How Competing at the CrossFit Games Made Me a Better Coach & Gym Owner

As a seven-time CrossFit Games athlete, I’ve spent more than a decade pursuing excellence in one of the most demanding sports in the world. Along the way, I’ve learned lessons about discipline, resilience, leadership, and performance that have shaped who I am, not only as an athlete, but also as a coach and business owner.

People often assume that competing at the highest level taught me how to train harder or push through pain. While there’s certainly some truth to that, the greatest lessons I’ve learned have had very little to do with competition itself.

Today, at Be Somebody Gym, I find myself relying on these lessons every day. They’ve influenced how I coach athletes, build community, support members, and create an environment where people can succeed for the long term.

8 Lessons That Help Me Coach Athletes Better

1. Consistency Beats Intensity 

One of the biggest misconceptions in fitness is that success comes from doing more. More workouts, more volume, more intensity.

The athletes who stay at the top of the sport understand something different: consistency wins.

The best competitors aren’t necessarily the ones who have the most spectacular training days. They’re the ones who string together months and years of quality training, recovery, nutrition, and habits.

As a coach, I’ve learned that most members don’t need a perfect program. They need a program they can consistently follow. And as a gym owner, I’ve realized our goal isn’t to create one incredible workout. It’s to create an environment where people can consistently show up for years.

The member who trains three times a week for five years will almost always outperform the person who goes all-in for six weeks and disappears.

2. Meet People Where They Are

At the CrossFit Games, every athlete arrives with a different background. Some were gymnasts. Some were weightlifters. Others came from endurance sports or traditional team sports. The athletes who improve the most focus on improving from where they currently are. The same principle applies inside a gym.

One of the biggest mistakes coaches can make is assuming every member has the same goals, abilities, or motivations.

Some members want to compete. Others simply want to lose weight, lower their blood pressure, keep up with their kids, or feel confident in their own skin again.

Great coaching starts with understanding the person standing in front of you. When members feel seen, heard, and supported, they’re far more likely to stay engaged and achieve long-term success.

3. Your Members Don’t Need a Games Athlete’s Program

Elite athletes train to maximize performance. Most members train to improve their quality of life. These are two very different goals. Realizing what works for a professional athlete training multiple hours per day often isn’t what works for a busy professional balancing work, family, and life responsibilities.

The average member doesn’t need more complexity. They need more consistency and accountability. They don’t need six-hour training days, but instead, workouts that fit into their schedule and leave them feeling better. 

One of the biggest shifts I made as a coach and gym owner was learning to separate elite performance from general fitness. When we stop programming for the top 5% and start serving the other 95%, retention and results improve, and members enjoy training more.

That’s not lowering the standard. That’s understanding the mission.

4. The Small Things Matter More Than You Think

At the Games level, success often comes down to details. A few extra minutes of mobility. An extra hour of sleep. Proper hydration. A slightly better warm-up. These small habits compound over time and the same is true in coaching and business.

Remembering a member’s name, asking about their kids, checking in after someone misses class, celebrating a milestone.

Individually, these actions may seem insignificant. Collectively, they create an exceptional member experience. Showing you care is important. 

People don’t always remember the workout they did six months ago, they will remember how you made them feel. I can speak to this not only as a coach but also as an athlete, when you meet and connect with fans and people who support you. 

5. Recovery is Just as Important as Training 

The longer I competed, the more I realized that progress doesn’t happen during training, it happens when your body adapts afterward. Recovery isn’t something you earn after working hard; it’s part of the process.

The same lesson applies to life and business. Many business owners wear exhaustion as a badge of honor. They coach every class, answer every email, solve every problem, and eventually find themselves burned out. Again, I can speak to this as an owner of multiple businesses. 

I’ve learned that sustainability matters. To serve your members well, you need to take care of yourself too. Whether that’s prioritizing sleep, setting boundaries, delegating responsibilities, or simply taking time away from the gym, recovery isn’t a luxury, it’s a necessity.

Remember, you can’t pour from an empty cup. 

6. Community Changes Everything 

The CrossFit Games may appear to be an individual sport, but nobody gets there alone. Behind every athlete is a team of coaches, training partners, family members, and supporters.

Success is rarely a solo effort. The same principle has become one of the foundations of our gym. People often join a gym because they want results.

They stay because of the relationships. The friendships formed during workouts, the encouragement from coaches, and the accountability from training partners become far more powerful than any programming template.

I have found that community is what keeps people coming back.

7. Leadership Starts with Example

One lesson I learned early in my career is that people pay far more attention to what you do than what you say.

As athletes, we can’t ask our bodies to perform at a high level while neglecting the basics. As coaches and business owners, the same standard applies. Members notice how we show up. They notice our energy, professionalism, attitude, and consistency.

Leadership isn’t about being perfect. It’s about demonstrating the behaviors we want to see from others. Show up. Do the work. Stay accountable. Those principles apply equally to training and business.

8. It’s Not Only About Fitness 

After years of competing, I’ve realized that the greatest transformations rarely happen on the competition floor. They happen in people’s lives. I’ve seen members and clients lose weight, get stronger and gain confidence.

I’ve watched people overcome injuries, navigate difficult seasons, and discover strengths they never knew they had. When my sister passed away from a car accident, fitness was my outlet to help me with processing my emotions. 

Fitness is simply the vehicle. What we’re really helping people build is resilience, confidence, discipline, and a better quality of life.

As coaches and business owners, it’s easy to become focused on metrics, memberships, retention rates, PRs, and attendance. And those numbers matter. But the real impact comes from helping people become stronger versions of themselves, both inside and outside the gym.

Final Thoughts

The CrossFit Games gave me incredible experiences and unforgettable memories, but the greatest lessons weren’t about winning workouts or standing on a competition floor.

They were lessons about consistency, leadership, accountability, and community. And learning to embrace the struggles and celebrate the successes, because we spend more time in the journey and the process than standing on top of the podium. Today, those lessons shape the decisions I make as a coach and business owner.

Whether you’re coaching one athlete, leading a growing gym, or simply trying to make a positive impact in your community, remember that success is rarely about doing extraordinary things once.

It’s about doing ordinary things exceptionally well, day after day, year after year. At Be Somebody Gym, we believe in a simple philosophy: Show Up. Do The Work. Be Somebody.

And after more than a decade in the sport, I can confidently say that’s a lesson that extends far beyond fitness.