Sidney officially started maternity leave.
So that had me thinking, what is the most important lesson we can learn from Sidney?
Is it her intense lower body day workouts? Nope.
Is it how she stays lean despite having chicken nuggets as a staple in her diet? Nope.
Is it how she’s in bed by 6:30PM to make sure she’s getting quality sleep? Nope, not that either…
She has been at Pratt Personal Training for about six years.
Even as an intern, she had a strong grasp of exercise and didn’t get overwhelmed by our system—especially impressive considering, at the time, it was far less organized than it is today.
Like every intern, we quickly identified what she’d need to improve to excel here.
What separated Sidney was how quickly she would adjust—even when the changes were far from second nature.
Early on, she was quiet… which earned her the (laughable) nickname: Psycho Sid.
Back then, we ran athlete sessions.
In the first 20 minutes, we’d have up to 24 athletes training speed, agility, and explosive movements.
Psycho Sid didn’t quite have the lungs for it on day one—which was extremely common.
A week later I walked out to see her standing on a bench violently yelling instructions with sharp pointing, orchestrating a perfect change of direction session with 20+ high school athletes.
And then, in a short period of time, she turned into a fan favorite for all.
She learned how to communicate comfortably with all types of members.
She was naturally kind and empathetic, but she also had a no-nonsense, “we’re doing this” gear she could shift into at exactly the right moments—especially with the members who responded best to it.
“Hate me now, love me later” became her slogan.
She was one of those rare trainers who could keep things fun… and still get you to work.
And as impressive as she was on the floor, it became equally clear that she was incredibly organized and efficient behind the scenes. For years she split time between coaching and office work—an extremely rare combination to be great at both.
She learned quickly, adapted often, and consistently improved.
When we first talked about her becoming a manager, we both agreed it wouldn’t be second nature. But she has a unique ability to see her own weaknesses, turn them into strengths, and hold herself accountable. So it was obvious she’d be able to help the rest of the team do the same.
She pushed trainers outside of their comfort zones, expected more of them than they expected of themselves, and—just like with members—she was willing to be disliked in the moment if she knew it was ultimately for the greater good.
All that being said, here’s the lesson.
I’d go out on a limb and say Sidney wasn’t a “born natural” for the roles she’s excelled in at PPT.
She likes to knit, work on her house, and besides making TikToks… she makes you think she’d be perfectly suited to exist in the 1800s.
And a lot of you feel the same way about exercise and nutrition.
Maybe it wasn’t a priority in your family growing up.
Maybe it didn’t become an issue until later in life.
Maybe your habits are so ingrained that change feels overwhelming.
But I promise you: you can change—and the slower and more subtle, the better.
Psycho Sid didn’t become an expert trainer and manager overnight. It took years of small tweaks, slight increases in expectation, trial and error, and stacking wins until they became normal.
So here’s the question:
Six years from now… how much can you change for the better?
– James Pratt