[Transcript starts at 1:40]
Hey friends, Maestro here. And thank you for joining me for another episode of Maestro on the Mic. Today, I'm telling you my story and let's just hop on into this. So, uh, recently on Instagram, Uh, I switched my content, I made that hard pivot, I'm all about that digital business life, teaching people how to use Instagram and I freaking love it, like I'm just, I love it.
I, I feel the way that I felt when I started kind of posting about movement stuff, uh, and so I'm really stoked about that. And in sharing this, um, I've had people reach out, which has been dope, and I recently got the question of basically like, Can you tell me your story? Especially because I've got some new followers, some new InstaFam members.
Um, and so I received a question that's like, how did you have the courage to do this? Like, it didn't seem like you were in the field as you know, that long before you decided, like, you didn't want to do it. So, you know, how, what happened? So I was like, I think maybe I have an episode. I'm kind of not even sure.
I have so many at this point. Um, I remember the episode that I did with you folks about your journey and writing it all out, but I'm not sure. Like if I just sat and told them, I don't really remember and I was like, if I'm not going back, I don't think other people are going back. So, let me just record another episode.
So, My journey. I was born in 1985. Uh, my New Year's baby. And, uh, I basically always wanted to be an orthopedic surgeon. Why? I have no idea. I, you know, I guess the prestige, the clout, I don't really know. But I always wanted to do that. And my basketball coach actually for AAU, um, when I was, you know, you know, an early teen.
He was an orthopedic surgeon and he wound up being my orthopedic surgeon when I tore my ACL. When I tore my ACL 15, unhappy triad, I was playing basketball and pop pop that went and that was my first exposure to physical therapy actually and I know I was not like, Oh, I want to be a physical therapist now.
But I was at least exposed to it. I still very much wanted to be an orthopedic surgeon. Wanted to, before that was like, I'm going to like play soccer forever. Or like, you know, just, there was no like super high level, but I was like, I want to go to, to a UNC and play there. And then that kind of changed. Um, I still want to be an orthopedic surgeon.
Still want to go, still wanted to go D1. So I went D1, I ended up going to Georgetown, played there. Uh, I'll use the term loosely, played there. Uh, by no means was I a standout or anything like that. And was pre med, did all that stuff, didn't, you know, wasn't fully convinced. I think part of me was like, maybe I won't get into med school.
I was seeing a lot of my older friends not get in, and I was kind of just like, I don't know. And also in the back of my mind, I was like, I don't want to have to deal with the boys club of orthopedic surgery. And it was just like, I wasn't a hundred percent, excuse me, a hundred percent sold on med school.
So I spoke with my advisor. He never turned the lights on in his office, which was like, it was the weirdest thing. It was a super nice guy, but he would just have like the window light, but like never the lights on. Just randomly thought about that, but really good guy. Uh, but talked with him and it wasn't a creepy thing, like the doors open.
It wasn't like, you know, some like predatory thing, but either way, um, spoke with him and he was like, how about physical therapy? And I was like, okay, like I, you know, I had been exposed to it from my ACL and I had a really tough recovery. I, I did, I went in with like no range of motion and no strength and came out with no range of motion and no strength.
And it was a really long recovery. And I'm really grateful to my therapist. Therapists. Um, but it also made me the therapist that I became and I was like, I will never be an aggressive therapist. And like, you know, it was a rough recovery. Um, but I was like, all right, how about, you know, I'll do that. So I applied to PT school.
Um, I had all the prerequisites already, cause like I said, I was pre med, so I had everything. Um, my, my, my, my major was human science and, you know, Georgetown was prepared to shit out of me for grad school. So I applied, I applied honestly, kind of based on like prestige that's clout and like also proximity to, you know, I want to be on these coasts.
I want to go to New York. Um, and I also, I'm not going to lie. I applied based on the application process. So like one of them, I want to say it was Maryland, uh, had like a million essays and I was like, nope, not filling that shit out. Um, so I know I, I applied to USC and I applied to NYU. I feel like I applied somewhere else, but I, I don't really remember.
I, I know for a fact I applied to those two, heard back from NYU, um, and, you know, Gwen and did my interview and all that stuff. Got in and accepted it. And then very shortly after, heard back from USC and they were like, would you know, would you come for an interview? Which was obviously across the country.
'cause I, I was on the East coast and so I was just like. Well then, uh, no I can't. Um, but I was definitely like kind of kicking myself because again, the prestige, the clout, like USC was the number one program at the time. Um, and you know, I felt that that stuff really mattered. Uh, right now we know it doesn't, but I thought it did.
So. Let's fast forward a little bit. Let's move forward a little bit. I went to NYU and hated it. Right? So the turnaround time between undergrad and grad school is about like two weeks. I feel like I went to NYU, people were great. Students were great. Um, I hated it. I hated, you know, what I, I thought there was, quite frankly, I thought it was too easy, and I don't say that in like, you know, to brag or anything like that, but I had to work very hard at Georgetown and I didn't have the work that hard at NYU.
Um, I was, I'll say that I was fortunate in that I went right from undergrad to grad school, and I say fortunate in, in the sense that, you know, I was still in study mode and I was still learning in the way that. People were still teaching. Whereas when I saw some of the second career students kind of struggling because like PowerPoints and just like being expected to like learn all this bullshit you don't need and just like the whole model, you know, being so flawed, they were like, uh, can't follow this.
But I went straight through. So I was like, yeah, just keep doing what you're doing. I am, I'm good at taking tests. I'm good at regurgitating information. Um, and I just thought it was too easy. And I, at the time, uh, my roommate from college, Karina, she went to NYU med school. And so, you know, I got to see her, and I was just like, I made the wrong choice.
But stuck it out, and graduated, and hated it! Um, was like, this is what I signed up for? What the fuck? Um, about two years after I graduated, I was just like, This fucking sucks, and I think if I didn't have so much debt, I would have left and tried to do something else. But, I mean, I understand it is really hard to do change directions because, you know, and I hope this kind of, this goes away with the advent of Rona.
You know, like you need to like go get that goddamn piece of paper from a school and pay a million dollars so that you can then go get a job and actually learn how to do the job. This is a racketeering scheme here, but, um, so I was like, you know, I would have loved to have done other things, but I'm in, I'm in it.
