Del Mar Village Small Business Spotlight: True Form Fitness

Welcome to our brand new blog series, in which we’ll be interviewing the folks behind your favorite Del Mar Village businesses. We hope you learn something new and stop in soon!

Del Mar Village Small Business Spotlight: True Form Fitness

Interview With: James Segal, Owner

Tell us your backstory: What was your path to owning a business in Del Mar Village? Did you grow up here? Why did you choose Del Mar Village to set up shop?

Originally from the UK, I moved to the U.S. after a 10+ year career in The Royal Navy to start fresh and find a new career. Having always had a passion for exercise I decided to start out as a personal trainer and was open to what other opportunities arose as time went on. I started my career as a trainer at Equinox, Union Street, San Francisco where I was surrounded by some of the most competent trainers I've ever met. It was intimidating and stimulating all at the same time! The hustle was real at Equinox and the pay wasn't as competitive as I would have liked so when I was offered the opportunity to change to a different gym in the heart of the tech scene with a much more beneficial situation, I took it. I trained many senior members of the tech world and enjoyed the work I was doing; however, when the club offered me the position of fitness director in Corte Madera, Marin – which was where I was actually living and commuting from – I accepted it and made the change to management. 

I enjoyed a year in that position before deciding I really wanted to be training people and not managing so I arranged to go back to the gym. Just as I was about to make the transition I realized I wasn't tied to any location and if I was going to start from scratch building my client base I had the freedom to do that anywhere! So I started looking for opportunities in San Diego. I found a trainer position with Crunch in Carmel Valley and after speaking with the fitness director for an hour on the phone we hit it off and he assured me he would take care of me if I moved down. So I did! 

Over the next few years I would go on to train at The Bay Club, Fairbanks Ranch Country Club, and as an independent trainer in the area. So I spent a lot of time in the area. It was coming to Board & Brew every day for my sandwich and spending my free time walking the beach here in Del Mar, which made me feel a real sense of community and warmth for the area. So when it was time to open my own studio, I couldn't imagine doing it anywhere else.


Tell us about your business. What should people know about it? What makes it unique?

True Form Fitness is a boutique training facility offering functional training to those who value quality of life. We pride ourselves on meeting people where they are at, and challenging them within their current capabilities. We are proud to be trained and educated by Dr. Eric Cobb of Z Health in neuro centric training, which really means we understand the nervous system and approach the body as a whole system, taking a number of holistic factors into account when designing exercise programs. Essentially we're looking at and for things most people aren't in the exercise world.


What is one product or service you are most known for or is particularly special to you?

Rapid pain reduction and improvement of range of motion. It is magical when it happens and is an absolute joy to watch when people who have had disfunction for so long suddenly don't have it anymore!


Tell us one fun fact about your business most people don't know.

There are two of us who train here, Ben Fetzer and myself. Ben and I met in 2016 when he was a senior at Torrey Pines High School and he needed to do some training for his PE classes. We hit it off and I recognized so much of myself in him. I knew he would be someone I would want to work with if I could find something for us to collaborate on! We kept in touch as he went off to college and he eventually ended up interning for me when I owned a health and wellness software company. The venture didn't work out, but we had a great time that summer going to wellness fairs in downtown San Francisco. As he was getting ready to graduate from CU Boulder he didn't know what he wanted to do and wasn't seeing any interesting opportunities so I asked him if he wanted to join me at the studio and become a trainer. Obviously we know how the story ended and I couldn't be more thrilled to be working with him now and watching his growth and progression into the trainer I knew he had the potential to be.

What do you love about Del Mar Village?

I feel a real sense of community, especially since becoming a local business owner. I feel like seeing all the same faces each day is nourishing to me, especially after a long military career which saw me moving around and traveling a lot. Also, let’s be fair, it's beautiful!

How would you spend the perfect day in Del Mar? Where would you go? What would you eat or do?

An oat milk latte with Drew at Little Joy in the morning, which I would take on a beach walk to dog beach and back. Maybe listen to a podcast or read at the Civic Center for a bit before grabbing a Veggie Supreme sandwich from Board & Brew or, if I'm feeling adventurous, go for a grilled cheese at Beeside Balcony! Get a workout in at my studio, get a massage from Timi, and then watch the sun go down at 15th Street [Seagrove] Park. That sounds great to me!