We recently had the chance to connect with Jason Busch and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Jason , thank you for taking the time to reflect back on your journey with us. I think our readers are in for a real treat. There is so much we can all learn from each other and so thank you again for opening up with us. Let’s get into it: What makes you lose track of time—and find yourself again?
I have a cabin located miles from anywhere in CO. I love it up there reconnecting with nature and myself. It’s a place where you forget about cell phones and may not see another person for days. I spend lots of time up there, fishing, hunting, cutting firewood, watching the seasons change. For me it is a place where I can go to reset and recharge. I go there often.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Jason Busch and I and my wife Silvana Busch own and operate Body Balance Strength & Wellness in Boulder, CO . I have been in the industry since 1995 when I graduated from CU with a degree in Kinesiology. I started working as a personal trainer right away. Shortly thereafter I opened my first gym. Body Balance Fitness was born in 1998. Over the many years that I have spent in this industry I have learned a thing or two.
The current version of Body Balance is now called Body Balance Strength & Wellness. Silvana is a gifted body worker and yoga teacher. Together we have created a space where people can heal. We work together with our team of fitness professionals and physical therapists to identify the wants and needs. Once we have identified the underlying issues, we are able to develop a plan to not only meet the clients wants but also focus on the client’s needs.
Okay, so here’s a deep one: What relationship most shaped how you see yourself?
My wife. She has consistently propped me up and has always been there for me. When we met, I was a struggling fitness professional. I had sold and closed the gym that was my identity for many years but was never that financially successful. It was a good lifestyle but a tremendous amount of stress. When we met, I was trying to find myself again and rebuild my business. As I had walked away from gym ownership and was trying to rebuild my private clientele. She was able to help me rebuild that and since opening this version of Body Balance Strength & Wellness we have grown consistently year after year. Much of who Body Balance is today comes from her vision and my implementation. She has helped to grow our vision of today and the future and shown me that our imagination is the only limit.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
Yes, I had the gym in downtown Boulder and had gone through a couple of lawsuits and realized that no matter whether you win or lose a lawsuit, you lose. All of my meager profits, which came at the expense of me working 15-hour days and training 8 to 10 clients in a day as well as running the gym. All of that money was being spent on legal bills. I found myself in a hole that was getting bigger every month. The final lawsuit that I was in, which was a leasehold dispute, did not go the way I had hope and planned on. Thus, costing me more money. It was at that time that I almost quit and tried going to back to school for an advanced degree. I am very glad that I did not, as I had no idea that I would be sitting here right now in a happy spot at this point in my life.
So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. Is the public version of you the real you?
For the most part this is true. I mean obviously we all have a public side and a private side. I tend to be pretty open with my clients and the people that I coach and work with. I tend to see my coaching clients on a regular basis and develop personal relationships with them, for long periods of time. It is important for me to get to know them and for them to know me. We all deal with issues both professionally and personally. Knowing what those are helps me help the client move forward. I also believe that in order to develop trust and rapport that the client knows that everyone has their issues and nobody is an island in the ocean. At 55 yrs of age, I have seen a thing or two and have been through a thing or two. Bringing that to the coaching session allows us to work together to achieve great things.
Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: Are you doing what you were born to do—or what you were told to do?
I think I am doing what I was meant to do. I fell into this career accidentally. I had spent more than 4 years in undergrad to get my BS degree in Kinesiology, mostly because I spent my first 2 years of college at Junior College working on a business administration degree. I started lifting weights at 17 and when I transferred out of Junior College and into The University of Colorado, technically I transferred in as a junior but all of my classes where business and none in science. I had to start over again. My plan was to take some time off and go back to Physical Therapy school to get an advanced degree. Having spent a lot of time in the undergrad program I needed a break from being a starving college student. I started working as a personal trainer in 1995. I loved it so much that instead of thinking about returning to school I started to think about opening a gym instead. Which I did in 1998 when I was 27 years old.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.bodybalanceboulder.com
- Instagram: body_balance_fitness
- Linkedin: Jason Busch
- Facebook: Body Balance Strength & Wellness