I've already spent the time and let me like figure out a way to make it work and make myself happy here. So I went and spoke to, uh, a professor I had. at NYU. Dr. Rao. Shout out to you, Dr. Rao. I don't think she listened to this podcast, but I don't care. I'm still shouting out to you. And, uh, I went and she steered me in the direction of some other people.
Um, you know, basically I got the advice to take the OCS because, you know, I was still in it. I was still in the PT mindset and I was like, How do I climb this ladder? How do I become the best? Uh, for me, and it's always been, maybe my mom instilled this in me. I don't know. Um, just like, you can do something, like be the best at it, plain and simple.
So I was like, be the best? And I was given the advice of, if take the OCS and I wanted to learn and grow. So I signed up for the OCS. At that same time, I switched where I was working. and started working at Duffy and Bracken. And I switched and they said they have, you know, a pelvic floor, um, health. That's what they're known for.
So I was like, I wanted to get kind of into that. And so I switched and for me. Everything in life and how I attack things is about, you know, going deep. When I'm interested in it, I will go deep. So before I had switched, I was at, um, recovery PT and it was a fucking mill and I made the most of it. And I, I, you know, I love my patients.
I love my colleagues. Some of them, uh, shout out to Monty. He's not listening to this either, but man, Monty is the shit. And. I did have, I know I did make the most, I did learn a lot and I threw myself into it. I learned about, you know, that's when I really got into running. I had those five finger shoes. I ran marathons because that was a big thing.
My patients were doing it. And I was like, I'm going to learn this too. And you know, I'm going to do it. I got really into feet. I got really into the barefoot movement. And so, you know, this is what, eight years ago, 10 years, eight, nine years ago. Um, but was so disenchanted by the model and just feeling so burned out.
You know, I had that alternating schedule where you leave, you know, your early Monday, Wednesday, Friday, your late Tuesday, Thursday. So, you know, you leave the office at nine o'clock at night on Tuesday and you got to be in the office ready to treat at like 7am on Wednesday. And I was like, this fucking sucks.
Uh, I was super unhealthy. Like I remember, so our office was in a gym. It was in a New York sports club and I got on the treadmill once after work and I couldn't even run a mile And I was like, dude, I'm Not that far out. Yeah, a few years out from being a division one soccer player. I can't even run a mile.
I'm like, literally, I'm like going to die. And I was like, this is not good. So, you know, I committed to working out and doing more but it was just like this is not a healthy lifestyle for me. Where like your lunch is so short and you're just like trying to eat what you can and you're stressed out and just feeling miserable.
So trying to make the most of it ended up switching, going and getting a job at Duffy and Bracken, um, in the hopes that things were better and they were, you know, it was a change, a good change, got into pelvic floor and got to learn more and go deep with that. That sounds funny saying that, but, uh, I got to go deep with that and.
Still, you know, that gave me three years there, but still feeling like this isn't the best fit. So I got my OCS while I was there. I pushed off the test one, I don't know, one round. So I guess a year, because I switched jobs and I was like, okay, I'm happy. Like I'm, I'm learning new stuff here. Um, I'll push it off.
Then was still like, you know what, I already paid for this shit, so studied. I didn't, I didn't, you guys, you folks know that I'm not about residencies and that bullshit. So, not if you're trying to just like get the OCS. So I studied for it, passed, got my OCS. Uh, I will not be renewing that shit, by the way.
But, studied, got it, and Was still in the, very much in the model, knowing that like, I didn't want to be a clinic director one. I could not become a clinic director at that facility. Uh, because the, the present or the past, um, cause she's since left, uh, the past clinic director wasn't going anywhere and I was like, fine with that.
I got a student, um, Marissa, if you listen, shout out to you, she's the best. Um, so things were good, but was still like, you know, getting burned out. Like New York City. We'll burn you out. It's an amazing place. It's a phenomenal place. But then your nervous system can only take but so much of it and I did it for nine years and I'm, you know, five years into it.
I was just like, man, I am just so burned out. I'm not the person you people listening right now. I'm not the person, I was not the person that I am now just in terms of like how happy and I still gave everything to my patients and I did the best that I could but you know, like I asked myself that question.
Is this gonna be the rest of my life? Like I was like, I will die. If this is the rest of my life. Uh, so during that time I found CrossFit, um, and I found it because I was training for the marathon and I kept running by CrossFit, it was literally like a block away from my house and I would run past it and it was fun.
And, you know, I was having, I had some patients who were doing CrossFit. And I was like, maybe I should learn some more about it. So I did a marathon and then, uh, joined CrossFit and fell in love with it. Like everybody else, I was like, I want to learn how to do a muscle up. My muscle ups still suck, but that was why I wanted to go.
Met one of my really good friends, Anthony Mercurio there. Um, CrossFit 718 in Brooklyn. That's my home and that's where I got my start. So I joined CrossFit and in joining CrossFit, me being me wanting to go deep with things, I Wanted to learn like why can't I do this stuff, but other people can and like how do I get better at this?
And what is it? What what are they like? You're watching all the videos about Olympic lifting and gymnastics and trying to learn and that led me to social media That's really what got me to Instagram So, I joined Instagram, I did my first post on September 24th, 2014, with no other intent than, like, I'm just making a post.
Uh, at the time, folks like Kelly Starrett and Waddock were really big, uh, and I was watching them, and I was like, I could, you know, do this, this might be cool to, to put out some videos, put out some information, share some information, maybe help some CrossFitters out. Uh, you know, help me connect with some cool people, but there was no intent like I'm going to be the movement maestro is going to be this thing.
First of all, I was the movement mechanic. I wasn't even the movement maestro. I picked that name. I wanted some alliteration. I wanted like, you know, a clever moniker because wad doc, uh, you know, K star, and I was like, okay, well, like these people have the names and the. For me, I'm very much about like, what are successful people doing?
And let me see if I can emulate that and then put my own spin on it. So I became the movement mechanic. And then realized that some massage therapist out in like Denver or something had that name trademarked. So I was like, I should probably change this. And changed it to the movement maestro. I took that name, not really loving the name or word maestro, because I felt like some people couldn't spell it.
It'd be a whole thing, but I was like, I just want the alliteration. I'm just going to move. I'm going to make moves. I'm going to take messy action. So I'm posting and just not really having a plan, but just like, you know, posting my day and posting, staying late at work, uh, creating during lunch, doing things beforehand.
