Personal Trainer: Lauren Patterson
Lauren Patterson. Lauren is a mother of 3 wonderful humans and is also a personal trainer, mental health and domestic violence speaker/writer. She’s originally from country Victoria and has played piano since she was two, but her children are the only ones to have ever heard her play it! Lauren loves the beach but can’t swim in the surf, will never say no to going out for lunch and has never travelled outside of Australia.
The coolest things to ever happen to her are working with John Cena, training Sam Wood in her own home gym and doing yoga with Rachael Finch (just to name a few!).
What were you like as a tween?
When I hit the big 1-0 I thought I was a fully grown adult and tried to act like one, which essentially meant I gave my folks more sass than ever but still did really well at school because I loved learning.
What did you want to be growing up?
I wanted to be a Spice Girl originally and then decided I wanted to be a Personal Trainer (which I am now!)
How did you start out in your career as a trainer?
I first said I wanted to be a trainer when I was 13 after I went to the gym with my mum and a trainer there didn’t do his job and I ended up with an injury, so I said to mum “Mum one day I’ll be a trainer and do better than that guy” haha. When I was 17 I had been diagnosed with severe depression and anxiety as I had just been through a very toxic and violent high school relationship and couldn’t handle exam pressure as I was far too sick and didn’t care about school anymore, so when I mentioned to my parents that I’d like to go to school to be a personal trainer, they took the tour with me and supported me with that decision. Ultimately I didn’t use that qualification, as I went on to be quite sick with depression for many years after that but after having my first two kids and becoming a single mother, training sessions was a way that I was looking after my mental health so I decided to go back to school and study it all over again. I’ve been a trainer ever since!
Why is regular physical activity so important?
It’s important for so many reasons but for me it’s always been about mental health. When you’re moving your body, it’s all you’re thinking about and the endorphins that come from it well outlast the workout itself and when done consistently, can really help overall wellbeing. Plus then it also helps our body stay healthy, gives us energy, slows down the aging process and strengthens us (in more ways than one!).
What makes you passionate about speaking on mental health topics?
When I was first diagnosed in my teens, it was a very taboo subject and I spent years coping in very dangerous ways purely because I couldn’t talk about it and had to hide it from society. As the years have gone by, the stigma is slowly being removed and when I began speaking openly about it, I felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders and I began connecting with people who knew how it felt and all of a sudden I didn’t feel so alone. It’s pretty powerful to be vulnerable!
What are some signs to look out for that signify a decline in mental health?
Someone who stops being social, something seems off (your gut will tell you!), the way they text seems different, they don’t seem to care about much anymore. There’s so many signs, but if you know that person well, you’ll know when something is off.
What is the one piece of advice you’d give your younger self?
Don’t give up because life is going to be pretty epic if you stick around.
Highlight of your career to date?
Gosh you know what, I get to do some pretty epic stuff most days of the week but when I have a day when I need to boost my own confidence, I remind myself that I got to sit down and interview John Cena and then shake hands with them. The kids think that’s pretty cool too, they point him out every time they seem him in a movie or on the telly!
Three pieces of advice for those wanting to start a career as a trainer?
Never stop learning! Once you do your course, find a niche that you can excel in and keep expanding your knowledge as you go.
Set your expectations as a trainer from the get-go. Have contracts, terms and conditions and cover your ass financially with payments for last minute cancellations, no shows and build trust with your clients by doing so.
PUT MONEY ASIDE FOR TAX!
You have nearly 80,000 followers on Instagram, how has that helped your business?
I’ve been on IG for about 7-8 years now, so over that time I’ve built trust with my followers and connected with them as much as I can, which meant when I finished school and began being a trainer, I had built up the excitement and was able to fill my books quite quickly, however I did get warned not to burn myself and I did just that, so these days I’ve moved into online training as well as face to face PT and it’s a much better way to train a larger amount of clients while still creating time boundaries.
Secret skill of a successful trainer?
Great people skills. You need to be able to read a person’s personality and adapt to it instantly. Connection is a powerful tool in this job.
Franc’s Fast Five
Favourite workout snack? Shredded chicken on mini naan bread with tzatziki, leafy mix and tomatoes.
What are you reading at the moment? I just finished reading “Conscious Motherhood”. AMAZING.
Best colour to boost your mood? Purple is my manifesting colour.
Planks or star jumps? I can’t do either after 3 children (LOL). I’ll opt for a Bear Crawl Hold ;) (postpartum, DR friendly version of a plank to build core strength!)
Favourite indulgence? Fresh white rolls from the local IGA with cooked chook and kewpie mayo.
