If you’ve ever felt frustrated because a client “just doesn’t listen to my advice”, you aren’t alone. Trainers with loads of expertise and a genuine interest in helping their clients dole out advice with the best intentions and still struggle to get clients to take it. The key is looking at how and why we give advice in the first place and then asking some key questions. 

In this episode Betsy discusses...

• Why general advice doesn’t usually stick
• Why more knowledge doesn’t always mean better advice
• Why giving unsolicited advice is never a good idea (unless someone may be in danger/harming themselves)
• The kinds of questions to ask/conversations to have to give better advice

Give this one a listen and try the strategies with your clients!!!!

For more from Betsy follow her on Instagram and visit bfosterstrong.com! 

Coach's Chat has new episodes every Tuesday and Friday so be sure to subscribe!

For more from Betsy follow her on Instagram and visit bfosterstrong.com!

Thank you as always for listening! Your support means the world!

What is the difference between a novice trainer and a true pro?

In this Episode, Betsy talks all things professional mindset and what might be holding you back including…

• a healthy dose of humility when you are brand new
• that there is no magic moment that you will feel like you know enough
• how seeking external validation as the only way you value your work sets you up to be disappointed
• 3 important questions to ask yourself when evaluating your own performance as a trainer

For more from Betsy follow her on Instagram and visit bfosterstrong.com

Coach's Chat has new episodes every Tuesday and Friday so be sure to subscribe!

For more from Betsy follow her on Instagram and visit bfosterstrong.com!

Thank you as always for listening! Your support means the world!

In the second part of this two part series, Betsy goes beyond big picture to talk about actual strategies for approaching potential clients on the gym floor (or wherever you run your training business).

She talks...

-why any initial conversation should be treated like the start of a relationship, with the intent of genuine connections
-a few obvious (and sometimes not so obvious) DON'T DOs
-ways to strike up conversation that have nothing to do with fitness
-ways to speak about fitness, form, and training without being too sales-y
-how there is no formula for the perfect time to ask someone to train (but there are ways to practice)
-creating exclusivity with available appointments
-some perspective on conversion and sales

If you struggle or have ever struggled with getting new clients or talking to new people (especially if it is holding you back in your career) this is a must listen episode!



For more from Betsy follow her on Instagram and visit bfosterstrong.com!

Coach's Chat has new episodes every Tuesday and Friday so be sure to subscribe!

For more from Betsy follow her on Instagram and visit bfosterstrong.com!

Thank you as always for listening! Your support means the world!

Many trainers dread it but in most cases it’s an unavoidable part of the job. Getting new clients means meeting new people, which if done without care or forethought can feel awkward at best and sleazy at worst. Whether it’s on the gym floor (if you work in a commercial gym setting) or somewhere else (if you work for yourself or online), you are going to sometimes have to start from scratch.

In this episode Betsy talks about the importance of these first interactions as a part of the relationship building process. Relationship building and fostering genuine investment is key when it comes to making a cold lead a warm lead, i.e. make the sales process more natural with built in buy-in.

In the first part of this two part series, she talks about the big picture things to think of when developing your own approach to meeting potential clients and how to make sure it feels in line with who you want to be as a trainer!

For more from Betsy be sure to follow on Instagram and visit bfosterstrong.com!

Coach's Chat has new episodes every Tuesday and Friday so be sure to subscribe!

For more from Betsy follow her on Instagram and visit bfosterstrong.com!

Thank you as always for listening! Your support means the world!

Nobody (or at least no one I've ever worked with) became a personal trainer because they consider themselves a salesperson. Most personal trainers had their own transformative and/or meaningful experience with fitness and decided they wanted to help other people do  the same.

So when it comes time to actually sell personal training, they balk.

But is this because your conversations with prospective clients focus on the wrong thing?

In this episode, Betsy breaks down the common mistake of spending the whole consultation process focused on what a potential customer already knows and how to switch the conversation to make it client focused and specific to the unique benefits of working with a personal trainer.

This seemingly simple advice can have an immediate impact on your ability to get clients AND how you feel when you are "selling" personal training (hint- it will feel a lot less like selling)!


For more from Betsy follow her on Instagram and visit bfosterstrong.com!


Love the episode? Know a trainer it could help? Do me a favor and pay it forward with a share!

Coach's Chat has new episodes every Tuesday and Friday so be sure to subscribe!

For more from Betsy follow her on Instagram and visit bfosterstrong.com!

Thank you as always for listening! Your support means the world!

What do you do when your client shows up with no warning and a laundry list of aches and pains???

Yes, it happens more than you think.

Part of being a great coach is being able to adapt, know when the issue is not in your lane, and determine how to proceed.

In this episode, Betsy discusses…

• The common fear amongst new trainers that they might “break” their clients
• Why you should be prepared for not getting advanced warning about aches, pains, and doctors orders
• The importance of distinguishing between pain and other words to describe stiffness, fatigue, soreness
• When to REFER OUT
• When to ask for permission and proceed with assessments that fall within your scope/adapt the program
• How to handle physical therapist/doctor’s orders (hint, hint- talk to that practitioner if you can)
• The importance of being compassionate about the emotions that come with your client’s injury/pain

Don’t get caught off guard! Listen to this one and be prepared for your clients so you can deliver the best possible coaching.

