Today we’d like to introduce you to Joe Averett.
Hi Joe, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for sharing your story with us – to start, maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers.
Growing up, I was heavily involved in sports. Throughout many years of dedication, I suffered from a series of injuries that eventually redirected my focus from being an athlete to training athletes. This led me to pursue coursework in exercise science and a career in physical health. Along the way, I strayed from the path and ended up in the hospital 16 times in 22 months from alcohol-related issues. Eventually, I found myself in rehab. It was the summer of 2018, and my alcoholism and lack of health left me checking into a facility at 6’2” and a seriously underweight 154 lbs. Pavillion, the holistic treatment center where I spent the next 6 weeks, believes in an all-angle approach that radically changed how I viewed health. We did daily morning yoga, were bussed to a commercial gym throughout the week, and were highly encouraged to hike and spend time in nature. While physical fitness was conceptually an already important part of my being, the role it played in getting me sober (and staying sober) was so drastic that I wanted to give this gift back to others in my community. I found that for many of my peers in recovery, the focus was primarily on healing the brain, and they were missing out on the other pillars of health. By combining my strength training profession and my recovery experience, I could show others how impactful movement can be, not just for your sobriety and recovery but for your overall mental and emotional well-being. In January 2020, I officially opened Averett Academy to exceed the expectations of a typical personal strength training studio and cater to the recovery community by creating a safe place where trainers and fellow clients understand each other and are focused on wellness beyond physical fitness. Our daily mission is to encourage a lifestyle where mental and emotional health also takes priority.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I started Averett Academy just 2.5 months before the world shut down. Since it was just me initially, and I had minimal overhead, the lockdown gave me time to strategize how to serve my clients best, especially as the pandemic was changing their daily realities. As with any new small business, it was a very slow build. The value that Averett Academy offers is truly experiential, so once I got my first few clients rolling, they could share their own success and wins leading the business to scale at a natural and celebratory pace. We proudly rely on word of mouth and referrals to continue building our community. Since then, it has been smooth. Every service-based business experiences seasonal cycles and fluctuations, so even the bumps in the road are predictable. Early in my business, the primary challenges were stretching every dollar to get the equipment my clients needed and brainstorming how I could get the word out so people knew we existed. The hurdles look slightly different as we’ve scaled up and grown. With the growth, my wife Kasey has played an enormous and essential role in helping me with the admin/BTS work and letting me borrow her behavioral science expertise to elevate my ability to communicate, understand, and deliver a training experience ideally suited to each client.
Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about Averett Academy?
I started Averett Academy as a personal trainer operating out of my apartment gym. Quickly after, I was able to build up a garage studio with equipment I knew would better serve my clients and their goals. At the beginning of this year (early 2023), I moved Averett Academy into our current 1400 sq ft facility in South Mount Pleasant. Over the past three years, we have grown in facility size and added a new trainer, Anna, who brought a new set of skills, enthusiasm, and a unique perspective to Averett Academy. Even with all of that growth, our core services remain the same. Strength and physical fitness training is the foundation of what we do at Averett Academy. We emphasize the connection between physical and mental health and encourage our clients to channel their emotions through movement, but at the end of the day, our primary goal is to help our clients reach their strength and fitness goals. While our services are available to anyone looking to improve their strength and overall physical fitness, roughly half of our clientele comes from the recovery community, which we’re very proud of. Our clients initially come to us with a specific fitness goal in mind. Still, they stay with us because of the intense positive impact training here has had not just on their physical health but on their sobriety, mental, emotional, and social health, too.
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
First and foremost, my late father, who just passed away in October, was a highly successful businessman and an even better father. He helped raise and educate me on not only how to work hard to realize your dreams but also how to work hard to be the best version of yourself for those around you. In addition, I could spend a whole day listing all of the reasons I am grateful for my mother. But as it pertains to my work here at Averett Academy, my mother’s compassion, understanding, and empathy heavily play into how I conduct myself as a trainer and someone my clients can trust with their wellbeing. Finally, my wife, Kasey, is a valued member of Averett Academy and an inspiration in everything I do.
Pricing:
- 80 / hour 1-on-1 training
- 25 / per person small group fitness
- 120 / hour partner training
- Virtual programming 100 / month
Contact Info:
- Website: Averettacademy.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/joe.l.averett?igshid=MzMyNGUyNmU2YQ==
