What my clients taught me this year (2025)

One of the things I love most about coaching is the opportunity to regularly learn, grow, and understand many different types of people. Our clients are parents, professionals, community members, and overall inspiring people. But more than anything, they’re people I enjoy spending time with. They’re always trying to be better and do more for themselves and the people around them. Here are some things I’ve learned from them this year:

Note: Names and some personal details have been changed!

Steven

Steven was previously a competitive basketball player, avid skier, and overall active person. About 10 years ago, he experienced a back injury that changed the way he moves and feels. This is difficult to navigate for anyone, and especially for someone who is used to being active.

He started training with us about 8 months ago and has done an amazing job of going at his own pace, listening to his body, and not worrying about what anyone else thinks. In many ways, Steven is a coach’s dream. He moves well, makes adjustments easily, listens to coaching, and isn’t afraid to try things and not be good at them right away.

The challenge with someone like Steven is that it’s very easy to push him too hard, too fast. It takes restraint from both the athlete and coach to slow down and resist the urge to see what he can do right away. But Steven has shown that being patient and always leaving “something in the tank” is the way through.

Despite having some flare-ups in training, he continued to show up and do what he could, even if it meant spending most of the session on breathing and mobility work (not the most exciting stuff!). Focusing on where he wants to be and how he wants to feel continues to help him stay disciplined and smart with his training without needing to prove anything to himself or anyone else.

Christine

Christine has been training with us for about 3 years now. When she first started, she was dealing with a neck injury that made most upper-body movements difficult, but she’s always had a goal of completing a full pushup. At the time, this seemed like a far-off goal, but a doable one.

Christine is a perfect example of consistency, patience, and checking all (not just some) of the boxes. Like Steven, she took her time and listened to her body, but she also sought out additional help when necessary and took a holistic approach. When her pain went beyond normal training aches, she saw a specialist, went to physical therapy, and always kept us as her coaches in the loop.

She allowed us to work as a team instead of guessing our way through the process and over time, she got to that full pushup. Patience is golden!

James

James began training with us at the beginning of the year and knew from the start that his demanding job and heavy travel schedule would be his main obstacles. He travels across the world throughout the year, has a three-year-old at home, and has dealt with back injuries in the past. He knows that stress and travel can cause flare-ups, but his main goal was the ability to be present with his family and not sidelined by pain.

From the start, we had to accept that his training schedule may not be regular or ideal. But instead of waiting for the perfect time, we focused on doing what we could in the time that he was here. When he’s here for longer periods of time, we increase his training frequency. When he’s off traveling, we gave him skills he could use if and when he wants to.

Most importantly, James acknowledged his obstacles and made a realistic plan that he could actually stick to long-term. This was a good reminder that “good enough” isn’t settling and instead may be the key that allows for change to happen.

Lucy

Lucy has been training with us since day one (October 2019!) and has always had one overarching goal: to train for something she loves. When she first started, that something was Muay Thai. Over time, it evolved into dance, which she has completely fallen in love with.

Along the way, Lucy worked hard to overcome a frustrating hip injury. Similar to Christine, she took a holistic approach and tackled this from all angles. We adjusted her program, clarified her “trainable menu1,” and kept our focus on the long game of dance.

When she auditioned for and made the cut for a big performance this year, she was ready. We always tell people that we want training to add to their lives, not to become their lives (unless they want this of course). Lucy is a powerful example of this.

Closing thoughts

Coaching is about listening and problem solving…but mostly listening. Our clients teach us how to pay attention and get out of the way. When you have driven, ambitious, and determined clients, it’s easy to push them. However, it’s not always easy to push them in the right ways. This means keeping your goals separate from theirs and to always see them for who they are, not who you want them to be.

Each year, we strive to get a bit better at this. To listen closely, interfere less, and help them pursue their dreams, not ours. As one of my favorite coaches always says, (thanks Coach Dan John) I’m looking forward to another year of lifting and learning.

Thanks to all of you for another year of Building Blocks!