Original article can be viewed at: http://www.panachevue.com/2013/02/panache-people-to-know-john-kent/
Panache People to Know – Kevin Carrier
Kevin Carrier North Pinellas Adventure Boot Camp for Women – Photo: Don Shepherd XOPIXO
Kevin Carrier began his professional fitness career in an unconventional way. He was a stage performer and had to be in peak physical condition at all times. Once John discovered the benefits of health and fitness for himself, he studied to become a Certified Personal Trainer. For many years, he worked one on one with people seeking to get in shape.
But then John saw a Boot Camp from Southern California and liked the format. He quickly realized he could help more women reach their health goals at a fraction of the cost of hiring a personal trainer. John’s Adventure Boot Camp for Women is a convenient way to add a fun-filled hour of activity and movement into your life to achieve your fitness and weight loss goals.
John’s fitness philosophy is unique. He believes exercise should not be what you live for, but the thing that helps you live better. John also understands that you need Boot Camp to be fun, exciting and different every day. If it’s not, it’s just drudgery. At Boot Camp, time moves so fast that BAM! It’s over before you know it.
A 30+-year resident of Tampa Bay, John currently lives in Dunedin, Florida with his wife, three daughters and a son.
Panache: Why did you choose this business or line of work?
John: After owning a personal training service for about 10 years, I discovered the fitness boot camp model out in Southern California in 2007. It provided two key elements to my clients that personal training could not: 1) The boot camp model makes time fly and working out fun! 2) It was affordable – you can come to 5-days of boot camp for the price I used to charge for 1 session of personal training. For me, the added value I was able to give my clients by switching from personal training to boot camp was a no-brainer.
Panache: What is your primary role or duty in your company?
John: There are only 2 employees in my company, me and my wife. So obviously that means that we both wear multiple hats, but my primary duties are Program Design and Fitness and Nutrition coaching for our 100+ monthly campers. My wife handles most of the office administration. We made a very conscious decision to not expand our business and be “Small, but GREAT”.
Panache: What sets you apart from your competition?
John: We live in a world where “instant gratification” is king and marketers have learned to play on that. There are many fitness and weight loss programs that offer “quick fixes and magic bullets”, but just like the get-rich quick schemes that most of us would never fall for, they seldom work in the short-run and almost never work in the long run.
At North Pinellas Adventure Boot Camp for Women, we don’t sell outrageous (and sometimes harmful) programs that promise you’ll “lose 30 lbs. in 30 days while you sleep, eating all of the foods you love and with no exercise needed”. There are many programs out there that will provide quick weight loss, but the results and methods to get there are not sustainable for life (and many times, not healthy).
North Pinellas Adventure Boot Camp for Women – Photo: Don Shepherd XOPIXO
Instead, what we offer is a habit-based nutrition coaching program which teaches you how to develop habits and rituals to help you lose weight and maintain long-term success. We like to focus on what you can do and not on what you can’t do.
But, that’s not all, we also provide expert, science-based fitness instruction so you don’t have to do it alone and so you can be assured that you are doing “purposeful exercise”…not just some random stuff that will never help you reach your goals. Time flies in our fast and fun, never-a-dull-moment, one-hour boot camp. Our boot camp meets outside so you’re not stuck inside all of the time. (Our 9 AM camp does move indoors for the summer due to the heat, but other than that, we are a completely outdoor boot camp and the ladies in our camp love it that way!)
The combination of the habit-based nutrition coaching and our science based exercise program, is our recipe for your long-term success.
This way your weight loss effort is not like the movie Groundhog Day where you’re always starting over with the next new diet, new exercise program, new pills, new gadget, etc.
Panache: What would you be doing now if it weren’t for your business, taking money out of the equation?
John: As shocking as it may sound, I would like to go into the ministry (possibly even as a pastor) and go on missionary trips.
Panache: What do you do for fun?
John: I own my own business and I have 4 children (11 and under), but with all the free time I have besides that…LOL…my wife and I love to travel whenever we get the opportunity and go on little adventures with our family.
Panache: Who or what is most important to you, personally or professionally?
John: God and my family
Panache: A little secret about you that would shock those who don’t know you!
John: I used to have long hair, all the way down to my butt! The only reason I cut it off was because I had a daughter and wanted to shape her influences in a positive way.
Panache: What are your personal and professional mottos?
John: “Just because you’re paranoid does not mean they’re not out to get you.” (I’m totally kidding here and couldn’t resist…LOL!)
Panache: When you were five, what was your dream to be when you grew up?
John: A rock star – I’m still working on it 🙂
Panache: Have you achieved all or most of your dreams thus far?
John: Yes and no. One dream that I had from a very young age was to be an entrepreneur. I have achieved my dream of owning my own business for almost 15 years now, but I will never be able to say I have achieved ALL of my dreams because when I do achieve a dream, I then make new goals and dreams. And, sometimes in life, you realize that your dreams change just like you do. I believe in growth at all times.