We recently connected with Leah Patrick and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Leah with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?
I have an incredibly strong work ethic that was born through my love of animals! Sounds funny right? But let me explain…
Ever since I was a young girl I was always fascinated by animals. I loved them so much, I would go nuts if I had the opportunity to interact with them and it didn’t matter what kind of animal it was, I loved them all.
My parents ended up putting me in a horse back riding camp when I was seven years old. It was a week long camp and not only did we get to ride but we also started to learn the basics of taking care of the horses, such as grooming and mucking out their stalls. I loved the experience so much that at the end of the week I cried the whole way home because the camp was over and I no longer was able to spend time with my horse Mocha(the horse I rode all week)
My parents ended up putting me into weekly riding lessons and from there my passion grew more and more. By the time I was a pre-teen, I was working at the barn and earning extra riding lessons in exchange for the work I put in. I learned how to feed the horses, manage their turn out and work schedules and learned how to deal with injuries and illnesses. There were also other animals on the property such as ducks, chickens, goats and rabbits that I was also taking care of and interacting with on a weekly basis.
Fast forward a few years and I am 13years old and wanting to get more serious about my riding skills. At this point I had been working at the barn almost every day and my passion became my full lifestyle. I wanted more. I wanted to own my own horse, but of course, horses are quite expensive and the care even more so. My parents were incredibly supportive but with three kids to care for and other extra circular activities to manage, paying for a horse for me was not in the cards. So, I ended up getting my first paying job at my local movie theatre! I specifically remember staying up all night calculating how many hours I would have to work to lease my first horse and how I would work out a schedule to ride and work, plus do my school work. Well, I pulled it off! It certainly wasn’t easy but working hard for what I wanted to achieve came naturally to me because it was the only way to get more time with the horses. Working hard was the only option. Growing up with barn life created discipline, work ethic and organization skills that I can say with absolute certainty, have created the successful person I am today. As today, I own my own horse finally and I paid for her with the money I earned myself, through the business I created.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I run my own online business as a fitness and strength coach for women. Taking care of your health and developing a strong body and mind is possibly one of the most rewarding things you can do for yourself. This life has so much to offer and not being fit or healthy enough to explore the world is just not an option. I love helping women achieve things they never imagined they could, and breaking down those walls and limitations they set on themselves. Whether it be doing their first chin up, building their dream body or developing the stamina to do that big hike on vacation they have been dreaming of. Watching women flourish and put in all the challenging hours of work to achieve a big fitness goal is the most exciting part of what I do. Creating mental toughness will make you successful at anything and there is nothing that builds mental toughness like working day in and day out on your biggest fitness goal.
I have been a coach now for eleven years. I quit a good paying desk job to pursue my passion as a fitness coach. Many people thought I was crazy for doing so, but I was not happy at a desk and life is about more than just a “good paying job”.
The main focus of my business is of course providing a training plan tailored to my clients goals and needs, and providing nutrition recommendations to help them get there, but it is honestly so much more than that. My business is about a total lifestyle overhaul. I help clients figure out a schedule to balance all the main things in their busy lives to make their health a priority and not get pushed to the back burned for the hundredth time. I also deal with clients struggling with hormonal imbalances and so providing a plan to manage stress can often times look like prescribing meditation, sleep tracking and supplement recommendations as well. People don’t realize just how much your mental well being is connected to your physical well being and so my coaching is often combining the two. I myself meditate on a daily basis and I can absolutely confirm how much it has helped me with my training, business and relationships. True health is physical, mental and spiritual.
Currently I am working on developing new innovative ways to expand my coaching/skills through the mental and spiritual side of things. I find there is a big disconnect these days to the present moment and more and more we are losing connection to ourselves and our current surroundings. Training is an amazing way to ground yourself and connect to the moment, as well as meditation. My future services will likely include new ways of reconnecting my clients to themselves. I am not sure what that will look like yet but I am looking forward to helping more women grow into their fittest and happiest selves!
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
One of my greatest qualities as a coach is that I have actually been at the bottom with my health before. I know what it is like to have completely lost yourself, look in the mirror and think “Who is this person”. I can directly relate to someone starting out at their lowest with their health and needing to find the courage to make that long journey to healthy again.
At the end of 2017 I had a major crash in my health due to stress. This led to serious health issues with my thyroid and adrenal glands. Diagnosing the issue was a slow process and I had never felt more lost and without hope. I was exhausted all the time, I had gained at 30lbs of fat, I was losing hair, the list goes on and on. It got to the point where I didn’t recognize myself at all anymore and was terrified that this was going to be my life from now on.
I never stopped trying to get healthy. It took three years of constant work but I got my health back and I got my body back. More importantly I found myself again. From this experience I grew so mentally strong and now I know I can get through anything. I know what it is like to be at the bottom, feel lost and scared about your health and that is why I work with many women struggling with this issue. I understand what they are going through when their body fights back. It is so comforting to have someone on your side that has been there and can relate to everything you are feeling. The journey with hormone issues is long and it’s nice to know someone is in your corner.
Another strong quality I have as a coach is communication. I believe there is always room to improve on communication and as a coach this is probably one of the most important skills you should have and consistently keep working on. Being able to communicate specific strategies we are taking in my clients program is one of the most important things in order for the client to connect to the method and put forth their best effort. If you know why you are doing something to achieve “X” you are far more likely to focus on exactly what you are doing, instead of just going through the motions or not giving it your best. I also think strong communication is a must in terms of building trust with your client. If you are clear on expectation and offer plenty of feedback the client is likely going to reach out more often, especially when needing additional help. This will most definitely help said client get to their goals easier and faster than a client whom isn’t totally comfortable to reach out to you.
Education is also a strong suit for me and something I believe is a must to be successful. With being in the industry for 11 years, I have many courses under my belt ranging from joint training, muscle growth programming, nutrition, stress resiliency etc. This means I have many tools in my tool box and can allow me to use anything I need to help a client achieve their goal. I believe the easiest way to sell yourself is through customer service and your education. You don’t need a fancy sales pitch. You need to educate yourself so you can actually help people and then be honest about what you can do to help them.
My advice for someone starting out on their journey as an entrepreneur would definitely be these three things. Figure out how you can relate to your customer on their level, work on your communication skills and how to foster trust, and educate yourself. I believe these three things will make you successful in whatever industry you are building your business in.
Who is your ideal client or what sort of characteristics would make someone an ideal client for you?
My ideal client is a woman who wants to become the highest possible version of themself. It doesn’t matter what stage of your life you are currently in. I have clients whom have started their journey at 25years old and some whom have started out at 60! It is never too late to work on your health and want to become the best version of you.
I help women get strong and build muscle. This can mean you want to really develop your physique and build strength to deadlift 2x your body weight or maybe it means you want to drop 20lbs of body fat and be strong enough to carry your grocery bags. Being strong is whatever you define it as for you and that is where I come in as a fitness and strength coach.
I also work with women dealing with issues from burn out, yo-yo dieting and other issues to their hormones/metabolism. Most of the time this will be in combination with their doctor or a naturopath but because I have gone through this specifically myself, I do enjoy helping others regain their health and confidence through specific protocols that will help them heal.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://patrick-fitness.com
- Instagram: @LEAHPATRICKFIT
- Linkedin: LEAH PATRICK
Image Credits
JAMES MARSHALL MEDIA PAUL BUCETA
