Back Room Talk Coach Spotlight: Chad Johnson
Connect with Chad on Instagram
This episode of Back Room Talk follows Chad Johnson's journey from a 22-year-old personal trainer working out of his garage in Australia to building a thriving 500-square-meter hybrid gym that serves 150+ group clients and 35 individual design clients. Chad's story reveals why relationship-building matters more than programming, how implementing individual design nearly broke his business before saving it, and why staying aligned with your own values is the only way to survive the noise of social media fitness culture.
The Garage Beginning: $50,000 and a Gut Feeling
Chad's entry into gym ownership came with zero business sense and complete conviction: "I literally had this self belief and this gut feeling that what I had or the ability to share with others and that drive to share it and have impact on my community, I was gonna be able to make it no matter what."
The CrossFit Bug
After studying personal training at TAFE straight out of school and working offshore for three years, Chad caught what James Fitzgerald calls "the Drunk Cool-Aid" of CrossFit: "Once I discovered that I wanted to sort of share that with the world."
He started coaching nine or ten clients in his garage before approaching his father: "I remember that very well. I said, look, I need some money. This is my idea. I want to set up a gym. So he lent me 50 grand."
The Financial Reality
"There was some really scary times financially, because like I said, I had no business sense whatsoever. I knew that I had the drive, the belief and the passion to make it work."
His approach? Pure instinct: "I didn't have any sort of business sense back then. I literally had this self belief and this gut feeling... I was always gonna be able to make it happen."
The Growth Pattern: Three Moves in 15 Years
Chad's gym evolution followed a clear trajectory:
Phase One: The 160 Square Meter Start
Moved from garage to first warehouse in Redcliffe
Started with 10 clients
Held an open day
Two clients from that first day are still training with him 15+ years later
Phase Two: 360 Square Meters
Lasted five to six years
Outgrew the space through consistent growth
Phase Three: 500 Square Meters
Current location for six years
Where the hybrid model became possible
Space for both group classes and individual design
The layout works seamlessly: "We've got a rig on one side of the building, which is for the group guys. And we have a rig sort of three quarters across from that. And then the other quarter is for the ID crew with a sled track in the middle."
The Burnout Before the Breakthrough
By 2019, ten years into his coaching journey, Chad hit a wall: "I was probably stale and burnt out to be honest. And I was looking for something more and I was looking to have greater impact."
The Purpose Gap
"If I don't have purpose, I feel like that adds to burnout, because you're sort of spinning the wheels, and you're like, where am I going right now? Am I really having the effect that I want to? And am I using the best of what I have to help other people. And the answer was kind of no to that."
This dissatisfaction led him to CCP in 2019-2020.
The OPEX Transformation: James Fitzgerald's Dry Genius
Chad's response to discovering OPEX and working with James is visceral: "I even get sort of butterflies in my tummy now talking about it. It was such a powerful new view of fitness and coaching and everything."
What Changed Everything
"The principles on training, the relationship sides, the habits, the behaviors, everything. I just didn't know as much as what I thought I did know."
His take on James: "That man, what a legend. I mean, he's so dry, he's so raw, but I feel like he was also ahead of his time."
The Longevity Lesson
"This whole big wave of longevity, it's so popular now and everyone's set on it. But I'm like, man, James was instilling this in us years ago... he was a little bit before the trend happened."
The framework that stuck: "Exercise should be something that enhances your life."
The Jamesisms That Changed Chad's Coaching
Two principles from OPEX fundamentally shifted Chad's approach:
1. Playing the Long Game
"When people use intensity or being dead on the floor after a workout as their sign that they've had a good workout, I ask the question: is what you're doing enhancing your life now and for years to come?"
This phrase—"playing the long game"—still guides his decision-making.
2. The Power of Relationship Building
"When we have these interactions with our clients, you've got the programming side, which is a small piece of the puzzle, but investing time in developing this relationship and actually knowing the individual and how they operate is just so powerful."
The COVID Pivot: Implementing ID the Wrong Way
Post-COVID, Chad made the decision to add individual design to his group model. The decision was right. The execution nearly cost him members.
The Communication Failure
"I was terrible at communicating that message with my community. There was a bit of backlash there and we had a few people leave."
His regret is specific: "Had I had my time again, with these longer serving members, I would have opened up a discussion, a more intimate discussion and shared with them the view and why we're doing this. I think potentially I blindsided them a little bit."
The Lesson
"If I have my time again, I'll definitely open up those communication pathways with those that had been with me for a long time."
