Iliyan, introduce yourself

My name is Iliyan Stoyanov. I am 30 years old. Born, raised, and still living in Varna, Bulgaria. I love to argue to prove my point.

The place where you make your dream come true is the training hall. Tell me how you started your journey and how it developed.

The development of my goal of ​​being an instructor of group training activities happened quite naturally as for years I was actually on the other side of the classroom – as a trainee (I still am).

At one point in my life, not too far back in time, on a personal level, I had to make tough decisions and grow up. In order to save myself, I had to make my personal happiness a priority and take faith into my own hands.

During this difficult period, I suddenly came to the conclusion that sports played a huge role in my self-preservation.

After this moment of revelation, I asked myself the question – “Isn’t it best to turn into a profession the only thing that has kept your smile and that you were passionate about?”.

So I decided that I would become a coach and signed up for a course.

From there the idea developed quickly and with a dose of luck I was able to materialize my efforts. That’s how I started sharing my knowledge and skills with other people.

You are already making a name for yourself as an instructor/coach. How do you plan to take your idea to the next level?

The development itself happens in every second spent in the gym, and of course outside the gym – during the research and planning of every workout. Whether there are 1 or 15 people training, I use my time in the gym in two main directions:

1) to be as useful as possible to the people who came to play sports so they can leave the gym satisfied;

2) to achieve personal growth and improve myself.

My wishes extend to creating a sports club/brand and I will work with this idea. Time will tell if I have a successful future in these endeavors, so I am calm, taking my time, and slowly and methodically following my path.

There have certainly been tough times up until now. What are the things that motivate you to move forward?

When I enter the hall and stand in front of people I am happy and satisfied with what I am doing.

The difficulties have been minor, especially considering what a pleasure it is to see people leave the hall positively changed.

You are one of those people who, in parallel with achieving their dream, also have another profession. How do you balance the two and do you have any practical advice for others in your situation?

My advice is to find a job that allows them to follow their dreams in parallel. Money is not the most important thing! Freedom, flexibility, and transparency in relationships are more important. If I hadn’t found this job, group training would probably still be just a good idea in my head.

Share a motivational message for all those who are still hesitant to start working on their goals.

I will ask a question: will you live your life without challenging your limits?