AUTO-GENERATED TRANSCRIPT

Brianna Battles  00:01

Welcome to the Practice Brave podcast. I am the host Brianna Battles, founder of pregnancy and postpartum athleticism, and CEO of Everyday Battles. I’m a career strength and conditioning coach, entrepreneur, mom of two wild little boys and a lifelong athlete. I believe that athleticism does not end when motherhood begins, and this podcast is dedicated to coaching you by providing meaningful conversations, insights and interview topics related to fitness, mindset, parenting and of course, all the nuances of pregnancy and postpartum, from expert interviews to engaging conversations and reflections. This podcast is your trustworthy, relatable resource for learning how to practice brave through every season in your life. Hey, everyone. I’m so excited to be here with my very good friend of a long time, Shante Cofield. We met well over a decade ago, and she’s been part of every single iteration of the pregnancy and postpartum athleticism coaching certification since 2017 and all of our conversations are typically centered around building a personal brand, doing the thing, getting out of your own way, and being able to step into what you feel interested in what you feel called for. And Shante, thanks for doing this with me.

Shanté Cofield  01:24

Dude, we’re old. You said a decade. And I was like, Don’t say is right. You’re right, though the math is mathing. And I’m stoked and honored to be here. This is the epitome of do the thing and watching from the first iteration. And I’m like, You were literally one of the first people to do this thing. And so to be here again, I was also kind of like, you better invite me to do this. So, you know, thank you for having me back.

Brianna Battles  01:47

You know, I think when you find people to grow up with in business, like the loyalty to that is is really strong, because we know where it started. We we have seen the evolution in the growth, we’ve seen the struggle, we’ve seen the wins, and it at that point in time is really lonely to step into business, because online business certainly was not what it was like today. And we both come from, you know, rehab, background, fitness background, we’re going online wasn’t the traditional route, and we sort of had to pave our own way, and then have continually iterated that over time. And I think that there’s so much value in that perspective that we can each bring. But give us a little bit of your background. For those that aren’t as

Shanté Cofield  02:32

familiar, yeah, before, for sure, before we jump into that, I also want to highlight what we said there of the longevity piece. And so I know we’re talking about building a personal brand, things like that. And that. And so much of that is like, just keep going. Like, how many people can you think of that like started or online when we were doing it? And then you’re like, where did you go? What happened to you? Like, bye. So much of it is this, can you keep going? And before we hopped onto this, talking about social media and how it’s changed, and how launch styles have changed, and you have to keep you have to keep iterating, because things will, they ebb and flow. And if you want this thing to be successful, if you want this personal brand, so much of it is, can you keep going? Which, as Breen knows all of you, if you’ve been in my ecosystem for any kind of time, you know, I have such a soft spot for moms. They’re just like, because moms keep going. Mom’s always showing up. They’re always it’s like, because they can’t stop. So it’s a choice like, This is it? You keep going, keep going. So, you know, I work with with people, and work with moms, and anytime they have any of this, like insecurity or this, like imposter syndrome, or, I don’t know, I’m just like, but you’re a mom, you could do anything. Just, just keep doing that, and just keep showing up. So just want to inject that, because that’s like the epitome of everything.

Brianna Battles  03:47

I mean, that’s it. That’s the interview. Go done. We’ll do some good stuff. That’s all.

Shanté Cofield  03:52

You’re a mom, you can do it. Bye. Yeah, absolutely. So my background, like we said, I am a physical therapist by trade, entrepreneur, by necessity, I’ll say by choice, but also by necessity. Started out in the physical therapy space way back when I’m old. Now, did the traditional physical therapy thing, practice in person for eight years. Along that time, I stumbled into the online space, the digital world, largely from boredom and just because of CrossFit, to be completely honest, I would, I was training for the New York City Marathon at that time, and I would be running around my neighborhood, and there was a crossfit box right on the street, and I’d be like, what is happening in this place? And I also had a lot of clients coming in, because CrossFit was like, this is we also were very fortunate. We were in the golden years of CrossFit. Like, such a good hands down. I know, like, golden years of CrossFit. Fun fact, we got to hang out at regionals, and Cade fell down the bleachers. But, and I

Brianna Battles  04:50

was, like, hugely pregnant. You were like, should you be, like, walked in on these bleachers? And I’m like, Do we even know, like, what I talk about? My work, like, we good, okay, all

Shanté Cofield  05:02

right, second, I don’t want to be walking on the bleachers.

Brianna Battles  05:05

That’s why I said, Oh, I know, I know it was, that was such a good era. And was like, Really, like the emergence of spar brands, you know, like, I feel like, 2016

Shanté Cofield  05:16

2017 Yeah, I was showing up on social mainly because, like I said, I was working in clinic, and I had gone on to social media because I was like, wanting to learn more about CrossFit, and saw met Perry nickelston And why doc was really big at that time. And I was like, if they could do it, I could post stuff. But it wasn’t to build a brand. It was just because I was like, I could share stuff. And, you know, also fortunate that social media at that time, less people doing it, but also, like, less ways to do it. Like video was, like, just starting. It was like, 15 seconds. You like, couldn’t make things longer than that. So, you know, having parameters around it and largely just posting things. Because I was like, Hey, I like talking, I like sharing stuff. I was already five years into my physical therapy career, and part of the reason that we overlapped was because I was doing pelvic floor physical therapy that time. I am an ortho PT by trade, but then wanting to go into the more pelvic floor space, and that’s when Bree and I met at CSM one year. But moving into the online space came because of rock tape. I taught for them for years. I got the job and the opportunity with them because of social media, which is why I’m bringing that part up, like there’s so much that can be done, so many relationships that can be made because of creating this personal brand and showing up on social media. So I started teaching for them. Taught for them for like five years, through their golden years as well. And then in 2020 was the hard pivot into online business coaching. I had done it behind the scenes, but 2020 came, and I was like, I don’t want to talk about hamstrings anymore. I like, literally, don’t care. I’ve had, like, I was like, there’s, like, 4000 posts. Go look through them. And covid, you know, said, Here you go. I was traveling a ton to teach. I love teaching in person, but I was tired of doing it, like, five years and so I made the switch and never looked back. And so now business coaching is at the forefront. Now my main focus with business coaching is building that personal brand, but it’s really heavy emphasis on the messaging side. And what are you actually saying? How are you communicating with your audience? And that’s how I live my life now. Is what I spend my

