Meet Ann Chisholm

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Ann Chisholm. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Ann, thanks for sharing your insights with our community today. Part of your success, no doubt, is due to your work ethic and so we’d love if you could open up about where you got your work ethic from?

I’d say my work ethic was shaped by my years playing competitive basketball, especially at the university level. I still remember my last home game on Seniors Day, my coach introduced me as “the hardest worker he had ever coached.” That stuck with me. I wasn’t the most naturally gifted athlete, and I certainly wasn’t the smartest student in the room, but I learned early on that you can control how hard you work. You get to choose how you show up every single day, how prepared you are, and the effort you put in when no one’s watching.

For me, talent only takes you so far. What carries you is consistency, discipline, and the willingness to do the work when it’s uncomfortable or inconvenient. Whenever I catch myself feeling tired or tempted to let my standards slide, because let’s be honest, we all have those moments, I say to myself, “How you do one thing is how you do everything.” That mindset fuels me to push through.

That same mentality has followed me off the court and into my daily life and business. Whether it’s leading a team, building something from the ground up, or simply following through on commitments, I approach it the same way I approached every practice and game in basketball, with the focus and intensity that effort is a choice I get to make every day.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

I’m the owner of Fettle + Food, where we help everyday people fuel, train, and live like athletes, even if they’ve got jobs, families, and a lot on their plates. I’m also part-owner of Tropos Fitness Club, a space where strength training, community, and smart coaching come together.

What’s exciting for me is watching people realize they’re capable of so much more than they thought. It’s not just about chasing a goal weight or hitting a PR in the gym, it’s about building strength, confidence, and habits that carry over into every part of life. I love seeing clients walk in thinking they “can’t” do something, and then watching them prove themselves wrong.

Our approach is different because it’s grounded in real life. I’ve been a competitive athlete, I’m a mom, I run ultramarathons, and I know what it’s like to juggle training with everything else. We teach people how to fuel and train in ways that work for their actual lives without fad diets or an all-or-nothing mindset.

Our niche is getting people outside the gym walls and off the scale to have experiences that change their life. I have travelled internationally, taking clients to amazing destinations to push their bodies. This type of training gets me so excited and provides a deeper why behind the client’s training. In November, I am taking 12 clients to Costa Rica to hike and mountain bike 280km across the country.

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?

1. Discipline: Discipline is what carries you through on the days you don’t feel like it. I learned this playing university basketball, where showing up for early morning practice after a late night of studying wasn’t optional.

2. Continuous Learning: I didn’t come into this industry with a degree in nutrition or exercise science. Early on, I felt like I was playing catch-up, and I invested a lot of time and money into my learning. I’ve kept this going even once I “caught up”. Reading, taking courses, and investing in mentorship…NEVER stop learning.

3. Planning: I am very serious about planning and being prepared. I create annual plans for myself and both businesses. Those are looked at, adjusted and tracked monthly and quarterly. Planning is one of my superpowers, and it has been instrumental in getting me where I am today.

For anyone early in their journey, my biggest takeaway is that you don’t need to have it all figured out before you start. Focus on showing up consistently, be willing to pivot, and commit to being a lifelong learner. That combination will help you navigate many challenges.

We’ve all got limited resources, time, energy, focus etc – so if you had to choose between going all in on your strengths or working on areas where you aren’t as strong, what would you choose?

I think it’s important to develop yourself into a well-rounded person, but the balance depends on what you want for your future. If you want to be a solopreneur, you’ll need to wear a lot of hats: coaching, marketing, sales, and operations, because in the early stages, it’s just you. That means intentionally developing skills in areas where you’re not naturally strong, so you can keep the business moving forward.

But if your goal is to grow into a visionary role in your business, then the approach shifts. You still need to understand all aspects of your business; you can’t lead what you don’t understand, but you don’t have to be the one doing everything. That’s where focusing on your “superpowers” comes in: the things you’re best at, love doing, and that drive the most value.

One tool I use every single year is the “Unique Ability” exercise. You make a list of everything you do in your business and divide it into four quadrants:

– Things you love and are great at.
– Things you like and are good at.
– Things you’re competent at but don’t enjoy.
– Things you dislike and aren’t good at.

Next, I focus on hiring or delegating tasks in quadrants 3 and 4. Early on, I was doing a lot of those tasks because I had to. But over time, I’ve continued to fill those positions, and now I’m incredibly close to being in a place where my day is almost filled with tasks I love and that energize me.

So, for me, the answer is to start by building your skills enough to be well-rounded, then keep narrowing your focus to the work you’re uniquely good at. That’s where you’ll make your most significant impact and feel your most fulfilled.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.fettleandfood.com
• Instagram: ann.chisholm13
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annconrod/

Image Credits

Kettlebell swing photo. -Tyler Nelson