Blog

I used to think my job was “teacher”.   No joke: if you came to one of my CrossFit classes in 2011, you’d have probably watched me draw a graph. On the floor. In colorful chalk.   I’d have explained the force/time curve, or maybe fat metabolism, or energy expenditure during a Tabata workout.   I thought depth of explanation meant “excellence”.   I was wrong.   As a client, you wouldn’t have cared about the x-axis or Rate of Force Development in the deadlift. You just wanted to get as strong as possible in the hour; burn some calories; feel some burn. THAT would have made for an excellent hour. Time and money well spent.   Whose definition of “excellent” really matters? Let me pose the question another way:   A new client says, “Ugh, I haaaaate deadlifts.” Imagine you’re able to mask your shock (it would be hard for me, too.)   Is our job, as coach, to convince them to love deadlifts? Or is it to give them a different hip extension exercise, explain the benefits, and get them back again tomorrow, when we’ll try to introduce the deadlift in a different way?   Can coaching be “excellent” if the client doesn’t perceive it to be?   Is “excellence” the same as “expertise”?   And if it’s not, then are we actually pursuing imbalance by focusing on training expertise and ignoring the creation of excellent systems and delivery in our business?   I think so.   People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.    

The 2019 TwoBrain Summit is coming soon! This year, we’ll be bigger and better than ever! As always, we’ll have two separate speaking tracks in two separate rooms: one for owners, and one for coaches! REGISTER HERE. Our 2019 Venue is the Crowne Plaza Conference Center in Chicago, IL! BOOK YOUR ROOMS HERE – tell them you’re with the TwoBrain Business group!   Topics on the Owners’ side will include: The Client Success Manager: The Most Important Role In Your Business – Stories and Processes, with Brian Strump and Jeff Burlingame How To Change Your Life – Jay Williams Organizational Culture – How to Retain Your BEST Employees, with Eden Watson and Greg Strauch The Business Owner’s Lifecycle: Breaks, Vacation, Marriage and More, with Sherman Merricks Motivation and Leadership, with Anastasia Bennett Converting More Clients: Why You Need To Call Them NOW!, with John Franklin and Mateo Lopez The “Golden Goose”: Leaving a Farmer Behind When You Reach Tinker Phase, with Jeff Burlingame How To Start a Business Owners’ Group In Your Community, with Tammy Friedt Making Decisions: The 3-Question Process for Deciding What to Do, and When to Do It, with Josh Price How To Tell Compelling Stories About The Three Most Important Client Avatars, with Josh Martin The Apple Story, FFTT, Where Relationships Should Be Focused, and How, with Josh Martin   Topics on the Coaches’ Side Will Include: How To Make a Career In Fitness, with Brian Alexander …and plenty more to come! The TwoBrain Tinker Group will meet Friday, with topics like these: The Multiple-Location Model: Are You Ready? Should You Do It? With Jeff Larsh   We’re adding speakers and topics every week! Stay tuned here for more!   The TwoBrain Summit is the preeminent annual meeting for gym owners. Attendees come from around the world, and coaches focus on building their careers while owners focus on building their business. This year, over 350 participants will ...