Why 2019 Was The Hardest Year Of My Life

*JUST WARNING YOU THIS MAY TAKE 5 OR MORE MINS TO READ BUT IS WELL WORTH READING*

The hardest decision of my career was made at the end of last year.

I never talked about it on my socials or emails because to be completely honest with you, the more I talked about it, the more it saddened me.

My coaching clients are the only reason I have lived in Sydney (before I met my amazing friends and loved ones) for this 3-4 years which has felt like a very, very long time.

Without them I wouldn't be who I am.

I wouldn't be able to do what I do.

I wouldn't be the Body Transformation Coach I am today.

This time today I would usually be training my face to face clients at Fitness First Market Street Platinum [not so platinum].

But today, I sit in my room at my desk writing this email to you.

Fitness First Market is where #TeamBrockAshby was born.

In 2016, I packed my entire life into my white Mitsubishi Lancer, said goodbye to my brother and fiancé's family (I just call them my family) and drove from the Gold Coast in QLD to Sydney (NSW).

No real plan, just a desire to make something of myself doing what I love.

I loved the Gold Coast purely to be around my brother and my family but struggled to find friends and a career.

My family and bro were the best support system I could have had but regardless of how much support I had, I felt called to a bigger city.

I couldn't even see through the rear view mirror when I was driving because my clothes were stacked to the ceiling, amongst various boxes and bags, but I saw it as a reminder to focus on the future, not the past.

When I first moved to Sydney I stayed with my Aunty, Uncle and cousins to establish myself.

They were an amazing help and gave me a roof over my head when I needed it.

I was 22 years old, unemployed and job seeking.

I had savings from the Gold Coast but wan't stacked with cash by any means and was actively pursuing the life of a musician (which doesn't pay well if you don't 'crack' it).

I pursued music for 3 months (even booked a one-way ticket to Los Angeles to pitch to songwriters) but it never really kicked off, so I decided to return to personal training.

After that decision, the next morning I called 10 gyms in one day and did about six interviews at six different gyms in that week.

By the end of that week I had a job and was scheduled to start work within two weeks.

I burned through my savings from the Gold Coast quite easily throughout the three month period of unemployment and once I payed my Franchise Fee to Fitness First and laid the bond down for my own studio apartment in the city, I was left with less than $2000.

Which sounds like a lot but in Sydney, that's the equivalent to $20.

I began working in Sydney as a personal trainer in October 2016 and had to work 2 other jobs to stay afloat.

I washed dishes in 2 different restaurants in the weekend and worked full time as a personal trainer during the week.

This is what my week would look like...

Monday - Thursday:

- Wake up at 5am.
- Get to the gym by 6am.
- Work until 8-9pm.
- Get home and do programs/email and message clients.
- Sleep by midnight.

Friday:

- Wake up at 5am
- Get to the gym by 6am
- Work until 5pm
- Walk to the city and do dishes from 6pm - Midnight at Rydges Sydney Central Hotel.

Saturday:

- Wake up at 6am and catch the train to Parramatta Rydges Hotel.
- Start work at 8am and wash dishes until 2pm.
- Catch train into the city and start work at Rydges Sydney Central.
- Work from 4pm - Midnight.

Sunday:

- Wake up at 6am and catch the train to Parramatta Rydges Hotel
- Start work at 8am and finish at 2pm.
- Catch train into the city and start work at another hotel doing dishes.
- Work from 4pm - Midnight.

Living in Sydney was rough to say the least.

All I did was work.

My schedule didn't even allow me to sleep over 6 hours.

No time for mates... Well I didn't really have any but the ones I did have worked in the same gym as me.

I lived this schedule for 3 months until I had enough clients at Fitness First to step away from doing dishes and train people full time from 2017 onwards.

I kept working 6am to 8 - 9pm for a couple of years then decided that if I wanted to help more people as a personal trainer, I had to start training people online.

So I started training people face to face and online at the same time.

Training people in the gym during the day and doing programs, posting online and studying research and courses with every other spare minute I had.

To my face to face clients, you are such amazing people and thank you for entrusting me with your health and fitness goals.

I will never forget the privilege it was to coach you and the sense of gratitude I woke up to every single morning to guide you down the path to the achievement of your goals.

It has never been something I have taken for granted and never will be.

As much as you may have learnt from me, I have learnt just as much from you.

My face to face clients have been with me for as little as 8 weeks and as long as 3 years.

To everyone I have coached in between this time period, thank you once again.

To my online clients I am still coaching and will coach, I'm so excited to coach you to your health and fitness goals and guide you to living a fulfilled and purposeful life.

So I guess that leads back to where I am today, writing this email.

I'm in my room announcing that I have officially resigned from Fitness First as a personal trainer.

I am a full time Online Body Transformation Coach and CEO of my own company.

Sounds fancy but deep down I'm still that 22 year old that will do anything to do what I love.

Unfortunately that means leaving Fitness First and my face to face clients to pursue a path that allows me to have more impact and create more change worldwide.

I'm currently creating 8 Week Body Transformation Programs for clients in various countries but have invested well over $50-60k of my own money (and still growing) into a new #TeamBrockAshby website and app I will be launching in January 2020.

Which will allow me to help transform thousand of bodies and change just as many lives.

This isn't just a health and fitness website and app.

It's a supportive environment to transform your body, change your life and educate yourself on how to adjust your lifestyle to live the life you desire.

To Fitness First Market Street this is good bye, to #TeamBrockAshby this is just the beginning.