41: Dads Who Empower - Robert Sherman

In this inspiring episode of Group X Appeal, Kimberly Spreen-Glick and Terry Shorter welcome respected fitness presenter and educator Robert Sherman to share his transformative journey from personal injury to industry leader. Discover how fatherhood revolutionized Robert's approach to fitness, creativity, and client connection. He reveals the secrets to making fitness fun and playful for kids, creating positive environments that foster growth, and finding the perfect balance between career success and meaningful family time.

What You'll Learn:

✅ Why fatherhood transforms your creativity and approach to professional challenges

✅ The power of creating structure to actually gain more quality family time

✅ How to build positive environments that nurture children's natural development

✅ Why making fitness fun and playful is essential for kids' long-term wellness

✅ Strategies for maintaining balance between demanding career and family priorities

✅ How being a calming force positively impacts both clients and family relationships

Perfect for all fathers seeking to integrate their passion for fitness and wellness with intentional parenting. Robert's wisdom proves that the best fitness leaders understand that play, positivity, and presence are the foundation of both great training and great parenting.

Keywords: Robert Sherman, fitness presenter, fitness educator, fatherhood fitness industry, play-based fitness, positive environment children, fitness and family balance, injury to fitness career, creative fitness approach, dad life wellness, fitness for kids, calming leadership, family time priorities, fitness professional father, wellness education

Follow and stay in touch with Robert:
IG: https://www.instagram.com/shermfit/
FB: https://www.facebook.com/robert.sherman.16940
Website: https://www.robertshermanfitness.com/

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube - @groupxappeal.

Questions or topic ideas? Email us @ groupxappeal@gmail.com

Get your FREE Guide To Holistic Well-Being here: https://gxaguide.com/

Stay Connected with Kimberly:
- @kimberlyspreenglick on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube
- email: kimberly@theinspiredlifeuniversity.com
- website: www.theinspiredlifeuniversity.com

Stay Connected with Terry:
- @terryshorter on Instagram & Facebook
- email: terry@rippedplanet.com
- website: www.rippedplanet.com

Transcript

hat do you get when you combine fierce leadership, decades of fitness experience and the heart of a devoted father? You get Robert Sherman, an international fitness presenter, master educator, and one of the most respected voices in our industry. Welcome to Group X Appeal, where today we continue our Dads Who Empower series with a man who's not only shaped bodies, but shaped lives. Most definitely. Robert's legacy in the fitness world spans over

30 years from training top tier instructors to presenting on global stages, his impact runs deep. But beyond certifications, accolades and accomplishments, Robert's most powerful title is Dad. In this episode, we dig into the mindset of a father who leads with wisdom, humility and intention. We know this because we know this amazing human being. And you're going to hear how Robert's commitment to family, fitness and personal growth has fueled a life of purpose.

and how he empowers others to rise both in and out of the studio. This one's packed with gold. So let's welcome legendary Robert Sherman to Group X Appeal.

Kimberly/terry (01:42)
Welcome to group X appeal Terry shorter here with and Kimberly Spreen Glick. What's up? What's What's up? You heard the intro and we are so excited about this guest you you heard his his accolades You've heard, you know, just a little bit of the details, but we're be digging a lot deeper Into Robert Sherman. Hi Robert. How are you?

Robert Sherman (02:03)
Hey guys, wonderful. Thanks for having me.

Kimberly/terry (02:05)
Yay. No, thank you for joining us. We're on the West coast here in Southern California. He's on the beast coast. We're on the best coast. He's on the beast coast. Wait a minute. I'm wait, I'm from Maryland where he's at right now. Let's go. So how's, how's Maryland treating you, Robert?

Robert Sherman (02:22)
Maryland is great. It's home and it'll always be home.

Kimberly/terry (02:24)
Fantastic and you still call Maryland home to still don't you? You're no, I'm sorry. Cali's home now. I'm sorry Robert. I'll still come visit though

Robert Sherman (02:37)
Please.