Despite the rocky start, the hybrid model proved essential: "I knew it was gonna do long term... I knew what it was the right decision."
The Coach Longevity Solution
The hybrid model solved a problem Chad had watched unfold for years: coach burnout.
The Group Coaching Problem
"With group coaching, there is such a high churn rate, whether it be not being able to earn enough money, having to work crazy hours to do so, and just burning out."
His head coach Connor exemplifies the solution: "Connor's been with us for over six years now and I don't think he would still be with us if he didn't have the ability to have his ID clients as well."
The structure now: Chad and Connor manage 35 ID clients together while supporting the group program.
The ID Evolution: From Dictator to Guide
Chad's approach to individual design clients has transformed through experience.
The Initial Mistake
"When I started with this ID journey, I thought that I had to be the scientist behind absolutely everything and I had to have all the answers. I had to lead the way with absolutely everything."
The Realization
"The deeper I got into it and had these really powerful consults with people, allowing them to steer their ship—you're there to help guide them still, but it's their journey. You're not a dictator. Let them guide their journey and you're just there to support that."
The Consult Commitment
Chad maintains a rigorous consultation schedule: "Still a massive focus on that initial consult. So that's always done first and foremost, and then four weekly consults. Sometimes it might drift up to six depending on the individual and their schedules."
Why the commitment matters: "When you have that chance to go a little deeper, that uncovers a lot."
The Education Edge
The ID model creates space for deeper learning than group classes allow.
For Group Clients
"Blog writing and Instagram posts and whatnot, sharing as much as we can knowledge wise, does a really good job of keeping our community growing and educated."
For ID Clients
"We're able to take it to another level with our ID clients because we can get a bit more specific to that individual and what they wanna learn about as well."
The result: "They're really connected to their why because they know what their why is essentially."
The Shift in Client Goals
Chad has noticed a meaningful change in what brings people to individual design.
The Longevity Motivation
"That longevity side of things is becoming more and more powerful. People understanding that fitness is not just a hobby now."
Clients are asking different questions: "What can I do to enhance my life and be consistent in the gym and remove those barriers that get in the way of consistency?"
The new priority: "Creating a regime or routine that is sustainable is far more higher valued now... people are like, okay, how can I do this for the rest of my life, essentially?"
The Fatherhood Shift: Three Boys and a Wake-Up Call
Becoming a father to three boys—a 10-year-old and six-year-old twins—fundamentally changed Chad's business approach.
The Old Pattern
"Before I became a dad, I was still in that space where I was spending all day in the gym. Wake up, go to the gym, coach, train, coach. I didn't spend a lot of time growing the business though."
The problem: "There was no thought to what life looked like five, 10 years down the track."
The New Reality
"Once that sort of dawned on me—your kids are going to get older. There's responsibilities financially and time wise. I wanted to be there for them as they grow up."
What that looks like now: "I don't miss any footy training. I'm there to pick them up from school. I can take them to school. I've been able to become the dad that I wanted to be."
The Introvert Strategy: Protecting Your Energy
Chad identifies as a "closet introvert"—extroverted in the gym environment but depleted by constant connection.
The Space Problem
"The gym environment is very extroverted in there and you're holding a lot of space for people, but that can be very taxing in itself."
The Solution
"I'm sort of aware of my capacity as a person and the space that I can hold for others, where I can segment my week. Probably in the gym three to four days a week, but never for the entire day. A couple of days will be at home doing my stuff in the office."
The Guilt
"I think this is a struggle for any gym owner. You think that you need to be there all the time and you think, what do other people think of me if I'm not in the gym?"
The Reality
"If I'm in there all the time, I'm not able to show up for you how you need me to show up. So I need to create space for myself and for my family and for my boys... when I'm in the gym, I can be on, I'm switched on, I can give you guys everything."
He protects this aggressively: "I know what it's like when I don't get it right, which isn't nice."
The High Rocks Phenomenon: Trend or Transformation?
Chad has jumped into the High Rocks trend, competing in Melbourne and adding programming for it at his gym.
What They Do Well
"They've tapped into the psychology for people of feeling like an athlete. The way that they put you in the tunnel thing, the music, the motivational chitter chatter, the lights."
The accessibility factor: "Remove those barriers of entry of what most people would experience doing something like a CrossFit comp because of the complexity, allowing everyone to feel success."
The Sustainability Question
On whether it will last: "I sort of float between the two... People will use that as, they might schedule a 12 week block of training around that once a year. And then they'll get on with their normal training after that."
The spectator problem: "It's not that much of a spectacle to watch. When I was in Melbourne, we were going in and out of the arena because we were like, you know what, this is pretty boring."
