August 18, 2024 • 26 mins
Ever wondered how to combine your love for sports, travel, and helping others into a thriving business? Marlon Schadeck, the Founder/ fitness coach behind Nomad Strong, joins us to share his journey from Germany to Mexico.
He talks about the pivotal moment during an internship in Guadalajara that shifted his career path from aspiring teacher to fitness entrepreneur.
Together with his partner Joe Miller, Marlon has created an online gym tailored specifically for remote workers, emphasizing the importance of flexibility and enjoyment in lifelong fitness.
In the latter half of our conversation, Marlon talks about the intricacies of building sustainable fitness habits for remote workers. So you'll learn about the outdoor activities that can transform your fitness routine.
Marlon also opens up about creating an aligned team that shares a unified vision, and his exciting future projects like charity events, outdoor workouts, and offline retreats.
Plus, get a glimpse into Marlon's balanced lifestyle between Germany and Mexico, where he cherishes both adventurous outings and relaxed moments with friends and family.
Tune in for an episode filled with motivation and practical tips to elevate your journey.
NomadStrong gets remote workers fit and healthy. They create personalized fitness programs tailored to your interests, needs, and goals. Overweight, back issues, low energy? With a personal trainer in your pocket, you're just a few weeks away from the best shape of your life start here for free https://nomadstrong.com/kickstart/
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Alex Wilson-Campbell (00:00):
Today's guest is Marlon Shalick of fully
remote business Nomad Strong,which gets remote workers fit
and healthy.
They create personalizedfitness programs tailored to
your interests, needs and goals,especially if you're overweight
, have back issues or low energy.
Originally from Germany, marlonrelocated to Mexico in 2023,
(00:24):
and he now provides online andin-person fitness coaching to
individuals and groups.
With over six years ofexperience, marlon has helped
remote workers across the globeachieve their fitness goals,
leveraging his background insports science and fitness
certifications.
Welcome, marlon.
Marlon Schadeck (00:43):
Hi, yes, yes, I'm Marlon.
I'm an online fitness coach andI'm 29 years old.
Originally from Germany, Imoved to Mexico a few years ago
and I'm living and working fromover there Right now, over here
in Germany, visiting friends andfamily.
And, yeah, I generally lovesports.
(01:05):
That's how I became an onlinecoach.
I love moving, I love beingactive, I love adventures, I
love traveling, but also I thinkI'm a very social person.
I really enjoy being withfriends.
I enjoy also being with thepeople I work with and having a
great time together.
Alex Wilson-Campbell (01:27):
Next, can you describe a personal story or
experience that has influencedwho you are today?
Marlon Schadeck (01:34):
Yes, there is something that comes to my mind
right away.
When I was doing my internshipin 2019, I was still studying to
become a teacher Sports andEnglish were my subjects and I
was in the German school inGuadalajara.
I could do my internship abroad.
The school was very nice andvery interesting, but I really
(01:58):
figured out that teaching is notwhat I want to do, even though
it was.
One of my subjects were sports.
So I then, more or less as aside quest, started offering
events and also just daily orhourly workouts with a group of
(02:19):
people that gathered together tojust have a great time, to have
a good workout, or even a goodday hike in the mountain or
something.
So, me and a friend, weorganized these workouts or
these trips and we really hadfun with that, and I really
realized that teaching might notbe it, especially getting to
(02:39):
the same place every day atschool was not really what I
enjoyed, and that I enjoyed waymore um, the fitness coaching,
um stuff that I was doing, um atthe same time.
And, yeah, that was a verydecisive moment for me.
So from then I figured out,okay, I might finish my studies,
(02:59):
um, just to have that safe, butthen I wanna, I wanna really
want to really dive deep intopersonal coaching, or even
develop even further my ideas inthat area.
Alex Wilson-Campbell (03:12):
As you look back on your life and
connect the dots that led youwhere you are now.
What are those dots?
Marlon Schadeck (03:20):
Yes, good one.
Well, after I finished myschool, I traveled a lot.
I went to different countries,different continents, because I
really enjoyed that.
I was working at helping outpeople with grape picking and
all that, but I really enjoyedthe traveling aspect of it.
(03:51):
And then when I got back togermany or always when I got
back to germany I worked in gyms.
I worked in very casual gymsaround Frankfurt, my hometown,
and, yeah, I was then acceptedfor an internship in Guadalajara
the thing I was talking aboutbefore and that was the turning
(04:16):
point, as I already mentioned.
And here I then didn't really dotoo much for the school or for
my profession as a teacher, buteven more for my profession as a
fitness coach, as a personalcoach, and I figured out that I
can connect this freedom aspectthat I was experiencing when I
(04:37):
traveled before with thatfitness aspect, which was always
my passion and which was alsoobviously the main reason why I
started working in gyms before.
