Jen:
Alisha, welcome to the Mumsafe Movement Podcast. How are you?
Alicia:
Good, thanks for having me. I've never done anything like this before, so, but
Jen:
that
Alicia:
excited and nervous.
Jen:
makes it even more exciting.
Alicia:
Yeah, totally.
Jen:
Nice. Hey, before we jump into exactly who you are and what you do and all of the things,
Alicia:
Mm-hmm.
Jen:
share with us a word in which you're showing up today, a win and something that you've been working on.
Alicia:
Cool, so my word would be balance for today. I've got my seven year old home and I've been working this morning. When I think I've sussed my trainers for my upcoming maternity leave, which is a massive weight off and I'm really excited
Jen:
Huge.
Alicia:
about that. And I've got plenty of time, so that's cool. And working on, yeah, the upcoming maternity leave, just making sure things are sussed. that and I've
Jen:
Yeah.
Alicia:
done it before so I'm feeling pretty confident about
Jen:
You've done
Alicia:
it.
Jen:
it a few times before, right?
Alicia:
I have.
Jen:
And I think that's going to there's going to be a lot around that in this conversation.
Alicia:
Yeah, cool.
Jen:
And the reason I wanted to put some context for our listeners around why I invited you to be here is we have done a podcast episode on how becoming the go to trainer for moms is going to make life easier. We did that
Alicia:
Mm-hmm.
Jen:
episode with Glenn Carlson. It's about becoming a key person of influence. So if anyone's. jumped in on this episode and not listen to that episode, it's a good one to go back on. And then I picked up on something that you said the other day in one of our hot seat sessions and it was something like, everything's so much easier now, I'm the go-to trainer for moms in my area. That's what you said, wasn't it?
Alicia:
Something along those lines, yeah.
Jen:
Yeah, and I was like, I want to bring Alicia on because it's the real life version of what we've been talking about with Glenn. But before we get there, why don't you set the stage for us? So think back to, you know, how you became a PT, then how you became a PT that works with moms, and a little bit about your family and the world that you live in.
Alicia:
Oh my goodness, how long have you got?
Jen:
We'll do like the five minute version, that's okay.
Alicia:
Yeah,
Jen:
Ha ha
Alicia:
tell
Jen:
ha.
Alicia:
me to stop talking. I'm a massive talker. Okay, so I actually thought about becoming a personal trainer at high school. So nearly 20 years ago, holy heck. I went to university and studied personal training. It was completely fairy based. I think in the third year, we did a little bit of gym stuff, but I came out the other side of that going. I have no idea how to be a personal trainer and go and get a job. Um, my boyfriend at the time was at teachers college and I just decided to jump into that. So I did a year of teaching. I became a PE teacher. Um, at some point, so my, um, you'll hear my running theme of probably lack of self-confidence through my whole story, cause before I got offered my teaching job, I went, ah, I don't know enough to be a teacher. And a friend of mine was a personal trainer using power plate machines. And I started working with her doing that and then got offered a teaching job. I did that for three or four years. Um, moved to Melbourne with my fiance, Dave. Um, and I was teaching a little bit over there. I'd always had a really strong interest in. nutrition and just being like health and wellness I think and I was working in the life of education then with Harold the giraffe and that was typically quite a lonely job because teachers, I was there in a school for a couple days or a couple weeks and everyone's busy and so I didn't really talk to people so I started studying nutrition in my lunch times and a friend of I literally fell into this personal training job. He was like, I'm becoming a manager of a gym. I'm looking for trainers. You seem like you'd be really good and you're interested in it. Do you wanna come and do it? So I went from a good teaching salary
Jen:
Mm-hmm.
Alicia:
to I think I earned $20 on my first day as a personal trainer. This was in like 2011, 2012. Yeah, and from there. The rest of the time we were in Melbourne, I worked at a Jets Fitness franchise. I worked at a private studio for a little while, still running my own business. And then I worked at a SNAP Fitness. Fast forward to 2015, we were unexpectedly pregnant. You also sense a running thing with unexpected
Jen:
Hehehehehehe
Alicia:
pregnancies. unexpectedly pregnant I went oh my gosh I can't raise a child in a city, Melbourne. Applied for a teaching job the next day, ended up back in New Zealand teaching. The plan was to teach after I'd had Marley. She was four months old, I think that's when my maternity leave ran out. I had to go back to work. A friend of mine said to me sure that's what you want to do? Like do you really want to put her into daycare and go back to work?" And I was like, no, but I don't have a choice. This amazing friend said, you do have a choice. Why don't you try some fitness classes for mums? There's nothing like that in fielding. And I went, okay, I'll give that a go. Gave it a go. Did
Jen:
Huh.
Alicia:
a couple of trial classes. It blew up way too big, way too soon that I couldn't. take care of everybody properly. So anyone listening who's starting out, get your shit sorted, like your, or your procedures before, because I did a Facebook ad and I would have got about a hundred messages and I just couldn't, I could not reply to all of them. I had a four month old baby. Yeah, that was 2016. So I've had feel good fitness for seven years. I've had two more babies, I've got another one coming.
Jen:
Hehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehe
Alicia:
Um, yeah.
Jen:
So it was the words of the friend that took you on the path of working with mums. Do you think you would have done it anyway?
Alicia:
I don't think I would have... No, I don't because PT being a personal trainer in a gym wore me down so much. Like I nearly gave up two or three times not having. So I had, first of all, it was like lack of business support and just no idea what I was doing in terms of business and finance and things. Um, then it was like the hours that I was working. Um, It was my self-confidence. In terms of working just with mums though, I noticed really early on in my personal training career that I wanted to work with women. And I had this ticking over, like I fully believe that everything that happens in your life leads you to where you are now. And
Jen:
Yeah.
