The Mindful Fit Pro Podcast
By Shelly Morales
Follow the @mindfulfitpro on Instagram!
The Mindful Fit Pro Podcast Mar 23, 2024
Ep. 5: Navigating Burnout as a Fitness Instructor - Guest Episode with Shay Kostabi of Fitness Career Mastery
In this episode, host of the Mindful Fit Pro Podcast, Shelly interviews a special guest: Shay Kostabi from Fitness Career Mastery. The two bring to light a struggle that unfortunately is way too prevalent among fitness professionals: burnout.
The demands of teaching back-to-back classes, pouring your heart and soul into your classes, giving your all to your clients, and trying to stay informed on the latest trends and research in the industry, can set the stage for burnout and lead many instructors to feel like they’ve lost their spark.
So, how do you recognize when you're experiencing burnout? And what can you do to protect your peace? These are just a few of the things Shay and Shelly discuss.
Visit www.mindfulfitpro.com to view show notes and more resources for supporting mental health.
Get to know this episode's guest speaker:
Shay Kostabi is a creator, connector, educator, and guide. As Co-Founder of Fitness Career Mastery with her husband, Barry, and Director of the Group X Conservatory, Shay works with instructors and studio owners internationally to build programs, instructor training manuals, and continuing education materials to help fitness professionals turn their workout classes into epic, immersive, never-to-be-missed experiences for the clients they are meant to serve. With a background in the performing arts and education and over 15 years of working with studio owners and instructors all over the world, Shay's purpose is to help professionals create meaningful and memorable experiences through the power of movement, music, and storytelling. Shay is an adventure-seeking, experience and music-obsessed mom to a magical unicorn child and contributor to AFFA's most recent GFI course, an ACE and AFFA certified group X instructor, NASM CPT, and holds too many specialized certifications to list.
At Fitness Career Mastery, Shay and Barry coach boutique studio owners and fitness professionals on how to build a brand story and strategy that attracts more of the people they are meant to serve and keeps them there. The Group X Conservatory is the place to learn the skills you didn’t get with your GX certification. The goal is to help you create what they call an Ultimate X-perience for your clients so you can Rock the Room and Master your Career in Fitness. They support the fitness community through the Fitness Career Mastery podcast, monthly Masterclasses and webinars, custom program design and instructor training and development for studios, and 1:1 business coaching, consulting, and mentorship.
You can follow them @fitnesscarreermastery and @thegroupX_conservatory on Instagram!
The best place to learn more about Fitness Career Mastery and the Group X Conservatory is through their newsletter which kicks of with 7 steps to sold-out classes and is packed with free resources. You can sign up at www.fitnesscareermastery.com/uxn
Ep. 4 Caring for the Whole Person: Supporting Client Mental Health
In this episode, Shelly shares how your role as a fitness professional goes beyond supporting physical health and the importance of mental health awareness and education.
1 in 5 individuals experience a mental illness (SAMHSA, 2021), so why isn't it as common for fitness professionals to be certified in Mental Health First Aid as they are CPR?
Listen to this episode of The Mindful Fit Pro Podcast, to learn how you can make a bigger impact in the lives of your clients by supporting their mental health.
RESOURCES:
Download your own copy of the ✨ FREE ✨ Mental Health Resource Guide for Fitness Professionals here: https://tinyurl.com/3wcddsfb
Check out upcoming Mental Health First Aid training offered by The Mindful Fit Pro LLC: www.mindfulfitpro.com/mental-health-first-aid
Learn more about the international evidence-based program Mental Health First Aid: www.mentalhealthfirstaid.org
REFERENCES:
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2021). Key substance use and mental health indicators in the United States: Results from the 2020 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (HHS Publication No. PEP21-07-01-003, NSDUH Series H-56). Rockville, MD: Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Retrieved from https://www.samhsa.gov/data/
Guest Episode: Charlotte's Interview with Shelly on the I Heart My Fit Biz podcast
In this episode of The Mindful Fit Pro podcast, we're sharing a replay of when Shelly appeared as a guest on Charlotte Brawn's podcast, I Heart My Fit Biz. Get to know Shelly and learn more about her vision for The Mindful Fit Pro by listening to her conversation with Charlotte. They discuss the importance of mindfulness for fitness instructors and how to identify mental health concerns in class participants.
Interested in the workshop Shelly mentioned, the one where she guides you through an arrival practice and then shares the power of resonance breathing to help balance your nervous system and ease anxiety? This exclusive workshop can be found inside Charlotte Brawn's Fitness Business Masterclass Membership. Follow the link below to sign up for a free 7-day trial of The Fitness Business Masterclass Membership*:
You can find all of what Charlotte Brawn has to offer fitness professionals by following her on social media, @iheartmyfitbiz, or visiting her website, www.iheartmyfitbiz.com
✨FREE✨ resources talked about in this episode...
