Meet Jesse Garcia, NASM-CPT, CHEK, Holistic Lifestyle Coach, Precision Nutrition, Coach. He’s an international personal trainer and a previous Mr. Universe competitor. He inspires his clients to reach their own health and fitness goals and take their training to the highest level. Learn his how-to.

By Sarah Koszyk, MA, RDN

EXERCISEJOBS: What attracted you to the field of fitness and exercise?

Jesse Garcia: I began my professional dancer career in 1981 and became interested in teaching aerobics, when aerobics were all the rage, and was certified as a group exercise instructor in 1987. It was fun teaching people of all ages and backgrounds how to move, have fun, and get in shape in the process. Plus, it tied in nicely with my dance background.

Then, in 2000, I had a freak accident damaging my ankle for which I had to have physical therapy sessions to help get me back to basic movement. It ended my dance career as I had to have a sub-talor fusion, restricting my range of motion forever. Frustrated that the physical failed to get me to the level of physical activity that I could live with, I took matters into my own hands and found that I could better the results with personal training. This encouraged me to get professionally certified so that I would be able to share my passion and help others accelerate in their healing, plus progress to a more active and athletic level of movement post physical therapy. I live watching the progressive bench marks that my clients have even after two weeks of training with me.

Your Job Title: Certified Personal Trainer, CHEK Holistic Lifestyle coach, Precision Nutrition Certified Nutrition Coach, TRX Level 3 Coach

Company you are with now: Independent Personal Trainer at Diakadi Performance Life

Website: JesseGarciaSF.com

A typical (or not so typical) day in the work-life for you: Get up @ 5:30 for meditation and a light breakfast before working a morning shift. Then, I come home to walk my dog, Gracie, and have a late breakfast. Afterwards, I go back to work for my late morning to afternoon shift. Then home for lunch around 2:00. I go back to work for an evening shift from 4:00 – 8:00. Going home at 8:15. It’s a big help when my partner has dinner waiting for me and I get some quality quiet time with him and Gracie.

How did you get your current job in fitness and exercise? I was training with Billy Polson, one of the owners of Diakadi, for the Mr Universe competition in Germany. After upgrading my persoanl training credentials, Billy asked if I would join the Diakadi family. I left for five years to live with my partner in The Netherlands where he was hired as a professional dancer with The Netherlands Dance Theater. I was subsequently also hired to work in their Physical Therapy department as a professional masseur. I took nearly half of the dancers through personal training sessions. I applied a type of Anthropic principle to movement, escalating the dancers’ abilities to a new height previously untapped. The results were mind-blowing!

What skills were you born with and what skills have you learned along the way? I had always wanted to become a teacher when I was a kid. I had a knack for being a leader. My teachers really left an impression on me while growing up and I always wanted to take their lead. I didn’t realize until after I started coaching clients, one on one, that I actually fulfilled my dream of being a teacher by way of personal training.

What advice do you have for others wanting to be just as successful and fulfilled as you? Just follow your heart and do the work. Too many times, people starting in this field want to build “a brand” and make money. It’s all about themselves and not about them helping another person achieve the desire for a healthier body and lifestyle. A very good friend of mine told me, “If you do the work, the money will follow.” She was right!

If you could be paid for your job with something other than a paycheck, what would it be? Hhhmmmm, with bartering being the original form of compensation, I would say that having access to an organic garden for preparing healthy meals for my family and a yearly, three-week vacation on a family farm on any coastal region of Europe.