The Injury Wave
"What I definitely have noticed over that time is the amount of soft tissue injuries that have been coming from people starting with too much volume and getting a little bit excited."
The Social Media Influence Problem
Chad observes how dramatically information overload affects coaching.
The Old Days
"Once upon a time you'd go to the gym and you would have faith in who's instructing you or who's leading the way there."
The New Reality
"There's so many distractions and things in your face now that people are looking to explore, or they're like, why aren't we doing this? Or should I be doing this?"
The Opportunity
"I feel like people are quite hungry and thirsty for information and the why, which from my point of view is a really exciting time to really dig a little bit deeper into the why of what we're doing."
The key: "Going above and beyond, even with our group clients, sharing that information creates really good buy-in."
The Coach Pipeline: Eight Gyms and Counting
Over 15 years, Chad has had eight or nine coaches leave to start their own gyms.
The Immediate Reaction
"At the time you get a bit like, shit, that sucks."
The Bigger Picture
"That's something that I'm proud of because obviously there's something that we've done that's been so powerful for them that they've made the decision to go out on their own as well and share what they have and impact people's lives just like we are."
The reality: "We're having a greater reach."
The Business Mentor Confession
Despite running a successful business for 15 years, Chad maintains surprising honesty about his weaknesses.
The Numbers Blind Spot
"It's a bit of a running joke with my wife that I have no idea of the financial figures of the business. If I feel good in there, I go with that."
He immediately adds: "But you do need to know your numbers. So don't undersell that."
How He Learned
"Time spent in the trenches, you learn things as you go. I've probably discovered about myself that I know a lot more about certain things in business than I've probably given myself credit for."
The help: "I've had a business mentor, I've got a business mentor now. These interactions with people along the way that are willing to help out, that's grown me on that side."
The Ultimate Advice: Know Your Values, Stay Your Course
When asked for closing wisdom for coaches, Chad delivers something no other Back Room Talk guest has said quite this way:
The Trap
"In this world where there's so much influence by what we see out there—quick fixes, this fast moving pace of Instagram or social media—it's very easy to get caught up in this web of information that you might get lost in, you might let dictate your views or your values."
The Solution
"Understand your own values of why you're doing this and stay the course. That's gonna keep you aligned and that's gonna allow you to have the impact that you wanna have within the industry."
The Warning
"You will get chewed up and spat out trying to chase what everyone else is doing because that's them. Let them worry about them. You just do what you believe in because that's the most powerful way forward."
The Work Required
"You've got to go deep. But when you are aligned with what you're doing and your actions connect with that alignment, you're not going to veer off path and you can just stay the course in this crazy world and you'll do well."
The Reading List
Books that have shaped Chad's journey:
The Courage to Be Disliked: "For someone who is inherently a people pleaser and you're in this industry where it's like give, give, give... some skills and tools that I've learned from reading that book by reflecting on my own life and some things that I do. That one's been a big one for me."
Podcasts:
Everything OPEX, especially early James Fitzgerald episodes: "Any podcast that he was on, I was obsessed with. I just loved the way he talked."
Without Limits by Ollie Marchon
The Next Chapter: Working With Men
Chad is developing new programming specifically for men his age—38-year-olds juggling business, family, and fitness.
The Vision
"Being where I'm at now in life... life can be a real scramble. Sometimes you just feel like you're running out of time and certain things will go missing."
His confidence: "I believe with the skills that I have and the resources I have, I can have a really big impact on people much like myself who are in need of this."
The motivation: "There's some dudes out there that need some help and I can help them."
The Journey Continues
Chad Johnson's story offers a counternarrative to the hustle culture that dominates fitness social media. His career demonstrates that:
Gut feelings backed by commitment can build lasting businesses
Relationship-building matters more than perfect programming
Burnout is a sign you need more impact, not less work
Implementing new models requires honest communication
Protecting your energy isn't selfish—it's necessary
Staying aligned with your values beats chasing trends
Being there for your family can coexist with building something meaningful
Most importantly, Chad proves that coaching careers don't have to follow a predetermined path. Whether you start in a garage or an established gym, chase CrossFit or find OPEX first, the coaches who last are the ones who stay curious, embrace evolution, and never stop asking: "Is what I'm doing enhancing life—mine and my clients'?"
Connect with Chad Johnson
Find Chad's work at his gym in Redcliffe, Australia, where he continues to blend group training and individual design while coaching his sons' footy team and staying aligned with what matters most.
Next Steps
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