Kimberly/terry (02:39)
Well, we're so excited to have you. Thank you so much for taking time out of your schedule. And, you know, this is a very conversational piece during this month of ⁓ Dad to Empower. And we simply have five pretty straightforward questions that we know you're going to absolutely nail. So no pressure, no pressure whatsoever. We know you're going to nail it. to this 100 % knock our socks off, knock our listeners socks off as well.

Robert Sherman (03:08)
Zero

pressure. Zero.

Kimberly/terry (03:10)
Zero

Easy peasy. So a lit kind of get the listener we gave just an overview But what have been some of the highlights first of all in your fitness career Robert? How'd you find fitness? What what was the you know, we were going to need to give him a time limit here. Yeah It would take me an hour to list what I know to be Robert's accomplishments

Robert Sherman (03:34)
I'm going to, yeah, I can be wordy at times.

Kimberly/terry (03:37)
No, no,

no, I would take at least an hour. Trust me.

Robert Sherman (03:41)
So to condense it very simply is that I have always been ⁓ involved in movement in life and sports and athletics. And through athletics, I actually found being injured. And through the injury, I became enamored with how to get my body back where it was before. But it led me down an entirely different path. And it led me down the path of

actually exercise. So in the early 80s, there really wasn't a big movement of exercise. It was this big. But I just happened to want to date the girl who taught aerobics on campus in the cafeteria. And she wanted nothing to do with me. So what does the guy do? He keeps trying. So I went to that class, my right arm hanging from baseball, my left arm in a sling from

Kimberly/terry (04:10)
Mm.

Robert Sherman (04:30)
taking up terrible fall skiing. And yet there I was in this room with 30 women. I no idea what I'm doing. And who jumps for an hour? Who does? Well, they do. And when they jump, in late.

Kimberly/terry (04:37)
Uh-huh. Right, right. Right. And leg warmers. Leg warmers.

And thongs. Thongs as well.

Robert Sherman (04:49)
and I'm wearing

whatever shorts and I'm way overdressed or underdressed as they say and it humbled me to the point of I can't believe I thought I trained for sport. I'm a college baseball player. I thought I knew what fitness was. No idea.

And so I learned a quick lesson about what specificity is. I learned a quick lesson about what endurance is. And I learned a quick lesson that don't bite off more than you can chew. But I kept at it. And one day she got sick. One day she asked me to teach her class. And that was the beginning.

Kimberly/terry (05:21)
There you go. Thrown to the wolves like many of us. I love it.

Robert Sherman (05:24)
And

the passion that pursuit followed suit, started in beginning to study and get excited about learning what this was and why this was and how this existed. And that path led me down to more teaching and more opportunities. And when I found in, you know, being ⁓ in a place where

aerobics competitions were at the beginning. I just happened to be at the right place at the right time. And I was wearing that you guys see as a meme come across your feeds from time to time and those blue leotards. Well, guess what? I was in. But the point of it, not that that meme stayed in the aerobics competition in the 80s. What stayed was the fact that those people I met during that competition were the greatest people I had ever met in my life.

Kimberly/terry (05:56)
you

Yeah.

Robert Sherman (06:14)
And

if I said the rest of the fitness industry is like these people, this is a place I need to stay. I made a career of health and exercise and fitness as the result of that and been saying yes a lot early days on and you never know where it's going to take you. And it took me good places and it took me all over the world and it took me ⁓ in people's homes and it took me to.

Kimberly/terry (06:18)
Mm, yep.

Mm.

now.

Robert Sherman (06:37)
Wonderful, wonderful places where we do what we do because it not only makes us feel good, it makes others feel good. And when someone feels good, the rules change. now a different place to look at, it's a different place to live, and it's a different place to actually ⁓ connect with one another. And this community does anything well. It teaches the level of caring, compassion, positivity, and support.

Kimberly/terry (06:44)
Mm-hmm.

It's a different place to live from, isn't it?

Robert Sherman (07:07)
and they sound beautiful.

Kimberly/terry (07:07)
Amen.

