Meghan Callaway Interview How to Become A Personal Trainer (Successful)

I was introduced to Megan Callaway by Andrew Coates. Two of the most professional fitness pros that I encountered during the interview process for How to Become A Successful Personal Trainer. As you will soon discover, the fitness industry is saturated with TOO MANY BROS! I was searching for successful female personal trainers without much luck. Thankfully for Andrew (Check out his page here) he connected me with Meghan (Check out her page here)

Meghan Callaway – @meghancallaway Creator of the Ultimate Pull-Up Program, Strength Coach, Author and Writer.

1. How much was your first paycheck as a trainer or if you had an internship, how long did you work without any pay? I started out working at a large commercial gym. They offered cheap packages, and we received a fraction of the full price. So I was making between $13-22/hour, and this was in Canadian dollars.

2. What was your biggest challenge as a new trainer / something that you didn't expect? I was working very long hours and was doing split shifts (including on weekends), and I underestimated how gruelling this would be. I was also working with many different types of clients. While I absolutely did not enjoy all of the sessions, it certainly gave me plenty of experience in dealing with countless types of goals, personality types, and so forth. This is serving me very well now, and really led me towards doing what I am most passionate about/best at.

3. What is one book every trainer should read? I could list many, but I loved Back Mechanic by Stu McGill. Back pain or discomfort is something most people will deal with at least once over the course of their life, so I think this book is a must read for coaches.

4. If you could be a mentor to someone starting out in the industry, what would you suggest? I would suggest devoting a lot of time to learning, and bettering themselves as coaches. This learning can happen during sessions, but should also happen by attending workshops, reading books, doing online courses, and networking with credible professionals in the industry.

5. Most overrated aspect of the fitness industry? Honestly, I think the most overrated aspect of the fitness industry is aesthetics. There is so much more to fitness (and coaching) than how someone looks. I think too many coaches focus purely on aesthetics, so they are missing a huge piece of the overall puzzle. I find this to be especially true with newer coaches.

6. Most underrated aspect of the fitness industry? I think the most underrated aspect of the fitness industry is admitting when you don't know something. This is HUGE. So many coaches are scared to admit that they don't know something. As a result, they might step outside of their scope of practice, or dole out bad advice. The best coaches are the people who know when to acknowledge that they don't know something, and to refer out when necessary.

If you're looking to become a personal trainer, begin with How to Become A Successful Personal Trainer. You'll learn that you don't need a certification (only if you want to work at Equinox, Life Time Fitness or Crunch.) Chris Hitchko sets the stage for a no BS approach to the personal training industry and how you can separate yourself from the saturated market. At Show Up Fitness, we want you to be successful which means doubling down on your understanding of movement, anatomy, programming, social media, assessments, and gaining supervised experience. Successful personal trainers aren't the ones with 15-certifications, they're the ones who are doing what they love 15+ years later like we are at Show Up Fitness.