"The Essential Guide to Mindfulness for Fitness Professionals"
https://view.flodesk.com/pages/62968e68fcd62d77ac3e4bc8
"The Mental Health Resource Guide for Fitness Professionals"
https://view.flodesk.com/pages/6328c50dd3498568abf5e9b1
Get exclusive meditations and more mindfulness tips when you sign up for The Mindful Fit Pro emails: https://view.flodesk.com/pages/62840ce1908f99063e7e56ae
*FTC Disclaimer: Some of the links included here are affiliate links. Shelly earns a small commission when you purchase through these links or when you use affiliate codes at checkout. This helps improve The Mindful Fit Pro blog, podcast, and the overall content Shelly provides. Thank you for your support!
Guided Body Scan for When You're Feeling Anxious
In this guided practice, Shelly leads you through a body scan meditation designed to help you connect with your body when you're feeling anxious. The body scan meditation is a practice that involves intentionally bringing attention to each part of your body and cultivating a sense of presence and awareness of how you are doing right here, right now.
As Shelly guides you through the meditation, you're invited to focus your attention on specific parts of your body, such as your feet, legs, arms, and face. With each area of the body, you're encouraged to notice sensations, or lack thereof, without judgment or analysis. Simply be present with whatever you feel.
This guided meditation can be helpful for anyone looking to shift from the anxious thoughts running through their head and tap into a felt sense within the body. It can be done in a seated or lying down position and is suitable for beginners or experienced meditators alike.
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If you are experiencing worry, doubts, or symptoms of anxiety that are interfering with the quality of your day to day, affecting your performance at work, or overall feel like they're getting to be too much, I want you to know help is available. I encourage you to reach out to a friend for support and consider seeking additional support from a mental health professional as well.
For a list of mental health resources accessible in your area, click on the link below.
https://tinyurl.com/4xdxryzu
Entering your email using that link will send you a .pdf that contains a regularly updated list of national organizations, local support groups, and other services you can search for with your zip code.
Ep. 2: How to Overcome Performance Anxiety & Pre-Class Nerves
In this Mindful Fit Pro podcast episode, Shelly discusses performance anxiety and how sometimes even talented professional athletes can "choke under pressure" and perform poorly when under stress. As instructors and personal trainers, you might loose sleep worrying about an upcoming class and get more than just the Sunday scaries before opening the studio early Monday morning. Fortunately, we can look to sports psychology and see how athletes learn to cope with performance anxiety before the big game. In this episode, Shelly shares four things you can do to ease pre-class jitters and cope with any nerves related to teaching as fitness professional.
Mentioned in this episode is research by psychologist Allison Brooks, you can learn more about their research here: https://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2Fa0035325
The four tips outlined in this episode are not meant to replace professional medical treatment. If you are experiencing worry, doubts, or symptoms of anxiety that are interfering with the quality of your day to day, affecting your performance at work, or overall feel like they're getting to be too much, I want you to know help is available. I encourage you to reach out to a friend for support and consider seeking additional support from a mental health professional as well.
For a list of mental health resources accessible in your area, click on the link below.
https://tinyurl.com/4xdxryzu
Entering your email using that link will send you a .pdf that contains a regularly updated list of national organizations, local support groups, and other services you can search for with your zip code.
✨ Get exclusive meditations and more mindfulness tips when you sign up for The Mindful Fit Pro emails: https://view.flodesk.com/pages/62840ce1908f99063e7e56ae
Ep 1: What is mindfulness?
Episode 1: “What is mindfulness?”
In this episode, Shelly explores a common definition of mindfulness and leads you through a brief guided mindfulness meditation to help bring this definition to life.
✨Guided practice begins at 4.48✨
Adding mindfulness exercises to your classes and personal training sessions can help your client’s stay present and focused on their workouts. Get inspired to teach something more than just another sweat session by downloading your own copy of the Essential Guide to Mindfulness for Fitness Professionals.
This FREE Ebook further explores how you can bring mindfulness to your teaching and includes take-away practices you can start teaching immediately.
Download your own copy of the free EBook here: https://tinyurl.com/y4ujdcyc
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To learn more about the topics covered in this episode, see the linked resources below.
The practice of mindfulness dates back several thousands of years, with its roots in Buddhist teachings. To learn more about Buddhism, read https://www.bps.lk/olib/wh/wh308_Bodhi_Noble-Eightfold-Path.pdf or use Wikipedia as a stepping stone to further explore the origins of mindfulness, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noble_Eightfold_Path
One of the most widely used definitions of mindfulness comes from researcher and Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) creator Jon Kabat-Zinn. To learn more about the MBSR and related programs visit: https://www.mindfulnesscds.com/
To explore some of the latest research on mindfulness, search "mindfulness" on Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/
✨Get exclusive meditations and more mindfulness tips when you sign up for The Mindful Fit Pro emails: https://view.flodesk.com/pages/62840ce1908f99063e7e56ae
COMING SOON! Mindful Fit Pro Podcast Trailer
Announcing the Mindful Fit Pro podcast! Hosted by Shelly, the face behind Mindful Fit Pro.
If you are a fitness professional, this podcast is for you! Mindful Fit Pro is THE place for learning how to embrace your role as a fitness leader.
Mindful FitPro stands at the intersection of physical and mental fitness, bringing you all things mindfulness, mental health, and the latest in psychological research.
To learn more about Mindful Fit Pro, please visit www.mindfulfitpro.com