Meet Tyler Phillips of Totally Committed

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tyler Phillips.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Totally Committed is not just a business. To myself, and so many others it is a lifestyle.

When I was in college, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do, or ultimately where I would go. In fall of 2008 I was an 18-year-old skinny football player at a small D3 school in Minneapolis called Augsburg University. Here is where the Totally Committed mentality began. At the D3 level there are no athletic scholarships, big TV opportunities, or much motivation to be the “best,” besides your own intrinsic motivation, and drive. I realized shortly into my freshman year that I had enough resources, and the mentality to become one of the “best.” I started applying my knowledge and utilizing my resources at school to educate myself physically and mentally.

I worked daily for 4 years towards a larger goal which was:

1. To be one of the best football players in the world
2. Graduate from Augsburg University with a bachelor’s degree.

I ended up having an amazing college career. I played 33 games and had 193 tackles (117 solo), 5 interceptions, 13 pass breakups, 4 forced fumbles, a fumble recovery, 7 tackles for loss, and 1 sack. I was two- time MIAC player of the week, National Player of the Week, and had the honor of playing in the All-American Bowl as one of the best players in the country.

I graduated from Augsburg University in Spring of ’12 with a bachelor’s degree in Business Management.

This is when I learned that the statement “You can do anything you set your mind to,” was true. I had a goal in mind that seemed IMPOSSIBLE, or VERY UNLIKELY when I started, and I ended up making it into a physical reality. I look back and realize that this could not have become a reality without taking action every day towards the bigger picture goal! This philosophy then became my lifestyle! #totallycommitted

After college, I STILL didn’t know what I wanted to do. Being an extremely accomplished collegiate football player, and college graduate, I figured my options would be endless. That was until I actually encountered the “real world” and realized that I was on the bottom of the totem pole, and in the “entry level” position like everyone else. After playing in the All-American Bowl, I realized I had potential to reach the professional level in football, but I didn’t know how to go about making that happen, as it is very rare for D3 football players to play professionally at the time. So, I started my journey in the corporate world. Landing my first job in Life Insurance. It seemed right up my alley. Fast paced, competitive, and an opportunity to make lots of money. (Is what they told me). I quickly learned that this was like anything else. It will take a lot of time and effort to reach the big end goal, but unlike football, I had no passion to sell life insurance.

I remember I was out driving to a home to sell life insurance, when I got the first call from a professional football coach, who told me he was interested in having me on his team! I quit selling life insurance immediately, and never looked back.

I started training and dedicating my life into becoming a professional football player. The first tryout I had was an experience. I performed horribly after the team flew me out for an individual workout. I felt defeated, and wasn’t sure professional football was for me. I kept working and getting my name out to scouts and coaches.

After continuing to work for a while, with no answers, a huge blessing happened. I got a call from a legendary coach named John Rosenberg who was coaching in Germany, in a league called the German Football League (GFL). I ended up signing my first professional contract with the Frankfurt Galaxy in Germany. In the Spring of 2013, I moved to Frankfurt. I had never been to Germany in my life. Not knowing what to expect, and not speaking the language caused me to be a little nervous. The people, and the team welcomed me with open arms, and I was able to flourish. Traveling around Germany to different cities, playing the game I loved, AND getting paid was my dream! I had an extremely successful first season in Germany and earned GFL All-Star honors. I decided to come back again in 2014 and continue what I had started in Germany. This time, I had gained confidence, and an identity that was “bigger than me.” This is when TOTALLY COMMITTED was born. I developed Totally Committed as motivational organization to inspire people to chase their dreams! Being Totally Committed had so far allowed me to travel around the world and do what I love! (Something I never thought possible as a small-town kid from Minnesota).

The first business move I made, was printing 100’s of Totally Committed shirts, and bringing them to Germany with me during the 2014 season. I sold them during games to create awareness of my brand, and to make a little extra money for the business. I would go on to sell several shirts per game, until they were sold out! My next plan was to develop a Totally Committed Football Camp and Combine. Which at the time in Germany, was completely unheard of! I recruited professional players from all around Germany to coach in the first official Totally Committed Youth Football Camp/Combine. It was a huge success, and I felt a sense of pride to bring a concept to Germany, that was otherwise unheard of at the time. I left Germany with so many lifelong friendships, and amazing goals accomplished. I am excited to return to Germany and build on those priceless relationships and create more memories! Coming from small- town Minnesota, to becoming an internationally known football star was my dream come true!