Alicia:
I had this idea in my head, like these women are coming to me because they wanna lose weight, because they wanna feel healthier, because they wanna have more energy, but... they're coming to the wrong place. Like
Jen:
Mm.
Alicia:
they weren't comfortable in the gym, they hated the gym environment, but all that these women knew was if you want to lose weight, you go to the gym. So I already knew I wanted to work with women, but I wanted to be, I wanted to provide a supportive environment. Coming back to New Zealand, I think. I was just focused on earning money while I was pregnant. And then, yeah, I just thought I had to go back to teaching. I felt like I could not go back to working in a gym. And one of the local trainers, he'd been my very first personal trainer years ago, and I had saw him a few times and he was like, come and work at the gym, like, it'll be awesome, you'll be so good, da da. And I was just like, I can't do it. I just can't put myself through that. Lifestyle again, I guess Yeah
Jen:
Yep. And
Alicia:
So
Jen:
so
Alicia:
yeah, sorry carry
Jen:
that's
Alicia:
on
Jen:
okay. No. So she sparked this or she gave you the not motivation, but the shove in the direction to move towards what you'd kind of felt like you wanted to do before.
Alicia:
Yeah.
Jen:
And your strategy was to run a Facebook ad is
Alicia:
Yeah.
Jen:
that that's cool. And it worked, which is awesome, because often they don't. But did can you remember, I'm going off track a little bit, but can you remember the how many moms you then had training with you off the back of a hundred leads in a Facebook ad?
Alicia:
there was something like, I think I decided to cap the class, oh no, I wasn't keeping the classes at that point. There was maybe, I think I advertised the classes and the Facebook ad was a little bit later, but I had like my friends, I had some family members from the Facebook ad. No, but there was a lot. I think around that time I might've been between 40 and 50 mums through the week. Yeah, and I'd said, I'm only gonna do morning classes. I never wanna work nights again. And that disappeared really quickly because I was just getting so many inquiries for can we have night classes. So it was pretty clear that there was, like in fielding, we had gyms, we had a couple of gyms. We didn't have anything specific to women. And then there were, yeah, there's still some. personal trainers running things from their own homes. So there wasn't a lot of choice, I think, at that time
Jen:
Yeah.
Alicia:
either.
Jen:
And would you say at that time that you were known as the trainer for mums? Or was it more?
Alicia:
Uh, possibly, but I didn't. Oh no, yeah, I was, yeah, yes, yes. I was advertising myself as a trainer for moms.
Jen:
Yep. Okay. So that's so Miley's four months old, you've got this business that's kind of blowing up. Happy days.
Alicia:
Yep. Excuse
Jen:
What next?
Alicia:
me. I think that probably similar to Amanda's, like I didn't have the financial understanding that I needed. So yeah, personal life, we had some advice from a mortgage broker when we bought our house to, you're going to laugh at this. Put. everything. I was like, okay, I've got this business account. And the way that we set up our mortgage was revolving credit. So it was like, everything goes into this one account. So he was like, all your business, all your business income needs to go into this one account. And so I was, yeah, that was a shit show. Like, terrible, terrible advice. So there was that I had not done a specific pre and postnatal training at that point. So I'd had a personal training client back in Melbourne, who was a high level triathlete and she was pregnant. And I was like, oh my gosh, I don't know how to help you. And I just started researching and learning and I learned so much for free.
Jen:
Mm-hmm.
Alicia:
There wasn't to my knowledge at that time, anything around except for overseas. So. There was a woman called Jessie Mundell,
Jen:
Mm-hmm.
Alicia:
in Girls Gone Strong, I've got lots of their information. They didn't have a certification at that time. So I did feel like I had knowledge, but certainly not enough. What else? I guess it just like having Marley being a first time mum, it was kind of, I definitely wasn't seeing it as a hobby because I needed the income otherwise. Like Dave kept saying, it's kind of a joke now, he kept saying, you're going to go back to teaching the way. You're
Jen:
Hehehehehehe
Alicia:
going to go back to teaching the way. And I was like, oh yeah, when Marley's a bit older, like yeah. And then it just got to the point where I couldn't, even when it was hard. and it has been hard many times over the seven years, I just, I know that it's what I'm supposed to be doing. So yeah, it's been really up and down, kind of with maternity leave, but I feel like I'm in a place now where it's not gonna feel like this so much, yeah.
Jen:
Yeah, yeah. It took you, I remember I was actually looking for something else in my inbox the other day and this is a reflection of how much I don't clean out my emails, but I stumbled
Alicia:
I'm sorry.
Jen:
upon some of those early email exchanges from you and I, because it took
Alicia:
Uh
Jen:
you
Alicia:
huh.
Jen:
quite a long time to actually join MumSafe.
Alicia:
Yes.
Jen:
Do you wanna tell us about that part of the
Alicia:
Yes.
Jen:
journey and some of the things that were, yeah, where were you, what was holding you back, what-
Alicia:
So finances had been a big block for me. I really struggled when I was in Australia. I'm not very good at asking for help. I got some terrible, no it wasn't terrible coaching advice. I made some terrible decisions in coaches that I chose and invested a lot of money into programs that. I got screwed over basically by a fitness business coach. And so it wasn't, it was literally taking the leap financially that was hard for me. I was like, I need to do this. It was self-confidence that investing in Mum Safe was going, it wasn't Mum Safe then, Body Beyond Baby,
Jen:
Yeah.
Alicia:
investing in more coaching. I was like, how is it going to be different this time? How is it, yeah, am I just going to end it? I knew I wasn't going to be screwed over by Jen, but
Jen:
Fingers crossed.
