Kim Ingleby is the founder of Energised Performance, her own personal training company. She founded Energised Performance in May 2004 but has always had a passion for wellbeing, fitness, health and adventures. Through the Energised Performance program, Kim gives people the tools to achieving their fitness goals.

“I’m a Mind & Body Coach, helping people believe in themselves and achieve their goals, with support, commitment and tools.  I help people feel and become fitter, stronger, lighter and more energized, well and confident in life, whatever their age or conditions,” Kim says. With a goal in mind and hope in her heart, Kim set out to create the program and has built a successful brand today.

Start

Kim saw a need in the fitness industry. There are not many personal trainers that help coach people both physically and mentally to full extent especially on a global scale. And there are not many who really set out to help people that want to get fit in their later years of life.“ I had a real strong belief that I wanted to help people feel good in their mind and body. I wanted to help them do whatever they dreamed of doing, wherever in the World, whatever their condition or age,” Kim explains. So indeed she went out and created the Energised Performance program for just that reason.

For Kim seeing that need was all she needed to get started. “I just began!  I took interest in learning, reading, and observing people who motivated and inspired me. I began trying different races and events and starting to work out how to attract people who would like to work with me. It was all about growing a ‘team’ and business I would like.  It’s all about being consistent, focused, taking time out, being brave, committed, determined and going for it.  Holding the vision, trusting the process with purpose and passion,” Kim elaborates.

“I grew up on a farm and had a wonderful, free childhood with much of it spent outdoors and working on the farm. Whilst it was wonderful I really suffered from extreme low body confidence and self-belief, but found my passion in riding horses, which gave me a purpose and grew my confidence.  I think the combination of outdoor life, travel with family and overcoming my fears has helped to inspire me to always keep believing, learning and seeing what is possible.” –Kim Ingleby

Obstacles

With starting any business, there is always obstacles to overcome. Of course Kim had a few but she did not let them stop her. “I think life is a journey, and there will always be tough times, times that challenge us for sure.  It’s in those moments that I always try to hold fast to all that is good, and to find a joyful, even if tiny moment in my day to bring a smile to my face.  I also have learned that through my greatest challenges and tests, from medical to mental, physical to business, I have always learned, and this is key,” Kim says.

Her philosophy is what keeps her rolling through her tough times. Even when she was face with what could have been a fatal disease, Kim continued on and became even stronger in the process. “The biggest struggle I faced would have to be post Weils Encephalitis (aka Leptospirosis).  I contracted Weil ’s disease 3 years ago whilst swimming in a triathlon. I lost my awareness. I didn’t know who I was as a person. My liver, kidneys, neurology and brain have all been affected.  By gradually coming back, I adapted my life significantly & learned so much. I believe I am a different. I am a wiser, more empathetic coach and able to help many overcome adversity and believe in themselves, even when not everything is possible.  I did a TEDx Talk, Bristol 2015 about this, love you to check it out and let me know what your one word is,” Kim says.

“I never quit because I have always believed in hope. Trust the process, courage and that through the tough times, your way will open up.  My grandma used to say this, and it’s true, keep looking forward. Sometimes you don’t know where, why or even how on earth you will cope and get through something.  But you do, and from this moment your way opens up.  It’s like the weather, there are rainbows, storms, sunshine and showers, learning to embrace them all helps enjoy the moment and the journey.” –Kim Ingleby

Lesson

Through her adversities, Kim has learned valuable lessons from it all. “I think my turning point through all my challenges was somewhere in my late twenties. I realized I had to start to really like and respect the person I am. To know that whilst I can’t change some things, I can change my internal stories to make them helpful and positive. I can grow my self-worth and courage.  This is a journey and one I love learning from,” Kim declares. And with figuring this out about herself, Kim also learned another important message. “It’s okay and normal to not be okay. Those emotions are normal and necessary.  Yet it’s key not to hold them inside you. Express them. Look after yourself. Nurture yourself and have the courage to pause every now and then to catch up from the struggle, ground and move forward.  The same is true from a great experience, pause, allow it to embed in you and then move forward,” Kim says.

“Adversity is a funny word. It’s challenging or tough times and there is an advantage, because they offer us insights into our own personality and coping mechanisms.  When things are good it’s often comfortable. Challenges get us uncomfortable. They shake us up.  Sometimes it’s super tough, and things often come all together, but through all the challenges I’ve have come to realize something. Falling apart is part of the process of growing yourself, becoming wiser, seeing, feeling and realizing something different.  When I contracted Weil’s disease, my then partner of 5 years decided it was no longer right to work with me, and my business wavered. It was the biggest triple challenge I had ever had.  Yet through it all, it’s made me wiser, stronger, kinder and more determined to make a difference. I still have moments of doubt, but that’s because that’s just being human. So when a challenge comes up, I take a deep breath, look after myself better (rather than sabotage myself) and think, here comes the learning and growth… patience, trust, belief.” –Kim Ingleby

Accomplishments

By overcoming her obstacles, Kim has been able to achieve a lot of the goals she has set out to do. First and foremost was getting back on her feet after dealing with such a rough period during her fight with Weil’s disease. She also accomplished her goal of creating a fitness program to help others. Through Energised Performance, Kim is able to help others reach their goals and inspire them to maintain a positive mindset. “I find joy in having the trust and permission to work with the most amazing range of diverse, beautiful, talented, inspiring people from all ages, backgrounds, abilities and life paths.  It’s exciting, rewarding, challenging and brilliant,” Kim exclaims.

