The Business & Lifestyle of a Fitness Influencer
How Andrea Barkley Built Her Business
If you've wondered about the life of an online influencer, this episode is for you. Andrea Barkley, a fitness trainer and influencer, talks about building her online audience while balancing her existing business & motherhood. Learn Andrea's income diversification strategies across training, nutrition, and influencing, as well as her productivity methods for squeezing in work amidst raising little ones.
Time Stamps
00:00 Welcome to the Podcast: Introducing Andrea Barkley
00:44 Andrea Barkley: A Fitness and Food Advocate's Journey
04:07 The Evolution of Andrea's Career: From Business to Fitness
09:35 Embracing the Influencer Lifestyle and Overcoming Challenges
19:55 The Art of Content Creation: Tips and Strategies
24:02 Navigating Parenthood and Entrepreneurship
26:30 The Importance of Parental Presence
26:42 Exploring Personal Fulfillment and Parenting
27:02 The Significance of Early Childhood Bonding
27:36 Balancing Personal Goals with Parenting
27:52 The Journey to Entrepreneurship
28:21 Transitioning to a Discussion on Fitness and Nutrition
29:19 The Role of Coaching in Fitness Success
31:23 Introducing Digital Fitness Programs
33:07 Addressing the Freshman 15 Challenge
34:22 The Entrepreneurial Mindset and Online Marketing
41:11 The Power of a Growth Mindset in Business and Life
46:58 Reflecting on the Joys and Challenges of the Job
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Welcome to the Podcast: Introducing Andrea Barkley
Michelle Moses: Hello and welcome to the podcast. I am Michelle Moses, your host. I'm a certified financial planner, a realtor, and a former e commerce site owner. And today we are going to be talking about the lifestyle of a fitness and food advocate, Andrea Barkley, who is the person that got me into podcasting. So thank you so much for being on the show.
Oh, it's nice Totally. My pleasure. I so fun. Yeah, I love talking with you and we're friends off of outside of podcasting and work and everything, and I just absolutely adore you. So thank you so much, Dito. Thank you. Uh, today our Andrea, excuse me.
Andrea Barkley: A Fitness and Food Advocate's Journey
Michelle Moses: Andrea is on the show, and Andrea is an internationally published private fitness trainer, nutrition consultant.
And author of Moan Out Loud and Louder Protein Shakes. She's appeared on national and local television, contributing to [00:01:00] leading health and fitness magazines, was chosen as an ambassador for Nordstrom's athletic wear line, and has trained many hundreds of people. Andrea has over 17, 000 followers on Instagram and is the host of the Andrea Barkley Show.
So welcome.
Andrea: Thank you. You know, I should read that intro. to myself every day just to give myself a little boost. Oh my gosh. Well, okay. Little like ray of sunshine. I just, so I'll tell your listeners. My, my five year old daughter just said to me, mom, you're just a trainer. I was like, she's
Michelle Moses: like, that's all I see, but we read this and I mean, you are impressive.
And you guys should seriously listen to this and then go on Instagram and follow her. She does like workout videos all the time. She's making like shakes and things. And I have to say, like, I really started working out, um, like three years ago, consistently every day. And you are a reason for that, for following your videos and all of that.
Yeah, you have really made a difference in my life. [00:02:00] And you're just so positive and outgoing. And I do have to say, you are always willing to try things. Like every time we try, or every time we talk, you are always like, pushing the envelope of, I'm going to try this. What's going to happen? I'm just going to try this.
Like you were so brave. And so thank you for having me on your podcast. Because then I thought about it for a week afterwards and I was like, wow, that was really fun. Yeah. I think I'm going to have my own podcast. It's a great idea. And so you have really pushed me to get out of my comfort zone in my business.
So I'm so glad.
Andrea: Well, I feel like we're like business BFFs. It's not often that you meet someone who. a hat as a woman. And this is an odd thing to say maybe, but we, I think you and I both have feminine energy and also a fair dose of masculine. We're very strong
Michelle Moses: personalities
Andrea: and we are entrepreneurs and our soul, you know, we have our things that we're interested in.
You're, you know, you're the financial guru and I'm the fitness and food guru. And [00:03:00] you know, why not make it your own business? And why not take risks? Because I don't know about you, but I get Bored.
Michelle Moses: Yeah.
Andrea: I get real bored and I Oh, I get super bored. Yeah. I like, I like to be creatively Mm-Hmm. Charged. And I get an idea and I like to develop it.
Michelle Moses: Yeah. Well, and if you guys go to, we're gonna talk about this, but you go to her website, I mean, everything is just beautiful. Her Instagram is beautiful. Like, oh gosh, it's not that beautiful. Oh. But that's also by design. It's, thank you. And your websites, and I always tell you this, but Andrea is like a master at like.
image, her hair and makeup and website. If you're listening
Andrea: to this, I'm in a ponytail
Michelle Moses: with my
Andrea: gym clothes.
Michelle Moses: No, but she still looks good. So it is just, it's just kind of inspiring for me. And so, so yeah, so I, and I will talk more of that up as we go. So, um, so why don't we start, so I know that you are a fitness trainer and everything.
So what, just to kind of give people a tidbit, What are the different parts of your business that you have going on? And then I think we'll back up [00:04:00] about like how you got started. And
The Power of Personal Transformation Through Fitness
Andrea: yeah, well, you know, it's actually might be easier if I do just start from the beginning and then I can talk about how those things like segmented.
But I went to school for business. Uh, I was one of those people who wanted to do everything. I wanted to be everything and do everything. I wanted to be a lawyer and a botanist landscape designer and a travel advisor and a newscaster. I wanted to do all these things and somehow I just settled on business because it seemed.
Like you could do anything. All encompassing. All encompassing. So, um, I have a degree in business and then job opportunities just sort of started to fall into my lap and I eventually got into advertising and, um, business development for, um, businesses. for publishing companies. And while I was very blessed to have those opportunities, I just didn't love it.
I didn't feel in my soul. I felt very handcuffed to a schedule. And, um, if I'm just being honest, I was super miserable and it's really hard to sell things that you're not passionate about. You have to be
Michelle Moses: excited about it. I wasn't
Andrea: [00:05:00] excited about it. I was very young and I just didn't care. And, but it's also hard to leave when you're not sure what's next and you're being paid well and the opportunities are great and you're whining and dining people in Manhattan and D.
