The True Impact of Fitness with Alan Shaw

You're listening to the PT Profit podcast, episode number 71. Today I'm sitting down with Alan Shah of Rhapsody Fitness and we are talking about the true impact of fitness. Are you ready? Let's get started.

Hi, I'm Beverly Simpson, former fitness manager turned online personal training business owner and this podcast is where smart fitness professionals, including trainers and clinicians discover, discover how to increase client performance and movement, package and position their products and services and get out of their own way so that they can increase their revenue to live a life that they love without sleazy sales. Welcome to the PT Profit Podcast.

What's up Coach? Thanks so much for pressing play on another episode of the PT Profit Podcast Podcast. I'm your host Beverly Simpson and today I'm sitting down with Alan Shaw who is the co founder and head coach and head of Community Outreach in Rhapsody Fitness in Charleston, South Carolina. This was such an awesome and fun episode. I'm so excited for you guys to really listen to this one because he shares his story about how he was a graduate of the esteemed CrossFit NYC coaches mentorship program, how he had been previously committed to a career in coaching after working as an actor on Broadway. He shares with us a little bit about his layman's experience and how he met his husband Trinity Wheeler and they founded Rhapsody Fitness in downtown Charleston, South Carolina. So Alan now leads and owns all of the functions within the gym's four walls to include coaching standards, Member relations, Faculty management, Team management program, Community connections and more. Rhapsody has earned 235 plus 5 star Google reviews with many speaking to the signature member experience faculty provided under Allen's review. Within the first year, Rhapsody earned a reputation for being the fastest growing gym and primary fitness destination for travelers in Charleston. Over 12 short months, Rhapsody rolled out more specialty programs including Rhapsody Suite, Rhapsody Barbell, Adaptive Training, Corporate well Wellness, Rhapsody Brain Trust Coaching Membership Program, Athletic Department and Rhapsody 101. As head of the Community Outreach and Development, Allen spearheaded the launch of Suite and serve in 2020 which to date has accumulated 1000 plus service hours dedicated to low country organizations and local initiatives. In the same year he collaborated with the Charleston Police Department to designate Rhapsody as a safe place for the LGBTQ community members when they experience CR discrimination and or harassment. Alan drove the rollout of Rasputies United in Strength Membership, Mentorship and Fitness Career Development Scholarship Program for young adults and local underserved communities. He is a perpetual student and continues to expand his knowledge while helping others with their own individual fitness journeys and in this Episode, we both laugh and cry because it will be so, so apparent just listening to him speak and answer the questions, how he is led to serve with love and through his heart. And it's truly inspiring, especially as we talked about navigating the struggles in 2020 and navigating the pandemic and the pain that fitness has saved many people from. So, without further ado, let's go ahead and roll that interview. Alan, I'm super bummed to have you on the show. Thank you so much for being here. How are you today?

I'm so good. We've been laughing for the last five minutes, so this is going to be a great talk.

Wait. We were starting to just dive right in, and I was like, wait, wait, I have to hit record. I have to hit record.

Yeah, I totally forgot. I was like, oh, wait, I'm on a podcast. Okay, I've got to stop that. Okay.

I love it. Okay, so for those of you who've never heard of Alan, I'd love for you to just dive in a little bit. Tell us about who you are, who you serve and how you got there.

