Pete Dupuis is an icon of gym ownership, business development, and mentorship within the fitness industry.
Pete returns to share what aspiring coaches should understand before turning their passion for fitness into a career—and how the industry has changed over the last two decades.
We discuss:
• Advice for fitness enthusiasts considering a career in the industry
• Realistic expectations of what working in fitness actually looks like
• The skills and behaviours that improve your chances of long-term success
• Different career paths available within the fitness industry
• Pete’s story of “running away from reality” when he co-founded Cressey Sports Performance
• Why internships and real-world experience matter
• The value of spending time in a commercial gym environment
• Building a career beyond simply training clients forever
• How fitness professionals used to build authority online
• How social media and algorithms changed that process
• Why having a smaller number of true fans may matter more than chasing reach
• The loss of long-form fitness writing
• Why platforms like Substack may be bringing it back
• What has happened in the gym industry since COVID
• The rise of smaller, specialized gyms
• What consumers increasingly want from their gym experience
• Why community is such a powerful competitive advantage
• How gym operators can create career opportunities for coaches
• Building a trainer lifestyle you can sustain for decades
• AI, apps, and the future of fitness coaching
• Why quiet competence eventually gets noticed
• And much more
Follow Pete:
@pete_dupuis
CHAPTERS
01:05 The Reality of a Fitness Career
02:17 From Corporate Life to CSP
07:31 Niche, Reputation, and Word of Mouth
11:57 Education and Internships
16:20 The Value of Commercial Gyms
22:55 Building a Long-Term Career
26:55 Building Authority Online
27:57 Social Media Then vs. Now
28:50 Algorithms and True Fans
30:25 The Lost Era of Fitness Writing
32:55 Long-Form Content and Substack
33:37 The Post-COVID Gym Boom
34:17 Scaling the Micro-Gym Model
38:46 Career Paths With Great Operators
40:10 Why Community Drives Great Gyms
45:26 Building a Sustainable Trainer Lifestyle
49:47 Why Quiet Competence Gets Recognized
54:01 Final Thoughts and Where to Find Pete
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