C. That's all really fun. Um, my passion, I'd always loved fitness. I grew up, my mom was always really into working out every morning. She was doing Jane Fonda tapes and I was very inspired by that. My dad was always at Gold's gym at five, six in the morning. And, um. Your mom
Michelle Moses: was very into food too, right?
Very, very, very into food.
Andrea: And, um. Or I should say
Michelle Moses: eating healthy. Yes. Yes.
Andrea: Very into eating healthy. Not yet. I wouldn't call her like a foodie, just simple food. It's like steamed broccoli, chicken, rice and counting calories was like a big thing. It was a very, very major undertone in our, it wasn't even an undertone.
It was a big part of our home is what we were eating. And she didn't really push exercise on us so much. I naturally became interested in it. And then, um, I had my own [00:06:00] journey with. Like my own body, I was in my early twenties, and, uh, I think because, oh, this is going to sound crazy, but because my mom was so calorically minded, I think we, or I personally under ate a lot of my life.
And so when I was on my own, um, for the first time in my early twenties and eating, you know, Not whatever I wanted. 'cause I still thought I was eating healthfully. Um, I gained weight. Mm-Hmm, . And, um, I fell in love with this guy and we would stay home and watch movies and he didn't love healthy food really.
He, he, he hated vegetables. So we would order pizza and stay home and watch movies. And I gained like 20 pounds and I was just miserable in my own skin. I was miserable. So I wound up. hiring a trainer. I was probably 23 years old and I had a complete transformation. I mean, again, I only had 20 pounds to lose, so it wasn't like the biggest lose or anything.
But for me, I went from, you know, crying on the floor of my closet to like being in awe of what I [00:07:00] saw in the mirror. And also to, you know, mentally how it felt to go from not being able to perform an exercise at all to being to, to then, you know, putting more weight on the stack on my leg press. And I remember not being able to do it on exercise and suddenly I could do an exercise and I had like little tear balls coming out of the side of my face.
I just was so like, what I love about fitness is it's like a metaphor for Like, you can do anything if you work hard enough.
Michelle Moses: And you kind of went from like helpless to not knowing what you were going to do to weightlifting and working out. And it just made, yeah.
Andrea: And this trainer taught me how to eat and I was like, and then I would say, and then I got in this business world and then at some point in there, The Biggest Loser became popular and I was like, God, I kind of want to do that.
And so I just thought, I hate what I'm doing right now. I'm going to make what I love my plan B and we'll see what happens. And so I, I went through, I actually asked for, from my family, like [00:08:00] the, um, to, to have the coursework for my, for Christmas and my birthday to get the certification to become a personal trainer, which is actually no joke.
It's really intense. And then I got a mentor and I started assisting him teaching bootcamps. Um, I also read the book called The 4 Hour Workweek around that time. I was a new trainer.
Michelle Moses: That's how we kind of bonded. That's kind of how we bonded, The 4 Hour Workweek. We definitely believe in that. A hundred percent.
That's what we're always striving for.
Andrea: Yeah, absolutely. But it's not because we want to work less. It's because we want to do what we love. And I want to
Michelle Moses: have control of my time.
Andrea: I want to have control over my time.
Michelle Moses: And do what I want to do what I love and be passionate about it, but have control of my time.
That's it.
Embracing the Influencer Lifestyle and Brand Collaborations
Andrea: And so then, um, I was already working as a trainer. Um, and I was fully self employed from the year 2008, and then I started, I noticed that there was a family that I was trained, I would train their whole family. I noticed that they were struggling with food and what to eat, because if you're training [00:09:00] someone two or three times a week, two to three hours a week is nothing.
There's a lot of time to fail in between. And so one day I just offered to meal prep for them to cook for them. And then suddenly cooking became this huge part of my business, huge. And, um, I could have, it could have grown and become huge, but it became exhausting. Yeah. And then I fell in love with creating my own protein shakes.
And so I wrote two recipe books on all natural protein shake recipes. And then, you know, the world has just changed and evolved since I started in 2008. So then I started nutrition coaching and I had some cool opportunities to speak and to be on TV and, um, uh, and then I opened my own studio in January, 2020.
Yay me. And, um, and yeah, Yeah, so we all know how well that worked out. Right. So we were, our doors were open for eight weeks and then we were legally required to close. And then I became pregnant with [00:10:00] my second child and I had a real identity crisis. And, uh, I just started talking to people who I felt like had it more together than I did.
Like, what are you doing? What are you focusing on? What, what wisdom do you have for me?
Michelle Moses: So why were you having an identity crisis? Was it because you wanted to have more control of your time? Like you wanted more flexibility because you had kids at home? Uh. Or you just were missing the passion and you'd been doing the same thing for so long that you needed to add a little bit more to it?
Andrea: I just, I think I felt like, you know, investing all of my time and all of my money into a physical space. Um, and then having that dream kind of taken from me at that time and then getting pregnant with my second, like my, when I had my first baby, I just still very much felt like me and I had a child. And then I could no longer work in the space that I'm used to, which is being [00:11:00] face to face with clients, being in their physical space, cooking for them, being in their physical space, training them, teaching group classes weekly, which I love to do is so fun for me.
And then suddenly I couldn't see anyone in person. And now I have another baby on the way. And I felt like that second baby firmly put me in the category of being a mom, not just Andrea who has a baby. I felt like I, I suddenly, I was a mom and then my whole.
And I also am someone who strives for growth, and I would just was like, what, What is next and what am I going to do? And so I started speaking to these people who just really had their acts together from a business perspective and a financial perspective. And I want to
Michelle Moses: reiterate that you so that you are very good at and I know that this part of your life that you.
Were just like, I just need to figure this out. And so you were seeking out people that had the lifestyle that you wanted. That's it. And were seeking out different influencers and asking for meetings of their time. And [00:12:00] so it was really a lot of that, of how you've learned to grow Exactly. Your business online,
Andrea: right?
