Meet Desirée Mendez of MOTIV8 Studio

Today we’d like to introduce you to Desirée Mendez.

Desirée, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Thank you for having me! My story begins as a  movement artist. I have been dancing professionally for the past 25 years. I am an up and coming Actor, Co-Founder and Creator of MOTIV8 Studio. I’ve been an active mover my whole life, but what led me to Teaching fitness was someone simply sharing Pilates with me and inviting me to their class (this was right before the pandemic). I fell in love with it immediately, pursued certification, and have been teaching it ever since. But prior to that, I had never even heard of Pilates! It wasn’t something I had access to. Similarly, I was only exposed to things like “meditation”, “breathwork”, “sound baths”, and self care after moving to Los Angeles. The energy & health benefits this city offers, combined with the personal development journey I was on, is what allowed me to be open to these methods of self care and healing. Which have been life changing for me because without them, I wouldn’t have found my purpose in teaching the styles of fitness that I teach now.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
For my Co-Founder and Co-Creator, Cole Bass and I, creating this business from the ground up has been the most challenging thing that we have ever gone through. Most of our challenges come from the fact that we are such a small team.

Between the two of us, we each have many so talents and skills that we rarely get to use all of them for one job. So, the benefit is that we get to use the fullest extent of our skillset building MOTIV8. The adversity is that it’s only the two of doing so many jobs: teaching, directing, wardrobe styling, editing, engineering, set production, content creation, website creation and coding, along with administrative, marketing, and financing everything.

Another challenge is that because we are self-funded, it seems like there is never enough time in a day. We still have our side passions (working in the entertainment industry), and it is also extremely important to us to continue to train and further our education in wellness. We never want to feel stagnant, so we are constantly learning new things to share on the platform. By adding more training certification programs under our belts and educating ourselves on all that is new and current in wellness, we keep MOTIV8 evolving as we grow.

Over the years, from MOTIV8 just being a conception to it now becoming a fully-fledged platform, I’ve experienced so much growth that I am so grateful for. Going through these obstacles and challenges is what has made that growth possible. I finally feel alignment in my life. I am so proud of the work I am doing! I found my purpose in serving others (in the arts and in wellness) and it’s so nourishing for my soul to give back and make a difference in people’s lives.

As you know, we’re big fans of MOTIV8 Studio. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Thank you for your support! MOTIV8 Studio is an online Wellness platform for every day people. We are a black and brown, woman-owned business. Our mission is to bring affordable access to our melanated community. We understand that starting your health journey can be intimidating, maintaining a healthy lifestyle can be overwhelming and confusing, & we know what it’s like to feel stuck!

MOTIV8 is a place where you can come as you are, no judgement, no tea. If you are looking to improve your physical strength, recover from an injury, lose weight, stretch, sculpt or tone your body, live a healthier lifestyle, or just get up and move, we have got you covered. We even have nutrition videos and recipes COMING SOON to help you get on the right track. If you are looking for holistic tools to support your mental and emotional well-being, we have it all in one place at an affordable price.

We want to empower everyday people with simple and effective solutions for achieving optimal health and wellbeing.
Whether you are a busy professional, stay-at-home parent, or a student on the go; Our online studio brings the best of wellness & fitness to your mat, so you can work out & live a healthy lifestyle without any limitations, from anywhere in the world!

Our lineup of classes (currently and coming soon) include Pilates (Prenatal, Postnatal, Reformer, Mat, Sculpt), Movement (Dance, Stretch), Breathwork, Yoga (Yin, Sculpt, Barre), Nutrition, and Sound Baths! New videos are uploaded to the platform every week. We hope you will grow with us as we grow our collection of videos and services.

How do you define success?
I define success with living in your purpose. We each have a passion in life. Maybe you haven’t had the space and opportunity or felt safe enough to discover it or nourish it, but everyone has one. And we all have a purpose on this Earth and it is to be of service to others. Once you have aligned your passion with your purpose, you have achieved success. You will always be full. Regardless of the obstacles, the trials, the challenges, the hurdles. You are truly successful when you are living in your divine purpose.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.motiv8studio.com
• Instagram: @motiv8studio
• Other: TikTok: motiv8.studio