Today we’d like to introduce you to Micah “Bravo” Matthews.
Micah “Bravo”, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Fitness has always been my passion, but I did not believe that I could earn the life I wanted as a trainer. However, after working in engineering for five years, and with immense thankfulness since so many of my friends with engineering degrees were jobless or not working in the field, I realized how unhappy I was. The money was great. I was traveling around the world, and most importantly, I was in a position to financially help my family whenever needed, but there was emptiness, except when I was working out and training people. With engineering, I felt immensely empty by not giving more of myself to something I valued more. By the end of 2015, and after a lot of reading, motivational videos, and self-help practices, I mustard up the courage to walk away from it all to pursue fitness. Fitness was a way for me to reach people and build them up mentally, physically, and spiritually and that gave me a sense of fulfillment. I pray with all of my clients after their sessions. You can call this my ministry. I am not sure when I started my personal training business since I started before I left engineering, but I know when I made up in my mind that I was willing to give up everything to pursue a life of fulfilling my purpose.
I wish I could say it was easy, but it was not. 2016 was a nightmare. I hit wall after wall and flew through a great amount of my savings! I learned a great amount and I kept working on my craft and connecting with people. 2017 was my remolding year. I spent a year practicing discipline, such as not drinking throughout the entire year and practicing solitude for 30 days. It all consisted of daily reading, daily goal writing, a lot of diving within to understand myself so I could face my insecurities that I allowed to hold me back. Eventually, I partnered with S.W.E.A.T. Boxing & Training in Irving, TX and began to teach class twice a week. It’s also serves as another location to train my clients.
Which brings me to now, I am now the master trainer for the Youth First Fitness program which aims to teach youth in Dallas the basics of physical education and nutrition. This is important to me because I’ve always wanted to give back to kids that will replace my generation. It’s important for the youth to become knowledgeable about preventing obesity and healthy living.
Being in my third year of living my life on my terms, I believe I am an amazing addition to the lives of people that want to improve their mental and physical health. I’m willing to sacrifice everything to accomplish my goals for my business, my personal growth, and for the lives that trust me with their health. Jam!
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It has been rough. I was expecting people to sign up for all of my initiatives, but it did not quite happen that way. I went months without income and I was still living the lifestyle I had while making engineering money. In addition, I had to adjust to being alone a lot more due to a lot of people just not reaching out anymore after my career change. The change in the way people now viewed me was a bit of a struggle. It’s amazing the difference in reaction I would get when I was introduced as “Bravo, the engineer” versus “Bravo, the trainer”. It was like a big surprise with interest to “oh, ok it fits you”. Luckily, I had a purpose for what I was doing and didn’t allow my ego to interfere with my goals.
The greatest struggle, and I would even say journey, was within. I had to build myself to be confident in my craft and go for what I wanted without the fear. I had to choose who I wanted to be; the default option was off the table. That was my focus for 2017.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
Bravo.Fit is a business. Bravo.Fit is a lifestyle. When I say “bravo” I think of strong, fierce, brave, etc. We improve the lives of others mentally, physically, and spiritually through physical fitness. The goal is to ensure that a client becomes equipped with the knowledge and the technique, and ultimately drive, to go out and perform just as hard alone as they would do with Bravo.Fit. We provide personal training, group training, online training, meal guides, and meditation training for clients with aims to gain muscle, lose weight, improve conditioning, or push their fitness to a higher level. We are definitely known for pushing clients to the limits and establishing new ones.
I’m most proud to still be around doing this after so many setbacks and to feel the joy in clients’ energy as they see the improvements in their body and their habits. I would say the energy, personality, and focus on natural health separates us from many others. We do not encourage supplements around here. I believe that earning your results through putting in the work and cultivating discipline will bring lasting results. There’s something about earning it that makes you appreciate it more. Bravo.Fit encourages clients to approach every aspect of their lives with that mindset, and if anything, that is what sets us apart.
What were you like growing up?
Growing up…oh my goodness I was a coward! A skinny kid with a big head and braces that was afraid of girls.
I was a jokester but not like a class clown; my grandmother didn’t play that. I was always highly energetic and in a happy mood, so people gravitated towards me and liked me. I guess that I became one of the cool kids and never knew it.
I’ve always had an interest in sports but my interest in weight lifting and building my body into something people would admire began with my brother sophomore year. I wanted to be like him, big arms, chest, and a beast on the field. I would do pushups and sit-ups every day, once I got into weights and saw the reaction from women that was it. I was hooked.
I grew up playing the image for everyone else of who and what they thought I should be and how I should act. I rarely was myself because I didn’t know how to be.
Pricing:
- 30 minute Personal trainining session – 30.00
- 45 minute Personal Training session – 45.00
- Online Training – 150.00 (Monthly)
Contact Info:
- Website: www.bravo.fit
- Phone: 5044950629
- Email: kicknitwithbravo@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sh.bravo/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Bravo.fit23/
Image Credit:
Black Spadez Media
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