Oh, that's exactly where this, where this goes next is I spoke to a few people. Um, I was in a business, uh, mastermind at the time, and they all said, Andrea, that. The only thing you can do right now is focus on your personal brand. Really, really pour into your personal brand and just start putting one foot in front of another and things will come.
And I thought, okay, well, I'm going to start to pour into my social media presence. Well, I'm not someone who it's not innate for me to film myself I don't film everything. It's just weird for me. Yeah, but you
Michelle Moses: would never know that by watching your videos. Oh my gosh. I mean, when I watch your videos, I'm like, wow, look at how good and natural she is.
Oh, well, I'm a
Andrea: good public speaker and I'm, I'm good at training. I've been leading crowds and groups for years, so that's fine. I have no problem being on camera, but actually setting up the camera and doing it. That's the thing. Like, Ooh, pulling teeth on me and then
Michelle Moses: editing it and coming up with the ideas and I mean, it's a whole thing.
Yeah, it's a whole thing.
Navigating the Challenges and Rewards of Content Creation
Andrea: So what happened was, there's a woman on Instagram who [00:13:00] I really respected because she's a mom at the time. She was a mom of three. Her Instagram is very genuine and authentic. She's fit, educated, beautiful, loves motherhood. And so I loved all the messages that she represented.
Represented, and she was just crushing it as an influencer. And I think I thought. Well, I could do that. And I reached out to her. I mean, and she has many hundreds of thousands of followers. I reached out to her and said, I'm not a psychopath, but I greatly admire you for these reasons. And have you ever done, would you be willing to coach me?
And I'm happy to pay you. And, and eventually I, you know, I had to stalk her a little bit, but eventually she was like, well, I've never done anything like this before, but sure. And so she's like, what do you say? And I thought, well, this is what I would pay for your time. And so I made her an offer and she said, sure.
So I would say I met with her weekly for, um, I don't know, on and off for about six months or a year. And she literally taught me about the [00:14:00] Instagram algorithm. She taught me what things to put in my videos for people to look for. She taught me, um. a lot about consistency and showing up and messaging. I remember you telling me about the
Michelle Moses: messaging of always be giving something to somebody.
Is that correct? Yeah.
Andrea: Well, I think I read that and that's another thing too, is I'm a super avid reader, but even Gary Vaynerchuk, who, if you're not familiar, the listeners aren't familiar as a social media. I mean, he's like the godfather. Yeah.
Michelle Moses: Oh, especially a podcasting.
Andrea: Yeah. And so he has a book called Job, job, hook, punch, or something like that.
And it basically means when it comes to your content and content creation and social media, it's give, give, give, ask, give, give, give, ask. And so whenever you're performing an act of service, that just feels good. I know that my God given talent is to encourage and motivate and inspire. It's like in my soul to help people.
feel they're fittest, they're most energetic, they're best, find sunshine in their life. And [00:15:00] so if I can give that give, give, give, then at some point I can say, by the way, I wrote this new book. By the way, I launched this new program. By the way, you know, here's an ad from this brand that I actually support.
And then that feels good. But I am too like anyone else where I lose my momentum and I lose my mojo. I feel like I've recently, you know, I got out of the habit of posting for a while. And it's so funny this week, just this morning, I was like, all right, game back on, let's go. Cause it's in the spirit of giving.
So I am lucky now to work as an influencer. I'm lucky now to, you know, I've had some really incredible like brand opportunities I would have never even thought about. dreamed of like, and they're contacting you or do you contact
Michelle Moses: them?
Andrea: So in the beginning I was contacting them and I, if there's someone I really want to work with, then I'll reach out to them too.
And that has certainly worked. And I think that's the beauty of having a sales background is I understand that any business person is in sales. I'm constantly in sales. So that's [00:16:00] why even I still do physically train clients, but I will always show up to a training session. With my makeup on and my hair looking sharp and I'm going to be dressed nicely, even if it is just gym clothes.
Um, and so, and I know how to sell, so I'll just reach out to a brand and say, I just absolutely love what you do. And that's the only reason I would do that. Um, would you be interested in working together? And I've had a lot of yeses from that. And now I'm connected to several, um, influencer agencies. And then people will reach out to me and ask if you're interested.
And then there's then like an, a kind of a standard canned application process if you're interested. But usually like they share the compensation, you either agree or you don't. Or a lot of times you just submit what you would like to be paid for for it. And sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn't.
Michelle Moses: And so these companies would that are, would you call it an influencer company? Is that or what's Yeah. Yeah.
Andrea: It's. It's like social media management now.
Michelle Moses: Yeah. And so you reached out to them and said, can I be one of your clients kind of thing? Is that how it works? Or how does [00:17:00] it, how does it work? Are you hiring them and then they bring you opportunities?
Andrea: No, they, no, it's, I certainly don't hire them. I, I'm, to be honest with you, I'm not even sure how I got connected with them. It must've been that, um, maybe I reached out to a brand. Or maybe a brand reached out to me and said, go, go ahead and apply through these channels. Mm-Hmm. . And then maybe I got, and then that's how you figured out how Yeah.
And then it's almost like a talent agency. Right? Okay. So I'm, I'm with like five of 'em. And then you get almost like a daily digest of, of openings, of opportunities available, opport opportunities.
Michelle Moses: Oh,
Andrea: I had no idea.
Michelle Moses: Okay.
Andrea: And so then you can kind
Michelle Moses: of pick and choose. You can totally pick and choose, like apply for.
Andrea: Yep. And you can say, no thank you. Okay. Or people will reach out to you and say, oh, I have this. Not everyone works with a social media management company. Some people do it, go it on their own. Um, and yeah, I've just had some of the most really phenomenal opportunities and really cool brands to work with.
Michelle Moses: So when you actually, okay, so let's take, go through the process of that. I'm interested in this. [00:18:00] So as you, so you You say yes, you apply for it, and then they might say, yeah, they'll say yes, and then they kind of give you what the breakdown is, or we'll send you a product, and then you have to post some new videos, or.
Andrea: So it's called a campaign brief. So there's been a meeting behind the scenes between the agency and the, um, client. And so the client will say, we really want to focus on, You know, these three features and, um, these are the rules because this is what we want you to talk about and like, you know, no other product can be in this shot.
