The Personal Trainer Mentor Academy Podcast

Nik And Ant - PTMA Podcast
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Welcome to the Nik and Ant - PTMA Podcast. All things fitness, business, personal training, etc.

  1. 2d ago

    The Client Is The Expert On The Client: Building Coaching Confidence That Actually Sells

    In this episode I sit down with Sky to unpack what actually separates confident, in-demand coaches from everyone else — and it's not more qualifications. We open up about The Connected Coach mentorship (cohort 2 is live now, only 10 spots), why "the client is the expert on the client," and why pretending to have all the answers is the thing that's actually killing your coaching. From there it's a rapid-fire Q&A covering the biggest influences on our careers, how I actually plan Instagram Stories that build trust (not just noise), how I deal with imposter syndrome, and — because no episode is complete without it — a fully committed debate on whether cheesecake counts as a cake. Applications for The Connected Coach — Cohort 2 are open. Only 10 spots, ~40–50% already gone. Cohort starts 7th September. To apply you need to book a discovery call — not just buy online — by Friday 28th August. Booking a call unlocks up to £800 off, plus access to all live Connected Coach days and our November conference at Gritstone Fitness. 🔗 [BOOK YOUR FREE DISCOVERY CALL HERE →] Timestamps 00:01 – Intro: the podcast is getting a new name and format02:12 – Topic: The Connected Coach cohort 2 is officially open02:24 – Origin story: from "Coaches' Corner" sessions to an 18-month build05:14 – Sky's 60-second (ish) challenge: summarising the whole mentorship08:10 – Combined coaching experience behind the program; staying evidence-informed, not rigid09:37 – Why the program starts with you — personality facets, blind spots, MBTI-based assessment11:07 – Industry critique: outdated practices vs. a psychology-informed approach12:05 – Sky's client story: seeing the person, not the sport or the goal13:35 – You don't need to be the subject expert to coach — the builder/brother story15:58 – Why assuming you have "the right answer" can hurt you — "the client is the expert on the client"17:59 – The confidence boost of admitting what you don't know18:57 – Case study: coach Sam's journey with nutrition confidence and pricing20:25 – Program length now 7 months (was 8), live nutrition days added21:05 – Cohort details: only 10 spots, ~40–50% already gone, starts 7th September21:28 – How to apply: book a call, save up to £800, bonus access (live days + November conference)22:35 – Deadline to book a call: Friday 28th August22:46 – Break weeks, program value, why nothing else like this exists23:14 – On the myth of a "gold standard" behaviour change qualification24:03 – Where behaviour change research actually comes from (and its limits for fitness)25:11 – Q&A: Who had the biggest impact on your coaching career?25:22 – Sky's answer: Pure Gym, Body Power expos, and her MNU nutrition course (2018)27:42 – Nik's answer: Darren, a Sydney gym owner who introduced him to CrossFit30:02 – Q&A: What's the best way to plan story content?31:26 – Sky's take: Stories as the biggest missed opportunity — her daily content formula35:01 – Q&A: How do you deal with imposter syndrome / self-doubt?36:40 – Nik's reframe: "Am I actually an imposter here?"38:22 – Feeling "triggered" by content = a growth signal, not an insult39:31 – Q&A: Did you block off coaching time in the gym?40:12 – Final question: Is cheesecake a cake?42:37 – Outro: next week's episode and a teaser for the new podcast name

    The Client Is The Expert On The Client: Building Coaching Confidence That Actually Sells

