Callum Findlay

I've known Callum Findlay for well over 20 years.  He is my friend Ross's little brother and when we were teenagers he would often tag along when we went swimming or spent a day playing crazy golf at the South Inch.  When we were 18 and Ross got a flat with his older brother Gav near The Twa Tams on Scott Street, Callum would come round for tea.  I remember one night Ross giving Callum a couple of quid to get a sausage supper from Holdgates but he returned with no food having spent the money on a framed picture of Brett-The Hitman-Hart from 'Essentials'!

These days though, Callum is a successful personal trainer at Stephen Clarke Fitness and business is good.  I've always thought this job is a great fit for Callum.  He lives and breathes fitness, you can often find him walking or cycling around town with his earphones in, and when you ask him what he's listening to it is invariably the latest edition of some health and nutrition podcast.  Plus, the man has phenomenal people skills and a real passion for what he does.  I caught up with Callum in Starbucks for some caffeine-fueled banter and to complete today's Workdays and Weekends.  Check it out!

Tell us the weirdest / funniest thing that has ever happened to you at work?

The only funny things I can remember all seem to have happened when I was working at a large national pet shop.  Like one time my colleague picked up a pepper from a parrot's food bowl and ate it. Funniest of all though was the time we received a consignment of hermit crabs into the shop. Another colleague somehow got it into his head that he had to de-shell them and spent ages trying to separate them from their shells. Eventually, he did some research and finally, he realised that, funnily enough, hermit crabs are actually meant to have shells. 

What signals the start of your days off?

My day off always starts with a good workout before getting a coffee in town. While drinking my coffee, I catch up on a little bit of reading. I like to get the most up-to-date information about training, health and nutrition. If I’m feeling lazy I might do a little bit of gaming on my Playstation (I love Red Dead Redemption), or if my girlfriend Mari is also off then we will go somewhere nice in the car. At night we chill out with a few cheeky craft beers or a bottle of wine.

What might people be surprised to know about you?

I’m disturbingly obsessed with Twin Peaks. People say it’s weird but if anything I think it’s not weird enough! Also, I know a lot about the two Bruces: Bruce Lee and Bruce Springsteen!

What is at the top of your bucket list?

I’d love to travel the world and train at all the different martial arts centres and I’d love to travel the world and train at all the different martial arts centres and gyms my heroes have trained at.gyms my heroes have trained at.

What is the worst job you’ve ever had?

Working in a call centre at a large insurance company. I hated it. I couldn’t stand sitting down all day, staring at a screen. It just wasn’t for me. I couldn’t leave quick enough (Colin: It was actually me that got Callum the job under a recommend a friend scheme, and if he’d held on for just one more week then we’d have shared £500).

Who or what inspires you?

Bruce Lee is the first person that ever inspired me, with his mental stability and physical feats. I love his philosophy and mindset, you really get a sense of them from his writing and even from his movies. My favourite Bruce Lee quote is from ‘Way of the Dragon’ where he points at the moon and says: "Do not concentrate on the finger or you will miss all that heavenly glory."

Tell us about the day you’d love to live again?

The day I went to see Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band at Hampden in 2016. It was a glorious summer day, we got a great spot in the crowd to watch from and the three and a half hour set-list was just amazing. I was gutted that he didn’t pull me out of the crowd for ‘Dancing in the Dark’ though.

What’s the best part about your job?

I’m doing exactly what I want to be doing. I get to teach my passion to anyone I’m doing exactly what I want to be doing. I teach my passion to anyone who wants help. Clients are actively seeking help ... they have already made a commitment to getting results before they meet me. who wants help. The fact that my clients are actively seeking help means they have already made a commitment to getting results before they ever meet me. My job is to help them achieve those results by advising them and working with them. It’s so satisfying and so much fun.  Plus I have instant access to a gym and I get to work out when I get a spare moment or after work.

Complete this sentence; the best things in life are:

People. You’ve got to surround yourself with the right people, in my case my girlfriend, family and friends. If you don’t have the right people around you, it’s hard to achieve your full potential in life.