The 20-year career of fitness coach Mel Young has contained as many twists and turns and ups and downs as the proverbial rollercoaster. And like any fun fairground ride, the coaching experience itself never fails to leave her exhilarated, and with a big smile on her face.
She has learned as many things about herself as she has coaching during her two decades in the industry, but says the two phrases she finds herself repeating most often are: “There is always a way” and “we adapt and conquer”.
Her positive mindset and ability to adjust to change and new situations, allied to her passion, invention, and resilience, is the essence of her success.
For whenever the odds have been stacked against her, Mel seems to find a way to turn a position of weakness into one of advantage – even during lockdown, when she admits: “My world turned upside down. I literally thought I was going to lose everything I had worked so hard for.”
This adeptness at turning negative situations into positive ones has nothing to do with luck, and everything to do with channelling her courage, curiosity, and connections into a positive energy force, so that opportunities suddenly materialise for her – often when she least expects them.
From little acorns do oak trees grow
The proud owner and founder of Amazon24 Fitness and Athlete Performance Centre in Rainham, Kent, Mel reveals how she added each string to her coaching bow – personal trainer, fitness manager, group exercise instructor, strength and conditioning coach, and athlete performance coach – pausing to share her wisdom from each chapter of her journey.
She caught the coaching bug whilst working at her local leisure centre and likens her first role to chief chef and bottle washer, having filled numerous positions, from reception work, to helping out at Kids’ Clubs, and everything in between. “Basically, anything that needed doing”.
After demonstrating her all-round abilities and enthusiasm, the manager sent her on a fitness instructing course after a colleague dropped out. She has never looked back.
With just several months’ experience under her belt, Mel was keen to swap town life for the big city and applied for an entry-level job at Soho Gyms Camden. To say she grasped the nettle is an understatement. She walked out of the interview with the Fitness Manager’s job!
Now part of the PureGym chain, getting hired was not pure luck.
You never know what can be achieved if you put yourself in the shop window,” says Mel.
“It helped that I’d done a lot of travelling, and a lot of worldly people came into that club in London.
“I said to the CEO: ‘You know I’ve only got three months’ experience?’ He said, ‘I know, but you’ve travelled. I can teach you the rest’.”
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