OFTEN , BEING LOUD COMES FROM REJECTION – IT ’ S KIND OF LIKE A DEFENSE MECHANISM .
I ’ ve been around the block a time or few , and I know that people won ’ t stay with me forever . For this reason I prefer to encourage the staff I have , to use the club as a foundation where they can grow from , so that when they eventually leave they will do so with the skills and knowledge to flourish .
In 2005 we opened Australia ’ s first ever Men ’ s Only Health Club . This gained us recognition from the Human Rights Commission and the equal opportunity board , and we appeared on national TV and radio as a result . I felt this was a great move forwards for men ’ s health ; after all , if women can have it why can ’ t men ?
Unfortunately , in 2007 I had to make a tough decision . I had one business that was performing well and another that was doing okay ; one was feeding off the other , and both leases were due for renewal . So we decided to join both businesses together in the one building . The impact was that some men stayed and some men didn ’ t . The building that we are in today , is that same location . The trials and tribulations that came with moving into this building is a story on its own ! In summary , the previous tenant used the space for a kids ’ indoor playground but one day she walked out and just never came back ! When the building came up for rent , all the playground equipment was still in there so we had to plaster walls and paint around the equipment until it was auctioned off . The place was a pig ’ s sty ; I still can ’ t believe people had their kids playing there .
We could only get into the building after 9pm at night , which meant for four months we renovated and refurbished it during the hours of 9pm – 3am ; after which I ’ d then go home momentarily before having to go and open the gym in Victoria Street , while Brad would go to his day job .
I remember sitting on the floor of that building amidst our renovations with a chocolate cake from Coles , singing “ Happy birthday ” before getting up and painting the walls . That ’ s how we lived for four months , fuelled by Allen ’ s mixed lollies and coffee ! What ’ s more it was winter – and if you know Ballarat in winter , it ’ s cold ! Many nights we wondered if we could do it – you see , it was just me , Brad , and my son doing all the grunt work . Nobody else was there to help us . Our other two kids , Felicity and Maddie stayed at home – I can ’ t thank enough , those who watched over our kids during this time . I do remember people like Rosa , Melanie S and Kim K coming over to look at our progress , and giving us the thumbs up – that helped spurred us on and eventually we finished it all . And about six years ago we ended up purchasing that same building .
Failure and rejection are the same thing to me . I couldn ’ t go there these people helped push us by their presence and lucky enough
In 2008 I started another journey . I was lucky enough to purchase a sub-franchise for Radical Fitness , which delivered group fitness programs . This role saw me travel overseas to teach group fitness in South America , and in the years that followed I taught in Athens , Japan , New Zealand and Paris . The crowds were amazing . In South America , for example , it was not uncommon to see 500 to 1,000 people in a Combat or Tonic-style class . During this time I met and assisted many club owners to grow their gyms . I ’ ve since written many articles for magazines , travelled to many expos across the world , and taken team members along with me for the experience . I ’ ve spoken to hundreds of people over the years and I feel very privileged to share my passion .
Unfortunately , I no longer work with Radical Fitness , because I eventually grew to dislike their ethics and I ’ d rather give it all up than be a part of something I fundamentally feel conflicted with .
OFTEN , BEING LOUD COMES FROM REJECTION – IT ’ S KIND OF LIKE A DEFENSE MECHANISM .
FROM SURVIVING TO THRIVING : THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF MEL TEMPEST 9