Dave Watkeys

Some Friday thoughts 💭

Worth reading Abdul’s story swipe➡️

As Abdul said in the swipe, it’s hard to write about our journey and put it into words.

I know Abdul’s physique inspires many but it’s important to remember and understand what must accompany that physique.

Abdul really does encapsulate what a journey of personal development looks like.

It’s been an honour and privilege to watch this young man grow up and evolve.

I’ve seen him waitering in the evenings to pay for his studies, enter the corporate world, get promotions, buy his first car, go through terrible times—the list goes on.

Abdul has had a hard journey but that is the point.

In a world full of distractions, new and shiny things, and comfort, Abdul has stayed the course.

At such a young age, he has wisdom, experience and lessons that will stick around for decades.

Abdul has turned into a leader, an example and a great man.

I can’t think of a better journey to go on.

I am a proud coach and friend for life.

Work ethic😮‍💨🔥

This client first arrived to me as a classic example of a lady who was doing a lot of running, hoping her body would change and winging her nutrition❌

Things were messy, unpredictable and she was hitting her head against a wall, despite trying really hard.

Fortunately, since the client is a doctor, she understood the merit and importance of incorporating weight-bearing activity/strength training.

Therefore, slightly reducing her running load and getting into the gym for proper progressive training was not an issue.

Now religiously in the gym 4 times per week, training hard and heavy✅

A consistent and steady daily flow of nutrient-dense, single-ingredient foods and controlled structure, whilst maintaining practical balance with her family.

The result ➡️ a body, mind and system of living that is going to serve her needs and long term health for the decades to come, as she heads towards age 50. That’s the magic right there👏🏼

BUT I must use this client as an example of someone who is truly busy. She is a mom of two, a wife, and a full-time doctor who is also actively studying/specializing.

She often gets called to the hospital in the middle of the night and her working hours are off the charts.

An incredible example of the importance of looking after yourself while your career is to serve others and the importance of taking care of yourself when you truly are under pressure and have limited time.

Shoutout to her husband, who I know is very supportive and plays a key role in helping her succeed in the way that she does✅

If interested in my one-on-one coaching, my June spots are open 🚀

Visit my website, complete an application and I’ll be in contact ASAP👊

Be a great mentor⬇️

This is personally something that is extremely important to me and shapes who I am as a coach, to everyone who comes into my circle.

At 22 years old, I was doing whatever it took to look a certain way.

I was running away from a ton of internal problems and trying to fix it with a fairly external solution.

I achieved what I set out to achieve. I did what I was told to do.

What came after the picture on the left was disordered eating, mental health problems, binge eating, binge drinking and rollercoaster of extreme volatility and impulsivity.

It took many years for me to fix myself, build myself back up and find a way forward but it was a journey of immense pain and struggle.

The role of being a mentor whilst coaching someone, is a role I take very seriously.

I’m grateful for what I went through, I don’t regret it or would change it BUT had a better mentor been available to me, it would have been immensely powerful and influential.

A coach can have a significant impact on a client, especially when we consider mental health, physical health, what behavioural patterns are encouraged, how someone might view food and how someone might view themselves and the value they bring to the world.

The conditioning, confidence and identity that can be manipulated could change someone’s life in a very positive or very negative manner.

Leading someone down the correct path is an innate responsibility that shapes what I do and how I do it.

New dad and new man🙌🏻

This client proactively sought my help while trying to start his family.

He was aiming to become a dad for the first time and he knew he needed to take care of himself, so he can serve those around him better in the future✅

Before working with me, this client exemplified the all-or-nothing approach. He would go to extremes for short periods and then repeatedly fall off the wagon.

This led to an erratic relationship with food and alcohol, which negatively affected his performance and overall quality of life.

With a demanding finance career and a new baby girl on the way, his old habits wouldn’t serve him well in his next chapter.

What’s remarkable—and I won’t share too many details out of respect for his family’s privacy—is how well this client coped during the last 6 weeks of the pregnancy, which was an extremely emotional and stressful time. He managed to be there for his wife and hold everything together.

As I told this client, if his old coping mechanisms had been in place during that uncertain time, it could have resulted in six to twelve months of falling apart.

I have an unbelievable amount of respect for what I see clients go through and how they handle adversity. It inspires me and always puts life into perspective.

This client needed proper coaching, the building of practical systems, clear phases, clarity, a more comprehensive understanding of nutrition and a flexible approach.

If we had taken a one-dimensional approach, the old patterns of behaviour would have just repeated, which would have been a failure on my part as a coach.

For the first time ever, his blood pressure tests came back within a normal, healthy range. This is significant considering he did not achieve that at this body weight with past methods.

Sustaining his loss has become the new norm, even amongst such a huge new responsibilty and I predict he could finish 2026 in the low to mid 80’s, setting him up for a wonderful future to chase his daughter around😝

New client spots are open for June🚀

Visit my website, complete an application form and I’ll be in contact ASAP🫡

My top client characteristics⬇️

I’m always observing client behaviours and patterns, looking for clues that lead to success.

I’ll do my best to breakdown some ⬇️

1. Organisational skills - This is a big one. I’ve seen individuals with almost no experience excel, due to being organised, proactive and switched on. If you’re trying to change behavioural patterns/habits and you are frantically chasing your tail each day, there’s enormous friction between who you are and who you want to be. Ultimately you run into too many obstacles, the big one is yourself.

2. Curious and interested - In simple terms, you care. You care about your long-term health outcomes, your daily performance and how you want to feel daily. It’s not a next month job, it’s a daily decision and intent to prioritise yourself. You also see this curiosity spill over into wanting to be educated, empowered and adopt a growth mindset.

3. Pivot quickly - No one is perfect. The key difference is allowing one ‘mistake’ to continue for weeks or moving on from it speedily. There’s never one thing in isolation that stops your progress. It’s the periods of procrastination and ‘unhealthy’ escapism that tend to do most of the damage.

4. Grit - You have overcome a fair amount of challenges and hard times in your life. You don’t love the feeling of being permanently complacent and comfortable. There’s something in you that can step up when pressure builds and you raise your standards at the right moments.

5. Leader - You have many responsibilities in your career, with your family, and in your business and you want to have a positive and meaningful impact on what matters most to you. Therefore by default you know that what you do in private, shows in public. This ties into the powerful concept of identity.

6. Personal investment - You understand the concept of investing in yourself, seeking out expertise, daily deposits to your future self, practicing delayed gratification and how compounded efforts work.

I could write more but Instagram is limiting me😅