What does it really mean to be strong, not just in body, but in mind and spirit? 

In this episode of The Essential Shift Podcast, I’m joined by Rikki Flanders, a personal trainer, strength coach, yoga instructor, and founder of Strength For You. Known as the "Smiling Assassin" for her unique combination of humor and grit, Rikki has spent over 25 years transforming lives, one rep and one breath at a time.

From representing Australia in powerlifting to helping clients build resilience through strength and mindfulness, Rikki’s journey is an inspiring one to listen to. She shares how she made the bold leap from managing a health club to creating her own business, and why presence and connection are at the heart of everything she does.

If you’ve ever felt stuck in your career, intimidated by strength training, or simply curious about integrating mindfulness into your daily life, this episode will give you the motivation and tools to take your next step.

If you LOVE the episode, don’t forget to share it on your Instagram stories and tag me @essential.shift and @strength_for_you. 

✨ Join The Circle Membership today and start your journey toward a soul-aligned business✨

KEY EPISODE TAKEAWAYS:

• How Rikki went from fitness manager to building Strength For You

• How to overcome fear and embrace bold career transitions

• The importance of presence and connection in both business and fitness

• Practical tips for starting strength training, even if you’ve never stepped into a gym

SHOW RESOURCES:

• FOLLOW Rikki on Instagram – HERE

• LEARN more about Strength For You and Rikki’s offerings – HERE

• Join amazing women in our female entrepreneur community in The Circle Membership - HERE

• GET your copy of Light It - HERE 

• FOLLOW me on INSTAGRAM - HERE

• Find out more about how to WORK WITH ME - HERE

ABOUT THE GUEST

Rikki Flanders is a personal trainer, strength coach and yoga instructor with 25 years experience in the fitness industry. Over the years Rikki has used her expertise in the fitness industry in many roles. These have included training and mentoring other fitness instructors, coordinating programs and managing the health club at a busy fitness center.

Rikki has been running her business, Strength For You, since 2013. She offers face to face training in Melbourne’s north-west as well as online strength coaching. She is excited to soon be expanding her services to offer online Yoga as recovery, stress management and mindfulness as well as those wanting a gentle introduction to movement. Often referred to as the smiling assassin she is known for her light-hearted attitude and quirky sense of humour.

Rikki competed in the sport of powerlifting for 21 years representing Australia in both open and master’s categories. Her “never say never” moto may well see her back on the competition platform in the future but for now the gym remains her happy place to stay connected with friends and keep her 53year old body strong.

Bless it be.

With love,
Laetitia

TRANSCRIPT

Hey, Ricky, thank you so much for being on the essential shift podcast.

Hi Laetitia. I'm just so excited to be here. Feels a little bit surreal. It is going to be a delicious episode for anyone who is listening to us and is going to feel so inspired by Ricky's journey, Ricky's knowledge. And as I prepared this podcast interview, even though I know Ricky, I learned so much about you, Ricky's I can't wait for everyone to hear listening and get some nuggets of gold. So before we start, you know I always love to ask this question to my guests, who are you as a human being, what is your energetic blueprint? Anything you feel called to share with our listeners? Well, I've I always thought I was a Scorpio, but diving a little bit deeper, I see I'm right on the cusp of Libra. So if I change even the hour that I was born, it changes waves between Libra and Scorpio. So that's my some sun sign, and my moon sign is Leo, which is really exciting to discover. I didn't know anything about Moon signs until recently, and that made me laugh a little bit. Apart from that, I describe myself as a baby yogi. So I study yoga, yoga philosophy, once a week, in in group, and that's part of my spiritual practice. I love it, and you have lots of experience in yoga, like it's it's not yesterday that you discovered yoga, and I think that's very powerful and very important in your work. Thank you, Ricky, for for sharing that. And you're definitely having this Scorpio Libra mix in you, navigating between those two. I love that. So you are the business owner of strength for you, would you mind sharing with us, what is the origin story of this business? Because you were a manager in a fitness place, and you decided to go all in and launch your own business. So can you share a bit about the origin story? I know when you started in 2013 but what happened? What? What happened for you to go all in and launch your own business? What's your origin story? Yeah, it was quite a while in the making. I'd been working in the fitness industry. I had lots and lots of experience, and I'd always loved personal training. It was my thing. I love to help people get strong, and I was so valid and really passionate about that. So I loved the one on one, and I started working at a big fitness center, and I was given different opportunities in management and even I, part of my intermission was like, I didn't feel like it was going in the right direction, but my mind was more like, this is an opportunity to get different experience and Learn something and move up wherever that was going.

