51: The Mentorship Strategy For Fitness Instructors

In this essential episode of Group X Appeal, hosts Kimberly and Terry reveal why mentorship is the secret weapon of every successful fitness professional - and how you can find the right mentor to accelerate your career growth. Whether you're a new instructor looking for guidance or a seasoned pro ready to level up, this conversation provides the practical roadmap for building meaningful mentorship relationships that transform both your teaching and your career trajectory.

Key Takeaways:

• 🎯 Define Goals First - Why clarity about your needs attracts the perfect mentor match
• 🔍 Look Beyond the Obvious - Finding incredible mentors in your community, not just industry celebrities
• 💎 Value-First Approach - How to reach out to potential mentors by offering value, not just asking for help
• 🤝 Two-Way Relationships - Understanding that the best mentorships benefit both parties
• 🌱 Commitment to Growth - The importance of showing up consistently and following through

This episode is perfect for group exercise instructors and any fitness pros who are ready to stop going it alone and start leveraging the wisdom of those who've walked the path before them. Your breakthrough is one conversation away.

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- @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

When you're surrounded by talented instructors, high energy classes, and endless options, how do you rise above the noise and become the one they remember? Come back to and rave about. It's not about being the most experienced or having the prime time slot. It's about being clear on who you are and how you show up. And that clarity comes from your personal brand. So let's dive into what a personal brand is and why it matters.

Kimberly/terry (01:07)
Welcome to Group X Appeal episode 50, the big five. ⁓ can you believe it? Give me some DAP Give me some DAP Give me some this Give me some DAP We're celebrating this milestone with a topic that hits at the heart of what makes instructors truly stand out. Not just in class, but in a crowded industry, your personal brand.

That's right. Last episode, we explored how living your best life includes finding purpose, passion, and a rhythm that works for you. And today we're taking that a step further because once you're doing the inner work, the next step is sharing the energy with the world intentionally and powerfully. Your personal brand isn't about logos, hashtags, or selfies with filters. It's the emotional experience that people associate with you. It's how you show up consistently.

Whether someone meets you in the studio or socially or out in the world, what are they feeling from you? This isn't just for fitness instructors either. If you're a participant who wants to live with more intention, connection or confidence, understanding who you are, your brand, your own essence, it matters too, because how you carry yourself out is your brand. Yes. So in terms of the definition, a brand, a personal brand is the unique combination of skills.

personality, values, and voice. And that shapes how others perceive you. So it's not just what you say you do, it's what people experience when they're around you. It's really the feeling that you leave behind. When you enter the room and when you leave the room. Yeah. And when I think about it, because your personal brand is your personality, it's a culmination of

all of your unique life experiences and wisdom and skills that you've learned and insight that you bring to the table, which means that just by really being able to own who you are, there's no one else out there like you. There's no one in all of the thousands of years that have passed, there's never been another you. And in all the thousands of years yet to come, there will never.

Be another you. I think that that's. you. Be you. Yeah. Like this is about being very intentional about owning who you are. And so it really matters for, for, for everyone, you know, as we discussed, but let's talk about why it matters for instructors. You know, if you're a group fitness instructor or even a trainer, wellness professional, you know, let's face it, we're in a pretty saturated space. It's a busy space. Talent is everywhere. So talent alone is not enough. You have to be intentional.

about how you present yourself as we said before who you are and how you show up because your brand is what builds trust. So if you're not showing up authentically who you are, you're not going to be able to build that trust because you're talking about being able to show up in a way that it attracts the right people to you, to your classes, to your offerings. It can absolutely set you up for new opportunities that you might not even see coming yet.

And most of all, it helps you just stay true to your purpose without, you know, chasing every trend out there or trying to be like someone else. Yeah, because that happens all the time. Yeah, it does. than ever nowadays. So, you know, when your brand is aligned with who you are, you don't have to hustle to prove yourself. You just simply attract. Right. And that's what we all want.

I would love to be able to attract. So hopefully that's what you want as well. So ⁓ in terms of... You know the funny thing about brand, okay? This is really interesting. I've studied this because I'm a big nerd. And so for anyone that's ever done education with me, they know I like to look up like definitions and see the history of things. So the story of brand, because I was telling Terry before we started recording, I've worked with so many...

fitness professionals that don't want to be a brand. You know, I just want to teach classes. I just want to train clients. I just want to help people. I don't want to be a brand. And I'm sorry to say that if you feel that way, you're going to have to find a way to move past that because the fact of the matter is you are a brand because you're in a field of service. Now, the only question is, do you want the brand to just kind of happen and people form their opinion of you or do you want to be intentional about?

making sure you show up as authentically who you are so that that brand is something that, as we mentioned, draws people to you. But what's funny is that originally the definition of brand was the fact that cattle was branded. They would have a brand on it. So if the cattle accidentally got past a gate or something and was found by another farmer, it would know who to bring it back to, who that that cattle belongs to. And then in the 1800s, it was like 1880s, the brand basically became a logo.

