#instructor thoughts

Day 181: What your instructor is really thinking

It’s the bonus life of a fit pro episode: Tuesday Tea. Spilling the tea on what your instructor is REALLY thinking during class.

In truth - we're present. GOOD instructors are present.

But we're also multitasking, with an active internal dialogue (centered on you, of course):

Assessing engagement - are you good with this? Do you want to be there? Why is someone yawning?

Reading the room - are we feeling energetic? Sleepy? We'll shift gears to match you.

Real-time pacing. We're good at understanding time and reps. We get a bad rep for not being able to count (lol) but we are actively thinking about how long we're doing something and how much time is left in class.

Where are my anchors? Where are the people that others can watch for the next step if I'm helping someone? Where are the regulars?

Considering injuries - while we're not doctors or medical professionals, we know which sides you favor and what ailments are currently causing you discomfort. We try to create sets to empower and also challenge.

Day 83: Loneliness & fitness

Let me preface this topic by saying this is not a sad or pity post. This is real, raw, and honest, from the mouth of a fit pro of 17 years.

Being a fit pro can be lonely.

I'm a solopreneur - a business of one. It's up to me to make or break the day. I love the flexibility I get when it comes to making decisions, making my schedule, and determining next steps.

I'm torn though, because I do miss the feeling of an instructor team. In the last year, I've had offers from 3 different studios to join the team. I'm always cautious about these requests, remembering that although I crave the connectedness of a team, there's no guarantee that the studio will be loyal to me.

I've been in a few situations where I ended up getting burned - with class timing, with money, and with having to find a sub any time I wanted a day off.

For that reason, I've been happy to be a party of one. But I do miss the camaraderie, sharing stories, and growing and learning together with other instructors.

My real debate is this - is the latter worth the risks of the former? I'm not saying I won't ever join another studio or team. I'm just not sure if that's the best thing for me right now.

I add context and deep dive on this week's podcast! Check it out on YouTube, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts.

I wanted to pass along some thoughts from Emily Phillips, one of our ace instructors who also has experience teaching online.

I often have students struggle to make the MM persuasive as they have previously been working so hard to not tip their hands with the DL but I’m noticing a real difficulty in comprehension despite making videos and such to clarify everything. My thought is that they are just going through so much right now that the processing ability, much less creative thinking, is pretty low. 

I’m trying to remember that I am one of 5-6 instructors they are hearing from right now as they also try to navigate being back at home and such. I’m having them email me their early Statement of Purpose ideas to help guide them as best I can before they write a whole proposal, but I can tell you that early on it’s rough-going.