We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Julie Diamond a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Julie, we’re so appreciative of you taking the time to share your nuggets of wisdom with our community. One of the topics we think is most important for folks looking to level up their lives is building up their self-confidence and self-esteem. Can you share how you developed your confidence?
I think we are always building our confidence and self esteem. It’s an on going journey. I learned early on the importance of celebrating victories, no matter how big or small. When I first got into the fitness industry 25 years ago … I was a bit apprehensive coming from a completely different industry, and even though I was very educated and knew my “stuff” so to speak, I needed to gain confidence. I quickly realized the best thing for me was to jump in … whether it was training a client, doing videos or writing an article. It meant practicing my skills. The more I did it the more confident I became. In addition, I’m big on sticky notes … I write positive affirmations on a sticky notes and paste them everywhere. It’s a little silly but it works!
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 have had the opportunity to train clients of all ages and backgrounds and I love the diversity. I now mainly train women because I enjoy focusing on women’s needs i.e. pre-post pregnancy, mid-life, menopause etc. To get and stay in control of your body composition, getting the correct type of exercise and the optimal amount, while reducing your stressors, is a necessary but difficult balance to achieve. As we age, our skeleto-muscular strength naturally decreases, which is why strength training is so important in building and maintaining bone density and muscle mass. Hormones play such an integral part in women’s health and being able to educate women on how that works is exciting to me.
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?
Communication, Adaptability and Integrity !!! I believe communication is key in understanding clients needs and achieving goals. I treat every client different … because no two clients are the same. Adaptability is just as important … knowing when to switch gears and go into a new direction in order to achieve results. And of course Integrity is everything in every facet of life.
My advice to folks who are early on their journey of fitness is to network and talk to as many professionals as possible to learn all the ins and outs of the biz.
Who is your ideal client or what sort of characteristics would make someone an ideal client for you?
My ideal client is a woman of any age and in any phase of life. I’m currently working with a couple pregnant women which is always fun and fascinating. I’m also working with many women pre and post menopause. It’s a hot topic now and there’s so much women gain from strength training both physically and mentally.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.juliediamondfitness.com
- Instagram: juliediamondfitness
- Facebook: Julie Diamond
- Linkedin: Julie Diamond
Image Credits
Jesse Deyoung
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