Shout out to Tupel, Vansia, and Julie. They helped me out big time with filming and such. And I was just like, I'm going to just kind of do this and it's fun. Uh, that led me to find. You know him, Perry Nicholson, my self appointed mentor, that man changed my life, and I took a rock tape course. Why? Because I wanted to learn from him.
I was thinking about taking a taping course, I had some patients coming in because I was still like, you know, kind of involved with running, and they were using it, And I was like, I should maybe learn something about this. I had another co worker who had taken the kinesio tape cert, and was like, talking about origin to insertion, and I was like, that does not sound like science to me, my friend.
So, uh, my friend Jesse, actually he was like, take the rock tape course, like it's actually pretty good, it's not like, you know, the origin to insertion stuff, there's a lot more to it. Um, to the course rather, and I was like, okay, saw that Perry was teaching and I took it, uh, at Spear, uh, down on like the, I don't know, the West side.
Uh, it's funny cause that place became, you know, became full circle with that, but took the course for him. And for the first time in my life, I asked for something. So I had a student at the time, shout out to Mark. I don't think he's listening to this, but either way, shout out to Mark. And. He was telling me, I remember being in the lunchroom at Duffy and Brackett, I'm just so tiny, and he was talking about all these opportunities that he had, just like to meet people, to go to classes for free, to like take these things and like talk to people, and I was like, Dude, how the hell do you get all these opportunities?
And he was like, I asked, and I was like, what does it think? And I really sat with that and I was like, shit, you can ask. And, you know, when I go on podcasts now and people before and people would ask, what do you want to say? What do you want to leave the people with? What's one piece of advice? And Many times my advice, especially to females, is ask, because we tend to think like, Oh, I'll just work really hard, someone will notice me, and I'll get the opportunity, and my life will be great.
And that is not science, right there. So, I went to that rock tape class that weekend. I had already formed a friendship with Perry, basically through social media. I was posting some stuff about the class, and just like, you know, had been talking to him and connected with him. Just really supporting his stuff.
I loved it. He'd opened my eyes to so much and just fell in love with it Took the class and was like, holy shit. There's a better way. This is the way I've been hating what I've been doing Like feeling that there was something more like not like this are really hating it But just being like there's something more and like I'm gonna do this But if this is the rest of my life, my goodness, this is terrible taking that class.
I was like, holy shit There's there's more so at the end of the class. I asked him I said Barry You How do I become an instructor? I believe I emailed him and he wrote me back and was like, I'll put you in touch with Allison. And I, you know, got put in touch with Allison. Shout out to Allison. She's not listening either, but she knows I love her.
Uh, and I've talked about her before, but got, you know, put in touch with Allison, gave my resume and everything over. And that was like kind of it. And then a few months later, I heard back from Steve Capobianco, Steve, shout out to Steve, also not listening, but that's fine. Uh, love him too. Changed my life.
And he was just like, Hey, are you still interested? We have an opportunity, an opening, uh, for new instructors. And. You know, are you still interested? And I wrote back, absolutely. I took this thing and I was like, this could pay nothing. I was expecting it to pay nothing. And I was like, I will figure it out.
I will work at Costco. Not that there's anything wrong with working at Costco, but I will work at Costco. I will do what I need to do to set things in motion. I literally just wrote back. I was like, yes, I will do it. Tell me what I got to do. He was like, it's a midweek opportunity. Like, so I'd have to be teaching during the week.
And I was like, that's fine. Whatever, I'll figure it out. So, said yes. I got basically put on the fast track to becoming an instructor because they were needed. It was the right place, the right time, and you gotta ask. It's not just like, oh, I'm gonna work hard and like, you gotta put all the pieces in place.
You can't just ask and not do the work. You can't, you know, not a good idea to just do the work and not ask. You do both and you set yourself up for some big success and that's what happened there. Um, so. Got put on the fast, fast track to teaching and I went in and I told my boss. That, you know, I told her I got this job and that I was going to be moving to California the following year.
So this was like, I don't even know, freaking July, I guess, maybe June, July of 2015. And I was scheduled to move to California in June of 2016. It was happening. So like, you know, I'm already on the path to like try and change my life. And didn't really know, like I was gonna do about a job or anything like that.
But I was like, So my boss knew about that. I got the job from rock tape. I read a book. You may have heard of it. It's called the four hour work week. And. I read that book and was like, I'm out. You know, I think we all have that book, uh, that does something for us. And we have that experience that does something for us.
And it's just a matter of the right place, the right time. It's just, it's, you were meant to, you know, it moves us. You could read it at another time in your life and it wouldn't do shit. But I read that book at a time where I needed to hear it. And I didn't do, I didn't even do the drills or anything in the book.
I just read it and I was like, yo. Boom. What, what am I waiting for? I'm like gonna wait till I'm 65 to like, now that that's old, I'm gonna wait till I'm like 65 to do stuff? Like, what? This doesn't, nah, like I can't, like I'm so miserable, I'm like, I can't, like, you know, I was getting the, the Friday scaries, not the Sunday scaries, the Friday scaries, where it was Friday, which meant like, It's almost Monday again.
We almost got to do this whole fucking thing all over again, and just being so damn miserable with things. So, I went in and I was like, Ann, we need to talk. And she already knew. She was like, you're leaving, aren't you? And I was like, I will give you two months. Like, I can't stay here the next year. Like, I can't do it.
So, I, I don't even know how long, I think I left in August then, and I started working Out of my CrossFit box, right? So I sold you CrossFit 718, I had been going, um, and I started treating out of there, I kind of piecemealed my, my money, right? I started treating out of there. Uh, my good, good, good friend, Dr.
Peter, Dr. Peter Huang, uh, I'll, I'll link his episode. He came on a few episodes ago. He gave me an opportunity to rent space out of his facility. Um, I actually ended up renting some space out of, uh, another, another person I went to school with Dan Giordano, um, up in Midtown and I was also. Teaching. So I was just doing these things, doing it all and just making ends meet that way.
And again, you know, I took that leap, but I took that leap, not super blind, like knowing that I'd at least make some money with, um, the teaching for rock tape, because like I had asked them about it and it wasn't like it was, I, I was going to take, you know, an unpaid whatever, but it was actually like you got paid and I was like, okay, cool.