Ooh, I love that. Okay, so I always like to start with my story and my husband's story are interconnected when it comes to what we've built in the last couple years. You know, I was on Broadway in Les Mis as one of. I was actually the dance captain, fight captain. So I taught the show to people when they came into the show. I covered all the male roles, and then Trinity was my stage manager. So I started dating my boss. Don't tell anybody. Yeah, let's. Yeah, it's a whole other story. But, you know, so we. We knew each other from, like, way back in, like, 2010. And then we started dating, and then we got married in 2013, and at the end of 2016, 17, that's when Les Mis closed. And all the way up until that point in New York, I had been doing my day job was personal training and coaching. I had fallen in love with the CrossFit methodology. I had become a CrossFit Level 1 and then a Level 2 coach at CrossFit NYC. I loved sort of this euphoric feeling that I had every time I walked into the gym. The people that I was most connected to and surrounded by were CrossFitters and people in the fitness industry, because we all have that very similar mindset when it comes to most everything, right? And so Trinity, with his producer brain and mine, with my personal training, my coaching, my community first approach, brought our heads together. And said, you know what? Like, I love New York. I love that we were here. I had lived there for 15 years up until that point, because I moved there when I was 18. And I said, you know what? Let's make the move. Let's do something that is. Let's start building a life for ourselves. Let's work for ourselves instead of working for somebody else. And so, you know, just like how most stuff happens in life if you. If you go with the flow of the river. That's what happened with Rhapsody. It was very cool because we visited Charleston, South Carolina. We had been through here a couple times, and we. The moment that we got here, it just felt right. And then from finding our place where the gym is going to be to where we're going to live to then the. The whole transition from moving from New York to Charleston, it was just incredibly smooth. There was no real hiccups along the way. And I do constant. I do say that that is because Trinity and I were lockstep together the entire time there. I mean, there were fights, let's be honest. But, you know, they're not divorcing fights. They're more. They're more like we own a sort of deal. And so, you know, we had this whole approach with Rhapsody that, you know, the squats are the given, like the deadlifts, the given, the press is the given, like all of the foundational movements that our lives are built upon and those. Those foundational, functional movements. I was like, well, we're going to be doing CrossFit. And that's. That's. I'm going to be that. Hopefully I will be making people's lives fitter in the process. But that's like the after effect in my head or the afterthought, because ultimately what. What people want is belonging. People want to be heard and seen and felt and understood and in a place to where they feel like they are welcome. And so with Rhapsody, it is a. It is a place for everyone. And so that was the initial jumping off point for Rhapsody. And so with that being said, that was three years ago. And of course, this whole past year and these past couple years have been really insightful when it comes to the way that we run our business, because I was just in Vegas, so I'm going to say I'm going to double down on that. It helped us double down on what we love about Rhapsody and what makes us special, but also an understanding that those things are essential for creating a really successful business. Whatever you're doing, you know.

Yeah, okay. So we did kind of talk about this, but I am curious, just for my own personal benefit is, you know, what was. What are some of like the biggest differences from, you know, living in New York and starting this personal training business in New York to moving to South Carolina? I mean, I feel like it's a big, much different culture, like a much different, like, experience. How's that been?

It's. So at first we were. I'm not going to say it was a culture shock, but it's definitely like in New York, you are. You are both surrounded by multi diverse individuals from all different backgrounds. It is a Mecca when it comes to bringing people together. Of all walks of life. In Charleston in the south, although there is diversity here, it's. It was. We had to seek it out in a way in the beginning, and we still do to this day. Because for me, it's a thing of I. In my life, I've. I found that when I evolved the most is when I am surrounded by people that have a different life story than I do those people. Because in turn, it helps me see their perspective and create empathy within myself to them. But then also in the world of fitness and just in life, really, I think it's that we're here to service other people in whatever you're doing and whatever work you're trying to create. And so that's definitely been a driving force for us here, is seeking out diversity. Because some people, if you're around the same people all the time, you tend to not grow as fast, I think. So it was definitely an interesting shift, for sure. But we, but we definitely have found our community here and it's growing to this day, which is great.

I love that. So let's talk a little bit about when you move there. Is that what caused some of the diversity and the inclusivity is one of the pillars of your business. I feel like that's part of your mission statement. And did that come because you felt like, okay, we got to find this. Where is this here in the South?

Yeah, I think you're exactly right. I think when we put our feelers out in the universe and started really preaching, practicing what we were preaching, you know, of being humble, being hungry, and being happy, those are our core values. At Rhapsody, that automatically enabled people to flock to that. Right? They found and saw those core values, they understood those core values and the mission that we were trying to create at Rhapsody. And from there, it allowed people to come in and not feel like, I'm not welcome here. Like, no, every person I Think every person that you. That comes into Rhapsody, whether they're a member or not, or they didn't. They didn't sign up for a membership or whatever, they're dropping in. Every person that you meet, I think I can say, hands down, would say, man, they are probably the most welcoming community that I've ever been a part of or in. And that's purposeful, I think, you know, and I'm a big Disney guy. Like, I love Disney, like, too. Yeah, it's weird. I'm not like, okay, so I like Disney in a lot of different ways because I think Disney understands community, understands acceptance, understands welcoming, understands all of that stuff. And that's what I really gravitate towards. Plus, like, they also run a successful, amazing business that you can, you can. That we all can benefit from. So. Plus, I love Mickey and Minnie and all of that other stuff.

