About Coach JP

Most people meet me today as a coach, author, and the creator of The Balanced Burn. What they usually do not see is how many lives I lived before this one, or how many times I had to start over to become the coach I am now.

I am not a straight-line success story. I am someone who has struggled, rebuilt, learned, and kept going. That experience shapes everything about how I coach.

A Not-So-Straight Path to Coaching

Long before coaching, I worked just about every job you can imagine. In my teens and early adulthood, I did whatever work I could find:

automotive and retail sales
warehouse work
night auditor at a hotel
mall and mobile security
construction labour

At the same time, food was always a central part of my life. I was a lifelong foodie long before the term existed. That passion naturally fed into years spent working throughout the food service world:

dishwasher and busboy
prep cook and line cook
bartender and server
barista behind the espresso machine

That deep love of food eventually led me toward professional culinary training. I did not complete the program. I had to withdraw in the latter stages when depression completely overwhelmed me, at a time when I felt like I was supposed to be getting my life together.

It was not polished. It was not linear. At the time it was simply survival. Looking back, those years gave me two things that still anchor my coaching today:

A grounded understanding of how hard real life can be.
A deep respect for anyone trying to improve their health while juggling work, stress, family, and a past that is not simple.

From IT Guy to Full-Time Coach

My last stop before finding my true calling as a coach was the IT world. I spent close to 20 years building a very successful career from the ground up, learning how systems work, how people break them, and how to fix complex problems in a structured way.

In 2009, I added a second job as a part-time personal trainer, working early mornings and evenings around my full-time IT role. In 2010, I expanded into nutrition coaching, which later grew into The Essentials of Healthy Eating and eventually The Balanced Burn.

By January 2012, I branched out on my own as a coach, still part time. For over six years, I built my business in the margins of my life. Then, in August 2018, I finally made the leap into full-time coaching.

Not long after, the world changed. Navigating the COVID pandemic as a small business owner in an industry built on in-person contact was a trial by fire. It forced reinvention, resilience, and creativity in ways I never expected, and those lessons now sit at the heart of how I support others through their own uncertain seasons.

So when I talk about building something meaningful through instability or stress, I speak from lived experience.

Coach JP on the Atlas Carry at the 2024 Spartan Race Kelowna Ultra (on his 50th birthday!)

How My Own Transformation Sparked My Calling

My journey into fitness did not begin with coaching others. It began with confronting some uncomfortable truths about myself.

At 30 years old, several things came together at once. My wife and I were expecting our first child, and a colleague from the office invited me to join him for martial arts training after work. Those sessions were a wake-up call. I realised very quickly just how out of shape I was. I remember getting winded walking up the stairs at the office and thinking, This cannot be who I am for my family, and this cannot be where my story stays.

That moment changed everything.

I hired a personal trainer. I started learning, experimenting, failing, adjusting, and trying again. Training became a source of strength. Nutrition became a skill instead of a punishment. Movement became something that expanded my life instead of something I avoided.

That experience, the humbling beginning, the slow grind of change, and the unexpected joy of feeling capable for the first time as an adult, is what eventually pulled me toward becoming a trainer and later a coach. Not because I was naturally gifted, but because I had lived the struggle myself and knew exactly what it felt like to want more.

An Athlete Who Chooses Hard Things on Purpose

I am 51, not a lifelong athlete and certainly not a genetically gifted one. I had some moderate success on my high school track team, but once those years ended, I spent most of my twenties largely sedentary. By the time I reached 30, I was badly out of shape and heading in the wrong direction. That wake-up call is what started my entire transformation.

Today I am a husband, father, and coach who chooses hard physical challenges because of who they help me become, not because athleticism has ever come easily to me.

I am a:

Trail runner and Spartan Racer, from 5 km events up to ultramarathon distances
Martial artist, drawing from Chinese Gung Fu, western boxing, Tae Kwon Do and other disciplines

I have helped dozens of clients take on Spartan Races, from their first Sprint to full Trifecta Weekends. That has included coaching, preparation, and being out there on course with them on the day.