I ended up playing four seasons of professional football — two in Germany and two in the Indoor Football League. In Germany, (2013-14), I earned league All-Star honors both seasons, recording 147 tackles, nine interceptions and 19 pass breakups in 26 games.

I played for the Green Bay Blizzard and Sioux Falls Storm in the IFL in 2015 and 2016 seasons, including Sioux Falls’ IFL title team in 2015.

After I retired from football, I had the opportunity to coach for my alma-mater Augsburg University! I coached 2 seasons (’17 & ’18) at Augsburg, in which I was able to develop two cornerbacks into all-conference players.

During my time coaching at Augsburg, I started seeing the benefit of performance training, and personal training. Considering it was something that was very important to my college and professional career, I decided to dive deeper into the science and methodology behind personal training, and performance training. After earning my certification to train, I started training people at Augsburg to lose weight, gain muscle, heal injuries, and perform effectively in sports. This was very successful and became something I started doing full-time. Coaching, and training is something I love to do, and turns out I am very good at.

I love coaching kids, and leading them to see the greatness that lives inside each and every one of them. I always picture myself as the role model I needed when I was younger and imagine what it would be like if I would have had more support and knowledge at a young age!

We have had several Totally Committed youth football camps, sports camps, and fit camps since the first one we did in Germany in 2014. I started by running my program “Physical and Mental Strength and Conditioning” at rec centers in the Twin Cities, Minnesota. This developed into a relationship with the public schools in Minneapolis.

Recently, in 2021 I developed the Strength and Conditioning Team at Patrick Henry High School in North Minneapolis. This program serves all 200 student-athletes the ability to gain knowledge on how to strengthen their physical bodies and minds in order to perform at a high level. I do this work pro-bono, as the school does not have enough funds to allocate towards the program. (Which is the case for many inner-city schools). We are looking to partner with other large businesses and corporations in order to continue to develop this program into something that allows the kids to experience the same quality resources as a school in a more affluent area.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Every day is challenge, and you will face obstacles daily. Creating a disciplined health & fitness schedule and sticking to it every day can seem like a burden until you turn it into a lifestyle. No one can stop you from reaching your goals besides you.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
PERSONAL TRAINING

Personal Training is an intimate service that I take very seriously. It can positively change how people perceive and live in the world. That is, if they are willing to build a lifestyle around health and wellness. I have trained 2 people to lose over 100 lbs.! I have trained several people to lose over 50 lbs. I have built a program to ensure that anyone who totally commits, will reach whatever goal they want to achieve. I have a unique ability to assess and be able to build strength programs specifically for that person, and their physical needs. I have moved into training upper-level clientele who understand the benefit of personal training and are willing to pay the appropriate price for it.

PERFORMANCE TRAINING

Performance Training is something I really enjoy coaching, because of the intensity. Taking athletes who are already hungry to improve, and offering them tools to do so, is always rewarding. Performance training is a bit tricky because different sports call for different movements, and exercises, called sports specific movements. As a trainer, it is very important to be humble, and always willing to learn new things! Just the same as we teach the athletes who we coach!

GROUP TRAINING

As the lead trainer for lululemon in the Mall of America, group training is always a fun challenge. I like to keep it high paced with many different exercise variations so members can get a great mix of cardio and strength! We have weekly classes called the Totally Committed Power Hour that have been very popular this winter and will continue to grow!

I consider myself a Social Entrepreneur. I do what I do for the community. To create awareness, and accessibility to high performance professional health & wellness services. By investing in Totally Committed, you are immersing yourself into a network of lifetime experience amongst the top professionals in the industry. By being connected to Totally Committed you will be motivated, and influenced to live your healthiest and best life, every day.

Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
Health and Fitness is the one of the most necessary industries in the world. People are learning more about their bodies daily, and they need the outlets in order to maximize their potential and live long healthy lives. Health and Fitness is a forever progressing and changing industry. As new studies, and technology come out, I am excited to see where the industry goes. I am passionate about being part of something like health and fitness that always gives back what you put in! I am an advocate for everyone having access to professional health and fitness services/resources!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.totally-committed.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/totallycommittedty
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TotallyCommited
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjAnVmP1TgE

Image Credits
Raygen Samone