But, you know, okay, so what I'm hearing you say is you're building like Disney World and Fitness in South Carolina right now.

That I. If you could. If that could be my elevator pitch. Yes, that would be my elevator pitch. People are like, what is Rhapsody? Well, it's Disney World in South Carolina and we do a lot of squats. You'll get fit.

I love it. It's recorded here. First Friends recorded.

Here we go. I like it. I like it. And you won't have to pay like $400 for a ticket. It's only like 165, 75, $85. So, you know, and when.

Okay, so one of the things that I'm like, really hearing in what you are speaking to, which I think a lot of personal trainers, whether they're building online or they're building, you know, brick and mortar, is this sense of community. And I feel like a lot of people struggle with that in their own business, especially when they're working one to one or even building in their brick and mortar. So how are, what are some of the ways that you are building, building community in Rhapsody and how are people discovering you and finding that? And I also feel like this is like the third part of the question, so it's okay if we have to revisit. But you said CrossFit background. And I feel like this is one of the things that CrossFit did really well, which was build sense of community inside of their. Inside of their process, program methodology.

Yeah, for sure. Yeah. It starts with practicing what you preach. I think when it comes to. That's the big buzzword, I think for a lot of people is I want to Build community. And I. And we have a great community. I think if you talk to any CrossFit gym, or really any gym in the country, they struggle with it, but they also say that that's their biggest asset. That's their, like, unique. Well, technically, every gym, if you're doing it right, that's what it should be. And so I think, for me, authenticity is number one right off. If you are authentic in the way that you approach people from the moment they come into your gym at the front desk, to the way that you coach, to the way that you give feedback, to the way that you reward them on their job, well done, like, authenticity is number one in my mind, because people, whether they know it or not, can call bullshit on if somebody's being authentic or not. Right. Second thing is, like I said, core values. Like, I do not waver on those core values with anyone. With myself, with my husband, with my team, or my members. In our waiver, we have a. Like, a section to where they sign the waiver. They also sign a section that says, like, being able to care for people and not harassing and not that. Like, that's important stuff. Because for me, it's about finding the right people in the room and creating that community. Because when you're a business owner, especially in the beginning, and I've talked a lot about this with a lot of business owners before, in the first year, you're. You're just wanting to get butts in the seats. Trinity, and I call it butts in the seats, Right? You want to sell the show. You want to get them to come and see the show and understand it and, like, and hopefully buy more tickets to come back. So in that sense, you open the gates to any and every person that walks into your door. But if your core values aren't blatant up on the wall like ours are, that this is what we stand for. These are the rules of the road. Then they don't know what their rules are for the house rules. And so you allow all and everybody to come into your space versus being like, okay, great, I'm happy that you're at Rhapsody. Our first core value is that you're humble and you're welcoming of feedback. We leave the ego at the door, because if I can't give you feedback, you're not going to get better. Second one is, if you're hungry, are you hungry to strive to be better than you were the day before? The third one is, are you happy or striving for happiness? Because ultimately in life, that is what is most important? Because anything, anything that is based in happiness grows, you know, and from there, if they, if they fit those core values and if we stand by those core values and behind those core values and when people step out of line, we, we correct it, then ultimately your community is built off of those core values and then it just continues to grow.

I love that. I love that. And now are you, do you ever, you know, play on your core values? Like, are you guys hungry? Did you eat before you came?

All the time. All the time. If you, if you ask like, if you ask my, like my team here, I. Because that's what I, that's, that's what I base everything on. You know, we obviously have our coaching cues and things that we, we go off of when it comes to class procedures and stuff, but when it comes to engagement with the community, the way that you handle yourself on a daily basis inside the four walls and outside the four walls, that's what, you know, everything is based on that. And I'm not going to waver from it because it's kept me in line. In moments when the ego starts to creep in, I can be like, no, that's no go. That goes against everything that I believe in.

How did Rhapsody start? Did it start in South Carolina or did it start in New York?

Oh, it started in New York. We opened in 2018 and then we started to have sort of inklings of wanting to open up our own facility in around 2016. And that's why I was still sort of understanding coaching and head and like being a senior coach and, and because I loved CrossFit NYC. Because CrossFit NYC, most classes were like 20, 24 people at a time. So you like really got to cut your teeth on. Okay. It's, this is. Being able to control a room of 24 people with all different fitness levels was an amazing experience. And I, and I won't ever forget that. But we.

