My name is Bobby Bushnell and I’m from Tinley Park, Illinois. I’m 28 years old and I’m the founder and owner of Inner Eye Fitness LLC. I’m also the author of the book, ‘Inner Eye 3-6-9,” and the founder of a nonprofit foundation for the homeless known as the, “Inner Heroes for Humanity,” foundation. I’ve recently moved to Nashville, Tennessee to continue building my business and foundation as well as promoting my book.
I’ve been a personal trainer for 9 years with 22 health and wellness certifications and an online degree in exercises science. Also, I’m certified by the American Association of Drugless Practitioners as a holistic health practitioner. I’ve trained well over 500 different clients from celebrities, professional athletes, and fitness models as well as your everyday person seeking a change in their health. Inner Eye Fitness focuses on bringing transformation to others by offering services such as personal training, nutrition and supplemental guidance, yoga, meditation, reflexology, and sound healing practices.
I have helped numerous clients overcome depression and anxiety and I have reversed chronic conditions such as stage 4 kidney failure, diabetes, and smoking addiction. My business has succeeded in numerous weight loss transformations as well as improving the mental and emotional health of elderly clients. My services have helped prepare a variety of athletes for their upcoming season by improving their strength, power, endurance, and agility. And it has helped the youth stay active with group training classes that are fun, interactive, and beneficial to their physical and mental health.
Fitness and nutrition has been my life ever since I was 8 years old. I would train for 6 hours a day growing up to achieve my dream of playing professional football. Unfortunately, my senior year of high school, I fractured 2 bones in my ankle and broke my fibula which required numerous surgeries and a year of physical therapy. Also, I experienced a major depression after the injury and struggled to find who I was. What I thought was the end was actually the start of a new beginning. I took all the knowledge that I learned throughout my life with training and brought it to the world. I realized that the darker the suffering before you speaks to the greatness of what’s in store for you. The obstacles and hardships we go through are like puzzle pieces that eventually come together to give us our purpose in life.
I started off as a personal trainer at L.A. Fitness making only $6 a session. There would be days where I’d only make $18 for the day. After one year, I got promoted to be a master trainer. I had around 15 clients a day working morning to night. I loved it even though I was only making $7 a session with the $1 raise after being promoted. With all the clients I trained, I was only bringing home a couple hundred bucks a week.
After three years, friends and family told me that I should consider going back to school due to my income. I remember telling my parents that if I had to sleep in the grass outside the gym to continue to be a trainer, so be it. As long as I get to wake up and go back into the gym doing what I love. I explored my options and saw other trainers generating a lot of income. I told myself, if other trainers are making a lot of money doing it, I could too.
If one is the best at what they do and has a burning desire to go above and beyond in their field, opportunities will find them that will propel them higher than they ever thought possible. The latin root word for talent means, “talentum.” Talentum means, “sums of money.” If one follows their talent, regardless of what it is, they will make sums of money. In society, it’s reversed. We’re taught to follow “sums of money,” which kills true talent and depletes us of our passion, energy, and joy for life.
Every person is given a vision deep within themselves. Most of the time, the vision we’re given is not fully understood by friends, family and the external world. To the young entrepreneurs, the vision you receive within is only 100% understood by you and you only. It’s your job to have faith in what you see within regardless of what the outside tells you. Oftentimes, we allow the outside world to tell us what we’re good at and what path to take rather than having the courage to follow and create our own path for others to follow. The Universe and the ultimate divine would have never given you the vision if it didn’t think you had the ability to manifest it externally.
Visualization is a powerful technique that I engage in everyday. Everything in the outer world was once imagined. Alexander Graham Bell imagined the telephone; the Wright brothers imagined the airplane, and Karl Benz imagined the car. The world around us was made by thoughts which turned into an idea that was spoken into creation. Visualization and images that come to us is a preview of our future and the life we’re meant to live. It’s our mission to bring the images we see within to life.