Alicia:
yeah, but like, I think. Historically, for me, I was like, I've tried all the things and they didn't work. So
Jen:
Mm.
Alicia:
how is this gonna be different? And I know now that it has so much to do with the environment that you provide and the support that you give us, like, it's next level. And that is definitely what made the difference for me. So I think in the end, making the decision to do it was... I could see my potential and I could see the potential and I knew that I wasn't going to be able to get there on my own and it was like FOMO, fear of missing out in the end. I was like this just looks too awesome and I want to be a part of it so
Jen:
Yeah,
Alicia:
yeah.
Jen:
I do remember some of your emails though, and going, I don't know if I'd run some free stuff. And you were like, I've taken that and I've done this and I've taken that and I've done this. So anything that I gave away as a learning experience or something to work on, you ate it up and you did it. And I definitely remember an email saying, I can't join right now, I will. But in the meantime, this is exactly what
Alicia:
Yeah.
Jen:
I'm doing, which was incredibly inspiring. And it's that to me says, so much about you and the people that implement like implementers like that's the people I love with working love
Alicia:
Yeah,
Jen:
working with the most.
Alicia:
yeah. And I think that for me, like I'm obviously self-employed, being part of the Mums Safe team just makes me feel like I'm on a team working with people because I often think I'm much more successful when someone just tells me what to do.
Jen:
You already
Alicia:
So,
Jen:
know what to do deep, deep down.
Alicia:
yeah, yeah. But it's like, yeah, the accountability and the... Just like, you know, the pathways, like
Jen:
Yeah.
Alicia:
being able to open my, like I've got it all in a clear file, open it and be like, right, this is the next thing to do. Yeah, it's just so helpful.
Jen:
Awesome. So let's think back to... So what made you take the leap eventually was fear of missing out. I can't
Alicia:
Just
Jen:
do this
Alicia:
knowing
Jen:
on my
Alicia:
I wasn't
Jen:
own.
Alicia:
yet.
Jen:
Yeah. And not wanting to be maybe in a year's time where you are right now. You wanted to be forward moving.
Alicia:
Yeah,
Jen:
What
Alicia:
definitely.
Jen:
did you want to achieve back then? What was the what was the vision or what's
Alicia:
consistency,
Jen:
the vision now?
Alicia:
consistency.
Jen:
OK.
Alicia:
So I was finding that my classes were very up and down. I was feeling really frazzled all of the time, like, um, forget, not forgetting, but, oh, I haven't replied to this email. I haven't done, I haven't put that policy into place. I haven't just, I just didn't have a clear plan or a clear path. Um, and that, yeah, and then I know that reflected on the success of the business
Jen:
Mm-hmm.
Alicia:
because, yeah, things just felt very up and down, feast or famine kind of thing, I guess, yeah.
Jen:
Yeah. And what was your goal around being known for working with mums?
Alicia:
That's a really interesting question for me. And I've said to a few people that I was coming to talk to you today. And I think I still have a fear, like I don't want to be known. Like
Jen:
Ah!
Alicia:
I hid behind social media and stuff for a long time. And I just felt that not enoughness, fraud, like someone's gonna call me out that I don't know what I'm talking about. I felt like that for so long.
Jen:
Mm-hmm.
Alicia:
and it's taken, like I get a kinesiology session once a month and she's been saying to me for ages everybody knows who you are like you've got to accept it. So I would say I didn't have a goal to be well known I just wanted to help as many mums as I could and I wanted desperately for it to be word of mouth
Jen:
Hehehehe
Alicia:
and not having to put myself out there, but as we know, that's not the case.
Jen:
Well, it's the horse before the cart or the cart before the horse, isn't it? Because the more that you're known, the more that word of mouth works. But if no one knows who you are at all or what you do and how you do it, then no one can refer to you.
Alicia:
Yeah,
Jen:
So
Alicia:
definitely.
Jen:
you can almost not hide away once people know what you do, but you can take the foot off your foot off the gas in terms of having to get out
Alicia:
Yeah.
Jen:
a little.
Alicia:
Yeah, yeah, definitely. And focus on, like there's so many things that I could be doing or that any fitness business could be doing. And it's, you can't possibly do everything all at once. So it's like choosing what's most important at any one time.
Jen:
Yeah
Alicia:
Yeah.
Jen:
and we touched on before you've had babies so how many babies have you got now or how many babies?
Alicia:
So I've got 7 year old, 5 year old, 2 year old and I'm 23 weeks pregnant with number 4.
Jen:
Talk to us about that because I know that a lot of moms feel like, one, either it's not worth starting something when you're in the midst of having babies, or two,
Alicia:
Yes.
Jen:
everything just goes too slow.
Alicia:
Yeah. I feel the too slow thing. Like I've seen other, there's a Pilates business in town and we started at a similar time. She's got older children than me and I've seen her just go,
Jen:
Yep.
Alicia:
and like good on her, it's awesome. I think it is challenging to not compare yourself to other businesses and. That's something that I have finally got over is like, you only see, even with businesses, you only see the highlight reel on social media. You don't see the balance or lack of balance in someone else's life. Like their business might be amazing, maybe they've got no social life or they're neglect, you know, like, and I'm not saying that's the case for everybody.
Alicia:
yeah. So we only, even with a business, we only see the highlight real. And I think I have learned, another shout out to MumSafe,
Jen:
Mm-hmm
Alicia:
to live my life according to my values. And for me, that is being able to be the best mum that I can, being able to have a successful business. understanding that there are going to be limitations to how far I can take my business whilst I am a mum to young children. It was really hard, I think, when I had two children, so I had two that were 23 months apart, so any mum with children, well any amount of children, it's freaking hard to be a mum. having them close together plus trying to run the business. The business was still quite new. Those were probably my hardest years, but getting through, like it has gotten easier and having this, you cannot, you cannot underestimate the value of having the support of a team around you. So does that answer your question?
