A commitment to honesty, challenge, and care — in equal measure.
At ActiveVT, we take the title Coach seriously. I’m honored by it, sobered by it, and feel the weight of the responsibility. Sometimes a coach gets conflated or mislabeled as “fitness instructor” or “trainer” or heaven forbid “motivator”. Sure — a coach is all of those things, and more.
One thing is for sure, coach doesn’t suggest a specific degree, certification, or level of experience. It’s kind of like mentor. Credentials can help justify the title, sure — but some of the best coaches (and mentors) I’ve known had no extra letters after their name.
What we don’t do: coddle. We’re not there to make everything easier; we are there to face the music with you — to coach you. Yes, we will be compassionate, caring, curious, and comforting when need be… but we’ll also correct you, cue you, and call you out to cut the cr*p.
We don’t coddle because you’re capable of more than comfort — you’re capable of great change if you want it.
You don’t need to be told that all body movements are good — you deserve so much more than that. You deserve to be shown repeatedly what is safe, effective and efficient. You deserve a coach who identifies your mobility challenges and relentlessly works with you to improve them. You deserve someone who champions your strength and endurance as fiercely as you do — sometimes more. A coach who knows when to load your bar heavier, when to scale you back, and when to check in if you’ve been out sick. A coach who keeps your progress moving with a hotel-gym plan when you’re on the road. We won’t fake it by simply cranking up some music and shouting “great job everybody”. We won’t dim the lights and gloss over efforts or otherwise pretend we’re doing anything less mission critical than helping you live a longer, more active life.
When I refer to my fellow coaching teammates, I call them Coach because the word carries weight here. It reminds them — and me — that we take each other’s role seriously. I need their coaching too.
So consider this our public pledge: we won’t coddle, we will coach. You deserve it.
