Today we’d like to introduce you to Thomas Belliston.
Hi Thomas, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
I moved to Texas with my wife in 2017, right after Hurricane Harvey. When we first got here, we came for my wife’s job, and I didn’t have a job; I didn’t have any contacts or anyone that I knew. I looked around and applied at multiple places for about three months, then one day as I was working out at the local gym, I was approached by a manager, and he asked if I wanted a job. I was basically hired on the spot and started working as a sales rep for the gym. In less than a month, I got my personal training certification and oversaw all the trainers in the gym. A few months later, Barry’s approached me; they told me that they were opening a studio in Houston and asked if I would be interested in being a founding trainer. I told them, of course, I would be interested! We flew out to train in New York than LA in May of 2018 and opened the Barry’s Houston doors in July of the same year. Ever since then, it’s been a wild ride of adaptation, innovation, and maneuvering the COVID protocols, trying to provide a safe place for people to come and workout, and be inspired to improve themselves.
Once COVID hit, and we were stuck at home, I decided to transform my office space into a recording studio and started The Fit Perception Podcast. I didn’t know the first thing about sound design or recording production, but after watching hours of helpful videos, and networking with successful sound engineers, I started the show and have being recording consistently ever since! In the beginning, it was focused solely on fitness, but over time it has transformed into more a total lifestyle show, with a focus of developing open-mindedness and debating different points of view in a safe space. It’s one of my favorite things I’ve started, and I look forward to where it can go from here!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I’ve found that the most worthwhile things are rarely a smooth road, and this has been no different. Being jobless and having literally nobody that I knew within 1500 miles was very difficult. But at the same time that difficulty helped me to focus on self-development and what I actually wanted to put effort and time into without a lot of outside distractions.
The biggest struggle I’ve found with training/fitness instructing is, of course, figuring out what sets me apart from all of the other amazing people doing the same thing I am. It’s very difficult to not get distracted by what other professionals are doing to be successful and to try and find your own way of teaching/training.
The podcast has come with a ton of struggles, mostly just figuring out what value you can add to someone’s life just by talking. And the imposter syndrome definitely makes that very tough. Podcasting is such an oversaturated industry that it can be really hard to stay positive, energized, and driven when you feel like the number of people listening isn’t growing or you feel like you don’t have much more to say that you haven’t already said. It’s a very creatively challenging endeavor.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am a certified personal and group fitness trainer/instructor. When I first started in the industry, it was all about training people starting from scratch that didn’t really know anything about exercise or healthy living. But now I’ve created a training platform that caters mostly to those who are trying to just improve athletically or are trying to take their workouts to the next level. And that is what I think sets me apart, and I’m mostly known for; creating a very intense, difficult, yet exciting way of working out, by challenging your body and fitness in ways that you haven’t before. I’m obsessed with physical improvement/empowerment and the relationship that your mind creates with your body through physical fitness. I think the thing that I’m most proud of is seeing people realize how truly powerful their body is and knowing that I had a small part in that development.
Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
I’d just like to share that everyone that reads this is unbelievably powerful and that physical fitness is an incredible way for you to tap into your individual strength. You will find out more about yourself and how formidable you are mentally if you will put time and focus into your physical health. Your physical health impacts so much more than just how you look in the mirror.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.thomasbelliston.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thomas_belliston/