We want, let's say it's a recipe. We want this recipe to come from our website. Um, and you, that's, it's pretty clear directions. A lot of times you do have a fair bit of creative freedom. Sometimes they just want to see what you come up with.
Michelle Moses: Um, and. And then will they have to approve of the video that you're going to post before you can post it?
Sometimes.
Andrea: Sometimes they'll say, um, we want, you know, the, so like the price that you, you always agree on the price first. [00:19:00] Um, the price that we've agreed on might include three revisions. And I've had it like I was working with a, a supplement brand and they were going to do a discount code and then they, so I submitted my content and then they said, Oh, actually we decided to change the discount code and so can you please rerecord it?
I actually paid an editor to change my words.
Michelle Moses: It's like, I'm not going to rerecord this. I didn't know you could do that either. I know. Wow. You mean just like do it over, over the video. It's just, it's like a little dub. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Wow. That's pretty cool. Like, I'm gonna send you
Andrea: me saying 20% and can you pop that in over that?
I didn't even know that they could do that. I didn't know either. I just thought, wouldn't it be cool if they could? Yeah. And they
Michelle Moses: could. And how did you find this editor To do it. You just found a video editor
Andrea: online? I found, I found a video editor. Yeah. Okay. I knew, yeah, it was, I knew someone who did video editing and they could just do it.
Yeah. And they could just do it all right.
Michelle Moses: And it was no big deal. Well, that's cool. These video, when I learned a lot from podcasting. Yeah. And so now that you're back up and you've taken a break and you're feeling good about things, how [00:20:00] often are you trying to post? Like, do you have a goal of how often you're trying to post?
Andrea: Yeah, for me. So I know a lot of content creators who post daily. That is not for me, man. I am. Again, not innate. When I record, it's a thing, right? I'm like, I've got it planned. My hair, my makeup's done. Dad's got the kids. This is why
Michelle Moses: I don't do a lot of videos. The hair and makeup has to be, yeah. So, so, okay.
Andrea: So I worked with a business coach. So I'm a big, I'm a coach. And so I'm a big believer in coaching. So I've had a lot of coaches and I was, uh, going through this with a business coach of mine. And I said, I really am like no good at just setting up the camera and going, but. It's because too, like I know my hair looks bad.
Okay, here's the deal. So we agreed on this. Whenever you get your hair done, you just set up the camera and you film, uh, you film a bunch of content.
Michelle Moses: Period. Which is how I am about these podcasts. If I wash my hair, I'm like, let's get a couple podcasts in. Makeup's on, eyelashes are
Andrea: done, we're gonna do the thing.
[00:21:00] So, um, what has worked best for me is if I make the commitment, it sounds so silly, but hey, real business to talk here. As a woman. Um, as a content creator where your image is important, um, when my hair is done, then that week I'll film all my content for the month, like a big content push. And then I have, and then what's funny is that once you start producing that content, it gives you more confidence.
And so I, and I'm sure the ideas start to flow
Michelle Moses: a little
Andrea: bit more too, once you start working. And then it starts feeling better cause people will say like, you know, you paid me a nice compliment once where I posted like an arm workout and you're like, Hey, thank you for that arm workout. You know, I, I went through it and it was great.
And then that I did, that is how I got
Michelle Moses: started working out was doing that arm workout three times a week with the weights in my right hand. So that's
Andrea: like very inspiring to me to want to do more. And, you know, to keep sharing the message is it's, it's interesting is the more you do, the better it feels.
Right. But so for me, the, the, the [00:22:00] perfect. Mix for me is like three days a week, Monday, Wednesday, Friday
Michelle Moses: of posting
Andrea: of post. That's attainable for me. It's
Michelle Moses: manageable for me. And they're not all videos, right? I mean, sometimes it's videos and sometimes is it like a book you're reading or they're all videos.
Okay. Oh really? Okay. So all videos about working out or making, there might be,
Andrea: there might be a carousel of photos if it's like a family thing, but look at the end of the day. Reels are what works. Reels are what pulls the views and the engagement. It's just what works. And they're honestly not that hard to make.
Some of them are
Michelle Moses: time consuming,
Andrea: but it's really not that hard to
Michelle Moses: make. So do you edit them? I guess that's the question too. So I mean, is it normally like they're good and you just really have to edit the beginning and the end of them? For myself or for a brand? No, for yourself. Well, all of it. Yeah. Well,
Andrea: yeah, you definitely have to edit it for sure.
For, for anybody. Um, because you, Yeah, they need editing. I mean, there's a lot of, there's a lot you don't see. [00:23:00] It doesn't look good. Um, that you just have to tweak and pull out. Or like if I'm doing an exercise, you know, you want the form to be solid, you want it to be readable. Um, and then anyone where I'm speaking, I normally have to redo that a few times.
A voiceover, I certainly will have to re, redo several times. Really? Okay. Yeah. I've started just like writing my script. Like I'll, I'll record a video and I, you know, yeah. Sometimes I can wing it. I'm better at winging it if I'm talking to the camera, if it's just me, but if I'm doing a voiceover, cause you want your voice to be the same length of time as the video.
Oh my gosh. Yes. So I would never have thought about that. So instead of winging it, I'll, I write out what way, what I want to say, and then I voice over it. And then I felt, I decide, is it too long or too short? And so then I either fill in the gaps or I. Edit it down. Okay. Usually I have to come up with more to say.
Okay. So, wow. Yeah. That's it. It can be darn time consuming. My next level will be hiring out a social media, um, person to help to do all of that for me. To help you different. Yeah. And I [00:24:00] already have her picked out. She's like,
Michelle Moses: I'm ready to go with her. Okay.
The Multifaceted Business of a Fitness and Food Guru
Michelle Moses: And so how many different parts of your business do, so we've talked kind of about the influencer thing and so what, uh, let's talk about all the different parts of your business.
'cause you have a lot going on. Yeah. And, um. I think it's awesome because it all goes together.
Andrea: It does all go together. Well, really for me, like my areas of expertise, uh, are fitness, food. And now that I'm a parent and I read on that a lot, I like to talk about family, um, and parenting and relationships.
