1. Before you started working together, where were you at?
I was at a point in my life where I was struggling with my weight, and finding a sense of achievement. This regularly put me in a low mood that I struggled with, and it wouldn’t take much to send me into a depressive state which, once I was in, was very difficult to come back out of.
2. What originally made you reach out to Charlie?
I was already attending the boxing classes that Charlie runs, and Charlie actually noticed that I was struggling. He would talk to me, trying to help, and we decided that dedicated sessions working together would be beneficial.
3. What did the process actually involve for you?
Charlie recognised that simply losing weight and getting fit wouldn’t solve the problems I was experiencing. It would take changes in lifestyle and mindset, which would have more long-term benefits. So we started with weekly sessions in the office, where we’d work on shifting my overall mindset. Once we got this foundation set, only then did we transition into personal training and programming in the gym.
4. How did you find the process itself?
The process was hard, the office sessions being harder than the gym, but being much more beneficial in terms of overall life benefits. The hard work paid off though, and having Charlie’s support throughout was a key factor in my success. Working with Charlie also added a level of accountability that I think really helped, as he was asking about progress, etc.
5. What stood out most about Charlie's approach?
That Charlie said we weren’t going to jump immediately into the gym stood out, as it showed he cared about more than a physical transformation. He cared about working on things that would have long-term benefits, and set me up for future success and supporting myself. Fixing my mindset and outlook on life was much more important, and would actually set me up much better for the physical side of the work. Charlie tailored his approach to my situation, and wasn’t interested in superficial wins.
6. What changed as a result of the work?
I have a much more positive outlook on life, which has been noticed a lot by those around me. I can set out goals in a much more realistic fashion, and I’m not deterred by failures, or the possibility of failure, as I was before. This has been noticed and commented on by friends and family.
I also lost around 20kg in the space of about 6 months, which was beyond anything I thought would happen.
7. Did you achieve what you originally came for?
Yes, I achieved what I was aiming for on both the mental and physical side. I put this down to Charlie’s support throughout. Now my goal is to keep this going, applying what we worked on continuously.
8. If someone was considering working with Charlie, what would you tell them?
If you’re looking to have a quick transformation program, this is not for you. Charlie is not interested in short-term transformations, but setting you up for the long-term. You’ll need to put the work in, but it’ll be worth it.