So that was a direction I moved in. So less spent time with my clients, and more in managing managing groups and people and program, which all sounds good in theory, but it just wasn't where my heart was. Also the pay was

just not as much as I would have liked. So it's having to supplement my hours. I was working really long hours, 12 hour days, you know, in the center, you know, taking cycle classes and doing personal training on top of my work so that I could earn so enough money that I felt was enough for me.

But I really love being at the gym like I love the members, you know, love my work colleagues, and I had this, you know, my identity was really sort of held in that space, but I knew, like, just, I wasn't happy, but too scared to move away, and just got to a point, You know, the whispers were becoming screened, like you have to do something else. You need to go out on your own. But then the fear of you know, who am I to do this? Like, can I what will happen anyway? One day, I was about to take leave, and I was really sort of on the brink. I'm like, I need this break. And I had a meeting with my manager. Was really hard, because she was I consider her a friend, and we're still friends, and it seemed like the business was just getting leaner and leaner. So when I got back from holidays, I discovered that I was with my job to cut back my staffed hours and to actually go back and work part of my hours on the gym floor. And I'd been thinking, you know, management was this opportunity to grow, and then suddenly I'm going back to where I started, and it was almost like an out of body experience, because this like just conversation in my head at the same time I'm having the meeting with my manager, and the next minute coming out of my mouth was I had resigned.

Oh, my God, I hadn't planned it, but it was just like, No, this is it. I have to do it. I cannot go on. And, yeah, she was surprised. She was not expecting it, but we worked out a resolution that, you know, I stayed within the business as a subcontractor so they weren't losing me and my clients. And it was sort of a win, win situation. You know, it was definitely winning because I ended up paying them to stay there contractor, but I did. I was able to bring my clients over into my business and sort of start with my feet running so not less scary. And I still was part of the team, and sort of my work family was still there, you know, a little bit of support.

I love this story, and I love what you described around, you know, with whisper, which transformed into screams, and it sounds like the universe was really guiding you by making it less and less enjoyable, if that makes sense, in the role you were having to the point where, as you said, your voice spoke from your heart rather than from your head. So saying that you wanted to resign, rather than, you know, being led by the head. It's a very similar experience to me when I decided to quit my role as a general manager. It was really this moment where, when before, for seven years, everything was falling into place in the corporate job, it was just like more and more things were falling out of alignment, to the point where I was like, It's unbearable. Like, I cannot stay here. I really need to go all in with essential shifts. So sometimes we need to have those guidance and this help to trust ourselves and really go all in, because it's definitely a bold and courageous move. So you've been running strength for you to Since 2013 is that right? Yep, it was conceived, sort of october 2012 and then I had sort of a transition time until they were able to replace me in my role, and I sort of started the new year afresh. I love it. And so for anyone who is listening to this, and maybe they're transitioning out of a full time job and starting a business, or maybe they've been starting a business full time, but they haven't been fully committed. Like, what have you learned through your journey? What are the things that you would tell yourself in october 2012 that you are not able to tell yourself because you you haven't been, you know, going down that path for now, you know, 11 years. So what would you tell that younger self? Or 12 years? If you think about October, 2012 but 2013 yeah, the day I resigned. Like I hadn't planned it so I hadn't told my partner that this is what I was doing, like, nothing like and, you know, always considered myself to be, you know, quite a stable person. You know, really think about things before making decisions. And anyway, I dropped in to see my parents on my way home. I'm like, oh, so I have to build up a little bit of courage before I tell my partner and I'll I'll tell my parents first, and I'll just have a cup of tea, and it will be okay. And I told my mum and dad and my dad, he turned around and he said, It's about time you started making money for yourself and stop making other people.

Each and I was like, yes, yes. He'd always worked almost his whole life as a contractor, so he'd never had a boss. He was his own boss.

