If you’ve ever felt like your coaching business runs you, instead of the other way around, you’re not alone.
Most fitness professionals start out doing it all manually: onboarding clients, sending check-ins, updating programs, chasing renewals… and somehow trying to fit in time actually to coach.
To help fitness professionals create structure, save time, and scale with ease, Everfit Academy launched its Automation Series this October with 2 live webinars hosted by Kara Carnegie-Harding, founder of Outward In Virtual Assistance. The series broke down not just what to automate in Everfit, but how to create a coaching experience that runs smoothly from day one.
Meet the Expert
Kara Carnegie-Harding
Founder, Outward In Virtual Assistance
Kara helps fitness coaches systemize their business operations and build automation strategies that feel authentic, organized, and stress-free. She’s supported hundreds of coaches globally to create more impact without adding more hours.
Why Automation Matters for Coaches
Kara kicked things off with a reality check that hit home for every coach in the chat:
“You don’t need more hours in the day, you need better systems.”
Because when your systems are messy, your business feels messy.
Automation doesn’t replace you; it enhances your ability to show up, coach consistently, and grow without burning out.
Also read: Fitness Automation 101: Everything You Need to Know Before Paying
Part 1: 5 Automations Every Coach Needs in Everfit
The first webinar laid the foundation: the five automation flows every fitness coach should set up to save time, strengthen retention, and create a consistent client journey.
The 5 Core Automations
1️⃣ Onboarding Flows: Show your professionalism right from the start. Your clients feel cared for, and you never have to copy-paste a welcome message again.
2️⃣ Habit & Nurture Flows: Boost consistency with reminders, habit prompts, and motivational nudges.
3️⃣ Community Engagement Flows: Integrate Everfit’s community groups to spark interaction, share wins, and boost accountability.
4️⃣ Renewal & Upsell Flows: Use timed messages to offer bonuses or renewals before clients even ask “what’s next.”
5️⃣ Offboarding Flows: Collect testimonials, offer follow-ups, and keep relationships warm for future re-enrollments.
The Bigger Picture
Kara emphasized that automation isn’t magic on its own. It only works when your offers, brand, and client journey are clear.
Automation should enhance your client experience, not substitute it!
You can also check out Kara’s PT Scalebot System, which comprises ChatGPT-powered assistants to help fitness professionals refine their systems more quickly.
Simplify First, Then Scale
Some of Kara’s practical setup advice inside Everfit:
- Maintain a clean and consistent onboarding process.
- Use smaller, more specific autoflows rather than a single big one.
- Turn off redundant client settings that do not apply to the product/service you offer
These seemingly minor details contribute to a seamless automated experience for your clients and a stress-free process for you.
Part 2: How to Automate Your 8-Week Challenge in Everfit
Two weeks later, Kara was back. This time, she showed exactly how those automations come together inside a real coaching product: the 8-week challenge.
- Step 1: Build Your 10-week Autoflow: 1 week of onboarding, 8 weeks of challenge content, and 1 week for upsells and feedback.
- Step 2: Personalize Onboarding: Automatically assign suitable training programs, meal plans, habits, and other resources, based on their form responses.
- Step 3: Segment Clients: Use groups and tags to organize challenge participants, track progress, and send targeted follow-ups.
- Step 4: Link Packages & Payments: Offer flexible plans (e.g., $560 pay-in-full or $55/week) linked directly to automation sequences and start dates.
- Step 5: Keep Engagement High: Integrate community groups and leaderboards to spark friendly competition.
- Step 6: Launch, Test, Refine: Connect sequences, test before launch, and improve based on client feedback.
Her pro tip? “Start with Week 1 and Week 5 – build the rest as you go.” This helps you move faster and adapt to client feedback.
Ready to implement these strategies? Access the webinar replays, including FREE downloadable resources like:
👉 A Challenge Set-up Checklist
👉 An 8-Week Challenge Planner Template
👉 A Challenge Launch Template
What Coaches Took Away
By the end of the series, one message stood out loud and clear:
Automation isn’t about doing less. It’s about doing the right things better.
By establishing the right systems, coaches can achieve several benefits:
- Deliver a more cohesive and predictable client experience.
- Maintain client accountability with reduced manual oversight.
- Naturally boost client renewals and referrals.
- Scale their business sustainably without compromising their unique value.
Everfit gives you everything you need to manage clients, programs, check-ins, and payments – all in one place. From automation to engagement tools, Everfit helps you work smarter and coach better.
