Jonathan Stern: A Breath of Fresh Air in the Space of Performance Coaching
Jonathan Stern’s journey through athletics, burnout, and rediscovery has shaped his unique approach to performance coaching through his business Mind Body Revamp. As a Certified Personal Trainer, Sport Psychology Graduate, and multi-sport competitor, Stern doesn’t just focus on workouts and nutrition; he delves into the mental skills and self-awareness crucial for sustainable progress.
Stern’s passion for fitness and peak performance ignited early in his life. He then ran competitively year-round for eight years in high school and college. However, the arduous 90-mile/13-hour weeks of training, performance pressure, perfectionism (an eventual research interest of his), and a shift in priorities eventually led to burnout by the end of his college years in 2018.
Getting Through Burnout
For those who may not know, people experience symptoms of burnout and overtraining syndrome in three fundamental ways: Physical and mental exhaustion, devaluation of the task at hand, and a reduced sense of accomplishment. It’s the latter two that are usually most difficult to overcome.
Recovering from burnout for the next 18 months sparked a journey of self-discovery and academic pursuit. During this period of perpetual confusion, he experimented with different training methods like P90X and SEALFIT. Reaching out to his then-community in Tallahassee, Florida led him to embrace obstacle racing and CrossFit along with his long-standing passion for running.
Seeking to understand the psychological aspects of athletic performance, Stern pursued a Master’s degree in sports psychology at Florida State University, graduating in 2021. Through therapy and community support, he rekindled his love for training and developed effective coping strategies for managing life’s demands. This transformation not only reignited his own athletic pursuits but also inspired him to help others navigate similar challenges.
“The more I suffered through this, the more I realized I was not alone,” Stern recalls. “Through experiences in competitive sports and exposure to fitness industry marketing, it’s so easy to overlook that sport, fitness, health, and performance is a decades-long game. Getting in shape is easy, staying in shape is hard.”
The Mind Body Revamp Way
Stern embodies a unique and holistic coaching philosophy that extends beyond traditional fitness paradigms that aim for quick results and then leave the client to his or her own devices. Rather than imposing rigid and unsustainable physical training and nutrition practices that push for quick results, he tailors his approach to fit clients’ individual needs and lifestyles starting from the ground up.
Stern says, “One of the very biggest struggles I see with my target niche is that they lack self-determination to think for themselves and lead for themselves. This is what gets people in that perpetual cycle of pursuing one quick fix after another that promises them results in 30, 60, or 90 days. Then they get off the program/trainer/gym and have no idea what to do.”
Self-determination Theory suggests that the inner drive to perform and overall well-being are driven by three factors: The autonomy to live by your core values, the (perceived) competence to navigate the tasks at hand, and the relatedness to feel supported in pursuits greater than oneself.
Stern’s major step towards helping clients develop lasting self-determination is building each training program of the 3 Ps: The client’s Purpose, Passions, and Principles. This framework focuses on identifying clients’ primary objectives, driving forces, and how they generally derive meaning in life. Stern facilitates targeted performance outcomes and sustainable lifestyle changes by honing in on the “Three Ps” and the ‘One Thing’ that matters most to each client.
On the physical training side, Stern strongly emphasizes that it takes a minimum of three months of consistent effort and progression to see the body composition and performance improvements they wish to see. He does not only prescribe workouts but also teaches clients the underlying methods so that they can eventually program for themselves on their own once they get their desired results.
Stern’s mental skills program consists of five phases of learning and practice: Self-awareness, self-regulation, habit-building, performance skills, and practical integration. The ultimate goal of mental skills training is for clients to demonstrate resilience, poise, and resourcefulness across situations in their training, performance, and overall life.
On the nutrition side, Stern partners with Registered Dieticians who know how to assess a client’s nutritional profile and fill in necessary gaps. Knowing that every person has different needs, Mind Body Revamp offers itemized packages for any combination of these services at different price points to ensure each member gets the best value.
What’s Next for Jonathan Stern and Mind Body Revamp
Now residing in Houston, Texas, Stern is seeking ways to expand this framework into this metropolis beyond his current part-time role as a personal training school instructor. He is also working with his mentors to learn how to build programs designed to help people overcome physical pain that limits their ability to live fully and do what they love. He is aiming to make such programs and an expanded online platform a part of his offer by the end of the year.
Jonathan Stern’s journey from burnout to lasting empowerment has inspired a coaching approach that transcends traditional boundaries. By integrating physical training, mental skills development, and lifestyle adaptation, he has empowered clients to achieve performance and wellness goals such as running a first half marathon, getting back into a sport they once loved, building noticeable strength, and losing up to 20 unwanted pounds while keeping it off.
With a focus on building a genuine connection and a lasting quality of life, Stern is making a difference in the landscape of performance coaching, one client at a time.
To learn more about Jonathan Stern and Mind Body Revamp, visit the website or connect with him on Instagram.