Jen:
Yeah, and I guess to dig a little deeper, was there ever a point where you kind of went, it's not worth doing just a little bit?
Alicia:
Um... No, because I have, like once I sorted my finances out, it's not, like if I try and compare what I would be able to achieve if I was teaching, the life balance for me would be completely off and I wouldn't necessarily be earning, like to earn more money than I'm earning now, the balance would be totally tipped. Yeah, and I don't think I'd have the quality of life that I do.
Jen:
Mm.
Alicia:
and like more daycare for the kids and all that kind of thing. Particularly because I'm a high school teacher, not a primary teacher, and I think there's a bit of a difference there too.
Jen:
Yeah, I also think there's that, I always think that we have to lay a foundation. And I know when I, I don't have four children, I was never gonna have four children.
Alicia:
It
Jen:
Hats
Alicia:
sounds
Jen:
off
Alicia:
so
Jen:
to you.
Alicia:
scary, oh my gosh.
Jen:
My best friend has five and I'm just like, wow, nice work. When I launched the business and then I had India two years later, I knew that the- The goal of the business was to lay a foundation and to not cost our family any money with Marley being in daycare. And then when Indy came along, it was still like until she was, she didn't go to daycare until she was two and a half. He went a lot younger, but until that point, I knew that I was just building these, you know, those base level layers, and there was no. massive driving force to make the business grow hugely when the kids were that little. But I also had this awareness that if I didn't start when Marlee was six months old, I'd be starting when Indy was two and a half, which is four and a half years later. And there's so much you can do in that four and a half year period, even
Alicia:
Yeah,
Jen:
if you move slow.
Alicia:
yeah, definitely. Yeah, and I feel that. And I would say I've moved slow compared to other businesses. And it has been like some tough conversations with my partner and I, because he, yeah, it would be nice to have a bigger income, right? But my, if I could, if I had a choice. I have always said I'd love to just, not just, I would love to be a stay at home mum, but I also think knowing what I know and doing what I do, that would probably drive me crazy as well. So I do feel like I've got a really good balance and I'm surrounded by all these amazing women that I get just as much out of social interaction and leaning on each other and support and things from our members as they do from each other and me. So it's just become this amazing community.
Jen:
Beautiful. Tell me, let's circle back to, you know, what you said in that session the other week of being known has made things a lot easier. What are some of the things that you've implemented within your business in order to become more known than you were when you first got started?
Alicia:
Do you know, I don't even think that it's been tangible. Okay, I'll try and talk about the tangible things. So branded fitness gear. I've really wanted to get my car branded for a long time. I haven't done it yet. And now I'm like, I need to see if four children are gonna fit in our car.
Jen:
There was a reason why I've not had it
Alicia:
Yeah,
Jen:
done yet.
Alicia:
exactly, exactly. So branded fitness gear, having that available to our members has made a massive difference and I've still got previous members that I see photos of them on social media, they're still wearing it, they wear it to the gym, like it's just such a good advertisement.
Jen:
I saw someone, I was back, no, it was before I moved from Sydney, and somebody, an ex-client of mine, was wearing one of our bright yellow, because I used to do different colored singlets
Alicia:
Oh
Jen:
every
Alicia:
yes.
Jen:
challenge, just to mix it up. And it was like a 2019 or 2000 and something, maybe even, no, it must have been earlier than that, because I stopped training, it must have been like 2009. And she was
Alicia:
What
Jen:
just like,
Alicia:
hap-
Jen:
ran past me in the park with this yellow with a big rainbow on the back, and I was like, oh my goodness, that's so
Alicia:
That's,
Jen:
cool.
Alicia:
oh, it's like retro body beyond
Jen:
It
Alicia:
baby.
Jen:
is.
Alicia:
That's
Jen:
Yeah.
Alicia:
so funny. Have it like flyers.
Jen:
Mm-hmm.
Alicia:
And I think that was something that I was scared. Like it is scary. I think every trainer would agree to walk into a place and either be like, hi, can I give you some flyers or can I have a chat about what I do? And I personally found that really difficult because the... the advice is like go to the local coffee shops. I don't drink coffee like I don't I'm not a customer at the local coffee shops so that was kind of a hard one for me but I did it. So coffee shops, play centers, I was getting our clients to so at a class I'd be like who's going to a music class, can you take some of our flyers and people were so happy to do that and chat to their friends and encourage them to come along. And I think that's one of those flyers, is one of those things that you've got to decide to be in it for the long haul
Jen:
Hmm.
Alicia:
and continue to do it. Because I had this awesome mom has just started with us and she's training three times a week after recovering from having her baby. And she said, oh, you came into my daycare when I was pregnant. I was a teacher at a daycare, you dropped some flyers off. And that was like her first touch point. And then she'd seen me a few more times and her sister had started coming. And that was like it all kind of culminated in her then coming. So I think flyers is potentially one of those things that you feel like you're doing it over and over again and it's not having an impact, but eventually it pays off. Offering to speak in different places. And that's another one, like you kind of get no. no, and then, oh yes, we'd love to. And I've actually started having people approach me to ask if I can go and speak to their group now. So that's really cool.
Jen:
So they're people that obviously have heard of you through you being known for what you do.