But yeah, just, you know, I'm like, Dad. Why didn't you tell me this years ago? I but so for anyone like I just loved hearing that from him, but just back yourself. You know,

I think you're not going to if it's something that you really want, you put in the work and you won't let yourself down. You know why. You know life's sort of too short to not do what you want to do. You should be enjoying work. It shouldn't. It shouldn't feel like work, and it doesn't. My business doesn't feel like work to me. I feel like I serve my clients who I love, and it's a joy getting up. You know, I don't like getting up early in the morning, and I commute to seeing my clients. It's a bit of a drive. But, oh, how long am I going to do this? Why am I getting up? Maybe I need later times. But then once I see them. I'm just like, This is it? This is what I'm meant to do. So, yeah, I love it. Oh, it's beautiful. Back yourself, and it's so true that it takes so much time for us to back ourselves. And I love when I meet very young people. We just never worked for someone else, to just work for themselves straight away, like, I wish I had your courage, because I worked for someone else, and I made all the people rich for over 15 years. You know, I'm like started sooner, and I love that advice of backing ourselves and just focusing and trusting this intuition, because this is really what you did, you definitely listened to whatever came out of your mouth, you know, and went all in. I love how you grasped your courage and shared it with your parents first and then your your partner. It's so powerful. I so my husband knew when I was, you know, ready to quit. Terence Rai had shared with him my mission to march and all of that, I recorded a podcast about my mission to march. If anyone is listening and doesn't know what I'm talking about, but

I had to, personally, like, gather my courage to share it with my parents. They've always been public servants. They've never really, you know, studied and things like that. So when I shared with them that I was going, you know, and run my own business like,

oh, so I knew it would be harder for me to share with my parents and my husband, but I love for you was the other way around. We all have different dynamic and families, but it's important to find someone that supports you, and you use that with your father, how beautiful. So there is something that you mentioned quite a few time in previous conversation we had, which is when you decided to create strength for you, when you decided to run your own business, and you've shared quickly about it as well. Today, it's this shift from being, you know, very busy, to being more present and more intentional, and you know, focusing on the impact you had and so on. How can we ensure that anyone else who is listening to this can invite more presence, and potentially you can share that with us, with your expertise as a yoga teacher, as a Strengths coach, as a personal trainer, but how might we invite more presence, so that we're less busy and we are being more

Yeah, like, that's been a real shift for me, but I have to say, even though I know it, sometimes I still get back into the cycle of being too busy. I have to bring myself back again. But, like, I know,

I think during COVID, I've just sort of had this reassessment of, you know, what am I doing? Why? You know, do I still want to do the same thing? Do I want to change? And it was like, No, but I was starting to be overwhelmed again going back to work after that, and you know, I'd have my list of clients, and I just felt like I was just ticking through the appointments, going, bang, bang, bang, okay, you're done.

But then it's like, oh, there's no enjoyment in that. So instead, you know, sometimes I would be overwhelmed or just thinking about the next person, and when can I have a break? When? When can I go to the bathroom? Even, like, when is that happening? It's so many hours away. No.

Just now I really, I see my my face to face clients in the homes. But I arrive before I get out of the car, I just take a deep breath and just relax. And then I go in, and I just think about them like it's their time.

I'm there for them. We have a great time. It's a lot of fun, but, you know, and there's lots of talk and share stories, but I'm not thinking about the next appointment. I'm thinking about them right now. What are we doing now, and that's that's it, and then that's finished, and off to the next one, and the same again. So not just worrying at all. I've over scheduled myself, or I have to do this on the way home, or I have to get petrol. It's like it can all wait. Like, enjoy now, and don't worry about what's next. Otherwise, what's the point?

