not part of an entrepreneurial community right now. And it's something that now I make sure that I continue to invest in that and continue to put myself in the room of people who are going to keep me sane, who are going to push me to be better, to grow. So I love that you guys prioritize that and you're continually continuing along that journey. Yeah. And it's not only that. It's connection to like like and and and other possibilities for your business that you might not even realize until you're in a room with, with people that you know you can do things with, you know, there's ideas that are always sprung. So. Look. Look at us right now. Yeah, exactly. It's incredible. So I want to actually crack open marketing a little bit. You're talking about, you know, Facebook used to work really well, organic social media. And then you launch your email list inside of your business. Right now, what's working really well in terms of growing your community and staying visible and continuing to elevate your presence, whether it's for the magazine, for your personal brand, your coaching community, like what's working in the marketing world for you specifically at this moment? Great question. So when Facebook started to go a little wonky at that time, I, I decided to also open up a private Facebook community and our private Facebook community. Um, we will let you in if you know your client or if you're like a friend of a client. Like, it's it's a closed community, but it's got a life of its own. It's an a it's really amazing. Like, I, I do my best to go in in there. And I do have other coaches now, but just the relationships and. Just the relationships that have been built on there and just from our clients have been amazing. Like people help each other out. They they immediately they they do meet separately. Like and it's and it's it's just awesome that community. And I feel like that's one of the things that sets us apart is our community. We we often ask our clients at the end of their transformation, what did you love most? And they've all said the community and the Facebook group. So that's been working really, really well. Um, also the email list. So, you know, really nailing down a good gift to give your audience and invite them into your world. And so the team, Strong Girls is really known for doing a celebration photoshoot at the end. So I often get women coming and asking, how do you do your first photo shoot? Who do I contact? Like, what's the process? So we've really nailed down a great gift to share with the audience. Like how to how to make your first fitness photo shoot a success. And so we're talking to the right people, the people that I want to work with, the people that my coaches want to work with. So that's working really well. Um, my stories on Instagram. They pull pretty good. So I show up quite frequently on my stories and consistency. I'm very consistent on Instagram and still my Facebook page as well. Yeah. Um, those are the two platforms that I just am consistent on. I have not yet gone to the TikTok world and, you know, YouTube videos here and there, but I'm more consistent on Facebook and Instagram and and stories. Mhm. And I think that word consistency is so important. Like you don't have to be on every single platform. But if you choose a couple like Instagram stories like Facebook and just do them on a regular cadence, that's way more important than spreading yourself so thin. So because I know you're quite consistent on your Instagram stories, do you have any tips to offer for how to be consistent? Like how do you know to show up every day? Is it just natural to you at this point, or what gets you going to film a couple minutes of your day every single day? Yeah. You know, that's a really good question. I, I, I'm just sort of I, I've just started doing it and I love connecting with my audience there. So I like to ask questions. I, you know, often say, you know, message me, DM me. Um, so we have that conversation there. I love doing polls on my Instagram because I think that's a really great way to get to know what your audience wants, wants from you, wants to see from you. Um, and I feel like it's it's fun. It's fun for me because it doesn't have to be so curated. I mean, my feeds, not my feeds, not really that curated. I do do photo shoot photos because that's sort of my business. But I try to put like, um, curated stuff of just like my family and I and but I love how stories can just be like in the moment. And it's just really easy. And I, I feel like I don't really care. I know that doesn't sound, doesn't sound good, but I don't really overthink it. You know, like, I, I just go for it. Put it out there. I love that, and it's obviously because you've found a marketing outlet that feels fun and light to you. Like some people, they're trying to be on Instagram Stories, but they're like every time I pull out my phone to film myself, it just feels heavy and off and I have nothing to say, and nobody's engaging. And it's like, well, maybe that's not the platform for you, but if it feels fun and you're kind of like, yeah, I can just like talk to my people and ask them a question like, that's what you want to double down on, because it just flows. And I think people can feel when there's that, you know, light energy around it versus I have to show up because somebody told me to post three minutes a day on stories like that. That energy radiates through the screen. Yeah, totally. I love how it's just so quick and I can just do it in the moment. And that's what I love. And I feel like when you're a mom and you're a businesswoman, you you appreciate those quick things that you can, you know. Yeah, serve and get your message out there. And you don't have to, you know, think about, um, you know, all the post-production. It's just super quick and easy. Easy to get out there. Mhm. So at this point you guys are doing the magazine full time. You've also just launched a what I'll call like Train the Trainer program. I believe you're certifying people