Today we’d like to introduce you to Corey Berryman.
Corey, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
My story to my current career path as a personal trainer starts back a little over 10 years ago during my collegiate days as an undergraduate at California State University, Long Beach. I was a sophomore in college, not a whole lot of direction as to where I was going to take my life, no tangible skills identified for possible employment opportunities, etc., I’d also like to add I was 19 years of age, in a fraternity and doing what most average college kids do, study and enjoy myself on the weekends. So my original exposure to exercise and the fitness world was one of superficiality and wanted to have the quintessential 6-pack abs to be able to show off at parties and get all the ladies; every heterosexual male’s dream, right?! I can lie and tell you I wanted to feel more comfortable in my skin, which I did, but the true and honest underlying reason was not that. Anyways, at the time of finding fitness, little did I know that this would eventually be a career path I take and start my own business within it at that, but here I am answering this question from the perspective of me doing just that. Along the first few years training myself, I pondered the question of, ‘if I could see myself teaching this to other,’ at that time of reflection, that was a definitive NO, and let me tell you why mostly because I didn’t want to turn something I love into a chore and become burnt out. In all honesty, as often as I tell myself that if I would’ve started this 10 years ago, imagine where I would be, but I did not do that, instead I decide to utilize my degree at the time, Bachelor’s in Recreation, and work as a full time recreation leader for the City of Manhattan Beach.
Through that position, I found that I love to influence and be a positive role model while helping to educate the future of our world, unfortunately, that doesn’t pay the bills the way it should so I decided to move on to other endeavors and see what other parts of the workforce have to offer. I spent seven years as a Recreation Leader before I decided to leave the USA and travel to Thailand to teach English to the youth, still in the realm of working with youth just thousands of miles away and a huge culture/language barrier/shock. After 6 months of that type of work, I returned to the USA and continued to work with the youth before I became employed as a sales representative for a Massage Envy franchise where I was able to obtain more people skills, sales skills, and communication skills. Shortly after, I left that position and became an apprentice in the heavy equipment operator’s union and worked for a fortune 500 development company that is Granite, it was here that I learned hard manual labor and why people have the saying “time is money”, within that trade they will break down to you by the SECOND how much money you are costing them by not doing something, whether right or wrong. I quickly learned, that as well as this career path pays, it was not the one for me. I have the utmost respect for the men and women who do that type of work as it is very commendable, but if one doesn’t truly love that trade, the money will never be enough.
All that to be stated because what I noticed most through those transitions and occupational changes, was that most people would disregard or push aside their health to pursue monetary gain. Meaning that they sacrificed the one body they have been given, to obtain money to buy and do the things they loved/wanted, but weren’t able to enjoy it because they were either in pain, too tired, or had a lack of motivation from working towards someone else’s dream all day, week, year, etc. Now we have reached this current point, where I decided to take my love for fitness and all I’ve learned during my struggles on the path, and help to mitigate that for others while creating a clear path to one’s health and fitness goal’s, all while keeping it as stress-free possible because I am very understanding a need for stress relief in a time of already stressful day to days. Hence my venture into creating Zealous Health & Fitness in December of 2018 in San Diego to help people become the best versions of themselves possible. My goal with teaching fitness to my clientele is to show them how fitness will HEIGHTEN just about every aspect of their lives. Your health doesn’t have to take the backseat to monetary gain, career fulfillment, family growth, whatever; I strongly advocate that if you add it to your day today, you will see huge returns in connections, productivity, energy, overall wellness, you name it! If you honestly don’t believe me, let’s have a chat so I can understand why you feel that way.
Has it been a smooth road?
I honestly would have to pose a question in return, “does anyone have a smooth road to ‘success’?” I wouldn’t fully label myself in that ‘success’ category just yet; I must be the coach in me that always striving for me. Anyways, to answer that question as best as possible, I would say it most certainly has not been the smoothest road, its been pretty bumpy, few holes in the road, a couple of forks, maybe even some uneven terrain. The beauty in all that is I get to embrace all those challenges that pose opportunities for growth for myself. I like to shift my perspective in anything I do and its outcomes, subjectively good or bad, to look at them as ways I can grow. How do you ask? By pegging the questions, what can I learn from this, how can I do this better next time, what are some takeaways, how can I laugh about this, etc. these are just some quick examples of the questions I ask myself in regards to the outcomes of my choices. Back to the not so smooth road, there have been some sweet spots that are extra smooth and buttery, easy to flow with, and all things come together nicely, On the other end of the spectrum, the not so smooth areas have taught me to appreciate the smooth while learning to handle those tumultuous times with much more ease.