Amen. So he was able to share that without what I was saying would take over an hour is just you listing the roles and the accomplishments that you've had over the decades that you've been doing this. And it's through that. mean, Robert has been all over the world, educating both enthusiasts and instructors alike. We've been side by side at conferences. We've worked together. It's been such an honor because you

more than anyone else I've ever met in the industry have taken the human connection to the next level. So it wasn't just about educating. It was about connecting. And then through that connection, can upscale, can uplevel, you can educate, you can bring people to a better place, but it's mostly about uplifting through that connection. And I just applaud that a million times over. I've always admired that about you and so appreciate it. So thank you.

For being in this industry we love so much and making such a great impact on it. Yeah, somebody that we all can look up to and learn learn a lot from. Yeah, so in that through that through that experience when you first started in fitness, at what point, how many years was it before you became a father?

Robert Sherman (08:25)
Well, let's see, if I had to do the math, we had. I would say ⁓ it was 10 years post. So from starting, when I first started teaching, I was a mere 21 years old. And I'm not going to talk about where I am now.

Kimberly/terry (08:37)
Okay.

Okay.

31.

Robert Sherman (08:53)
Your math was a little off and you were being nice. You were making me a lot younger than I am. But thank you. So 10 years into my fitness career, ⁓ I became a father. And still to this day, he was in my apartment just yesterday. our kids are very close and we are very close with them.

Kimberly/terry (08:58)
Nuh-uh-uh.

⁓

Robert Sherman (09:20)
And they're three years and a day apart, both of them. So they're tight and we have a special bond and I live in the unit and very, very fortunate. But yeah, so I already had a little time under my belt before my dad putting it that way. And being part of a world where your creativity is your lifestream and your ability to

Kimberly/terry (09:22)
Mmm. Okay. Wow. Awesome.

That's great.

That's good.

There you go. There you go.

Mm.

Robert Sherman (09:50)
on the fly, whoever walks in that door, you're able to meet them where they're at and be able to understand what their needs are. So your creative mind is always at work. In particular, in everything I did in life was creative and also kind of out there. So I always have an idea every hour, but I get none of them done.

Kimberly/terry (09:59)
Yeah, over time.

Sounds about right. Sounds like us.

Robert Sherman (10:15)
So being a father shifted and had to shift my approach because children need time, children need attention, as does your partner. And when your partner needs your support and your children need your support, this is what we do. So my world had to go from being creative and loose to being structured. That structure didn't limit me like I thought it was going to. It actually made me better.

Kimberly/terry (10:23)
Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

Sure, sure.

Robert Sherman (10:41)
So when you have a creative mindset and everything you do is sort of a soft boundaries, when you put boundaries on them, everything you do at that point actually becomes more definable. And when you start to define it, you get stuff done. about that? Unbelievable.

Kimberly/terry (10:57)
Mm-hmm. about that. There's a there's

a concept. So I love that. So the structure is really ⁓ Being getting the structure as the head of the household as dad really influenced your approach into your your personal fitness And the work that you did That makes sense That is awesome

Robert Sherman (11:16)
Absolutely the work that I did and everything everything got better as a result Because I

had to streamline what I what I wanted to do. I just remind how I did what I did And be more efficient and get better at those things which overall in terms of a business and running a business Made it actually so much easier and so much better that it opened time for me

Kimberly/terry (11:25)
Yeah, you have to be more efficient. Sure.

Mm-hmm.

Mmm.

Robert Sherman (11:42)
before I thought having the freedom to do and go as I please is the time that all of us want, it was the opposite. The fact that I created structure gave me the time that was missing.

Kimberly/terry (11:45)
Right.

Sure. ⁓

Yeah, yeah, structure comes focus, right? Mindfulness.

Robert Sherman (11:58)
So that was a big moment and it took time to figure that out. I resisted it for a while.

Kimberly/terry (12:01)
Mm-hmm. Of

course. The artist in ⁓ you. Yeah.

Robert Sherman (12:07)
Human.

yeah, you when you go to this creative way and you allow yourself that time to be creative and when you don't, and you have now barriers on that time, you be more intelligent, more efficient, more connected, more structured, thereby actually making the end product. In my opinion, you get there faster.

Kimberly/terry (12:16)
Mm-hmm.

Sure.