in the strong formula. Um do you want to tell us a little bit about that. Because we have a lot of just like holistic, um, enthusiasts who listen to the podcast who might be interested. What is this strong formula? Who is it perfect for? Yes. So my husband and I developed the Strong Formula certification program. It's a 12 week certification for trainers and health professionals on how to take your client through a successful body transformation. So we have, um, our nutrition methods or training methods and then also a marketing component as well. So we deal with a lot of trainers that have been either on the gym floor, and they really want to take their business over to online. So we help them transition there. A lot of my clients, you know, that have received like, have gotten amazing results and they showcase their before and afters. They have a lot of people asking them what they they did. Yeah. Um, you know, and it's become a love and passion for them. So a lot of them have taken this course to help them start. Um, so we've done our first pilot program. We just finished and wrapped up. It was a great success. We we coached over we coached 31 trainers. Wow. And we are going to be launching another one end of January. Another cohort. Mhm. So why did you start with like a pilot program. Like was it just to kind of like test out the method and see I think the listeners like a lot of them, are keen to launch some sort of program that teaches their expertise. What's the, I guess, reasoning behind a pilot versus just going all in and being like, we're here. Yeah, no, that's a great question. A pilot program and, and and this was. You know, Geo actually taught us to do this because you don't. You think you might know what people want, but you don't really know until you ask. Right. And a pilot program allowed us to, you know, once we offer this to our to just our community, we were so surprised that everybody wanted in on it, first of all. And then when we started to ask, like, what did you want to know most? And we were just going to do like it based on marketing. But a lot of them wanted to know actually how we transformed physiques like how we did it. So that's when we were like, okay, so we'll teach how we how we, um, you know, give out the nutrition or how we, how we program, basically the nutrition and training. So we went into and we wouldn't have done that. Like if we didn't ask, we wouldn't have done that. We're like, everybody needs marketing advice. But they wanted to know actually our methods and how to transform somebody. Yeah. And even just the questions that you get per session, you can pivot, you know, if they wanted, if they were they were asking so many questions about, you know, email marketing. So we had Geo come on and teach. You know, we were we were giving them what they wanted. And that's the beauty about a pilot program. You can sort of mold it and see where it takes you so smart because we could sit in our office and assume we know what clients need from us. But one of the easier things to do, and probably a surefire way to make sure you're serving up what they need, is to get in conversation with these 30 people and and let them know. Like, this is the first cohort. You don't have to hide it and pretend this has been like an established program. But to say, come on in like we're going to teach you what we think you guys need and you're going to co-create this with us, and then, you know, we'll modify it and we'll show up big for you. And so you can kind of create excitement around a beta or a pilot versus feeling like, oh, nobody's going to trust us if we're, you know, running this for the first time. So I think that's really cool and obviously going to be a huge arm to your business, I'm sure, in the future. Yeah, yeah. And my husband is he's super proud about it too because he's sort of been in the back end of it. It's always been me. And I'm like, no, no, no, you got to come to the forefront now. So it it really is something that, you know, we built, he built and and now it's our thing to and we just feel like we're in the position to help trainers. Now. We are so sick of seeing trainers that are so, you know knowledgeable. But they just. Don't know how to grow the business, and we want to help them become successful living their passion in that way and not having it to be a side hustle or nobody taking them seriously. That's our big mission. Absolutely. And I love that. And it all ties in to kind of your greater vision, right, of like promoting that strong brand. So yes, thinking about everything that you do. Like there's a lot going on. So I'm curious how do you manage your time. How do you a lot time in your work week to all of these projects. Because these are kind of like multiple things that you have and they all tie up into the same brand. But like how do you make sure you don't burn out? And what are your secrets for managing your workweek? Yeah, it's been a big year of transition for us, especially after taking over the magazine and having to get super organized and having really important conversations of like, what don't we want to do anymore? You know what doesn't make us feel like doesn't light us up anymore. And we actually have to do this every month. And it's like writing down a list of things that, like, I don't necessarily have to do. Like I can hire some team members to do it. I would love to do it. So it's been a lot of team building this year and trying and and, you know, having a great assistant and then having great coaches. To depend on, um, having a marketing team, like, just everybody working synergistically together. And I told this to Vince, I'm like, I feel like we're just, like, managing people now. And it's true. Like, that's what we're doing. We're managing people. But the people are the most important aspect of your business, you know? So it's finding people that align with you and your beliefs in your business and finding the right people. And you might be just starting your business. So it