And when I realized I couldconnect the two of them, I could
offer workouts for Mexicans,but also tourists and the places
(04:57):
that I was living in Mexico,but also could get into remote
business and build a establishedonline business.
That was for me, the, I think,the most important or the
biggest dot, and, yeah, that'smore or less where I am right
now.
On the way, I then met mycolleague, joe joe miller, who's
(05:22):
doing nomad strong with me, um,which is an online gym for
remote workers, and um, yeah, weboth have the same vision, we
both have more or less the sameum training approach.
Um, we are friends right now,we are colleagues and and we are
working together on nomadstrong and that is, uh, yeah,
(05:44):
where I'm.
That is the last dot, that iswhere I am right now why did you
decide to become a leader inyour chosen niche?
well, I think, um, that isbecause fitness, for me, got a
weird touch over the last yearsor decades.
So, from when I started workingout myself and really being
(06:09):
passionate about the whole topicof fitness and sports in
general, um, which is more than15 years ago, um, I witnessed
and how, or I witnessed how, thefitness hype um at the industry
grew, which is very good, butalso I didn't really, I never
really liked the aspect of fancygyms and I don't know fancy
(06:30):
diets, fancy trainings ornutrition methods, and for me,
the whole idea was always muchmore simple.
I think fitness is about anactive and a fun lifestyle,
eating in a way that feels rightfor you and your body, and not
restricting yourself with crazydiets or whatever, and just
(06:52):
figuring out a lifestyle thatyou enjoy, on the one hand, but
that will also guarantee youlifelong fitness, on the other.
And that approach is very basic, very simple and also different
to other approaches I see inthe whole fitness world.
And that is, first of all, whyI chose fitness, or why I chose
(07:15):
to become a fitness coach.
And then, second, why I do thatremotely or why I do that for a
remote worker, is because I am aremote worker myself.
I know the problems of remoteworkers.
I know also the advantages thatremote work brings regarding
how you could organize your life, or how you could organize your
(07:38):
life as a fit remote worker.
So that is why it was just theclosest and the and the most
made the most sense for me towork with other remote workers
and help them and show them howto can, how to get fit in a
natural way, um doing trainingsoutside and and and going
(07:59):
outside, enjoying, enjoyingmoving the body or enjoying
enjoying the movement, enjoyingyour body and enjoying food in a
way that you enjoy it, but thatis also effective what was the
best advice anyone ever gave you, and did you follow it?
I think, looking back, I couldsay that my dad gave me quite a
(08:22):
few good advices, but maybe morerelevant for this podcast.
I was participating in amentorship with Janus Neumann
and he always told me you don'thave to train people in the gym,
(08:45):
or not even in the parks orwhatever.
You can work fully remote as anonline fitness coach and your
clients will benefit even morefrom that, and I think that was
a very good advice and until now, I can say that actually proved
as valid.
So that is what I'm doing rightnow working fully remote and
(09:10):
enjoying that, because it givesyou a lot of freedom and also
for my clients.
I can see that they canorganize their workouts even
better because they work out ontheir own.
So when I work together withthem afterwards, they know how
to work out on their own.
So when I work together withthem afterwards, they know how
to work out on their own.
That was sometimes a problemwhen I was training with people
(09:30):
or when I was working out withpeople together.
As you would imagine it as apersonal fitness coach.
In the gym, for example, youhave your personal fitness coach
there who tells you okay, doone more rep, do one more rep or
do this or that, and you getdependent on that.
If you don't have that personwith you while you're training,
then you have to organize yourworkout yourself, have to revise
(09:53):
with your coach later in thezoom call weekly zoom calls, for
example and like that, learnhow to work out and also how to
be consistent with nutrition orwhatever habit on your own,
being guided by your personalcoach online.
Alex Wilson-Campbell (10:12):
And what made you choose remote work and
how has it benefited you?
Marlon Schadeck (10:16):
So, yeah, as I just mentioned, that advice was
always something that kind ofgave me some direction.
That advice was alwayssomething that kind of gave me
some direction.
But then why I chose to gofully remote was because I loved
to be free, I love to travel, Ilove to be location independent
and, yeah, I saw that remotework is the thing that will get
(10:39):
me there and that will guaranteeme this lifestyle.
So that was definitely one bigpoint.
And then the other one is youreally get to work with people
from all over the world, whichis very interesting, I think.
Sometimes I have calls withclients in Canada, then I have a
(11:00):
next call somewhere inSoutheast Asia, then another one
in South America, you name it.
So it is very good to get intouch with people from all over
the world and be connected withthe whole world in some, in some
way what are your best tips fororganizing your day and staying
(11:24):
productive?
it's going out in the real world, before you open your laptop or
before you start working.
That means getting some freshair, moving your body and, in
the best case, getting somesunlight, before you then get
back to your place or fromwherever you work and start your
(11:47):
workday.
