Justin Esposito

Justin Esposito is a well-established life coach operating out of Miami, Florida. He is genuinely passionate about the health and overall wellbeing of his clients, and his services extend beyond the typical offerings of most life coaches, into the realms of mental and emotional health, nutritional education, exercise and bodybuilding training, as well as the physical and philosophical benefits of practicing yoga.

Justin was raised in Long Island, New York and spent the formative years of his life in a supportive Italian-American family. As the eldest child, he took an active role in raising his younger siblings in order to ease the pressure felt by his busy parents.

During his middle teenage years, Justin developed a fascination with the financial industry, having been exposed to the profession through the older brother of a close friend. He admired stockbrokers, desiring to partake in the comfortable lifestyle which that profession afforded its practitioners. When the time came for him to graduate from high school, he made the bold choice to bypass college and enter directly into the workforce, jumping head-first into the world of finance. Not long after, a firm took interest in his abilities and offered him a position.

However, after a few fruitful years in the industry, Justin Esposito decided to take a break from finance. While taking some time to consider his future, he had something of an epiphany one day while working out at the gym: He decided to dedicate his life to pursuing a career in an industry built around helping people, that of life coaching.

As Justin prepared to begin the next chapter of his life, he conducted research into a wealth of topics connected to health and wellness; anatomy, nutrition, mobility, bodybuilding, mental health, and trauma and addiction recovery, among other things. He also completed the requisite two hundred hours of training needed to become an accredited yoga instructor.

These days, outside of his role as a life coach and trainer, Justin Esposito has developed a fitness training program that incorporates his yoga training and his sales expertise. Justin’s long-term goal is to make this program the centerpiece of a business that provides a comprehensive healing strategy for clients who grapple with drug addiction, mental health issues, and childhood trauma.

What is your typical day, and how do you make it productive?

My typical day begins early with my morning meditation, conducting a yoga class, and drinking a green smoothie. I take care of family obligations, bills, and other responsibilities before writing an entry in my gratitude journal. I’m constantly planning and keeping myself connected, grounded, and on my path. I make my typical day productive by networking and connecting with others, whether it’s in the yoga studio or the gym—I’m always networking and talking to people. I also keep connected as an active member in the community. I often find myself talking to people in a coffee line or at the smoothie shop. For anyone in business, networking and building relationships are typically mutually beneficial acts.

How do you bring ideas to life?

I bring ideas to life like a chameleon, in a sense. I can hang out with a variety of different personalities. I can conform to being part of any party or group, which is an incredibly positive talent for a life coach or an entrepreneur. Fitting in with people is an opportunity for me to show my value, of which one of the primary components is being a man of my word. I value knowing the interests of others—what they do, what they are good at—and I am constantly processing it all. With this kind of networking, I get great ideas about how to approach doing business and spread awareness of my professional expertise. So, I’m able to use that talent in a positive way. I’m enthusiastic about helping people achieve their short-term and long-term goals, and doing so feeds my soul.

What’s one trend that excites you?

One up-and-coming trend that I see now is with energy drinks. A few years ago, Red Bull and Monster were extremely popular drinks with exceedingly high sugar content. But now, I see that there are energy drinks on the market without nearly as much sugar. So, the production of much healthier energy drinks is a new trend that excites me. I’m a big proponent of making the foods and beverages that people consume as healthy as possible. It helps people look and feel their best. Personally, when I look and feel my best around others, I believe I’m at my best. That’s not exactly a trend, but it is my motto.

What is one habit that helps you be productive?

One habit that helps to keep me productive is abiding by my morning routine. Each day, I wake up early and go to my fitness class to kick start my metabolism. After that, I have a big, nutritious meal, hit the gym or yoga class, and then take a steam shower. Then I begin my workday. I always have my plan of action ready, which I write up the day before. It helps me to ensure I’ll be one hundred percent on whatever tasks I have to accomplish. Proper time management is important. It’s how I meet my own expectations and make sure I am not putting too much on my plate. It’s also how I always know what lies ahead of me. I want to give myself the best shot at being successful, and that means planning everything out and being prepared. I don’t want to put myself in a position where I have to be impulsive.