A lot of iron getting slung around.

It was it, I mean, it was, it was interesting because it ran like a really well oiled machine in the sense of when you get. And also it wasn't a big space either. You would think like, oh, 24 people a class, it would be like 5,000 square. No, it wasn't. It was like 2,000 square feet maybe. Yeah, it's New York. It was like in a basement. And I was like. But ultimately here in Charleston, you know, we, our facility I think is 2700 square feet and we run classes of 15 between 15 to 20 people every class. And it's just efficient, you know, that's so.

Yeah, okay, so it started in New York. So that's where. Okay, core values all came in New York.

Yeah. And all of that was, all of that was already set before we even moved down to Charleston. We were like, this could be a, this could be something that we could really go for. And there was just the passion was behind it with both Trinity and I. And we decided, let's, let's do it, let's make the move. And, you know, it was even the fun stuff, you know, like coming up with the name, you know, Rhapsody is an infusively enthusiastic or an ecstatic expression of feeling. And I'm like, man, that's how I feel. Whether it's good or bad.

That'S how.

I feel sometimes when I'm doing a workout. I was like, that's perfect. And then, you know, we also come from the theater world, so we thought of like Bohemian Rhapsody and Rhapsody in Blue, you know, all of the, all of that stuff. So we wanted something that was going to be able to be expanded as well. Right. Not just GEO located, but have this brand identity across the world.

So, yeah, perfect segue into. My next question is, what caused you to leave and would you consider opening up new other locations?

Yeah. So ultimately, Trinity and I have talked about this too, because there's a couple, there's a couple mindsets when it comes to multi unit struck or multi unit businesses. And there's the sort of the franchise model, there's the licensee model and then there is total, like pick this up, move it and pull it over to the other side. Obviously you can't multiply me and you can't multiply Trinity. Right. That just doesn't. That's not going to, that's not going to work. Especially if we want to and if we try to do that, I don't think it would be authentic. But I do believe that sort of the core foundations that Rhapsody is built on with its core values, with, with its mission, with its systems and processes that are set in place at the facility. I know for a fact that if we took Rhapsody Fitness and took it to, let's say, Wilmington, that we could put a Rhapsody there and then that community in Wilmington could build on its own from its community there, from the people that are there, from the, from their life experiences. Because I don't want to, I don't want to multiply Rhapsody, Charleston, because that's just not going to work. But for me, I think, you know, the. I call it like the platform. Rhapsody is the platform to give people the ability to rise to the occasion. So ultimately, yes, I would want to have oversight, immense oversight when it comes to that. Because I want people to. I want them to train, I want them to understand the methodology. I want them to understand their approach in the way that they approach members and all of the. In the community. And then from there, then take that and have their separate location. And then obviously I would have oversight on those. So it would be separate. We do want to do multiple locations, but not in a licensee or a franchisee. I want to have oversight in a really authentic way.

I love that. Now you said some really awesome things that I love where you talked about like systems and processes. That is like exactly what I teach, what I love, and what I encourage people to create inside of their business. I specifically talk about the sales system, but I love that you're talking about, you know, operations kind of in. Just in general. It's more than sales is just one component.

There's like for sure.

So I'm curious, if you don't mind sharing, can you share a little bit about your methodology in terms of like your coaching specifically at Rhapsody? And what is different, would you say, than what you see out there?

