It’s been exactly one year and two days since I had my first article published online. Jon Goodman, the mastermind behind the Personal Training Development Center, agreed to publish a piece I had initially written for my own blog detailing things I wish I knew heading into a career as a personal trainer.
Oh how time flies.
Since that day, I’ve been fortunate enough to publish 70+ different articles and a few separate blog posts. I’ve seen my name in a bunch of bylines online and helped to build a base of great contributors over at ConFITdent.com. I’ve gathered experience working on podcasts, editing, and doing SEO and social media scheduling.
I’m extremely excited that today, just over a year after my first article went live on the PTDC, I have my first print piece (co-written with Michal Kapral) in Reps! magazine. It’s the first time I’ve ever been able to pick up a print magazine and see my name in a byline. From someone that had never been particularly attracted to writing in the first place, it’s a surreal experience knowing that I’ll be able to read my article while standing in line at a grocery store.
Along with all of the articles and blog posts, one aspect of this past year that has made it all worth the hard work is the relationships I’ve built along the way. It’s pretty incredible that I started this whole writing thing through reading blogs like JC Deen and Jon-Erik Kawamoto. Now, I’ve been able to network with those same individuals and work with them on a variety of projects and pieces. The same people I admired I can now call colleagues.
That’s pretty damn incredible.
With the emergence of the internet, it’s possible to literally meet and work with anyone from anywhere across the globe. To me, that’s been the most eye-opening piece of this entire puzzle.
So, where do we go from here?
It’s been an unbelievable ride. I specifically remember sitting down with my supervisor in January of 2012 during my second year of grad school as we were mapping out goals and aspirations for the upcoming year and beyond. I remember my main objective was to get published. I didn’t have any idea how it was going to happen, but I wrote down “get published in Men’s Health”.
I don’t have a piece in Men’s Health…yet. But, I have been able to add a ton of pieces to form an extensive portfolio.
After I mapped out the goal of getting published, I had my first opportunity to get my name out there with Greatist.com. Through a link I found on Twitter, I ended up submitting my application materials for a contributing writer spot including two sample articles that I literally exhausted myself over.
I got rejected.
It was a crushing blow at the start of a very long race. When I got the e-mail, I was a bit taken back. Several individuals had read over the articles and assured me that they were awesome, but alas, they just weren’t quite good enough. Not one to be told no, I reapplied. This time, I rewrote the articles with the feedback I had been given.
Since that moment, it’s been a whirlwind of networking, e-mails, and introductions. I couldn’t be where I am today without the help of the awesome friends I’ve met along the way.
My end goal has been (and will continue to be) to write full-time. I want to go on crazy assignments and write articles about all sorts of different topics and events. For now, my writing is pigeon-holed into fitness because that’s what I know best. But, I’m slowly expanding. I recently had my most popular blog post to date published on Runner’s World. It showcased a very different writing style, and the response I received from everyone was incredible. Look for several more of those to come this year.
I’ll continue to network and build relationships with the top names in the fitness industry. In my opinion, helping others is the best way to help yourself. If everything works out, you’ll continue to see my name in a variety of bylines.
Until then, I hope you pick up a copy of Reps! or at least view the online article here.
Thanks for all of your support!