Today we’d like to introduce you to Sam Mason.
Hi Sam, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Well, fitness/sport has been a part of my life since I can remember. I grew up in Lake Tahoe (NV), competing in snowboarding until I was about 13 when my family moved to Los Angeles. There, I changed my focus to baseball, where I found success, drafted by the Chicago White Sox from high school & pitching at Auburn University.
After graduating, I decided to move back to Los Angeles, where I discovered my passion for fitness. I got a job working the front desk at Barry’s Bootcamp and never looked back. I worked my way up to become the Curriculum Coordinator of the West Coach while also being an instructor. Since then, I continued working with Bary’s in London & ended my teaching days with Barry’s in Nashville.
While in London, I started working at a Pilates-based studio called FORM, which opened my training up to something more well-rounded that took on nuances of mobility, Pilates & strength training. A change within myself separated me from other trainers and developed my style.
As mentioned before, I came back to Nashville and started teaching just at Barry’s. It wasn’t long after that that I was recruited to work for a company called Kamps down in Miami. This venture was eye-opening but eventually led my wife & me to start our own company, Pilier Collective. The opportunity was exciting as I was brought down to become the Director of Community Relations and teach my training style.
Pilier Collective was our new online program encompassing sustainable fitness & intuitive nutrition. In that, Pilier has become a way to connect with communities, removing our online training & turning it into events/pop-ups. Our social is where you’ll find where we’ll be next! Being online allowed us to relocate ourselves back to Nashville, where we’re happier & change the course of our company.
Other than engaging in the community through Pilier, I have taken on more personal training and a new position at Soho House Nashville, where you can find me regularly teaching classes!
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I think all roads in life have ups and downs, and my journey has had its fair share of both. I am fortunate to be where I am in life & career, but if it weren’t for the hardships, I would not be anywhere near. At the beginning of my professional career, becoming a trainer at Barry’s was a struggle. It’s not the easiest thing to do, and when I went in for my first audition, they sadly told me I wasn’t ready. Not what I wanted to hear, but it got me to work harder and make sacrifices to achieve what I wanted. Amidst success, I found myself struggling. I was promoted to the curriculum coordinator position while teaching classes, but my elder colleagues held some resentment and push back with my new role. As uncomfortable as it was, I had to overcome some of the bitterness and make amends. Besides those situations, the biggest challenge I overcame was moving to London. My job at Barry’s UK was not definite, and the training to be a trainer there was grueling. Adding to the mix, I did not financially prepare for the move overseas and found some financial distress. Thankfully, I managed to secure a training position at a pilates-based studio called FORM, making living possible.
As you know, we’re big fans of Pilier Collective. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about the brand?
Pilier is an endeavor to bring communities together through mindful fitness & intuitive nutrition. My wife, Alexia, & I started the venture in 2021 as an online training platform encompassing a combination of personalized fitness & nutrition. We were tired of the current models pushing many options and neglecting the client’s specific needs. We continued to grow, but once we moved back to Nashville & spent time with family/friends, we changed our approach.
We realized how much we missed being in person. We dissolved the online portion and started to connect with local businesses/communities. Making an impact on those around us, providing for our loved ones, and meeting new people interested in something other than just the ‘hype’ of what fitness/nutrition has become.
Our mission is to improve the lives of everyone we meet and have them feel confident in who they are & what they can accomplish. In that, we have and love collaborating with other companies in the food and wellness industries. Shedding light on what’s important to ‘being healthy’ without making workouts the hardest thing or providing misinformation about nutrition because a fad says so.
What does success mean to you?
Success is situational. When you go out to do anything, there is a desired result and a result that you would be happy with. So long as give your effort to the best of your ability and achieve something within the two confines, that is successful.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @samueljohnmason
- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/user/1247492565?si=O5GZnMOpTkGgrmhJIPxMbg
- Other: @piliercollective
Image Credits
Jessica Steddom
