Meet Michael Moody | Personal Trainer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Michael Moody and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Michael, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?

This path isn’t for everyone but it could be the most fulfilling career direction you can take. The decision to start my business was influenced by many factors. While growing up on the south side of Chicago, I worked for my father’s construction business and uncle’s carpet cleaning business weekends and summers. Owning a business is a challenge, and I witnessed that firsthand. My dad and uncle juggled many responsibilities as laborers, marketers, accountants, and more…..demands of their companies that most people would rather sacrifice for a secure, less encompassing position within a company. Although I was enticed by the opportunity to create the job I wanted, I completed school first. I studied counseling psychology and education, and I was quickly reminded of the missing empowerment on those paths. Choosing a personal training career was certainly a pivot but teaching and psychology proved to be inexplicably intertwined with the fitness field. I integrate behavior modification principles and guide personal training clients on their paths daily. Essentially, owning a personal training business offered quite a bit of control over my fate with my passion for psychology as a foundation.

Outside of my family influences, my relentless drive to become my best self was the force that pushed me to take the risk and start a company. I’m also an analysist at heart and love studying patterns….especially movement patterns. All characteristics essential for the growth and success of a business, I believe. At the same time, these personality traits can lead to hours obsessing over professional details. So, here is the asterick: Your business never sleeps and you won’t either if you allow it. After nearly 20 years as a personal trainer, I figured out my boundary lines. Your success will depend on this obsession and these boundary lines, as well.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I believe my adaptability and focus on patterns sets me apart from my colleagues and defines the foundation of my personal training philosophy. While I was inspired by the businesses of my father and uncle, I was also warned of the many challenges that accompany such paths. I will never paint my path as easy. I’ve experienced several less-than-perfect business projects, an open-entry and competitive market, a recession in 2008, a pandemic in 2020, and some unforeseen pivots. I believe that my drive, skill sets, mentors, and access to information provided the proper mindset and adaptability to overcome these normal fluctuations in business. Armed with those resources and relentless energy, I’ve successfully survived (and beyond) the first five years of business, where many have failed. It took me a long time to find pride in these efforts, but I can now reflect with great admiration on them. It seems a bit unreal that I’ve been able to adapt through such transitions, including a move to Colorado. As I preach in my book, we may not have all the solutions we need for a given moment. Our ability to adhere to a cycle of awareness, acceptance, and adaptation provides the template of principles needed to guide our intentions and reach the success we desire personally and professionally. I’ve grown to admire the complexity of human nature, the influences on our behavior, and the guiding forces of society. Not surprising, this admiration and curiousity naturally seep into the personal training experience. While the physical aspects of programming are always present in the sessions, I have mindfully integrate emotional, mental, nutritional, and lifestyle components that truly lead to a comprehensive, sustainable transformation. Of course, experimentation and learning what does and doesn’t work is also an important aspect.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
My wife and I love the access to culture and food in cities across the world. Denver is no different. Of course, it also offers many outdoor activities within an hour. A hike in the foothills or front range is always on our itinerary. We often take our guests to the Green Mountain West Trailhead in Boulder or the Chief Mountain Trailhead outside of Evergreen for scenic views in a short distance. Personally, I’m enamored by the experience of any climb above 10,000 feet and a taste of a nearby brewery. Dining at Safta and Tavernetta is a must throughout a visit, with after-dinner cocktails at Death and Co or live music at Red Rocks or the Mission Ballroom. Anyone who knows me will say my answer here is cheap, though. I usually create elaborate itineraries based on personalities, interests, ranges of athleticism and adventure, specific food preferences, weather, etc. We wouldn’t have enough space to outline all of the considerations and interests for an incredible weekend in Denver!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
While I appreciate the support from friends, family, and colleagues over the last two decades, my sophomore psychology teacher, Tim Thompson, had the most profound influence on my personal and professional paths. As a kid, I was always reflective and a perfectionist (to a fault, at times). His general psychology course opened new considerations about the mind and the human condition. Not only did it guide my reflection of the self, but stirred my curiousity of individual and social psychology. Mr. Thompson’s teaching style, passion for the subject, and storytelling inspired my pursuits to a higher academic level. Not surprisingly, I eventually taught high school psychology. I soon realized that the one-on-one experience as a personal trainer was a more ideal conduit for exploring the mind and diving into the intricacies of human behavior (including my own), though. My published book, Redefine Yourself (commentary about the underlying influences on our behavior), and podcast, The Elements of Being (the psychology behind social and political issues), also extend from the seeds planted during Mr. Thompson’s class. 

Website: https://www.michaelmoodyfitness.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lohipersonaltrainer

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelmoodydenver/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MichaelMoodyPsy

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lohipersonaltrainer/

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/michael-moody-fitness-denver

Other: -Podcast: https://www.theelementsofbeing.com/-Blog: https://www.michaelmoodyfitness.com/fitness-directory

Image Credits
Ben Elsass, Dinielle De Veyra, Andrea Piacquadio