Robert Sherman (12:28)
And it allows

you also that if that, process that created for me changed over time, the best thing that I was who I was at that time. And then as time went by and my children got older and their needs shifted and I shifted, I also became more interested in other things.

Kimberly/terry (12:36)
Mm-hmm.

Right, that season.

Mm-hmm.

Robert Sherman (12:50)
So

now where it was really just about what I was caring about, it shifted to now what they were caring about. And what they were caring about was they loved all the outdoor hikes that we were doing and they loved camp that was outdoor camping. wasn't inside playing ball. And that passion gave a career to my son. He's been a whitewater kayak Olympic paddler for the last 10 years and be that outdoor environment. Now it was all him. Trust me.

Kimberly/terry (12:55)
Right. Yeah.

So cool.

Robert Sherman (13:20)
I'm not that good in the boat.

Kimberly/terry (13:22)
Sure, I'm sure

just by seeing your work ethic, seeing your focus, seeing your intention behind everything that you did, that inspired him for sure. ⁓

Robert Sherman (13:31)
Yeah.

And my daughter went the other competitive way. She played ⁓ rugby for University of Boulder, Colorado. ⁓ So she'll teach you how to actually properly tackle, put it that way, and not leading with your helmet. ⁓

Kimberly/terry (13:40)
wow. goodness. That's awesome. So don't mess with her, in other words. Yeah.

Yeah, I believe it. I believe it.

Robert Sherman (13:56)
So, you my kids were also, they enjoyed being around the gym and the facility. So when I my own studio, they loved being part of it. They loved working, you know, when someone walks in and they see a six-year-old, you know, wonderful girl with a big smile on her face at the front desk, they're like, oh, well, that's different. But who didn't have a smile on their face? And all of that, because it was really, it was, you know, me and my mom and my kids and my wife, and all of that was very...

Kimberly/terry (14:01)
Mm-hmm.

Right.

Robert Sherman (14:24)
connected and people love that community and they love what it was all about. So in my first studio that I opened and had for 15 years, my kids were part of it. So in that fitness environment and you know, they saw the challenges, but they also saw how when everyone came in how different they were not only being there and allowing that our lives but also how they changed on the way out. And and that I think helped to mold them and.

Kimberly/terry (14:25)
Sure.

No doubt.

Robert Sherman (14:53)
And there were challenges along the way with that, because I want to say that, but a lot of times when you're around with all this positivity, you almost sometimes feel, and I got this from my kids as they grew older and they were able to communicate it better, that life isn't always so easy. And one of the things that I always tried to be is communicated, but when you're very positive all the time and all they see is positivity, they don't want to actually take that away from me. And that's the last thing they should have had to ever worry about.

Kimberly/terry (15:06)
Right.

Mm-hmm.

Good point.

Robert Sherman (15:21)
If I could

change one thing in all of this time and go back in time, I mean, don't know if I could do it different, but I would definitely try. I would let them know that it's okay not to be successful at something or to fail at something is actually okay. fact, you need to talk to somebody is the most important thing and holding it in is the hardest thing. You know, for their own health, being challenged by life isn't about showing weakness.

Kimberly/terry (15:36)
Yeah.

Robert Sherman (15:49)
And when things are hard for you, that is not a sign of weakness. And communicating that is a sign of strength. So if I was doing one thing, if I could go back, I would start to think about letting them in on that little secret much earlier than I did.

Kimberly/terry (15:52)
Right.

Yeah,

making it not a secret. So you've already started to kind of answer the next question that I have for you, and that is about finding quality time for your family. So you talked about the structure, like streamlining, finding structure, and then incorporating them in, you know, the day to day of the studio. So there's more connection there. Going on hikes. Yeah, going on the hikes. Are there any other strategies that you found effective for just

Robert Sherman (16:07)
Absolutely.

Kimberly/terry (16:30)
making sure that you have that quality time you need with your family while also managing the business, the career.

Robert Sherman (16:36)
Absolutely. Two things come to mind. First thing is time off is time off. Okay, huge, huge, huge, huge important that when you're there, you're there. You're not there halfway. You're there all the way. And one of the ways that I was able to be part of their lives was volunteering as a coach. So I played baseball, I played softball, ⁓ soccer, didn't know all that much about, but I still was there, you know.

