Finding Your Core Conviction
A high level overview, with practical action steps.
When most health & fitness coaches get started, they operate from simple biology. They don’t really have their “way” of doing things - yet.
Often, they’ll join a mentorship.
Or read books, or listen to podcasts.
Which is a great way to fast-track your growth…
But it’s also a risk.
Because it’s very easy to let a rich, charismatic leader who’s further ahead in business let you believe that their way is The Way.
It’s also why almost every coaching offer in the world is more or less the same. You didn’t choose that. You were given it.
…and it might not suit you anymore, but we’ll get to that in a second.
I was on a consultation call last week with 2 incredible coaches I’ve been closely working with now for a while and they do something no one else does:
They help their clients to transition from fat loss to maintenance.
The missing piece to escape diet hell.
But they’d recently learned about an aggressive diet protocol from a well respected nutritionist…
There was a danger that this became their mechanism, not just one of the tools in the toolbox.
Because it was NEW.
The mentor trap can destroy your conviction if you’re not careful.
The Foundation Fallacy
You've been operating your business for YEARS.
But suddenly you think your foundation should be built on something you learned last week?
Insane. That's not how foundations work.
A foundation is what you've been standing on all along.
The beliefs that have guided every decision.
These are the bedrock principles you’ve stuck to - even when it would have been more profitable to abandon them.
Recent discoveries feel significant because they’re new. But your core conviction can't possibly be something you just discovered.
It's been there the whole time.
Recency Bias
We're addicted to the latest breakthrough.
We’ve got to be - to stay relevant and competitive.
We take courses.
And think “THIS is what I should be coaching!”
Read a book... suddenly THAT'S your new mechanism.
Attend a workshop... now you're pivoting your entire offer.
Recency isn’t automatically better. It's just new.
Those coaches…?
When they talked about aggressive dieting, they rated it. They told me the science. They’d read the papers.
They did believe it.
But it wasn’t a belief.
That distinction is important.
When I steered them back to talking about helping people maintain their results?
They became unstoppable.
Their body language changed.
Their energy shifted.
Their conviction was noticeable.
This wasn’t about “The Science”.
They were speaking from their true experience of working with actual clients.
It was their belief.
Your mechanism will be connected to a belief you hold.
Core Convictions Look Simple
…maybe too simple.
I met a guy recently - he repairs appliances (washing machines, stuff like that).
He dropped this line so casually, and I haven’t been able to get out of my head since:
“Make sure the customer sees you wipe your feet when you come into their home. Make sure you close their gate when you leave.”
That’s it.
His philosophy.
He’s had more 5 star reviews than any other appliance repair company in the UK and that’s the recipe.
Just “respect people’s homes”
Conviction like that is simple, clear and unshakable.
So often, we think success comes from having all the right answers.
The most up-to-date research. The most scientifically backed approach.
And that does matter - but it’s just factual stuff.
You don’t have a deep conviction around that because it’s not a belief. It’s a fact.
Your conviction is the stuff that allows you to reorient yourself when things get confusing.
It’s the thing you don’t compromise on - not for any money.
A Practical Guide To Find Your True Conviction
Step 1: The Expanded Rant Test
Open the voice memo app on your phone.
Start with a rant (because it’s easiest) about what pisses you off about your industry.
This helps you find the problems, but don’t stop there. If you only focus on what’s wrong, you’ll attract a bunch of negative people.
Next, you’re gonna talk about what possibilities excite you. This helps you enthuse about the opportunities.
Do this every day for 7-30 days to help you notice what makes you animated.
Step 2: The Repetition Audit
I find this SUCH a useful tool that I do it every week.
Every time I record a podcast…
Create a training…
Host a consultation call…
I give the transcript to AI and ask it:
“What do I say over and over again?”
To clients. To peers. To anyone & everyone.
The stuff you keep returning to - that’s conviction bleeding through.
It’s actually the easiest way to find your content pillars too - without it feeling too contrived.
Step 3: Life Integration
True conviction - the real belief - isn’t just something that exists inside your business.
It shows up EVERYWHERE.
It’s in how you parent.
It’s how you treat service workers.
It’s in how you navigate conflict.
Your core conviction is YOUR fundamental belief - it’s not a tactic that exists inside one dimension of your business.
Look for the patterns in every area of your life.
This Skill Makes You Incorruptible
When you find your conviction, and you become aware of it, it will become the lens that you pass ALL new information through.
You will be able to learn new things…
From compelling & charismatic people…
Without immediately accepting it as part of your core truth.
That makes you dangerous, because your beliefs become consciously YOURS.
“It’s the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.”
You’ll be able to give ideas time to marinate before you decide that they’re actually YOURS.
That’s what makes marketing easy - because you’re just sharing what you believe.
Your content will feel natural - because you’re just expressing yourself.
Clients become attracted to YOUR authenticity.
The way you naturally talk about your work.
The problems that piss you off. The opportunities that excite you.
Those aren’t going to be found in someone else’s beliefs.
Your foundation is yours - you’ve been standing on it all along.
Make it conscious, build everything else around it.