Brianna Battles  07:15

days doing well. And you know, what’s really cool is I actually remember all of those days, you know, and seeing following you on social media and seeing how you would share was like putting your own spin on an educational like, fact, it was like a quote of the day, like some something like that. I don’t remember exactly daily Maestro isms, yeah, like you had like a daily like Hobby, essentially, and that was not common practice back then. But what it did was it let anybody who was following you know exactly what you were about, like what your take was professionally, but then how this was applied to whatever it was. And, you know, like, it wasn’t even crazy controversial, but it just it helped shape who you were. And then I feel like you’re like, you know, like iteration, like you kept getting better at it, and then you kept creating more, and then you’re like, wait, maybe there’s something to like graphic design, or like, you know, like we’re like, you just started evolving it, but it helped create an idea of, who is Shante, what is this Brand? What does she do? And you made it pretty clear what you were about, and that helped you stand out so much, even back then, dude,

Shanté Cofield  08:30

I love that you brought the daily Meister isms that ties into what we’re talking about earlier. So so much to be said about that, and so much in terms of for you folks watching this and building a personal brand is one that longevity piece, and the longevity piece comes from something that’s sustainable. And so I decided I saw, I was looking around, and I saw wad dock, he had committed to what he called Project 360, 5k star was really big during the time, and they were all putting content out every day, and they’ve been doing a video. And I was like, I don’t have time for that. Like, I have a full time job as a physical therapist. I literally have no time for that. I was working in New York City. The hours were really long, and I was like, You know what? I can make a written post every day. I could do a quote every day, and then in the caption, explain what this thing is. And so I committed to doing a year of it. And I called them daily Maestro isms, and I said, I’m gonna be posting at 7:30pm eastern time every single day, and I committed to a year, and a year turned into 1000 days. And then when I hit 1000 I felt like Forrest Gump when he was like, I’m tired now. I’m gonna stop running. I’m good now. But because of that sustainability and that longevity piece, your personality, your values, your brand emerges, people need all of these data points to be like, Hey, what is this person about? And that predictability, that familiarity that breeds trust with your audience, because they’re like, I know no matter what, 730 Maestro is going to be there with something. And like you said, it was never like some super like, inflammatory, polarizing thing. It was just like, what did I experience that day? What is my thought on? On this that day. I think something to take away, or to note is not comparing your day one to someone’s day 1000 Yes, right? As people do that, they see the end result and they’re like, Wow, I can never make a video like that, and you just highlight it. I can never make a video like that, or make this thing look like that. And it’s like, neither did I, neither did. Bri like, we start off with this thing, and that’s our day one, and then you keep building, and suddenly you’re like, cool, I have this skill set, and I can try set, and I can try this, or I have this idea, and I have this, I could do this. I have this resource now, and I can, can lean into this. But it again, comes down to that long game of like, can you stay in it and just keep just keep going. I know it’s so boring, it’s such like an anticlimactic action item. What is the truth?

Brianna Battles  10:43

And it helps you, like, refine your own coaching or teaching, or, like, what do I actually what do I think about this? What do I feel about that? Or, you know, what, I don’t like how I said that before. Maybe I don’t even agree with what I said before. How can I meet? Keep making changes even today, like, if we fast forward over a decade of still creating and sharing online, if I were to like repost a similar like, say, like, just an Instagram post that I wrote six months ago, there would be something about it that would give me the ick and I would have to like switch. I have to reword it. I have to rework it. I need to show it differently. Even though the overarching like 90% of it might be the same. But then we can look at even this coaching certification. There’s a reason. This is the fourth edition. There’s a reason for that. We get better. The industry changes. Interest grows, culture shifts, like you have to stay resilient, and you have to stay adaptable, and you have to know that your 1.0 version of you will not last, nor should it no

Shanté Cofield  11:47

no and be okay with that. I think that what people do is they get in their own way, and they kind of lean on these terms of like perfectionism as like a crutch and like a reason to not do it. And what, what Bri just said there, go ahead and use that. If you consider yourself like you have perfectionism, use it as superpower and be like, cool. That means I can see where I don’t like and then change it and put it out. People stop, and they’re like, oh, it’s not perfect again. Put it out. It’s like, no, it’s just I don’t, you know, I’ve evolved from that, or I see something else that I want to do cool, and then do that and iterate and just keep you gotta, like, I know it’s such a boring action item, but it’s like, just keep going. Start and just keep going. You know,

Brianna Battles  12:26

because I think, like coaches, the coaches who take the certification come from a variety of places. We have those that have been in the game for a long time as a coach or practitioner. They have a lot of education, they have a lot of background, but now almost merging from working for somebody else into a personal brand, feels very intimidating, because maybe they’re still connected to a gym and they’re operating on behalf of somebody, but they also have this personal interest of they’re like, I just took this certification. I want to help people, but I feel conflicted. And then there’s the other people that are fully stepping into this as an entrepreneur and really just trying to use it to shape their brand. I think in both cases, you have to be comfortable sharing consistently working with people and refining your craft over and over and over, like eat, whether you work for somebody else or you’re starting to work for yourself, figuring out what you’re going to say and how you’re going to say it, and who you’re speaking to you, like, the direction you want to go, and taking steps that way is that can be really challenging, regardless of

Shanté Cofield  13:29

your experience level. Absolutely, absolutely you know, different things to navigate and like, we’ve been like, hammering over and over here, it is just that commitment to the commitment to consistency, whatever consistent looks like for you, right? I also want to note this, because my assumption is that a lot of people that are taking this cert and then looking to move forward with it have kids finally gonna say it’s everybody, but it’s probably a good number, a good percentage, which means that your time is different than someone else’s time, right? And what is actually feasible for you, and this is like, this can also be independent of kids. Everyone has a different work capacity, right? And then, so then on top of that, we put constraints. Like, I don’t have any kids. I have two for for children, like, it’s very different of like, what is demanded of me and what my parameter, like, my time constraints are and are not. And so when we speak to this consistency piece as well, it’s just like, whatever consistency looks like for you. People confuse consistent and frequent, and those are different things, right? It could be you doing it once a month. It could be you’re doing it once a week. Yes, from a real and this is one of the things that bring I talked about before. So I was like, Hey, why are you redoing this? What’s going on? And what I took away from it was part of the, like, realistic approach to it, of like, yeah, women can lift heavy and do these things, but there’s a human side to this, a real, realistic component of what this actually looks like in practice, and the physiology that’s changing, and how do we respect that right same thing for for this there is, if you’re if you’re consistent, looks like once a month, that’s going to have a different result than someone who else is someone else whose consistency looks like once every day. That’s the reality. But we all we can do. Just put the blinders on. Be like, okay, but this is what I am capable of, and this is what will allow me to be, will be sustainable and allow for that longevity. And then you just, you’re right on with that.

