Lifestyle

Soccer Coach and Fitness Trainer Al Cairns Knew the 9 to 5 Was not For Him After Having an Internship during College, So He Embraced the World of Sports

Published

6 years ago

July 31, 2020

Internships can help make or break our passions. Though not everyone can afford to have an unpaid internship, it can be a very useful stepping stone for finding out what you want to do for the rest of your life or to gain valuable experience. Al Cairns, had an internship at a young age that inspired his passion for non-traditional work after his family moved to California.

“I was admitted to Cal State Fullerton where I studied one of my passions; Media & Production. I actually had a few internships towards the end of it, including one at Paramount Pictures on the set of The Doctors TV Show. An amazing experience seeing professionals who have truly perfected their craft in the entertainment industry. The internships enlightened me that the traditional path being presented maybe wasn’t for me.” recounts Al.

From here, Al decided to move to the Bay area and use his connection to leverage him into the soccer and coaching world. He found it very easy teaching many the wonders of the beautiful game that he experienced as a young kid, and ultimately grew up loving. Progressing his coaching for many years, a different kind of opportunity presented itself to Al.

“Since 2015 I’ve had the privilege to be a coach, leader and mentor to many amazing kids who will inevitably also become leaders for future generations. It’s an amazing and impactful feeling to have the opportunity to help shape the minds and values that will be instilled within our youth. Two years ago, another opportunity presented itself through my very diverse network of colleagues and friends. It was an opportunity to audition for a spot to become a Barry’s Instructor in the Bay Area and potentially a leading instructor at the new Palo Alto and Santana Row locations.” Al explains.

For Al, this was a special privilege for him and something he took up immediately. With a loyal clientele who lean on him to learn more about fitness and soccer specifically. Al is on top of all fitness trends and helps people continue coming back to his classes by connecting to them on many levels.

“Not everyone is cut out to be Barry’s Instructor or play a positive role in the lives of our youth. I have a personality that naturally includes others and a rare ability to not be afraid to make the first step in doing so. No matter one’s age, gender, sexual orientation, race or socioeconomic status, I hold the ability to quickly find common ground and make people feel comfortable. I am now a personal Fitness and Soccer Specific Trainer with programs through Barry’s Bootcamp, private soccer clubs, and my own separate clientele. Soccer is seasonal in nature, while there are more seasonal trends in the general fitness industry which I have an active pulse on.” Al says.

Al is different from many other trainers and coaches out there. As he said, he is able to make people feel comfortable no matter where they come from or what their background is, but even more so, Al has a personality that helps him create bonds through his genuineness and kindness to others.

“My open and genuine personality naturally enables me to differentiate from my peers. I believe to have a high Q – rating and understand it takes less than 30 seconds for someone who doesn’t know you to determine if they like you or not. I truly try to create real relationships with every individual I encounter. It’s not just result driven but learning about clients lifestyles, friendships, fitness goals, life goals, and overall personality to enable me to connect. None are the same and I take a holistic approach to learn as much as I can about each of these people and how I can make a lasting positive impression on their life.” comments Al.

Al’s piece of advice for those looking to start their own business or launch themselves into the fitness world is to not be afraid of hard work.

“People shouldn’t be afraid of hard work and putting themselves out there. I truly want to enable people to live better and more fulfilled lives and I believe I hold unique traits that other leaders hold in their ability to connect people.” advises Al.

To find out more about Al, you can check him out on Instagram @theboyskux

Lifestyle

Why Toba Ogunremi Believes High-Performing Teams Start with Belonging, Not Pressure

Published

10 hours ago

July 23, 2026

Michelle Langton

Most teams don’t fall apart all at once. It happens slowly, missed conversations, quiet disengagement, people doing what’s required but nothing more.

Toba Ogunremi has spent years working inside care environments where that kind of shift is easy to miss until it starts affecting everything. Leading operations at Samorem Care in the UK, he has seen how systems can appear stable on the surface while teams underneath struggle to stay connected to their work.

One experience early in his career changed how he looks at leadership entirely.

He had taken over a team that wasn’t in crisis, but it wasn’t working well either. The people receiving care were safe, but they weren’t thriving. The same was true for the staff. There was no urgency, no energy, just routine.

The usual solution would have been to tighten control by setting new targets, increasing supervision, and creating performance plans. He didn’t do any of that.

“I started with conversations,” he says. “Real ones. Not rushed, not formal.”

One by one, he spoke to each team member. What came out wasn’t frustration with the job itself, but something quieter and harder to spot.

“They weren’t disengaged because they didn’t care,” he explains. “They were disengaged because they felt unseen.”

No one had asked what they thought. No one had taken the time to understand how they were coping. Over time, that absence had turned into distance. That moment stayed with him. It shaped how he leads today.

His approach is simple, but not always easy to apply: people perform better when they feel they belong.

He believes high performance usually comes when people feel like they genuinely belong and know that what they do actually matters.

In healthcare, where pressure is constant and expectations are high, this idea can sound secondary. The focus is often on outcomes, compliance, and efficiency. Toba doesn’t dismiss those things, but he questions what happens when they become the only focus.

Even when all the processes are in place, if the people delivering the care feel disconnected, it eventually reflects in the quality of the work.

At Samorem Care, this thinking shows up in small but consistent ways. Recruitment is not just about experience. It’s about how someone responds to people, how they handle pressure, and how they communicate. Once they are in, the focus shifts to keeping teams stable and supported, rather than constantly rotating staff or reacting only when something goes wrong. He also pays attention to how leaders show up day to day.

According to him, leadership is not just about giving direction; it’s about being present enough to understand what your team actually needs.

That presence matters more in care than in most industries. The work is demanding, often emotional, and not always recognised for what it takes. When teams feel stretched or overlooked, it affects how they interact with the people they support.

For Toba, resilience is less about constant pressure and more about creating a work environment where people can do their jobs well without burning out. In his view, strong teams are not just coping; they are supported enough to stay clear-headed and consistent in their work.

His background outside healthcare still shapes how he leads. Having worked in sales and communications, he understands how important it is to read people and build trust. In healthcare, though, the impact is far more direct, as decisions affect someone’s everyday life, not just an outcome on paper.

That shift makes leadership more personal. Teams need more than instructions; they need stability, clarity, and a sense that they are understood. What defines Toba Ogunremi’s approach is its simplicity. He focuses on being consistent, listening carefully, and addressing issues early rather than reacting late.

In the end, his belief is straightforward: teams perform better not because they are pushed harder, but because they feel valued and part of something that works.