Kimberly/terry (16:38)
Mm-hmm.

Mmm. Yes.

Mmm.

Yeah

Robert Sherman (17:05)
using whatever coordination drills, right, Terry? That, you know, I'm going to drop the ball, you're going to clap your hands above your head, then you're going to catch the ball. You know, you have all these strategies that you go in. So I came in from my fitness end, allowed my sports background to actually help and all the great coaches that I've had in my life, who gave me so many tools, not knowing it at the time, that I could regurgitate what they were saying, not even thinking that I was going to remember all those hard lessons that my coaches taught me over the years.

Kimberly/terry (17:08)
Sure. Yeah.

Yeah.

Right.

Sure.

Mm-hmm.

Robert Sherman (17:36)
like writing numbers on a baseball and then during batting practice having them yell the number before they actually swung at the ball. To develop that coordination. And then if I can impart that, so I put myself in their world. The way that that came across was that if I want them to be part of mine, I have to be part of theirs. So it's not just them making time for me or me quote unquote making time for them. It was that mutual shared experience of what they were doing in their lives.

Kimberly/terry (17:43)
wow.

Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

Robert Sherman (18:05)
and me not running it, not being in charge of it, but being there, being a part of it.

Kimberly/terry (18:10)
Yeah, being a part of it. love that.

Yeah. So we have the streamlining, the structure, the connection, the when you're off, you're off, right? When you're when you're off the clock, when you're on vacation, that's where you are. And then just the mutual shared experiences.

Robert Sherman (18:20)
Absolutely.

And

you know, when you love what you do, it's hard to be off. Really.

Kimberly/terry (18:29)
It is. So true. I

have found that to be the case.

Robert Sherman (18:33)
You really, you really, you really, you know, have this hard time. Like you think that I'm not even working. How is this even called work? What's your-

Kimberly/terry (18:41)
Right, exactly. Or you're

on vacation and a song comes on the radio and you're like, ⁓ man, that would be really good for a climb in the cycle.

Robert Sherman (18:48)
Well,

having said that, both of my children have a love of music. It's really funny you said that. So who do you think my go-to for music is? So they became part of my world with their love of music because they were listening to things that I didn't even know existed, but yet then sounded like a cool dad when I actually started using it in my classes. So I made them indirectly part of my world to your point, through music. And that music created a bond as well.

Kimberly/terry (18:52)
huh. I love it. Yeah.

Totally.

Mm-hmm.

into classes.

That's cool. Yeah.

That's awesome.

Robert Sherman (19:16)
and help me learn

what they love. mean, my son and I would go to the concerts. He would be underage. I would be the oldest one in the room. I guess he would.

Kimberly/terry (19:21)
Mm-hmm

Yep, I just

experienced that for the first time. I know what you mean.

Robert Sherman (19:29)
And yeah, Jordan, you can go stage dive. I'm actually going to go over here, but I'm here. And our love of music brought us to concerts together. And it really was, ⁓ that was really a special time.

Kimberly/terry (19:35)
I'll watch you

Aww. Yeah.

I love that. Yeah, Tyler absolutely helps DJ my cycle classes. So I love that you said that because it is a win-win because then they feel involved, but then you also honestly get some kudos for bringing some fresh new hits into the studio that you otherwise never would have heard. Yeah, the cool mom.

Robert Sherman (20:03)
entirely.

It goes from who's that to guys I'm going to share something with you today, know, that kind of thing. So it's massive. And I think that being part of and understanding what their interests are and going that extra mile. And again, you never know till you try. And my kids could have been the opposite of athletic, but they weren't. And what they love and what they do and what they life is about being

Kimberly/terry (20:08)
Mm-hmm. Yeah.

Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

Robert Sherman (20:30)
being involved in nature and being involved in movement and in their own ways. And that's never in my, from what I see, ever going to change. And it's really, it's really great to see that.

Kimberly/terry (20:40)
That's awesome.

