Meet Jamie Corso | Personal Trainer & Online Health Coach

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jamie Corso and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jamie, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I have been active my whole life, as a young child I was involved in competitive gymnastics and participated in sports throughout school. I went to college for Fashion Design at FIT, although I am a design/creative oriented person, I quickly realized this wasn’t for me. I started personal training at David Barton Gym in NYC at the Astor Place location back in May 2012. I was an early 20 something and eager to learn. Having already started competing in the world of bodybuilding in the figure division, at that time personal training was a good field for me to explore as a career. I had a hard time gaining traction with clientele, mainly women. Women typically shied away from training with me since I had such a hard muscular look. Despite this, I was finally able to build up my schedule through networking, referrals and countless hours of dedication.

Fast forward a few years and David Barton Gym started to look bleak. There were a lot of complaints about management and members were unhappy. Us trainers would joke about the gym shutting down, until a couple days before Christmas in December 2016 that joke became a reality.

I had a moment, I remember crying to my boyfriend (now husband) that I’ve lost my job! I was feeling so hopeless, years of building up clientele, all washed away. He talked me down off the ledge and reassured me. I had so many offers from gyms across Manhattan. I was having a hard time choosing between, a corporate gym or beginning my independent business. Starting my own business seemed like a huge scary and intimidating leap, especially because a lot of clients had decided they were taking a break from training at that point in time. But with a bad taste of the corporate gym setting in my mouth I decided to go independent.

From 2017 until 2020 my business grew substantially. I transitioned from one independent gym to another that better suited my needs. While working out of this new facility that had great equipment, I also traveled to clients apartment buildings throughout the city. It was a hustle and bustle, running around NYC daily but I had more clients than I could fit into my busy schedule and it was great.

And then The Covid epidemic hit. My business came to a halt. Once again I was forced to rethink and change my direction. I had to transition clients online. Having my business shattered for the second time I realized it’s time to start thinking about how to invest my hard earned cash. My husband and I made the decision to sell our apartment and move out of New York City. This had propelled us to start in the world of real estate investing.

Now my business is fully remote, I have clients all over the US, am a full time mother, and manage our properties. Seeking entrepreneurship has helped my husband and I take a step towards investing for our future. We recently have purchased land up near the Grand Canyon. We plan to run an Airbnb. I train clients virtually one on one and also do online coaching and create custom programs. I help all types of clientele achieve their fitness goals. It turned out David Barton shutting down was the best thing that could’ve happened to me. My business has morphed and evolved along with many aspects of my life. Challenge is change, this is what I often tell my clients and also live by. Change and growth does not happen when we are comfortable, it happens in the uncomfortable.

Please tell us more about your work. We’d love to hear what sets you apart from others, what you are most proud of or excited about. How did you get to where you are today professionally. Was it easy? If not, how did you overcome the challenges? What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way. What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story?
What sets me apart from other professionals is my brutal honesty and my ability to not sugarcoat what is required to achieve results. Changing your life is a journey and something that is going to take time. I constantly preach on consistency! The three most important elements to achieving your goals are consistency, hard work and discipline. These are the pillars of my business. I look at the body as a whole focusing on all aspects of health; exercise, sleep, nutrition, and supplementation. Helping you feel your best is my mission! Everyone is different, there is not one set program that will work for everyone that is why I create programs based on the individuals needs. I believe that forming small habits over time is key to successfully changing an individual’s lifestyle for the future. This process can be extremely challenging and it is where I deliver the most value because I support my clients every step of the way.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Brewed Awakenings is a great little breakfast spot with healthy options. This would be our go to before a full day of exploring Red Mountain Trail.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There’s many people I could thank along this journey. Of course my husband and family have always supported me. My childhood pastor Billy Ames first got me involved in competing in Figure, this molded me into the trainer I am today. I was gifted a book from a colleague called E2 by Pam Grout. I’ve read it many times over the years. It’s a mindset book. That book really helped me overcome some mental hurdles within my life and business.

Website: Jamiecorso.com

Instagram: @jamiecorso

Facebook: Jamie Corso

Image Credits
Lydia Hudgens