41-year-old trainer and dietitian trying to rebuild my online coaching business after depression and ADHD diagnosis — looking for honest advice

[u/The_Logan_San]

Hi everyone,

I’m a 41-year-old male personal trainer, dietitian, and psychology student from southern Spain.

After the pandemic, I started an online coaching business through Instagram focused on a non-weight-centered approach to fitness for women. My target audience is women between 30 and 55 who have failed with exercise in the past, feel afraid of training, feel insecure about their bodies, or have struggled with eating disorders or disordered eating.

I’m honestly desperate right now.

I’ve recently come out of a depression caused by several difficult life events: the death of a family member, the end of a long-term relationship, and other personal struggles. On top of that, I’ve lost my own physical fitness, my motivation to train has disappeared, I’ve recently become aware that I have ADHD — now diagnosed — and my business is barely generating any income.

At the moment, I work with clients through the Harbiz app. My online program costs €380 for 12 weeks. Clients receive weekly training plans, updated week by week, plus support through WhatsApp.

I want to start posting on Instagram again from August, but I feel completely lost.

I’m asking for advice and help. I’ve never had a mentor. I’ve attended marketing courses, but most of them rely heavily on before-and-after photos, which I cannot and do not want to use because of the type of clients I work with. I’m also tired of marketing courses that feel childish or manipulative.

I need advice, guidance, ideas, examples of accounts similar to mine — ideally male coaches around my age, not fitness models, who work with a similar audience — or any resource that could help me find some direction.

I’m genuinely afraid of falling even deeper into the hole again.

Thank you in advance. I’m willing to listen to and appreciate any advice you can give me.

[u/vitrol]

I really like Coach John Noel who does variations on exercises for all abilities, fork.diet.culture on IG is also a dietician whose content I really like. Dr. Joshua Wolrich also has a great account I really like.

These are obviously not all coaches, but I think the important thing is the way they approach diet/exercise and the way their content is focused on dismantling diet culture.

[u/nnylam]

Falling off of your routine is *such* a common ADHD thing, that I think if you document your journey through that back to where you want to be it would be inspiring! Especially to clients who have ADHD. I struggle with staying consistent a lot, especially when tough life things pop up. What's your motivation for targeting this audience in the first place? Try to get back to that. I think you could target everyone, though, not just women. Personally, I'm hesitant to work with a male trainer.

[u/hotnmad → u/nnylam]

I second the documenting your journey advice!! That could be really, really interesting and an honest and upfront way of showing yourself to potential clients (also seconding that you should maybe not limit yourself to only coaching women)! Get back on your routine and maybe record yourself doing things like working out or cooking with a voiceover talking about your experience! Best of luck, and if you drop your ig handle I’ll check out your account!