Exclusive with the Entrepreneur Who Specialises in Career Coaching, Michael Italiano
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Starting his coaching career in Perth, Western Australia, Michael Italiano now resides in London, UK as a Formula 1 Performance Coach. Specialising in Strength and Conditioning, Michael’s elite-level coaching has risen him to the fitness industry’s forefront. His work ethic and high standards have proven to deliver successful results time and time again. His results have provided him with the opportunity to work with many industry-leading brands and professional athletes worldwide.
Breaking the mould of traditional coaching, Michael focuses on the individual’s overall performance, delivering premium tailored nutrition plans, training programs, and mental coaching. His energetic approach allows individuals to thrive by providing every tool they need to accomplish their goals and improve their performance. With Michael’s wealth of experience and knowledge, he understands what it takes to succeed at the highest level.
For more details, visit their website here.
Here we sit down with Michael to learn more about his journey as an entrepreneur.
Q. Tell us a little more about your journey as an entrepreneur — how did you get started? What inspired you?
Michael: I always wanted to be an entrepreneur, but I didn’t know where to start. It wasn’t until I went through and started a business that I realized how many opportunities there were. The resources and mentors that were available helped me get started on my journey as an entrepreneur and gave me the confidence to go out and make it happen.
I started my journey as an entrepreneur when I was just a kid. My parents were always encouraging me to try new things and experiment with new ideas. They taught me that failure is okay and that if something doesn’t work out, you can always try again.
I’ve always been a creative person, so it came naturally to me to try new things and see how they would turn out. It wasn’t until high school that I decided to start my own business, though — and it was the best decision I’ve ever made!
Q. What are your long-term goals in business? Paint a vision for the future
Michael: In the long term, I want to build a business that is sustainable and will last for generations. I want to create something that is useful and makes people’s lives better in some way.
I envision a company that is known for its quality products, outstanding customer service and ethical practices.
Q. What motivates you?
Michael: I’m most motivated by the opportunity to help people reach their full potential.
I love the idea that we are all capable of greatness and that we can achieve it with a little support. I’m also motivated by the fact that I get to discover new things about myself through my work, and I love to share those discoveries with others.
As a performance coach, my goal is to help people achieve their full potential. I work with people who are already doing a great job — they’re putting in the hours and getting the job done, but they want to be even better. They want to get ahead of their competition, or they just want to make sure they’re not letting themselves down by being less than their best selves.
But how do you do that? How do you really push yourself to be your best self?
The first step is having the right mindset: You have to believe that you can do it. And then if you believe it, you have to act on it! You have to take action in order for those beliefs to become reality. And that’s where I come in as a performance coach. Together we’ll work on building your confidence and helping you develop strategies for building momentum toward your goals.
Q. What business-related book has inspired you the most, or, what is your favourite book?
Michael: I’m a big reader, and I love books that inspire me.
I recently read The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, and it was incredible. It’s one of those books that takes you on a journey and shows you things you didn’t even know existed inside yourself. It’s about the journey of a shepherd boy who sets out to find his treasure — but what he discovers is much more valuable than gold or silver or any other material possession, because it’s about finding your dream.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to travel through life with open eyes and an open heart, because it will make your mind stretch in ways you never expected!
Q. What is the most memorable thing you’ve done since you started your business?
Michael: I use a number of different strategies to optimize my performance or mindset.
One strategy I use is to focus on the details. I find that when I get bogged down in the details, it helps me focus on what’s important, and it allows me to make sure that everything is done correctly. Another strategy I use is to meditate regularly and practice mindfulness. This helps me stay calm and focused under pressure, which can be key in high-performing environments where stress is high.
I also try to maintain a healthy lifestyle by eating healthy foods and exercising regularly — this helps give me more energy throughout the day so that I can stay focused on my work without getting tired easily.
Other strategies include:
1. Listening to music helps me focus and stay calm.
2. Writing down my goals and reviewing them throughout the day.
3. Take breaks every 90 minutes, even if they’re just a few minutes long.
4. Reminding myself that it’s okay if I don’t get everything done today — but it’s not okay if I don’t try!
Q. If you were to write a book about yourself, what would you name it?
Michael: If I were to write a book about myself, it would be called: “The Path Less Traveled.”
I believe that the path you walk on in life is one of the most important things. Not only do you have to be careful of what you do and say, but also of how you walk through life. If you are not careful with your actions, words, and thoughts then what is the point of living? This is why I chose this title because it speaks volumes about my life and how I feel about it.
Q. What is one of the best or most worthwhile investments you’ve ever made?
Michael: I think the best investment I ever made was in finding a mentor.
I’ve always been an entrepreneur, but when I started my first company, I didn’t know what I was doing. I didn’t have a lot of experience and wasn’t sure if my business ideas were going to work. It was a scary time.
Then I met someone who took me under his wing and taught me everything he knew about starting a business. He gave me the confidence to pursue my dreams and showed me how to succeed in business.
It was by far the best investment I ever made because it allowed me to build something amazing without having to learn everything on my own.
Q. Where do you see the future in your niche/industry 3–5 years from now?
Michael: As we move into the future, I see a world where the fitness industry has more tools and technology available to them. We are already seeing this take place with wearable devices that monitor heart rate, sleep quality, calories burned and other health data.
I think the next step will be for these devices to communicate with each other and form a network of sorts where they can pass information back and forth. This would allow one device to share data with another or even multiple devices at once. Also, it would make it easier for users to access their health data without having to go through multiple screens or apps on their smartphones or tablet.
As this technology continues to develop, I see it becoming even more personal and tailored to each individual’s needs. For example, if you are training for an upcoming 10K run, your watch could send data from your heart rate monitor directly to your headphones so that they can start playing music at just the right time during your run based on how fast you are going at any moment in time (i.e., not too fast!). Or perhaps it could tell you when it’s time for a break by sending a vibration alert through your headphones that tells you how much time has passed since.
Q. What is your ‘one-sentence’ piece of advice you’d like to give to someone who wants to become an entrepreneur, coach, or business owner?
Michael: My advice for anyone who wants to become an entrepreneur is to not be scared of failure and learn from it.
The biggest mistake I made was believing that I had to be perfect in everything I did. This belief kept me from making mistakes and learning from them.
Now, I try to fail quickly and fail cheaply so that I can learn as much as possible from each experience. If you’re afraid of making mistakes, then you’re going to make a lot less progress than if you embrace them as part of the journey.
To keep up to date with Michael and his journey, connect with him on Instagram.
