More than a Trainer

I believe Personal Trainers are called to be "more" than just trainers. I believe we should be. The good ones, and I mean the really good ones - the exceptional trainers - will not only provide a workout but an EXPERIENCE every session. Sure my job calls me to provide good training programs, but what makes a great trainer is the one who can step up when the time is needed, and is the type of trainer I aspire to be... let me explain.
Week in, week out, Monday through Saturday, from early mornings until late nights I work with clients. But they're more than just clients, they're people. Some only train once a week, while others three to five days a week that I'm spending significant time with. And you better believe they get my full, wholehearted attention whether its 30,60,or 90 minutes; I'm right there in the trenches with them - coaching them, motivating them, pushing them... and sometimes just there to listen.
I was challenged just yesterday to be "more than a trainer". Before a training session a dear client came in kind of passively for her workout. As I approached her and asked how she was? how her weekend went? and if she was ready to get her sweat on? She confided in me that her and her family had just discovered that her mother was diagnosed with a very serious and fatal illness. My heart sunk. "Do you even want to workout today?" I asked. Holding back tears she calmly said "yes, I need this. I need to just workout and take my mind away from it and feel back to normal." And that's just what we did. I didn't mention it again, or ask questions about her mother's condition. This was her hour for herself, to work on her physic, her health, and clear her mind of pain and troubles...even if for just 60 minutes.
Finishing the workout, she thanked me and told me it was exactly what she needed. She felt better and was ready to go back outside the studio and face the realities ahead.
It's not always easy, and I'm not always the best at recognizing it. But I want to make a difference in my client's lives, in people's lives and know that those are the moments I'm asked to be more than a trainer. Not that I have to be a therapist or analyze and give profound advice; but rather to be there to listen, offer support, and give them precious time to focus on and achieve something positive in their lives.