Back Room Talk Coach Spotlight: Why Mitch Fischer Left Corporate Gyms for Private Coaching (And Never Looked Back)
This episode of Back Room Talk features Mitchell Fischer, a Texas-based fitness coach whose journey from martial artist to specialized women's health coach demonstrates how personal experiences with injury and recovery can become powerful tools for helping others. Mitchell's story illustrates the evolution from commercial gym frustrations to independent practice success, while highlighting the unique challenges and rewards of coaching older female clients through perimenopause and menopause.
The Athletic Foundation: Multi-Sport Athlete Turned Martial Artist
Mitchell's athletic background shaped his understanding of human performance from an early age: "I was a multi-sport athlete here in Texas. They want you to play football and that's it, but I played everything I could. I was also been in martial arts my entire life. So when I was four, got into martial arts pretty early."
This diverse athletic experience provided Mitchell with exposure to different movement patterns and training methodologies. However, his passion truly emerged through martial arts leadership opportunities: "When I was 12, my dad started what's actually the longest running martial arts class of the organization now, and he started me as a junior instructor and I took over that class eventually. So that was my first coaching."
The Natural Evolution from Martial Arts to Fitness Coaching
The transition from martial arts instruction to general fitness coaching felt organic for Mitchell: "I just wanted to continue that feeling that I get from helping others achieve awesome things. And to me, that's the highest anxiety is martial arts, especially with kids. Like they're fearful of getting hit in the face like anybody would be."
Mitchell discovered something profound in coaching young martial artists: "There's a purity to coaching kids where it's really easy to get them to talk about how they're feeling and what's motivating them. That kind of grounded me in why I help people and just kind of evolved into the general population I have now."
Understanding the Martial Arts Teaching Model
Mitchell's explanation of martial arts progression reveals a built-in mentorship system: "A black belt is a certified instructor at that point. Some people see that as mastery of the system, but it's really a trust in that system that you can instruct others. It's kind of an expectation that if you're on the road to getting black belt, you're going to start coaching others."
This foundation created Mitchell's natural inclination toward teaching and developing others - a skill that would prove invaluable in his fitness career.
The Injury Experience: Walking the Walk
Mitchell's recent fibula fracture during jujitsu training provided him with fresh insight into the recovery process: "A young guy had my back standing up, trying to drag me to the floor. I was trying to stop it by putting my foot back behind his legs and his knee went through my calf to the mat and my foot was still connected... there was a big shearing force on the fibula that just popped it in half."
This wasn't Mitchell's first major injury. His 2017 back surgery for L5S1 herniation, which caused dropped foot, required two years of rehabilitation. These experiences gave him credibility with clients facing their own physical challenges: "On the pain scale, this is like a three out of 10 comparatively to the back."
The Unexpected Specialization: Older Female Clients
Mitchell's client base developed organically during his time at Gold's Gym: "I was injured at the time that I was a prominent coach... so this idea with every salesperson behind the desk was I have this broken person in front of me. Let me send him to Mitch. He's gonna know what to do with them because he's broken."
His approachable demeanor contributed to this specialization: "I'm not really intimidating. I don't like to put on a bunch of muscle t-shirts and yell in the gym. I'm pretty tame as an aura, so I was more approachable in that sense whenever I was at a commercial gym."
Learning Women's Health Through Necessity
Mitchell's education in women's health came through practical experience rather than formal training: "I was intimidated by how to approach those problems. At the beginning, I didn't really ask those questions. I wasn't connected to the consequence of going through a cycle or going through perimenopausal or postmenopausal treatment."
The learning process was client-driven: "I started to question why my younger female athletes were once a week out of the month really underperforming. And my older females would start to just fall off of a cliff three months into training. It was really just self discovery of what am I doing wrong as a coach."
Navigating Hormone Replacement Therapy Conversations
Mitchell has observed significant hesitation around hormone replacement therapy among his clients: "There is a big inversion, especially over the age of 50 right now, to hormone replacement therapy because of the history of it being connected with breast cancer, ovarian cancer, things of that sort in their moms."
His approach focuses on education and options: "I educate them on all of their options... Some of them hear it and go, tell me about those drugs I could take. But the hormone group - it's very rare, honestly, to see them. More people want more females want to go through it naturally."
The Body Composition Challenge
Mitchell has encountered a new trend with GLP-1 medications: "I have clients that I had a mom pass away about a year and a half ago now. And she was not willing to talk about these things because she was kind of scared of what had happened to her mother was maybe a consequence of hormone replacement therapy."
His strategy involves setting realistic expectations: "I tell them all of the side effects they're about to go through once they've been going through perimenopause. Some of them hear it and go, tell me about those drugs I could take. But they're completely fine with that as long as they have that expectation upfront."
