Inspiring Conversations with Emmitt Terrell of Level6 Training

Today we’d like to introduce you to Emmitt Terrell.

Hi Emmitt, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
My journey with fitness and health began at a very young age. I always had the sense of what I would want to do professionally. During my developmental years, I had one awkward year where I got chubby. I was teased and even bullied at school and by my football teammates. My feelings were hurt, and I lacked confidence. It was during that year that I learned that what we eat can have a profound impact on the body and health. I didn’t realize that the food choices I had been making had led me to where I was. It was a sort of epiphany. From that moment forward, I began to view food as a vehicle for change! I began experimenting with what made me feel best and cut out a lot of junk. My body began to change, and I felt better. I knew I was onto something. Borne, out of that, grew a passion for nutrition. Understanding fully what I had been able to do for myself, I sought to share my newfound knowledge with others. I didn’t want anyone else to have to suffer as I had. Not if I could help it.

I sincerely love seeing others change, gain confidence, and develop skills to help them be their best version. By the time I was in 8th grade, I was writing nutrition plans for friends and even one of my teachers at school. At about that same time, I began envisioning my future and creating a place to make that a reality.

Even though I grew up playing multiple sports, it is probably no surprise that I didn’t naturally gravitate toward them on my own. I was shy and liked to keep to myself and stay inside. I was more comfortable playing video games than making tackles on the gridiron. My parents encouraged and coaxed me to pursue physical activities when I was younger. They sent me outside to play. I grew to love it. Many summer nights, I didn’t come home until dinner. I loved to explore. As I grew stronger and matured, I found that I had a natural talent for football. I was a pretty decent athlete. My passion for nutrition then morphed into a new mission. Now I understood how I could eat to support my training and be the best I could naturally (without cheating) at football. I kept that passion with me throughout my entire playing career. I knew I was doing what I loved, so I worked hard to figure out how to merge my love for sports, physical activity, and nutrition and make it a viable career. That’s what led me to become a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist.

Fast forward several years. Level6 Training began as an idea. It was mid-2020, and I was stuck in a role hammered by the pandemic like so many others. The pandemic-related restrictions were particularly stringent in the fitness industry, and the governor had closed facilities to the public for 8 consecutive months. No indoor workouts. No equipment. Gyms suffered mightily. Many closed their doors for good.

My income had been reduced to 1/10th of what it was before the pandemic. What I was being offered for pay wouldn’t make the mortgage payment on our home. I had to make a change. So with very little savings, no outside investors, and no business loan, I decided to launch my own company, Level6 Training, during the tail-end of 2020. The world was still amid alarming and novel uncertainty, and we were still facing many government-imposed restrictions that would make growing a business insanely difficult. Despite being in the face of overwhelming odds, I knew deep down that it was finally time to make my dreams a reality rather than working hard on someone else’s dream. All it took was one look at my amazing wife, Kaitlyn, who was then 8 months pregnant with our precious daughter Callie Mae and I knew it was time. 3 weeks after our daughter Callie was born, I launched Level6 Training and hosted our first group fitness class on December 14th of, 2020.

Please talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned. Has it been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has yet to be a smooth road to get Level6 Training to where it is today. Ask any real entrepreneur worth their salt! They’re not telling the truth if they say that their journey came easily. To enter the arena of entrepreneurship is to buckle yourself into a top-thrill rollercoaster filled with high mountains and deep valleys and twists and turns! You have to have thick skin and an unstoppable drive. But that’s where the excitement lies!

In the early days, I was sub-letting space from an existing business. I would run group classes when the primary owner wasn’t running her classes. 5:00A I would open the studio, flick the lights on, and host workout times where nobody showed up. We were making it by. Sitting there, lacking sleep, feeling groggy, and realizing nobody was at my studio was hard. You cannot help but feel discouraged and even like a failure. It’s like throwing a party that nobody comes to. When that happened, I would throw myself into reaching out to people for sales activities when the workout was supposed to be happening. Despite those painful experiences, my intense belief in what Level6 Training could become carried me through the doubt, the fear, and the uncertainty. If I had enough time, I could make something that would serve people greatly. It was my dream to have a studio where people would genuinely enjoy connecting and creating real relationships and creating a space that would ultimately become a staple of their daily routine.

Now I’m pleased to say that nearly 200 people call us home to their daily workout, and seeing people take charge of their health, wellness, and lives is amazing to behold. I believe in the greater mission that I am called to serve, which is getting people to take charge of their life and health and ultimately help them: “Build a Better You.”

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next, you can tell us more about your business.
Level6 Training is an elite private training studio that features: group fitness classes, small group training, and 1-1 training options. We specialize in youth athlete performance training. We offer group fitness classes (5-20 people), small group training (2-5 people), 1-1 training services, on-site nutritional services, and progress tracking metrics. At Level6 Training, we champion our clients to become the best version of themselves. We are so proud of how each of our clients matters to us. Seeing them succeed is what we’re all about. We’re a small community of fitness-minded people just helping each other improve and get better each day.

What changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
While I don’t have a crystal ball, I see a lot of trends that excite me over the next 5-10 years for the fitness industry. I don’t see fitness becoming any less relevant. It will become ever more important as we still have massive work to combat the rising obesity epidemic and related health epidemics. As of this writing, 69% of American adults are classified as overweight or obese (2/3)! That is a staggering number and should give everyone pause if we’re true to optimize our humanity. If we’re truly to move the needle forward for our country and its wonderful people, we will need to help each other improve. With the advent of new and exciting technology and so many personal health-related innovations, we’ve seen an increase in awareness of where we’re at—activity trackers, apps, smart watches, at home-gym equipment innovation. We’re seeing a massive rise in accessibility to health. Therein lies the rub. Accessibility is only the first step in the battle. Now we have to get everyone to understand how critically important it is to take care of themselves as best they can. As a nation, we’re still deep in that battle. Over the next 5-10 years, I predict a massive shift toward action. People are waking up. They realize how much better they could be feeling, and I think they’re getting themselves ready to make real and lasting changes.

Pricing:

• Group Fitness Classes (unlimited) – $129/mo.
• Small Group Training – $150-$250/mo.
• 1-1 Training – $59.99/hr
• We always have FREE Trial Membership Offers!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.level6training.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/level6training/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/level6training/
• Other: linktr.ee/level6training