Getting some real-lifeexperience, the things somebody
experiences when he goes to theoffice or whatever, and then
(12:17):
also throughout the work orthroughout the workday, I think
mobility or even strengthexercises get the blood flowing,
activate the body, focus, andit helps a lot to to feel better
when you get back to to yourlaptop or from wherever you're
working and have a refreshedmind.
(12:38):
And I always think that it isimportant to keep the balance,
or to make sure that you keepthe balance, between mental and
physical load, because that thatmental load we usually have it
when when we work all day on ourtasks, but then that physical
load is lacking, so we're notexhausting our body at all.
(13:01):
And I think there it is veryimportant to get that physical
load in.
You can do that with workouts,but also with these short
movement snack, short movementbreaks and, yeah, with morning
walks, and there's quite a fewvery, very nice, very enjoyable
tools to to get that physicalload in as a remote worker, and
I think that is very important.
(13:23):
My father, for example, is acarpenter.
He's he's walking around andcarrying stuff and and lifting
things all day and when.
When I sometimes help on theconstruction, I really feel how
that helps my well-being and howgood I feel in the end of such
a day, even though it's veryexhausting for the body.
(13:44):
So, yeah, I might not work thatphysically as a remote worker
never.
But yeah, it is good to kind of, uh, yeah, get it, make it as
as physical as possible or orget it at least enough movement
in, let's put it like that.
And then what also helps me alot is to get to structure my
(14:05):
day, to not to not work all day,just a little bit, but have
proper times.
For example, I start my workday at 10 in the morning, um, do
my workout before, um and thenwork focused um.
I have my, my tasks and my andmy appointments in my calendar
(14:26):
and then usually I finish mywork day at four or five or six.
And having this structured kindof work day also helps them to
enjoy the spare time you haveafterwards, the time with
friends or the time to doactivities or whatever even more
.
Alex Wilson-Campbell (14:44):
And yeah, that kind of structure also
helps a lot so now I want tofind out more about the company
that you're part of.
So can you please begin bytelling me more about the
company that you're part of?
So can you please begin bytelling me more about the
company that you're?
Marlon Schadeck (14:59):
part of and its origin story.
So, as I mentioned already, thecompany that I'm part of, or
that I founded, that Ico-founded together with my
colleague, is called Nomenstrong, and Joe and I my colleague and
I we were both personal fitnesscoaches, fully remote.
Even before we met, we had thesame target group, so we were
(15:23):
both specializing on helpingremote workers and digital
nomads.
So when we first met viaLinkedIn or via Zoom or Google
Meet call, I think, we becamefriends and we saw that we both
have the same training approach,or a similar one at least, and,
(15:45):
yeah, that we're actually bothready to team up and make
something bigger out of it.
And then we called the wholething nomad strong, and that is
what we're working on at themoment.
And, um, yeah, we actually havenever met in real life.
By the way, this week we willmeet here in my hometown,
(16:06):
frankfurt, because we're both inin in germany at the moment.
So it's going to be the firstreal life meeting, quite, quite
interesting, quite exciting.
And uh, yeah, I mean, before Iwas, I was in mexico, he was in
spain, so that was not not anoption.
Now, both here, united in ingermany, let's see and what's
(16:29):
unique about the company they'reworking from or where they're
living, they have someone who'staking care of their health,
who's giving them individualizedtraining plans, individualized
nutrition advice.
We work a lot with habits, sowe're building habits that are
(16:51):
sustainable habits and that fitperfectly to the situation of
that client or of that personwho wants to get fit.
And we also want to bring moreof the real world into the
remote work lifestyle.
So we're focusing on outdoorworkouts, we're doing habits
(17:14):
like daily walks, we'reimplementing nutritional habits
that are nothing like diets ornothing like restriction, but
much more oriented to be asustainable approach that works
for that specific person forever.
(17:37):
So we want to be sustainable,we want to get people to get out
in the real world, let's say,and do their workout outside or
implement whatever sports orwhatever physical activity that
they enjoy.
That can be cycling, that canbe hiking, that can be running,
(18:01):
that can be swimming, that canbe playing ball sports so
implementing as much differentactivities as possible into that
remote worker schedule.
So you have a schedule that youenjoy but that will also get
(18:21):
you to become fit or to alsostay fit forever, which is a
very beneficial thing.
So when I sometimes get back tomy uh or my former clients that
I was training one or two yearsago.
Then they tell me okay, youwould be proud of me.
Actually, just like a few daysago, I I received a message from
(18:43):
a client who said like youwould be proud of me, I'm doing
my workouts and I'm staying fit,I'm even, I'm even even
progressing.
Even after our cooperationtogether, after our coaching and
that is for me, the best thingto hear Somebody really made a
sustainable change.
