Best Hour of Their Day | Podcast

Fern Sits down with Wodify team member Brendan Rice who is the Chief Marketing Officer.  They discuss the evolution of Wodify, why they found a niche lane in the CrossFit gym space and what their process for development has been.  They also discuss all things Wodify to include some functions people may not even know exist as well as some future developmental roll outs coming in the future.  Wodify is privately held and has never taken outside funding.  Their long term vision is to only create functionality that is necessary and to provide content that helps educate gym owners and run more sound businesses.

In today's episode Fern and Ackerman answer the following email: I did my level 1 last August and started coaching in a brand new box in the small town I live in, population 5000ish. The gym owners have no previous experience in CrossFit, both have just done their L1 to open the gym (1 Failed) they already have an everyd ay gym in the town that runs spin classes and HIIT. I know for a fact they opened up only to make money which I understand it is a business at the end of the day but they just want to get as many members in and all classes full and don't really give a shit about current members, pretty sure they would struggle to know peoples names we have about 70 members at the moment. Payment wise I earn €5 less than the average L1 coach starting out. Starting rate in Ireland is €15 per hour I also only get paid per class and get zero for all extra work I carry out in the gym i.e vacuuming gym floor and equipment, cleaning changing rooms, keeping toilets stocked most of the time this comes out of my pocket. I agreed to coach for lower wages as I was coming into the industry with no past experience (day job as engineer) and wanted to start coaching asap and was a big plus to be able to do this in my hometown (where I had dreamed of opening my own gym someday). I approached the owner last week to ask for a pay increase to be on par with every other coach in the country (Ireland) as i have shown i am a capable coach (thanks in part to the best hour of their day) and was told no. So I'm basically stuck in a limbo I love coaching my morning crew and have created a great connection with them in the short few months the gym has been open which makes it harder for me to just walk away and find another coaching role, I do plan to open my own gym someday I just have a lot more coaching experience to gain and money to save. I'm 32 with a mortgage to pay and a 6-week old baby to look after. Do you think I should just shut up and get on with it and keep looking at the bigger picture or do I know my worth and walk away not knowing if I will get another coaching role I the near future?? PLEASE IF YOU TALK ABOUT THIS ON A PODCAST PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE DON'T MENTION MY NAME.

Tyson Oldroyd was one of the first 200 affiliate owners, part of CrossFit HQ Seminar staff for many years, has been one of the mainstays in the CF media department for years and is responsible for commissioning more than 15,000 videos and some of the more well-known documentaries on NetFlix and iTunes such as Fittest on Earth, Froning, and Redeemed and the Dominant.  His experience as an affiliate owner, Seminar staff member and movie producer give him a one of a kind view into the CrossFit world.  There is some great advice in here for coaches and affiliate owners who are looking to push out more valuable content in order to get more exposure.

In today's episode we answer the following question from one of our listeners: I check people into class on my gyms software at the beginning of class. It takes me 1-2 minutes, but I do it on my phone. Do you think this looks so bad that I should get a computer at the gym to do it on? I also take pictures and videos during the workouts for social media and to use to help people see their own movement. I’m not the type that’s attached to my phone all the time so I notice when it’s in my hand during class and I don’t like how it looks but I’m also not sure how to replace the tool. Any advice?

Jason Rule is back with Driven Nutrition.  He and Fern discuss some GREAT tactics with regard to selling products at events, competitions or any other scenario that would involve unusually high foot traffic in the box.  This is gonna be great for in house comps, fundraising events, the Open and many other events.  The average affiliate probably holds 4 "events" a year and could really capitalize on some great advice here.  Fern learned a ton here and Driven has a buyback program for products not sold at the event.  All of the box owners fears about stocking products for events are addressed here.  You're welcome!

Adam Feit is a Level 2 Master Class Coach as well as the Performance Nutrition Coordinator at Precision Nutrition, working with a multitude of youth, collegiate, Olympic and professional athletic teams including the Calgary Flames, Brooklyn Nets, and the ALTIS track and field club. Before working with Precision Nutrition, Adam was the Co-founder and Director of Sports Performance for Reach Your Potential Training (RYPT), helping mentor and train over 5,000 youth athletes over the course of five years. Before founding RYPT, Adam served as a college and professional Strength and Conditioning Coach and Nutrition Coordinator for the NFL’s Carolina Panthers, Eastern Michigan University, University of Louisville, and The Citadel. Adam is certified by the National Strength & Conditioning Association (NSCA) as a Registered Strength and Conditioning Coach and a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist. He is also a certified Strength and Conditioning Coach and Mentor from the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association. He is the co-author of the Coaches Guide to Jump Training, Complete Guide to Training the Female Athlete, and is currently pursuing his Ph.D. in Sport and Exercise Psychology. As part of the Precision Nutrition mission, he helps to deliver life-changing, research-driven nutrition and lifestyle coaching for everyone.

In episode 5 of "Dropping In" Fern and Ackerman hit Hammer Driven Fitness.  HDF is owned and operated by Steph Hammerman, Nike's first female adaptive fitness athlete.  In this episode, we learned so much about how to adapt workouts, were impressed by Steph's coaching, and of course had a ton of fun. You can watch the episode here.

Nick Massie (AKA Paleo Nick) has over 20 years of experience as a professional cook and is passionate about BBQ. He won the people's choice award at the 2003 Great Alaskan One-Pot Cook-Off and in 2016, he had the opportunity to present his business to the investors on ABC's Shark Tank. In today's episode, we talk about how he grew Ice Age Meals from a pop-up tent at the CrossFit Games to a business with over 20 employees, his experience on Shark Tank,  and his three rules to live by in order to be a successful entrepreneur.

Pete Shaw is one of the Co-Owners of CrossFit NCR, as CFHQ Seminar Staff Member and multi-time regional athletes and he just qualified for the 2020 CrossFit Games.  Pete and Fern discuss the new games format, how training for the games changes his training, why it's important to him to train with the classes, affiliate ownership, and Coach Development.  There are some real gems in this episode.

Every box has them, athletes that just don't want to listen.  Be it stubbornness, ignorance, ego, or just plain stupidity, every coach will eventually encounter someone that isn't receptive to feedback and coaching.  In today's episode, Fern and Ackerman discuss how to handle these people, as with most topics these two cover, it's way more simple than you think.