Like, yeah, I'll do this. And I'll figure it out with that. So I left, but not just blindly. I think that, you know, I've told you folks before, I'm not a fan of just like burn the ships and just like, it doesn't make sense. I don't, I don't like that model. I like having some sort of safety net in place. It makes it a little less scary.
And for me, that was having that job that was realizing my skillset that was having started, uh, Treating on my own at, um, you know, like my CrossFit box and you folks listening, I was not charging a bajillion dollars when I was trying to treat me, treating at my CrossFit box. I was charging people 60 bucks for an hour.
And like the coaches, I think I was like 30 or 40 bucks for the hour. And I would use it as content. I use it as time to learn. I use it as a time to like, learn how to like, what do I need to do? Like what kind of scheduling system do I need to have? Like what makes this easier and putting things together and figuring it out as I.
So where are we in the story here? I hadn't moved yet. Um, making it work at, you know, my few different jobs there and totally not burning the ship. But that was a big point in leaving and that I. Was at a point, I think it was less scary to take that leap because I was so miserable with my, and I don't, I'm not trying to talk shit about what I was working on, it was just, I, I didn't like the model.
I didn't like any, I just was so unhappy that I got to a point where I was like, I would rather work, like I said, in Costco than keep doing this. So it made the jump that much easier. I had those, those things in place of those jobs of, you know, Yeah, working for myself, but I was like, I could see people. Um, and I was seeing people at my CrossFit box.
Um, I had started doing some workshops and stuff there. I had, uh, you know, made my, my face known there, tried to go to different classes. And I was like, I'm going to make this work. So took that leap and you learn as you go, you figure it out. And people started reaching out. I was still doing social media during this whole time.
Like I told you, when I first started, I was, Very much a full time clinician and I made the time. I would come in early. I would say don't do this during lunch I remember one time actually doing a post and the whole entire caption got deleted Because I wasn't smart enough yet to write the captions in my notes section I read them directly in Instagram and then Instagram froze and I was like, I just spent my entire lunch doing this Oh my God.
Uh, but would you at lunch? I would stay late. Um, you know, again, shout out to Vonsi and to Pell and Julie, they would stay and we would exercise, do some P90X and we'd shoot videos and I was making content. I was making content at 718. Shout out to 718 again, man. This is my family. And started getting, receiving questions from people and, you know, just slow growth, but Was just doing my thing, you know, every now and then you get reposted by a bigger account, which is really the fastest way to grow.
I would get reposted. I got reposted a few times, I think by like perform better. Uh, and that was a big deal and got started receiving inquiries for people being like, can you help me? And I was like, Okay, I'll do this remote stuff. Again, you guys know how I feel about the legality side of it. It's like, fuck it.
I was willing to take that risk. Um, I wanted to help people. That's one of my help. And I was like, cool, we'll call it a consult and like, I'll help you remotely. So, you know, I've been doing this online stuff for five years now. It works. And I just started seeing some people that way and just helping people, like, you know, one off things and realizing like, this is pretty cool and just every day just trying to solve problems, my own problems included.
Um, but that's also why I started doing workshops at my gym. I did a crossover symmetry workshop. I started teaching mobility classes there just because I was like, there's a, there's a need. Let me solve this problem. And I was very much enjoyed it. I've always loved assessment. I do. I've always loved teaching and that's what I was doing.
And I would be learning while I'm treating these people or learning while I'm doing my mobility classes and the next stuff would become the content that I would post, uh, and it just, you know, it grew slowly, but it was very well worth it, um, I'm trying to think when I hit 10 K, I think that I hit 10 K.
Okay. On my trip to, when I was driving to California. So that would be June of 2016. Mind you, I started this in 2014. Um, there was no like swipe up celebration. It didn't exist yet. Stories weren't a thing yet. I actually chronicled my trip across the country using Snapchat because stories weren't a thing.
And I didn't want to like post about it. So I was just, you know, slow growth. But again, the reason I was on there was just to connect with people. So let's keep moving with the story. This is absolutely not a Thursday shorty, clearly. If you want to stop, that's fine. But I'm trying to keep it interesting here.
I was moving across. So I'm treating, I'm doing the stuff at my box and just making most of it and really enjoying it. Like, I was truly enjoying life and once you get a taste of that independence and that freedom of you setting your own schedule and you set your prices and you get to just treat and work the way you want, you're like, dude, this is pretty fucking cool.
Again, my prices started at 60 bucks. Like, right now, friends, if you were to schedule a session with me, not that I treat, but my, my business. stuff. I'm 397 an hour. I have raised my prices. It goes up and I have no problem charging that, but I didn't start there. I just got started and I didn't get started there.
I told you, I started 40 bucks, 60 bucks, moved up to a hundred. Uh, I think by the time I left, I was at maybe 125 or 150, but it was great. You get to see people how you want. You write your notes the way you want, not submitting to insurance or anything like that. It was just, It's fun and people got better.
Like I looked forward to the consults. I look forward to sessions. It was really. Really good. I was sad to leave my people, sad to leave, you know, my, my, my crew, but was like I said, there's a shelf life from New York city. It's a special place, but there's a shelf life. Your nervous system can only handle, but so much.
So I moved to California then in June of 2016. And actually a, an awesome person by the name of Kimmy, Coach Kimmy, shout out to you, reached out to me and asked me to come check out, uh, the place where she was working, Kinesis, uh, her and, and, and Dr. Don, and I ended up renting space from there. And so I, you know, I had a place to operate out of, Before I even, you know, something that was starting to be in the works, before I even got here.
And it was because of social media, just because I was putting stuff out, and putting stuff out regularly. When I say regularly, I was posting multiple times a day. Uh, you folks know I used to do a thing called the daily maestroism, and that is really what I think catapulted my, or really solidified my account.
I posted every single day. Um, I started it, why? Because both WodDoc and KStar had something they were posting every day. And I was like, I can't do a video every day, but like I could do a quote every day and explain it. So I started doing that and ended up posting every day for a thousand days. But, uh, you know, in the midst of that, that's when the move and everything happened, but my account was growing.
And like, I just, you know, really connecting with people, you know, connecting with my audience. And so I moved across the country, had a place to set up shop and Started treating. My, my patients still came from, um, social media. And I was getting the majority of my income, though, folks, from teaching. I realized that that was my passion.
