About — Build to Last Coaching

For 28 years I was a teacher.

I loved helping young people, but over time the job became increasingly stressful and, despite spending all day on my feet, I found myself becoming less active outside of work. Like many people, life became busy, I put my own health to the bottom of the list, and my weight gradually increased.

Eventually I reached a point where I knew something had to change—not only because I wanted to look different, but because I wanted to be healthier and have more energy for the future.

I didn’t join a gym straight away. It started at home with a Nintendo Wii Fit.Then I bought a rowing machine to replace the cross trainer I’d hardly used. At the time, I had no idea those first few workouts at home would completely change the direction of my life.

Nutrition changed too, but not overnight. I didn’t throw everything out or follow an extreme diet. I’d tried the popular diet regimes before with limited success because I couldn’t stick with them for life. I started making small changes I knew I could live with. I gradually reduced how much I ate. Eventually I began tracking my calories, not to become obsessed, but simply to understand what I was eating. Looking back, none of the individual changes seemed dramatic, but together they became habits.

Eventually I felt ready to join a gym. Even then, I chose a small gym tucked away where I hoped nobody would notice me. I know exactly what it feels like to walk through those doors believing everyone else knows what they’re doing. That experience has stayed with me.

Over the next two years I lost around ten stone. People often asked me what my goal weight was. The truth is, I never had one. I used to smile and say, “I’ll know when I’ve had enough.”

I Know What It’s Like To Start From Scratch

Why I Coach

Every day becames Day One.

Not because I’d failed the day before, but because every new day was another opportunity to make one good choice after another. If I had a bad meal or missed a workout, I didn’t wait until Monday. I simply started again the next morning.

I’ve come to believe that lasting change begins when people feel they belong.

Eventually I realised that what I enjoyed most wasn’t simply training myself—it was helping other people discover they could change too.

When I decided to leave teaching, coaching felt like a natural continuation of what I loved most: helping people learn, grow and believe in themselves.

Why Build To Last Exists

Opening my own gym wasn’t about opening another fitness facility. It was about creating the place I wish had existed when I first started.

A place where people aren’t judged or embarrassed to walk through the door and where ordinary people discover they are capable of far more than they ever imagined.

Because lasting change is about far more than losing weight. It’s about having the confidence to wear the clothes you want. Having the energy to enjoy your weekends instead of recovering from them. Walking upstairs without thinking about it. Keeping up with your children or grandchildren. Going on holiday feeling comfortable in your own skin. Living life rather than watching it pass by.

That’s why Built to Last exists. No quick fixes. No six-week miracles. Just practical coaching to help you build strength, healthier habits and confidence ithat lasts.

Meet Your Coach

I’m Von - personal trainer, gym owner and coach behind Build to Last. I combine practical training, realistic nutrition and plenty of support to help you build habits that actually fit your life.