Brianna Battles  15:09

Yeah, I know. And I think again, whether people are trying to fully operate independently as an entrepreneur or a business owner, or they’re coaching with under somebody else’s umbrella. I think getting the messaging is so hard, and we assume it’s really intuitive at first, but I think a lot of people either over complicate it or it’s like just way too broad, and then you’re missing the mark on both ends, right? And this can be your messaging in how you’re speaking. It can be your messaging in what you’re writing, the emails that you’re sharing your social media. Can you give me some of these coaches, some advice on like, how do you narrow that messaging so that you are different? Look, we’re all of us are, like, passionate about coaching part and postpartum athletes, but that doesn’t mean that we’re comparing to each other or what somebody else puts out compared to what the brand puts out. Everyone has their own individual, like, their own thing that keep that they can communicate. So give me some advice.

Shanté Cofield  16:11

This is something makes me so so, like, I get so amped up. I’m like, Yes, I don’t even have words now, yeah. So if we kind of reverse from what we Bree said, there is that coaches, people, excuse me by coaches, not coaching, right? It’s a phrase that we hear a lot, and it is actually very, very true. They’re not buying the methodology. They are buying that person. That’s what they want. And so if you then go to the other side of that, it starts with you as the individual, being like, who am I? What do I believe in? What is all of me, it has to start there, because that allows for the awareness. Because what you’re going to see as you go to show up, and maybe I love the example of, if you’re working for somebody else, maybe you’re not allowed to say certain things. That’s an unfortunate situation, but maybe not allowed to say certain things. But you have to have that awareness first to be like, oh, I want to say something else. Oh, I believe something else. What you actually end up doing about that, the outcome, the action item, that’s that is kind of like for a different part of things you need the awareness first to be like, am I bringing my whole self to this or before that? What is my whole self? You will learn as well over time that running your own business also pulls up a mirror. So if you don’t want to learn about your whole self, you’re going to anyway, if you didn’t know about your whole self, you’re going to learn as you go, but you get a little bit Head Start. If, from the get go, you go in with a ton, or as much as possible, self awareness. What do I believe in? What are my values? What do I care about? What do I value? All of those things. From there, it becomes that consistency piece and that retrospective identification through looking at content. That is for me, that’s why I’ve always leaned to that as a coach, it’s easier to see things in the rear view mirror than to be like, I Miss Cleo. I’m going to predict what’s going on. So you create all this content and suddenly, like, Bri said, you’re like, Oh, I do have an opportunity now to be like, What do I think about this? Have I thought, oh, wait a minute. And you continue to think about these things and put out content about these things. You learn about yourself as you’re doing that. And then from the messaging side of it, right? Messaging, in my opinion, is really just communication which is going to invite involve two parties. It’s going to involve the people that are speaking and the people that and the people that are or the people that are communicating the people that are receiving that. So, yes, it does involve you, right? You’re putting out signals all the time, even just how you look, right, how you show up, not just what you say. When we say messaging, people oftentimes think of it as copy or like what’s written, and it’s like, that’s one part of it. But communication is everything, right, every single that you’re putting out there. So that is one half of it. And then we start to look at from a business lens. You’re like, hey, what will land with my audience? That’s going to be kind of a two part thing. One, you put things, you put signals out, you see who you attract, and then two, you look to identify is this the right audience that I want? And then it becomes about them. What do they actually care about? We like to think that there’s, like, this one message that’s like, going to land No, it’s not. What I am more concerned with is that we’re at least going to the correct demographic, and we’re not like, way over there, right? Because different things are going to land with within this particular group that you’re kind of going going towards. But what I see missed is that people aren’t considering the other person, right? It’s really broadcasting. It’s just like, I’m going to talk a lot, and this is like, wait, but what are they saying? How are they receiving this? What do they actually care about? And as soon as we start thinking about that, then the messaging starts to get better. And we pair that with the fact we have time and reps and feedback, and we’re listening to that feedback, when looking at that feedback, and you start to really figure out what you want to say and how you want to say it, and it tends to come right in time for you to shift your business. And then you’re like, here we go.

Brianna Battles  19:50

I know, gosh, I That’s it. It just makes a lot of sense. And it actually you were around when the time, like when I said. Like, pregnancy and postpartum athleticism, pregnant athlete, postpartum athlete, and people are like, that’s like, way too specific. Like, you’re like, what if they’re not an athlete? And I just said, Well, then, like, I’m probably not for them. Like, then that’s okay. Like, there’s in the pre and post natal industry, there was either, like, a ton of outdated stuff, or just very general, right? Like, so general, and you have to kind of be willing to bet on your instinct, on yourself, on like, who you are, because you are not the only avatar like what you stand for, what you’re interested, what how you feel, what you believe. I was like, I’m not the only like person who is like a pregnant athlete or a postpartum athlete, there’s a lot of us, but there’s not like, it’s not named, it’s not a thing. And people told me that it was a bad decision, and ultimately, like freaking almost 12 years later, great. It’s very much a thing.