might be hard for you to maybe pay for that. But there are ways to maybe, you know, trade services or something like that, you know, so you can get that help. But it's really been help. That's that's really the the underlying theme of this year has been more help. And building a team that can that can keep me organized and can keep the business running and that we don't always have to be in it. Hey, visionary, are you ready to launch your business? If you're looking for a way to get started, we can help. The Visionary Method is a weekly coaching program that will guide you through the process of launching your business and generating revenue in as little as 12 weeks. We have helped over 100 entrepreneurs build their businesses from scratch and find community with people just like them. You don't have to do this alone. It doesn't matter if you're an introvert or extrovert, young or old, experienced or brand new. Our method works for everyone who wants it badly enough. This isn't about getting rich quick, it's about creating something meaningful that changes lives and makes the world a better place. Join us today by heading to kelsey.com for details, or click the link in the show notes and learn more about the Visionary Method. So I can imagine that it was super challenging for you to actually shift out of doing your craft, which was training people and doing a lot of that one on one work, and actually being the one that runs all the programs to now being more behind the scenes or, you know, doing more of the high level vision stuff. I'm curious, how was that transition for you and any tips for somebody who's currently going through that, knowing they need to kind of remove themselves from some of the day to day tasks to focus on the high level stuff? Yeah, that's a great question. It's it's all about letting go and also learning how to teach what you do. So that was a really huge transition for me because, you know, when you're so in it for so long, you know, you started the business on your own, you know, all the little details, but now it's time to teach someone else yet. So it's having that system in place where you can actually take the time and teach someone else. Like essentially had to think about, you know, what I wanted my life to look like in, you know, a couple of years from now. And I have two young boys, two and six. I want to have time with them. You know, I want my husband to have time with them. So I was like, how can I can't physically be doing everything and still have time with my family. And so that priority for me was number one. So it's just shifting into that, like being okay with letting go. And it's practicing that and and finding the right people. As I said, you know, finding the right people and taking the time with that person. You know, I think at the beginning when I was doing this, I just sort of expected them to like, go with it and know you have to actually take the time and train the right people. Mhm. Mhm. And I love that you say like trusting that they can do it and probably better than you can, and devoting that time to teaching others so that you don't feel like you're the only one with this knowledge and that you're the only one who can teach the method, like there are other people who would be so excited to learn from you, and who are probably going to be even more enthusiastic than you could be, um, to be able to teach your method forward. So I think that's really cool. And obviously a huge transition in becoming more of an entrepreneur, managing a team. But I think in order for you to reach that goal of spending more time with your family, with your kids, being able to focus just on the things that really require you. Um, is going to give you so much freedom in the long term. So it's really cool to see how the business is progressing that way. Yeah, and it's not always smooth sailing, I'm not going to lie. Like sometimes you just don't find the right fit and you have to start from scratch, you know, and um, you know, you ask this question before, what do I draw from sometimes. And it was my past experience with my parents. I saw them running the restaurant. I saw them trying to step away and finding the right person. And often those people would steal, and so they would be scared and they'd have to go back into working in the restaurant. They never had time to grow the business. And I see that now, and I'm like, I don't want to be like, I use the analogy. I don't want to still be serving tables, like, as my parents were doing, you know, because they didn't have time to grow. And the only time you you can really grow as if you take that step back and you allow yourself that time to to dream and plan and, and be the person that. You know, is motivating the team to do all of the stuff that you used to do. Mhm. And you're right, they probably do do it better. Totally. And so now you are working full time with your husband. You guys are both leading these teams. How do you find it working with your loved one your partner, your husband, your you know, baby daddy. Like, how is that? Is it challenging? Have you guys found any ways to, you know, make it easier and make it, you know, the best ever. Like, give us the the juicy scoop on how it is. Yeah. So I, I absolutely love working with Vince. I feel like he he feels the same. Um, it's because we just understand each other. And it's also, it's also funny enough, passion. Like it's passion too. Like, it translates like you're so passionate about, you know, all the ideas, the business. And it translates into your relationship, too. Um, it does get sometimes challenging with the cut off time, especially with the kids, you know, like when the kids are around. And then he starts talking to me about work and there, and he wants my full attention and they're screaming, mommy, mommy, mommy! So I've told them, I'm like, you cannot talk about work when the kids are around anymore just because so much coming at me, right? Um, so we do have to have, like, firm boundaries. You know, putting