Kim has also consummated a number of personal goals. “I have been so lucky to have many amazing experiences in my life.  I think the ones that bring the most joy, amazement and gratitude are competing for the U21 Scottish Three Day Eventing Team, winning the Global Personal Trainer to Watch Award and being listed on Market Watch as someone who will make a big impact in the World. I was also thrilled with being invited to speak at TEDx Live & completing the Sierra Leone Marathon & doing charity work out there, which took my fundraising total to nearly £80,000 (Just shy of 100,000 US Dollars),” Kim says.

“Don’t fear that it might go wrong, don’t limit yourself…. Embrace that it might go right and put all your focus on ‘it’.  Take a little time between projects and give yourself real focus on achieving excellence with a few things, than good with many.” –Kim Ingleby

Future

Kim definitely has no plan of slowing down anytime soon! She plans to continue to grow and expand her brand. She has online monthly mentoring applications opening soon. She also plans to have podcasts interviews this year along with the completion of her first book. Kim will also be holding a series of workshops and events with her Ambassador roles throughout the UK & USA.

“In the next ten years, I’ll be nearing 50! Which is kind of exciting and scary.  By then I will have written 4 bestselling books which I hope spread far and wide to inspire people in all areas of life. I will have an online community of amazing people inspiring and supporting each other through the courses I offer.  There will be supplements and clothing to help you feel good.  The workshops and presentations will be global, varied and exciting.  The charity total will be over £126,000k (over 155,000 US Dollars), helping many people all over the World. I will have traveled and adventured around the World, founded a charity or foundation to help others more, gained my MBA & interior design course, and so many things…I could go on!  I will have healed my neurology, have a happy family (in whatever context my life is meant to unfold over the next few years), laughter, love, home by the sea and mountains, horses and dogs, a big open kitchen, workshop and coaching space, wealth, love and gratitude all round!” –Kim Ingleby

What is the psychological edge we need to really jump into our fitness goals and stick with them through the ups and downs of our daily lives?

I believe the psychological edge is actually all based around our motivations, self-belief and self-care.  I know that sounds a bit ‘self’, I am would not have written that a while ago, but I believe it’s true.  You have to start to learn to like the person you are and believe in yourself a little as you are.   Then if you like yourself a little you will listen and look after yourself more wisely.   And then you can work out what your real motivation is and what you really want to achieve in your life.  I think fears and self-sabotage is so often a safety net, a protection to keep you safe in case things don’t work out, I’ve done it, I still do it at times and smile with all I have learned I should know better!  But it’s okay to have the fear and doubt, just don’t let it distract or divert you from the real passion and ‘what if I could do, feel or become’ like this….. I truly believe you can achieve something amazing in your life, I’ve learned perhaps not absolutely anything depending on things, but there is something, and that something will lead to something else…. So go be brave, start to talk about the story you want and see what happens to your feelings, thoughts and habits. Finally, to gain the edge and stick with your goals, I do believe you need a little balance and time, time to allow your body and brain to recover, time to just be and have fun, to laugh and smile.   So often you need to kick yourself into gear when you are being kind to yourself, and be kind to yourself when you are kicking yourself… I think we get it the less helpful way around at time. What do you think?

You did a TED Talk, how did that come about?

Ahh one of the best, most exciting opportunities to have happened in my life! I feel truly grateful and lucky to have done it. I saw TEDx Bristol come up for early bird tickets on twitter and bought a couple, then sent a tweet saying looking forward to coming along.  The curator then sent a message asking if I would send a talk idea if I was interested, and I did! I never thought anything would come from it, and it was a long process. Yet I feel so honored to have been chosen, and I learned a huge amount doing it.  I hope my talk helps to inspire and motivate others to believe in themselves and be brave ☺

How did you prepare for that?  How have you prepared for speaking in general?

The preparation was really thorough, lots of script writing submission, video assessments, presentation assessments and more.  I think if I had known there would have been so much prep I may not have applied as public speaking has been a real learning journey for me.  I never spoke in public until some charity work at university as I used to get so embarrassed.  Then I started to get asked to do more and more, and I thought, I want to learn how to do this well, as I love what I do and hope I can help others.  So I had lots of speaking coaching, my NLP Masters training helped, and it’s always all about the preparation for your audience, knowing your topic yet realizing that not everyone will ‘get’ what you are saying, but still to trust and put yourself out there.  Each time you do it you learn and grow, and if you write down afterwards how you have done, you can improve for next time, like anything, dating, work, fun, life.  It’s focusing on becoming better, rather than being stuck by fear, a challenge but a good one.

“All I know is everyone is different and at different stages in life as you read this…. If you have read it all, thank you! And if you are just reading this bit, thank you! My final thought would be, right now, how do you feel out of 10?  Mind and Body?  Write it down.  What could you do to enhance that this week, feelings and physically, just a tiny change write that down. Then think about all the people who matter in your life, choose one who you have not seen or valued recently and do something to add value to their life this week.  And finally, you know that goal, dream, thought, idea, course, challenge, saving that you keep saying you want to do, but don’t commit.  Start today, work out how you are going to make it happen, or let it go for a year and re visit it then.  You will either have moved forwards massively towards making it a reality or it will no longer be important or wasted your energy and focus….. Love, love you to share all this with me and I would be more than happy to support you all the way.” –Kim Ingleby  

Kim Ingleby

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