One of the experiences I am proudest of was guiding a visually impaired friend through his first Spartan Sprint in 2023, and again on a much more challenging course in 2024.

Beyond obstacle racing, I have supported others through their first marathons and ultramarathons. There is the training plan and the physical side, but the real work is mental. It is learning to stay in the fight when every voice in your head is telling you to stop.

These experiences shape how I coach. I am living proof that you do not need a lifelong athletic background to build strength, resilience, and capability. You only need a willingness to begin and to keep showing up. That is the message I carry into my work with every client.

What I Have Lived Through Shapes How I Coach

My interest in mindset and resilience comes from lived experience.

I have:

struggled with depression and self-image
experienced racism and discrimination as a visible minority
grown up in a home environment that was far from easy, and then split by divorce when I was 13
gone through periods where I did not know if I would have a place to sleep or anything to eat
made serious mistakes as a younger man and had to face the consequences
navigated the corporate world while feeling like I did not truly belong there
gone through major mid-life career upheaval, leaving stability to bet on myself
dealt with my own significant injuries, serious health scares and chronic conditions
not graduated high school with my peers, instead finally completing that milestone at 50 years old

And alongside the hard parts, there has been so much good. I am a very proud father of two exceptional young adults, and incredibly fortunate to have built a 23 plus year marriage with my best friend and the love of my life. My family is my greatest joy and a daily reminder that growth and connection are always possible.

All of this shapes the way I coach.

I understand shame, fear, and the feeling of being behind.
I understand what it takes to rebuild a life, and how to bounce back from adversity.
I understand that change is rarely tidy and never just about willpower.

So when I tell clients that setbacks are part of the path, or that they are not broken, I am not reciting a line. I am sharing something I have lived.

Coach JP and The BTG Crew after the 2019 Spartan Race Whistler Sprint

Who I Coach (And How)

My work started with personal training and nutrition. It has grown into something broader and deeper.

I coach:

people who have tried every diet and feel stuck or broken
parents who have put themselves last for too long
men and women navigating midlife changes in metabolism, hormones, and identity
high achievers in corporate and organisational roles who need support with mindset, stress, and career transitions
people who want to feel strong, capable, and genuinely proud of who they are becoming

We work on food, movement, habits, mindset, identity, and resilience. This is not about perfection. It is about building capability and confidence that lasts.

Philosophy: Strong, Useful, and Fully Alive

I am heavily influenced by Stoic philosophy and by Georges Hébert’s maxim “Être Fort Pour Être Utile” (Be Strong To Be Useful).

To me, that means:

building a body you can rely on
enjoying food without fear or obsession
using health and fitness to show up better for the people you love
practising discipline and compassion as two sides of the same coin
being resilient and adaptable enough to handle whatever life throws at you

Whether you work with me one to one, join The Balanced Burn Plus, or train in person at The BTG, you get the same coach:

Clear, direct, and grounded.
Zero judgement.
Deeply practical.
Committed to helping you discover what you are truly capable of.

Why People Work With Me

People do not hire me because I am perfect. They hire me because I bring:

• breadth of lived experience across food service, manual labour, security work, sales, IT, entrepreneurship, sport, and family life
• depth of coaching practice, beginning in 2009 and becoming full-time in 2018
• a systems mindset that turns complex problems into clear, practical steps
• real empathy, grounded in my own struggles and course corrections
• high standards and honest feedback, delivered with respect

If you want someone to shout slogans, I am not your coach.

If you want someone who listens deeply, challenges you appropriately, expects your best, and walks with you through the hard parts, we will probably be a great fit.

If You Would Like to Explore What Working Together Could Look Like

If my story resonates with you and you would like to explore the next steps in your own health journey, you are welcome to learn more about:

Or reach out to me via our Contact Us page. I would love to help you discover what you are truly capable of.