I hired Gage as a coach in July 2019 to prepare me for a bikini competition. For those not familiar with the sport of bodybuilding, preparing for a competition involves very intense dieting and exercise. As a client, you put a lot of trust in your coach/trainer to guide you on the path to reaching your goals. The intensity of competition prep can make it an isolating experience, and your coach is one of the people you interact with and depend on the most.
Not long after I started working with Gage, I went through a break-up and confided in him about my personal situation. While he was eager to lend a listening ear, he was also quick to move the conversation to flirtation and sexually explicit texts with exchanges of photos. I was a willing participant in these exchanges. While I felt it was crossing a line, I also felt flattered that a younger, super-fit and attractive man with access to numerous beautiful women through his job would want me in that way. I asked if this was something he routinely did with clients, and he assured me that it was not.
When our text exchanges failed to materialize into any actual physical relationship, I expressed that I wanted to end them, and we did. Shortly after this, I learned that he had been in a relationship with another woman the whole time. I was angry at the omission of this fact, and relieved that I dodged a bullet. He continued to coach me for the show and for a couple of months after that as well.
Now that I am more removed from the situation and have had time to process everything that took place, I am compelled to share my experience. While Gage ultimately did what I paid him to do, I feel that he also took advantage of his position of power in the trainer/client relationship. He showed a profound lack of understanding of professional boundaries. I don't think that a coach who truly cares about the physical and mental health of his clients would pursue a sexual relationship with them in any capacity. For this reason, I will not use him in the future, and I do not recommend him to anyone else. read more