The power of showing up: Career lessons from the gym floor

A few years ago, I committed to getting serious in the gym, which eventually led me into competitive powerlifting. I competed twice and even managed to step onto the podium in one of those meets. It was a proud moment, but what mattered more than medals or numbers was what the process taught me.

Those lessons continue to shape how I approach recruitment today.

After powerlifting, I could have stayed comfortable doing what I knew. Instead, I decided to try something completely different and took up Muay Thai. Overnight, I went from feeling strong and confident under a barbell to being a complete beginner again. My conditioning felt off, my technique was lacking and everything felt unfamiliar. It was humbling.

For over a year, I showed up, trained consistently and slowly improved. Progress wasn’t immediate, but persistence paid off. That experience reinforced something important: growth often requires the willingness to start again and stay patient long enough to improve.

Around the same time, my professional career followed a similar path. Three years ago, I made a major shift in recruitment, moving from an industrial recruitment background into the IT and technology space. Once again, I was a beginner. I had to learn a completely new industry. New terminology, new skillsets, new client priorities and candidate motivations in a totally different market.

Just like starting Muay Thai, it felt uncomfortable at first. But the same principle applied: learn consistently, stay curious, and trust that competence comes with time and repetition.

After a year in Muay Thai, I shifted focus again and hired a bodybuilding coach to bring more structure to my gym training. That decision changed everything. Previously, I trained hard, but not always with direction. With a coach, every session had purpose, structured programming, clear progression, accountability and long-term goals. Progress was measured and adjusted along the way.

The parallels with recruitment became clear. Even with a focused mindset, activity alone doesn’t build long-term success. Structure does: having a consistent model for engaging candidates, discovering what motivates them, prepping them to perform at their best, supporting them through each step and offering guidance through the decision-making process. The relationships I build go well beyond making placements.

People remember how you make them feel. Both clients and candidates appreciate honesty, preparation and support, especially during what can be stressful moments on both sides of the hiring process… interviews, salary negotiations, leaving conversations, onboarding… we’ve all been there at some point in our careers.

In the gym, motivation isn’t always there. Some sessions feel heavy and slow, but showing up anyway is what creates results. Recruitment is similar. Not every conversation leads to an opportunity. Role requirements change, candidates withdraw and plans shift.

Then there’s pushing beyond comfort. In training, progress often happens in those final reps when everything tells you to stop. In recruitment, growth happens when you lean into difficult conversations, give honest feedback, or have tough discussions.

Finally, grit ties everything together. My journey has involved starting from scratch more than once: from powerlifting to Muay Thai; from industrial into technology recruitment; and now refining my training again with a coach. Each phase required patience and resilience.
Recruitment and careers follow the same pattern. Not every placement works out and not every project runs smoothly. For me, success as a consultant comes from continuing to show up, learning from experience and steadily improving at helping people move forward in their careers.

Looking back on the past year, the biggest lesson from fitness training hasn’t been about how I look. It’s been about discipline, structure, perseverance and having the courage to reset when needed.

I’m now one year into my bodybuilding journey. During that time, I’ve moved through a calorie surplus to build muscle and a deep calorie deficit to strip back fat and reveal the work underneath. I lost 10 kilos in that cutting phase.

What people don’t see is how tough a deficit can be, the hunger, the fatigue, the mental battle when you’re tired and want to quit but still show up and give your all. That phase tested me the most.

Now, I’m building again  with the same focus and intent. For me, this journey has been less about the physical change and more about proving to myself that I can stay consistent, even when it’s hard. Whether in the gym or in my professional life, real progress comes from committing to the process, supporting people consistently and trusting that long-term effort eventually delivers meaningful results.