Creating Confidence: Jim Safron's Burn Boot Camp Story

Can a challenging life event lead to the creation of a vibrant community? Join us on the Good Neighbor Podcast as we chat with Jim Safron, the inspiring owner of Burn Boot Camp locations in Hoover, Homewood, and Meadowbrook. Jim's journey from an unexpected job loss to becoming a beacon of empowerment for women through fitness is both motivating and insightful.

We'll explore how Burn Boot Camp's unique approach to personal training within a group setting fosters a powerful sense of camaraderie and confidence among participants. Hear firsthand how all-women trainers are instrumental in creating a supportive environment that encourages every member to thrive.

Discover the local Burn Boot Camp hubs in the Birmingham area, where the atmosphere is not just about fitness but about building a strong, uplifting community. Jim shares his experiences and sheds light on some common misconceptions surrounding the intensity and inclusivity of the workouts, ensuring that Burn Boot Camp is accessible to all fitness levels.

We invite you to visit these locations, feel the positive energy, and perhaps even nominate your favorite local businesses for upcoming episodes. Tune in for a heartening conversation that underscores the resilience and determination behind Burn Boot Camp's success.  #GNPBirmingham #BurnBootCamp #HooverFitness #HomewoodFitness #MeadowbrookFitness #BirminghamFitness #Burn #Fitness #BurnNation #Community #Workout #GoHoover #GoHomewood #GoMeadowbrook

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Patricia Blondheim.

Speaker 2: 0:15

Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast. I'm your host, patricia Blondheim, and today we have good neighbor Jim Saffron, and Jim is the owner of by of Burn Boot Camp in Hoover, homewood and in Meadowbrook. Jim, how are you today?

Speaker 3: 0:30

I'm doing very well, thank you.

Speaker 2: 0:33

Wonderful but tell me about Burn Boot Camp.

Speaker 3: 0:37

We are women's fitness. That is really what we do, premier women's fitness. So our camps are all women. We have 10 camps a day, um, and we have all body types, we have all fitness levels, all different ages, and what we're able to do is take group training and put it into a individual setting. So it's personal training in a group setting.

Speaker 2: 1:10

So describe how a class looks.

Speaker 3: 1:15

You come into the camp, most women scheduled with other ladies are going to come to that camp. So what we found is that they the camps themselves, the women in the camps create incredible bonds with each other.

Speaker 2: 1:34

Um, so that's, yeah, that's there's a lot of, there's a lot of community and bonding that goes on inside the camps. As far as the idea of being in a group but having an individual training experience, can you kind of unpack that a little bit for me?

Speaker 3: 2:00

It is something to see, no-transcript. So they know these things. So their heads are on a swivel and they constantly are looking to make sure people are keeping form, to not get hurt but equally push people to the next level.

Speaker 2: 2:50

And I've met a couple of your instructors in in Hoover and they were the most upbeat, positive people I have ever. I mean, it was just, it was a physical force to go in there and just be met with that much positivity, and so that's how they, that's how they feed their, their camps. Is that the truth with all of your instructors? Absolutely.

Speaker 3: 3:15

Absolutely. I mean, I think the one thing that's great is there's a component there are our trainers are equally all women, um and I think there's a component there of the women helping women, women coaching women, um, there's a different trust level that may may end up being being there somehow yeah, absolutely I a real sense of belonging and fellowship and commonality.

Speaker 2: 3:49

It's a wonderful thing when women can get together in a positive way. It's really a wonderful thing. But you're a dude, jim, how'd you get here?

Speaker 3: 4:01

I know right, my wife was doing burn boot camp in North Carolina and she's not exactly a fitness enthusiast but she got on with burn and she really liked it. She loved it. She was like you know. I love the fact that you know I'm not guessing at what I have to do next. They're telling me where to go and what to do. They're making sure I'm not going to hurt myself. They're challenging me when I need challenged. She had a group of women in our neighborhood and they carpooled together. So all of a sudden you've got accountability groups and that's where I learned about Byrne.

Speaker 2: 4:50

So I mean, what a strange thing. You seem to be the kind of person that meets the challenge and accepts the challenge.

Speaker 3: 5:05

Well, what happened was we were in North Carolina Me and my wife both worked for a Fortune 50 company, $70 billion company, and you think you have some level of security there and I was very good at what I did. And I walked in one day and they said you know, we're not going to keep this department anymore, and myself and several others you know. They gave us a severance package and said we'll see you later. And I talked to my wife a little bit and I was like you know, I don't think I'm ever going to put my future in somebody else's hands anymore. I think we'll take care of ourselves. Moving forward, and she had actually brought home a flyer from Byrne talking about it. I was like where's that flyer at? And you know crazy how things happen. My severance package was the exact amount that it costs to buy a Byrne and I signed over my severance package and we got started and it was the best decision I ever made.

Speaker 2: 6:21

Wow, that was divinely guided, wasn't it?

Speaker 3: 6:25

It truly was.

Speaker 2: 6:28

Well, are there any? Do people walk into burn with any misconceptions? Do people?