Oftentimes, we are distracted by the stories and timeline of others rather than trusting the timing of our own story. All of which delays our vision and the life we’re meant to live. Key advice I can give to young entrepreneurs is to not compare where you’re at in your journey to other people’s timeline. As a young entrepreneur, there will be times where you will feel like you’re falling behind because you’re taking a completely different route than the norm.
A good quote that helped me during my entrepreneurship journey was, “those who are first will be last and those who are last will be first.” Grant Cardone was broke and $50,000 in debt at 25 years old. Mark Cuban was a bartender at 25 years old exploring, discovering, and creating his own path. Richard Branson didn’t create his company until he was 34 years old. Gordon Bowker didn’t start Starbucks until he was 51 years old. Colonel Sanders didn’t create KFC until he was 62 years old. J.K. Rowling didn’t publish Harry Potter until she was 32 years old. Sam Walton didn’t create Walmart until he was 44 years old. The list goes on about every successful entrepreneur.
In life, we must come to the understanding that some people are going to graduate before you even though you’ve worked harder. Many people may get a job before you even though you’re more qualified. Some may get married before you even though you’re more kind, respectful, and loving. When you hear the phrase, “get over it, life isn’t fair,” many base this phrase off competing with the story and plan of others rather than focusing on their own journey.
Yes, some people are going to buy a house and a nice car before you, but go bankrupt before you get into your first apartment. Many will get married before you, but get divorced
before your first real relationship. And some may graduate before you, but remain broke and unemployed when you get hired at your first real job. These examples are why it makes no sense to make decisions or feel a certain way based on an illusionary race. Wherever you’re at on your timeline, continue to climb and build in silence. To be a successful entrepreneur; patience, discipline, and courage are key aspects that you must learn throughout your journey.
Furthermore, I stepped out of my comfort zone and left L.A. Fitness after three years. I landed a job working for a chiropractor. I would train people after they’d get their knees, back, and hips adjusted. I was making $20 a session, but didn’t have that many clients. After 1 year, I took another leap and worked for a private gym. Now, I was making $25 a session. Here, I learned how to run a business, run classes, and work credit card systems. Then, I took the leap and became self-employed.
I rented space at a gym and did in-home training. The in-home training was for more medical clients who needed help managing the symptoms of their disease. The space I rented out at a gym is where I did regular personal training for people who were trying to lose weight, gain muscle, or prepare for their upcoming season. Finally after 6 years of hard work, struggle, and climbing the ladder, I was able to make a good living doing what I love.
I attained a number of clients from the space I rented out that I literally had people on a waiting list. All my clients loved and admired my passion, work ethic, and care I showed to not only them, but to everyone who came in contact with me. My plans and regimens that people were following were not only getting them results, but they were also making them feel better mentally and emotionally to where some were able to ween off their blood pressure medicine, diabetes medicine, and even depression/anxiety medicine. However, making a good living doing what I loved didn’t mean that the roadblocks and hardships stopped.
I hit another catastrophe during my 6th year as a trainer that really took a toll on my own mental and emotional health. The owner of the gym where I rented out space saw all the clients I had as well as all the money I was generating. He wanted to raise my rent every month as well as doing classes for his gym. I was an independent contractor so I had no obligations to do any work for his business. However, he was able to get a hold of all my intellectual property which he then plagiarized and stomped his gym logo on. Then, he called up all my clients that I had at his gym and defamed my reputation and character. Not only that, he filed a fake police report to terminate me from his gym and the contract we agreed upon.
I got an attorney for defamation, breach of contract, plagiarism, and filing a fake police report, but was unable to continue the case due to the ongoing cost. At this point, I felt alone, anxious, and heartbroken. I didn’t receive much support from anyone after the incident other than a few of my close clients that have been with me from the beginning of my personal training journey.
After being able to heal stage 4 kidney failure, smoking addiction, and diabetes as well as high blood pressure, depression, and skin disorders, I felt like I still wasn’t getting recognized or acknowledged with my practices from the people around me. I proved that I could reverse disease and I was still being told to give up my LLC., go back to college, and work a regular
houred job. After the incident, I packed my bags and took a trip to the place I always dreamed of- Hollywood.
