The PT Body Shop

Tracey Tully took a potentially deadly situation and turned it into her dream job. Tracey had been the fitness manager at Good Life in Sarnia, but in 2019 was diagnosed with lung cancer. Following surgery to remove the second lobe of her lung, Tracey's doctor advised her not to rejoin a large gym where, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, she could be putting herself in harm's way. "I had to make the decision to start working from home. My partner and I have a three-car garage and we decided to renovate it and turn it into a gym," Tracey says. 

Tracey's partner, Patrick Marshall, also worked in fitness so the two decided to make the leap together. "As every trainer will admit, the goal is to start at a big box gym and eventually open your own gym. Over the past few decades, I have had clients suggest I open my own gym, and when this happened with Tracey I decided to join her and open PT Body Shop," Patrick explains.

Having both left large gyms, neither Tracey nor Patrick could bring previous clients with them. "We got very lucky with word of mouth and once people found out we were on our own, within 10 days I had a full client roster with a waiting list," Patrick says, "It was a smooth transition — way easier than I thought it would be."

Tracey and Patrick provide one-on-one personal training sessions with their clients with a focus on reducing pain, building confidence, and reaching fitness goals. "We specialize in restoring pain-free movement, as well as creating realistic changes for clients to achieve a well-balanced healthy lifestyle." In addition to in-person training, both Tracey and Patrick offer virtual services. "This has been great if there is an illness in the house or a scheduling conflict. Plus it's opened the door to training beyond Sarnia-Lambton. At times I've had clients in the USA and Mexico," Patrick says. 

Continuing their education remains a focus for both Tracey and Patrick. "It's important to both of us that we grow our knowledge and understanding to provide the best service we can. Between the two of us, we have certifications in strength, fat loss, hypertrophy, nutrition, and many other areas. We focus on mobility and stability techniques to keep our clients safe and at their strongest," Tracey explains.

Tracey and Patrick continue to focus on growing their client base, providing a quality service, and helping people understand the value of a personal trainer. "A lot of people think personal training is just for athletes or stars," Patrick says. "But if you look at our client roster it is moms and dads, aunts and uncles, regular people who are not trying to get into the Olympics. They are just trying to live a better life and we can help them do that."