The Transformation from Cardio to Strength
Mitchell takes pride in converting his clients from typical gym expectations to strength training: "I get really excited that I can turn the corner of somebody that walks in expecting high intensity interval training and then making them a strength athlete within three months."
His personal experience with weight management helps him connect with clients: "I'm body dysmorphic myself. So I was 275 pounds, 300 pounds coming out of high school, not in the best shape through college and had to rediscover my fitness. I went through the same eating disorder of not wanting to eat, fearful to eat, to gain weight that a lot of my older females do."
The Commercial Gym Exodus
Mitchell's departure from Gold's Gym stemmed from philosophical differences about priorities: "The obstacle was sales revenue, sessions trained for a week. All of those metrics were in the way of just really caring for the client and not worrying on the back."
The breaking point came during a management meeting about a Gymshark partnership: "I lost it in a management meeting because they just cut my floor budget by like 500 bucks and I was arguing for 500 more dollars to send my coaches out onto the floor to get clientele and actually help people. But they've been cutting budgets everywhere to do this stupid Gymshark deal."
The OPEX Connection: "We Sell Fitness, Not T-Shirts"
Mitchell's introduction to OPEX came at the perfect time: "It was the first call that I had in the CCP. James went off this like one hour rant on our first call about the state of fitness. I was just coming out of a few meetings with Gold's where I was frustrated with the fitness industry as well."
The message resonated deeply: "I tell every other coach we're here to sell fitness, not t-shirts. It cut so deep to any other trainer that's worked at a big commercial gym... it never was like, how are your clients doing in a manager meeting? It was just, where's your revenue at?"
The Leap to Independence
Mitchell's decision to open his own gym required significant life changes: "We sold a house and bought a house, had a baby and started a business all in the same year. I was pretty numb through that process to get everything started, but that sprint was just go on instinct, do what I do best and train people and everything else will fall into place."
His philosophy about hesitation reflects his personality: "I famously don't hesitate. I just jump in with both feet. I've got this part of my personality that's like, I'll figure it out when I get there, but that sounds like a great idea."
Family-Integrated Business Model
Mitchell made an intentional decision to integrate family life with business: "If there's a client here that has a problem with my son visiting when he's two years old and playing around in the gym or when he was a newborn taking naps on the mats out here, they can work out somewhere else."
This approach has created community: "Every gym member knows my parents, knows my wife, knows my kids. It's a great community that way because it lets people expose their family and grows the circle bigger."
Developing the Next Generation of Coaches
Mitchell's experience at Gold's Gym prepared him for mentoring: "I was a leader at Gold's where I would certify new coaches. So I had this great community that spread out between two cities, San Antonio and Austin."
His current hiring approach reflects this experience: "I just went on a hiring spree. I was doing internship with San Antonio and UTSA here in the city, getting some interns. I hired one as a part-time and now I have two more coaches onboarding."
The Scholarship Opportunity
Mitchell takes advantage of his OPEX license benefits: "Three years into the license, I get to give away CCP. I was really cautious and wanted to do a scholarship finding thing and reward a coach, but she was my hardest worker. We're rewarding her and growing her into a programming coach."
His mentee Ari represents the ideal coaching candidate: "She just graduated with her bachelor's last year and starting her master's now. I'm really lucky that I found her at that time that I needed her and she's kind of growing with the business."
Bridging the Education Gap
Mitchell helps new coaches understand the difference between academic knowledge and practical application: "Here's application. School is finding out how to find truth in the sphere. There's so many things that I had in my exercise physiology class that are just debunked four years, five years down the road."
His approach emphasizes critical thinking: "You didn't really learn everything you needed to know. You did know how to find the answer though. And you're a professional at finding the answer."
The Nutrition Knowledge Gap
Mitchell identifies nutrition as the biggest weakness in new coach education: "That's the biggest knowledge gap coming out of college is the nutrition side. They're most interested in nutrition, but have nowhere to point them other than precision nutrition, things of that sort. They're a little pricey and out of their range."
Technology Integration Philosophy
Mitchell prefers in-person coaching but adapts technology to support client needs: "I prefer to see you, prefer to work with you in person. The main thing that we use technology for is when they're on vacation. As soon as you get there, the first task is just give me a short video of your equipment available to you and then I just adjust your workout on the fly."
His preference for face-to-face interaction stems from coaching philosophy: "I love in person for that reason because there's a daily check for every time that I see them... it feels kind of canned, especially if I'm seeing them to then ask them on an app. I'd rather just ask them in person."
Martial Arts and Fitness Integration
Mitchell keeps his martial arts training separate from his general population coaching: "I separate the two... guys that I train with don't fit well with my population here in the gym because I train primarily older females. Those two don't really mesh well together because of the messaging."
