I Did It with Gary

In episode six of I Did It With Gary, Gary catches up with Rebecca "Bex" Bowness Smith, a client and friend he first met roughly 25 years ago at Thamesmead Leisure Centre, where he encouraged her to move from swimming into weight training. The pair trace their history together: an early stint of boot camp and boxing sessions, a falling-out over Bex going vegan, and reconnecting years later through Instagram before Bex eventually became Gary's online coaching client.

Much of the conversation centers on Bex's long history with disordered eating, which began in her teens and shaped her relationship with exercise for decades — training as a way to "earn" or "burn off" food rather than for its own sake. She describes only properly beginning recovery in the last few years, and how that shift changed why she trains: not for aesthetics, but for longevity, strength, and the ability to move well into old age.

They discuss the mechanics of her coaching with Gary over the past two years — the value of structure and accountability, her competitive streak in the app's monthly challenges (432 workouts in 639 days), and why she's committed to a third year of training with him. The conversation broadens into a wider critique of diet culture, the limitations of the BMI scale, and why body weight is a poor proxy for health or self-worth. Bex reflects candidly on body image struggles that persist even after years of progress, and both she and Gary land on a shared philosophy: training should feel like a privilege, not an obligation, and real success is building a body and habits that serve you decades down the line.

Shelley is the founder of Thamesmead Nutrition, a brand new Herbalife nutrition club opening right here in Thamesmead. And in a rare move for the fitness industry, we decided to do something a bit mad.

We collaborated.

We sat down to talk about why two solo operators with the same mission are stronger together, what we're building in Thamesmead, and what's coming on July 18th that you absolutely don't want to miss.

In this episode we cover:

• Why the fitness industry is weirdly tribal and what we're doing differently
• Shelley's story: from getting drunk in the park in her 20s to opening her own nutrition club a year after walking through a club door for the first time
• The truth about Herbalife and what it actually is (it's not what you think)
• Why community and accountability beat information every single time
• What AI and online fitness is missing that no app will ever replace
• The Thamesmead Fitness Collective: what it is, why we started it, and how you can get involved
• July 18th: a FREE outdoor workout event on the Thames raising money for charity. Here's what to expect

She Lifts kicks off Monday. Thamesmead Nutrition opens Monday. July 18th is coming.

A lot is happening. Follow Shelley at @thamesmead_nutrition and stay locked in here for everything that's coming next.

In this episode of I Did It With Gary, I sit down with Alicia Persichini Harris to talk through a two-year transformation that had nothing to do with chasing a number on the scale - and everything to do with confidence, strength, and self-belief.

When Alicia first started, the gym felt like an alien place. Panic attacks outside the door. Twenty minutes on the Stairmaster before leaving. Zero confidence on the gym floor - and limited confidence on the jiu-jitsu mats too.

Fast forward two years and she’s deadlifting, squatting in the main gym, training with intent, and using strength work as a non-negotiable anchor for her mental health.

In this conversation, we cover:

• How Alicia went from gym anxiety to lifting heavy with confidence
• Why strength training became her “temple” during job burnout and family illness
• How focusing on performance - not weight loss - changed everything
• The crossover between strength training and improved jiu-jitsu performance
• What real coaching looks like when life interrupts progress
• And why the ultimate win was Alicia becoming fully self-sufficient in her training

This isn’t a quick fix story. It’s a real, layered transformation - built over time, through consistency, setbacks, and trust in the process.

If you’ve ever felt like the gym “wasn’t for you”, or you’re chasing confidence rather than aesthetics, this episode will land.

Sam's fitness journey and challenges

Sam discusses her fitness journey, including a period of 2-3 years where she was unable to work out due to health issues like frozen shoulder and gallbladder surgery. She then experienced a decline in her mental health and confidence as her hormones fluctuated during perimenopause. Working with Gary has helped her regain her strength, confidence, and control over her body.

Importance of strength training for perimenopause

Sam and Gary discuss the importance of strength training for women going through perimenopause, as it helps maintain bone density, muscle mass, and overall health. They note that perimenopause can also cause weight gain and metabolic changes, making exercise even more crucial during this time.

Customized training program and accountability

Gary explains how he designed a customized training program for Sam that includes both gym and home workouts to accommodate her busy schedule as a single parent. He emphasizes the importance of accountability and communication in helping Sam stay consistent with the program, even when she felt unmotivated at times.

Sam's social media impact and feedback

Sam shares that her recent social media post about her fitness journey has generated a lot of interest and questions from her followers, including how much it cost her to achieve her results. Gary discusses the value of his services and how he aims to empower clients to become self-sufficient within a year of working together.