And one of the earliest well-known brands, of course, is the Coca-Cola logo. So people would see a logo and associate it with a product. So it was very product driven. And then it became more business driven because people would associate a brand with a company. So that's when logos started becoming popular. Like you've got the T for Toyota, you've got the Lululemon logo, you've got the Starbucks logo, where you see the logo, you automatically know the business that it represents, the organization it represents.

And then you have an association, hopefully a good association as a customer or a potential customer with that brand. But it's just expanded so much since then in the last, would say 20 to 40 years where a brand now really is about experience, which is why it now applies to not just businesses and organizations and products, but individuals. Yeah. This is about experiences that we create for people. And so when you're talking about having a personal brand,

just like, you know, Pepsi versus Coca-Cola. I don't want to give that example. It's an unhealthy example. Toyota versus Honda. You know, people have very strong opinions of which is better Toyota or Honda based on their experiences. That's because of the brand each have built. So there'll be people that have a reason to choose. I'm a Toyota girl. I will always choose Toyota and I have my reasons for choosing Toyota over Honda. So this is about giving people a reason to choose.

to have an experience with you when they have so many other choices. It's really as simple as that. Absolutely. And you don't have to think of yourself. You don't have to be an

influencer. There's this negative connotation that's associated with the word influencer. Yeah, it's two different things, right? Totally different things. And so if you're of that mindset of that school of thought, I'm pretty much the same way too. I don't want to be an influencer. However, do want to make sure that my brand is familiar and hopefully light by people who come across it and want to be a part of it and the community and the culture that it's associated with, but not an influencer. Yeah. So if you were

to describe your brand in, I don't know, five words or less. How would you put these words together that would allow people who have never crossed paths with you to know kind of what they're stepping into if they come take a Terry Shorter class? Fun, energetic, exciting, adventurous, and real. Oh, yeah. words. What about you? Oh, goodness. I would say.

Funny. I'm hilarious. I am freaking hilarious. I would say funny, heartfelt, light. I'll use that instead of the word fun. Not liked. No, not liked. Light, like lightenery. It's a light experience because life is too short to take things too seriously and too heavy. I mean, we're having fun. We're working out. Intentional.

because I'm pretty well thought out, purpose driven for sure. And ⁓ hopefully fulfilling. That's something I'm always going for. I want people to walk out feeling better at the end of the hour than when they came in. So feeling fulfilled. I love it. That's a good brand. So think about that. Like what are the five key words that you would hope to strive to and want people to experience when they come to your class? What's your brand?

Something to think about. We should dive deeper into Brandon some future episodes. I think we need to. So, you know, here's your challenge. Start paying really close attention to the message that you're sending through your energy, through your voice, your presence. And of course, again, one of the most important things, your consistency. It's huge. You know, ask yourself.

Am I showing up with intention or leaving my brand up to chance? Don't do that. Yeah, don't do that. And for participants that might be listening, you have a brand to the way you show up in your life and your friendships and within your fitness journey, because you're part of a community. You know, it's all part of your story and we just encourage you to own it. Own it authentically who you are. You don't have to be anyone that you are not.

Shape your journey and don't be afraid to let it evolve because we're all in a position where we're ever evolving and growing. Yeah and like Kimberly said we will dive deeper into the how in an upcoming episode for sure we promise.

But today we really want you to again, just begin asking yourself, what do I want to be known for? You know, kind of legacy do I want to leave behind? ⁓ what do people feel when they experience me and am I being intentional? Like she said, with my impact. Just know that we are cheering for you. We are rooting for your rise. The world doesn't need another copy. It needs you bold, real, and unforgettable. Yes. And so.

short episode, but hopefully it was impactful and unforgettable. It's certainly real. ⁓ An important topic for sure. Absolutely. And we thank you so much for celebrating episode 50 of Group X Appeal with Kimberly and I. If this resonated with you on any level, please share it with another instructor or fitness friend who's ready to shine just like you do. And as always, keep showing up, keep growing.

and we will see you next week on Group X Appeal. I'm Terry Shorter. I'm Kimberly Springglick. And as always, we wish you another phenomenal day. And why? Because it's a phenomenal day to have. Yeah, it is.