So before I moved, I should maybe back up a little bit, before I moved, I was like, had taken that rock tape job and I just threw myself into it. I said, if you need any coverage, if someone cancels, if whatever, send me. I went everywhere in this country. I went to the most podunk places, these three day tours.
You're, you're, you're really just, you fucking earn your keep when you, when you do those tours. And I actually, um, was awarded Rock Tape MVP, my like first, like after my first official full year at Rock Tape and you know, I, I fucking love that company. You folks know that they changed my life and I just doubled down on it.
I committed to it. I was still doing social media. Always, every day, I was, you know, treating and, and, and supplementing my income with, with treating, but the, the main income was coming from teaching. And so when I moved here, the same thing, it also kind of dictated where I moved, because I wanted to live near the airport, because I was still very much Treating, and as, excuse me, treating, so very much, uh, teaching and traveling.
So, what I did with the traveling was I used it to connect with people and build my brand. I just, also, I let them know, like, I was a movement maestro. whatever that meant to them. Uh, it's, you know, you just start to kind of have that, that, I don't wanna say reputation, but Rock Tape does an awesome job with that intrapreneur model.
And they realize when you grow, they grow. It's, it's, it's a nice symbiotic relationship. So, you know, I'm traveling around, I'm, you know, meeting up with people, I'm promoting my brand. I'm just connecting with people, asking them to follow me. I know following them, just having these connections and using it there at the same time.
To doing what I love teaching and building a brand. So the kind of the common theme through this so far, which I haven't said, but the common theme through this is that I've learned my no, as I was going, I was like, actually, I don't like these things. I don't like these things. I'm not going to do these things, but you have to like do the things when you don't know that you don't like them.
That was a big thing in moving for me, was I was like, I know what I don't want. I don't want to wake up with an alarm clock. I don't want to wake up and have to walk to work in the snow. Those were like two really big things. I don't want to have these super short treatments. And I worked to cross those things off the list because I just didn't really know what I liked.
I thought maybe I would like teaching, but wasn't sure. So. You know, I was trying it out as I started trying these things. I'm realizing the things that I love. I love being able to make my own schedule. I love the longer sessions. I loved assessment. I loved. Teaching so I looked to double down on those things and take any opportunities that presented themselves Regarding those those you know those things so at this point.
It's 2016 I'm teaching doing all the rock tape thing, and I'm slowly starting to pull back on treating taking more teaching opportunities pulling back on treating because I don't really love it. You know, I'm renting space, um, in Culver City. So grateful for that space, but not loving it. And, uh, 2017, same thing, just doubling down, doing all the rock tape stuff and also doing all things, social media, which is just building my brand and building my brand for me.
That was just putting out content, putting out the content that I was basically what my day was like. And the things I was learning about. During my day solving problems for people talking about movement, right? I'm the movement maestro. So in 2018, uh, that's when things started to change, I launched my own course, right?
Was that 2018? I believe it was 2018. Yeah, 2018. I launched my own course. And this again came from just solving problems. I had been teaching for three years at that point, getting asked a lot of the same questions of like, well, how do you know when to do this? And like, then what do you do to like, Lock all that in and so I created my own assessment and intervention course and I launched it in New Zealand and Australia because why not I had the following because of social media, right?
I had the eyes I put it out there. I was like Hey, who out there would be interested in this? Um, I partnered with Rock Tape Australia, shout out to Steve from Rock Tape Australia. Just amazing. Shout out to Liv and Barry from New Zealand. They're just, you know, they helped me out big time and, you know, having the locations and such.
And I launched my course there and you see that over time it just becomes a matter of you gain that confidence of like, I will figure it out. I actually. Did the slides for the course while I was on the plane flying to New Zealand. I'm not gonna lie about it. This is how I operate. You know, I don't, Jill doesn't listen to this, but Jill's the same way and she says, If you leave it to the last minute, it'll only take a minute.
And I was like, Amen to that. So, it's funny, I've said so many people this episode and I'm like, Nobody listens to it, but that's fine. Uh, that's life. Um, but, I launched my own personal course and was just like, I'm going to keep doing the things that make me happy. I'm going to double down on those things.
I'm not going to totally, you know, cancel culture. I'm not, I'm not anti cancel culture. That's a different podcast. I'm not going to totally cancel these other things. I'm going to use them as I need and I have that safety net from them, but I'm going to double down on the things that really light me up and set my soul on fire.
And that was. So I created my course and it went well. Um, I didn't like make a ton of money, but I got to go to Australia and New Zealand and like, I had proof of concept. I had proof that people would come. And it wasn't thousands of people, you know, you had eight, 10, 12 people. I don't even know. And I'm so fucking grateful for each and every person that showed up.
And I had that proof of concept that, Hey, yes, you are solving a problem and people want to hear your solution. They want to hear your answer. So I doubled down on it. I launched that course in the States in February and I did, I believe I did 10. that first year, which was 2018. And that first one sold out.
Just, you know, I'm so grateful for everyone that attended. I'm so grateful for the host site. Um, I'm totally blanking on her name right now. And I feel like a goddamn idiot. Uh, Leslie's sister, my goodness, I can't remember right now, but, uh, Diana, Diana, Jesus, that was my goodness. Thank you. Shout out to you.
Cause she might actually be listening. Um, and sold it out, did one, you know, I had 10 of them. Like I said, every, every person that agreed to host, they reached out to me and were like, you want to bring your course here? And I was just like, just so humbled, so grateful and doubled down on that. And I was like, I'm going to figure it out.
I'm going to, you know, I, I had, The, uh, experience with rock tape, I knew how much I needed to make in order to like make ends meet. I knew how much I needed to cover, uh, in terms of like my flight and things like that, cause I've been doing it. So, and I was like, now I'm just the one that's paying for the flight.
Um, but I am also the one that gets to keep all the money from the people signing up. So let me just do the math. If I can, you know, if I charge 450 bucks, whatever, 400 bucks, 500 bucks, and 10 people come good, I can do this. So move forward that doubling down on that. And we see where I'm just kind of crossing off the things that I don't like and really focusing on the things that I do like.
In 2018, uh, like I said, I did 10 courses and that was also the last time that I really officially. Treated because I was like I I don't like this. I actually did an episode. I will link that, um, I will link that episode and you folks loved that episode. So I want to link that, but it wasn't, it's my heart just wasn't in it.
