After 20 incredible, fun, life-changing and successful years, I have decided to retire from the fitness industry.
I started my journey in fitness when I was 18 years old, never could I have imagined what the industry has allowed me to do. In 2009, John Laurie and I set out to create an alternative to the only two options available: the gym and diet classes. With a passion for the great outdoors and motivation for helping others, Burn It was born, and we launched the business with a bang in May of 2010.
15 years later, outdoor fitness is a hugely popular alternative and functional fitness as we call it, has never been more popular. The love for fresh air, greenery, camaraderie and supporting others is a firm option in people’s minds and going for a run, swinging a kettlebell or tricep dipping on a park bench has never been more normal.
We were the first to do it in Scotland, we’ve survived recessions, global pandemics and hundreds (literally hundreds) of challenges along the way, we’ve outlasted every single one of our competitors, including the multi-million-pound ones and have had the absolute honour of supporting thousands of people to become happier and healthier. We’ve raised tens of thousands of pounds for charity and supported junior fitness instructors to become the best Personal Trainers in the UK with their own business. We’ve driven from Livingston to Prestwick Beach, from Portobello to Moray, from Aberdeen to Haddington, and pretty much every public park along the way. I would be lying if I told you this wasn’t the most incredible journey of my life.
I was always focused on never letting Burn It become Paul, or Paul become Burn It. We’ve employed some incredibly talented instructors over the years, and I was always keen to share the load, the limelight and the responsibility, however, the future of Burn It depends on me, and that’s where this decision becomes extremely difficult.
Burn It Fitness closed in June 2025.
It’s fair to say the business has changed since COVID. Whilst we’ve rolled with the punches as best possible, people’s expectations, motivations and behaviours have changed. We’re living in a different world, a much faster-paced world and whilst I firmly believe there is a need for a strong outdoor fitness brand to support people, it is, unfortunately, something I can no longer commit to.
As many of you will know, I have a full-time job, 3 kids and a wife who studies and works full-time. My life is mental. For 15 years now, I’ve sacrificed kids clubs, school drop-offs, football games, nativity plays and countless other events that I really should have prioritised.
I should say, that the business is not in trouble, is still profitable, has zero debt and nothing bad has happened.
That’s where this decision becomes even more complex. Burn It is my baby. I’ve fed it, watered it, and been there for it since it was born, I’ve lived it, been kept awake by it, and breathed it for most of my adult life. I was 22 when John Laurie and I told Duncan Bannatyne to f*ck off, “we were away to make it on our own”. Giving up something that you’ve had on top of your priority list, full-time, all of the time, above anything else, is, without a doubt, the hardest decision I have ever had to make in my life. I am Burn It, Burn It is me, and I’ll most definitely be losing a part of me after Mondays last class.
This chapter will close. I now need to prioritise time for myself and my family. It’ll take a lot of adjusting to not leave the house 3 or 4 nights per week to spend time running around the woods with you all, but after years of deliberation, I am at peace with this decision, and I hope you can understand that.
