💪S.S. 43 The 9-word email you need to send right now

1. Now is the time to take action

It’s okay to grieve for what you’ve lost because of COVID-19.

That advice, from Precision Nutrition cofounder John Berardi, is one of many nuggets shared in a recent forum hosted by the Coalition of Health and Fitness Leaders.

CHFL’s goal is to help personal trainers and coaches keep on training and coaching during this time of unprecedented disruption to our lives, and those of our clients. Members include the Online Trainer Academy, Girls Gone Strong, Trainerize, and Renaissance Periodization, in addition to PN.

A few more nuggets from the panel discussion:

"Accept that we’re going through this," said Dr. Spencer Nadolsky of Renaissance Periodization. Don’t waste energy being upset. Focus on what you can control. "And wash your damned hands!"
"Put yourself on a routine," especially if you aren’t used to working from home, said Sharad Mohan of Trainerize.
"Don’t focus on the delivery method before you know what you want to deliver," Jonathan Goodman advised. It’s better to take on clients now, before you’re ready, and figure out the best way to help them as you go along.
"Ask for help if you’re feeling overwhelmed," said Curtis Christopherson of Innovative Fitness. "Don’t feel like you can only help others. Delegate and elevate."
"Write down what you’ve lost on a piece of paper," Berardi said. Then burn it. Once your losses and grievances have turned to ash, take out another piece of paper, and write down everything you’ve gained. Start with the time you have now, and didn’t have before. How will you use it?

Go deeper: Check out the full 80-minute video here:

--> COVID-19 Expert Panel Discussion

2. The nine-word email you need to send right now – Jonathan Goodman

I see too many fitness pros trying to force something down people’s throats. "Sign up for my program." "Get my in-home workouts." "Join my online community."

If that’s you, you’re doing it wrong. Your job right now is to be there for somebody. To show up. To be there for what they need.

And believe me, you don’t know what they need. Everybody’s going to need something different. The only way to find out is to ask. Like, right now.

Here’s how to do it: Send every current and former client an email with nine words.

The subject line is "Hey."

The email is, "What do you need from me right now?"

That’s it. That’s all. Don’t add anything to it, even though you want to. Don’t say, "Things are tough right now." Everybody knows things are tough. Just give your clients a chance to tell you what they need.

They might say they’re struggling to eat well. They might say they’re struggling with their workouts. They might say they just want to see pictures of dogs, or hear a child laughing.

Fitness professionals need to be needed. I get that. It’s as much a prerequisite as it is an occupational hazard.

But it’s much better to focus on what your clients need from you and meet them where they need to be met.

3. Leadership secrets of Obi-Wan Kenobi

We all want to play the hero. Not just in our own personal narrative, but in the lives of our clients.

But that’s the wrong way to look at your role, says Giovanni Marsico, founder of Archangel Academy, a community of mission-driven entrepreneurs and business leaders.

In mythology, the hero is pulled out of their ordinary world by a catalytic event.

For Dorothy Gale, it was a tornado that picked her up in Kansas and dropped her down in Oz. For Harry Potter, it was a letter inviting him to attend Hogwarts. For Luke Skywalker, it was an urgent hologram from a damsel in distress (who turned out to be his sister, but never mind that for now), followed by the murder of his aunt and uncle.

Once they’re separated from the world they know, they’re met by their "helper," the mentor who helps them take the first steps of their journey.

Dorothy gets an assist from Glinda, who explains the shoe fetish peculiar to witches. Harry Potter meets Dumbledore, and Luke Skywalker realizes his elderly neighbor is actually Obi-Wan Kenobi, a Jedi knight.

Here’s how that relates to you:

Thanks to COVID-19, we’ve all been pulled from our familiar world and into something different and unpredictable.

"And whenever something like this happens, people are looking for hope, leadership, support, and direction," Marsico says, "That's where you come in. Your role in this epic story is to become the helper. The guide."

What you’re not is the hero of the story. Your clients are the heroes. They’re the ones who face down uncertainty and do battle with their personal demons. You’re the one who shows them how to use a light saber.

The takeaway: Every major crisis is also a time of innovation. "You may be forced to change the way you deliver your results," Marsico says. And that’s okay. "We're problem solvers. It's what we're born to do."