That is so wise, that is so wise, so true, yet so many are not doing this. And you know, for me, it's really I had watched a TED Talk. It was, I don't remember it was called the third space or whatever. I'll need to search it. If anyone listening to this is interested, just message me on Instagram and I'll search for this TED talk, which was all about using your breath and creating that space in between activities to really be present. And I know for me, it's before I pick up my daughters, or before I jump on this podcast interview we took three deep breaths together, or before, you know, it's always taking those moments where we connect with our breath so that we are intentionally here now in this conversation together, and we're not doing anything else. And I think way too many people think that it's very complex to be present. But indeed, as you've described, it's actually simple, yet so many people don't do it, which is the same thing. I think with strength training, it's like we can start so simple, and we know, especially as women, because we have many women listeners, we lose muscle mass a lot when we go through menopause and all that. Yet we don't do it. And I'm one of those. I'm very bad at strength training. I love, you know, cycling and, you know, doing yoga and doing Pilates and doing those kind of thing. But I'm never doing the deadlift or strength and you're actually an expert on this, before I ask you some tips around how I can selfishly. And anyone listening to this, how can we work on our strength training? You shared with me, and I didn't know that about you, that you competed in power lifting, representing Australia, and I was like, Oh my goodness. So how was that? Can you share any few moments of that experience? Can you take us back to the younger Ricky? How did she get there? And also, what are you harnessing from that experience now into your work, but share with me first about this power lifting, representing Australia. I was like, oh gosh, I knew where that leads, but I didn't know to that level.

Well, you'll love this, because this is something that you won't realize. The little link back as well. So how I actually got into powerlifting in the first place? So back when I started, like, the late 90s, so I wasn't that young. I'd never done any competitive sport before at school. I was pretty uncoordinated. The last person to be picked for team sport, like, can't catch just like I liked it, but I wasn't very good. Never played any sport, apart from what was compulsory at school anyway, but I loved going to the gym, and I just sort of had this thing that I would like it. It was something that I wanted to do. So then, you know, later as an adult, I was going to the gym, and I just had this thing. I really liked the idea of being strong, but back in the 90s, it was all about cardio, cardio, cardio, group fitness. And I'm like, I can't do group fitness. I'm going the wrong way. I don't like it, but just being strong, I wanted to do chinux, so I there was an amazing personal trainer at the gym, Nikki Alice.

No, it's sorry Nikki came on the podcast. You need to be.

Since that, and she's a circle member, oh, goodness.

So I started training with Nikki to get stronger.

That's how it started, and she was actually the one that encouraged me to become qualified as a trainer. So without Without her, I would not be here today, and I'm not sure like, would I have gone down the same path, but she's the one that planted the seeds for me, and we were training, and I learned about powerlifting, and she encouraged me to, you know, participate in a sport, and that's what I chose. I think I shocked her a little bit, but she had some contacts, and she got me started, so that the very beginning, back then, the power lifting certainly wasn't popular. And my first competition, there was only one other woman competing at that competition. So it was really male dominated, whereas now, like it's, I think it's a little bit over 50, more than 50% of participants are actually women in the sport of powerlifting now. So things are changed, and women are just getting into it, getting into the dead lyrics.

That's amazing. So, yeah, so just, I don't know, I think once I start something, I'm all in. So get a little bit obsessed. So, you know, I started competing, and I certainly, you know, wasn't strong, but it's what I wanted to do. So just that path, it's like, okay, well, you get to a certain level, then the next level, you know, you go to Nationals, you go to Nationals, and you might get invited to go to Commonwealth or Oceania, and then get to another level, then you get to go to World Championship. So, yeah, that's it. You know, World Championship, he went in Carroll, which is in France, in 2004 and Finland in 2015 that's quite impressive, huh?

So I've competed in both open category and then Masters category, which, you know, is a little bit easier competition wise now that I'm post menopausal, over 50, but competing in sport just I think I've met so many of my friends, of my friends through sport and just having the structure and a scary goal, like, if I've committed to competing, like, you know, if it was nationals, and I know on this certain date, I'm going to be on the platform, doing my thing, it's like, Well, I need to train. I need to go and have that commitment to show up for myself.

So with, you know, anyone wanting to get stronger or improve their fitness, it's really just setting that time aside. It's an it's an appointment to make with yourself or yourself, and then the results are really just through consistency, if you show up, even if you don't feel like it on the day, show up and do something, and all those little things add up to big results. And that's amazing. And I love how actually, in what you're describing around, you know, championship, or this big, hairy goal that is scaring us is actually a lot of parallel with being an entrepreneur and being a leader in business. We are setting those North Stars, those goals, those vision for ourselves. And we know yet many people who are not yet in my world will listen to the, you know, the Syrians of other people, telling them that they can make this much in five minutes. Like you cannot lift 200 kilo in one day. You cannot run a marathon in one day. The same thing with business, you cannot turn over a million in one day, whatever someone else is telling you. So it's like this consistency, this grit, this commitment, this discipline. I loved how, you know, someone reframed for me today, discipline into devotion to bhakti. So true. It's such a devotion to oneself, devotion to the impact. I love the parallel. How much do you think it's helping you to have been an elite athlete because you've been, you know, to the World Championships, to.