Michelle Moses: Well, and I think I'm, I find your view refreshing because you come at it from a point of view as a I find it. Um, I don't want to say annoying, but, um, it just really irritates me when people are online and they're like, just get up and meditate and do this and do that. I'm like, yeah, you're not a parent or like some guy, you know, or some guy will say that.
I'm like, I just got four hours of sleep. I don't know that I'm going to wake up at 6am and like really be killing it today. You know? So I appreciate [00:25:00] that you document the ups and downs of everything and how your daughter's not sleeping and I can't. You know, I, I'm going to take a slow this week, all of that kind of stuff.
So I respect your opinion a lot more because of that, because you're fitting the parenting thing in.
Andrea: Well, it's real, it's real life. And you know, I had, um, I, I, again, I love coaching and I remembered speaking with this, I met this guy at a party and he's just like a big. He's a, he's a, I won't, you know, name companies or anything, but he's a major guru.
He was a major founder and his energy was just phenomenal. We met and we connected and we were like, Oh, I have to work with you somehow. And he was trying to launch into being a business coach. And so I'm like, well, I love coaching. Let's talk more. And, um, he, I had a, gosh, how old was, Anassi must've been like a year old or something.
And he was saying to me that I needed to chunk my day into 15 minute segments. And I was like, you're insane. You, you're, [00:26:00] you cannot chunk your time into 15 minute segments when you're a parent. Because it's not even about like scheduling a diaper change. It's just scheduling a, it's, it's like sometimes you need a snuggle walker.
Michelle Moses: And I think. And your kids need you. And I think, yeah, it's important to be there for your kids and not make yeah, your work the most important thing.
Andrea: And I think for me, the most important thing as an entrepreneur, we, you know, you said earlier is it's your time. And when you do have children, you know, I'm just going to say for me personally, I could never be the mom who drops their kids off.
The Struggle with Daycare and Parenting Philosophy
Andrea: I'm sorry if I get haters. I just couldn't do it. I could not drop my kids off at daycare at seven a. m. and pick them up at five. I just
Michelle Moses: couldn't do it. Yeah. I feel like it'd be a waste of a parent. Like why have kids? Why? For me, I agree. For me, why have kids? For me.
The Importance of Mother-Child Bonding
Michelle Moses: And I know that's not like if you're a doctor or something, you know, and you're getting fulfillment from your job, I get that.
Andrea: But I do think that there is a period of time when, especially babies and toddlers need their moms. They just need their moms. And they
Michelle Moses: need to snuggle and they need to be connected and feel safe. They need to snuggle and have eye [00:27:00] contact. To feel safe
Andrea: and secure. Yeah. That's it. You know, I did a, I did a podcast episode with an airline pilot who's talking about, you know, phobias and fears and he's like that first, oh my gosh, maybe he said, I don't remember if it was 18 months of life or three years of life.
A baby really relies on. A mother specifically, this is from a psychologist, gazing into their baby's eyes and that helps them form bonds of security and safety and the ability to, um, manage their emotions, know that they're going to be okay. And a daycare is not going to do that for my baby, right?
They're just not. So anyway, for me, My big thing is how can I, how can I fulfill my own soul and my own needs give to the world what I know I have a need to give and really be present for my children. That's exactly
Michelle Moses: my goal too. Yeah. Yeah.
Starting a Business to Balance Family and Career
Michelle Moses: And that's why I started my business. I mean, I was 26 and I was like, I know I want a family.
I know I want kids, but I need to do this now and work my booty off. [00:28:00] So that I can do that later. And it worked.
Andrea: I just couldn't work for anyone. I just couldn't do it
Michelle Moses: for, yeah,
Andrea: I couldn't do it. Yeah. You know, what's funny though, is that like, I felt like I could be in the military or something because I like discipline and I like, there's something about extremeness too, that I like.
Yeah, I
Michelle Moses: could see that too. I
Andrea: feel like I could do that for a while, but obviously not with kids.
Michelle Moses: Yeah. Yeah. And now the kids come first. Okay. So let's talk. Okay.
Exploring Personal Training and Nutrition Consulting
Michelle Moses: So you train people. Oh yeah. You do the influencer. And then I want to talk about the text. Yeah. program that you have. I love the idea of this.
Andrea: Yeah, I have lots of feet. So yes, I I still see, I still see clients. I still am a personal trainer. And do you
Michelle Moses: train them in person or also on video? I do both. Okay. Yeah, I have. And you write up different programs for them to do on their own.
Andrea: If they need me to. Um, yeah, so I see clients in person, actually my garage is a gym.
So I, people come to my home. I do a lot on zoom. Um, and then I do actually a fair bit of nutrition consulting and I love to do that. That's so fun for me. I've even done the craziest things of [00:29:00] like creating recipes for like commercial recipes for
Michelle Moses: brands. Um, and does that, so when you're doing nutrition consulting, is that kind of an ongoing thing where, I mean, does it go on for years or is it one of those things where people start to get some legs under them and they're like, you know, I'm doing okay after a couple of years?
Andrea: So what usually happens is. When it comes to nutrition coaching is, um, I would say most often someone would work with me for maybe four to six months. They start to get the hang of it, they start to see results, they start to figure out what works for them, and then, I hate to say it, Then normally they go off on their own, set them free.
And then they don't do it. And then they come back. Then they fly right on back. And then we work together again.
The Role of Coaching and Community in Fitness
Andrea: Don't you think that
Michelle Moses: there's a thing about community though? I mean, they kind of need the coaching. I mean, it's. It's kind of, I think when you're having a coach, uh, in something like that, it brings you back to actually focusing on it.
It's like going to see a therapist, uh, or any life coach or [00:30:00] something like that. That's exactly what it is. You are dedicating that time and that money and so therefore you will be committed a thousand percent. Yeah. So that's like half of it.
Andrea: It is. It's, it's, it's therapy. In so many ways and like I've seen my own therapist many times over the years and will always probably have one in my back pocket.
I also have coaches of my own that I see for business or finance or whatever. And so I think if there's an area in life that doesn't come naturally to you, like, even though I am an entrepreneur, I, I always want a business coach rooting for me and guiding me in some way and helping me be my best. And I think that's why I have a business is because people always too are going to want to be feeling their best when it comes to fitness and nutrition.
