We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Mark Villella a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Mark, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Parents can play a significant role in affecting how our lives and careers turn out – and so we think it’s important to look back and have conversations about what our parents did that affected us positive (or negatively) so that we can learn from the billions of experiences in each generation. What’s something you feel your parents did right that impacted you positively.

My parents have truly been a blessing. My mother raised me until I was 16. She did an incredible job of sewing moral fiber and integrity into my character. She raised me with unconditional love and taught me to treat others with respect and kindness. She raised 4 kids as a single black parent in a predominantly white neighborhood. She showed me what true strength and courage are and raised me to never give up. I moved to my father’s at the age of 16 to get to know who he was. It was not easy initially, but I was able to continue to excel in school and sports with my father. He really taught me morals and values to be a man of honor and integrity. He raised me to work harder than anyone else and reminded me that the cream always rises to the top. Proper planning prevents poor performance and the decisions you make dictate the life you live were two powerful quotes he had me memorize. Eventually I became an all conference student athlete in high school and college. I was even inducted into my college football hall of fame this past year.
The love and support from both of my parents is unbelievable. I am grateful to have two parents that truly love me and want to see me succeed in life. I am truly grateful for my upbringing and the morals and values they both installed in me.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Fitness has always been important to me. I grew up playing sports and love the difficult training required to be successful. I studied pre-dentistry/biology in college and the human body has always fascinated me. It took a few years after college to figure out the direction that would work best for me. I worked at gyms ever since I was in high school but everything changed once I got certified in personal training. Orangetheory Fitness hired me in 2015 and it was love at first sight. The fitness community and energy of the classes were incredible. In only 6 months I was head coach of the downtown Sarasota location. While at Orangetheory Fitness I was honored as a lululemon ambassador. This opened so many doors and brought so many more clients to our studio. The best part of coaching at orangetheory was seeing the positive impacts mentally and physically on clients. There are so many success stories of people losing weight, running their fastest mile or speed and lifting more weight than they ever imagined. The way the members support each other and the studio proves that there is a lot of good in this world still.
Covid caused a major pivot on my journey like everyone else in the world. I was working at otf, training a few clients on the side and teaching gym class at community day school. I lost all 3 jobs simultaneously. People started to reach out after about a week or so and I was training people at City Fitness, in driveways, under Ringling bridge (my favorite for a sunrise), in backyards, on the beach and anywhere else we could socially distance.
I have been training at Universal Wellness (formerly City Fitness) since 2015. I have been there full time since 2020. It has been amazing working with so many different clients. We have hosted youth camps to work with young athletes. I have worked with people losing 100 pounds. Clients that participate in my accountability challenges have unlocked their “physique algorithm” and created sustainable patterns for longevity. I have worked with individuals recovering from hip surgery, back surgery, neck surgery, torn rotator cuffs and everything in between. It has truly been a blessing to positively impact so many people in the community.

The moment I learned how much love there is in this town is when I tore my patellar tendon this past September. My insurance lapsed but clients and former clients donated over $10k to help me pay for surgery and cover medical expenses. God is so good even when I feel undeserving of His glory. The most proud moment for me is seeing people reach goals. Currently I have multiple clients that have been with me long term and lost 30 pounds or more and are continuing to crush goals.
The thing that separates me from other trainers is my passion for the success of each individual. We are all unique and it takes time to figure out what works best and is realistic to sustain for longevity. I love educating individuals so they can have that light bulb moment and figure it out. Some clients nice on once they achieve that and others stay but I truly believe people come in our lives for reasons, seasons and lifetimes. I love the lifers but I am grateful for each and every client that trusts and supports me as a professional.
The style of training I provide is personal or class based. I love to include mobility, stabilization, strength and speed to workouts depending on the goals of the participants. I would live the opportunity to help you or someone you love on their fitness journey!!!

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

Relentlessness and tenacity helped to build my brand in the business. Always showing up and showing out like it is game day have also been tools for success. The most important thing is making it about my clients and not about me. I am in a very egocentric business and it is easy to get caught up in our own journey as a trainer. The most important element of our journey is having an ability to have empathy for our clients and educate them in areas that we have had personal experiences. Word of mouth has gotten me more clients than any other marketing tool. I strongly believe that if you treat others the way you want to be treated and give your best effort, then the sky is the limit for success.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I touched on it earlier but Covid really changed the direction of my journey. I went from having a 5 year plan to being in over my head. Right before Covid I spent my savings on gym equipment. “I was investing in myself.” I looked at several locations but nothing really wowed me. Long story short most of the equipment ended up in storage. I didn’t capitalize on selling equipment during the pandemic because I had confidence I would have my own gym. Unfortunately I had to sell the equipment for about 20% of its value. This taught me to prepare better in the future and have a more thorough scope. Prepare for the worst and hope for the best. The recent surgery was also a major pivot. I was unable to work for one month and lost some really good clients. I have been able to bounce back and currently have a pretty full schedule with 40 or more bookings each week for the past 3 months or so. “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of convenience and comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”
-Dr. Martin Luther King Jr

Contact Info:

• Website: www.hm22t.com
• Instagram: @markyv22
• Facebook: Mark Villella
• Twitter: @VillellaMark22
• Youtube: @markvillella9326