Eyes. How do you think this is helping you in your business? Do you see those parallels that I'm seeing? Do you see any other parallel? Do you see any advantages or drawbacks of having been an elite athletes in business, sort of less so at the moment, because I haven't competed since COVID, sort of something. I haven't for lots of different reasons, which are all quite boring but back when I did have those big goals, just everything in my life, you know, you you do everything the way you do one thing you're really dedicated to.

It's dedicated to my lifting something that was a not negotiable, but I found that, you know, I was showing up for everything else in that same way, like, right? Let's get things done. Um, just being productive and just having more energy, sort of knowing, yeah, that's how I feel about it.

I love how you said you do one thing and everything's the same. It's so true. It's such a beautiful way to put it. So how can I start strength training? I've never done anything in strength training, so I've been, you know, never done the cardiac thing in a class like personally, I hate gyms, and I know when I say that out loud, everyone judge me, but that's why I have my peloton bike in my garage and my setup to do my own, you know, thing in my own space. I love a yoga studio. I love going to yoga, but I don't know why I don't like going to the gym. And I always say, you smell like dirty feet. And everyone is like, what is that? This is so judgmental, but it's honestly my own judgment. But it's so interesting how I've never been to a gym, never, ever, but I've been to so many yoga studio. I have been doing so much yoga. I have been, you know, horse riding my whole life, like I do other sports. And I know, as I'm reading a lot around perimenopause and menopause, that right now I need to really work on my strength training, like maintaining my thighs, maintaining my arms, you know, to not have the floppy arms. And anyone listening to this. This is for my personal advice, and maybe you will take something from it. But how do I start strength training? Well, how can one overcome all of those things which I know I'm strong because I'm carrying my two daughter very often. They're eight and six and not, you know, light. But how can I start? Can you help me? What would you say if I if we were living close by, because unfortunately, we're far away, you can come to train me in my home, but we're going to talk maybe of some online offerings that you have. But how can I start?

Yeah, it's hard about not, no, I get it like the whole thing, you have to feel comfortable in your environment. So in the last I do most of my training. I train at lots of different places, but I have some the weekend, on the Saturday with my girlfriend, so we train at a specific power lifting gym. We used to train together three times a week, but now, you know, we've all got different priorities and different responsibilities, but we all make that commitment to Saturday training, and I absolutely love it, even now

I'm like, oh, it's like, no, they're they're like, we're going to have lunch afterwards. There's that reward. It's great.

But actually has been going to another gym on the way home from my clients, and I have to say, I really don't enjoy the gym there. Like it, it doesn't have the right vibe. I like I do cycle classes, and I love that, but I have no connection with the actual gym in that center, and I just, I've trained there a few times. I'm like, I can't do it. It's not right for me. So I would advise that you find somewhere where, where you can find a community sort of like minded people, whether that's a studio and you have face to face training to start, but somewhere where you feel comfortable. And for some people, they just never going to happen. And they set up their own, their own set up at home, in their in their garage, or, you know, something like that. But you know, that would be the first thing find somewhere where you feel comfortable and find a community. So training with a friend or a trainer really helps have that.

Some other rewards for showing up. It is so true. And you know, the other day, I was reflecting on that, how we are all driven by connection, and how, actually, when we do something with someone else, we have this immediate reward of being connected with someone else, so I'm going to take that in follow up with me. I'm going to see if I can find a personal trainer and find a place where it doesn't smell like dirty feet, and go and exercise.

