Fit Isn't A Look, It's A Leadership Trait

This episode isn’t about macros or motivation; it’s about that moment you walk into a room and feel like something’s off.

You’re doing the work. You’re performing at a high level. But the guy sitting across from you? The one who looks sharp, speaks with command, and doesn’t need to prove himself?

He reminds you of who you used to be.

In this real, raw episode, Spencer unpacks what it means to lose your edge, and more importantly, what it takes to get it back. Because in the rooms where decisions are made, presence matters. And at this level? Fitness isn’t about aesthetics. It’s about authority.

You’ll discover: 

– Why your physical presence silently impacts your influence 

– How to rebuild command when your energy, confidence, or appearance starts to slip 

– Why leadership starts in the hours no one sees: at home, in the kitchen, and in the gym

This isn’t about shame or image. It’s about alignment. Because when your presence finally matches your potential? People don’t just listen, they'll follow.

If this episode hit home, make sure you’re subscribed. This is Fitness by Design, the podcast for high-performing men ready to stop winging it and start leading with their body.

For more stories, strategies, and hard truths:

Follow me on Instagram – @spencerhgallo
Connect with me on LinkedIn – Spencer Gallo
Or shoot me a text, I read every single one.

Let’s keep building your edge, one episode at a time.

Transcript

0:37

Do you ever have one of those days where nothing is wrong, but something just feels off? Like you're in the room, you're doing the work, you're saying all the right things, but you just don't feel like the guy. I had one of those recently. I walked into a super high level meeting at work. It was the same setting, the same people. I'd been around them for years, but this time I noticed something was different. There was this one dude at the table who wasn't really saying much, and he honestly didn't need to. He just sat there, he was calm, cool, collected, and he kind of commanded the room. And then I realized, I was like, fuck man. Like that used to be me. And not because I had a louder voice or a bigger title, but because I carried myself differently. I felt sharp. I looked good in my clothes, and I walked into the room like I belonged there because at the time I believed that I did. Somewhere along the way though, that edge that I had just started to slip away, and this isn't honestly about getting shredded. This isn't about aesthetics or having a six pack, you know, washboard abs. This is just about presence sitting in a meeting. It's about that quiet authority that walks into a room with you. Before you ever have to say a word, and I'm telling you right now, if you've lost that edge, you feel it. Even if no one else says it, you know it's not there. And what most guys don't realize, especially at our level, is that fitness isn't just about being in shape. It's about what it represents. because when you walk into a room and you've clearly been taking care of yourself. That communicates a hell of a lot more than whatever is on your resume. It says that you're disciplined. It says that you have standards. It says that you finish what you start. You can handle pressure because you've literally built your body in it. And you don't have to be leaner than everybody else in that meeting, but you damn well better walk in with that energy presence and clarity.'cause when you don't, that's when you start to get noticed and not in the right way, And people may not say it out loud, but it's in the way that they listen to you in the weight that your words start to carry in that meeting and in how fast your ideas may get adopted. How many people are nodding their head when you're talking? You think this shit isn't all tied together. Every single bonus, every single raise, every single project that you get handed or don't, That's a layer beneath all of it, and it's how you carry yourself because leadership isn't just what you're doing at work every single day. It's how you literally operate when no one is watching. It's forged in the gym at 5:00 AM 6:00 AM workouts when you could have hit snooze. It's choosing to have a real dinner instead of just Uber eating or ordering dominoes on the way home, having that extra drink or two after a stressful day every day. It's when you're worn out and you still show up for your wife, your kids, and your damn self. You train for leadership whether you realize it or not. So yeah, I've gained weight this last year, and I've lost a little bit of that edge that I used to have. But that's why this matters, because I refuse to let that version of me be a memory. And if you're listening to this right now, there's a good chance that you're in the exact same place that I am. You're still doing the work, you're still performing, you're still keeping up, but you know damn well that you're not walking into every single meeting with the full power that you have. And you know what that costs you. It's not just your confidence, but your actual ability to influence, your ability to own conference rooms, to close meetings, to make decisions and lead your team with energy, clarity, and command, man. So let me just leave you with this. You didn't get promoted and then start leading. You led first, and then everything else followed for you, and you don't get in shape. After you're successful, you build that body to sustain the success that you have built. So if you're tired of winging it and you're tired of walking into those rooms at 50, 60, 70% of the man that you should be, then this is your wake up call man, because when you're present, finally matches that potential. You don't just get listened to, you get followed. So if you're ready to stop winging it and actually start to lead from the front in your body, your career and your life, DM me the word design on Instagram and let's have a conversation and see how we can get you there. This is fitness by design and it's time to start leading like it.