Rhiannon once won a "biggest transformation" award at her gym, and the first thing her PT said wasn't how do you feel? It was: your next goal is 12 stone. That moment, where a hundred pounds of progress was reduced to a number on a scale, is exactly why this conversation exists.
In this episode, Rhiannon Cooper (Not So Typical Fitness) sits down with Claire Bonnet, a personal trainer just three months into her career whose books are already full, to talk about what it actually means to train people well. They get into the real reason the Not So Typical PT Network exists: not just to connect clients with values-aligned trainers, but to stop good PTs from burning out alone in an industry that often mistakes a six-pack for expertise.
What we cover:
Why Claire's coaching business filled up fast, and it has nothing to do with how she looks
The before-and-after photo culture that's pushing vulnerable clients away
Why collaboration isn't just nice to have, it's how the right clients find the right trainer
Recovery, autonomy, and giving clients permission to have a bad day
The loneliness of being a non-traditional PT and why community is the fix
How Rhiannon built a first-page Google ranking from scratch, and why that matters for the network
What fat loss coaching looks like when it's done safely and ethically
Where the Not So Typical PT Network is headed next
Timestamps:
00:00 — Introduction to the Not So Typical PT Network
03:45 — Why the fitness industry is uniquely brutal if you don't look a certain way
08:17 — "Your body is not your business card"
09:36 — Why Rhiannon built the network: vulnerable clients, no safe referrals
11:16 — The before-and-after photo in the disabled loo (and why it's not okay)
15:36 — The loneliness of being a non-traditional trainer — and why PTs leave
37:27 — Recovery: the thing nobody talks about enough
44:19 — Rhiannon wins a transformation award. Her PT's response says everything.
Want to join the Not So Typical PT Network? Applications are open, but vetted. It's £25/month and alignment with the network's values is required. Find the application form here: https://www.notsotypicalfitness.co.uk/pt-network
Stay you. Keep showing up. Focus on the metrics that actually matter.
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