Reggie Bradshaw of Rize Fitness On 5 Things You Need To Create A Highly Successful Career In The Health and Wellness Industry

The global health and wellness market is worth more than 1.5 trillion dollars. So many people are looking to improve their physical, mental, and emotional wellness. At the same time, so many people are needed to help provide these services. What does it take to create a highly successful career in the health and wellness industry?

In this interview series called “5 Things You Need To Create A Highly Successful Career In The Health and Wellness Industry” we are talking to health and wellness professionals who can share insights and stories from their experiences. In this particular interview, we had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Reggie Bradshaw.

Reggie Bradshaw is an Elite Strength Coach/Master Trainer based out of Vancouver, British Columbia. As a former professional athlete himself (and a 2008 CFL draft pick), he made the decision to focus his efforts on personal training and building the Rize Fitness brand — today, Reggie is one of the most sought after personal trainers in the lower mainland. With his extensive knowledge and passion for health and fitness, Reggie has developed a training system that has attracted a clientele that ranges from professional athletes, to the stars of everyone’s favorite TV shows and movies.

Reggie invests his time in making sure that his clients have the best of what he has to offer by constantly upgrading his certifications, ensuring that he has the most effective skill set to get whoever he is training in the best shape as fast and as safely as possible.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive in, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your ‘backstory’ and how you grew up?

My parents immigrated to Canada from Jamaica, and I was the first in my family born here. I grew up playing almost every sport I could, but martial arts and football became my world. Football earned me a full-ride Division 1 scholarship and gave me some of the best years of my life. Near the end of my college career, though, a string of injuries forced me to face a different path than the one I had planned.

Even while I was playing, I was never just going through the motions. I was always the guy in the weight room asking why. Why this lift? Why this progression? What are we actually trying to improve? That curiosity stayed with me long after the final whistle.

After football, I started working with high school teams, then moved downtown to coach at a large corporate gym. It didn’t take long to realize that that model was not built for real results. I stepped out on my own and ran my business independently for five years before opening Rize Fitness. Today, Rize is a brick-and-mortar facility that brings serious coaching and science-backed clinical care together in one place, built for people who want more than a membership.

Was there a particular person or event that inspired you to live a wellness-focused lifestyle? Can you tell us about your main motivation to go all in?

If I’m honest, it started with my parents. They were always moving, always active, always taking care of themselves. Fitness was never something they preached. It was just how they lived. My brothers and I grew up around that energy, encouraged to go into sports, encouraged to compete, expected to give our best. Staying active was normal.

Back then, my motivation was simple. I wanted to compete at the highest level possible. My focus was not on aesthetics or social media. It was about performance. It was about earning a starting spot, getting stronger, getting faster, proving I belonged. I trained because I had a goal. The fact that I genuinely loved the grind was something I only realized later.

Most people with a well-being-centred lifestyle have a “go-to” activity, exercise, beverage, or food that is part of their routine. What is yours and can you tell us how it helps you?

I don’t really have one ritual I run to every time. It depends on the day and what I need.

Some days I need to unplug. When that happens, I train my dog. I go to the range. I jump into the sim rig and race for a while. Those moments slow my mind down. They pull me out of whatever pressure I am carrying.

What I do have are anchors. Strength training at least three times a week. A real breakfast every single morning. No skipping. No negotiating. Those two habits ground me. They remind me who I am and what I stand for. When I keep those promises to myself, everything else feels more manageable.

At the end of the day, I am still human. I still have stress. I still get tired. I still have off days. I just know that if I protect the basics, I can handle the rest.

To live a wellness-focused life is one thing, but how did it become your career? How did it all start?

Because of sports, fitness was always around me. It was part of my routine, part of my identity. But I never pictured it turning into this.

For a long time, I thought I would become a strength and conditioning coach for a Division 1 program. I imagined being on the sidelines, building athletes, chasing championships, staying close to that world.

But over time, something shifted. I found myself more drawn to the one-on-one conversations. The quiet work behind the scenes. Helping someone rebuild after an injury. Watching their confidence come back as their strength returned. Seeing what happens when a plan is built around the individual, not handed down to a group.

That is when I realized I did not just want to coach teams. I wanted to work closely with people. To understand their setbacks, their goals, their fears, and then build something specific to them. That felt more meaningful.

Can you share a story about the biggest challenges you faced when you were first starting? How did you resolve that? What are the main lessons or takeaways from that story?

Honestly, I was shy. It sounds strange now, given what I do for a living, but back then I kept to myself.

It did not change overnight. It changed through repetition. Conversation after conversation. Set after set. People would ask questions about their program, their form, their progress. I realized they actually cared about what I had to say. The more I spoke, the more confident I became.

Walking into a gym where you know no one is humbling. You are learning how to coach while also finding your voice, building your confidence, and having the courage to put yourself out there. That part was uncomfortable at first. The biggest lesson I learned was that coaching comes down to relationships and trust.

So I made it simple. I decided I would talk to every person in the gym. I would learn every name. I started offering what I called micro sessions, twenty minutes of focused coaching and education based on whatever they were training that day. No pressure. Just value.

And even on the slow days, I carried myself like I was already busy. I treated the floor like it was mine.

Within three months, I was the busiest coach in the gym.

Can you share with us how the work you are doing is helping to make a bigger impact in the world? Can you share a story that illustrates that?

I do not wake up thinking about global impact. I think about the person walking through our doors that day.

The real impact starts there. When someone lowers their blood pressure without medication. When a client who was prediabetic improves their markers and avoids that diagnosis. When someone in chronic pain starts moving again without fear. Those changes do not trend online, but they change families. They change confidence. They change the way someone shows up at work, at home, and in their community.