  2. Aug 12

    What The First 30 Days In A New Gym Should Actually Look Like

    FREE LIVE COACHING SESSION "THE COMPLIANCE TRAP ... BOOK YOUR FREE SEAT HERE Me and Skye this week, Ant's off on his holidays again. We open with a live coaching session we're running called The Compliance Trap, Tuesday the 18th and Wednesday the 19th of August, built around the framework most coaches don't have for when check-ins go quiet and clients start losing momentum. Then straight into your questions, how to actually manage your workload and your clients properly when you take a holiday, what we're both most proud of from the last few months, what the first thirty to sixty days should look like walking into a new gym, whether time wasters on free trials are normal, how much free advice you can give away before it starts hurting your business, and the common thread behind every marketing campaign that's actually worked for the coaches we've worked with. Also somehow ended up on how I take my coffee. 00:00 — Intro, Ant's on holiday again 00:47 — Live coaching session, The Compliance Trap, Aug 18th and 19th 02:55 — Managing workload and clients when you take a holiday 07:12 — What we're both most proud of from the last few months 12:03 — First 30 to 60 days walking into a new gym 19:02 — How I take my coffee 19:43 — Is it normal to get time wasters on free trials 22:00 — Giving away free advice without it hurting your business 24:14 — What separates a successful marketing campaign from one that flops 30:20 — Outro

    What The First 30 Days In A New Gym Should Actually Look Like

  3. Aug 10

    How Long Does It Actually Take To Build A Successful PT Business?

    Me and Ant again this week, still no Skye. We get straight into your questions, what gets overlooked when you go self-employed, how long it actually takes to get a PT business off the ground (we don't agree on this one, and it's a good listen), the best way to use client stories, our favourite lead generators, what to do with a client who keeps cancelling and rebooking, and how you know when a coaching relationship just isn't working. Plus a date for the next MetaAds Lab intake, an Accelerator and Connected Coach update, and you meet the newest addition, Skye the husky, six days old. 00:00 — Intro, second week without Skye 00:33 — What's most overlooked by coaches going self-employed 04:05 — How long it actually takes to get a PT business off the ground 13:52 — Best way to share client stories and testimonials 17:18 — Favourite lead generators, gym floor and online 22:40 — Dealing with a client who constantly cancels and rebooks 25:04 — Knowing when a coaching relationship isn't working out 27:49 — Next MetaAds Lab intake date 28:13 — Accelerator and Connected Coach updates 29:00 — Meet Skye the husky

    How Long Does It Actually Take To Build A Successful PT Business?

  4. Jul 20

    3 Things I'd Tell My Younger Self Before Opening a Gym + "I Never Close a Sale on a Call. Here's Why It Works Better."

    Join the Accelerator today - Intake closes Sunday 26th. This week Sky and I get into the stuff that never makes it into a caption. We open with the goal question — do you always need something exciting pulling you forward, or are there dead patches where you're just going through the motions? I get put on the spot about the three biggest lessons from my first twelve months running a gym, and it's not the answer most people expect. We talk about whether hammering lead magnets on Instagram burns your audience out, the actual best way to follow up a lead, and what to do when your head's full of ten ideas and you can't pick one. Sky gets honest about why she's never once heard a hard "no" on a consult, and I go into the recruitment lesson from my old man that changed how I handle objections for good. We also properly answer two questions straight from this week's client check-ins — how to actually get ahead with content instead of doing it on the fly, and how to stop feeling "oh shit" about going self-employed. Last thing: Accelerator starts a week today. If you've been sat on this for two weeks, sort your shit out — Sunday's your last day to join. Show Notes 00:00 – Sky's on hosting duty, Ant's out watching the World Cup final with his dad01:18 – Accelerator starts a week today — last day to join is Sunday02:14 – Do you always need an exciting goal, or are there times you're just going through the motions?06:40 – The biggest lesson from year one of gym ownership (it's not what you think)11:15 – If I keep posting lead magnets, will my audience get sick of being sold to?15:21 – Following up a lead: phone, email or WhatsApp — what actually works17:06 – How to manage your head when it's full of ten different ideas and goals19:11 – The 3 things we'd tell our younger selves to focus on first23:22 – How Sky's never had a hard "no" on a consult, and what that says about how she runs them27:10 – Chasing the no's — the recruitment lesson that changed how Nik handles objections30:19 – The real way to get ahead with content instead of doing it on the fly35:37 – How to stop feeling "oh shit" about going self-employed37:11 – Final word: stop thinking about it, get signed up