Yeah, so I, I talk a lot about the different levels of coaching, right? There's the coach that's just the administrator or the cheerleader. There's the coach that is the tactician. There's the coach that's able to give feedback as well as, you know, be able to. To demo. And then there is the coach that's able to connect with every single person within their class in that moment, whether it's five people or 25 people, and be able to optimize their performance in such a way because they know them intimately. So for me, as far as coaching and the way that I train my coaches here is that that is like first and foremost, I'm like, before you walk in the door, my premise is that I need you to be a level two coach in CrossFit. Level ones are great. You can go through our coaches mentorship program. We would love for you to come and shadow our classes. But until you have the Level 2, which I like swear by when it comes to CrossFit because of what they coach in that Level 2 seminar and what they learn or what people learn is that when you start to come into that now it's about, I just need you to learn who's in the community. Because ultimately in my head, I for. I'll use an Example, and I won't give any names or anything, but for me, I'm like, okay, so this person comes in, you know, they lost their job two months ago, they've been on unemployment, they are now, they've lost their diet, they've been on the sofa for the last two months. Like they have some stuff issues with their kids. And then from here they're coming into the gym, they have maybe some limitations when it comes to their shoulder or maybe they have some impingement in their hip. All of that stuff is vital information because it's not just about, okay, well, I'm just going to get them to push their knees out and sit their butt back when they're going into a squat. Like, I'm like, no. All of that valuable information that you get from them before is vital because some days it might be great and some days it might not be great. But ultimately, as a coach, it's about having your athletes buy in in a really effective way. And the way that you do that is authenticity and building the coach member connection in a very trusting way. And also just knowing where people are in the moment. Because even for me, like for, for example, take it perfectly example, I today did the workout and I hadn't worked out for three or four or five days. And. And because I was busy, not just because I was lazy, I had stuff going on. And so I got in today and I was like, yeah, man, I could be smote it, but I'm just not in the headspace today to do that. I'm going to give 100% of where I am today. But Clay, our coach here understood that and he knew that because he knows the past last four or five days and he was able to then adjust and help me, support me in the class in that day. And so that's like the baseline foundation for me when it comes to coaching. Because then in turn, like, I can teach you the class procedures. I can teach you how to teach somebody how to rope climb. I can teach you how to flip a tire. All of that stuff is just skill stuff that I could teach anyone that the real stuff is the connection and the authenticity that comes with being an actual coach. Because in my head, I'm like a coach and a trainer are sort of different. A coach encompasses all aspects of someone's life. A trainer trains them to do a squat or trains them to or encourages them in the moment. A coach is encompassing of all of those things.

Well, you said something too. And you said something earlier too. So it's a good you know, it's good to circle back, is that. And I think a lot of people miss this is just that when someone feels heard, when they feel seen, that's also like when they feel loved. Those weren't your words, but when. But that's essentially, you know, that's essentially how I teach it, that when someone feels active listening, we think, oh, yeah, yeah, I got it, I got it. But so many people just don't realize how valuable and important of a skill to active listen is, because that's when people feel heard, seen, and therefore loved.

Oh, it's so. It's interesting that you say that too, because for me, when I was young, you know, when you're younger, you think you know it all. Right, this all. We all. We all think we knew it all. And then once you start to get like past 30 and 31, 32, and now I'm like, at 35, like, my whole purpose now is to learn how to listen, but like, to such a. An intent way, an intense way, and very intentional because you can. You can really get the answer when you're listening. Not. Not like, not formulating the next sentence. It's like actually hearing and understanding what the person is saying. Because. And also, if you ask questions and then listen, those questions will get them to the point when the truth comes out or the authenticity comes out. And then in turn, that's when people connect. And that's the. That's the. That's the. That's where the juice is.

I mean, honestly, if you were to ask me, like, if I could boil down, you know, what the key to selling, and you can't see me if you're listening to this podcast, but I'm putting it in quotes. But if you wanted to know, like, what's the key to selling? It would be listening. Most people think, like, oh, it's about tricky language and I need to say these patterns and I need to be persuasive. But the truth.

Yeah, the car salesman.

Yeah, the truth of the matter is that you need to listen. And that's what the car salesman does where he misses or she misses the mark in the sense that of, like, if you're not listening and you're just repeating what you were taught, that's where it gets stuck. The key to selling and mastering the art and science of selling is listening.

It's interesting that you say that because for when I go, because all my coaches. It's interesting that the way that, the way that we have our system set up here is that whether you are A full time coach that coaches 15 hours a week and that you have, you know, 30 hours of facility management or prospect funneling or points of performance, we call it at our front desk, you know, everyone knows how to do everything. So if in turn, you know, I was away or Trinity was away, or one of the full time coaches was away, that everyone can step into a role and know exactly what they're meant to do and, and including being able to add members to our community. Because I always say when somebody comes in and they try a free class, that's scary. That's a scary thing for most people. Even when I go into new gyms and drop in and I get nervous because I'm like, I'm going into a new community. Hopefully they like me. Hopefully I'm not the weakest person there. Hopefully it's not that. All that stuff goes on. And so people are very vulnerable in that moment. And so when, when you're talking with somebody about selling, it's. I always, I always play the question game because I'm always like, I was like, what do you do? Because for me, I'm like, I just want to get information about them. I'm like, what do you do for a living? Well, great, great. You're a nurse at musc. That's awesome. What are your hours like? And then from there I sort of whittle it down to where like, okay, we're getting to a point of like, because I actually want to know what they want versus what I can give them. I'm like, how can I help and support you in that moment? And in the end. And is Rhapsody the right fit for you? Because if it is, great. If not, like, I know, I know 15 other gym owners in Charleston that it might be a better fit. And it's not anywhere other than like, I. This might be not the greatest fit for you, but let's go over there, you know, so it's very, It's. Yeah, I love that.

