Today we’d like to introduce you to Austin Santee.
Austin, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
My entire life all I wanted to do was play football at a professional level, but throughout high school, I suffered several injuries which derailed my college football future and dreams of playing in the NFL. The summer after I graduated high school I reluctantly joined the gym in an attempt to rehabilitate some injuries from my senior year. I was reluctant because the gym was never “my thing”. That summer turned out to be one of the best summers of my life. I worked 9-5 at a car dealership and then spent the rest of the night training with my new found gym brothers. I owe my entire career in health and fitness, as a trainer and fitness model to that first summer of working out!
Over the past ten years, I have gained so much more than I could have ever imagined as a 17-year-old kid. I have learned from and trained with some of the best bodybuilders and trainers in the industry, earned my Bachelor’s Degree from San Diego State University, and my MBA from Point Loma Nazarene University. I knew fitness was ultimately my passion and pushed me to acquire multiple certifications both in exercise science and nutrition. Most importantly, I have created lifelong friendships with so many amazing people whom I met through the fitness industry. I am currently a personal trainer at Fit Athletic Mission Beach. My position as a trainer has blessed me with the opportunity to help others reclaim control of their lives through proper fitness and nutrition coaching. More recently, I have launched a health and wellness lifestyle brand, Tribe.co, with my two business partners. Tribe.co was founded to create a community for people from all walks of life to come together with the common goal of self-improvement. We’ve designed fully transparent products and content to support everyone on their journey to live more.
Although I didn’t fulfill my dream of playing professional football, I am now living my dream life helping others realize all the positive benefits of leading a healthy active lifestyle.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I took a very unique path to get to where I am today. At San Diego State University I chose to work full-time as a server to pay my way through school, and personal training was just another source of income for me to make ends meet. After completing my MBA program though, I realized I could create a business and future from my passion for health and wellness. After a few halves start, I finally decided to start my own independent personal training business. As an independent trainer, I was able to run my own private business out of a training facility in Mission Valley, the problem was I didn’t have access to any clients outside of my network. This challenge led me to get creative with marketing by becoming extremely active on social media and offering group training sessions, both of which have made me a better trainer and businessman. Still, I could not afford to make ends meet through personal training alone, so I continued to bartend at night. I just recently quit my bartending job to focus on building my training business at Fit Athletic and invest the additional time needed to get Tribe.co off the ground. Launching Tribe.co has been my biggest challenge yet, but bringing a company to life that is more than just another supplement company has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life.
Please tell us about your business.
I do what I do because I love the community and the camaraderie the fitness industry cultivates. Simply put, people come to me when they want to lose fat and gain muscle, but end up discovering that gains made in the gym are more than just physical, and translate to all other aspects of their lives. I utilize a combination of bodybuilding and strength training techniques to achieve my client’s desired results. I firmly believe the fitness community is one of the strongest communities in the world, and my goal is to help as many people discover the same sense of belonging that I experienced. At the end of the day, I want to help others become the best versions of themselves by making the training experience fun and something they look forward to doing every day for the rest of their lives.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
My passion for sports initially led me down my current career path, but my passion to drive real change in people is what drives me to wake up every day. Real change is not something that is easily achieved, and I find it easier to do when someone has a sense of belonging. My friends and I have come to refer to this feeling of belonging as our tribe. I am blessed to be surrounded by great people whom I am proud to call my tribe. The people closest to me in my life are what I am most proud of, not because I chose them, but because we chose each other. We constantly push each other to become better versions of ourselves, both in and out of the gym.
Contact Info:
- Address: 3115, Ocean Front Walk, San Diego, CA 92109
- Website: https://fitathletic.com/personal-trainers-san-diego/
- Phone: 9092610260
- Email: asantee.fit@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/austinsantee/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/austin.santee.9
Image Credit:
Mike Zarraonandia, Jason Myles
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