Very cool. And so along those same lines, Robert, how would you guide other dads? What kind of advice would you give them to help them encourage their kids to have a healthy relationship with health and wellness without having to push them into it or force them into it? ⁓

Robert Sherman (20:57)
It's great. I mean, I

think it starts with play. I think we're not making fitness a regimented thing. We're movement just fun.

Kimberly/terry (21:01)
Good answer.

Yeah.

Robert Sherman (21:09)
And when you play and have fun and it's all surrounded by movement and whether it's just playing catch or whether it's actually, you know, know that, you know, going on a walk or going on a run or, you know, how do you run, you know, getting interested in cycling, getting interested in all these things and you make it playful. And when it's not competitive, there's always time and place, you know, and if they show a sign of wanting to be more involved in that and wanting to learn how to get better, well, that's great. But to me, it always starts with play and play and.

Kimberly/terry (21:29)
Yeah.

Mm-hmm.

Robert Sherman (21:39)
Then from play, think it turns into more gamification. When you, you know, now let's do this for this and let's see how many we can get done in this very time. And then now it becomes a game. There's no winner, there's no loser, you know, at some point and then it can become that. Now it can become competitive. Let's see if you can stack them as quickly as I can stack them. ⁓ Or more importantly, let's start to throw the ball and whoever can throw it further, you know.

Kimberly/terry (21:42)
Mm-hmm.

You

Sure. Sure.

Mm-hmm.

Robert Sherman (22:08)
does whatever. And again, all the outcomes are positive. And in the end, you just spent time with your children and you did it in a healthy environment in a way of, of encouraging something that you care about. They're showing an interest in. And, you know, it's not a secret. Your kids just want to be with you. It's not a secret.

Kimberly/terry (22:09)
Sure.

Yeah, quality time. Exactly.

Yeah, yeah.

That's that's a great approach because, you know, I've seen, especially right now, it doesn't seem like it's the same way when we grew up playing sports. Nowadays, these kids, five years old, six year old kids, they're out there getting yelled at. They're out there, you know. ⁓

kind of get like they have a drill sergeant rather than someone who's encouraging them to have a good time and just enjoy themselves, learn to love the game first and then gamification is the next stage. But at five or six years, I've seen games where these parents and the coaches sound like drill sergeants. It's really sad and scary. And you know, the kids will get before they even get burnt out. They'll just be disinterested because it wasn't fun. Yeah. Right.

Robert Sherman (23:20)
because it wasn't fun, exactly.

And that, the way, is the underlying thing at any age. You hear about these great athletes over the course of time. Pete Sampras is one in the tennis world who's known, he retired at such a young age in his 30s, he just couldn't do it anymore. It wasn't fun anymore. The training to compete at the level he was at was way harder and was way more difficult and it no longer became something he really enjoyed.

Kimberly/terry (23:28)
Mm-hmm.

No. Not enjoyable.

Sure. Yeah, that's.

Robert Sherman (23:49)
and rather

than waiting for an injury to happen. Like some athletes just stick with it because it's all they know. So the story shouldn't be, stopped because I got hurt. But that happens so often. And he just knew when he wasn't involved and enjoying. And you can call him selfish, but it's his world, it's his life. And I think that for our children, seeing that as an example is powerful.

Kimberly/terry (23:54)
Right.

Yeah.

Mm-hmm.

Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah, for sure.

Robert Sherman (24:14)
And knowing also the ones who, you you see many of them stay in it too long. And because the skills, whatever it is, or their responsibility is now heavier than them enjoying the actual sport or the time. And when it's not responsibility becomes so great that it's no longer fun, then it's amazing what, what the body and the brain start to do. Sabotage. No.

Kimberly/terry (24:18)
Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm fast. Yeah and quickly Mm-hmm

Robert Sherman (24:44)
quickly then.

Kimberly/terry (24:46)
fast and quickly Both both. Yes. Okay. I'm just checking That's awesome

Robert Sherman (24:51)
There you go. The world of regulatory.

Absolutely. Fast and quick. ⁓ So having said that, again, all of those spirit and all that progression, and if it becomes sort of this competitive thing, and what's not competitive is my time with them. So if they find this love of competition and this enjoyment and this drive because of it, that says a lot about who they are.

Kimberly/terry (25:11)
Mm-hmm.