And that is the whole ideamaking a sustainable change by
providing individualized inputand by really focusing on a
(19:08):
one-on-one cooperation.
Alex Wilson-Campbell (19:12):
What's your philosophy on building a
great team?
Marlon Schadeck (19:16):
Level of responsibility.
So you have to be on time foryour meetings, you have to do
the tasks that are yours and youhave to then build work
seriously on your business, eventhough you're friends and even
though you're getting along witheach other, which might not be
(19:37):
so easy sometimes.
And then I think a third veryimportant point is a good vision
, a good idea that you want to,yeah, that all the team members
are convinced of, and thatyou're working on every day
(19:58):
right.
And I think, if all these threeare given, that is a very, very
good starting point.
Alex Wilson-Campbell (20:06):
Can you talk me through the steps of
your hiring process?
How would you describe thecompany's success so far?
Marlon Schadeck (20:14):
Then, on the other hand, we work a lot, both
my colleague Joe and I, to makethe whole thing happen and to
make it work, and, yeah, I wishthat one day it is less work and
, yeah, still the same output,or even more output, if you
would understand output asclients who sign up.
(20:37):
So, yeah, we're working towardsthere and I think it is normal
for a growing business or for abusiness that actually just
started a year ago that, yeah,the numbers are not going crazy,
but that we have to beconsistent and we have to keep
going, and then we're on apretty good track, I think.
Alex Wilson-Campbell (21:01):
And what's next on the horizon?
Marlon Schadeck (21:05):
Oh yeah, a lot of exciting things I'm really
looking forward to Now thatwe're fully remote.
We also want to do somein-person, offline work.
We are now planning to doevents with more or less a
charity character, actuallyevents in the form of workouts,
(21:32):
of outdoor workouts For me.
I'm living in Mexico offeringoutdoor workouts, sunset or
sunrise workouts at the beachfor a group of people who just
gather together and no one pays,or everyone pays as much as
they want, and it is a fit foreveryone concept or something
(21:52):
like that.
We don't really have a name forit yet, but that, uh, that is a
very, very exciting, uh, um,very exciting project, because,
also, I see a lot that people inmexico, where I'm living, a lot
of people don't have the moneyto pay a personal coach, um, so
it would be, uh, yeah, um,really, really, really, really a
(22:13):
great vision for me, a dreamactually, to make fitness, to
make my passion, my hobby,accessible for everyone, and
that could be a great startingpoint.
These charity events, thesecharity events, um.
(22:38):
Then also, we want to um offerretreats, seminars, workshops in
the real world.
So in offline, offline seminars, offline retreats, offline
workshops, um, where we get toget to know our clients, maybe
that we wouldn't, that we'vebeen training online for years,
but that we also get to meetlocals, whoever is there,
(23:00):
whoever wants to join theseprojects.
So these offline projects are athing I'm really, really
looking forward to.
Alex Wilson-Campbell (23:08):
Is there a particular team or company
whose culture you admire?
Marlon Schadeck (23:13):
Instagram account actually inspired me was
Primal Patterns, so a group ofguys who do more or less the
same that I'm doing or thatwe're doing.
So they have a movement-basedapproach.
They go out, they do sports andand adventures and in nature
(23:36):
and and have this kind of backto the roots vibe, focusing on
the basics with training, and,yeah, the whole thing looks fun,
the whole thing looks inspiring.
I would not say that is theyare my role model or something,
but definitely an aspiring,inspiring team and, um, yeah,
(24:01):
this is also more or less thedirection that we're, that we're
going, I think and, as we beginto wrap up, what excites you
about what's ahead.
Meeting the clients that I'veworked with so far, but also
meeting other people in reallife and getting these projects,
these retreats, these seminars,these workshops to become a
(24:27):
part of our business.
And what also excites me a lotis is the other, the other
aspect that I was talking about,the charity events, um helping,
helping all those who want toenjoy an active and healthy
lifestyle, um, even those whowho can't afford it and what do
(24:49):
you like to do when you're notworking?
Working out, working out, moving, doing sports, being physically
active, going for adventures,especially around Puerto
Vallarta and the city that I'mliving in Mexico, we have really
, really nice nature.
We have rainforests, we have wehave rainforests, we have
(25:17):
beaches, everything and, uh andyeah, going there and and doing
fun, fun stuff.
That is, uh, what I really,really enjoy.
Besides, besides working, um, Ialso like going out with
friends, um, doing thisadventure together with friends,
or just going out with friendsand having a great evening, um
and yeah, enjoying, enjoying mytime.
(25:38):
That I'm not working, I mean, Ienjoy my work, but also, um,
the rest of the time I I want tohave a good, a exciting, um and
a and a rewarding life.
And, yeah, I'm now getting backto.
Well, I just got back toGermany a while ago.
(26:00):
That is always very exciting tosee my friends and family over
here and I have my life overhere.
But then also I'm lookingforward to get back to Mexico to
train people at the beach andenjoy Mexico, enjoy being with
my friends over there, and thatis always for me, a very, yeah,
(26:21):
a very, very big one havingthese, these two lives, if you
would put it like that, my lifeover here in Germany and the one
in Mexico, so I'm alwayslooking forward to something.
Alex Wilson-Campbell (26:34):
That's it for today's episode of the
Remote Work Life podcast, but ifyou're a location-independent
freelancer, solopreneur, founderor leader and want to provide a
case study for the Remote WorkLife podcast, get in touch with
me via LinkedIn using the linkbelow in the show notes.
Today's guest is Marlon Shalick of fully
remote business Nomad Strong,which gets remote workers fit
and healthy.
They create personalizedfitness programs tailored to
your interests, needs and goals,especially if you're overweight
, have back issues or low energy.
Originally from Germany, marlonrelocated to Mexico in 2023,
(00:24):
and he now provides online andin-person fitness coaching to
individuals and groups.
With over six years ofexperience, marlon has helped
remote workers across the globeachieve their fitness goals,
leveraging his background insports science and fitness
certifications.
Welcome, marlon.
Marlon Schadeck (00:43):
Hi, yes, yes, I'm Marlon.
I'm an online fitness coach andI'm 29 years old.
Originally from Germany, Imoved to Mexico a few years ago
and I'm living and working fromover there Right now, over here
in Germany, visiting friends andfamily.
And, yeah, I generally lovesports.
(01:05):
That's how I became an onlinecoach.
I love moving, I love beingactive, I love adventures, I
love traveling, but also I thinkI'm a very social person.
I really enjoy being withfriends.
I enjoy also being with thepeople I work with and having a
great time together.
Alex Wilson-Campbell (01:27):
Next, can you describe a personal story or
experience that has influencedwho you are today?
Marlon Schadeck (01:34):
Yes, there is something that comes to my mind
right away.
When I was doing my internshipin 2019, I was still studying to
become a teacher Sports andEnglish were my subjects and I
was in the German school inGuadalajara.
I could do my internship abroad.
The school was very nice andvery interesting, but I really
(01:58):
figured out that teaching is notwhat I want to do, even though
it was.
One of my subjects were sports.
So I then, more or less as aside quest, started offering
events and also just daily orhourly workouts with a group of
(02:19):
people that gathered together tojust have a great time, to have
a good workout, or even a goodday hike in the mountain or
something.
So, me and a friend, weorganized these workouts or
these trips and we really hadfun with that, and I really
realized that teaching might notbe it, especially getting to
(02:39):
the same place every day atschool was not really what I
enjoyed, and that I enjoyed waymore um, the fitness coaching,
um stuff that I was doing, um atthe same time.
And, yeah, that was a verydecisive moment for me.
So from then I figured out,okay, I might finish my studies,
(02:59):
um, just to have that safe, butthen I wanna, I wanna really
want to really dive deep intopersonal coaching, or even
develop even further my ideas inthat area.
Alex Wilson-Campbell (03:12):
As you look back on your life and
connect the dots that led youwhere you are now.
What are those dots?
Marlon Schadeck (03:20):
Yes, good one.
Well, after I finished myschool, I traveled a lot.
I went to different countries,different continents, because I
really enjoyed that.
I was working at helping outpeople with grape picking and
all that, but I really enjoyedthe traveling aspect of it.
(03:51):
And then when I got back togermany or always when I got
back to germany I worked in gyms.
I worked in very casual gymsaround Frankfurt, my hometown,
and, yeah, I was then acceptedfor an internship in Guadalajara
the thing I was talking aboutbefore and that was the turning
(04:16):
point, as I already mentioned.
And here I then didn't really dotoo much for the school or for
my profession as a teacher, buteven more for my profession as a
fitness coach, as a personalcoach, and I figured out that I
can connect this freedom aspectthat I was experiencing when I
(04:37):
traveled before with thatfitness aspect, which was always
my passion and which was alsoobviously the main reason why I
started working in gyms before.
And when I realized I couldconnect the two of them, I could
offer workouts for Mexicans,but also tourists and the places
(04:57):
that I was living in Mexico,but also could get into remote
business and build a establishedonline business.
That was for me, the, I think,the most important or the
biggest dot, and, yeah, that'smore or less where I am right
now.
On the way, I then met mycolleague, joe joe miller, who's
(05:22):
doing nomad strong with me, um,which is an online gym for
remote workers, and um, yeah, weboth have the same vision, we
both have more or less the sameum training approach.
Um, we are friends right now,we are colleagues and and we are
working together on nomadstrong and that is, uh, yeah,
(05:44):
where I'm.
That is the last dot, that iswhere I am right now why did you
decide to become a leader inyour chosen niche?
well, I think, um, that isbecause fitness, for me, got a
weird touch over the last yearsor decades.
So, from when I started workingout myself and really being
(06:09):
passionate about the whole topicof fitness and sports in
general, um, which is more than15 years ago, um, I witnessed
and how, or I witnessed how, thefitness hype um at the industry
grew, which is very good, butalso I didn't really, I never
really liked the aspect of fancygyms and I don't know fancy
(06:30):
diets, fancy trainings ornutrition methods, and for me,
the whole idea was always muchmore simple.
I think fitness is about anactive and a fun lifestyle,
eating in a way that feels rightfor you and your body, and not
restricting yourself with crazydiets or whatever, and just
(06:52):
figuring out a lifestyle thatyou enjoy, on the one hand, but
that will also guarantee youlifelong fitness, on the other.
And that approach is very basic, very simple and also different
to other approaches I see inthe whole fitness world.
And that is, first of all, whyI chose fitness, or why I chose
(07:15):
to become a fitness coach.
And then, second, why I do thatremotely or why I do that for a
remote worker, is because I am aremote worker myself.
I know the problems of remoteworkers.
I know also the advantages thatremote work brings regarding
how you could organize your life, or how you could organize your
(07:38):
life as a fit remote worker.
So that is why it was just theclosest and the and the most
made the most sense for me towork with other remote workers
and help them and show them howto can, how to get fit in a
natural way, um doing trainingsoutside and and and going
(07:59):
outside, enjoying, enjoyingmoving the body or enjoying
enjoying the movement, enjoyingyour body and enjoying food in a
way that you enjoy it, but thatis also effective what was the
best advice anyone ever gave you, and did you follow it?
I think, looking back, I couldsay that my dad gave me quite a
(08:22):
few good advices, but maybe morerelevant for this podcast.
I was participating in amentorship with Janus Neumann
and he always told me you don'thave to train people in the gym,
(08:45):
or not even in the parks orwhatever.
You can work fully remote as anonline fitness coach and your
clients will benefit even morefrom that, and I think that was
a very good advice and until now, I can say that actually proved
as valid.
So that is what I'm doing rightnow working fully remote and
(09:10):
enjoying that, because it givesyou a lot of freedom and also
for my clients.
I can see that they canorganize their workouts even
better because they work out ontheir own.
So when I work together withthem afterwards, they know how
to work out on their own.
So when I work together withthem afterwards, they know how
to work out on their own.
That was sometimes a problemwhen I was training with people
(09:30):
or when I was working out withpeople together.
As you would imagine it as apersonal fitness coach.
In the gym, for example, youhave your personal fitness coach
there who tells you okay, doone more rep, do one more rep or
do this or that, and you getdependent on that.
If you don't have that personwith you while you're training,
then you have to organize yourworkout yourself, have to revise
(09:53):
with your coach later in thezoom call weekly zoom calls, for
example and like that, learnhow to work out and also how to
be consistent with nutrition orwhatever habit on your own,
being guided by your personalcoach online.
Alex Wilson-Campbell (10:12):
And what made you choose remote work and
how has it benefited you?
Marlon Schadeck (10:16):
So, yeah, as I just mentioned, that advice was
always something that kind ofgave me some direction.
That advice was alwayssomething that kind of gave me
some direction.
But then why I chose to gofully remote was because I loved
to be free, I love to travel, Ilove to be location independent
and, yeah, I saw that remotework is the thing that will get
(10:39):
me there and that will guaranteeme this lifestyle.
So that was definitely one bigpoint.
And then the other one is youreally get to work with people
from all over the world, whichis very interesting, I think.
Sometimes I have calls withclients in Canada, then I have a
(11:00):
next call somewhere inSoutheast Asia, then another one
in South America, you name it.
So it is very good to get intouch with people from all over
the world and be connected withthe whole world in some, in some
way what are your best tips fororganizing your day and staying
(11:24):
productive?
it's going out in the real world, before you open your laptop or
before you start working.
That means getting some freshair, moving your body and, in
the best case, getting somesunlight, before you then get
back to your place or fromwherever you work and start your
(11:47):
workday.
Getting some real-lifeexperience, the things somebody
experiences when he goes to theoffice or whatever, and then
(12:17):
also throughout the work orthroughout the workday, I think
mobility or even strengthexercises get the blood flowing,
activate the body, focus, andit helps a lot to to feel better
when you get back to to yourlaptop or from wherever you're
working and have a refreshedmind.
(12:38):
And I always think that it isimportant to keep the balance,
or to make sure that you keepthe balance, between mental and
physical load, because that thatmental load we usually have it
when when we work all day on ourtasks, but then that physical
load is lacking, so we're notexhausting our body at all.
(13:01):
And I think there it is veryimportant to get that physical
load in.
