REPLAY: Trainers Witnessing Gym Magic

As many of you know, I work with a team to produce one new episode a week despite running a business; and around the summertime I always feel the need to take a little break from the podcast to refuel my creative juices where the show is concerned. So, I take the month of August off from airing new shows, and during this time, I replay some of my favorite episodes from this past year.

You may be wondering what I’m doing during this time and I’d love to share that with you. The first week of August, my son Will is heading to track camp at Stanford with his dad. In case you don’t follow me on Instagram, Will is currently obsessed with track and is working hard on improving himself and this will be the first camp he’s attending that is track-focused. While Will is at track camp, Vinnie and I are headed to Cancun to spend a few days at an all-inclusive. I’m planning to eat, drink, relax and read as many trashy romance novels as possible.

The third week of August I’ll be with Will for a college tour of his top school, the University of Oregon. If you’re wondering why he’s interested in the school, it’s one of the top track programs in the country. Eugene Oregon where the school is located is called “Track Town USA'' because it’s the birthplace of Nike. Nike was founded by track coaches from the University of Oregon when they used a waffle maker to create a better soul for their team’s running shoes. While we’re in Oregon, we’re also going to check out the coast and then host some friends (maybe some of you) for an event in Portland. I’m looking forward to spending quality time with my two favorite guys this August.

At the Financial Gym, when a client experiences a positive financial health result after joining the Gym and focusing on their finances, we call it “Gym Magic.” Gym Magic and helping our clients find it and believe in it is so important to us that it’s a core value of the Gym. For over eight years now, I’ve witnessed the magic firsthand and every single one of my teammates has seen it as well. And I’m so excited to share with you that for the month of November, we’re going to share some of that Magic with you. This month I’m talking to clients and teammates who have truly experienced and witnessed results that are nothing short of magic and their stories and journeys are just what we need for this crazy time in life.

Joining me today are three trainers from the gym; Sara B, Bevin, and Kadri.

What are we drinking?

Bevin - Sleighride Hard Cider (it tastes like Christmas) 

Kadri - Mescal with one block ice cube

Sara B -  A nice lil red wine

Shannon - Bota Box Nighthawk Red Wine 

Podcast Notes

  • Sara has been working with the gym for two years. She was friends with a client who thought Sara would be a good fit as an employee because of her coaching background. She encouraged her to apply and the rest is history. 

  • Kadri was building out his life coaching business and realized while doing so that he wanted to coach within the framework of an established company. Since he was always into personal finance, a position at The Financial Gym seemed like a perfect fit. 

  • Bevin was in the process of building her personal finance coaching package. When she was preparing her offerings, planning content, and doing research on similar things, she came across the gym. She decided to see if there was a position available, stalked the gym, and it will be a year of working at the gym in January. 

  • All three of these trainers have a coaching background and interest. Shannon remembers this from each of their first days. 

  • Part of what led Shannon to start the gym was working with a life coach when she was 31.

WHAT IS GYM MAGIC?

  • It is a requirement for all employees at the gym to believe in Gym Magic. 

  • Gym Magic is one of our core values! 

  • Sara shares that she’s always been a little woo-woo and loves Gym Magic. She knows from her work as a coach and from being coached that a lot of the magic lives outside of the numbers. She started noticing Gym Magic pretty early on in this work. Sometimes all it takes is giving the client their plan for the magic to start. 

  • Kadri shares his story of being hired at The Financial Gym, which in itself was Gym Magic. His whole life has been pretty magical. He reminds us it’s all about activity and persistence.  

  • Bevin shares she is also a little woo-woo. Magic is more than just higher income, cash in the bank or less debt. Gym Magic varies depending on what the client values. It comes in many different shapes, sizes, and packages. 

  • Some examples of Gym Magic are fast while others are more of a slow burn. 

  • Sometimes something simple makes a huge difference in someone’s life, whether that is a process, product, or other knowledge. 

WHAT CONTRIBUTES TO GYM MAGIC / HOW TO BELIEVE IN MAGIC FOR CLIENTS 

  • Part of the role of a financial trainer is believing in Gym Magic on behalf of the client.  

  • Sometimes people realize their magic is having meetings. The act of showing up is what works for them. Even if there is stress or anxiety. The grass grows greener where you water it. 

  • A huge part of a trainer's job is the coaching, mindset shifts, and really helping people get a grasp outside of the numbers.  This is what really moves the numbers. 

  • Anybody can create a plan! The secret sauce is being able to help you execute on the plan, evolve with the plan, and evolve with you. 

  • Shannon reminds clients to have self-compassion, patience and forgiveness for themselves. Sometimes the ball gets dropped and sometimes life drops the ball on you. That’s part of life. Be resilient and find that magic. 

  • The Financial Gym is for everybody, we help people who truly need that first step and folks who are already fit and ready to level up. 

  • We truly have seen it all because we take everybody.

  • The stories might start sad, but they don’t end sadly. 

MONEY IS OUT THERE FOR US TO GRAB - PRACTICAL TIPS 

  • We partner with a company called Capitalize that helps you find money in retirement accounts you might not have known about and roll it over into a new account! Bevin did an episode of Financially Naked with the CEO Guarav a few weeks ago, listen to it here

    • She recommended this service to a client who used Capitalize and found out she had $30,000 in a retirement account she didn’t know about. Use OUR LINK to try out Capitalize, it is FREE to the consumer. 

  • The state department revenue website is another example of a place where money might be waiting for you. Into Google, type in ‘YOUR STATE comptroller unclaimed funds’ to check with your state department. 

Random Three Questions

  1. What is your favorite thing to binge on?

  2. Are you an appetizer or dessert person?

  3. What do you folks do to relax?

WANT MORE GYM MAGIC? Check out these blog posts:

Florida & Vincent

Chary

The Financial Gym Impact Report  

Meet the Trainers 

Bevin Morgan -  Level 2 Certified Financial Trainer 

Kadri Augustin - Level 3 Certified Financial Trainer

Sara Belhouari - Level 2 Certified Financial Trainer

Takeaway: My biggest takeaway is to not stop believing and working toward Gym Magic for yourself. It doesn’t always happen in the timeline we would like, but if you keep working on it, it always seems to have a way of finding you.    

If you have any topics you would like for me to cover on this podcast or you’d like to get in the financially naked hot seat, I encourage you to email me to Shannon@fingyms.com or join the private Martinis and Your Money facebook group and let me know what you want to hear. 

We have a lot of exciting things happening at Financial Gym in 2022, but the most exciting has to be our Certified Financial Trainer Licensing program. If you are a personal finance nerd with a passion for helping others, this is the course for you. It’s based on my 10 years plus of helping people get financially healthy and led by my amazing team at The Financial Gym. We’re about to start raising the pricing, so if you’ve ever thought about doing something like this, don't waste any more time, head over to financialgym.com and under our services, you’ll find more on the Certification Program. 

Shannon McLay1 Comment