03/14/2026
โThe Hustleโ
When my best friend Adrian died, I drifted away from law into boxing and bartending, and eventually touched down and took root in studio fitness. I felt like I belonged for the first time in a long time.
My favourite slogan was written at the entrance to the NOHO redroom. โThe Dream is Free; But The Hustleโs Sold Separately.โ And man I hustled. Teaching 25-35 classes a week (8 in a day, once), taking every media request that reached out to me, chasing a dream I didnโt know I was already living.
Admittedly, it was super ego-endorsing to see myself in the New York Post and on the morning shows, and have to get off dating apps because random stalkers would show up outside different studios around the city. Life was prideful as a z-list โcelebrityโ in NYC. And it was all about me at first. My visibility. My popularity. My following. My waitlists. My Self, capital S.
I know some may think this sounds like a long-winded humble-brag, but whatโs importantโand what took me time to learnโwas that I was never about following. It was about BELONGING. Doing well in this game doesnโt make you a rockstar. Itโs more like a conductor. I canโt play the notes for the orchestra any more than I can do your workout for you or โmake youโ sweat. (Iโm lucky if I can keep the beat and time your sprints properly). And it certainly wasnโt me that made me happy, it was YOU. From the fuel bar to the front desk to the facilities staff I joke around with before and after class, to every client, not just allowing meโbut PAYING meโto stand at the center of a room and watch you do incredible, beautiful things in front of me.
The fitness community that has spanned two countries for me, that embraced me at a really hard time in my life, that SUSTAINS me to this dayโthatโs the dream. Itโs a place where I found my people where I found my life, where I found my wife (and we even made a little fitness BABY!). We are about to launch our own community-first brand in . Itโs scary. Itโs exciting. But I know itโs the right thing so long as we keep living the dream. Together.