our phone away at a certain time so we can really be present with our two boys and be present with each other. Um, but I absolutely love working with my partner, and I feel like, um, when you have the same passion, it's just fun. Yeah. Makes your relationship better. I think that's so awesome and really cool that you guys are able to build this company together. So very aspirational. I'm sure for a lot of other couples who are building their business together. Um, in wrapping up, I'd love to ask you, you know, you're busy, you're a mom, you're running this business when you reach the end of the workweek or, you know, work week. As entrepreneurs, we're always kind of on. But how do you unwind? How do you de-stress? How do you take care of yourself to make sure you can show up Monday morning feeling that passion again? Yeah. Good question. So it's not so much end of the week for me. It's more like daily. So I yeah it's it is really daily. Um I mean the weekends right now are chaos because I have a two year old. So it's not really like you cannot unwind. No relaxing. There's no relaxing. And he's like one of those crazy two year olds. So, um, but it is daily, so I like I will schedule my workout at like 830 in the morning to 930. And that's my time and I. Yeah we have. I'm blessed to have built like a full gym in the basement. And I go down there and I train and I listen to a podcast. I'll listen to music. Um, I also will cut out some, you know, self-care time, you know, get my nails done every other week and just time where I'm like, out of the house doing something for me. I feel like that's super important. And and then a really good bedtime ritual. I'm like a little crazy about sleep because I need sleep. I feel like every woman feels this way, but you need sleep to just function good the next day, so I make sure I go to bed at a decent time. And if I'm ever having one of those stressful weeks or a stressful day, I always go to bed earlier and it usually solves the problem. Mhm. Oh man, I totally agree. And now with it being darker I'm like can I sneak into bed at like eight, 830? Is that wrong. I like go around I turn all the lights down in the house. My husband is like, what are you doing? And I'm like, we need to turn the lights down. We need to prepare ourselves for bedtime. And he's like, you are crazy. I'm like, no, it's helpful. Everybody's going to sleep better. I totally agree. Gotta block out that blue light, right? Yeah. Um, now I know in final. I said last question before, but I have one last question for you, because I know that, you know, in your 20s, you felt like you had a lack of purpose. And today, I can see that you really do feel like you have that purpose. You know what you want to create. Do you have any tips for the listener who is tuning in, feeling like they haven't quite found that thing? They don't feel like they found their calling. They're in a job they dislike. Like, any advice for that person who just feels like they don't know what they're meant to do on this earth. That's such a great question. I feel like when you I feel like a lot of there's a lot of business people out there just saying that you need to know your why and you need to know your passion, but I, I believe that you're not going to know your passion unless you try different things. So it's like, just start doing something. Start doing something that you're interested in. Do it messy. Don't wait for the perfect time because there's never going to be a perfect time. Take action steps towards that thing. See if you like it. If it does, if you don't like it, be okay with letting go and trying something else because you're never going to know unless you don't try. Mhm. That's so true. It's like doing nothing is not going to lead you closer to finding that thing. But taking action is often what produces that clarity moving forward. So and don't be so hard on yourself if you don't know your passion, you know, like you don't have to know it. You just gotta be okay with trying different things. Yeah. Amazing. Jenny. This has been so much fun. Thank you for, you know, running us through your entire journey. And I'm sure we could have chatted for hours. But in the meantime, if people want to know more about your story, the magazine, the Train, the Trainer program, working with, you know, the strong girls community, where are the best places for them to go and find you and learn more about you? Yeah, absolutely. So I have my podcast. It's called the Find Your Strong podcast. And, um, you know, it's all on all the platforms. I also have my website, WW, we have strong fitness mag. I can actually give your listeners a code to get a subscription to the magazine if you want. Amazing. We would love that. Yeah. And then on Instagram it's coach underscore GB or Strong Fitness Mag. Amazing. Yeah. We'll link all of that in the show notes. And yeah we really appreciate you sharing your journey and all of the best in the future. Thank you so much Chelsea. This is awesome. Thanks for tuning in to this episode of Visionary Life. I love bringing you these conversations on a weekly basis, so it would mean so much to me if you could help me out by reading and reviewing the show in your iTunes app. You can also support the show by taking a quick screenshot of the episode and sharing it on your Instagram stories, tagging me at Kelsey Riddle. I'll catch you in the next episode. PS whenever you're ready, there's a couple of ways that I can support you. So first thing, if you're ready to make your first or next $50,000 in business, explore how the Visionary Method business coaching experience can accelerate your growth. There'll be a link in the show notes. Also, if you're feeling lost, confused, or overwhelmed when it comes to starting an online business, reach out and book a free revision call with me. I'll offer you customized recommendations on how to get unstuck so you can live a life filled with joy, happiness, and fulfillment.
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