Mastermind Member In The Spotlight: Rachel Bergman

Rachel Bergman has been a standout member of the Todd Durkin Platinum Level since November 2011. Rachel’s company WholeFit is a mobile in-home fitness business that focuses on the Personal side of Personal Training. Rachel is currently seeking to recruit & train several trainers in the Wildwood/St. Louis community to join her other trainer Ashton in providing Personal Training and Small Group fitness services. In addition to being an outstanding fitness professional, entrepreneur, and author of “WholeFit Dish” – Rachel is a proud Wife & Mom to her husband Rob and their children Caden & Claire.

A Note About Rachel from her Todd Durkin Mastermind Coach Frank Pucher: “Her presence alone can make someone smile. She is a delightful spirit, which explains the ease at which people gravitate towards her and her business WholeFit Personal Training.” – Frank Pucher

Your name: Rachel Bergman
Location (City/State): Wildwood, MO
Your Role/Title: Owner WholeFit Personal Training
Hobbies/activities/interests: I love running. I love reading. Both inspire me to be constantly pushing my limits of what I think I am capable of.

Share your story. What inspires you? How has your journey helped you create WHO you are today? 

My “calling” to Personal Training started as a child. Two things distinctly stand out to me about how God created me:

1.    I was a very active kiddo.
2.    I was a very nervous/anxious child.

I was so anxious that when my parents moved my family to a new town in Indiana in the second grade, I literally pulled a large portion of my hair out. I was just very anxious and nervous…constantly. I remember as a young elementary child I would get really nervous and active late at night when it was dark out and to help calm me down my parents asked me to run around the outside of the house. I would run around and around our small farmhouse in the light of the moon. Or sometimes if I had too much energy I would run up and down the LONG lane that led to our house.

Then I got in middle school and high school and I joined the cross-country team. We had a small church with a large bell exactly a mile from our little house out in the country. I remember my goal was to make it to that bell without stopping. And I remember distinctly the day I met that goal. Touching that bell with my hand, I smiled…and ran back. After that it was just a blast to make goals and crush them. Or to make goals and fail them. It was MY journey and God was using activity to calm my anxious spirit.

As I grew up, I began to realize that our world had more than just one person in it. There were other people here too! And I began to look around. I noticed their battle. They struggled to play with their kids; they struggled to get in and out of their car. They struggled to climb the 4 steps to my grandparent’s porch. What came easily to me was a serious effort to them.

My family’s weight impacted their jobs, their relationships, their daily activities. All through MS and HS, I ran. And my mother made it to ONE of my meets. Why? She was tired. I decided at the age of 12 that this was NEVER going to be me. As I grew into adulthood I began to realize that these people were trapped. If they just had someone to believe in them, someone to help them out of their mess, someone to come alongside them and metaphorically hold their hand, they could change. But change is hard and a lot of times we can’t do it on our own.

What’s your purpose in life?


My purpose in life is easy. I simply serve people. I serve the heck out of each individual as we dive into what makes them tick. Why they ended up in the place they did with their bodies. How we can best help them be who they were created to be. It’s so fun to help people begin to see themselves as beautiful, precious, holy, fearfully and wonderfully made. There is a plan for all of us, and it isn’t to live a life of “exhaustion.” It isn’t to live a life of self-defeat, but to live victoriously and aggressively doing what it is He created us to do.  We are called to be our best and to live our best every single day. Our bodies are wonderfully created.  I get the distinct pleasure of helping people treat their bodies the BEST way they can.

How has the TD Mastermind Group (your teammates and coaches) helped you improve personally & professionally?

I love my mastermind family. The biggest thing the coaches/teammates have done is to help me identify my limiting beliefs and the lies I tell myself that get me nowhere. They help me identify my fears and replace them with truths. They have asked me questions that I have never asked myself. They keep me on my toes professionally and hold me accountable. TD mastermind provides opportunities to learn and grow, but also to USE the gift of training to inspire more than just my small community.

How has Todd’s leadership, coaching, and motivation personally or professionally helped you?

Todd’s energy & leadership is plumb contagious. After a weekend retreat, a phone call, or even a video that goes out I feel like my empty sponge has been refilled with life & energy.

What one piece of advice would you provide for a young fitness professional who is just starting out?

Your reference group determines as much as 95% of your success or failure. You become just like the people you surround yourself with. Make sure you are continually placing yourself in circles of leaders who inspire you and stretch you. Five years from now you will be the same person if it weren’t for the people you meet and the books you read. Go read books and meet awesome people!

How about one piece of advice you would offer a seasoned-savvy fitness pro?  

Don’t assume that because you have experience you have expertise and trust. Trust is earned. It is earned by serving. It is earned by listening. Expertise is earned. It is earned by learning, stretching, and growing, CONTINUALLY.