We’re looking forward to introducing you to Clint Fuqua. Check out our conversation below.
Clint, it’s always a pleasure to learn from you and your journey. Let’s start with a bit of a warmup: What do you think is misunderstood about your business?
The fitness industry is mostly seen as big butts, ripped abs, and extreme workouts all pushed by loud egocentric task masters yelling “give more more reps and eat more protein!” That however is only the 1% of the industry that gets clicks online because of the show and wow factor. The reality is that 99% of the fitness industry is the very thing and the very people that want to keep you out of the hospital, living better, and enjoying life without all of the extremes you see online and in the commercials.
The fitness industry is the very thing needed by everyone, but is vilified to everyone as a potentially extreme and dangerous thing that could cause injuries and “bulkiness”. Fitness is the number one and best protection against all diseases and age related issues and far less expensive than medications, fad diets, and miracle powders. Movement is the very thing that keeps you younger, livelier, and more free to live independently for your entire life.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
For the past 30 years of my life I’ve been living and studying Health, Wellness, and Fitness as a student, an instructor, a gym owner, a corporate executive, and a person living in the world. The past 15 years I published “Personal Health Care Reform”, created a Radio Talk Show based on the book, then created “The Health Engineer Talk Show” for TV, and have posted over 1000 videos on Youtube covering all aspects of a healthy life. Along with the Book I wrote close to 100 articles and was featured in publications like IDEA and Men’s Fitness. The main purpose is to help everyone learn why it is their personal responsibility to live a healthy lifestyle for the benefit of their future, their family, and society as a whole.
Now I’m running a fitness and wellness company and Olympic Fit Gym with my business partner Rae Edwards along with bringing back my talk show to cut through all the craziness in the health, wellness, and fitness industries.
Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What breaks the bonds between people—and what restores them?
Trust, that is the one bond that holds people together until it is broken. Once trust is broken there can never be a bond until it is regained though a great amount of effort. This goes double for companies and professionals with clients. Trust between people can withstand quite a bit and forgiveness will keep that bond from breaking even under extreme circumstances and betrayals. Trust in business is very fragile, because at the end of the day if you can’t provide the service or do it well, people will find someone else very quickly that can and will, no matter what “perks” you offer to win them back.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
The funny thing about being an entrepreneur is that you almost give up and quit every day, and I have almost given up many times. The time that was almost final was both losing a company and a marriage all in the same month over 15 years ago. Two dreams died at once and left me wondering what was left of me and what was the point of even going on while sitting on the floor of a tiny empty efficiency apartment on a cold lonely night. That night however, I had a dream of what was to come and a greater purpose for my life than what I previously knew or believed. That right there is what keeps a person going against all odds, purpose. You just have to be quiet and open enough to hear it and see it as it’s revealed to you, because we all have a purpose greater than ourselves to fulfill in this life.
Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? Is the public version of you the real you?
I do my best to maintain myself the same on camera and off camera. I am quite a bit more private an reserved in person, but that is because personal things are not for the public and anonymity is one of the most precious things in life the more you become known in the world.
Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: What are you doing today that won’t pay off for 7–10 years?
Everything that I’m currently doing including the tv show, the social media videos, the wellness company (Oly FitWell LLC), and several other secret projects will pay off in the next 7-10 years. The gym is on solid footing and growing into a franchise in the next 2-3 years and the world is now ready to hear and understand what my videos and shows have been voicing the past 10 years. There is a foundational shift happening now and everything I’ve been doing the past 15 years has set me up to be on top of the new mountain that will be built over the next 10 years.
