What to Expect When Hiring a Fitness Coach: Are You Coachable?
- Mel Cech
- Oct 14
- 4 min read
It’s Not About Being Perfect. It’s About Being Willing.
In this post, I want to break down what to expect when hiring a fitness coach, especially if you’ve never worked with someone who will actually hold you accountable.
Let’s get something straight...
If you’re thinking of hiring a coach, whether it’s for fitness, nutrition, mindset, or all of the above, there’s one question that matters more than any program or meal plan:
Are you coachable?
Not can you follow a plan.
Not do you want results.
Not even how motivated you are right now.
But this:
Can you accept feedback, stay consistent, and trust someone else to lead — even when it’s uncomfortable?
Because that’s where real transformation happens.
What to Expect When Hiring a Fitness Coach vs. What People Think Coaching Is
Let me be honest, some people hire a coach thinking they’re signing up for accountability, support, or motivation. And yes, you’ll get all that with me.
But you’re also signing up for:
Truth over comfort
Structure over chaos
Tough love over people-pleasing
Growth over excuses
And that means you might hear things like:
“You need to eat more.”
“You’re not pushing hard enough.”
“This isn’t about your feelings right now, this is about your future.”
“You missed your check-in: what’s going on?”
If those kinds of statements rattle you, not because they’re wrong, but because they challenge your comfort zone, we need to talk about what being coachable really means.
What It Really Means to Be Coachable
I’ve coached hundreds of people; from complete beginners to athletes, from stressed-out parents to top-performing professionals. I can usually tell within the first week who’s going to succeed.
It’s not about genetics.
Not about having the perfect schedule.
Not about willpower.
It’s about this:
The clients who get the best results are the ones who trust me, stay consistent, and stay in communication — especially when it’s hard.
They:
Show up every week with their check-ins
Follow the plan (or ask questions if they don’t understand it)
Don’t ghost when things get uncomfortable
Take feedback and apply it without spiraling
Understand that results live outside their comfort zone
And guess what? They thrive.
Because they don’t overthink.
They do.
The Flip Side: What an Uncoachable Client Looks Like
Now let’s talk about the patterns I see in clients who don’t get results (at least not at first):
They self-sabotage as soon as things get hard
They ignore feedback or take it as a personal attack
They vanish when they fall off track instead of owning it
They constantly “start over” because they’re chasing perfection
They overcomplicate everything and spin in mental loops
They want the outcome — but resist the work
These people don’t need a better plan.
They need to shift their mindset.
Because coaching is a two-way street; I’ll meet you with all the support, tools, and accountability in the world. But if you’re not willing to meet me halfway, nothing changes.
Sports, High Standards & Why This Is Personal
I was telling my partner the other day, I can often tell when someone has never played a sport or been trained at a high level. They’ve never had to take real criticism. They’ve never had a coach push them past their limits and say, “I know you can do better - do it.”
But I get it.
We’re living in hard times.
We’re all under pressure.
That’s why I coach from a place of both empathy and expectation.
I’m not here to break you. I’m here to build you.
And sometimes that means putting weight on your shoulders - not because I’m being tough, but because I know you can carry it.
Coaching is not about making you feel bad. It’s about showing you what you’re capable of and walking with you through the discomfort to get there.
What You Can Expect When You Work With Me
If you’re ready to be coachable — here’s what I’ll give you:
A clear, structured plan that fits your life
Education and mindset support so you understand why
Honest, supportive feedback
Accountability — the kind you can’t give yourself
A coach who shows up with high standards because she sees your potential
A system that works — if you work it
Final Thoughts
If you’re hiring a coach just to feel good - this isn’t the right fit.
If you’re hiring a coach because you’re ready to be challenged, guided, and transformed?
Let’s go.
Being coachable isn’t about being perfect.
It’s about being honest.
Staying open.
Owning your effort.
And trusting the process.
If you can do that, I promise, the results will come.
Ready to Be Coached?
If this message hit home, I’d love to hear from you.
Real change takes work.
But it also takes the right coach.
Let’s do it right - together.
-Coach Mel, IFBB Pro, CPT
Comments