Alicia:
Yep, yep. Any, like there's a, we're small town New Zealand, so there's not a lot, we don't have like the baby show or the expo and things, but we have got a smaller parent and child expo, which is really good for getting my name out and being able to speak to people, having my information at the physios and the chiropractors and other places. and then obviously having the relationship with the physios and other people who take care of mums. And then a lot of social media early on. I'm not doing as much social media now but yeah, consistent social media was a huge one as well. But... definitely a combination of everything. Like I don't think you can just do social media and that's something that many of us have learned. You actually need to be in public and show your face and get over yourself and yeah, have those conversations.
Jen:
Yeah, I think you hit the nail on the, because I was tempted to say, what's the one thing? And it's like, there is no
Alicia:
No.
Jen:
one thing.
Alicia:
For me though, the one thing would be my own self confidence. Like if there's anything that made the biggest difference, it was me having the confidence in what I do and actually accepting that I am the go-to mum safe trainer in our town.
Jen:
So
Alicia:
Like.
Jen:
how did you come to that, that acceptance?
Alicia:
um,
Jen:
Because I
Alicia:
people,
Jen:
don't think you're alone.
Alicia:
people telling me, Alicia, everybody knows who you are. I'm like, no they don't, there's heaps of people that haven't heard of me. And then, um, probably just a few incidences where like, first day of school this year, um, a mum, she like waved and I was like, oh hello. And then I thought, oh, was she in one of my new mum's courses? Like I didn't recognise her. I was like, she looks really friendly though. So I went back. and was kind of like, how do I know you? She goes, you don't know me, I just know that you're the mum fitness trainer or I follow you on Instagram. People start to say that and you're like, oh, okay, people do know who I am. And then it feels quite scary because I'm like, oh my gosh, what have I said on social media? I think that Instagram stories has been massive for me as well. anybody listening to this if you go and check my social media it's been um crickets for a long time because i had really bad morning sickness and then i got the flu and yeah that's not um amazing at the moment but uh instagram stories has been massive and just being myself and being real and accepting that um yeah it's okay to like make dumb jokes and laugh at yourself and
Jen:
So if we start to put some of the layers together because what I heard you say is you can't hide behind social media and expect your business to be successful, but social media and especially Instagram stories has been a big part of that, let's say architecture. So it's getting out in the community and then when people go, oh, I've seen Alicia's fly or I've seen her talk or somebody at the school gates mentioned her. I'm gonna go find her on social media because we wanna make sure that we've got that congruency between what they see in the community. Then they can come and back it up by finding you online on social media.
Alicia:
Yeah.
Jen:
Tell us then, so then you give potential clients the opportunity to get to know you more in your Instagram stories. Tell us a little bit about what, obviously when you're not feeling sick and just not being there. Although they would have made for some good stories, not the actual being of sick, but I'm sure many people could have related to that.
Alicia:
Excuse me. Yeah.
Jen:
So what kind of stuff do you share on stories? Is it business related? Is it life related?
Alicia:
I think my Instagram stories is more life related and like mum of young children and often stuff that I'm, I think I will often share a story where I've struggled with something and here's what the solution was for me. Yeah, particularly with exercise. I do talk about my kids, yeah, like mom life, I guess. And again, it's something I've had to not compare myself with others because I've always felt like after having Marley, so my first baby, subsequent pregnancies, I've gone, cool, what a great opportunity to... show how to exercise through pregnancy, I'm going to make all these videos, I'm going to do all this amazing content while I'm pregnant and early postnatal because I've seen other trainers do that and they are incredible at it and I'm not. That's just not like, so it's taken me to 23 weeks of my pregnancy to actually feel like, and because I was, I had the flu, but I just, I don't have the time or I, it's not. day to day it has not become a priority for me to create that kind of content and I felt like there was something really lacking but then I was like my Instagram doesn't have to be the place where people go to learn how to train when they're pregnant. My Instagram or any Facebook whatever, my social media can just be snippets of who I am and snippets of our classes and chatting about members and breakthroughs and yeah, it doesn't have to be this educational site.
Jen:
Yeah, it doesn't have to be curated around what you think you should be doing.
Alicia:
Yeah, exactly. And I know that my, one of my strengths is talking.
Jen:
Mm-hmm.
Alicia:
So I'm better off exploring ways where I can actually have conversations with people rather than try and do that on social media. It's so time consuming. But. I know other people that do social media really well. Like I'm so envious of some of the other mum safe trainers that I follow that I'm like, man, they are doing such an epic job of their social media. Yeah, so.
Jen:
So what would you say to someone that maybe they're listening to the podcast because they want to be the go-to trainer for moms, but they don't really love showing up on social media or are not sure what to do, what would you share with them based on your experience?
Alicia:
definitely choose the things that you enjoy doing and focus on them. Also with an awareness that you are going to need to do some other things as well. Like if I was just, if I had more time, I would enjoy social media a heck of a lot more, just saying.
Jen:
Hahaha
Alicia:
But if I was just in public. and then didn't have that social media presence,
Jen:
Mm.
Alicia:
that wouldn't work either. So you do, you definitely need to have an element of both, but I think, and to be fair, I did a heck of a lot more social media in the... earlier days and I always have an intention of doing more social media. Using the community groups, so if you don't want to be on Instagram, don't be on Instagram, but Facebook community groups are really helpful as well I think and often, actually that's another way that I knew that I am the go-to mum safe trainer is I'd start to see people tagging me when people were like I'm looking for a trainer and they're like yes Alicia from Feel Good Fitness
Jen:
Mm.
Alicia:
And yeah, I mean I guess small town New Zealand is different to like in a city Australia for example, like I don't the same strategies wouldn't work for me if I was back at the gym where I had been previously like the balance might be different or
Jen:
Yeah,
Alicia:
I don't
Jen:
I think
Alicia:
know.