Shanté Cofield  20:57

You know this, I love what you just called out there. Because I think not. I think I know more people need to hear it. People tend to think that, and I don’t say this in a pejorative or like a negative way, but people tend to think they’re so special. I’m the only one. Okay, I’m sorry, but you’re not, and that’s a great thing, right? You’re not the only one who thinks like that. You might be one of the first people. You might be one of the only people that’s willing to say something. There is something so valuable about being first to market as well. So if you’re going to that business side of it, it can be harder, typically, a little bit easier, to be second to market, but there’s something so valuable, and there’s a leg up to be to being first to market. Mind being like, Yeah, this is the thing. This is what I believe in. And I’m going to be the one saying this. And I promise you, you’re not the only one that thinks that, if we want to put on our business hats again, when we’re talking about how many, how much of, like, the market size there is, some things are going to be a lot smaller than other things. I’m not going to lie and be like, there’s a big audience for everything. No. But I promise you, you are not the only one to think that. And if we want to put, you know, put on the Instagram hat. Now, if you want followers, I would say this, if you want followers, be a leader, and being a leader, part of that is being willing to be the first person to say it. It’s being willing to take whatever blow back may come because you are saying this thing. You’re like, this is what I what I believe, and staying strong with that. Yeah, absolutely, yeah.

Brianna Battles  22:23

It’s, uh, it’s been interesting to see that, that evolution of how this has worked. But you know, it’s okay that you are not for everyone. It is okay to lean into something, and especially like, before we stay pregnant and postpartum athletes, or you’re certified in that that already like, narrows down, like, who you can work with from there, if you have a dance background, and you’re like, I work with postpartum dancers, and a lot of them are peeing their pants, and I’m person who can help. So it’s like, you can keep narrowing and narrowing, but at the same time, if you have a crossfitter come to you, or you have a rugby athlete come to you, you’re like, you know what? I can still apply a lot of these printers and help them. So you’re not like, you’re not just one thing. You’re able to, like, move in different directions. But it really does help, I think. Just clarify, where do you put your focus

Shanté Cofield  23:14

at people need. People are not great at reading between the lines and listening around the edges. They need to see their name on it, right? There’s a handful people that can do it, but the majority of people are not that great. And again, I don’t say that in a negative way. And so you this thing that you’ve made, or how you show up could be the exact perfect fit for someone, but because you didn’t put their name on it, they won’t know. So I get that folks are like, Ah, I’m excluding some. And I love that we call that out. Yeah, that is a good thing? Yeah, absolutely. Because what will also happen is that people that are good at listening around the edges, even though you can be saying, I do this, these people that are good and that would be a great fit, they will still hear it. So it’s not like, Oh, I’ve gotten rid of everybody. Like, no, you’re going to attract the people that are perfect and the people that are over here but are still perfect because of that specificity. Like, I think about joy, her name is actually joy. She works with postpartum and pregnant rock climbers, yes, like, holy smokes. And you think like, wow, it’s super It is super niche. And it’s been, it was so fun to work with her, because it’s so specific. And when people find her, like, fucking change. They’re changing. She changing their life. That is incredible to find something that fits like that. So if that is you listening to this, watching this, that is a superpower. And you’re like, Yeah, this is the thing that I am so

Brianna Battles  24:37

so many opportunities there, as I’m like, saying, like, there’s so many opportunities. This was niche. Now this is growing and gaining so much exposure, and within that, we are able to work with so many people. Like at least 50% of the people in gyms are women, and that is growing. 80 ish percent of women are having babies like this is a significant population. It’s not going. Where and our culture has normalized that fitness is athletic now, like, whether they’re at F 45 or orange theory, or they’re running a half marathon, all of that is athletic. It’s not just like CrossFit, which is where a lot of this sort of started. Was like the people that thought like pregnant athlete, postpartum athlete was very much CrossFit. But now we’re seeing that owned at the professional athlete? Yeah, so we’re seeing that in research. We’re seeing it in so many different ways, and then we’re seeing it in more specified audience, like you said, like rock climbing, or there’s like, these very like, narrowed ways. And I think the bottom line is, if you make someone feel seen and understood, which is, like, basic emotional intelligence, but that often gets overlooked in coaching and practitioner communities because we’re trying to, like, troubleshoot and treat and like, kind of pathologize sometimes, yes, if they feel seen, they’re like, oh, you know what? Like, Shante. She freaking gets she gets my business, she gets my personality. She understands what I do, and we can, like, work this out, like, we can do that in a lot of different ways with our clients, but also just in our messaging and the craft that we’re putting out there, is like, oh, that person, what she is saying, I can trust her, and I want to buy from her, and I want to be coached by her, because she gets me, she gets my problem, she gets my sport. She gets the season of life I’m in. She gets my athlete brain, you know, like to feel is the thing that sells.

Shanté Cofield  26:25

I think that we’re also in a really good anyone that’s coming into the the ecosystem now is in a good place. Like, yes, things are saturated. There are a lot of voices. Yes, absolutely. I’m not gonna lie and be like, No, there’s not. But there’s also a lot of people that are looking for this as well, like that people, a lot of people that know, like, what online services are. So like, there’s, there’s the both end of this. But one of the, one of the other reasons, I think that people are in a good place right now, for exactly what you were just talking about, is like, I love AI, but AI sounds the same AI. People are leaning into it. They’re having it like, do so much stuff for them. It’s like, a dehumanizing kind of thing, either having them write for them. And people, since covid, this has been a thing, right? People are like, can I talk to a human? Like, I only talk on the phone, but like, I only talk on the phone, but like, Can I get a person? Yeah, can I get someone who actually sees me? So for anyone that’s starting off right now, you have the benefit of low volume, right? That’s always for anyone that’s getting started, that is a superpower, that is a benefit when you have a big following and a lot of emails, a lot of comments, you’re like, it’s really tough people to get back to all of this, if you’re just starting out and you have less of that, that’s phenomenal. And I watch as people are like, I only have this many followers. I already got this. That’s great, because now you can go and be one on one with this person. You can go and actually know that person’s name. You can go and do the things that Bri just said that they don’t scale. They don’t need to scale, though, right? You can go and create this connection with this person. And that is a phenomenal is the best way to build your business is on these things, and then you can, you know, things will scale from there, right? But it is, in my opinion, a very positive thing when you’re just starting out, and we’re just starting out now, so you have less people, and the market is flooded with AI, and everyone’s like writing the same and sounding the same because they all use the same AI, like, it’s great for you be willing to do the things that don’t scale, write things yourself, show up yourself. DM people, yourself, right? Or respond to DMS, I should say, yourself right, and actually connect with people. You build a business

