Washing some great windows

One of my wisest mentors used to say … “you always have to be willing to wash windows”.

What he meant is that you should never feel like something is outside your realm of responsibility around an office, and you should always be willing to pitch in wherever needed.

Ladies and gentlemen, while I’m not technically washing windows, I’m putting some time in helping out at a new office and not in a communications or writing role.

It’s not just any office.  It’s THE office in San Francisco to me.

After my CXWORX training last weekend, I received an email from my trainer, who offered me the opportunity to contribute some part-time contract hours to support the instructor services team at the Les Mills West Coast office (which, of course, is the company that puts out both the CXWORX program I trained in and the BODYPUMP program I already teach).  I instantly accepted and worked three days this week.

So far I’ve learned quite a bit about the inner-workings of Les Mills, including how the company operates, how the licensed group fitness model contributes new revenue streams to a gym, as well as how a casual workplace in the City makes a great place to spend your days.

The Les Mills West Coast office manages more than 4,000 active group fitness instructors across several states and supports the programming that comes out of the company’s international headquarters in Auckland, New Zealand.

Where did the name Les Mills come from?

Les Mills is a actually a someone.  He was an Olympian from New Zealand, who along with his wife, started a fight against obesity in his home country by opening gyms, which eventually grew into group fitness programs.  Throughout the years, the company has grown from its humble beginnings to now include 14,000 clubs in 80 countries.  That’s a lot of group fitness allover the world.

I’ve been a passionate tribe member and group fitness teacher for more than three-and-a-half years, and the opportunity to experience a Les Mills operational hub is pretty cool.

While my full-time job hunt will certainly continue, I’m going to soak up every bit of Les Mills I possibly can while I contribute to a great brand … one that is focused on a truly global goal.