FitPro asks John ‘JP’ Polley to give one personal takeaway he absorbed from each of the 16 interviews he hosted with global thought leaders in the fitness industry. When he said, “Wow, how do I narrow it down to ONE?” we answered, “Do your best!”
So let me start with a disclaimer. The following is what I took out of the exchanges with 16 brilliant people from my very fortunate address book. It may not even be what we specifically spoke about, but the ‘impression’ left on me from spending time deep diving into their life and their professional exploration. Oh, and they’re not in chronological order of interview but simply how I’ve chosen to write about them.
Ready? OK, here goes …
Having discovered Dani Mondo, the force behind Women’s Fitness Education, had previously competed in stage competitions, I reached out to have a conversation I’d wanted for some time. The basic question being, are they good for you? Physically, mentally and emotionally I mean. After diving into Dani’s successful entry and exit into the competitions, the biggest message I took away was that training programmes need to have a foundation of health, and that could be achieved through a mental and emotional conditioning component of all programmes, to preserve and protect the mental/emotional world of competitors, especially post competition.
Stewart Gillespie’s interview was quite different. We delved into the whole topic of immunity and why it’s so important as a focus in the drive to the healthiest version of ourselves. It turns out it’s quite personal and can be affected by any number of triggers from our physical, mental and emotional history. My personal feeling by the end was that understanding the relationship between inflammation and immunity MUST be central to any ‘cure’ in our lives.
Let’s talk about Maria Stone next. Born in Mexico as the youngest of 11 children, through an epic journey (listen to hear the story), Maria ends up living in New Zealand and being the reason the global brand Zumba® came to Australia and NZ! My impression when thinking of our conversation is that positivity, passion and authentic pursuit of your dreams will always deliver you a great life. Maria is the epitome of someone living a joyful life that she has purposely designed.
What can I say about Dr Paul Taylor? Born in Northern Ireland, he became a military man and is now a keynote speaker, corporate facilitator and academic in all things high performance. We spoke just before his official ratification as a PhD, which happened in July. We looked behind the veil of brain body science and what it all means in practice. Personally, I sat back after that exchange and thought that human minds are fascinating, that we’ve royally messed it up for ourselves and, on a side note, that tracking HRV is more important than I remember!
Dan Duran was inspirational – the classic example of facing challenges, showing extraordinary grit and leveraging the challenges to create an incredible life. From a career in law enforcement to travelling the world talking all things fitness, to completing a quintuplet anvil (5 x Ironman distance race), you don’t know whether to feel exhausted or exhilarated after hearing this human speak! However, the title we chose for his interview is exactly what I took away from this conversation: keep going, in life, in sport, in relationships, in being better – never give up!
Confession … Bobby Cappuccio is a bit of a hero of mine. Industry coaching legend, author and keynote speaker, I’ve followed him for a long time, listened to him speak in person and online for the last 18 years, met him multiple times, and I’ve always grown personally as a result. So, to have the opportunity to nerd out on the nature of humanity and what drives us was a rare privilege. Of course, I learned a little more this time too. In a wide-ranging discussion, it was almost impossible to land in one place and choose one concept to say I ‘took away’. If I had to pick one though, it’s that having an originating intention is key to a meaningful, productive and fulfilling existence. If you want to know what that means, then listen to the ‘nerd and the master’ at your earliest opportunity!
Linda Barlow was a real treat. I’ve watched Linda go from schoolteacher to PT to holistic, futuristic thought leader in vibrant human ‘beingness’. I can’t describe where we go in our conversation, other than to say you may be challenged to flip your original understanding about health practices a full 180 degrees! In fact, that was my over-arching feeling – that maybe everything we’ve been taught about health is missing almost everything natural, free and easily accessible. And that, to quote Dr Cassie, “your life is your medicine”.
Next to ponder is the uplifting Niki Loe. Naturopath, Pilates devotee, PT, international speaker and fervent wearer of blush and tutus. We discuss the concept of joy. Such a fantastic change from talking about all the things we’re burdened with, not doing correctly or ‘suffering’. In what ended up being a deeply personal examination of the benefits of joy as a practice, the thing that really hits home: run towards joy, not away from pain. So. Very. Powerful.
