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Mark Blackburn Coaching
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Private studio in Gisborne, supporting clients across the Macedon Ranges.

Journeys

One decision. Hundreds of small steps.

The first journey on this page is mine. The next could be yours.

Mark’s story

I didn’t start by chasing a bodybuilding stage. I started because I wanted to lose weight, get healthier and feel better.

In 2014 I was uncomfortable in my own body. I’d tried to change before. Short bursts that never lasted. This time I committed to doing it differently, and to giving it the time it actually takes.

What followed was years of small, ordinary decisions. With the help of a coach in India, I learned what sustainable change actually requires. Education. Discipline. Consistency. Patience.

Each goal I reached gave me the confidence to set the next one. That’s how I now know what’s possible for the people I coach.

A timeline

The moments that shaped how I coach today.

Change happened in ordinary moments. A first conversation. A small win. A new habit. The story below is mine, told the way it actually happened.

  1. Mark photographed from the front in May 2014, the day he decided things had to change.
    Mark photographed from the side in May 2014, at the very start of his journey.
    May 2014

    The decision to change

    I didn’t start this journey because I wanted to step on a bodybuilding stage. I started because I wanted to lose weight, improve my health, and become someone who could say yes to more of life.

    The first step was simply deciding that things could be different.

  2. Mark and his wife Stacey on a weekend away in August 2014, three months into the journey.
    Mark on a rope swing in August 2014, willing to say yes to the things he had quietly stopped doing.
    August 2014

    Living life while changing

    Progress wasn’t only measured by the number on the scales. It was measured by the things I was willing to do.

    Being more active, more adventurous, and more present in life was the real reward.

  3. Mark in September 2014, four months in and seeing the first signs of consistent progress.
    September 2014

    The first signs of progress

    The changes were still small, but they were real.

    The biggest lesson I learned was that consistency beats intensity. Small actions repeated over time create extraordinary results.

  4. Mark in November 2014, six months in, with confidence growing alongside the changes.
    November 2014

    Discovering what was possible

    As confidence grew, so did my belief in what I could achieve.

    Goals that once seemed unrealistic slowly became things worth chasing.

  5. Mark in December 2014, the physical change visible after eight months of consistency.
    Mark behind the scenes during a photoshoot in December 2014, marking how far he had come.
    December 2014

    A different person emerging

    By the end of the year I was doing things I once thought were impossible.

    The transformation was never just physical. It was a shift in confidence, identity, and what I believed I was capable of.

  6. Mark with his coach in India in 2015, learning that coaching was about more than programs and meal plans.
    2015

    Learning from a coach

    Working with a coach changed my understanding of training.

    It wasn’t simply about programs and meal plans. It was about accountability, discipline, and having someone who believed I could achieve more.

  7. Mark training under his coach in India in 2015, learning the quiet discipline behind real progress.
    2015

    Discipline and commitment

    The goals continued to evolve.

    I never set out to become a bodybuilder, but as I achieved each milestone I became motivated by new challenges.

    Stretch goals gave me focus and showed me what was possible.

  8. Mark stepping onto a bodybuilding stage in 2015, a goal he never set out to chase.
    2015

    A goal I never expected to chase

    Stepping onto a bodybuilding stage was never where this journey began.

    It became a challenge I set myself after achieving goals I once thought were impossible.

    For me, ambitious goals create motivation. For my clients, the right goal will look different — but the process of growing confidence and setting new challenges is the same.

  9. Mark with his coach in India in September 2015, holding a trophy that meant less than the lessons learned.
    September 2015

    The lessons I carry into my coaching today

    The trophy was not the most valuable thing I gained.

    The real reward was discovering what I was capable of, and learning lessons from a coach that I now carry into my own coaching.

Your journey

Your story starts here.

The best journeys aren’t measured in kilograms lifted or kilograms lost. They’re found in renewed confidence, better health, more energy, and the ability to do more of what matters in life.

This page will grow with the stories of the people who choose to start here, in their own words and with their consent. Until then, it leads with mine.

Begin

Your story starts here.

Every change starts with a first step. Book a no-pressure consultation and we’ll talk through where you are now, what you’d like to work towards, and the right next step for you.