Charlie Thompson, head personal trainer at Crunch Fitness in Hilliard, cares deeply for his clients and the Columbus community. Through fitness and exercise, Charlie has found his passion while connecting with those in his community.

Q: What inspired your work in/around sports?

A: The biggest thing is that I was an overweight kid. I was going to go to school for culinary arts at Columbus State originally and ended up switching majors after working with one personal trainer and having a great experience and having another personal trainer and having the exact opposite experience. And I didn’t want anyone to have the second experience that I had, which was that he overworked me.

Q: What role do you think sports play in a vibrant community?

A: Everything comes back to your physical fitness and camraderie for your mental health. I think sports are probably the biggest thing for people’s mental health that they overlook, because you can’t pour from an empty glass….We are very fortunate to be in a city where there’s always some sort of sport going on and something to rally the community behind.

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Q: What do you hope the people you serve get out of their experience?

A: I wake up every day with the goal of making as many people’s days brighter as I can. I hope, first off, that no matter what kind of day anybody that I come in contact with is having, just having a small interaction with me makes their day a little bit better. And with my clients specifically, it’s to inspire them to go beyond what they thought they could do. I want training to become not something that they have to do, but something they get to do.

Q: What has been the largest obstacle you have faced in your work, and how did you overcome it? 

A: I am naturally introverted, super introverted. That was the biggest thing I had to get over. If I were going to make a difference and be able to help people, the first thing I would have to do is learn how to talk to people and do so in a way that is not just passionate but inspires passion in others to where they want to actually take that step to really make big changes.

A lot of it was just knowing, like any sport, you’re going to have to get the reps in to get better at it. So, I focused every day on getting in reps by simply having small interactions of, “Hey, how’s your day going?” and trying to make someone laugh. And then using that to get myself more comfortable, because I know if I can make people smile, I make their day better. So, my goal first was to make everyone’s day better and then from there use that as a branching-off point to talk about what their goals are.

Q: What legacy do you hope to leave through your work?

A: The Biggest legacy I hope to leave through my work is that sports and fitness are for everybody. You can benefit the community through fitness, not just your own physical health, but the impact you can make on others is tremendous; I’ve seen it first-hand. I’ve run ultramarathons and marathons; I’ve done races to raise money for foundations, for OSU’s Living Legacy Fund, which benefits a scholarship fund for students who’ve had a parent missing in action, killed in action, or POW, that wouldn’t have access to a scholarship otherwise. This year I’m running the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Marathon, and I’m doing it as a Children’s Champion and trying to raise as much money as I can for the hospital in the orthopedic department. You can use your own sports and your own gifts to help bring awareness to the community and benefit other aspects of the community.