You can do that with workouts,but also with these short
movement snack, short movementbreaks and, yeah, with morning
walks, and there's quite a fewvery, very nice, very enjoyable
tools to to get that physicalload in as a remote worker, and
I think that is very important.
(13:23):
My father, for example, is acarpenter.
He's he's walking around andcarrying stuff and and lifting
things all day and when.
When I sometimes help on theconstruction, I really feel how
that helps my well-being and howgood I feel in the end of such
a day, even though it's veryexhausting for the body.
(13:44):
So, yeah, I might not work thatphysically as a remote worker
never.
But yeah, it is good to kind of, uh, yeah, get it, make it as
as physical as possible or orget it at least enough movement
in, let's put it like that.
And then what also helps me alot is to get to structure my
(14:05):
day, to not to not work all day,just a little bit, but have
proper times.
For example, I start my workday at 10 in the morning, um, do
my workout before, um and thenwork focused um.
I have my, my tasks and my andmy appointments in my calendar
(14:26):
and then usually I finish mywork day at four or five or six.
And having this structured kindof work day also helps them to
enjoy the spare time you haveafterwards, the time with
friends or the time to doactivities or whatever even more
.
Alex Wilson-Campbell (14:44):
And yeah, that kind of structure also
helps a lot so now I want tofind out more about the company
that you're part of.
So can you please begin bytelling me more about the
company that you're part of?
So can you please begin bytelling me more about the
company that you're?
Marlon Schadeck (14:59):
part of and its origin story.
So, as I mentioned already, thecompany that I'm part of, or
that I founded, that Ico-founded together with my
colleague, is called Nomenstrong, and Joe and I my colleague and
I we were both personal fitnesscoaches, fully remote.
Even before we met, we had thesame target group, so we were
(15:23):
both specializing on helpingremote workers and digital
nomads.
So when we first met viaLinkedIn or via Zoom or Google
Meet call, I think, we becamefriends and we saw that we both
have the same training approach,or a similar one at least, and,
(15:45):
yeah, that we're actually bothready to team up and make
something bigger out of it.
And then we called the wholething nomad strong, and that is
what we're working on at themoment.
And, um, yeah, we actually havenever met in real life.
By the way, this week we willmeet here in my hometown,
(16:06):
frankfurt, because we're both inin in germany at the moment.
So it's going to be the firstreal life meeting, quite, quite
interesting, quite exciting.
And uh, yeah, I mean, before Iwas, I was in mexico, he was in
spain, so that was not not anoption.
Now, both here, united in ingermany, let's see and what's
(16:29):
unique about the company they'reworking from or where they're
living, they have someone who'staking care of their health,
who's giving them individualizedtraining plans, individualized
nutrition advice.
We work a lot with habits, sowe're building habits that are
(16:51):
sustainable habits and that fitperfectly to the situation of
that client or of that personwho wants to get fit.
And we also want to bring moreof the real world into the
remote work lifestyle.
So we're focusing on outdoorworkouts, we're doing habits
(17:14):
like daily walks, we'reimplementing nutritional habits
that are nothing like diets ornothing like restriction, but
much more oriented to be asustainable approach that works
for that specific person forever.
(17:37):
So we want to be sustainable,we want to get people to get out
in the real world, let's say,and do their workout outside or
implement whatever sports orwhatever physical activity that
they enjoy.
That can be cycling, that canbe hiking, that can be running,
(18:01):
that can be swimming, that canbe playing ball sports so
implementing as much differentactivities as possible into that
remote worker schedule.
So you have a schedule that youenjoy but that will also get
(18:21):
you to become fit or to alsostay fit forever, which is a
very beneficial thing.
So when I sometimes get back tomy uh or my former clients that
I was training one or two yearsago.
Then they tell me okay, youwould be proud of me.
Actually, just like a few daysago, I I received a message from
(18:43):
a client who said like youwould be proud of me, I'm doing
my workouts and I'm staying fit,I'm even, I'm even even
progressing.
Even after our cooperationtogether, after our coaching and
that is for me, the best thingto hear Somebody really made a
sustainable change.
And that is the whole ideamaking a sustainable change by
providing individualized inputand by really focusing on a
(19:08):
one-on-one cooperation.
Alex Wilson-Campbell (19:12):
What's your philosophy on building a
great team?
Marlon Schadeck (19:16):
Level of responsibility.
So you have to be on time foryour meetings, you have to do
the tasks that are yours and youhave to then build work
seriously on your business, eventhough you're friends and even
though you're getting along witheach other, which might not be
(19:37):
so easy sometimes.
And then I think a third veryimportant point is a good vision
, a good idea that you want to,yeah, that all the team members
are convinced of, and thatyou're working on every day
(19:58):
right.
And I think, if all these threeare given, that is a very, very
good starting point.
