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Meet Roderick (Tyson The Transformer) Smith Jr. of Transformer Fitness in West Plano (Collin County)

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Roderick (Tyson The Transformer) Smith Jr.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I was born and raised in Waco, Texas. I was always an active child and student but that was not a reflection of my household nor bloodline.  I grew up around obesity and I saw how it changes a person for the worse.  The lack of self-care in my community was bothersome to me and I started to develop a passion for the body.  I’m the black sheep of the family and I knew I had to get out of Waco. The mentality of my peers and such didn’t fit me.

After graduation, my best friend and I packed up and headed to Prairie View A&M.  We were both athletes and had to step up our exercise workouts to compete at a higher level. As I was watching my body transform, I was motivating those around me with just my energy; a light bulb clicked on.  I left Prairie View and moved to Dallas to challenge myself.   My older cousin Janette let me crash on her couch and she was the one that helped push me to take my talent seriously.

While working out at the local Bally’s Total Fitness, a manager approached me and said he saw something in me.  We talked further about the Personal Training Industry; from then on he took me under his wing.  With his mentorship, I landed a General Management position with LA Fitness. This made me the youngest General Manager recorded in LA Fitness history taking the club to earning over $250,000 with 8 months.  I was ranked #1 in the DFW area and #3 in Texas.

I had found my niche in the Industry and I was truly saving lives. My clientele was growing and I wanted to challenge myself even more. I was hired as a training coach for the HSAA foot. I helped to establish the athletic defensive end program, marketed it, and was closely involved in designing the strength and conditioning exercise system currently being utilized. The year I was on as the Coach, those young men went all the way to the state championship for the first time.

Also, my personal life started transforming. I became a husband in 2012 as well as a father again to 3 beautiful girls. And to get more personally than that, I took an additional 60 lbs. off myself. My wife became my client and I took over 60 lbs off her after each baby. My wife, my best friend became my business partner and marketing manager. She was able to understand my philosophy and antics (which I call, “Tysonisms” and “T-Tips”), together we branded, Tyson the Transformer.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
No way! It has been overall trial and error now and then.  I’ve been in this business for 15 years. I’ve lost a lot of clients along the way. I wasn’t practicing good business principles and I was feeling the effects of that.  I have had to struggle with my worth and setting a valuable price. Because I am in the people business, I have to determine who’s genuine and who’s not. I have to make a decision about who I want in my life as well because it takes a special energy to be a Personal Trainer.

It’s not all about the dollar. I have to invest in people’s well-being. The biggest struggles are personal. It take a great deal of preparation to motivate people to be the best version of themselves and they are counting on me. The balance struggle comes into play with me being the father of five and husband to a wife I picked out myself.

Please tell us about Transformer Fitness.
I would love to. Transformer Fitness is an all-inclusive, result-driven health and wellness facility. We specialize in all genres of weight loss and weight gain without the use of drugs or supplements. Transformer Fitness has the most elite personal trainers, wellness coaches, nutritionist and other health specialists.  Transformer Fitness and its staff members have an innate passion to motivate people to transform mentally, physically and spiritually. Transformer Fitness is dedicated to creating programs that focus on “natural” lifestyle changes. We pride ourselves on servicing the upper echelon for a comfortable cost. My youngest client is 11 years old and my oldest is 80 years old.

Transformer Fitness is a health and wellness facility only dedicated to “Results”. We are located in West Plano, Texas, which is one of the richest counties (Collin) in the DFW. The value of a healthy heart is immeasurable.  Transformer Fitness creates personalized training and exercise programs to meet the special needs and wants of our clients. We are dedicated to heart-healthy methods and nutrition choices.

Society is making more conscious efforts to focus on health and wellness and we are already in place to satisfy the influx of people moved by societal marketing to get in shape. We have taken at least 3,500 lbs. off the world consecutively for 6 plus years. I have designed programs to take 100 lbs. off a person in 6, 8, and 10 months.  We change at least 100 people’s lives on a daily basis starting at 4:45am. As a Health and Wellness one stop shop, we desire to be your second home and Fit Family. Transformer Fitness is a health and wellness facility only dedicated to “Results”. We are located in West Plano, Texas, which is one of the richest counties (Collin) in the DFW. The value of a healthy heart is immeasurable.  Transformer Fitness creates personalized training and exercise programs to meet the special needs and wants of our clients. We are dedicated to heart-healthy methods and nutrition choices.

Society is making more conscious efforts to focus on health and wellness and we are already in place to satisfy the influx of people moved by societal marketing to get in shape. We have taken at least 3,500 lbs. off the world consecutively for 6 plus years. I have designed programs to take 100 lbs. off a person in 6, 8, and 10 months.  We change at least 100 people’s lives on a daily basis starting at 4:45 am. As a Health and Wellness one-stop-shop, we desire to be your second home and Fit Family. Transformer Fitness. currently provides the following services:

  • One on One Training
  • Group Training
  • Family Training
  • Athletic Training
  • Medical Training
  • Nutrition Consultation
  • Meal Prep and Meal Planning
  • Rehabilitation
  • Bootcamps, Fitcamps, Shecamps

If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
Because I’m stronger as an individual, trainer, and businessman, I wouldn’t do anything differently.  Fortunately, the Universe placed my purpose in my life when I was a teenager and I’ve done nothing but grow every year.  There are times when I wishfully think, “I wish this was a Family business”. It would have been regal to have learned the ropes to passion and business from my own blood.

When you are an entrepreneur you only wish you had more money or all the money to guarantee success in your field; I’m grateful for my work ethic which is simply, Hard Work! I’ve embraced every challenge, trial, and tribulation that goes into turning passion into a salary. I couldn’t have done this differently because I didn’t know I was going to do it. I had planned on being a VP at a thriving corporate company. I was called to do this in this very way. I will be taking all my lessons and building a legacy that is guided by The Most High. I love what I do and who I am while doing it. Every day I receive fresh energy to help the World stay fit. I only want to go back in time to tell my younger self, to Keep Hope, Stay Faithful and Work Hard!

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Image Credit:
DeWun Owusu, Deja Robinson

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