Jen:
maybe, maybe not, because I think that I do definitely see when a trainer chooses to go down this road in a rural town or in a less, not in a city, I guess, not in a big city. It can be easier to create that element of being the go-to trainer for mums in that town. Having said that, you create your own pool because I was the go-to trainer for mums in Sydney's eastern suburbs. Cool, let's do that Eastern suburbs. Even if you wanna take that even further down, let's go Centennial Park. And there was a bunch of trainers in Centennial Park, but we were the one, the biggest one. And then if you are in a gym, we'll be the go-to trainer for moms in your gym.
Alicia:
Isn't
Jen:
And
Alicia:
that
Jen:
in
Alicia:
Jim?
Jen:
a way
Alicia:
Yep.
Jen:
that could be even easier because you don't even have to go out of the walls of the gym to become known for what you do. So
Alicia:
Yes, that makes sense.
Jen:
there's a lot of different ways. And then let's think again to a trainer that's working online. So Melissa of Rural Women's Exercise. She is the go-to trainer. She works online, but she's created that community because she's for women living in rural areas. So it's, I think, yes, you're right. When you live in a smaller town, it's a lot easier to get known on what seems like a bigger scale, but we can all figure out what is the area or the scope that we wanna become that
Alicia:
Yeah.
Jen:
go-to trainer.
Alicia:
Um, I think too, that deciding this is who I want to train is massive too, right?
Jen:
Mm.
Alicia:
Like, um, we so many trainers have gone, especially in the early days, I'm a, I'm a personal trainer. I'm going to train anyone and everyone. And I remember saying to my manager, I just want to train women. Don't please don't give me leads for males. And he was like, what you're missing out on, on income. I'm like, yeah, but I want to be, yeah. So I probably knew that
Jen:
Mm.
Alicia:
even before I realized I Dave, my partner, him being like, why don't you do, like do you have to just be mums? Do you have, like couldn't it be bigger if you did da da? And I'm like no, you must niche. But that's what I do. Actually, I have started teaching some, they're called Funky Nanna's classes.
Jen:
I've seen this, it's very cool.
Alicia:
Yeah, so that's
Jen:
Yep.
Alicia:
cool too. But that's kind of a next step. I wouldn't have felt comfortable doing that. initially like I needed to get the mum sorted first.
Jen:
I'm other majority of the moms anyway.
Alicia:
The nannies.
Jen:
Yeah.
Alicia:
Yeah, yeah, so grandmothers, yeah.
Jen:
Yeah, and so...
Alicia:
So the stuff's quite similar and we're doing, we're doing very similar exercises
Jen:
Mm.
Alicia:
and they are loving like the pelvic floor and they're all like, oh, I can feel my TA working today. And like, it's so rewarding being able to teach them stuff that is having such a direct impact
Jen:
Yeah, and
Alicia:
on their lives
Jen:
they're
Alicia:
as well.
Jen:
the generation of mothers that are not getting
Alicia:
Yeah,
Jen:
exposed to what we do. And it's
Alicia:
yeah.
Jen:
only gonna go downhill, the older you get, if you're not looking after all of
Alicia:
Yeah,
Jen:
the things.
Alicia:
that's right.
Jen:
Yeah, yeah.
Alicia:
So yeah, that's really cool too.
Jen:
Question, juggling babies and keeping your business going.
Alicia:
Bye!
Jen:
That wasn't a question. That
Alicia:
Yeah.
Jen:
was a very open-ended question. Tell us about how you've even done that. Like, have you closed your business down at all when you've been running, when you've had babies? Like, what's your
Alicia:
No,
Jen:
strategy been? Okay.
Alicia:
I have been super lucky, like
Jen:
lucky.
Alicia:
so, yeah, super lucky to have a couple of awesome members who have trained to be able to teach my classes. Sorry. Okay, I'm good again. Do I just keep talking?
Jen:
Let's go from now.
Alicia:
So I've been really lucky to have a couple of members who have wanted to train to be able to teach my classes. So I have been able to take apart from the admin stuff, I've continued to take care of the admin stuff and then they've been able to come in and teach. And it's been pretty seamless because I have always. This might be my teaching background. I've always written, like typed my workouts up. So I've got this bank of workouts. I have no problem and my members have no problem with me reusing workouts. So we might do something on a Monday morning in week one, we repeat that workout a month or five weeks later on a Wednesday night. So the trainer might be teaching the same class, but the members aren't necessarily. and I think that having systems, it's got easier with each. I hope I'm not shooting myself in the foot thinking that this is gonna be a breeze having a fourth baby and like, yeah, it'll be sweet as, but having the systems in place has made a massive difference to how it's gone. I have definitely noticed. When I haven't been able to be fully present and showing up, whether that's on social media or in person, naturally things have gone up and down, but I've always been able to survive. And I think it's like you said, there's gonna be, like when you had young children, it was like I'm building the foundations. I view, when I'm on maternity leave, I'm not trying to grow, I'm trying to maintain.
Jen:
Hmm.
Alicia:
So accepting that. And yeah, I think that's it. Really.
Jen:
That's a good analogy to when we say to pregnant women, pregnancy is the off season and you're like, pregnancy and recovery is the off season
Alicia:
Yeah, yeah,
Jen:
in my business
Alicia:
for the business.
Jen:
as well as, yeah.