Sure. Mm-hmm.

Robert Sherman (25:19)
But it's not something that I'm forcing. I'm

not here to really give advice to anybody. I'm just telling you what I've experienced. But I can tell you that when it wasn't forcing, you let them make their decision, things go a lot better. And this of my son and whatever he does and however far he wishes to take his career in sport, it's his decision. And I'm here to support it.

Kimberly/terry (25:33)
Mm-hmm.

Yep.

I think sometimes we forget that kids are people too. You know what I mean? I think that some parents look at such young children, like the five and six year old you're talking about, they think, well, it's up to me as the parent to make the decisions to mold them without realizing that even a five year old has an opinion. Even a five year old knows what they like, what they don't like. I think to assume they can't think for themselves until a certain age, I think, is a big mistake.

I love that you took that approach. It obviously worked with an Olympic level athlete, a collegiate level, another collegiate level athlete as well. So yeah, we're going to take that advice. All right. So another question for you, Robert. How would you say you've used your experience as a parent to be able to better connect with and serve your clients, your community who are also parents balancing their fitness with their family responsibilities?

Robert Sherman (26:14)
Thank you.

No. ⁓

Great question. You know, one of the things that the balance comes from being fortunate as you two of well know this, we know how exercise makes us feel. And when we're able to move better, I'm actually, I feel better and I feel better that whole.

Kimberly/terry (26:54)
Yeah.

Robert Sherman (26:57)
nervous system side to balancing out all this energetic pull with a calming, quieting, stress relieving exercise session, whether it's breathing, whether it's yoga, whether it's even strength training can be stress relieving, okay, to a certain point. And all of that matters. So what I take from being a parent is that since I've always had the advantage of exercise as part of my life every day, I've always felt like a pretty balanced guy.

Kimberly/terry (27:11)
Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

Robert Sherman (27:26)
And I share that balance with the clients that I train on a regular basis, the people I choose to spend time with, you know, and if I can be a calming force to any of them to help with their stress reduction, with the choices we make in terms of exercise as clients, but also the people I spend time with in terms of community, then I feel like for me, you know, my, I'm going to be.

Kimberly/terry (27:33)
Mm-hmm.

Robert Sherman (27:52)
use a strange word, but existence is that I love to bring joy to a room, you know, and bring a level of positive smiles. And I walked out of a gym the other day, she says, you look happy. like, why doesn't everyone look happy? Why am I the outlier? She goes, you must have had a great class. said, yes, and it was mine.

Kimberly/terry (27:58)
Mm-hmm.

Yeah, what are we missing? Yeah, it's a choice.

I love that you said calming

for us because one of the things that I've always loved about you and, as, many trainings as I've been able to get feedback from attendees on and things like that, that's a continuous common thread and all of the, the opportunities that I've been aware of where you've gifted your talent of teaching and such is that you have this calming energy.

And even, I mean, even when you are kicking people arses. In a nice way. And yeah, it's like, it's like they still feel good about it. He's such a nice guy. It just felt so lovely, but it's, really cool. It's impressive because there are so many out there with the like, you know, go, go, go, you know, like the drill sergeant energy. And it's not that that doesn't work because for some that does work. Some people like it, but the fact that you've been able to bring this different kind of

Robert Sherman (29:09)
Sure, absolutely.

Kimberly/terry (29:13)
like as you said, calming force into what you do. It does balance out that nervous system in a way that makes things feel more accessible. And I love that. It's cool.

Robert Sherman (29:22)
Thank you. Yeah.

And that's, ⁓ you know, for me, I believe in it and it's something that always, ⁓ it just happened.

Because I was going way back into the story when I said that I was in this, I was a fish out of water, you know, I was in this place with everyone knowing what to do, but I didn't. There was something still about it and all that worry that I wasn't gonna get back on the baseball field, that I had to overcome my injury. ⁓ But yet I found this fitness piece. So even though it was ridiculously and I was not able to keep up, but at the same time, there was something about even just doing what I could do that made me feel better.

Kimberly/terry (30:00)
Mmm.

Yeah.

Robert Sherman (30:03)
and I liked who I was.

