Why I Became A Personal Trainer and Wellness Coach.

Michael Hamilton
Dec 13, 2022
4 min read

Updated: Mar 8

Why I became “Motivate Me Mike”—a personal trainer and wellness coach—comes down to one simple truth. As corny as it may sound, this is EXACTLY correct:

Wellness changed everything for me.

Not in a small way either. In some of the hardest moments of my life, wellness practices were the golden tools that helped me rebuild myself physically and mentally. Because of that, I feel a deep responsibility to help other people use those same tools to improve their own lives.

That responsibility is what eventually led me to become a personal trainer and open my private studio.

I've Been Through It.

I don’t usually like talking about this part of my life because I don’t want to compete in the “pain olympics.” Everyone has their struggles.

But these experiences are part of the reason I care deeply about helping people improve their lives.

Growing up I dealt with physical and mental abuse from my father and stepfather, poverty, ADHD, and moving five different times before I was nine years old.

Later in life I went through Army Basic Training, served combat time in Afghanistan, dealt with depression and PTSD, and spent 10 years struggling with severe chronic back pain after breaking my back.

Those experiences taught me a lot about pain—both physical and mental.

And they also showed me something important: wellness practices can pull you out of some very dark places.

This might sound a little philosophical, but it’s very true for me:

The more “hell” you experience in life, the more you appreciate the ablility to bring about more “heaven”.

Wellness has been that dependable golden tool for me countless times.

My Upbringing Played a Role Too

Despite the hardships, I was also raised in an environment that encouraged empathy, optimism, and helping others.

My family has a strong culture of supporting one another. It’s how we got through it all.

I was also raised in a church environment that constantly talked about hope, prosperity, and personal growth. While my beliefs have changed over time, many of those positive messages stuck with me.

My mom especially set a strong example of compassion, strength, and using your words to lift people up.

Looking back, you could say I was raised to be a good personal trainer.

The Moment That Changed Everything

The biggest turning point in my life happened when I was 17 years old during Army Basic Training.

It was one of the most stressful experiences of my life.

My ADHD caused a lot of problems for me there. I was constantly making mistakes, getting yelled at by drill sergeants, and struggling to keep it together mentally.

Before that point in my life, I had relied heavily on ADHD medication like Adderall to function in school. But in Basic Training, those medications weren’t allowed.

I was suddenly thrown into a much harder version of school—with extreme stress, strict discipline, and no family support system.

It was brutal.

My drill instructors even encouraged other soldiers to put pressure on me to get “squared away.” That was tough to deal with.

It made me realize something had to change. I couldn’t keep living like that.

So I made one of the best decisions of my life:

I started researching how to manage ADHD without medication.

That research rabbit hole led me somewhere surprising.

Almost every strategy that helped ADHD symptoms was rooted in basic wellness practices.

Sleep. Exercise. Nutrition. Stress management. Mental discipline.

So I went all in.

I implemented everything I learned at once.

And the results were incredible.

I felt clearer. Calmer. More focused. More motivated. My life started improving rapidly.

Over time I rebuilt my habits, my mindsets, and my physical health.

I became the best version of myself.

Seeing what wellness could do was a BIG lightbulb moment for me.

That lightbulb moment was both a game-changer and the seed for Motivate Me Mike.

The Results

From there, things started falling into place.

I went on to have a successful 7 year military career and retired as a decorated veteran sergeant.

I served a year in Afghanistan where I saw combat multiple times.

I also became the second fittest soldier in my unit of 220 soldiers.

When I came back from Afghanistan I had lots of time to think.

I knew I wanted to make a real impact with my life. Always have.

Own a business. Build my own perfect "Willy Wonka-like" dream place that could help people.

I just wasn't exactly sure what it should be. Until I read a blog called "Most Underrated Professions"

In that blog I learned that a Personal Trainer has the ability to make more positive change in a persons's than most health care professions ever could... Eureka!!

After that, I attended college to become a Personal Trainer. Once again, my wellness practices helped me here too. Allowing me to earn a top-level personal training certification in 2013.

And by 2014... I opened my private training studio:

Motivate Me Mike.

Again, why?:

Wellness.

Wellness practices helped me rebuild my life in a powerful way. And so now I find it hard to stand idly-by knowing for a FACT that most people are under-utilizing wellness. Which means 2 things:

Most people suffer needlessly.
Most people live far under their potential.

All because they find it difficult to build basic healthy habits.

It's such a tragedy. It's a slow-motion train-wreck and I can't look away.

Especially since I know I can help. Especially because I know it's doable.

Even with ADHD. Even with trama. Even if you break your back.

And so helping people with fitness and wellness has become my mission.

I could have been JUST a wellness coach, but I know fitness is usually the "gateway" to wellness becase it's fun, cool, and sexy. So I became a Personal Trainer... Who ALSO coaches wellness.