Consulting Session: From Full-Time Teacher to Fitness CEO: How to Build a Business with Zero Free Time!

Episode 243

Have you ever wondered how someone can build a successful business while juggling a full-time job, two kids, and a dog? It sounds impossible, doesn’t it? But today, you’ll discover the secrets behind making it happen. Meet Mel Bridger, a high school teacher by day and a thriving fitness and women’s health coach by… well, every other moment she can grab! If you're busy but dreaming big, this story is about to blow your mind.

Meet Mel: The Teacher Who Never Stops

Mel Bridger is not just a high school teacher; she’s also a women's health and fitness coach specializing in menopause support. Yes, she’s doing it all. Her days start early (we’re talking 6 AM sharp) and are packed with teaching, grading, and supporting students. Then, after-school life takes over: kids’ extracurriculars, dinner, bedtime routines… and oh, did we mention she runs fitness classes in the evenings too? Wednesdays and Thursdays are fully booked with sessions she delivers in person.

Despite all this, Mel has managed to grow a successful fitness business and is now expanding her offerings into staff well-being programs for schools. How? Let’s break it down.

The Big Problem: Where Does the Time Go?

If you’ve ever tried to balance work, family, and a side hustle, you know time feels like sand slipping through your fingers. For Mel, time was her biggest challenge. She struggled with:

Finding time to plan her business moves between her teaching job and family duties.
Lack of consistency in her marketing, especially with email campaigns.
Juggling creativity and exhaustion after long, busy days.

Sound familiar? Mel’s solution was both smart and simple.

Step 1: Turn Your Time Limits Into Creativity Boosters

Kennedy, the podcast host helping Mel, shared an eye-opening insight: Constraints don’t limit creativity—they fuel it! Think of it like this: In improv comedy, the funniest moments happen because of constraints. For example, if someone says, “Pretend you’re Winston Churchill stuck in a train station but can’t use the letter T,” magic happens.

Mel’s constraints became her springboard. She couldn’t work during the day (hello, teaching and parenting), so she blocked out Sunday afternoons to focus solely on her business. By defining her limits, she created space for creative bursts.

Step 2: Map Out a Simple Plan

Mel’s first Sunday session was all about planning her email strategy. Instead of trying to do it all at once, she broke the process into manageable chunks:

Plan 60 days of emails. This sounds huge, but Kennedy advised starting with just the topics. What are the main reasons her audience might buy from her? She listed these out, such as:

Helping schools retain teachers and reduce burnout.
Supporting staff morale.
Giving schools a proactive reputation for caring about well-being.

Focus on campaigns, not random emails. Each email campaign had a theme—like the financial cost of teacher turnover—and she planned a series of emails for each topic. This way, her emails felt purposeful, not scattered.
Use Sundays as creative power hours. On Sundays, Mel brainstormed ideas and wrote email drafts. Knowing she had just an hour or two kept her focused and efficient.

Step 3: Write Hooks First, Emails Second

Here’s a tip that changed everything for Mel: Start with email hooks before diving into the actual writing. A hook is like the headline of your email—the attention-grabber that makes someone want to read more.

For example: