EP# 290: Faith, Fitness, and Purpose through Uplifting Training

What makes Heath Pritchard with Uplifting Training a good neighbor?

What happens when faith meets fitness? Heath Pritchard, owner of Uplifting Training in Johnson City, has created something remarkable by fusing his expertise in exercise science with his Christian faith. His story is one of unexpected transitions, divine timing, and finding purpose through helping others care for their physical temples.

After graduating from ETSU with an exercise science degree in 2015, Heath faced the common graduate's dilemma of choosing a career path. While physical therapy and athletic training were options, the deeply relational nature of personal training captured his heart. The opportunity to meet with clients multiple times weekly creates space for meaningful connections that extend far beyond sets and reps.

Heath's business journey took a profound turn in 2021 when his employer and mentor, Eric Luelling of E-Fit Training and Nutrition, passed away unexpectedly. This loss became a pivotal moment that tested and ultimately strengthened Heath's faith. Through what he describes as divine orchestration, Heath found himself assuming ownership of the business and transforming it into Uplifting Training – a place where clients aged 15 and older come not just for physical transformation, but spiritual guidance as well.

"We do uplifting training for life-changing results," Heath explains, encapsulating his mission to help people understand proper body stewardship from a biblical perspective. When not training clients, Heath cherishes time with his wife and daughter, along with his church family.

Ready to transform body and spirit? Visit Heath at 600 North State of Franklin, Suite 3 in Johnson City, check out UpliftingTraining.com, or find them on Facebook to start your journey toward holistic health that honors your body as the temple it was meant to be.

To learn more about Uplifting Training go to:

https://upliftingtraining.com/

Uplifting Training

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place
where local businesses andneighbors come together.
Here's your host, Skip Monty.

Speaker 2 (00:11):
Well, hello everyone and welcome to the Good Neighbor
Podcast of the Tri-Cities.
So I hope everybody's doingwell.
I'm pretty excited today tohave someone in our studio who's
never been here before and sortof for the first time, so I'm
really excited to learn allabout them and what they do.
And I'm sure you will be aswell, because today I have the
pleasure of introducing yourgood neighbor, Mr Heath

(00:31):
Pritchard, who is the owneroperator of Uplifting Heath.
Welcome to the show.

Speaker 3 (00:37):
Hey, skip, thank you for having me.
Glad to be here, brother.

Speaker 2 (00:40):
Well, we're glad to have you and, like I said, super
excited to learn all about youand what you do.
So if you don't mind, why don'tyou kick us off by telling us
about your business?

Speaker 3 (00:50):
So my business is called Uplifting, and the whole
premise of the business is touse personal training as a
platform to tell people aboutthe good news of Jesus Christ
and then to also help peopleunderstand how to take care of
their bodies and the importanceof taking care of their bodies
from a biblical worldview.

Speaker 2 (01:11):
Awesome, I love it.
I love it.
So, heath, how did you get intothis business?

Speaker 3 (01:19):
Well, so I went to ETSU and I graduated in 2015
with an exercise science degreeand I just was trying to figure
out what I was going to do withthe exercise science, whether it
was going to be physicaltherapy, athletic training,
personal training.
There are so many differentavenues to choose from, but it
just really came down to justhow relational personal training

(01:41):
is, the fact that you get tosee the same people three, four
times a week.
It's just so encouraging thatyou can just pour into their
lives and just really get toknow them, and that's what just
really drew me to thisprofession.

Speaker 2 (01:55):
Awesome.
Well, who are your targetcustomers?
Who are the folks that you tryto attract, and how do you
attract them?

Speaker 3 (02:04):
Pretty much anybody that just wants to, you know,
learn how to take care of theirbodies.
I just love really just talkingabout personal training.
I love just talking aboutexercise science with people
just have such a passion for it.
But pretty much anybody of theages of 15 till you know,
whatever age.
But we don't start earlier than15 because I just think that

(02:28):
it's really hard to havediscipline before you're 15 when
it comes to something asimportant as personal training
and just understanding whatexactly I'm looking for well, I
totally get that.

Speaker 2 (02:38):
A man with five children.
I I totally understand whatyou're talking about, the
younger than 15 thing.
So outside of work.

Speaker 3 (02:50):
Heath, what do you like to do for fun?
Well, I just love hanging outwith my family.
Man, skip, let me tell you, Ihave an absolutely amazing wife
and I just have the sweetest,sweetest little girl and they
are just such a joy to me and Iam just so thankful for
everything that they bring to meand to my family and just the

(03:10):
excitement that they bring.
And I just love hanging outalso with my church family,
whether it's we're actually justmeeting for service or whether
we're just hanging out in smallgroups and just enjoying
fellowship, uh, with my churchfamily and just continuing to
build those friendships.
It's just, uh, such a blessingawesome.

