El Willard: Owning a gym, and being a coach and athlete
Since talking to El back in 2021, things have really stepped up. Last time we spoke we touched on her relationship with social media, collaborating with brands, and being an online coach. We ended the conversation with her sharing goals of ‘one day’ owning a gym and aspirations of being an athlete. That’s where we pick up the conversation today…
What’s new?
It's crazy looking and reading back on the first interview and all of the goals I had set for myself - I think reflection made me realise that I have actually achieve a hell of a lot in the last few years despite falling into the trap of not really feeling like I've done much at all.
WOW, we own a gym and one with my branding on "Built By Novo".
As for being an athlete, I think I've come to realise that, the only person that was placing myself outside the bracket of 'athlete' was in fact myself. I had the incredible opportunity to join the BWL talent transfer squad back in April 2024 and ended up competing at English Championships in December of last year.
It's all been a bit of a whirlwind as I've inevitably been trying to balance taking on the role of gym owner, coach, online business owner, social media influencer, friend, partner and I guess athlete... A balance I am yet to find but I am working on.
Is social media still a priority for you in 2025?
Social media has taken a huge back seat for me. I am still very fortunate that I have collaborated with some brands over the past few years and am currently in a partnership with HSTL but in terms of organising priorities, it's definitely closer to the bottom of the list. Short form content is huge, our attention spans are short and being able to get people to stay engaged is hard when there are so many people out there doing a better job at content creation.
My biggest challenge has been time management and it's been a frustrating journey trying to stay connected online when I've become a lot more present in real life - something I don't regret at all. I enjoy making authentic content but I have found it doesn't necessarily connect with everyone anymore and that's okay. I continue to post online both about my journey with becoming a better athlete and coach but also I've become a lot more relaxed with how often I do it.
Are there any digital tools you use as an athlete?
Now in all honesty, I'm not the best with staying on top of everything but I guess I've just gotten used to having my routine with apps - if I was a lot more on top of these then 100% my performance would increase so it's something I'm definitely mindful of and wanting to continue working on.
I tend to use myfitnesspal in the lead up to a comp as I usually have to do a little but of a weight cut to ensure I can compete within my category. I use trainheroic with my coach to access all of my programmed sessions - the app allows for me to add data surrounding my energy levels and output in each session which is a nice touch and important for making sure myself and my coach are on the same page. I have also started to incorporate GOWOD into my routine again to ensure my warm ups and cool downs are geared towards my sessions and to keep on top of my stretching and mobility to aid better recovery. Weightlifting is a demanding sport on the body and you're training at pretty high intensity levels majority of the time so your body can feel like it takes a bit of a beating each week. I think an app that would allow me to upload all of my training videos and access feedback as well as store all of the above would be great - most apps when you upload any sort of training video go into a bit of a meltdown. I spend countless hours each week sifting through training videos. In saying all of this, I don't think I use the apps enough to my advantage and that's definitely just out of laziness and falling into the trap of sticking to what you know.
Niché but important question… Does accessibility play a part at all in what you do?
So in terms of accessibility, especially on social media, I feel the bare minimum is adding captions to any sort of video you post/create and this is something I'll always ensure I do including any sort of 'talking' story on instagram also.
When it comes to my job as a coach, PT and gym owner, it's not something that we often are required to think about, which might sound naive, but also makes me question what we can do to make sport, specifically CrossFit and weightlifting more accessible and what is it that encourages people to enter into our premises or approach us for coaching? When we were looking to expand our old facility, a big selling point of the new one was how the entire unit (including other businesses) was wheelchair accessible. Moving forwards, especially when it comes to opening another facility, I hope to encourage and actively seek out how we can create more opportunities and bridge the gap between disability and sport including inclusive teaching and adaptable gym space.
I would be eager to learn how to further my knowledge in how to make social media content more accessible however.
What’s are the assumptions people make about what you do?
A lot of people assume I have 'it all together' and if I've learnt anything over the past couple of years with spinning multiple plates, it's hard to be in control and do absolutely everything you want and at a standard you are happy with. I'm still figuring it all out to be honest.
Trying to be a high performing athlete is hard if you have a full time job, it was actually recommended by my coach I try to go part time with work so I have more time to dedicate towards training than I currently do - a lot of people do it but unless you are the best, there is zero funding available. You fund all of your comps, equipment/clothing, travel, everything, but I love it and I'm dedicated to seeing what I can achieve despite the stresses of life getting in the way a lot of the time.
Owning a business, trying to maintain a social platform and create content (which I love doing) and also pursuing big goals and dreams with athletic endeavours is hard and I'm still unsure if it's all achievable right now but I try to enjoy the balance I have and remain grateful for all of the opportunities that have come from it so far.
And finally, what does the next 5 years look like?
In 5 years, wow... BIG GOALS but... hopefully I would have competed internationally as weightlifter and have a new gym of my own that allows for me to have more financial freedom and flexibility with what I can offer to those looking to get fitter and stronger.
I would love to be running weightlifting for kids and giving young people the opportunity to get into fitness, specifically lifting.
Who knows, maybe I could own a home and be looking to have a little family of my own, I don't know…
Links: Keep up to date with El Willard
Instagram - instagram.com/builtby_el/
