Today we’d like to introduce you to Leyon.
Leyon, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
My father was a boxer, so I grew up in a boxing family. It’s something that has always been a part of me. However, as a kid I focused very seriously on basketball and football, eventually becoming a collegiate football player and Captain at Temple University.
In my senior year, I had a devastating knee injury that stopped my football career in its tracks. Boxing once again became a larger part of my life, and I decided to pursue it full-time with the goal of turning pro. I think part of what made me successful was that I was able to pivot to something new after football was no longer an option. There is always another way forward.
I was training pretty seriously, and quickly became the chief sparring partner of Bermane Stiverne, the former WBC Heavyweight Champion. As I kept moving along that path, opportunities in the fitness industry caught my attention, which led to me eventually opening my own gym.
Unfortunately, that first venture didn’t work out for a number of reasons, and it was a rough period of time that really tested me. But, I knew that if I kept showing up, kept grinding, something good would come of it, and it did. I formed Gloveworx with new partners, and soon after became the youngest coach on NBC’s Strong, a competition reality show that helped completely transform the bodies of contestants.
It’s been a crazy journey, but at the root of it all is just a raw passion for improving other peoples’ lives through sports and fitness, whether I’m training a pro-athlete or a first timer. I love helping people break through obstacles and walls that they may not be able to burst through on their own.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Smooth all depends on how you look at it. Starting a business, especially an ambitious one like ours, is challenging. You run into many different struggles along the way.
Challenging relationships, decisions that maybe should have been made differently, haha, but you keep growing. We won’t fail because myself and my core team refuse to allow that to happen. We adapt, we pivot, and we change when necessary.
We tell our clients all day to “become unstoppable” and to “get comfortable with the struggle of being outside of your comfort zone” – it’s woven into the fabric of our brand. We’ve got to practice what we preach.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
Gloveworx is special. In a world of micro-fitness studios where you are 1 of 50, with Gloveworx, you are 1 of 5 or 6. Our coaches have extensive experience doing everything they are coaching you to do, and have perfected the art of pushing you past your comfort zone without going too far to achieve real results based on your goals.
Made up of a bunch of former athletes, we work to run our company like the sports teams we know and love. The camaraderie, the commitment, the teamwork, the adaptability.
We work really hard to create a space where everyone wants to be. Our clients and our teams. We are also big on volunteering in the community with our FightFor program, which is something that everyone involved with the company from top to bottom participates in on a regular basis.
I feel proud every time I walk into one of our studios. Watching our coaches, our clients, and our teams working hard and supporting each other. Whether it’s a dance break-down or an encouraging coaching moment, those interactions make me really proud of what we’ve built. I know we’ve created a space for those moments to exist it, and that’s really special.
Contact Info:
- Address: 1415 Wilshire Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90403 (Gloveworx Santa Monica)
10250 Santa Monica Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90067 (Gloveworx Century City) - Website: www.gloveworx.com
- Phone: (310) 745-2957 (SM) , (424) 302-0105 (CC)
- Email: [email protected]
Image Credit:
Allen Zaki & Sam Aiken
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