Speaker 2 (03:30):
I always say, uh, the best answer is time with family
, but time with family andchurch is even better.
So, so, uh, uh.
So let's switch gears for justa second Heath.
If you could think of ahardship or a life challenge
that you've overcome and how itmade you stronger in the end,
does anything come to mind?

Speaker 3 (03:48):
Yeah, absolutely Skip .
So before this place was calledUplifting, it used to be called
E-Fit Training and Nutritionand the owner his name was Eric
Luelling and he was my boss andI was just working for him as a
personal trainer was EricLlewellyn, and he was my boss
and I was just working for himas a personal trainer and

(04:10):
unfortunately, in 2021 he passedaway and I think that was
really hard for me because thatwas a death that I experienced
for the first time.
That wasn't expected in my life.
So, just having to confrontthat and also just understand
that there's some things in thisworld that we won't understand
and you know, just being aChristian, you know it didn't
shake my faith, but it did helpme understand that hey, you know

(04:30):
, there's some things in thisworld that I'm not meant to
understand and that's OK,absolutely, and so you just sort
of took over the business.
Well, yeah, I mean just God justreally opened some doors, and I
mean just the way that heworked.
It was only something that theLord could have orchestrated.

Speaker 2 (04:50):
Of course, of course.
It's amazing when you give itall to him.
Yeah, yeah, what.
What comes from that?

Speaker 3 (04:58):
Yeah, I mean, there's just no way that I could have
done this on my own.
Just the way that God justopened all the doors and, um,
you know, just putting me inposition where I'm uncomfortable
as a business owner, but justbeing able to be fully reliant
on him, you know, to get methrough each and every day, um,
it's just such a blessing.

Speaker 2 (05:17):
Amen, brother.
And how long have you uh has,have you been running uplifting?

Speaker 3 (05:22):
Amen, brother.
And how long have you uh has,have you been running uplifting?

Speaker 2 (05:24):
I've been running it since April 2021.
2021.
So just after, towards the tailend of COVID.

Speaker 3 (05:31):
Yep, yep.

Speaker 2 (05:36):
Wow, wow, very cool, very cool, that sounds like.

Speaker 3 (05:38):
so you're pushing, you're getting ready to looking
at five years pretty soon.
Yeah, so yeah so far.

Speaker 2 (05:42):
Yeah, that's awesome.
Nothing to sneeze at, man.
It's working.
The Lord's working for you.
You're working for the Lord.

Speaker 3 (05:48):
Such a blessing, such a blessing Absolutely Well,
heath.

Speaker 2 (05:52):
If, um, if there was one thing that you would like
our listeners to remember aboutuplifting uh personal training,
what would that be?

Speaker 3 (06:00):
I think uh, it goes without saying, skip that the
most important thing is just toglorify Christ and what I'm
doing with uplifting, but also,from an exercise science
standpoint, to just understandthat we need to take care of our
bodies.
You know, the Lord's given usthese bodies and we need to be
good stewards to them.
And you know I'm just glad thatI can educate and make people

(06:24):
aware how to take care of theirbodies in that perspective, Very
good, it is a temple.
Yes, Amen brother.

Speaker 2 (06:34):
Absolutely Well for those of us who need to get in
shape, need to get our spirituallife in shape and our physical
life in shape.
How can we learn more?

Speaker 3 (06:46):
So you can go to UpliftingTrainingcom, you can go
to Uplifting Training onFacebook or you can just swing
by the studio at 600 North Stateof Franklin, suite no 3,
johnson City, tennessee, becauseI'd love to meet you and just
get you started on your physicaljourney.
Love to be a part of that.

Speaker 2 (07:04):
All right, Very good, Very good, you heard it here.
Guys, If you're interested, youneed to replenish spiritually
and physically.
Come see Heath at Uplifting.
On State of Franklin you saidright.

Speaker 3 (07:18):
That's right.
And what I always say, skip iswe do uplifting training for
life-changing results.

Speaker 2 (07:24):
Love it, love it.
Uplifting.
Training for life-changingresults.

Speaker 3 (07:30):
That's right.

Speaker 2 (07:30):
Amen, love it, brother, all right.
Well, heath, I can't tell youhow much I appreciate you
spending some time with us,taking time out of your busy
schedule to talk to me and toour listeners so we can learn
all about you and your missionactually, and ministry and your
business.
So we appreciate it and, movingforward, wish you, your family,

(07:53):
your clients, your business allthe best.

Speaker 3 (07:57):
Well, thank you, Skip , it's been an absolute blessing
brother.

Speaker 2 (08:00):
It's been a blessing for us too, and maybe we can
have you back sometime whenyou've got an event or something
going on.

Speaker 3 (08:07):
Absolutely.
I would love to.

Speaker 2 (08:09):
All right, sounds great.
We'll see you soon.

Speaker 3 (08:12):
All righty.

Speaker 1 (08:13):
Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor
Podcast.
To nominate your favorite localbusinesses to be featured on
the show, go to gnptry-citiescom.
That's gnptry-citiescom, orcall 423-719-5873.