Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael Lawson.
Hi Michael, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I graduated Pennridge High School in 2013 and went on to play water polo at Mercyhurst University. Upon enrolling, all I knew was that I wanted to play sports and work with the most elite athletes in the world. I came to the conclusion that the Strength & Conditioning field would be the best route to achieve this goal, and it was what piqued my interest the most.
Summer of 2016, I completed my first internship at Lehigh University under Coach Eric Markovcy, where I fell in love with Collegiate Strength and Conditioning, and knew that where I wanted to head.
I began to apply to graduate school because I knew I needed more experience and a graduate degree would buy me time and make more marketable in the long-term. I start applying to big schools with the intentions to latch on to big time sports teams and network, while also getting a big school experience (coming from a small school). I wound up pursuing my graduate studies at the University of Georgia where I was fortunate to Intern with all the Olympic sports teams and Football.
My internship experience at the University of Georgia was extremely critical in my professional development. I achieved my CSCS certification, and after graduating in fall of 2018, I landed my first paid strength & conditioning position out of college at Rutgers university in 2019.
While I enjoyed my time at Rutgers, I decided to shift gears and pursue an Officer position with the United States Navy. The position was the Naval Aerospace and Operational Physiology program, where I would provide support for fighter pilots to handle the demands of their missions.
Super long story short: my interview process was repeatedly pushed back, partially due to logistics and mostly due to the Covid-19 pandemic. I was in limbo for about three years where I worked at a couple of local gyms personal training to give me something to do as I awaited my fate.
I grew tired of waiting, plus I was having issues with the manager of the gym I was at. I was at an NSCA Conference when a renowned trainer in the Strength & Conditioning industry struck up a conversation with me; where he gave me advice about business and LLCs. Later that evening, I created my LLC and took it upon myself to start my own business in the summer of 2020.
It began with going to parks and pick up kids to train speed and use whatever equipment I had to train strength. Ultimately, the Navy position did not work out, which lead me to make the jump and go all in and bet on myself.
After falling out with the manager of that gym, I stumbled upon the facility I am at now, a Colmar, PA, just down the road from where I grew up. Originally, the owner who started this gym, was playing landlord and renting spaces out to other trainers. There were about 7 total trainers who would rent sections and train their clientele independently. Because I left my prior facility on horrible terms, I initially had ZERO clients or a plan to pay rent. Fortunately, I struck a deal with the landlord that worked in my favor where I was able to pay cheaper rent, which provided flexibility to build a clientele base and grow from ground zero.
After a while, the original owner was having issues paying the bills. I built my business to a point where it was sustainable, and one of the other trainers in there, who is my current partner, Maliq Harris, was crushing it. He ultimately took over the lease and we eventually took over as the mainstays of the gym.
The rest is history. The gym is now Kings Corner Boxing and LAWSON LIFESTYLE & PERFORMANCE. We make a great team and he trains boxing and general population where I focus on local athletes of all sports ranging from the youth & high school levels up through college, professional, and olympic levels.
My life has been a wild journey, and I am grateful to have come home and serve the community that raised me and to serve and develop the next generation of athletes and youth. The goal is to still train the best of the best athletes in the world, and I will do so from the grassroots of my hometown and develop the athletes of this community to become world class.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Being in limbo waiting for my outcome with the Naval Officer position was definitely the biggest obstacle. I had two college degrees, an elite certification, elite internships. I stood out on paper. Yet I was working at a corporate box gym just passing time awaiting my results. Being young & hungry, I wanted to get on with my life and make a name for myself in this industry.
The plan was, if the Navy did not work out, to go back into Collegiate Strength & Conditioning. It took two years just get my interview, then another year to be told no, and then additional time when they reached out and offered me to reapply. My opportunity to get back into the Collegiate sector was continually bleaker, and while starting my own business was a dream of mine, it was not in the cards that early in my career.
Other obstacles is just being a one man show in a saturated field, competing against corporate entities with more money and resources, or other trainers trying to make a name for themselves. Luckily I was relatively early in establishing myself as an Athletic Performance Specialist in the area, before private equity and corporate sales & franchisees caught wind of monetizing youth sports and performance training.
While these entities had money and resources, and other trainers were jumping in the game, they could never compete with my preparation and my ambition and fire I have for this field. I had a vision early and a delusional self-belief and have been dialed in since I made the decision to major in Exercise Science in college to work with elite athletes. My extensive and unique background in training under world-class coaches and training world-class athletes, on top of the time I put in and continuously put in is something these corporate people and trainers can never take from me. Which is why I am able to stand out in this growing market and in my community.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I market myself as an Athletic Performance Specialist. My goal with LAWSON LIFESTYLE & PERFORMANCE is to be the premier one-stop shop for all things athletics.
We provide world-class services in training speed, explosiveness, agility, strength and conditioning, nutrition, mobility & flexibility, recovery, mental preparation, and more. We are known for building the strongest, most explosive, robust, and mentally strong & prepared athletes through our intensive training sessions.
My ideal client is the athlete who desires to be elite. Athletes looking to go college or professional, but also the athlete who is coachable and has relentless work ethic and is willing to train like a professional.
I’ve been fortunate to have trained under world-class coaches and trained world class athletes. Numerous NCAA champions and up to 100 professional and olympic athletes. Coupled with my experiences as a collegiate athlete and my approach to my craft in how I continuously educate myself and learn the nature of business, nobody in this area competes with us and what we offer.
This is just scratching the surface. I have bigger plans in the cards coming soon, but here is where the vision begins.
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
Success is arbitrary. How I perceive success will differ compared to others.
End of day, if an individual achieves what they perceive as their criteria of success, does so with integrity and grace, and without exploiting or harming others, then I would deem them as successful.
For me personally: success is the ability to do my part in society by being respectful, having integrity, staying loyal to my principles and purpose, and to uplift those around me to maximize their potential, whether working with them directly, or being able to make an impact on them through inspiration.
For me professionally: it is when an athlete or client comes to me with a goal and I am able to accomplish said goal for them and maximize their outcomes. Most kids will not play professionally, but every kid will be an adult member of society, and I take pride in having a positive impact on their development.
Everything else is icing on the cake.
Pricing:
- First Class FREE
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.lawsonlifestyleandperformance.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lawsonlifestyleandperformance/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lawsonlifestyleandperformance
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@LIFESTYLEANDPERFORMANCE