What advice would you give your younger self?

The advice that I would give to my younger self would be to stay true to who you are. Knowing what I now know, I would tell my younger self to stay strong, follow your heart and passions, finish the tasks you start, be a leader, be your own brand, don’t follow the herd, stay focused on moving forward, and don’t let people bring you down.

Tell us something you believe almost nobody agrees with you on?

I think the Miami Dolphins have a good shot at winning the Super Bowl next year. I’m sure there aren’t many people who would agree with me on that.

What is the one thing you repeatedly do and recommend everyone else do?

I take one day at a time and one breath at a time. I believe in the old axiom “Slow and steady wins the race.” I don’t take life too seriously. I live in the moment. And I believe everyone could benefit from espousing that philosophy.

When you feel overwhelmed or unfocused, what do you do?

When I need to release stress, I go to the gym or go for a run. Otherwise, I might take a yoga class, or I’ll speak with my mentor.

What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business or advance in your career?

My main business strategy is to dive all the way in and tackle whatever challenge I’ve given myself head on, while simultaneously trying to balance everything else in my life. I’m always sure to designate a specific time to accomplish any given task, and within that time frame, I give one hundred percent of my efforts to doing so. That means I mute my phone and disregard anything else. When I give one hundred percent of my time, effort, and attention to a task, I’m able to focus better, surpass expectations, and overachieve. In other words, the best business strategy for me is to make a firm commitment to a task, and no matter what it may be, give one hundred percent of my efforts.

What is one failure in your career,  how did you overcome it, and what lessons did you take away from it?

In the past, I’ve had to take steps to make sure I don’t get discouraged or overwhelmed by the big picture. Now, I’ve learned to take on one task at a time. I make a checklist and work down the ladder in order to get things done. I’m not trying to attack the whole job in one shot. Instead, I dissect each step and move through each layer to get to the end goal. The good thing about operating this way is that I build confidence as I move through the process. After successfully completing a step, I feel a little better about the project as a whole. If I’m unsure about anything at any point, I do my due diligence to better prepare my efforts moving forward.

What is one business idea you’re willing to give away to our readers?

To anyone interested in launching a business based around life coaching or health and wellness, I would suggest that more facilities to help people who struggle with mental health or addiction are needed—and not just ones that deal with therapeutics. There are many possibilities for working within and adding to existing programs. Incorporating an element of fitness would be a good augmentation. Education about eating the right foods would also be helpful. In fact, just generally encouraging the adoption of an all-around healthy lifestyle, including yoga, would be of great benefit.

What is one piece of software that helps you be productive? How do you use it?

I use the many programs included in the Microsoft Office Suite to keep on top of the various aspects of my business. It’s extremely helpful, especially Microsoft Word.

Do you have a favorite book or podcast you’ve gotten a ton of value from and why?

I can’t really say I have a favorite book or podcast, although I do listen to talks given by many industry leaders about best practices in health and wellness. However, I spend most of my time researching on the internet, as well as networking and building new relationships as I clarify my business strategy. I also stay on top of the latest information regarding new products and tools that might help my clients achieve their healthy lifestyle goals and new levels of fitness. I want to over-deliver on client expectations.

What’s a movie or series you recently enjoyed and why?

Honestly, I don’t spend much time watching television. I’m getting less and less enthusiastic about TV shows and movies lately. What I enjoy most, especially with my precious child waiting for me at home, is spending time with my family.

Key learnings:

• Look your best, feel your best, and you will be at your best.
• Establishing and abiding by a positive morning routine sets you up for success throughout the rest of the day.
• Proper time management is important, as it enables you to meet your own expectations and make sure you’re not taking on too many tasks.