Meet Shaun Franklin | Personal Trainer and Nutrition Coach

We had the good fortune of connecting with Shaun Franklin and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Shaun, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I’ve been a Personal Trainer and Group Trainer since 2012. In that time I’ve worked for four different gyms, studios, or boot camps. I’ve taken what I consider to be the positives of each of those experiences and have combined them in to something that I can call my own.

Eventually I realized that people are enjoying my training style, or my “way” of training. Every trainer puts their own personal “spin” during training sessions. You can have two trainers implement the exact same workout to the same clients, and they would get a “different workout” depending on the trainer and their style.

Once I felt I was “good enough” to branch out on my own, I did so.

What should our readers know about your business?
When I first started in this career, my goal was to make people sweat, smile, and give them a good workout. Now, my goal is to help people by coaching them through the many facets of fitness, not just telling them what exercises to do, while guiding them towards their goal(s).

I started off my personal training journey in 2012. I have a bachelor’s degree in Exercise and Sports Science so that made me feel entitled that I knew “everything” that needed to be known about being a Personal Trainer even though I had zero experience. Goodness, was I wrong!

I have since learned that personal training is not just about picking exercises and choosing sets and reps. It also includes the smaller aspects of it such as building rapport, relationship-building, programming, corrective exercise, muscle imbalances, and nutrition. I have added more certifications, continuing education, and have learned more about the psychology of why people make decisions. Why does that matter? So I can add more value to my current clients and future clients.

I train clients out of my garage, I drive to a handful of clients, and I have virtual sessions as well. Some people are skeptical when they hear “working out in a garage”. Well, it’s a fully furnished gym with barbells, dumbbells, bumper plates, rubber flooring, bands, etc. The only thing it does not have is machines. To be honest, machines aren’t needed to have a safe, effective workout.

At the end of the day, I love helping people move better, feel better, and aim to be a stronger, healthier version of themselves.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
First off, I’d tell my best friend, “Hey, while you’re visiting, why don’t we workout a couple times? I mean, why *not* workout while you’re here??”. So I’d have them visit my gym haha.

If they have their kiddos with them, we’d go to a couple parks in the area such as Frank Beverly Park, Russell Creek Park, or Arbor Hills Nature Preserve.

For a meal or two we would go to Lazy Dog or Palio’s Pizza.

My absolute favorite cupcakes are from Unrefined Bakery so we would definitely go there!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
As corny as it sounds in my head, my wife and family have been very involved in encouraging me to start my own business.

I learned a lot working at the different studios so Infinity Personal Training deserves a shoutout and so does F45 Walnut Hill.

The most recent book I’ve been listening to has really helped me hone in on how to make my business better. It’s called Building a Story Brand by Donald Miller.

Website: https://coachsftraining.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shaunfranklinpt/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=29623210

Image Credits
Alex Stassen – Stassen Photography