Career Paths for GF & Yoga Instructors

Today I am inspired to talk about the many questions people recently have asked me.

What path did you take to become an industry leader and presenter?
Can working as a fitness professional be a sustainable career choice?
I only teach GF and Yoga. Is there a career path for me if I want to make this something more? 

Even if you coach and don’t go full out, you can only physically teach so many classes.  Your job is to coach and be the leader in the room.  There is now more opportunity without the wear and tear on your body since many classes are not all choreography based as they were in the past. 

The concept of teaching 40 classes in a week is daunting.  Even if we aren’t physically doing the workout, being a coach is taxing.  Sometimes even more so because it is emotionally draining.  We are putting ourselves out there to lift others. 

There are other opportunities and paths you can take in the industry.  One avenue is to take your large group classes and create small group training.  Team training of 4-10 people we can work with them more one-on-one.  It would create an opportunity to make a little more money than the individual classes.  It would allow you to track their progress.  People would pay you more than your group rate and would want you to create assessments.  More personal attention would be required.  You have a start and end of the sessions and re-assess to see how they are doing.  If you teach yoga, you can also do small group training or one-on-one.  They will get more hands-on assistance from you and personal attention.

Management is another option for a career in fitness.  It is an amazing experience to support your instructors.  Put your name out there.  Look for openings.  Reach out to the places you are interested in working at.  Why wait?  Find out who the managers/owners are.  Send your resume and letter of your interest.  That way should an opportunity come up you can bubble back up to the surface.  Get to know their brand.  Put some time in to research the company so you know what they are looking for and represent their brand. 

There are also opportunities to become a certified coach.  Life coaches, wellness coaches, and nutrition coaches are all careers you can get certified and trained in. 

How do you become a presenter leading continuing education workshops? 

This is something you want to do because you love it.  Just like teaching classes, not for the money.  Unless you partner with a brand that can give you regular work, it may not be a sustainable career choice.   The first step is to become a continuing education provider.  You can find this information on the ACE and AFAA websites.  You can create or provide workshops for instructors to earn their cec’s.  In addition, you can apply to become a presenter at fitness conferences.  Perhaps start regionally and and then move up toward larger national events.  Look for their process on how to apply to present on their websites.  Make sure you have a headshot, bio, resume, workshop title and descriptions, and a video of you leading content from the workshop.  This can be a 10 minute video, and even a mock workshop, where you lead the content of your submission.  The organizers are looking for engagement and a circle of energy happening with your group.  Energy, confidence, knowledge and engagement are the aspects I was looking for as the director of EMPOWER events.

Yes, the fitness industry can be a sustainable path.  There are a number of different directions you can go.  You have this one, big, beautiful, brilliant life to live.  Find what it is that lights you up!  Find what it is that makes you want to jump out of bed every day!