Brianna Battles  28:11

that way. You build the person. So like, invest in energy, you know? And like that is that, when I get that alive, and I know that because, like, we have been in the same circle for a long time, people love you because they’re like, I know what Shantae is about. I know what she’s about. Like, I know her energy. She brings good energy. And like, people know my energy, like, direct and then I get passionate, and I’m like, fired up, and I like, really, really freaking care. And that is obvious just in how we talk, right? But that is the thing when people know that you are really invested in your craft, when they’re when you’re really invested in learning and evolving, that is that will be reciprocated Absolutely, absolutely, if you will

Shanté Cofield  28:50

respond to that. I do think, from a social media perspective, we are entering, thankfully, the age of the expert, right? So we came out of the age of we’re in the information age still, but we came from the in for the influencer age, and people get tired of things, we know this, and like, people get burned by things as well. And so they’re like, I want the opposite. Yeah, people want, I’m saying this from a cop, from a content perspective, because we want Bree and I want your personality, and we want all of your knowledge to be shared. People are looking for someone who they trust, who they like, to tell them things that they could go and look up themselves. But they’re like, is it true? I don’t know, but they could go and look it up. They were in the information age, but they are looking for someone who they like, who they vibe with, right? Because you showed your personality to tell them the things and give them the information and sift through all that information for them. So when we’re thinking about, you know, tactically showing up and what we’re putting out there, teach, teach every single thing that you know one bit at a time, and then again, I always think moms have such a leg up on this, because you have to repeat yourself eleventy billion times like. It, but put yourself to the day you die. You’re just gonna keep saying the same things over and over again. You’ll change maybe how you say it, but you’re just going to keep people like, I already said it, and I’m like, as always say your kids, like, I’m sure you kept saying these things. Like, I know I already

Brianna Battles  30:13

said it. I’m gonna say it again, and then people don’t always listen, or they don’t always read, yeah, or, like, rarely they stuff. You do just have to keep sharing a lot of the same sentiments

Shanté Cofield  30:23

over and over and over and over and over. It builds that trust. It builds that familiarity. But also from a business perspective, folks, right? Our job isn’t to convince people. And what’s one of the best lessons I learned as a physical therapist, like the business of convincing sucks. Don’t enter it. Y’all know it’s the worst, the worst business. Yeah, our job is to keep showing up and to be there when that person is finally ready to change something, when they’re finally able to take action on something. And you are top of mind because you’ve been showing up, you’ve been consistent, and you’re they’re like, right? And I like this person’s personality, and now that I’m ready to do this thing, it’s free or raise nobody else. That is what our job is. And so, yeah, you’re going to be saying the same thing over and over again. This ties back in we’re talking before. When it comes to communication, it’s two parts. That person has a whole life, all right, this, this stuff that we’re talking about, maybe it’s our entire life. So we’re like, Yes, I see it all the time. That person is not they have a whole other things that they’re doing that you as parents can very much relate to, and how busy you are another you are again, moms, like you’re managing the world and you’re carrying other people’s scheduling, like, literally keeping people alive and like, that’s like a lot. So yeah, maybe they didn’t see your posts and, like, read the thing because they were doing that. Our job is just keep showing up. So when that person has the capacity, they have the time, they have the energy, they’re ready. It’s you or it’s you

Brianna Battles  31:45

know, and so well said, you know, I’ve been doing some in person certifications, which has been cool, because in that room, I get to say, like, show of hands. How many of you currently, like, are working for somebody else? How many of you are, like, working just sort of like freelance ish. How many of you want to be a gym owner or, like, step into a business someday? And that’s when a majority of hands go up. So whether they’re like, they’re they’re in the early trenches of business or then they have a lot of background and experience in coaching. It seems like the avatar of people that go through this certification, a seed gets planted, that there is more, that there is more that maybe we haven’t always been shown what more looks like, whether that’s because of the era we went to school and this what we thought was even possible. I never saw entrepreneurship modeled, and never knew that was a possibility, especially in the fitness industry. Back in my day, it just wasn’t, it wasn’t an available option. And I think what we have seen repeated since 2017 is this course serves as a catalyst for pnpa coaches going and sorting their own thing, like, whether they’re renting space and running classes and it’s very small scale, or they’re like, full send. I’m starting a business. I actually just bought a studio, and now I’m going to be doing training sessions there, hosting series here, hosting a workshop, like they’re doing the thing. And I know you talk about that all the time, but doing that is actually really hard, like being able to bet on yourself figuring out the logistics of, how do I start? How do I go from point A to even like, like, merge close to b, not even fully in. You know, totally, totally. What does that process look like? And I know you’ve walked a lot of people from that point of like, I feel like I’m called for more, but I’m not sure how

Shanté Cofield  33:37

to go about that. It’s really cool to be speaking to you. I’m really speaking to your people. Because, again, I know it’s not exclusively your demographic, but like a lot of you watching this, are moms, your parents. To me, that’s the ultimate proof. Like, my brain is very rational and very objective, and I’m like, I believe something when there’s proof. Like, I also have, like, a woo side and, like, energetically. And I’m like, I could feel it. I can trust my guy. I have this intuition. But I’m also like, but where’s the facts around this kind of thing? What are the data? Yeah, you have the greatest data point in raising a human that you can bet on yourself, that you can bet on yourself to figure it out. Because that’s what it comes down to, is like, I will figure it out. I understand the concern, the fear, the what if, the what abouts when we’re looking to go and do something we haven’t done before, do something that, you know we can’t see the end, right? But again, I’m like, You’re a parent. You know how your child’s gonna be when they grow up? No, you don’t. You don’t know what they’re gonna be able to 35 it’s like, we go as far as you can see and then you can see farther. That’s it, one thing at a time, and that’s what it’s like with business. Do I trust myself to figure it out? And that for me and leaving and starting my own thing was that I was like, I bet on. Myself 12 out of 10 times to figure it out. And it doesn’t have to be from a tactical perspective right, where you’re not jumping from day one to like this. Now I have this massive thing. There are things that get put in to place in between, but it’s do you trust yourself to figure out that take to figure out, and then take that small step right where, like, Bri didn’t, like, build a massive course. First, it was like, Cool. I’m, like, teaching. I’m doing things in person. I’m doing these small things. I’m doing one on one services. Like, that’s a step to having the fourth iteration of this massively successful, massively robust online course. But it’s not like, Okay, I’m from here to here. It’s all these little steps. And do I trust myself to figure that step out, to take it and figure that step out, that’s literally it. And for you folks watching this, my guess is that you have something in your life that you’re keeping alive that’s your proof that you can do it. I really encourage you lean on that, be scared and still do it. It’s fine,

Brianna Battles  36:01

yeah, it’s almost like someone said something about practicing brave. I don’t know.