Kimberly/terry (30:06)
Hmm. Well,

that's That's solid. That's deep. Yeah and Last question for you Robert you kind of you kind of shared this earlier ⁓ Within the first question if you could give your younger self one piece or maybe an additional piece of advice when it comes to thriving as both a dad and a fitness pro What would it be?

Robert Sherman (30:30)
Well, you you can't get time back, you know, and the cliche as it is, you know, I definitely in their younger years, I was offered opportunities and because it was so exciting and so passionate, you know, there was times that I could have always been a more supportive spouse and partner and the world takes you away and

Kimberly/terry (30:34)
Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

Robert Sherman (30:59)
pulls parts of you in the process. Being able to keep those parts for those you love and those you care about is something that you did, but you can always do more.

Kimberly/terry (31:07)
Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

I think, that resonates. Big time, big time. for sure. Wow. So ⁓ any additional tidbits that you'd like to share with our audience ⁓ and outside of that, is there anything that you could share that you'd like the world to know and like how can people follow you and kind of- Connect with you. Yeah.

Robert Sherman (31:23)
Thank you.

So well, you can find me at robertshermanfitness.com. That's easy. And if ever in Maryland, come on by. I hope to see everybody at a conference near them at some point and still speaking and teaching and traveling. That part of my life I still really cherish and enjoy as well.

Kimberly/terry (31:46)
And you do still have a library of workouts available, right? For people? Awesome.

Mm-hmm.

Awesome.

Robert Sherman (32:10)
You know, for us in this business, and I want to thank you both for doing what you do and being able to have a podcast directed towards the audience that we have. ⁓ We all need connections and we certainly want to know we're not the only ones.

Kimberly/terry (32:24)
Mm-hmm. For sure.

Robert Sherman (32:26)
really helps us when we can feel we're part of something bigger than ourselves. And I applaud both of you for doing this.

Kimberly/terry (32:34)
⁓ thank you very much. Well, that is ⁓ fantastic. And this is exactly what empowered fatherhood is all about. right here, Robert Shervin just literally gave us a masterclass, not just in fitness, but in life and leadership and legacy. ⁓

21 years old is when he started teaching that is like and quickly learned that strength isn't just about what you lift It's about who you lift up Absolutely, absolutely. And so, you know from shaping the future of fitness to being fully present for his family ⁓

You know, Robert, you embody what it means to lead with purpose. you know, we, we so appreciate you and thank you so much for sharing your time, your, your treasure, your talent, your heart with us and just your unwavering commitment to help others live stronger and just more intentional lives. So I second all of that for sure.

Robert Sherman (33:37)
Thank you.

Kimberly/terry (33:41)
And gosh, whether you're watching on YouTube or listening on one of the podcast platforms, if this episode resonated with you, pay it forward. Share it with a dad who's out there making a difference. They could use some inspiration or someone who just needs to a reminder that their presence matters because that's what the dads who empower series is all about. So we've got some more incredible stories coming, but this one definitely, this takes the cake for me. I'm just so, so thrilled you were able to jump in and share a bit with us, Robert. know.

how busy you are, he kind of snuck us in between a crazy busy schedule and leaving the country again. So thank you for jumping on, leading with not only that calming force, but also with your heart, leading with love. As you know, that's always resonated with me in a big, big way. So appreciate you so much. Yep. So Robert Sherman, fitness.com, follow him. And then also Robert, just lastly, what social media platforms can people find you on?

Robert Sherman (34:41)
⁓ Instagram at Sherm Fitt on Instagram and Robert Sherman on Facebook.

Kimberly/terry (34:44)
Sherm

There we go. So you'll be able to find those links in the show notes as well. Absolutely. So again, thank you so much, Robert, for joining us today. Thank you so much for listening in and meeting Robert Sherman with on this episode number 41. And to wrap it up, I'm Terry Shorter. I'm Kimberly Spring Glick. And as always, we wish you

fantastic day today. about that? ⁓ wait a minute now. You're trying to throw me off. Make it a fantastic day. Okay. Why? Because it's a fantastic day to have. Yeah it is. Take care. Much love.