The different populations require different approaches: "It's more about longevity and strength training and getting bones denser versus the language in jujitsu where they're all just looking for, I need to cut weight for this competition coming up."
Professional Development Resources
Mitchell continues learning through various channels: "I really like Peter Attia's new book, Outlive. I just keep refreshing. Andrew Huberman, he has really great sit downs. Dr. Stacey Sims - best podcast for my older females. I send it to every one of them."
He particularly values evidence-based sources: "Dr. Rhonda Patrick on the supplement side. She does her own clinical research. She's got her own clinic and always updates on her Patreon. Those two resources are really objective, scientific, helpful resources for coaches."
The Professional Coach Definition
Mitchell's definition of professional coaching centers on potential: "I see the potential that you do not see in yourself. I'm trying my best to communicate that to you in a way that doesn't piss you off or make you leave or make you not have results."
He emphasizes the confidence required for effective coaching: "I think I see so many young coaches, beginning coaches that are nervous about the feedback they're going to get from their clients to push them... when I start to see coaches say, I think it's this way, I approach them right away and like, you don't think you know, and start to own that knowing."
Words of Encouragement for Struggling Coaches
Mitchell addresses the high attrition rate in the fitness industry: "Everybody has a moment where they feel they're not going to be a coach anymore. Screw that noise and just keep pushing forward. You're going to learn a way to handle it."
His passion for coach retention comes from witnessing talent leave the industry: "I have this frustration that follows me around of coaches that I've worked with that are fantastic that quit. I could name three off the top of my head that I'm still frustrated that they became car salesmen or construction workers because they were such great influences to their clients."
The Path Forward Message
Mitchell's encouragement emphasizes perseverance: "If you truly have a passion for this, if you really do love helping people, you will find your path forward and make this a career. You just have to find that way."
He offers direct support: "Reach out and I'm always available. I love to help aspiring coaches. I do it for free. I want more clients to be impacted by great coaches because I can't coach everybody. So we need some better coaches out there."
The Commercial Gym Learning Experience
Despite his criticism of commercial gym priorities, Mitchell recommends the experience for new coaches: "If anybody approaches me for a job as their beginning coach, they just got their certification, they haven't had clientele yet, I'm not hiring you here. You don't have the experience. Go to a Gold's Gym, go to an LA fitness and just get thousands of reps."
His perspective balances criticism with recognition of value: "It is a big positive force in fitness to have those huge gyms. And it's a positive force for new coaches, but I do think you outgrow your stay. And once you've gotten your reps and experience, it's time to move on."
The Business Growth Evolution
Mitchell's gym has grown significantly: "She's seen us from 10 clients to now at about 40." This growth has enabled him to focus on coaching development and business systems rather than just survival.
His hiring philosophy reflects his growth: "That's the main focus is developing a system where I can help them grow their business and get us some more revenue in here and really use their passion and give myself a break a couple of times."
Recovery and Resilience Philosophy
Mitchell's approach to his current injury demonstrates his coaching philosophy: "I trust the professionals. I have my PT that I'm going to be going to see that I refer a lot of clients to. And then I have my coach, Michael Band. I just kind of leave it up to that programming."
This approach mirrors what he teaches clients: "If I choose, I usually choose wrong. It's probably getting close to a year now with Michael and I."
The Community Impact Vision
Mitchell's ultimate goal extends beyond individual client success: "We need more clients to be impacted by great coaches because I can't do it. I can't coach everybody. So we need some better coaches out there."
His vision includes systemic change: "Our community needs it. Martial arts needs it because it's very archaic and very just off the seat of their pants. So we need a lot more OPEX influence in the martial arts for sure."
Legacy and Future Aspirations
Mitchell plans to expand his impact: "I do want more space and to teach coach kids again because my daughter is going to begin into athletics. She's nine, so she's at that middle school breaking point and want her to have the ability to train with me."
His long-term vision combines personal and professional goals: "I'd like to get back into it. I don't know with the new generation if I'm going to have the right vocabulary, but we'll figure it out."
The Entrepreneurial Spirit
Mitchell's story demonstrates that successful fitness entrepreneurs often share certain characteristics: willingness to take risks, ability to adapt to client needs, commitment to ongoing education, and genuine care for client outcomes. His journey from martial arts instructor to specialized women's health coach illustrates how personal experiences can become professional strengths when combined with proper education and business acumen.
Connect with Mitchell
Those interested in learning from Mitchell's approach can find him:
Instagram: @coachfisch
Location: Texas
Specialization: Older female clients, perimenopause/menopause coaching
Philosophy: "We sell fitness, not t-shirts"
Mitchell's story reminds us that the best coaches often emerge from their own struggles with injury, weight management, and life challenges. His integration of personal experience with professional education creates authentic connections that transform both coach and client.
Next Steps
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