When I turn my thoughts to Bec Dilizia, international speaker, she’s gone from exercise physiologist and personal trainer to holistic health leader and energy-body practitioner, and her story really delivers the message. As someone who has come back from chronic fatigue syndrome and a range of associated health setbacks, where the medical model failed to help, the outcome truly lands in every cell of your body. The answers are inside you; never stop seeking out the knowledge, the people and the truth you need for YOU. Listen in to understand all the elements of her recovery and experience Bec’s gentle power.
A true legend is next. One Peter Twist! What a pleasure to speak to a ‘young elder’, someone who has done everything, who lives all of what he preaches, who’s beaten cancer and dominated the world with humility and grace. So many nuggets await you from our conversation. My mission is to choose only one for myself. My heart felt this one the most: DECIDE what you will be each day; choose a word in the morning and BE that concept in every action and interaction. Your effect on the world is guaranteed.
On to the incredible Dr Perry Nickelston. Such a great story – life challenges that have nourished his direction with his work, teaching health and wellbeing practices all over the world these last two decades. I hope it doesn’t disappoint that, even though we spoke for an hour, the message that fills my entire being, is that, to quote the great man himself, “no system acts alone, gets sick alone or heals alone”. Another firm reinforcement that holism is the only approach to true health outcomes.
Karen Mahar, half of the partnership of global brand Animal Flow, was another of my personal as well as professional connections. It’s not that Karen is in my close friend network (more’s the pity), but that Animal Flow is! I’ve been a fan and advocate of the modality since the early days, but what I wanted to know from Karen is how you go from being the PT client of someone with a cool idea, to becoming a world-beating industry partnership. To go from a single gym in the USA, to 35 countries, a global master trainer network and hosting retreats in paradise locations with 130 participants. Having followed the journey, I was looking for anything new. When it came, it was simple … collaboration is compromise. When you disagree, choose whether you die on this hill or let go so you win the battle. I’ve found myself quoting this in professional and personal life since!
When it comes to governing bodies in fitness, the only person I wanted to speak with was Richard Beddie. He’s the CEO of Exercise New Zealand. The reason I wanted to explore the life and work of this dynamic human was that he and his organisation have done what very few others have achieved. They’ve built a governing body from nothing to a point of over 80% of industry worker voluntary paid membership, AND have the most engaged community I’ve experienced. Richard and co are also actively investing in research to take the whole industry forward, and that’s where the treasure was for me. The results of the research are that investing in exercise is the best thing any government can do for its population, with the potential for savings in the millions of dollars for each western economy. What a legacy piece for Richard and Exercise NZ!
Amanda Bracks is a global speaker and author in sales. As someone who previously felt uncomfortable with the word, I was keen to take a dive into this unfamiliar world. And Amanda really delivered; with stories from her life and her professional career, she broke it down for us all brilliantly. This simple statement of genius was my favourite though: “The reason many people don’t make the sale, is because they never ASKED for the sale.” The final, “Do you want to go for it?” or “Are we doing this?” to get people over the line. O.M.G … it’s so obvious when I think about what I’d done my whole career. Namely, the “Here’s what I do and can you let me know if you’re interested” approach. I almost feel foolish looking back on it!
A more ‘human’ discussion was with JoDee Coulter, who has had an incredible life, from music therapist to grief counsellor and personal trainer. We discussed her life and her beautiful insights into the world of living with grief, both from personal and professional experience. I urge you to listen to JoDee’s interview in its entirety, but the thing that resonated so clearly for me was that grief isn’t just someone passing in your life; it’s loss of friendship, loss of employment, loss of self … any loss can lead to the symptoms of grieving and the need to process and heal, with that recognition. It has really helped me understand some of my own actions and I’m very grateful for that.
Interestingly, the Executive Director of FitPro, Teresa Wheatley, has been an end of life counsellor, which is a rather neat segway into her interview (very slick of me, huh?). We spoke six months into her tenure running one of the world’s most established fitness brands (now 35 years old) and her journey to this point, as well as her plans for the future. Teresa is a very ‘real and feel’ kind of person, and it was such a pleasure to download her story and her vision. So many little pieces of gold in this conversation but, again, I’m tasked with picking my own, personal takeaway. It was that being yourself and being ‘nice’ can be a successful strategy in business. In fact, it should be the gold standard. It was so good to hear this from someone in one of the industry ‘hot seats’ and demonstrates exactly the point being made!
OK, now it’s over to you to listen to the podcasts that sound like you. My challenge to you, though, is to listen to as many that resonate as you wish, but listen to ONE that you ordinarily would never choose. You may be surprised what you get from it. It’s how we grow.
Big love! JP