Shanté Cofield  36:04

Something like, I don’t know maybe, right?

Brianna Battles  36:06

I mean, it is, it is true, because, like, yes, betting on yourself. And then I also think, just like, whether people are moms or not, the ones the people that come into the certification identify as an athlete or coach or both like that, in and of itself, is such a unique mindset and way of life. Like you are, you have built in resilience. You’re able to make game time decisions. You understand how to be like gritty and resilient and tactical like you already have this built in skill set that maybe someone who works in it doesn’t there’s going to be one person taking this course work in it. Like, rude, no, but like, you know what I’m saying, though, like, if you’re coming to this certification, you are likely somebody who already identifies and has a lot of experience as an athlete, as a coach, as a combination of both. Man, you add in an extra layer of cool, like you have that skill set coaching and business go so hand in hand. And something I talk about a lot in business is you progressive overload is applied there too. Like, yes, we talk about it a lot in strength conditioning, but that is the fundamentals of business as well. And you don’t have to know how exactly you’re going to get, you know, to your peak or whatever, because your peak is going to keep changing anyway. But those little incremental changes, is it? It says it principle, it’s the same thing this.

Shanté Cofield  37:36

Yes, I love that you brought that up. You guys have some massive amounts of data, information, information points, background experience to set you up for success. I think the biggest thing is that you have to choose to believe it. Yeah, sometimes people see it and they’re like, Yeah, I have these things, but I need, like, this other thing. It’s like, okay, well, I can’t convince I left the business of convincing you have to, at some point, choose to believe the data that’s in front of you and the evidence that’s in front of you and the experience that you have accumulated, and work from there on the other side of that, for folks who are just starting, imposter syndrome, if you’re just starting is normal, is good? Yeah, it’s because you’re like, I’m not that good. Yet we’re not like, it’s very weird to people like, I have imposter syndrome. Like, have you been doing this, like, one day? And I’m like, Okay, well, then you should, yeah, should we? Can we take the confidence from the other areas and domains of our lives to step into this and be like, cool, I can learn this. I can get better at this. I will continue this absolutely. Yeah. But I don’t want you to think that. Like, to me, it is very appropriate if you’re just starting to be like, I have some reservations and hesitations. And also, I’m going to practice brave and I’m going

Brianna Battles  38:49

to do the thing, yeah, like, be a continual learner. Because, like, we could imposter syndrome control you your entire life. If you’re like, I can’t take action until I take literally one next course. I can’t take action until my website is perfect. I can’t take action until I have all these things. But that that will, there will always be something that blocks you from that next thing, and it almost like it’s validating you getting in your own way. So you just have to, like, get rid of that. And so many coaches go through the certification and look, this thing’s intensive. I’ve been recording it. Like I’ve gone through this. I’ve been sitting here knowing I, while a lot of it, I could I’ve been teaching for over 10 years. There’s still aspects of them, like, I need to make sure I’m saying this the way I it needs to be said, like, not just repeating, but like, how am I wrapping my own mind around this to communicate it? Well? Like we’re gonna keep being put in situations where we’re challenged, where we might feel like an imposture, where am I? Am I communicating this right in a way that’s going to land, that will always be there and like, that’s part of the process. We judge ourselves way more than others do, even in a world of people popping off in the comment sections and stuff like, for the most part. Most people listening to this aren’t having to deal with that. Most people are afraid of their own inner, inner world, like their own, like, that’s the thing they’re afraid of. Because even when you’re out there and people are talking shit to you, like, if that’s just not the normal experience, for most coaches that are creating and that are serving their community, people don’t say stuff. Usually face to face. They just, oh, no, definitely not. You know what I mean. So that’s mostly reserved for the online space and a lot of coaches that are working in real life, like, that’s that is your playground. That’s out of your own way this.

Shanté Cofield  40:37

You know the thing, I think it’s really good that you bring it up, because I think it is a concern that people have, like, one we know when it comes to change or comes to change, when it comes to most anything, the scariest part of it is thinking about it. You’re like, whatever you got go through all these things. You’re like, what if, whatever. And then, like, because you were an athlete, you’re a coach, you have this background, your parents, when things happen, you’re like, Okay, now I will deal with it. But to put out the reality, the realistic side of like, online, the social media, right? People are like, always like, what if? What if someone says something bad? Cool. Let’s do what I call complete catastrophizing. What if someone says something bad? Okay, well, literally, you could delete it, or you can turn your comments off, like you are in control of this experience as much as you want to be. And it’s been my experience that as people become more seasoned vets in this and they’re, they’ve been in it longer, they won’t turn the concept into that, because there’s like, I don’t care. Like, it’s like, yeah, I see it because I’m a human, but like, it’s fine. And that’s the flip side of being seen, right? Is that, yes, when you are seen, then, like, sometimes Instagram does this thing and puts you in the other side of the algorithm. It’s like, the worst humans ever. And then something may happen there. Realistically, is it a possibility? Yes, does it ever really happen in the beginning for people, no, because you don’t go viral. Like, that’s like, hitting the lottery, right? So, like, you’re probably fine. The other side of that is that, then you’ll see if it does happen. Like, let’s put it out there. If it does happen, you are still in control. Yeah, turn the comments off. Go and take that post down. Very worst case scenario, yeah, I want to put it out there so people are like, but what if? Okay, yeah, cool. What if it’s not the likelihood at all, yeah, at all. And I will also say that the goal, because if you focus on the negative, is very easy. The goal is to show up with so much authenticity, so much congruency, that you build a goddamn army that will fight for you. Yeah, people will go to battle for you because they know, you know, like I would What, What is even happening here? So that’s what I would love for folks that maybe have that concern valid. Have it practice brave. Yeah, and then we focus on showing up with so much authenticity, sharing our message, helping people, connecting with people, giving energy, breathing energy into people that they’ll go to, they’ll go to battle with