To me, it's like the difference between being a leader and being a servant leader and then trying to control.

Yeah, yeah.

Trying to be right. And I'm always like, it's not about right. This is about serving.

And. But that's hard though, for people, right? Like, especially when you're in a leadership role. Because, because that's like. Because I mean, when we were growing up, like, that's all. That's what you saw. Like, and that's what. That was sort of the caricature of being a leader was like, okay, well, I just tell you what to do.

Mm. Well, think that it's brain based, right? It's the ego. It's the difference for me of creating from, you know, the ego is just there trying to keep you. Because ultimately it goes back to what I think we were talking about, which is, you know, people want to be heard, they want to be seen, which means that they want to be loved. And so the ego, they are trying to force that to happen. Trying to protect them to happen or trying to, you know, protect you from. From not getting that. And so I'm from this place of, like, if I'm right, then I'll be loved. If I'm right, then I'll be heard.

Right. It's like a therapy session right now.

Oh, my gosh. I still have. Okay, so there's two things, too, that I want to ask. Right? Is that, you know, you have built this amazing brick and mortar. So what did you do when the blip happened? Now, for those of. You have to tell them, like, what you said this off recording, and I was like, dying. But seriously, what was the impact? How did you pivot during the pandemic?

Yeah. So Trinity and I, we call it the blip. 2020 was the blip. And if, you know, Marvel and you've seen all the recent movies, like, the blip happened and everyone disappeared, and then they come back. And so we call it the blip because that's exactly what it feels like in a way. But it's interesting because we. Leading up into March, it was March of. Well, it was February, end of February, beginning of March, when it started to rear its head last year. And we saw. I had sort of seen it, not seen it coming. I wasn't, like, prophetic about it, but I definitely knew that, like, something was going on. Like, stuff was happening in New York. I was like, that's interesting. They're actually shutting, like, sections down. Like, okay, that's. I've never seen that before. And I lived there for 15 years. Like, that, this mysterious. And then I had a friend here who had knew somebody higher up in the government that sort of said, hey, this is going to be an issue, the major issue. And that you need to get ready to be able to pivot in a way that you can still sustain the membership and support people and help people. And so I think when it started to initially happen, we did all the standard things that we did. Obviously, we started with reducing class sizes, and then we moved out into the park where we were doing park workouts. And then once the parks got shut down we went to Zoom. We rented out literally every single piece of equipment to our entire facility, to our entire membership. So minus, like, the two kettlebells that I was using in the Zoom videos or Zoom classes. That was it in the. In the. In the gym. And so, you know, we did all of that stuff, but then leading up to that, I. I was. I don't know about you, but, like, I was afraid in that moment. Like, I was afraid because none of us had ever really encountered something like this to where they were like, you need to stay in your home and not be around anybody and not engage with anybody or have any. And social distancing was a thing. And, like, no one knew what the hell that meant. And I was like. I was like, okay, well, let's not call it social distancing. Let's call it physical distancing. Like. And in my head. And so for me, when that all started to happen, I was like, we need to connect with our community in a way that we've never connected with them before. I need to. So we divvied up all of our coaches. We divvied up the entire membership base into groups of, like, 30. And every coach contacted that person every other day for the, I think, two months that we were fully closed, because people were going, like, insane. People were going in a point where they were like, like, what's going on? This is insane to me. But ultimately, what we found was that, again, like, it was in the brick and mortar, the four walls. It didn't matter that we were doing squats and double unders and rope climbs and all of that stuff. It didn't matter. All that mattered is that people were being heard and seen and loved. And, like, felt like. It's, like, getting me emotional because that was, like, in that moment, like, people were like, thank God Rhapsody was there when we were shut down, because if it wasn't, I don't know where I would be. And from there, like, our membership grew. So when we were able. And we were in South Carolina, we're in South Carolina, so we had the ability with our governor. And some people have opinions about it, and other people. People have an opinion about it, but I'm not going to get into that. But I will say that our governor allowed the communities to make the decision on staying, because in my head, I was like, well, we can stay open and stay safe. I want to keep people fit. And so we started outside in front of our gym. We put. We went to Tractor Supply, and we got all of the mats and we set up and we got all the barbells out and everything. And we, you know, did groups of 6 and 7 and 10, and people showed up, and every class was full all day. And then we were originally able to get back inside. And so it really. It really boils down to when that all happened. It. It. We doubled again, doubling down on what those core values were and what. What we really stood for. And it really tested our business. And being like, man, if that's really what you believe, like, show it. And. And I feel like we did.

