Today we’d like to introduce you to Joe Harrison
Hi Joe, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My story is quite a strange one, lots of twists and turns. I have always been a dancer, at least since I was about 3 years old! I competed throughout my school years all the way up until college. Then I began studying architecture at Northeastern University in Boston. Dance always drew me right back. I started competing again during my sophomore year, despite the intense time commitment it required. Dance was my creative outlet and my fitness fix. I did eventually finish my architecture degree and took a job in the field….but I swiftly became bored. I left the architecture job and started dancing professionally at a pub in Florida. To keep myself in shape for the shows, I started taking an interest in fitness. I did the research on what was healthy, effective, and smart for my body. Later, I started getting inquiries from the larger shows to come and dance for them. I joined Lord of the Dance which heavily focused on the physiques of their dancers to sell the show properly. So I became even more invested in how to build my body in the way that would look best and perform best on stage. Often this lead to some unhealthy tactics which probably negatively affected me then but pushed me to learn how to achieve the same results in a healthier way. I left Lord of the Dance last September and decided I needed to help people become their best selves in a healthy and mentally safe way! Equipped with all of the lessons I have garnered from my professionally dancing, I love being able to help those that are seeking what I also strived for when I was just getting started! Now I am a fully certified personal trainer (CPT) through the National Academy of Sports Medicine and running an online personal training platform as well as training clients in person!
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Definitely has not been a smooth road! The first obstacle was realizing that I can do it! Imposter syndrome is a huge factor. I often thought that just because I did it for myself, would I be able to help other people do it ? But I just had to turn off that thought and realize that I have a wealth of knowledge in the area and my experience can help and inspire others! The certification process was also quite a difficult task. Many man-hours of studying and practical work in the gym to get myself prepped and ready for the exam. After months of study, I did end up passing the exam with distinction and that was something to be proud of. However, I would have to say that the hardest part of starting up your own business was exactly that…. starting! There is a daunting amount of tasks that need to be done at the start, a lot of which happens behind the scenes and my clients won’t even see! The key to tackling it was just taking it little by little and really getting everything into place with the quality that I expect of myself. It’s a constant work in progress but day by day the work becomes a little less and the progress a little more!
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Oculus Fitness?
Oculus Fitness is an online platform for personal training that puts you in control of your schedule. After our initial consultation, you are free to complete the workouts whenever you need. I provide you with everything that you need including detailed workout write ups, tutorials for over 150 different exercises and stretches, warmup tutorials and core routines. I make it easy to follow along with your workouts and track your progress! And all it takes is a quick 30 minute chat to get you started!
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
“Nerdy” would be the best word to describe me growing up. I was very invested in my schoolwork all the way through college, I played clarinet in the marching band and, of course, I spent a majority of my time at dance class learning Irish Dance! Apart from my overwhelming love of dance, I had a great interest in music. I played 3 instruments growing up! All this to say that I was quite shy unless I was within my dance sphere. I was often bullied in school for being the dancer, the skinny kid, or the nerd. Because of this, I stayed to myself at school. Confidence was not something that I exuded. Fitness was not important to me, I got what I needed from dance, and I often avoided gym class especially during the weight lifting unit. Now that i’m older one of my goals is make the gym a safe space for everyone and diminish the intimidation that can so often creep in when starting at the gym!
Pricing:
- Month to Month Training starting at $120 a month!
- Individual Workout Writeups for $25
- Access to a Full Library of Tutorial videos for $65
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/o.culusfitjoe/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/joe.harrison.372019
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7smLq6DRrLthgcannVRUYQ
- Other: https://calendar.app.google/hJQvt6McWLsZB2GC7