Brianna Battles  42:43

you as well. Oh, I agree. It’s, it’s been interesting to see just how many, how many ways this certification has been applied to coaches lives like to the business models that they do. And you know, in the module that this particular interview is going to be in, it is on business, and the different models we’ve seen work well, from one on one training to a six week postpartum program to hosting a workshop like a women’s strength conditioning class, like whatever, or opening your own gym, we’ve seen every model do well, and the common theme Here is like they’re serving people in real life and people in real life are so thankful for this information online, we are in such an echo chamber of feeling like, Yeah, this is common sense. Everyone knows about diastasis. Everyone knows how to stop peeing when they’re lifting because all these people are talking about but that is like we are in our own very, very weird echo chamber. When I tell people what I do in, like, my real life, they’re like, Wow, that’s a thing, exactly. And I’m like, Oh yeah, it’s a thing. And I feel like I get like, every day on social media is just like, can suck the life on a beat with what is being shared incessantly. But that’s because it’s in our face. What we see online is absolutely not reflective of the real world and their coaching and the impact that you will have in your local community. And when you sell it online, great, but you now have the street cred and the reps of what you’ve done and with real people that makes such a difference, then you’re able to scale it. But that’s why we’ve seen so many pnpa coaches be successful, because this is still mostly not a real thing in most communities. It’s only a quote real thing online, where we’re seeing it and hearing it. But the majority of silo, the majority of coach like this is not a well known dude, go to the air topic, or

Shanté Cofield  44:39

the airport like we’re in the fitness wellness space. Go to the airport. How many people look like they have into fitness or wellness in airport? Like, leave your bubble, especially like, I live in Southern California, it is a very like people are outside. Is a it is a affluent area, very resourced area, so like, leave that area. Leave your if you happen to live in an area. Like that, leave that area and be like, how many people are actually none. That’s very, very little. Like the algorithm does what it’s supposed to do and puts us in the style of other people that think the same way, are interested in the same kind of things. But it is very much a an echo chamber, very much a silo. And the impact that you can have in person and the the the need that exists in person. Yeah, it can’t be overstated. Yeah, it’s extreme.

Brianna Battles  45:27

Like online. Sure, they could buy whatever program, they could follow whoever, and save all of these posts, but the fact that these coaches have invested in, like, time, money, resources, like, just even trust, invested trust in Me, in themselves like that will be so incredibly valued and appreciated by the people who need it most where, like, This information isn’t obvious to them. They don’t have clear access. They don’t even know what they don’t even know floor is like, you know, like they there’s so much that, like there’s so much work that we can do and so much help we can provide. Because in the real world, this is still not, it’s just, it’s just not a thing. In the real world, even though we know it is exactly people around us do not know. They don’t know that you exist. They don’t know that there’s help. They don’t know who the resources are. They don’t know what you’ve seen these coaches be so successful, because people are like, Oh my gosh. I had no idea. Oh my gosh. This is, like, totally changed my life. Yeah, because it’s a needed service.

Shanté Cofield  46:34

I love that you brought this up. I love it. I love it. It’s one of things I coach, is that the easiest way, the easiest and the best way to start an online business is in person, hands down. Yes, go in person, pound the pavement, make the relationship serve the people. Get the confidence, get the reps, get the reputation, get the results, get the reviews, and then you can bring that online. Is Zack, what I did, right? I was in person for whatever, I think, five years before I even did anything with an online kind of anything, and it was just like I had a ton of confidence in coming along, because I was like, I literally just gonna say the same thing that I’ve been saying and getting results from results with in person. Yes, I love that you brought that up and highlighted that because it is so, so, so true. And it’s easier, folks, it is, it is, you could just go walk and to that neighbor, you can go walk to the gym or whatever, and like, speak to someone, you put a post up, and you’re like, Well, hope someone sees it ever maybe, I

Brianna Battles  47:28

don’t know. Yeah, you know. And that’s like, another good point, because you come from the practitioner world, so you understand how sometimes, as much as everyone loves to say that there’s like, collaboration and continuity of care, that’s not like, always a thing. And I think as coaches, we have an opportunity to sort of help unite and connect everyone and create that continuity of care. Because oftentimes they will find me as a coach, or any of these coaches listening, they’ll find us first, and then they’ll start sharing some other things, and then we can act as this great referral base, and then we can start collaborating. And I think because we’re seeing a shift with, like, more AI and people like, looking up what’s going on with their body, and they’re getting that, like, it’s information overload. And then who can I trust? Like, who can I go to to just, like, talk to me real person, or, like, look at me move or help me do this and learn this in person, because

Shanté Cofield  48:23

I’m not quite getting it. This is so much opportunity. I love every point that you brought up, and I’m not surprised you brought it up. This is what you do. But like, it is so true. It is so I’m glad you really got here, that that’s been the experience as many people have gone through this and like, that’s where they’re finding the success. And it’s this. Like, yes, so much opportunity. So so, so much opportunity. I love it.