    3 Things I'd Tell My Younger Self Before Opening a Gym + "I Never Close a Sale on a Call. Here's Why It Works Better."

  5. Jul 13

    How To Get 5- 8 New PT Clients In 8 Weeks

    Join the Accelerator I'm back after two weeks off, and we get straight into it — why the PT Business Accelerator is priced way below what it's worth (Ant's words, not mine), what actually predicts whether someone gets results from it, and then a run of proper Q&A: separating your work and personal phone, what makes a hook actually stop a scroll, how to raise your prices without losing your members, my honest take on consultation chats, Ant's biggest learnings from years of running them, the one trait every coach who makes it seems to share, and whether you should make a new small group client wait for the next training block. Good one this week. Timestamps: 00:00 — Intro: back after 2 weeks off, monthly review week00:48 — PT Business Accelerator: why it's the best next step for coaches right now01:06 — 3rd intake opens 27 July — dates and context03:24 — What the Accelerator actually delivers: next 5–8 clients in 8 weeks04:16 — Why the price is the biggest differentiator ("it's shit for that price")06:37 — What the weekly call is actually for (accountability, not more info)07:58 — The honest numbers: 12/20 engaged by week 4, 9–10/20 by week 810:28 — The real peace of mind it gives you day to day13:06 — The 8-week framework, and what you keep forever after13:35 — Link, wrap-up on the Accelerator14:22 — Q: Should I get a separate work phone for client comms?15:06 — Q: What makes a good hook?19:21 — Q: How do I raise membership prices without losing clients?23:19 — Q: Tips for consultation chats — front-end offer vs core offer?26:38 — Q: Ant's biggest learnings from consultations over the years30:22 — Q: The #1 personal quality of coaches who actually make it32:52 — Q: Should a new small group client wait for the next training block?37:55 — Wrap-up and outro banter

    How To Get 5- 8 New PT Clients In 8 Weeks

  6. Jun 30

    How Many Clients Can You Actually Coach Well?

    Nik, Ant and Sky open with the usual chaos — a thumbnail roast (Claude designed it, Stacey's out of a job), Nik's baby due 22 July, and a "22% down on views" dig before they get to work. Then a full Q&A sweep: how often to chase a lead before they're dead, how to tell someone they're "not ready" without it being a cop-out, the real ceiling on how many 1-1 clients you can coach well (15–25, not 50), how to spot whether your real problem is marketing or coaching (track the six-month retention number), what to actually do with a quiet summer, and when to bring up further training inside a time-bound offer. Ice cream flavours also get a serious amount of airtime. Timestamps 00:01 Intro — "almost 300," nobody's checked the real number01:23 Six years of weekly podcasts, congrats banter01:37 Thumbnail roast — Claude designed it, PT Business Accelerator sale 13th July03:09 Nik's baby announcement — due 22nd July03:33 "22% down on normal" viewer numbers05:01 Q1 — Best/funniest client cancellation excuses (sofa/broken nail, arrested client)06:16 Q2 — How often should you follow up a lead until they say no?12:14 Q3 — How do you tell someone they're "not ready" and warm them up for later?15:22 Sky reframes: "It's not that they're not ready — it's that I don't know them well enough yet"16:00 Q4 (fun) — Go-to ice cream flavour18:15 Q5 — Dealing with external stress so it doesn't bleed into the business21:13 Q6 — Marketing problem or coaching problem — how do you tell?23:36 Ant — track retention; under ~6 months signals a service problem26:09 Q7 — Maximum clients you can coach 1-1 and still deliver quality?28:32 Ant — 20–25 max; past that you start forgetting things about people31:08 Q8 — What should PTs do with quiet summer months?33:02 Q9 — Best way to market yourself on LinkedIn?35:38 Q10 — When do you bring up further training inside a 4-week offer?37:14 Outro — tease for next week's announcement

    How Many Clients Can You Actually Coach Well?