Helpful? Be sure to leave a rating and review!!!

For more from Betsy, follow her on Instagram and visit bfosterstrong.com!

Coach's Chat has new episodes every Tuesday and Friday so be sure to subscribe!

For more from Betsy follow her on Instagram and visit bfosterstrong.com!

Thank you as always for listening! Your support means the world!

Ever feel like every one of your clients wants help with nutrition and you just don't know what will actually work? Give them a macro breakdown? Help them get more protein? Suggest supplements?

It's a little simpler (and not surprisingly also more complex) than that!

In this episode, Betsy gives you 3 big nutrition dial-mover topics to cover with your clients FIRST! These big topics: food rules, emotional eating, and fueling for performance are nuanced (i.e. not a quick-fix nutrition solution) and often hold the key to unlocking a client's healthiest and happiest long-term sustainable nutrition strategy. She breaks each down, detailing ways you can talk to your clients about their own unique situations and begin to set them up for meaningful change that will fit in their life and more importantly enrich their relationship with food and exercise.

This is a must listen for any trainer that wants to help their clients with sustainable nutrition results!


For more from Betsy, follow her on Instagram and visit bfosterstrong.com! 

Coach's Chat has new episodes every Tuesday and Friday so be sure to subscribe!

For more from Betsy follow her on Instagram and visit bfosterstrong.com!

Thank you as always for listening! Your support means the world!

Becoming the best coach and trainer you can be means giving yourself the opportunity to embody your own unique coaching identity. And you do this by learning from different people!

It’s common in the personal training world for people to get isolated in their comfort bubbles. Particularly at the start of their careers, new trainers dive all in and become disciples of the gym’s education system or one or two senior trainers teaching where they work. And while there is immense value to be gained when jumping all in and adopting a system/series of principles from a person or company that helps you get your footing, professional maturity requires reaching past the bubble. 

In this episode, Betsy breaks down the benefits of learning from different teachers, mentors, and schools of thought as well as the dangers of taking one person’s word as rule and staying in your comfort thought bubble. But it doesn’t stop there because Betsy provides tangible ways to determine how to choose where and how to branch out, how to split your time (hint you can still prioritize learning from people and systems that most closely align with your values), and why even learning something you hate or won’t use is valuable!

If you are looking for more from Betsy, be sure to follow her on Instagram and visit bfosterstrong.com!

Coach's Chat has new episodes every Tuesday and Friday so be sure to subscribe!

For more from Betsy follow her on Instagram and visit bfosterstrong.com!

Thank you as always for listening! Your support means the world!

As a rule of thumb, when it comes to general population clients, fitness has to fit in their real life versus the other way around.

That's why the "No Excuses" mindset doesn't really help REAL people reach their goals. These excuses, otherwise known as obstacles/challenges, are inevitable. There are plenty of things that will need to take priority over fitness for our clients. And when you don't leave room for them, it becomes an all-or-nothing game.

In this episode, Betsy explains the advantages of a "Yes Excuses" mindset or the idea of anticipating and adaptability for sustainability. She describes how this approach is inclusive for all clients with varied backgrounds and priorities, allows for them to continue to make progress toward their goals when challenges arise, and increases your value as a coach. Plus, she gives you 3 steps to incorporating this into your training business.


If you are local to Gainesville be sure to register for the FREE Fit Career Connect networking happy hour for movement professionals here!

For more from Betsy, follow her on Instagram and visit bfosterstrong.com!

Coach's Chat has new episodes every Tuesday and Friday so be sure to subscribe!

For more from Betsy follow her on Instagram and visit bfosterstrong.com!

Thank you as always for listening! Your support means the world!

It’s true; the health and fitness industry is crowded. There are a lot of professionals out there doing the same things. The question is, does this mean it’s oversaturated? Is there room for you?

In this episode, Betsy sheds some light on oversaturation in the industry, what that really means, and why more pros doing what you do IS NOT necessarily a bad thing. She breaks down…

• Why someone knowing more than you or being farther along doesn’t take away from what you bring to the table
• Why more voices means there are lots of great people to listen to (enough that you actually don’t have to spend time listening to, learning from, or following those who don’t align with your values or vibe)
• Why no matter how similar you are to another pro, you will always be UNIQUE because there is only one YOU, and there is a client, follower, student for whom YOU are the best choice

Listen to this one for some much needed perspective and strategies for dealing with comparison and separating yourself from the pack!!!!

Love listening and want more from Betsy? 

Follow Betsy on Instagram and visit bfosterstrong.com for tons of FREE resources!

Are you a fitness pro or aspiring fitness pro in Gainesville FL? Register for the FREE Fit Career Connect networking event here!!!!

Coach's Chat has new episodes every Tuesday and Friday so be sure to subscribe!

For more from Betsy follow her on Instagram and visit bfosterstrong.com!

Thank you as always for listening! Your support means the world!