Meet Michael Moody

 

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Michael Moody a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Michael, thank you so much for opening up with us about some important, but sometimes personal topics. One that really matters to us is overcoming Imposter Syndrome because we’ve seen how so many people are held back in life because of this and so we’d really appreciate hearing about how you overcame Imposter Syndrome.

When we thoroughly examine the condition of imposter syndrome, we find that it quickly broadens from feeling different or out of place within a group, career, or whatever one is engaged in. It is usually an irrational examination of oneself and most likely generalizes to other areas of life. It’s a condition I related to when I began as a personal trainer in 2005. Even at an early age, I felt like an outsider. While I easily connected to friends and family, I was always aware that I approached life outside the box. I thought differently about problems and saw the world through a lens of patterns and mind-spinning solutions. The overwhelm of this constant analysis often led to functional anxiety and endless internal arguments over distinct differences between jarred peanut butter and the speculated long-term behavioral patterns of a barista serving me coffee. It was exhausting and too often unnecessary. Such streams of consciousness undoubtedly led to endless questioning of my decisions and the scrupulous dissection of who I am and what I am doing. No surprise, it fed the imposter syndrome that plagued the first few years of my personal training career. Entering the 19th year of my professional life, I now recognize my early immaturity and know I’m not alone.

I now know that the imposter syndrome I felt resulted from unguided cognitive development. My relentless drive and ambition amplified scenarios beyond comprehension, and I lacked the proper reflection, guidance, and global vision to see how the pieces fit. To see how I fit. Like other industries, the fitness world has attracted many stereotypical personalities and approaches I didn’t connect to. Instead of examining my contribution to the industry as a personal trainer obsessed with the interagency of our physical, mental, and emotional beings, I wasted too many thoughts comparing myself to my colleagues and questioning why I wasn’t cut from the same thread. With maturity, though, I realized that my differences and unique skills were necessary for the growth of the industry and, most importantly, my personal training clients. Differences are significant, and they force all of us within an industry to look beyond our knowledge base and examine problems with diversity. This realization (and seeing that I also fit the stereotypes occasionally) helped me overcome my imposter syndrome. I reframed the insecurity of not being the same to a confidence of being different. I also have employed a social circle of trusted friends and colleagues who have helped me mentally manage new professional challenges and provoke new trains of thought. Questioning our roles within a company or industry is normal and welcomed. Being different from our counterparts doesn’t make us abnormal, unwanted, or unfit for the job, though. If you feel like an imposter, it may be time to get to know yourself better and carve the space where you fit best (sometimes, it’s precisely where you are).

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

While a personal trainer for nearly twenty years (over 20,000 one-on-one sessions), most of my professional ambitions have extended from a curiosity about the human condition and our physical, mental, and emotional selves. I guide my personal training clients on their journey of self-awareness and the strategic curation of their lives to meet their needs sustainably. My podcast, The Elements of Being, and self-improvement book, Redefine Yourself supplement this experience. A baseline of behavioral modification accompanies such intentions, and I’m currently databaseing a catalog of nearly 400 health and fitness resources for my personal training clients. I’ve also hiked 75 different trails, including nine 14ers and six 13ers, in Colorado since February 5th, 2022, and I’ll soon catalog reviews and photos of each based on difficulty and distance from Denver.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

My innate curiosity, organizational skills, and communication style have impacted my journey the most. These attributes weren’t enough to reach success, though. While I recognize the influence of personality type, mentors, education, and social opportunities as significant factors in my success, I can never disregard an overarching specific contribution: The push to write a business plan. Within my first year of business, I met an entrepreneur who encouraged me to create a business plan. It laid the foundation of a corporate structure in a competitive industry and steered my approach to support it. Specifically, it helped me identify my strengths and weaknesses. No matter what void or strength I discovered, this project pushed me to research, connect with industry leaders, and build a thriving business structure. Ultimately, it became the guide to form a business that reflected my philosophy and steered my curiosity and interests.

Before we go, any advice you can share with people who are feeling overwhelmed?

Anyone who is a fan of Tim Ferriss’ books and podcasts will know that successful entrepreneurs, athletes, and leaders employ endless strategies to minimize stress and overwhelm that often contradict each other. At the end of the day, though, what works for you may only work for you (or for a given point). Awareness and reflection are necessary before you experiment with different strategies. Personally, I minimize anything that contributes to sensory overload, including loud noises or music, uncomfortable temperatures, and horrible tastes or smells when overwhelmed. I also prioritize consecutive nights of consistent sleep (go to bed at the same time and rest 7.5 hours) and consistent eating routines, including eating at the same time every 3-5 hours. THEN, I isolate each business challenge and present the consequences of at least three solutions before deciding on appropriate resistance and risk.

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Image Credits

Photographer: Ben Elsass Photography

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