We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Justin Nucum. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Justin below.
Hi Justin, 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.
I have been in business for 8 years now, coaching and training clients to get to their health and fitness needs. Ever since I started, I have always felt levels of imposter syndrome because I would look up to many great athletes and coaches thinking that I am not as great as them..OR that it will take me years before I can get to that level.
To this day, I still feel some levels of imposter syndrome but now, I feel more confident with my craft, my knowledge, my experiences, my successes and my failures to provide the best possible coaching to my clients to the best of my ability.
I know I am not the best in the industry. BUT I also know that I am not the WORST. I may be a better fit for certain clients vs others; hence, I have trial periods to see if we would work together.
When I first started coaching, I would think that other coaches and trainers would be my competition. In reality, there is space for all coaches and trainers to get a piece of the pie. Each coach has their own style, own perspectives and own beliefs in coaching which leads to a certain type of clientele. So if one client does not work well with me, I can refer them to another coach that I know…and vice-versa.
It really just took time and experience to get over imposter syndrome. I’ve built self-confidence in my craft.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I own my own personal training business, Hardkour Performance, specializing in obstacle course racing. I prepare clients for competitions such as Spartan Race, Tough Mudder and local mud runs.
Ever since the pandemic, we had to switch over to something new and currently still developing in the fitness industry called hybrid racing or fitness racing. This entails a workout/station into a run for a number of stations. Think Crossfit and a track or road race put together. These types of events has been growing exponentially these last two years and we have been very much invested and focused on this. It is very exciting to see where this new sport will end up being in the next few months.
In alignment with the coaching and programming for events, I have also created a brand behind Hardkour Performance. Our logo is our signature “HK” which people have recognized at these competitions that we show up to. After 8 years in business, the HK has been a brand. You can see people wear our apparel leisurely as well as to workout.
Also during the pandemic, we launched Hardkour Nutrition and Hydration. During that time, we were providing meal-preps to our clients with an in-house cook. Once the pandemic was over, we ended up going through a third-party meal prep company to handle the nutrition side. Then we became a Kangen Water distributor to provide clients with the best hydration for them.
My belief is to create a lifestyle for clients. It isn’t ALL about training. We need to eat well, hydrate well, sleep well and recover well to become, not only the best athlete that we can be, but also be the healthiest version of ourselves in the long run. This will translate to your family and peers. Creating Hardkour Performance and Hardkour Nutrition and Hydration, this is the one-stop shop for all your health and wellness needs.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
1) Making the best out of every situation – In the beginning, I would have days were attendance were low or non-existent for classes or events. Some times, these days were consecutive. So I had to figure out a way to be productive and make use of my time while I was out at training locations or at events. What I would do is create tons of content that I would be able to use for weeks. At slower events, I would network with the vendors or whoever was there.
2) Execute, execute, execute – As an entrepreneur, I always have tons of ideas. But these ideas do not become reality unless I executed them. I see this happen a lot with new entrepreneurs and business owners, where they talk about all of their ideas and what they would like to do, but they never actually get to do it.
3) Perseverance – 8 years in business has been a roller coaster ride. Every day is still a roller coaster with some high highs and some low lows. But I know this type of work of being a business owner is what I signed up for. I’d rather do this type of work and work these longer hours than be stuck at a 8-5 job that I hate.
My advice to folks who are early in their journey and how they can best develop or improve on these three qualities/skills:
– Don’t be afraid to make a mistake. You learn from your mistakes. I learned from trial and error. After a few mistakes, I began to learn much quicker and became more confident in myself and my business.
– Talk / Ask / Post / – This quote has been thrown around so much yet feels so relevant: “Closed mouths don’t get fed” – Your potential customer won’t know you are selling your product or service unless you talk about it, you mention it or post about it on your social channels. When people see it, they can refer you to someone that may know. Even though it might be redundant, reposting or constantly talking about what you offer will get you more clients.
How can folks who want to work with you connect?
I am always looking for new people, brands and companies to collaborate with. I am all about the community and helping small businesses’ out. When I first started, collaborating with bigger businesses than mine is what really helped my business and brand grow quicker.
Looking to collaborate anyone in the health and wellness space, anyone willing to work and dedicate time and effort into the collaboration. As long as it makes sense, I am willing to work with you. This goes out to other trainers, gym, coaches, business owners, food/snacks/hydration, recovery..the list goes on.
Contact Info:
- Website: hardkourperformance.com
- Instagram: @j_nukes @hardkourperformance
- Other: www.jnukes.com