Because my only experience going to the gym was back when I was living in Paris, and I had this busy lifestyle, and I couldn't make space for horse riding anymore, any other exercise that I was doing before, and I signed up to this gym, and I'm not going to name it, but it was supposed to be quite prestigious, very expensive. What I always tell my friends is, I didn't, you know, earn any weight, or I didn't lose any weight. I just lose a lot of money, but I went, like, a few times, it was really not my vibe. Everyone was looking at each other and, you know, lifting things, and just I was, and it was, yeah, I don't know it was not my vibe. So definitely, I'll try and find my vibe. And if any of you leaves around where I live in the Shire and you know a great gym, please message me. I would love to find this, but you're also offering online classes as well and things like that. What do you find? Is it possible to stay committed to our training, whether it's strengths, whether it's yoga, online as much as in person, what has been your personal experience or helping your clients with that? Yeah, my online clients have been they've gone really well with their training. I don't train a lot of people at the moment, but I'm looking to open that up. But I have clients who are used to train face to face, who have moved away or just through their lifestyle, they can't commit to specific times of training, so they've been going really well with the accountability of having to check in I am, I sort of control the training volume and and load that they lift every week, so that's the amount of weight that they're lifting and their repetitions. And I sort of look at what they've done one week. Okay, let's see what we're going to do the next based on their goals and how they're feeling, or if it's going on holidays or but I have the sort of they need to be accountable, and I've sort of enforced that through they have to video part of their training so that I can actually see what they're doing. So for them, it's really important that I check their technique, because, you know, they could be lifting whatever really badly and no point.

But you know, they can't lie. They've got to do it because I've got to see the video. If I don't see it on Messenger. I'm like, hey, what's happening? No training today. I love that. That would work so well with me. I am, you know, I this accountability. You know, we speak a lot about accountability. A lot of people like, Ah, it's not essential, but the public accountability, having an accountability buddy, having a mentor, having a teacher. I think this accountability really, really helps. So I love that you're offering this in your online training as much as in person. That's wonderful. Yeah, I think they try. I know for me, when I've had coaches myself, if you know someone's watching, and even at the gym, you know, that's the horrible commercial gym that I've been going to when have trained there.

If I think people are watching, I'll show off a little bit. I'll put in that little bit of extra effort or make sure my technique is absolutely perfect. If it was just in my garage, just do it and we get it done. No, no, no, you know. So my clients, like Ricky's going to see it, it has to be perfect. Put in the extra effort and, you know, make it look easy. So, you know, whatever works. I love it. I love it. I love it. So much. Is there anything that I haven't asked you a question about that you'd like to share with our listener before I move to the fire question?

I think that COVID a lot we have, was a nice conversation we have. So I. Have the fire question now, which you may know about. So intuition is a superpower.

I like it, yet we all have it. So it's better everyone harnessing your intuition now, strategy is essential.

It is business is freedom. Oh, I like that, and you're really embodying that. I love how you mentioned that you're traveling to your clients and all the things that you've created for yourself. Something I wish I knew sooner is it's okay to say no, yes, it's a permission to say no. We all need that. Something I want to share with everyone is it's never too late to start something new.

Yeah? Training business. Yeah.

Yeah, if anyone, after listening to this, is going to the World Championship of any sport, let us know if that inspired you. Because it definitely inspired me. I always thought that I would become an elite athlete, because I did very well at Horse Riding when I was younger, and then at skiing, and I always saw that I would but, you know, was in France, so maybe a lot of competition, I don't know, but I never made it when I was younger. And the other day, when we were watching the Olympics in Paris with my husband, was like, you know, it's, it's never too late. And I repeat that all the time in business, yet in sport, it's as if my younger self could have been an elite athlete, but I cannot now. But why not? You know? Why not? Let's pick something. It's just a different level of competition. Yeah, it's so interesting competing Masters category. I love it. Oh my gosh. You have been so inspirational today. Thank you so much, Ricky. For anyone who is listening to this and wants to connect with you, want to learn more about you, want to potentially train with you. Where can they connect?

Probably the easiest place at the moment is through Instagram. So at strength for you, I'll just speak all my name Ricky Flanders, and you'll find me. My website's having a little bit of work at the moment, so depending on when this podcast launches, it may or may not be up, but Instagram, I'm there, yes, and you'll have the link on your Instagram bio. Thank you so much, Ricky, for coming. We'll put your Instagram link in the show notes. Thank you for being such an amazing human. It's been such a pleasure witnessing you being part of the circle for a year, witnessing you grow and flourish and helping everyone. You're such a like, such a vibrant rage, and it's such a joy to see you every time and discuss with you. So thank you so much for today. Thank you, Laetitia, it's been really fun. You.