Alicia:
Yeah, and it also, you know how mindset is so important. I think that having that forced downtime where I'm actually being a mum, living my life, doing the day-to-day stuff, stepping back away from the business has enabled me to... think about, okay, when I go back, what do I actually want that to look like? And I haven't actually thought about that before. But as I'm speaking, I'm thinking, yeah, I have definitely gone back into the business with like fresh ideas and things that I want to make changes to and that's probably some of the best advice that I've had is when you are desperately trying to grow your business and this was me I spent so much time in front of my computer trying to learn trying all these different strategies trying to do all the things that I didn't actually have time for myself for my own self-care for my own life even going for a walk some days I was like I've just got to you've got to... bring in your life values and make sure that you're still living them. And that's something that I've noticed. And I think that was kind of our conversation or what I said the other day was that having like this morning sickness and being sick, I've been forced to like, there was weeks, probably a couple of months, maybe even longer, where I could literally go to class, have enough energy to teach my class and I just have to come home and like die on the couch. I wasn't doing all that business stuff. But then I came and I was really worried coming into term three, which we're in week three now. I was like, I haven't done enough advertising to be able to fill my classes. It just, they just filled up. And I think that's why, because I'd created the foundations and then I was focused or have been focused on, I've got to have my me time and I've got to be able to step back. in order to keep moving forward I think. Yeah does that make sense?
Jen:
Yes, it makes sense because you make sense. So all the foundations that you've laid up until now, so from 2016 up till 2023, you, is that right? 2016?
Alicia:
Yeah, it's a long
Jen:
Yep.
Alicia:
time.
Jen:
Well, it is, and it's also not like it's seven years is it. Oh, it is a long time, but it's not a long time. If this is what you plan to do. you know, obviously
Alicia:
Yeah, yeah,
Jen:
there may
Alicia:
true.
Jen:
be evolutions of what you're doing, but I think this is sometimes where people slip up as well and go, this has just got to be an overnight success in the first six months, or somebody will join Mumsafe and go, it's not working, I'm like, sweet,
Alicia:
Yes.
Jen:
what have you actually done and how long have you been doing it for? Because, you know, we shouldn't think that this is a six month journey. It's a two year journey, it's a three year journey, it's a, and it's, yes, you're gonna speed up because you're going in the right direction, but it doesn't mean that. you don't still have to be committed and to put in the work
Alicia:
Yeah.
Jen:
to do the things.
Alicia:
And consistently keep doing the same things. Like, like keep going and taking flyers, keep doing the social media, keep, keep putting yourself out there and talking to people like, and I, I experienced that. I do like psych myself up, feel so brave, go and do a flyer drop and then be like, ah. I'm done, but you've got to do it again. You can't just, you can't do it once and expect that everyone who needs to see you is going to see you, so.
Jen:
So all of
Alicia:
Yeah.
Jen:
those, I guess, actions like your fly drops keep you front of mind as that go-to trainer for moms.
Alicia:
Yeah, and I think. So same with social media, just because a couple of people have seen it doesn't mean that everyone you want to see it, you've got to keep telling people. And I think that's probably a hard thing, a hard lesson to learn as well, is that we often feel like we're a broken record. And the same with the information that we give to our mums in our classes, right? We're thinking, I'm just saying the same thing over again. And then someone will say, oh, I'm really glad that you keep reminding us of that, because I forget. And yes, the same with the advertising. You've got to keep doing it and keep telling people.
Jen:
Yeah, you've got to be fast.
Alicia:
Emails was something else I didn't talk about either. I found that really helpful. When I am consistent with emailing my database, that makes a huge difference too. And repeatedly telling people how to find you, what you do, what your timetable is. Yeah, I've had a lot of people come back to classes that have left because of an email, not because, but they've read an email and gone, oh yeah, I'm ready to sign up again or for the first time or yeah.
Jen:
Yeah. So if you, if you were to pick out, and I know we can't say one thing or how, how has being the go to trainer for moms, if you just want to lay it out, made your life easier or made your business easier or better or any of those things.
Alicia:
just flows so much better the moving from so I train in blocks which I know a lot of our mumsave trainers do it's take it's taken away the fear and the worry that it's gonna be up and down and up and down or feast and famine or I might have a really good term and then a really shit term it's taken that away it's become my incomes become more consistent and more predictable and therefore my personal stress levels have been oh it's just it's a ripple effect like when you're not stressed out you're a better mum and um when i'm not stressed out i'm a better mum so it's taken that away like i remember through covid as it was for heaps of people that was really hard and there was a period was kind of after covid but people were still um on high alert what was going on, where I was like, oh, I don't know if this is gonna work. And I went back to, like, if I can keep doing this, I went back to the, is it 33 things to
Jen:
Mm-hmm.
Alicia:
do when you feel like you've done it all? Yeah, like, went back, almost went back to basics and was like, right, I've just gotta, I've just gotta keep going. Sorry, I've gone off on a tangent.
Jen:
No, it's good.
Alicia:
it made life easier? Yeah just it I mean I think that's it just makes life feel easier yeah when things are going smoothly. Not worried about money, not worried about am I doing a good job, not worried about I can have the weekend off I can spend this time with the kids, I can sit on the couch and watch Netflix with chocolate tonight because I don't feel so desperate. I definitely had this feeling of desperation when it all felt really hard and that doesn't exist anymore at all.
Jen:
That's cool.
Alicia:
Trust that it's all fine. Yeah.
Jen:
trust that it's all fine and consistent action. Yeah. To start to wrap us up, because I know you've got kids to pick up and things like that,
Alicia:
Yep.
Jen:
what would you say to somebody who might want to get started on either initially working with moms or maybe launching a business or maybe they have a business that doesn't feel like it is flowing? What would you say to them?