My mission from the start was to heal disease and work with the stars of hollywood who were prone to high stress levels as well as depression and anxiety. I really admired the comedian and actor Robin Williams as well as the lead singer of Linkin Park, Chester Bennington. When I heard the news that Chester and Robin lost their life to suicide due to mental distress, it really lit a fire in me to bring my practices to these highly influential people that inspired many with their movies, music, and speaking tours.
When I arrived, I did whatever it took to get people to take a chance with my health and wellness services. I went to every nutrition store, supplement store, and restaurant to give out my cards. I went to the meditation shops, museums, and even houses to explain my story and the value that I could bring to people.
I went on the Warner Bros tour, not necessarily to view everything, but to put notes on desks and hand out business cards. I toured condos, studios, and apartments and as the tour guide was showing me the units, I was putting flyers on walls, slipping notes underneath doors, and leaving my cards in the lounges.
I stayed in L.A. for another couple of days to continue promoting my brand. However, I was receiving numerous calls from credit card companies demanding me to pay off a balance as well as my equipment loan company telling me that they’re about to take back all the equipment if I don’t make a payment. My attorneys kept calling asking for more money on my case that I would soon drop due to the ongoing cost. My parents kept calling concerned about my mental and emotional health. The list of things falling apart felt endless, but it didn’t stop the burning desire within me to bring my business to life.
My last day in hollywood, I had to put an exclamation point on the trip, so I ran up hollywood hill hoping to find the hollywood sign, but instead found the cross. I reflected on my journey and knew that the obstacles before me were just puzzle pieces that were creating the greatest story ever told.
After the Hollywood trip, I took another trip to Las Vegas to hear the comedian Kevin Hart talk about entrepreneurship and the adversity he battled to make it where he is today. After hearing his speech, it gave me the confidence in myself that regardless of the struggle, I knew I had the strength and power to make my vision come to life.
Next, I heard that Micheal Jordan’s personal trainer was going to be speaking in New Orleans, so I headed towards Louisiana to hear him speak. He explained how he was making peanuts when he first started in the industry, but through his relentless pursuit, he climbed to the top to eventually train the best of the best. He also became a best selling author promoting his message of being relentless in the face of adversity. I knew I was on the right path after hearing Tim’s story even when everyone around me thought otherwise.
Everywhere I went, I was promoting my practice in some form or another. I got my cards and information out to big named people and continued this pursuit when I first created Inner Eye Fitness. I handed my business card to Drew Brees of the New Orlean saints before the game they had in Chicago. I made a fitness and nutrition plan for Patrick Bet David and was sure to sit front row when I heard he was speaking at an event. I won a contest on the radio to meet the band known as Blue October and gave them my card before they performed on stage. I wrote numerous letters to people like Elon Musk, Selena Gomez, Ariana Grande, Kanye West, Jim Carrey, Joe Rogan, and various music managers and producers explaining the services that I offered.
After all the struggle and adversity during my 6th year as a health and wellness trainer, I couldn’t be more grateful. Divine Grace blessed me with the knowledge, wisdom, and understanding that I didn’t realize I needed. My good clients that have been with me from the beginning really helped mold my business. One client got me his accountant to help manage my finances and paperwork. Another client introduced me to a franchise owner who helped me file for my LLC as well as getting my intellectual property copyrighted and protected. Another client guided me on getting my company trademarked. I was off and running stronger than I ever was before after my 7th year as a health and wellness trainer.
Looking back at my journey, I am beyond blessed for the struggle and hardships and realized that all of it was necessary in order to learn and understand business, attorneys and the justice system, accounting, and more importantly, to develop and strengthen my faith. Faith is knowing and believing that the vision you see within yourself is already true. One is currently just living out the scenes that are getting them to the end result of their faith.
To all the young entrepreneurs, follow your vision and continue to persevere through all the struggles, hardships, and adversity for it’s creating your business and the person you’re becoming.
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