I really like assessment. I never loved the whole treatment thing. I never loved holding people's hands through things. I still don't. Even with business coaching, I don't like holding hands. I like to, you know, teach you, help you as you need. And then it's like, go do the thing. So I pulled back on that. And the thing that really launched the switch, uh, was not the teaching though.
That was like, okay, there's proof of concept, but I launched my first digital product, which was Breathing with the Maestro and it did so well. Anyone out there, if you purchased it, thank you. You helped change my life. You allowed me to see that, yes, I could do this. so much. Yes, I can solve problems and people want to hear my answer and they're okay hearing it this way, you know I I know that that personal trainers and such have been and you know The business world whatever has been doing online business for years and online courses for years But I hadn't seen anybody in the PT space doing it I didn't really know if that was a thing or how well it would be received, but I Did it and you know what I probably just like I'm like thinking in my head here as I'm saying like should I tell them So I did that launch.
It was actually the same weekend that I launched my first course Excuse me that I had my first course in DC So it's the first course for moving with the maestro the in person course was the first one of my US experience Courses, uh, and I decided also to launch Breathing With My Shrew. I thought that would be like a good idea and that was just like a lot.
So, I launched it and I made 25, 000. And was like, Whoa, Whoa, this is like, you know, I, I blanched it through Vimeo, which I do not recommend any of you use. It's a terrible platform. Um, and I'm watching just the money, you know, the, the, the sales go through and I'm just like, Oh my God. Oh, oh my God, like, I didn't think, I thought I would, I knew I'd make some money.
I didn't think it would be like that, um, because I had done some email marketing and stuff before and just like reaching out and like, you know, I had people, I had eyes and that's also why that was a five figure launch. Uh, because I had the eyes. I had been doing this for three years, you know, almost four years before I launched this thing.
And so I had the trust and such, but I didn't know. And when that happened, I was like, okay, okay. I think we have a new direction to double down on. And that was really what launched me. into the digital space. I still did all, you know, teaching in person, but I stopped with the treatment because I didn't like it.
If you're going to work, and you're just like, fuck, I hope that patient cancels, it's time to do something else. Whether it's to see less patients, to not see that patient, to do I don't know. I can't tell you. I cannot speak for you. But if you're going and hoping people don't show up, and we've all been there, It's time to change something.
And for me, that was what I was feeling with treating. I was like, I can do it. And just because you are good at something friends doesn't mean you have to do it. I will, I'm the first person to say I am a great therapist. I'm very good at seeing movement and identifying, you know, quote unquote faulty movement patterns, room for opportunity, whatever you want to call it.
I, I understand that, you know, and I can teach this stuff really well, but I don't like doing it. I don't like treating. So let me move away from it. You know, I, I stuck with it, not because, you know, part, a part of it was like, you know, did I make a mistake? Let me stick this out. But also part of it was because like, this is a skill set that I have and like, I was enjoying it, and I did it until I stopped enjoying it.
And as I stopped enjoying it, I made sure I was doing other things at the same time, and I learned, earned my no, and crossed that off the list. So 2018, I stopped doing it. I never had any intention of treating at my current CrossFit box. I knew I could if I needed to, and I've actually been thinking, you know, like, if, if, The digital world was to collapse.
What would I do? Like I still, we all still have our skill set. If you were to lose your license or whatever, like you still, you never lose your skill set. So I was like, you know, worst case scenario, I could still do this, but I didn't want to be treating them. That was the last thing that I wanted. I didn't want people to be coming over to me and be like, Oh, my shoulder hurts.
Like, well, it sounds like a personal problem. So cut that out. And was like, I'm going to double down on this digital business thing. I don't know, I don't know exactly what that looks like, but. That's what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna solve problems there. The next thing I put out was the Instagramming with the Maestro course.
I did go and buy, uh, you know, take out ads for that because I wasn't have, I wasn't sure how that would be received because I was, my audience. You folks are the movement people. And so I knew that, you know, a movement related course would do well, but I was like, this is like a business kind of thing. I don't really know how this is going to be received.
So I didn't run ads for that. Um, I read that I ran ads for the challenge, the Instagram challenge first, and then that was an upsell into, um, the Instagram course. But that did really well as well. And maybe I should back it up a second. Like I said, folks, I know this is not a Thursday shorty, but. This is my story.
Uh, so during this time, um, as I'm kind of starting to double down and really like, really enjoy the digital space, I invested. In what? In myself. So my good friend, Dr. Danny Mattei, I was an affiliate for his, uh, Uh, Jim P. T. Blueprint, and I made, I sold one of them, excuse me, and when you're an affiliate, it means you make a commission on selling these things, and I took the money from that sale, and I invested in myself, and signed up for two conferences, two creator conferences, and uh, One of them was for ConvertKit.
You folks know I love them. And one of them was for podcast movement. Um, cause I started a podcast and podcast movement. I'm not gonna tell you, I'm not gonna lie friends. That is fucking weird as shit. Podcasters are weird. I will never go back to podcast movement. One and done. Um, but I loved the ConvertKit conference.
It's called, it's called Craft and Commerce. It was just so good. I went by myself and I was a little nervous and I was like, you know what? I'm going to do it. Went by myself and it was amazing. To be in a room full of people who actually wanted to be there and love what they were doing. And some people were doing it as a side hustle.
Some people were just getting started. Some people it was your full time thing. But they all wanted to be there. They all wanted to be doing it. It wasn't like when you go to a PT conference where it's like they had to do it or they're just like going to get out of class and like then they don't even go to any of the sessions because they're drunk.
Like, no, people wanted to be there. And I was like, this is what I want to be doing. This, this is it. And then, you know, you talk to other people and you start to realize like how, what you do is different because nobody there was a PT. Nobody knew the stuff I knew. And I was like, all right, cool. Like there's, there's something here.
And so I, you know, like I said, it took the, that money reinvested into myself and it was like, I'm going to move within this, this digital space. You see, no, no, what I would consider no scary leaps or anything like that. Just taking steps forward, taking chances, learning my no. But nothing that was just like, I'm just quitting and I'll figure, you know, screw it all.
Like there was always something, some sort of strategy, something in place. So I had the next launch, which was. Instagramming with a maestro and that did basically equally as, as well as, um, breathing with a maestro. You know, I had to deduct the cost of having an ads manager and running ads because it was expensive, uh, but it did really well.