Alicia:
So if it's someone who's interested in working with mums, if it's not Jen that you reach out to, reach out to a mum safe trainer and have a conversation with them because that was what I did that. And that like any conversation I've had with you, Jen has been awesome. But I think that hearing it from somebody who's kind of been there done that, that makes a difference as well. Um and do some personal development mindset work like that has been absolutely key for me and I think you can do all the strategies you can do tick all the boxes but if your mindset and your own self-belief isn't where it needs to be and that was my it was one of my blocks definitely then you are going to keep um hitting a brick wall I think. Like the mindset stuff, I have found personally the mindset stuff is just as important as the strategies. find whether it's MumSafe or something else,
Jen:
Yeah.
Alicia:
I will obviously keep banging on about MumSafe because I remember, I've said so many times, best business decision I have ever made since 2012. since I was like, yeah, I'll leave my full-time job and earn $20 on my first day. Yeah, best business decision ever, and not even business decision, like just, I've made friendships with other trainers. We can message, like there's trainers that will have private messages back and forth and be like, I'm struggling with this and can you help me out and like accountability and yeah, find a team that is going to lift you up and support you to be. Awesome.
Jen:
I love that. I love it. And it's interesting when you know, there's messages going like, I hope they're good messages.
Alicia:
Yeah, yeah, exactly.
Jen:
But it's so cool watching everyone's I'm sure I'd hear about it quickly if they weren't good messages, or at
Alicia:
Totally.
Jen:
least I hope I wouldn't. But I love hearing about the collaborations between different mom safe trainers and people jumping on a call to support each other and all
Alicia:
Yeah,
Jen:
that kind of stuff.
Alicia:
and I
Jen:
It's
Alicia:
think
Jen:
very
Alicia:
it's like I noticed the same thing with our mums in classes, inevitably you're going to find people that you vibe with and then it creates this friendship or you're doing things in a similar way or you're thinking in a similar way and it's just yeah I hand on heart would not be here if it wasn't for being a part of the mum safe team. Like yeah I fully believe that.
Jen:
I appreciate you and I
Alicia:
Thanks.
Jen:
write from the get-go and I always find it, I wanna put your story out there and not necessarily, you know, it be the Mumsafe show. Obviously I love that we've been privileged or I've been privileged enough that you chose to be part of what we do. But I said it earlier and I'll say it again, it's, you know, I knew straight away that you were someone that I wanted to work with when I got those backwards and forwards of emails and it's. I can't do this right now and here are the reasons, but this is what I'm doing. And we'll work together eventually. And you've always, life's brought you babies and ups and downs and all those kinds of things. But I do think consistency, if you can say anything about what you've done, it's definitely consistency, digging deep. And also the boundaries and the values that you've touched on a few times in going, this is what I have the capacity to do right now. And whether you've believed in yourself or not throughout this whole journey. you have turned inwards to go, what do I need right now? And how can I execute what I wanna do to move forward? Look after myself and all the people around me, whether it's your family and your partner and things like that. So it's been an awesome journey to travel with you. And I can't wait to meet, well, all your babies at some point,
Alicia:
Hahaha
Jen:
but see, meet the newest one on Zoom, which I'm sure we will.
Alicia:
Yep, definitely.
Jen:
And to watch what happens post, unless you're gonna have number five.
Alicia:
No, no, no. Nope. Ha ha
Jen:
Post
Alicia:
ha.
Jen:
babies because there will become a point where you have more freedom
Alicia:
Yeah.
Jen:
within your business.
Alicia:
thinking like even with Mikairi our youngest now I'm like okay it's this many years till he goes to school what are the possibilities and now I'm like okay start at the
Jen:
Start
Alicia:
start
Jen:
that again.
Alicia:
again
Jen:
Ha ha ha.
Alicia:
yeah but um I think their age gaps are such that I am still gonna feel like I have got some time to do some things yeah so I'm feeling positive about the future for sure and
Jen:
I love it.
Alicia:
what it's gonna bring
Jen:
So if people want to find you and follow along once you get back on Instagram Stories, or maybe
Alicia:
I'm sorry.
Jen:
they live in your local area and now they want to come work with you, where can they find you?
Alicia:
So feelgoodfitness.co.nz is my website. And then both Facebook and Instagram are feelgoodfitnessnz.
Jen:
Fantastic. And we might even put that, you talked about the 33 ways, 33 things to do when you're not, don't know what else to do. We might, I might put that as a little download in the,
Alicia:
Oh, awesome.
Jen:
in the show notes for people. And all the best for the next 27 weeks. Do your babies come early or do they come late?
Alicia:
No, it's only like six, 15,
Jen:
Oh, did
Alicia:
16.
Jen:
I do the wrong maths? Yeah, 23. I did the,
Alicia:
You were
Jen:
I
Alicia:
having
Jen:
did. Ha ha.
Alicia:
me pregnant for 50 weeks.
Jen:
It's pretty standard in my world.
Alicia:
So yeah, end of November and all three of them have come at least a week early. So
Jen:
Okay,
Alicia:
yeah,
Jen:
awesome.
Alicia:
we're on the countdown.
Jen:
You're on the countdown. You've got the trainer
Alicia:
Yeah,
Jen:
organized,
Alicia:
yeah,
Jen:
getting her in to look after your clients.
Alicia:
yeah.
Jen:
Alicia, thank you so much for joining us. I know it's not easy when you're juggling business and all of the children and life to take time out. So I really appreciate it.
Alicia:
So
Jen:
I'm
Alicia:
thanks.
Jen:
sure that people listening have taken a lot away from your journey and even if it's that confidence boost to go, hey, we don't all have to feel confident to move forward in the things that we wanna do.
Alicia:
Yeah, for sure.
Jen:
Thank you so much for joining us.
Alicia:
Oh, you're welcome. It's always awesome to chat with you too, Jen. I really enjoy it.
Jen:
Thank you, take care,
Alicia:
Cool,
Jen:
bye.
Alicia:
you too, bye.