  7. Jun 22

    "I think I'm a shit coach"... and other things PTs say at 2am

    Ant and Sky sit down for the weekly debrief and end up covering the real texture of running a coaching business this month: why feeling busy isn't the same as feeling clear, a client testimonial that captures what PTMA actually changes, why coaches need to keep learning in the direction their clients are asking for, the wins rolling in across the membership (a coach cutting 30 paid gym hours in 9 weeks, a 40-person cohort picking up 3–12 new clients each), and the harder stuff — drawing a line around business hours, managing client expectations before they become problems, and forgiving yourself for the week you were too ill to show up. It closes on a story about a client whose dog had just been put down, and what it means to cry with someone in a session instead of performing professionalism. Timestamps 00:00 — Intro / catch-up banter03:30 — Feeling unproductive vs. having clarity — the framework09:00 — PTMA testimonial breakdown13:00 — Why coaches need ongoing education driven by client need18:00 — Recent PTMA wins (30 fewer gym hours, Accelerator cohort results)24:00 — Switching off — protecting business hours29:00 — Managing client expectations through monthly reviews33:00 — Guilt after being ill — action over rumination38:00 — Closing story — crying with a client, sign-off

    "I think I'm a shit coach"... and other things PTs say at 2am

  8. Jun 15

    Why your PT enquiries aren't converting (and it's not your price)

    We kick off with a bit of football chat — England's World Cup chances (don't ask), some serious Aston Villa nostalgia, and a story about a Sierra plastered in claret and blue that Ant's dad jumped on at the Rumbelow's Cup Final in 1991. Classic. Then we get into it. Enquiries are coming in but the journey to sale is too slow — how do you speed it up without being pushy? This one's actually three separate problems disguised as one. Conversation to enquiry, enquiry to consult, consult to sale — each one needs diagnosing separately. Before you change anything, track where the drop-off is actually happening. Then ask yourself how consistently you're making offers and how often you're personally following up with warm leads. Nine times out of ten, that's where the gap is. Content creation is eating your time — what do you do? First, identify what's actually taking the time. Is it coming up with ideas? The technical editing? The design work? Once you know that, the answer becomes obvious. Ideas should come from you. The rest doesn't have to. Templates, outsourcing, a clear place to refer back to for content decisions — these all exist to solve exactly this problem. What are the biggest landing page mistakes coaches make? No personality. No VSL. The outcome promise buried three scrolls deep instead of leading with it. Too much AI-generated copy that feels like it could be anyone's. No proof. No client journey. People need to land on your page and know within seconds it's for them. If they're having to hunt for that, you've already lost them. How do you know when it's time to leave your gym? The challenge has gone. The environment feels flat. You're frustrated by things that never used to bother you — shifts, classes, cleaning, kit. You're hitting a ceiling on what you can actually build there. These are real signals. But be honest with yourself about why — because moving gyms for a fresh feeling doesn't fix a business problem. Make sure you're actually doing everything you should be doing in your current gym first. How long does it take to feel in control of your business and coaching? Genuinely? About four to five years before it clicked for Ant. But here's the thing — with the right goal, a plan that comes from it, and a schedule that reflects both, a brand new PT can feel that same control within three months. Most coaches who feel chaotic haven't sat down and done that work yet. That's not a criticism. It's just the truth. Before you go — The Nurture Fix Free live webinar on how to move people from knowing you exist to paying you, consistently. If the funnel question hit close to home, this is the session for you. 📅 Wednesday 8th July & Thursday 9th July | ⏰ 11am–12:30pm | 🔗 TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Intro — England, World Cup, who's bottom of the pile 00:13 Aston Villa chat — Dalian Atkinson, Dean Saunders, the 1993 title race 02:30 The Rumbelow's Cup Final, the claret-and-blue Sierra, Ant's earliest football memory 04:13 Q1 — My sales funnel is too slow. How do I speed it up without being pushy? 08:44 Wrapping Q1 — audit the whole process, then double down on what's leaking 09:17 Q2 — Content ideas are great but editing is killing my time. What do I do? 11:21 Q3 — Biggest landing page mistakes? 13:26 Q4 — When is it time to leave your gym and start fresh?16:37 Make sure you're doing the job before you blame the environment 17:42 Q5 — How long did it take you to feel in control of your business? 19:45 Goals + plan + schedule = control within 3 months 19:54 Outro — The Nurture Fix webinar, free, 8th & 9th July

    Why your PT enquiries aren't converting (and it's not your price)
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Welcome to the Nik and Ant - PTMA Podcast. All things fitness, business, personal training, etc.

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