And it doesn't, it's not innate for them. It's not natural. Like I, if I have a finance problem, I'm calling Michelle because I don't, that's not natural for me. I wasn't raised with those values. And maybe if you have a fitness or food question, you might call me because that doesn't come innate for you. We know
Michelle Moses: we need to Yeah.
We're like the opposite. Yeah, yeah, we are. [00:31:00] We know
Andrea: we need to do it.
Michelle Moses: Yeah. And you have the tools. We've read the book. I think it's just more about what comes naturally, you know? Cause like I love a budget and all that. And you were like, Oh, I don't know about this. I'm like, please let's go over my budget.
Yeah. Line by line. This is terrible. And where does
Andrea: this go? Like I know in theory, but sometimes it feels overwhelming. I think that's what's true for fitness and nutrition. Absolutely. So I have that with coaching.
Digital Programs: A New Approach to Fitness and Nutrition
Andrea: I've done quite a few digital programs over the years. There's two that I have right now.
One is called the daily motivator and that is a morning text message telling people exactly what to do for the day. There's small homework assignments, like. Here's what I want you to do for the day in terms of food. Here's what I want you to do for the day in terms of fitness. Write me back if you have any questions.
So it's like having a personal trainer in your back pocket. And then I just
Michelle Moses: launched. I love this program, by the way. I mean, if you think that you cannot afford a personal trainer or someone, I think that is just, I think it's important when you're selling things online. Uh, to have those different, you know, and we learned this, yeah, have all the different price points for the, [00:32:00] so that you can, well, really at the day, it's like, how
Andrea: can I serve more people and how can I help more people?
And honestly, that is something that I wished I would have had. And you know, when I was, again, when I go back to my early twenties, I think, and I, you know, had gained those 20 pounds with my boyfriend and, uh, My trainer, I was so lucky because he would tell me what to do on my off days. He would actually call me and say, already, Andrea, I want you to drive to the high school and you're going to run stadium steps for 15 minutes.
And when you're done, I want you to do 25 pushups, 25 squats. And, you know, something like that. And I did what he told me to do, and that's what really moved the needle in my body, I think, were those off days. And so, this program, to me, is what I wished had existed. Just give me some damn homework. Tell me what to do.
Today I want you to not eat sugar. No sugar. Today I want you to have salad for breakfast. Today I want you to run a mile. See what you can do. Okay. And that's it. So it's simple stuff. You can incorporate it into your own workout. Yeah, but it's fun and it mixes it up. Yeah, it's a little challenge. It's a little
Michelle Moses: challenge.
It's not just I'm going [00:33:00] to turn on my phone and do a 15 minute HIIT workout or something like that every day. Yeah,
Andrea: it's getting outside your comfort zone a little bit too, which I think is also important. And then I just launched a new program called the Freshman 15 Survival Guide. Which I love. Yeah, I've worked with a lot of younger clients, um, student athletes.
And you know, we've all heard of the freshman 15 when you go to college for the first time and you start to gain weight because you're away from home, you're staying up late, you're eating more packaged food. Yeah. But
Michelle Moses: it's the exact same thing as you have, and it's just that you get that freedom. You weren't in charge of all your meals, that's it before you left, and now you're in charge of your whole life.
And so it's kind of like you're your whole life. Yeah. Yeah.
Andrea: And, and not only that, but there are always those really annoying girls who can eat anything they want. Mm-Hmm. to be like a
Michelle Moses: stick top. Those wings. Beer. And we all want to be like them.
Andrea: Myself included. We all want to be like them. We all want to eat like they do.
I am looking at this pizza with sausage on it and I've gained 15 pounds just smelling it. It's so unfair. Yeah. [00:34:00] So this is like what to do if you were that person. So it really sets up the framework for life of how to eat, work out, and commit to yourself. because the committing to yourself, I think is the most important piece, right?
Michelle Moses: And it's really good too, because it's at the right price point. You know, it's a download, it's a PDF. And I think with online marketing, that's what's important to be thinking about, right? Is who is your audience and how can you package that program?
Andrea: How can you package that program? And that is part of being an entrepreneur is consistently learning more from others.
And. I love to read. And you know, Michelle and I met in a program called B School, Marie Forleo's B School. And. It's all about online marketing. It's all about online marketing and it's all too about reading. And yes, like I am in personally a very, very saturated market. And while I am in a saturated market, there's only one Andrea.
It's just me, you know, and I'm not the fittest person on earth. Um, I'm not in a bikini over and over, and I never will be, but I do think that I'm a testament to, [00:35:00] um, daily mindfulness and balance. Mm hmm. I agree. And
Michelle Moses: consistent. Yeah. You have very good consistency. consistency. Yeah. Okay. So what does, now that we've talked, we've talked about all the parts of your business, is the book sales in there anywhere or is that just, okay.
Book sales are in there. Okay. And so are you always touting your book also? Or just like sometimes? I need to be better
Andrea: at that. I, I'm not great at that. Unfortunately, one of my weak areas is that I like to create a program and be like, okay, I did it. Right. I, I am not world's greatest marketer, but I'm getting much, much, much better at it.
Right. At touting yourself. At touting myself. And I think with the book, my, my, I wrote, Uh, my first book was called Moan Out Loud Protein Shakes, and it's called Moan Out Loud Protein Shakes because no book or no recipe made it in unless I moaned when I took a sip. And then I wrote that at a time.
Michelle Moses: Wait, isn't that one where there's no protein powders in any of them?
So this is, these are all protein shakes that are made with. They're powder free. Or yeah, they're powder free. So they're made with more like [00:36:00] avocado and things like that. Yeah.
Andrea: Written a long time ago. So there weren't natural protein powders on the market, so I'm very pro organics, um, sustainably sourced foods, and I wrote that before, you know, anything organic or sprouted existed, it was all just like huge tubs of disgusting bodybuilder way, which gives most people intestinal issues and they, I don't know.
And so, um, I had practiced making shakes with just whole foods, cottage cheese, eggs, Greek yogurt, and everything was so freaking good. Yeah, they're good. And then, um, protein powders really evolved. And so then I wrote a follow up book called Moan Out Louder, Protein Shakes, but really that one is the best one.