The biggest struggles have been figuring out my target market for the clients I train, figuring out how to market to them appropriately, learning how to sell and approach objections properly, learning how important collaboration and networking is, and learning to just ask more questions. I used to be afraid of asking a stupid question, but I soon rid myself of that because if I want to know an answer to a said question, I must first ask the question. It seems simple, right?! Our brains decide otherwise at times nonetheless. I will say that no matter what, I am grateful for all the times, good or bad, smooth or rough, highs and lows, and all of the in-betweens because I am better for having had them.
Tell us about your company. What do you do, what do you specialize in, what are you known for, etc. What are you most proud of as a company? What sets you apart from others?
The name of my company is Zealous Health & Fitness and I go by the Instagram handle, Zealous Coach. I used the word ‘zealous’ in the title because the dictionary definition of ‘zeal’ is, ‘great energy or enthusiasm in pursuit of a cause or an objective’, and being the owner of the company where the product is me and what I provide, I strongly believe, and my clients or anyone that knows me can attest to this, but I embody that very definition. I feel that my strong energy is what attracts and brings people to me, and the cause or objective of what I do is to help people learn more about themselves, get healthier, and give them the knowledge and tools to continue on that same path without me. My passion exudes through just that, any outsider observing a private one on one session between myself and a client can see just that, my full undivided attentiveness, my flow in my work, and just the connection we create through the energetic exchange occurring.
I am a personal trainer by profession, but I strongly believe that that is just one hat I wear amongst many. Often, you can hear me say that fitness is my podium, but my message is so much deeper and farther reaching than that. In regards to what I do, I help people to build confidence in themselves through movement, breathwork, and mobility style training. I have a Performance Enhancement Specialized Certification (PES) through the National Academy of Sport’s Medicine (NASM), am a Joint Specific Mobility trainer, meaning I help people better understand how their bodies SHOULD function, how they ARE functioning, and tools to help them make efforts to them functioning better. I also specialize in an unconventional tool that is the steel mace, which is a very old tool in usage but has recently made its return to the fitness world. Lastly, as I don’t market myself as a weight-loss or muscle-building specialist, that does not mean I cannot provide that value, I just recommend other routes to get there. Health and wellness is the destination, but there are many paths to getting there, some more harmful than others.
I would say that as a company, my proudest moment is seeing the looks of happiness, confidence, and excitement on the faces of my clients when they reach their goals and accomplish things they’ve set out for themselves. Sometimes I laugh as I wonder if I get more excited than they do because it’s an amazing feeling to watch people put the hard work in and reap the rewards from that said work. Lastly, I would say that my authentic and genuine big energy towards helping those around me achieve their goals, is what sets me apart. I take pride in constantly receiving feedback from some clients that tell me that the hour or two we share per week is one of the best hours they have all week. Now if that doesn’t make you feel good, I’m not sure much else that would. I am huge on asking all my clients how they feel before a session as well as after a session, and more often than not, they leave me better than they came. Fulfilling my life philosophy of, ‘leave people better than you find them.’ I find great joy in the servitude of others and helping to guide and facilitate a space for that nonjudgmental growth. I know what it’s like to feel alone and lost, and I promise you that you’ll never have to worry about that with me in your corner!
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
I love the embracing nature that San Diego has to offer, so much inspiration, so much culture, so much life. If it were not for moving to San Diego, I don’t think I would have gained the courage to start my own business.
Least favorite thing for me is just the distance it is from my immediate family, I’m just happy that I’ve created and been accepted into my own little family and community during my times here thus far.
Contact Info:
- Address: 350 Camino De La Reina
San Diego Ca 92108 - Website: www.thezealouscoach.com
- Phone: 5596960445
- Email: zealousfitcoach@gmail.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/zealouscoach
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/zealousfitcoach
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/zealouscoach
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