Speaker 3: 6:32

walk in to burn with any misconceptions? I think there are several. I think women that walk in the door and look in, say I can't do this. And there's two misconceptions. One is they look in and say I can't do this Two misconceptions. One is they look in and say I can't do this. And then there's another misconception that is kind of weird Is it's all women, so it must be easy. And there is. It couldn't be farther than from the truth. Our camps, we train people respectfully respectfully, but we train them like athletes. Um, we train hard and I think what you find is when you train people hard and then they're building friendships with that, there's a confidence that gets. That's created, and I think that's equally a big part of what we do is you walk out a more confident, more self-reliant individual.

Speaker 2: 7:46

So that makes it truly like bootcamp right, it does it.

Speaker 3: 7:51

does I mean it's hard, it's I I mean it's hard. Um, I've taken a couple of camps.

Speaker 2: 7:58

it's hard right it's not just a term you're using. It actually is as challenging as it needs to be to make you the best version of yourself, but it is.

Speaker 3: 8:11

But it's also self-paced to some degree. Right, I don't want somebody to come in and get hurt. I don't want somebody to to have a terrible first experience. We take those people and understand it. You know, and we hear it all the time. Everybody in here is so fit. Most of the time you're looking in the room. These people have been here for a minute. They all started where you're at today. So we consistently remind them of that and we team them up with people that can relate and say listen, I get it, we'll get you there. It doesn't take that long and that doesn't matter if you're 30 years old, 40 years old, 50. We have women in there that are 60, 70 years old. It's a mindset. It's a mindset.

Speaker 2: 9:12

Well, jim, what do you? What do you do when you're not, when you're not working? What do you do to fill your own cup? So my own cup.

Speaker 3: 9:20

We have two kids, they are grown. So now we have two kids, they're grown. So now you know I'm in a spot that I it's. Maybe it's a typical answer, I don't know. I do what I love every day. I do what I love every day, and if that's a workaholic, then it's a workaholic. I don't see it as that. I don't think that I work any day. I love what I do. I don't have. I don't have hobbies. I don't have hobbies. My hobby is my teams on my gyms and I love being involved in the process every day. So I think that, yeah, I don't, I don't have that outside. We love to go to the beach on the weekends in the summer, but other than that we kind of work.

Speaker 2: 10:14

Well, I think that's the opposite of workaholic. A workaholic works to avoid their feelings. You work because your feelings are so great for what you do. That is the opposite of a workaholic.

Speaker 3: 10:26

I do absolutely love it.

Speaker 2: 10:30

That is someone that has a deep inner drive opposite of workaholic. What would you like our listeners to take away about Burn Boot Camp?

Speaker 3: 10:42

I think if you were going to take anything away, if you're on the fence or it's something you ever thought about trying, try it. Sometimes we can overthink things. We offer a three-day free trial. You can try it. Is it for everybody? It's not. It's not for everybody, but I've seen so many people that initially think it's not for them in a very quick turn Go you know what. Maybe there is something in me that I didn't even realize was there, and we see that so often. So I guess you know what I'd love people to know is yeah, is Camp Heart? It is. Is it filled with the most incredible women? It is. Can it change your life? It can. We've got wall a wall. I think it's got a hundred transformation stories for just Hoover alone and Homewood's about the same of women that have transformed not just their bodies but their mindsets and and and. That's what we're most proud of. So if you've ever thought about it, give us a try.

Speaker 2: 12:13

That makes me think, Jim. There's common wisdom that says that you are the sum total of the five people that you hang out with. Right, that you are at the level of the five people that you hang out with the most. Wouldn't it be transformational to hang out in a group of people who are all looking for their best selves? How can that just that transform your life and your mindset? Yeah, agreed agreed, wow something well, how can listeners learn more about burn boot camp and where can they find you in Hoover, homewood and Meadowbrook.

Speaker 3: 12:52

You can Google us. I checked it out last night. I just typed in Byrne Boot Camp and it brought up Hoover, homewood and Meadowbrook, so that's probably the easiest. We also have Facebook and Instagram pages for all those locations and we also have a location getting ready. We're just getting ready to start building a location in the Stadia Hills. So you know, that would probably be the easiest way. You're welcome. If you're in the area, stop by. We're in Brock's Gap Shopping Center in Hoover. In Homewood, we're on 1035 Broadway Park, which is right across from the big condos, and then we're at 1901 Doug Baker Boulevard in Meadowbrook and that's right across from where that Edgar's, where Edgar's is. It's a nice little center but yeah, you stop in. Our people would be more than happy just to show you around and let you take a look at what we got going on.

Speaker 2: 14:05

Show you around and let you take a look at what we got going on. Yes, it'll only add to your life. Thank you so much, jim, for coming by and sharing burn bootcamp with us. I really enjoyed getting to know you, thank you.

Speaker 3: 14:18

Thank you.

Speaker 1: 14:20

Thank you for listening to the good neighbor podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to gnpbirminghamcom. That's gnpbirminghamcom, or call 205-952-0148.