And so what I want to do is merge the additions and make one Moan Out Loud. Yeah, one big one. And that, that'll, I'll get to. Yeah. I'll get to. Okay. I'm working on some of these, you know, other things now, but I'll get to that. And then, um, yeah, but that's a big part of what I do too, for sure.
Michelle Moses: Okay. So you've got.
You've got the training [00:37:00] portion, which is like the biggest portion of your business, of your time, I should say, of your business. Of my time for sure. Okay, and then what is the second? The texting? The influencer deals. Oh, the influencer, okay. And then the texting would be kind of the next time.
Andrea: Yep, and the digital programs.
Texting the Freshman 15 Survival Guide. The texting program is called the Daily Motivator and then coach and then, uh, uh, consulting, nutrition, coaching, and consulting.
Michelle Moses: And so you're doing that, like you make a appointment online and yeah, okay. Yeah. And then you have a phone call with them for a half hour or whatever it is.
Exactly. Okay. Exactly.
Balancing Entrepreneurship and Motherhood
Michelle Moses: And so how do you, are you working all the time and fitting all of this in just around momming? Totally. So are you working like weekends? I mean, because that's how I do it. I work seven days a week. Yeah. I work all the time. Seven days a week. But I'm not at work all day, but I work, you know, when I feel like it.
And I, you know, there's so many studies that talk about that is the way you get the most done is when you feel like it. I mean, I might sit down and start doing emails and then three hours later I'm like, [00:38:00] damn, yeah, I just got so much. Absolutely.
Andrea: Yeah. Yeah. You know, it's funny because, um, Having kids for me made me more disciplined because before I had kids and I was single, I just did whatever I wanted, whatever I wanted, so I didn't get as much done.
I almost had too much freedom. And then I learned that, you know, having kids. Raising children in a way that our souls really want to, requires a lot. Mm-Hmm. . And so in order to be able to, to uh, perform, you have to train like an athlete. And so for me, like I wake, I'm an introvert, even though I sound like an extra an, an extrovert, I'm outgoing, but I'm an introvert.
So I like to wake up early and be alone. I wake up early, I read my book. I have my coffee. And then like a soldier, I put on my gym clothes, I go to my garage, I have a workout before my girls wake up, and then I spend a lot of time with them. Now, if my husband is home on his off days, he's a nurse, he's got the girls in the morning and I see clients.
Um, and so we just kind of work opposing schedules. Um, and so there are times that maybe we, you know. [00:39:00] Have a sitter or girls are in preschool and I just work around that. I sometimes say like, wouldn't it be amazing to be a mom and not have any ambition? Wouldn't that be so,
Michelle Moses: yeah. Amazing. I think about that all the time because then I would just be sitting on the couch with my kid just hanging out like they want me to all the time.
Wouldn't
Andrea: it be wonderful?
Michelle Moses: Yeah, but I don't, it's, I don't think that's. the way I think we're idealistic in that because I know a lot of stay at home moms and they are just as busy. It's just busy with activities and grocery shopping or, you know, like different things. I think
Andrea: I am pretty good at sitting with them and reading with them.
I do think what a drink, how amazing if like when the baby took a nap, I just wanted to take a nap instead of getting
Michelle Moses: stuff done.
Andrea: Yeah. But I really want to do what I want to do and I really feel called to do it. So yeah, I do. There's a lot of. There's a lot of naptime work. There's a lot of early morning work.
Um, and then, you know, I schedule in person clients either really early in the morning or around naptime. And then maybe I'll stop at a coffee [00:40:00] shop. You just learn to be real productive. Right. What are the things you only have a certain amount of time?
Michelle Moses: I remember when I had my first son that he would go down for a nap and then I would go take a shower and then he would wake up and I'd be like, Okay.
Whoa, I got like none of the stuff that I, you know, all I did was take a shower. Like, what are you talking about? Like, I have rules.
Andrea: I have naptime rules. My rules are no showering during a nap and no cleaning. Yeah. During a nap. I totally agree. Nap time is exclusively for either your own nap. Something you really want to do or work.
And that's it.
Michelle Moses: Yeah.
Andrea: No showering.
Michelle Moses: You got to fit in the shower while the kid's awake and put the kid in their shower with you. A hundred percent. Yeah.
Andrea: Baby seats right in there with you. Yeah. No way. Yeah. Exactly.
Michelle Moses: You can't be wasting the time. And that was one of the biggest shockers to me. I was like, whoa, I need to really like make use of my time if I want.
Because my, it's important for me to be really grounded and present when I'm with my kids. Yeah. And it's not that I can do it all the time, but I try really hard. Yeah. Uh, and [00:41:00] so I, you know, it, I don't drink, I don't, you know, I don't do anything that I used to do because I wanna wake up and like be there.
Yeah. For them
Andrea: it's your, it's, you're a high performance a athlete. Yeah. Really. Yeah. And, and parenting is just, just that I, high performance. I don't think it's much with ones Great way to put it. I only want, it's not, it's so much with one, but with two, it really is. Yeah.
Michelle Moses: With one, it's easier because you can hand it off and all that, but two is, yeah.
And two, I agree when you have two, it's definitely, and that's why, honestly, we didn't have a third, because I was like, that's when you lose your entire life. I was like, two, two is like, you can maintain your life, but three, it becomes all about their life all the time. I'm like, I, there's no way I could. My friend says three
Andrea: tips for Well, I think that's true when they're little, little, but now, like, for instance, with mine, now two is easier than one because they play together so nicely.
And so I think it's after the age of one and a half, but when they're little, when they're babies. And, you know, maybe two of them aren't sleeping well through the [00:42:00] night. That's a whole different animal. Yeah. You're, that's a whole different animal. I know you're not. Yeah. When you're
Michelle Moses: not getting sleep, it's a whole thing.
Okay. So we're kind of getting sidetracked Yeah. With the momming thing. So, but that's life. Yeah, it is. So, and it is of fitting it all in. Mm-Hmm. . And that's what I wanted to talk about.