I mean, I'm so moved. Like, I moved to, like, tears, you know, because I feel like this. Honestly, though, this is such an important conversation because I feel like so many coaches, so many trainers, I feel like we get so close to our own stuff and to our own work that we forget about the impact that we're making. And this is so, you know, I feel like sometimes the industry, the fitness industry teaches us that we need to be cheap or that we. That. That it's. That it's like, you know, vain or that it's vanity or that you're a personal trainer or a coach and you're just luxury. And this is a perfect example of how that is not the case.

Yeah.

That you get. It's a beautiful story on, like, showing how important our work is as. As, you know, health professionals. How important it is both mentally and physically.

Oh, 100%. You know, I think about it, too, and that's a lot of times my. My approach when it comes to, you know, because, I mean, back in my past, like, I went to therapy, like, I had, you know, some stuff that happened in my life. And so, you know, I went and I sat down with people, and it did truly help. But in reality, like, what we're doing here is that. But in a. But in a. In a multidimensional way. And because then it's not just. It's not just mental health, because That's, I think, 100% mental health. It's heart health. Both, you know, getting your heart stronger, but also just loving vigor. It's nutrition, it's mindset. It's all of this stuff. And then in turn, like, the physical stuff is the side effect, but all. Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. You're exactly right.

It's so good, so important, like holistic health, 1000%. Okay, so now I'm also curious. I want to talk about this because I think a lot of people, especially that are in, you know, given the circumstances right now, specifically, if you're listening, in 2021. Right. A lot of people are really kind of. That they really grapple with the idea of building a business and be. And creating a. You know, asking for money and creating a business while also being inclusive and accessible and kind of moving against the grain in terms of, like, I just want to make more money, and it's more about serving. So how do you specifically navigate this? Because I know that this is part of your mission statement, creating diversity and being inclusive to everyone. So how do you navigate what seems like, you know, conflict of interest?