Brianna Battles  48:44

Yeah, I love it when I think there’s just we are, thankfully, in an era where there is a ton of opportunity, there’s a need, there’s an interest. Athlete moms are trending, like everything we have, everything going for the work that we’re doing. And therefore it is a responsibility, it’s a personal responsibility, to do something with it, and to bet on yourself, and to put yourself out there into the world, because you are needed. And something I say all the time is like, become who you needed, become the that your community needs. Like, yes, become the coaching like you like, filling that gap is so fulfilling personally, and then you see the trickle down effect and how gratifying to be able to make money, make an impact, do something. Doing this, for a lot of people, do it in a way that complements the rest of their life, whether it’s motherhood or just their other interests and other responsibilities, that we can make it what we need it to be. And like, what a gift coming from clinical coming from this d1 right? Like we had no control, we had no life, and now it’s like you get autonomy, and when you can like it. Experience autonomy,

Shanté Cofield  50:02

you can’t go back. That’s what I’ll say about is it you can’t go back. Fully agree, like one of the things that to bring it full circle when we’re talking about the consistency and continuing to show up, is that you have this massive opportunity, because most people just won’t do it right? It’s part of the reason you have the opportunity. You have the opportunity. You have the opportunity because there’s, there’s need, and there’s there’s demand, obviously, some places more than others, right? But the flip side is that the top of the mountain is very lonely, like, that’s the phrase goes most people, and you’ve all seen this, right? Something as simple in the community, if you’re like, I want perfect example. There were my other where I used to live, like nine blocks from here, some of the streets are four way stop signs and some of them aren’t, which is like the most dangerous thing to have, some four way and some not. And so there was a few accidents on one streets, like two streets down from me, because it wasn’t a four way stop sign, and people assume it was to get a stop sign on that corner. Took a year, and I was not heading that up. This man actually put a little people, a piece of, like, a little flyer on the on the pole, the pole there, and it showed the accident. And he had video footage, because he, like, lives on the corner. And he was like, This is dangerous for our kids. This is dangerous for this. We have to get a stop sign here. The only reason we got that stop sign. There was need, for sure, it was because this man was persistent enough, and he kept going to, like, they had to go to all these meetings. You know how? I know, because he would ask me to go, and I was like, I’m not going. I want the stop sign, but can I sign something like, it’s not really not my battle, like it is, but it’s like, not, can I do something else? And I, like, videoed into it. I was like, I can’t, like, be going to this, but it only came to fruition. And now there’s a stop sign there, because he was persistent and consistent with it, right? So this thing that you are dreaming about, this jujitsu gym that you want to have, right? Like it only comes about because you continue to do it. Like Brie said, she had all these people in her community that were like, yeah, if you do it, if you do it, if you do it, we’ll go. If you coach it, we’ll go. But none of them are like, but I’m going to start it. So are you watching this thing? If you’re like, I have this idea and I want this thing to exist. No one’s going to do it, but you, no one’s going to care about it in the same way to breathe life into it. But you, yeah, so yes, there will be there can be demand, there can be need, but the magic ingredient that creates that opportunity. The other side of that opportunity is that you will be committed to it, and you will keep going until it’s

Brianna Battles  52:29

a thing, yeah, you know. And it’s like, it’s been interesting experiencing business from, like, just scrappy, accidental hobby into online, into like, you know, programs for just athletes into the into A, B to B, model of like coaching and selling to other coaching professionals and businesses, and now doing a brick and mortar with the jiu jitsu gym. The one thing that I’ve seen is just like when you are put in a position of knowledge, when you are put into a position of ability, responsibility, passion, when, when you are able to exert that effort, it is your responsibility. Something like it becomes almost undeniable, like what the next right thing is, because you start to feel it, and then it feels out of alignment. Not the move. I talked myself out of a variety of things multiple times, and it kept coming back with like but that’s not right anymore. Like it now it feels wrong to not do this next thing that seems kind of crazy that is gonna no one is really gonna fully understand yet, but your like heart will know even when your brain tries to talk you out of it, and that’s when you know that you have a responsibility to do something with it, and with responsibility comes the ability. Yeah, Shante, you are a incredible friend and resource and voice and heart for the coaching community, for practitioners, for entrepreneurs, you do a lot, and you’ve consistently used your voice over and over, and it’s appreciated. And thank you for supporting this brand. Thank you for supporting me for so many years,

Shanté Cofield  54:17

dude, it’s been a pleasure. Thank you for seeing me. That’s huge for me. So thank you for seeing me. But this is, it’s a no brainer, right? You said, like, you just like, No. Thank you for doing this. It was like I said earlier. I was like, if you don’t invite me, what? Like, it’s been an honor to support this community. And anything I can do for any of you watching, anything I can do, hit me up. Bri, you already know,

Brianna Battles  54:40

hit me up. Yeah, what? Just so for people who aren’t gonna read, where

Shanté Cofield  54:44

can they find you and follow you? Instagram is always the easiest. The movement, Maestro, that’s it. Maestro is, m, A, E, S, T, U, R, O, I guess I’ll give you one last business lesson. Is picking them that you like, right? I didn’t. I was like, oh, people gonna spell Maestro. And I was like, whatever. We’ll figure it out. Like, it’s okay. Like, alliteration. I liked it. I was the movement mechanic. And then somebody already had branded. They had, they had a trademarked and I was like, I should probably not use this name, and switched and grew into it. So get started. Pick something you like and run with it.

Brianna Battles  55:16

Yeah, keep iterating. Awesome. Thank you. I’m proud of you

Shanté Cofield  55:21

and out of you, this is awesome. Look at us. Go get us.

Brianna Battles  55:28

Thank you so much for listening to this episode of the practice brave podcast. If you enjoyed the show, please leave a review and help us spread the work we are doing to improve the overall information and messaging in the fitness industry and beyond. Now, if you are pregnant and you are looking for a trustworthy exercise program to follow, I have you covered. The pregnant athlete training program is a well rounded program for pregnancy with workouts for each week that are appropriate for your changing body. That’s 36 weeks of workouts, three to four workouts each week, and tons of guidance on exercise strategy. We also have an at home version of that program if you are postpartum and you’re looking for an exercise program to follow. The eight week postpartum athlete training program would be a really great way to help bridge the gap between rehab and the fitness you actually want to do. From there, we have the practice brave fitness program, which is an ongoing strength conditioning program where you get new workouts each week and have a lot of guidance for myself and my co coach, Heather Osby, this is the only way that I’m really offering ongoing coaching at this point in time. If you have ever considered becoming a certified pregnancy and postpartum athleticism coach, I would love to have you join us pregnancy and postpartum. Athleticism is a self paced online certification course that will up level your coaching skills and help connect the dots between pelvic health and long term athletic performance, especially during pregnancy and postpartum, become who you needed and become who your online and local community needs by becoming a certified pregnancy and postpartum athleticism coach. Thank you again for listening to the practice brave podcast. I appreciate you, and please help me continue spreading this messaging, this information and this work.