Embracing a Growth Mindset in Business and Life
Michelle Moses: It's just like, you know, your lifestyle and how you built it up because. I think it's important for people to think about that they don't always have to just have this job and that they can be thinking about new things and that they can be creating new things.
Andrea: Man, I think that's the most amazing thing is to know that you don't have to be tethered to a job, especially when that you don't, it's different if you love it.
Michelle Moses: Yeah.
Andrea: But the best thing I think I have ever done in my entire life. was to resign from a company and say to myself mentally, I am never going to work for anyone else ever, ever.
I'm
Michelle Moses: never going to an office again like that. Yeah.
Andrea: Ever, ever, unless I'm running it. And I'm like, no, it's just not in my soul. I can't do it. That, that, and I find it so frustrating. Like I was recently talking with a company actually who had brought me on as an influencer and they [00:43:00] were, Oh, don't, don't dig too deep and figure out what I'm talking about, but they were making big mistakes in their company.
And so, um, they, they, you know, talk to me about maybe bringing me on. And I was like, no,
Michelle Moses: no, I got my own thing going on. But
Andrea: if you want to bring me and I'll tell you why now, cause I'm not going to work your stupid hours. I am. So freaking efficient between one and 3pm between 5am and 8am like I have chunks of time on the weekend.
I'm so efficient during these blocks of time, but I'm not going to show up at your place from 8 to
Michelle Moses: 5 or 8 to 4 or whatever.
Andrea: And the world has changed. If you can't evolve with that, then we have a real problem. But if you want to bring me on as a consultant, I'd be glad to help you change your business.
Yeah. I'd be glad to. But unfortunately, I think some companies are still a little bit short sighted. So. Yes, if anyone is listening, please be encouraged to know that you can do anything and you can make great money at it. And that's [00:44:00] another thing I want to talk about too, is making great money. And really you just decide how much money you want to make and how many hours you want to work.
Michelle Moses: And that's that simple math. And I think it's important to realize of having multiple streams of income of how.
Oh my gosh, having a, cause I, I was a financial advisor in 2008 and I also had my e commerce store and I, oh my God, I was like, thank God I have this, like my income was cut by 60 percent because the market went down. I was like, if I didn't have this website, I, I don't know where I would be getting a job.
Yeah. I would have been getting a job. So I just, yeah, it's just important to know that there's like, there's hope out there. And if you're willing to put in the work and just ask questions and text people or email people, you know, like just put it out there and
Andrea: just reach out to someone. And I, you know, I have no problem doing this, but periodically, um, over the years I'll have people reach out to me and say, Hey, I'm interested [00:45:00] in.
You know, becoming a trainer, how did you do it? Whatever. I'm glad to take that phone call. I'm glad to coach him through it because I had one person in particular who really took me under his wing, but there were others I reached out to for help and support. And maybe it was, you know, I feel like now people are more genuine and authentic and willing to share.
And we understand that that's, you know, giving is receiving and, and the more we help others, the more we can help others. But, um, I had some people, you know, close some doors to me and say, no, I'm not going to answer those questions for you. Like I figured it out on my own. You figure it out on your own.
And I think that's shameful. I think that we should all be here to lift people up. Someone up and support one another. Right. Not
Michelle Moses: everybody has to take the hard road. Like sometimes it's okay to give a hand. Yeah. And not only
Andrea: that, but as a new or at as at any time throughout my career as a trainer, I've always had substitute trainers on hand to work for me if I was traveling or on maternity leave.
And then I've had other people say like, well, wow, you're going to Southeast Asia for. you know, 10 weeks and you have a sub in there, aren't you afraid that sub is going to [00:46:00] take your clients? And I said, not even remotely. Because if, first of all, if that client really loved and connected to that trainer more than me, then I
Michelle Moses: want them to have that.
Yeah, you want that. You want happiness for your clients. I
Andrea: want happiness for my clients and I want success. So if they feel that. This is called
Michelle Moses: a growth mindset. It's
Andrea: one. This is what my
Michelle Moses: son would say. This is a growth mindset. Oh, that's precious.
Andrea: But you would just want people, you want what's best for people.
And I would come home and people would be happy to have me and see me and they still love that person and they're welcome back, but we continue to help each other and support one another. Well, and you can
Michelle Moses: look at it too, that they might not like that other person as much. And so then they become more grateful for you.
Andrea: Yeah. And in fact, whenever I've not had a sub too, I come home and they're like, Oh my God, I need you so bad.
Michelle Moses: Yeah. Yeah. So I think sometimes the change is good. Like we think that. The change in the, um, you know, variances are bad, but they actually make people very grateful or Yeah. The variances are super important.
Okay.
The Joy and Challenges of a Fitness Career
Michelle Moses: So what [00:47:00] is your favorite thing about everything, your job?
Andrea: Oh gosh. I would say the connection with other people. And when you, when I learned that Anything I've said or done has been helpful or inspiring that just like lifts me up. It just fires me up.
Michelle Moses: And what is your
Andrea: least
Michelle Moses: favorite thing? Oh, uh, probably filming social media content.
Really? Yeah. Oh my God. You guys have to go to her page. So your, your, your Instagram is just Andrea Barkley.
Andrea: Yeah. It's at Andrea Barkley. Yeah. I like it when it's done. Yeah. And it's up there. I'm like, Oh, yay me. Good.
Michelle Moses: Good on me. I cannot believe that. Go look at some of her videos. So her website is andreabarclay.
com. Instagram is at andreabarclay. Yes. You see, you're very active. There's lots of, lots of content on there to learn things. And your newsletter is great too, because you don't send it all the time. So you only send it when there's actually something to talk about some offer or, you know, so if you wanted to sign up for her newsletter, [00:48:00] Um, that would be great.
So thank you. Yeah. Thank you so much for being on and sharing how you operate your business. I really appreciate it. It's fun for me. Yeah. Well, thank you. Thank you. Uh, thank you for listening everybody. And, uh, please subscribe and scroll all the way down on the show and leave me a review or let me know if you have some topics you want to listen to.
Disclaimer: The information provided in this podcast is for general informational purposes only and should not be construed as professional financial advice. Always consult with a qualified financial advisor or professional before making any financial decisions. The hosts and guests of this podcast are not responsible for any actions taken based on the information presented.