Yeah, that's a good question. We, you know, I always. I always go back to the way that we established our core values and our mission for Rhapsody, and that stuff never changes or waivers. And so obviously, you know, you're going to get a swath of different people that want to be a part of that. Obviously, as a business owner, you got to keep the lights on in order to accomplish that. You've got to service those needs in order to be of service to others. And so my mindset, and I actually had to learn that really early on because I got in it because I was passionate and because I loved what I was doing and I loved the service. And that's, I think, a lot of people's stories. Until I learned how to write a budget, and until I learned profit and loss and KPIs and all key performance indicators. I don't know if you guys knew yet. You know, all of that stuff. Like, I was like, oh, wow, okay, so, like, that's how much payroll is going to. Okay, so all of that stuff is really important because if you're really passionate about what you're doing, well, you've got to. You've got to also be. You don't have to be passionate about it, but it's your homework. It's like the homework that you have to do in order to make those connect. And then from there, that was the base foundation. In the beginning. We started with, this is Rhapsody. This is what we are for. We started building our community. And then through our evolution, Trinity and I sat down and especially last year, through all of the George Floyd things that were happening, all of the stuff that was happening socially, you know, and I always say to everybody, it's like, I mean, I am a gay man. I'm married to a man that owns a CrossFit gym in South Carolina. It's like a skit, right? It's like a. It's like, yeah, where's the punchline? You know? And so for us, like, for me, I was I was like, you know, obviously. And I also lived in New York for 15 years. And so for me, diversity was just. Has always been what a sort of a cornerstone in my own life and as well as Trinity's. And so we understood that, like, okay, well, it doesn't for me, I'm like equal opportunity. I want to be able to service every person that wants to come into Rhapsody. And so when it came time for us to shift from an inward focus of what happens within the four walls, since that was so established, we then started to shift our focus to what's our reach outside the four walls. How can we change people's lives that don't come in on a daily basis in class, but can have the impact of what this community fostering? And so we established in I think July of last year our Sweat and Serve initiative, which means that on a monthly basis, we pick an organization that we work with around Charleston, whether it's organization that helps people get furniture into their home or maybe some kids that need assistance with learning, whether it's math or science. We also work with this organization called the Green Heart Project, which is an organization that builds gardens around Charleston to teach kids about healthy eating and sustainable agriculture, which is like mind blowing. I love it. It's like you need to look up, look it up. It's great. It needs to be in every, every city. But so we, that was our first initiative. And so what we do is on Saturday we work out at 7am huge group, 30 people after that, after that, 7am crew, 8:30, we go and we service or volunteer for a couple hours, three, two, three, four hours with that organization. And then from there it's just the outreach into the community. And sometimes it can even be. We go out and we, we clean up our streets around the, around the city, you know, and do trash pickup, you know, it's. It's stuff like that that I think that's the impact that I think a lot of business owners miss is because any business can do that. Any business can initiate that within their, within their community. It's just about bringing mindfulness to it and intention behind it. So we have that aspect. But then we also have the United and Strength scholarship program that we have here at Rhapsody. And this was initially around the same time, about June, July, that this happened the last year, because I was, I was having people come to me and ask me about scholarships and if they could, if they could come to Rhapsody. And up until that point it was, it was sort of like not what's the Word. It wasn't not proper. What's the word? It's not like, yeah, it wasn't prominent. Like for me I was like, it was sort of like I would just have people come in if people were like, man, I'm, you know, maybe you know, struggling this month or, or whatnot. Like, I'd be like, that's okay. Like let's, let's figure it out and we'll, we'll move forward. But in my head I was like, okay, I want to, I want to establish a program that we can bring people from all communities and primarily from underprivileged communities that maybe won't have access or don't have access to the fitness community, to the, the ability to have a coach in their life to. But they also, they also need to set goals for themselves. And so in June or July we had a, we had a young girl come to me and she said, alan, I need to get fit because I'm going in the army. And I was like, hell yeah. Like, let's do it. And she was, and I was like, you know, can. She was like, I need to do a pull up. And I said, well I'm going to get you to do a pull up, you know, so. And from there that's where, that's where it grew. And you know, we have our check ins, we establish those goals that she needs to accomplish and then from there she goes through the program. But, but that's also an initiative that all businesses can create with them within themselves as well because we also, so we have, we have the Sweat and serve, we have the United and Straight scholarship program, but then we also have the coaches mentorship program. And I, that's an immediate steal from CrossFit NYC because for me that's where I started. And I see such value in the coaches mentorship program because all coaches need to have the ability to cut their teeth before being thrust into a group of 20 or 30 people. It's just because they need time to screw it up. That's the only way that you get better. And so that's also one of our other initiatives that we bring people in to then teach them all of the stuff that goes along with being a coach, a top level coach.

For me, yeah, yeah, that's so good and so powerful and impactful. And now I really want to be mindful of your time. So I will, I'll just go ahead and ask you, you know, if someone wants to learn more about working with you, like are you doing any virtual programs or is it all, like, we have to fly to South Carolina and come hang out. Like, where should I send people. People your way?

Well, I will always say if you want to fly to Charleston, South Carolina, if you've never been here, it's probably one of the coolest cities in the world. And I'm not. I mean, I'm biased because I live here, but, you know, there's. There's a lot of cool stuff going on here, so I will always welcome you into one of my classes here. We also have. We also have online personal training that you can. You'll get directly connected with one of the coaches here, and you can go to rhapsodyfitness.com in order to check that out. And then also Trinity and I also have Rhapsody Ritual Radio, which is our prop. Our podcast as well. And you could go to the Rhapsody radio show, which is pretty cool. It's awesome because we, you know, we just found that in our community, we have such an array of different minds that come to one purpose and to be in. To be Rhapsody together, but at the same time, like, they have all of these amazing lives that we love to dive into. So we. You can check us out there as well.

Okay. I love that. And we'll link all of that here in our show notes.

Perfect. Yeah.

This has been so awesome. I really appreciate it.

I know. Me too. This is awesome. We need to hang out in person.

Yeah, Right?

It's been fun.

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