And I have to actually, let me back that up another second. Credit Jill. Jill Fitt was huge with that. Um, Jill Coleman. I'll link her episode as well. She was one of the first people that, the only person that was like, actually make it a course. So I was going to make it into just an e book and I was like, you know, I could probably sell a lot of them.
I'll just like make it be five bucks and she was like, That's a bad idea. You should make a course. People actually would want to learn, and like, if you think about how many ebooks you have that you get, and you're like, don't do anything with. So, you know, I, I didn't want to do that at first, because I was scared.
You know, I, I don't ever want it to seem like I never was scared of anything, and I was always just how I am right now. Like, I've had confidence in myself, and I have confidence that I was going to believe in things, but, excuse me, I've had confidence that I was going to figure things out. But still doing new things doing uncertain things in the beginning.
That's really scary I think that the more and I think I know the more that we do them The more confident we become and the more willing we are to do things that we to do new things that we haven't done Because we're like, you know what i'm gonna be okay, like nervous system feels safe. I've taken chances in the past I know i'm gonna be okay.
Um, so that was a big movement big moment as well. Um, so jill fit Shout out to you, telling me to make it a core, telling me to make it a course. And I made it a course and was like, holy shit. In that I also then launched the Instagram intensive, which is my six week, uh, group coaching course, which I will also link cause that's going to be opening up soon.
And I launched that or created that because. Folks asked for it. So I, my whole purpose of doing the challenge was just to get people online, get them using social media, realizing how, how dope it was. And then at the end, if they wanted more, they could buy my, my course. But people were like, no, we want like, like handholding, like a little bit more.
And I was like, but I didn't make that. I made a course for you. And they were like, no, we don't want that. And I was like, Okay. So I created the Instagram intensive, which is the thing that I'm really doubling down on now, um, because it was a need and we see as we go, we're just learning and earning our know where it's like, what do I, what is, what do people need, let me, let me create it.
Let's see how it goes. Oh, it's going really well, and I love it. Okay, let me double down on that. And that's the thing now that I've doubled down on the most. I still sell the breathing course. I still have the Instagramming with the Maestro course. But my big thing is the Instagram intensive. When you see how it went from something that was not this, and you know, being a staff PT, To this, where it's just doing more or doing, trying to do less of the things that you hate.
And in doing so, it frees up time to do more of the things that you don't hate, the things that you love. So sold, uh, you know, did really well with that. Created the Instagram intensive and just kept doubling down with that. In terms of teaching and traveling, uh, I was starting to get a little bit burned out.
So this is, this is 2018, but this time, right? 2018, I believe. Um, is that 2018, 2019? Uh, my dates are getting all mixed up, but either way, I've been teaching for a few years and I was just kind of like, I don't, I don't know. Like, I, I don't want to travel as much, so fast forward to 2019, I, 2019, I did. Okay. I had to stop the tape there because I was like, wait a minute, my dates are getting all weird in my head.
So 2018, right around Thanksgiving, that's when I launched in person moving with the maestro. So 2019 is when I launched the US based. Moving with the Maestro is my in person course and my two digital courses, which was Breathing with the Maestro first. And then I launched, um, Instagram with the Maestro, right?
That's last year. It seems like so long ago, but it was like, it's been a year, um, launched those and really was just like, Yes, this is viable. This is feasible. I'm going to do this. I did 10 courses for moving with the maestro because I was still, I still very much liked doing that, teaching my own content.
Um, and I was still traveling for rock tape, but not as much. I think I did maybe six or seven, maybe eight total trips for them. Uh, including like some of the conferences and stuff that I spoke at. And then 2020 rolled around and I was like, I'm going to double down on. Digital business, but again, it becomes a matter of saying, what don't I want?
And I was like, I don't really want to travel as. Much I've been doing it for going once 2020 came five years, kind of tired. Like it's been dope, but, uh, you know, I didn't want to do as much of my own personal moving with the maestro course. I scheduled few of them strategically. So I was like, I'm not going to put as many, it's easier to put them on the calendar, I will make money that way, but this is, I'm not as excited.
when I go and do it. I love it when I'm there. I love the people that show up. I'm so grateful for every single person, but I want to, you know, I like having my soul on fire when I do things. And that was really filling out the digital side of things with the business side of things. When like this whole time I've been doing some coaching, business coaching with people, kind of behind the scenes, nothing super official.
Uh, so I was like, you know what? I'm going to double down on that. The digital business side of stuff. So beginning 2020, I took time to create and build out my mafia. I launched my mafia, which is going to be opening again in September, um, which is my online house for my people, for the people that are looking to create their best life.
It focuses largely on the digital business side of things, but it's a community of movement professionals who are looking to. do bigger and better things, right? It's a monthly membership. We do two calls a month. They have access to all the videos that I've done. I've categorized them. They have access to webinars.
They have access to each other, which is honestly the biggest thing. And it's just, it's absolutely remarkable. It's my solution to the fact that there's no such thing as like a low priced website. Mastermind for people that are looking, the movement, people are looking to go into do their own stuff and looking to get help from other people and be in a community of other people.
It's like, you got to pay a million dollars. So I was like, let me make this thing. So I doubled down on that and created some recurring revenue based on that and just had a community with people that I loved then Rona hit and quite frankly, My business was largely unaffected because I had already scheduled fewer in person courses.
So the only thing I had to change, uh, I still had to change two courses. I canceled my Glasgow course, which actually was okay. Cause it was so far out. No one had registered. Maybe two people are registered. Um, and I had to change my New York course. And what I did again, we just kind of pivoting with things.
I was like, what's the need? Let's find a solution. I decided to move. The course online instead of canceling it completely I said, all right, we're gonna reschedule it for September and I'm gonna move this online and that's when I hosted my first virtual moving with the maestro I went on to host I think four more of those and Because there was a need I only hosted four more why because after that I was like These are really hard and I'm really tired and yes, it does solve a solution and provide a solution to a problem but You know, just because you're good at something and just because it provides a solution doesn't mean you have to do it if it's not something that you're like super passionate about.
Because as the courses were going, I was like, yeah, this is fun, I like teaching it, but I loved the digital business component of it. I had added a digital business component of it. When I decided to bring it online, um, for my New York folks, I was like, you know what? We're going to learn it early. We're going to teach.