I have seen clients reverse years of neglect simply because they finally had structure, accountability, and a plan built around them. I have watched people go from feeling embarrassed to step into a gym to becoming the strongest they have ever been in their 40s or 50s. That matters. When someone takes control of their health, the ripple effect is bigger than they realize.

The impact is local right now because we can only serve so many people inside one facility. But the model we are building, integrating performance training with clinical insight and measurable data, is designed to go beyond one location. My goal is to scale a system that prioritizes real outcomes, not trends.

If we can help more people build strength, improve metabolic health, and extend their quality of life, that is the bigger impact. Health is leverage. When people feel strong and capable, everything else in their life improves.

What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now? How do you think that might help people?

A lot of what I’m focused on right now is the longevity space-especially peptides. I’m currently consulting with larger clinics in the U.S., and I’ve been deep in this world for a long time.

One of my mentors told me back in 2011 that peptides were the future and that I needed to learn as much as I could. As access improves and standards get stronger around safety and testing, I think we’ll see major opportunities in longevity, recovery, and performance optimization.

You are a successful leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?

Adaptability. Problems happen constantly-big and small. You have to be able to pivot. What worked last year might not work this year.

Stress tolerance. Growing up, my parents had a plaque on our bookshelf: “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” When something comes up, I ask: What’s the issue? Can I do something about it? If yes, I map it out. If no, I let it go. The real skill is knowing the difference.

Empathy. As a coach, you’re basically a part-time therapist. As a business owner, it’s the same. You’re dealing with different personalities, different stress levels, and not everyone is having their best day. Managing people is one of the hardest parts of the job-it takes empathy and patience.

OK, thank you for all of that. Let’s now shift to the main focus of our interview. Let’s begin with a basic definition of terms so that all of us are on the same page. Wellness is an incredibly broad topic. How would you define the term “Wellness”? Can you explain what you mean?

Wellness means different things to different people. To me, wellness is an overall state of health and quality of life that comes from actively caring for your body, mind, and habits-so you feel well, function well, and can handle day-to-day stress.

For someone else, it might be eating healthy, training, work-life balance, sauna and cold plunges. The specifics vary, but the goal is the same: you’re building a life where your health supports everything else.

As an expert, this might be intuitive to you, but it will be instructive to expressly articulate this. Can you please share a few reasons with our readers about why focusing on our wellness should be a priority in our lives?

Because every year you wait, it gets harder.

That doesn’t mean you can’t transform your health later in life. You can. But biology does not negotiate. After 30, we start to see measurable hormonal shifts. Muscle mass slowly declines. Recovery takes longer. Insulin sensitivity can decrease. These changes are gradual, but over ten or twenty years, they compound.

The earlier you build strength, improve your cardiovascular fitness, and establish solid nutrition habits, the more margin you create for the future. Building muscle at 35 is easier than trying to rebuild it at 55. Improving your metabolic health now reduces your risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and mobility issues later.

Most people think about wellness in terms of appearance. What matters more is capacity. Can you carry your own body weight? Can you get up off the floor without pain? Can you handle stress without your health collapsing? Those abilities are earned over time.

Healthy habits are an investment. You are either building resilience now or paying for neglect later. The regret I hear most often is not from people who started and struggled. It is from people who waited and wish they hadn’t.

Ok super. Here is the main question of our interview. What are your “5 Things You Need To Create A Highly Successful Career In The Health and Wellness Industry”? If you can, please share a story or an example for each.

1) Networking. You have to be able to meet people, connect, and build real relationships. I built a strong referral network in the film industry, and now about 95% of my film clients come from word of mouth.

2) Discipline. You have to practice what you preach. You don’t need to look like you’re stepping on a bodybuilding stage, but you should have evidence that you’ve lived it-at some point-and that you’re proficient in your niche. When I worked in a commercial gym, people wanted to train with me because of how I looked, how I trained, and what I stood for.

3) Determination. You need the hunger to be the best and do what it takes to get there. Early on, I spent most of my time studying, taking courses, and investing in mentorships so I could deliver a truly high-quality service.

4) Being a team player. You have to set ego aside and collaborate. The best outcomes come from teams-especially in an integrated model where training and clinical care work together. “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”

5) Grit. This industry has ups and downs-busy seasons and slow seasons. You have to plan, stay organized, and not quit when it gets hard. In January 2014, I left the comfort of a corporate gym and was only training 7–10 sessions per week. I stayed committed, kept learning, and kept networking. By September, that became 7–10 sessions per day. I haven’t looked back since.

You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would promote the most wellness to the greatest amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

I’d push for more people to become advocates for their own health.

If you care about longevity, performance, and aging well, you can’t afford to be passive. The current medical system is largely reactive. It steps in once something has gone wrong. Preventative and performance-focused care still requires initiative from the individual.

Change is happening, but slowly. In the meantime, people need to stay informed. Learn about strength training and why muscle mass matters as you age. Understand nutrition beyond surface-level trends. Look into supplementation with discernment. Pay attention to emerging areas like peptides, regenerative therapies, and other tools being studied in longevity medicine.

You don’t have to try everything. You do need to understand your options.

When you educate yourself, you ask better questions. You seek better guidance. You make decisions from a place of clarity instead of fear. Your health is your responsibility, and the more informed you are, the more control you have over your future.

We are blessed that some very prominent names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them.

Laura Deming.

I think she has a strong grasp on the anti-aging space, and I’d love to talk about how strength training can play a bigger role in counteracting age-related decline. In my opinion, a facility like Rize-integrated fitness plus longevity-focused medicine (hormones, peptide therapy, recovery)-could be a major leap forward.

How can our readers further follow your work online?

You can follow me on Instagram at @reggiebradshaw_
and the business at @wearerizefitness

You can also learn more about Rize Fitness here: https://rizefitness.ca/

This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for the time you spent with this. We wish you continued success and good health!