Today we’d like to introduce you to Ryan Phillips
Hi Ryan, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I fell in love with fitness and movement a long time ago. Growing up, I dabbled in baseball and other sports, but it wasn’t until I was 12 that my dad started teaching me how to work out. He was a former wrestler, so he knew his way around the gym. I remember loving the process and connecting with my body in a way I had never done before. I also remember being absurdly sore the next day. I was hooked.
I was born and raised in Virginia Beach, VA. When I got to high school, I traded in my baseball cleats for ballet slippers and tap shoes. I attended the Governor’s School for the Arts in Norfolk, VA, where I began my education in musical theater. Later, I attended the University of Miami, where I pursued my BFA in acting and musical theater. Fitness wasn’t front and center in my life yet, but it played a huge role in ensuring my body could withstand the wear and tear of performing in multiple shows a week.
In 2012, I moved to New York City to officially begin my career as an actor and performer. I was profoundly fortunate and had a rewarding career, doing two contracts with Disney Cruise Line, multiple regional theaters across the country, and two national tours, including playing Lumière in Beauty and the Beast. It was during these defining years that I discovered how much I loved working with others in the gym. My fellow cast members saw that I knew what I was doing in the gym, and often wanted me to teach them what I knew.
After my final acting contract, I knew I was ready for something different. My best friend had started working as a personal trainer to supplement his acting/voiceover career and encouraged me to give it a shot as well. I began studying and then applied for a job at Equinox on Wall Street. I was hired and started learning anything and everything I could. I received my personal training certification from the National Council on Strength and Fitness (NCSF), along with several other certifications, including Precision Nutrition Level 1 (Pn1), Kettlebell Athletics Levels 1 & 2, Pain-Free Performance Specialization (PPSC), Pre/Post Natal Fitness, Animal Flow Level 1, and more. Throughout 2019, I was Equinox Wall Street’s top trainer and earned the title of “Trainer of the Year.”
It wasn’t long after I became a personal trainer that I met my fiancé, Dani. She was a dancer and performer, so we had plenty in common. On our first date, we asked each other, “What are the top 3 places in the country that you’ve been to?” She and I had each done national tours, so we’d been pretty much everywhere. Both of us had San Diego in our top 3.
After almost two years of dating and working as a trainer, the COVID pandemic hit. The whole city shut down, including my gym. Afraid we’d get stuck there, we left New York to go stay with Dani’s sister’s family in Three Rivers, CA. Many of my clients moved online, forcing me to start a new branch of my career as an online personal trainer. After six months, we had to make a decision: return to New York or start a new life in San Diego. We took a leap of faith, and we haven’t looked back.
I transferred to Equinox La Costa, where I spent 8 months. During that time, I realized that I was ready for the next step. I had fallen in love with this city, and I wanted to establish myself here.
In January 2022, I began my business, Ryan Phillips Training and Wellness, with the mission to serve this city and its people to the best of my ability. I found an amazing personal training facility in Del Mar—Santé Wellness and Personal Training—where I currently operate. I also still have my online business, where I work with many clients in New York, Philadelphia, London, and more.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The biggest challenge I faced as a personal trainer was getting started. I had people skills thanks to my work as a performer, but I had no experience in making sales. I had some money saved up from previous acting contracts, but living in New York, that money went quickly. To overcome this, I had to reframe the way I viewed it. Every initial consultation was exactly like an acting audition. There were going to be a lot of ‘no’s,’ but for every 20 no’s, there would be one yes. I just kept my chin up, kept grinding, and gradually, my confidence and sales skills improved.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
My philosophy is to meet my clients where they are. Every person has different goals and needs. Based on each person’s lifestyle, I put specific, realistic systems in place to help them achieve their objectives. Through small adjustments, significant changes can be made.
My clients stay with me for the long haul for a reason. I deliver immediate results in aesthetics and performance while also educating them for the future. I believe that personal training should be about more than just short-term achievements; it’s about instilling a lifestyle. I want the people who choose to work with me to be able to take care of themselves for the rest of their lives. I’m not in this business to gate-keep information; I’m here to empower everyone who crosses my path.
After purchasing training sessions with me, my clients gain access to my app, where they can track their custom training program, monitor their calories and macronutrients, and focus on specific habits I encourage. It provides all-around accountability and sets them up for success.
During training sessions, we focus on exercises I’ve selected that will help my clients move better inside and outside of the gym. I progress these exercises from week to week, either through progressive overload, balance and stability, or complexity. I always encourage consistent communication to ensure an appropriate level of challenge. Everything we do should be safe, efficient, and effective. And most importantly, fun.
Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
I consider myself very lucky to have come across the people that I currently work with. Each and every person has trusted me to help them make significant changes in their lives. And in doing so, they’ve made significant changes in mine.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ryanphillipstraining.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ryphi.train/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ryphi.train
Image Credits
Austin Oducayen
