For ConFITdent men, a career is simply an extension of your meaning in life — you do what you love, and you love what you do. Aspiring to do great things, impacting others, and having fun is all in a day’s work.

In this article, ConFITdent had the opportunity to pick the brains of some amazing fitness experts to learn more about their careers and how they worked to where they are today: what inspired them; what motivates them; and what they plan for the future. As a fitness coach myself, it’s motivational to learn from people who’ve done what you hope to achieve. And while they may disagree on exercises and training philosophies, what unifies them all is their passion and tenacity.

What, initially, drove you to become so fitness minded?

Marc Perry

My interest in fitness began with a passion for sports. Growing up I would be happy playing just about any sport all day long. I loved the competitiveness and the movement. From as young as 8 years old, I also remember having a keen interest in physique transformation, in particular getting a strong, muscular physique. I think this desire was so strong because I was very skinny and also because a muscular physique reflected my own perception of what it was to be a man.

Rob Sulaver

The love of sport, the smell of iron, and feeling absolutely compelled to buy shirts that are a little bit too tight.

Adam Copeland

It was a 50/50 split between appealing to women and improving my athletic performance. Fortunately I experienced positive results in both arenas and I was hooked.

Sean Hyson

I was a weak, unathletic kid with no self-confidence. So, naturally, I admired strong, heroic people, whether in movies, sports, or any place else. I got into martial arts and then gravitated to lifting weights and I got hooked. It made me feel better about myself, and I saw the carryover that being in shape had to other areas of life. I became more and more interested in how I could improve myself in every area—strength, health, conditioning, etc.—and that led to an overall quest for personal growth and self-improvement.

What made you want to make a career out of health and fitness?

Marc Perry

The simple answer is I thought a health and fitness career was something I could do the rest of my life. It was my purpose to help inspire others to improve their health and well-being. Fitness is a very important passion of mine that I enjoy learning more about and teaching it to others.

Rob Sulaver

I truly believe that we, as an industry, have the potential to change the world. Who wouldn’t want to be a part of that?

Adam Copeland

There is no way to say this without sounding cliche, but after changing my own life through health and fitness I wanted to do the same for others. Also, getting to see how a high level facility like Peak Performance (where I got my start) goes about helping people, made it crystal clear to me.

Sean Hyson

I had long been an avid reader of fitness magazines and when I got the opportunity to work at one, I seized it. I knew I wanted to write about this lifestyle and pass on the good information I had picked up while warning people about the bad ideas that just waste time.

What continues to motivate you after already becoming successful?

Marc Perry

I think I still have a LONG way to go build the company I envision, but the success I’ve experienced so far has most to do with (1) focusing my energies on helping others and adding value to their lives and (2) working very, very hard. I think the pursuit of perfection and making a big difference in the lives of others motivates me every day. I love being a part of creating things that are exceptional and that can help others.

Rob Sulaver

More success. Mounds and mounds of success. Scarface levels of success.

Adam Copeland

Consistently hanging around some of the top fitness minds at Peak Performance not only keeps me humble, but it also drives me to be better. I never like to be the smartest or the strongest person in the room and that has instilled an insatiable desire to learn and grow as a trainer, coach, and person.

Sean Hyson

I don’t see myself as especially successful and I probably never will no matter what. A big part of the fitness mentality is staying hungry—striving for more improvement all the time. This isn’t to say you shouldn’t take a moment to congratulate yourself and be proud, but you can always be in better shape and push your limits. The more you do, the more you learn about yourself and the process of making improvements. That helps you help other people more.

What’s next for you? Any surprising long term career goals or more of the same?

Marc Perry

I see myself focusing most of my time on the BuiltLean brand in the long term. I would love to create a product/service that is enjoyed my millions of people and spend more time in the non-profit world, leveraging the business I’ve built to also help those in need.

Rob Sulaver

I’d love to be knighted someday. Is that possible?

Adam Copeland

I am currently in the process of establishing my own training and coaching business. It is an exciting and rewarding process, but one that is time consuming. I am also pursuing a major in kinesiology, and a minor in nutrition from Penn State University. Unlike high school I am enjoying my time in the classroom.

Down the road I would love to have my own facility, but most of all I want to help as many people as possible improve the quality of their lives through health and fitness.

Sean Hyson

I’d like my website, seanhyson.com, to be a major destination on the Web for ordinary people who are interested in making extraordinary progress. I consistently grapple with all the problems that everyone else faces—lack of time to train, poor training atmosphere in commercial gyms, lack of good equipment, injuries, confusion about nutrition and exercise programming, and so on. I’ve been there and I’ll always be there. I want to tell people what I’ve learned and am learning and find out what they’re learning.

What career highlight are you the most proud of?

Marc Perry

I’m most proud of the several emails and comments a day I get from people around the world who thank me for all the articles I’ve written and videos I’ve produced on BuiltLean.com. I’ve put a tremendous amount of time and energy into my website, so it feels great to get positive feedback and to see that people are benefiting from the information I’ve created…and doing Q&A’s for Men’s Fitness is definitely up there as well!

Rob Sulaver

Yesterday I front squatted 275lbs – ass to heel. I’m still glowing.

Adam Copeland

• Training NBA All-Star Roy Hibbert the summer before he became and NBA All-Star
• The first time I was asked for my advice by a stranger
• When a fighter I train won gold in a recent jiu-jitsu competition
• Being appointed head of the Exercise is Medicine initiative at Penn State University
• Losing 20 pounds last summer
• Deadlifting 473 pounds

Sean Hyson

I transformed my physique in three months with a lot of hard training and dieting and wrote a feature about it for Men’s Fitness. I’ve hit some milestone numbers in the gym and done my best to defy my genetics. I’ve gotten a lot of great feedback from readers, so I know I’ve helped people improve their lives, and that is immensely satisfying.