I'm going to teach it during the same weekend when the coach, the course was originally supposed to be held, but I will teach you an addition of digital business. And then we'll go deeper in September. I have since fully canceled that course just cause there's just too much uncertainty around everything.
It's fully canceled that, that New York course. Um, but we see it was just a matter of me finding solutions to problems, implementing them and then. Being like, do I want to do this? Do I like it? No? Okay, I gotta change it. Do I like it? Yes? Okay, let me double down. So I loved the, you know, the digital side of it, but I was like, I'm not in love with the content.
And then we fast forward again a few months, I guess, from that. Well, that was actually in May. It was when I taught the last of virtual moving with the maestro. I taught it four times that month, but my goal for 2020, one of the things I wanted to do was teach more online workshops, more online, um, what do you call it?
Webinars. So actually everything that's happened with Corona was just actually very good for business because it brought everyone into the digital space and people reaching out and being like, Oh, you've been doing this. Can I have help? Or they're, you know, they're just looking for things online now because that's what they're there.
They're at. And. You know, I've been able to, to do what I wanted to do, which was teach via that platform, this, this online platform. So I recently made that pivot that officially made that pivot into the digital space, the digital space, online space in terms of business coaching and not putting out content about movement.
It's not that I don't move. It's not that I hate it. You know, But you are going to attract what you're putting out. I actually just met up with Sarah today, my friend, who says we attract what we are, not what we want. And if I'm putting out content that is all movement, I'm going to get more people asking about movement stuff.
And I'm like, that's not where my heart is at. My heart is in online business. It's in helping people with how to use Instagram to create a brand, to create a community. To create a profitable business and I'm good at it. I can help people do it. I've been doing it and now I'm going to double down on it.
And I'm in a place, you know, financially where I can make that pivot. And because when you make these turns and you make these leaps, there's often a time where you're like, maybe I aren't going to be making money. Maybe your people don't come along with you. Maybe you're ahead of the curve. Maybe, you know, you just haven't figured everything out yet.
And so it's nice to have a safety net. And so I absolutely waited for that. Slash waited for that point where I was just like, I can't do this other thing anymore. I don't like it. And that is how I am now doing what I am doing. I'm about to run my fifth round of the intensive. I'm working on a bunch of other things, but not really.
They're all similar. Um, behind, I have a bunch of other ideas, um, behind the scenes to help. Create solutions, provide solutions to your problems. So I, this is a super long Thursday shorty. I'm looking at the clock. We're going on like 50, 58 minutes here, but you know, hopefully you listen to it in chunks, um, or maybe on, on fast.
Although I know that I speak quickly and people can't really put it on 1. 5 speed, but that has been. My journey, it was just a matter of looking to exclude things and creating those lists of things I didn't like, clearing that list of things I didn't want and then crossing it off. I really believe that Corona, you know, the great pause has given people the opportunity to sit and say.
Is this what I want to be doing? Is this how I want the rest of my life to look? I asked myself that question many times before the great pause, and every time that came up, I was like, how do I feel right now? And if I had that feeling of dread, first of all, if I'm asking myself that question, I already know the answer.
And when I'm asking myself that, and I have that feeling of dread, and I was like, I gotta figure out, I gotta make a change. And for me, the easiest way to make a change was to stop doing the shit I hated, right? Write that list down. And work to do less of it. No, I couldn't just like, I couldn't just burn the ships.
I couldn't. But, you can chip away at things. For sure. Chip away, chip away, chip away. And suddenly, I, I, what my experience has been is that the gains, the growth is actually exponential. It's not linear, it's exponential there. So you take this chance. It gives you that opportunity. It gives you that time. You get in having that time.
That means you can ask for more. You can do more. You're happier. That puts out better vibes into the universe. More opportunities come. You can say yes to them. And you just see that there is this exponential growth. And change this whole time as you're doing that you're gaining the confidence to be like, yeah, I can and I will figure it out.
So you're ideally, you know, collecting some resources as you go, but also gaining the skill of, of trust, right? Of believing in yourself and being like, yeah, I, I will figure this out. I can figure this out. It may be new, but at the same time, like, I am not new. I know That I can figure this out. I know that I can handle what, what may come my way.
Uh, and that is how I went from being born on 19, no, January 1st, 1985 to being an online business coach who specializes in teaching folks how to use Instagram to build a brand, build a community and create a successful online business in July of 2020. 20. We see it was an overnight success. Clearly. Um, but yeah, that's my story.
I'm super grateful if you folks are still hanging around and still listening. Um, I was hoping to be able to do this in one take and one solid take, but I did have to stop that in the middle there because I was like, wait, my dates. It's almost like I didn't believe that it was like, Um, but it was 2019 this is last year when I was launching my first digital products and really doubling down on things, but we see how all the experiences before then led up to this.
So if you're still listening, thank you. If you're interested in having me help you out, Um, you want to learn more about, um, how you can create your best life. Cause I really do believe that I'm living my best life. I really do. And Instagram has been integral in it. Obviously I've had help along the way.
No one does anything alone. So if you're interested in learning, you know, about how social media can help you out, you know, something like that. If you want to schedule a discovery call, I will link that in the issue notes, but you can head on over to themovementmaestro. com forward slash discovery call.
All lowercase discovery call and we can hop on a 15 minute call. You can choose whether you want it to be zoom or, um, actual phone call and talk about the things that I offer and how I could help you out. Like my goal really in doing all of this is I believe that everyone deserves happiness and I want to help people create their best life.
Whatever that looks like, right? I think, Oh, I'm tired. I think that is it. That is my story. So. Now, anyone asks, I'll just be like, I have an hour long podcast if you want to listen to it. Uh, and here it is, but yeah, I'm pretty sure, pretty sure that's it. So would love to hear from you folks in any way, shape or form.
You want to slide in the DMs, tell me your story. You want to just connect, whatever, you know where to find me on the Instagram. Uh, like I said, if you want a discovery call to see how we can work together, help you out, you got that link in the show notes and that's it folks. I am so, so grateful. For those of you that have been rocking with me since day one, because there are plenty of you and it's remarkable.
I am so grateful for those of you that just found me one minute ago. Either way, I am, like I said, extremely, extremely, extremely grateful. You folks have allowed me, helped me create my best life and Anything I can do to help you? Let me know. All right, uh, officially wrapping it. Until next time, friends.
Maestro, out.
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