Alex Wilson-Campbell (20:06):
Can you talk me through the steps of
your hiring process?
How would you describe thecompany's success so far?
Marlon Schadeck (20:14):
Then, on the other hand, we work a lot, both
my colleague Joe and I, to makethe whole thing happen and to
make it work, and, yeah, I wishthat one day it is less work and
, yeah, still the same output,or even more output, if you
would understand output asclients who sign up.
(20:37):
So, yeah, we're working towardsthere and I think it is normal
for a growing business or for abusiness that actually just
started a year ago that, yeah,the numbers are not going crazy,
but that we have to beconsistent and we have to keep
going, and then we're on apretty good track, I think.
Alex Wilson-Campbell (21:01):
And what's next on the horizon?
Marlon Schadeck (21:05):
Oh yeah, a lot of exciting things I'm really
looking forward to Now thatwe're fully remote.
We also want to do somein-person, offline work.
We are now planning to doevents with more or less a
charity character, actuallyevents in the form of workouts,
(21:32):
of outdoor workouts For me.
I'm living in Mexico offeringoutdoor workouts, sunset or
sunrise workouts at the beachfor a group of people who just
gather together and no one pays,or everyone pays as much as
they want, and it is a fit foreveryone concept or something
(21:52):
like that.
We don't really have a name forit yet, but that, uh, that is a
very, very exciting, uh, um,very exciting project, because,
also, I see a lot that people inmexico, where I'm living, a lot
of people don't have the moneyto pay a personal coach, um, so
it would be, uh, yeah, um,really, really, really, really a
(22:13):
great vision for me, a dreamactually, to make fitness, to
make my passion, my hobby,accessible for everyone, and
that could be a great startingpoint.
These charity events, thesecharity events, um.
(22:38):
Then also, we want to um offerretreats, seminars, workshops in
the real world.
So in offline, offline seminars, offline retreats, offline
workshops, um, where we get toget to know our clients, maybe
that we wouldn't, that we'vebeen training online for years,
but that we also get to meetlocals, whoever is there,
(23:00):
whoever wants to join theseprojects.
So these offline projects are athing I'm really, really
looking forward to.
Alex Wilson-Campbell (23:08):
Is there a particular team or company
whose culture you admire?
Marlon Schadeck (23:13):
Instagram account actually inspired me was
Primal Patterns, so a group ofguys who do more or less the
same that I'm doing or thatwe're doing.
So they have a movement-basedapproach.
They go out, they do sports andand adventures and in nature
(23:36):
and and have this kind of backto the roots vibe, focusing on
the basics with training, and,yeah, the whole thing looks fun,
the whole thing looks inspiring.
I would not say that is theyare my role model or something,
but definitely an aspiring,inspiring team and, um, yeah,
(24:01):
this is also more or less thedirection that we're, that we're
going, I think and, as we beginto wrap up, what excites you
about what's ahead.
Meeting the clients that I'veworked with so far, but also
meeting other people in reallife and getting these projects,
these retreats, these seminars,these workshops to become a
(24:27):
part of our business.
And what also excites me a lotis is the other, the other
aspect that I was talking about,the charity events, um helping,
helping all those who want toenjoy an active and healthy
lifestyle, um, even those whowho can't afford it and what do
(24:49):
you like to do when you're notworking?
Working out, working out, moving, doing sports, being physically
active, going for adventures,especially around Puerto
Vallarta and the city that I'mliving in Mexico, we have really
, really nice nature.
We have rainforests, we have wehave rainforests, we have
(25:17):
beaches, everything and, uh andyeah, going there and and doing
fun, fun stuff.
That is, uh, what I really,really enjoy.
Besides, besides working, um, Ialso like going out with
friends, um, doing thisadventure together with friends,
or just going out with friendsand having a great evening, um
and yeah, enjoying, enjoying mytime.
(25:38):
That I'm not working, I mean, Ienjoy my work, but also, um,
the rest of the time I I want tohave a good, a exciting, um and
a and a rewarding life.
And, yeah, I'm now getting backto.
Well, I just got back toGermany a while ago.
(26:00):
That is always very exciting tosee my friends and family over
here and I have my life overhere.
But then also I'm lookingforward to get back to Mexico to
train people at the beach andenjoy Mexico, enjoy being with
my friends over there, and thatis always for me, a very, yeah,
(26:21):
a very, very big one havingthese, these two lives, if you
would put it like that, my lifeover here in Germany and the one
in Mexico, so I'm alwayslooking forward to something.
Alex Wilson-Campbell (26:34):
That's it for today's episode of the
Remote Work Life podcast, but ifyou're a location-independent
freelancer, solopreneur, founderor leader and want to provide a
case study for the Remote WorkLife podcast, get in touch with
me via LinkedIn using the linkbelow in the show notes.
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