What defines my business is my commitment to my community. In 2013, I started a community fitness program called “The Fitness Syndicate vs. Obesity.” I had a vision of bringing together the top trainers in Los Angeles to lay their competitiveness down and train 20 obese members of the Los Angeles community who struggle with obesity at no charge for eight weeks. Local radio station 102.3 KJLH FM and a local TV news outlet joined my campaign to help promote it. For the next three years, my team trained 40-plus community members who desperately needed change. To this day, they are still disciples of lifetime fitness and wellness. The program got so popular the American Heart Association partnered with us for one of the campaigns. It even led to a TV Pilot called Battle of the Bulge Los Angeles, but the show never got unfortunately picked up.

I truly wanted to dent the obesity epidemic; many people, especially communities of color, suffer from preventable diseases like obesity, diabetes, and high blood pressure. I’ve lost family and close friends with this struggle, which could have been mitigated by making fitness a positive and palatable priority rather than what the shows like “The Biggest Loser” were promoting.

This taught me that if you want to get your business on the map, it starts with community service. When people know that you care about their wellness on a large scale, Word of mouth will spread beyond the participants. It will apply to the public, and your business will grow with vital customers and business connections. This also led to me working with organizations like Special Needs Network, The Center for Lupus Care, The Jenese Center, and organizations that help survivors of sex trafficking. Bottom line… give first and the success will come.

I was inspired by my father, Milton Joseph. He was an entrepreneur who took a lot of risks in life. He had great successes and massive failures, but through it all, he and my mother, Margie, served the community through their business. They went broke taking care of people in the community. That scared me so I ran from my entrepreneurial gift. I relegated myself to a 9-to-5 job as a police officer, but I was miserable. The job is a noble profession, but like any 9-to-5, you have no control over anything. You do what your bosses tell you to do. That got old real quick. I could not quit the job, but needed a new passion to keep me motivated. I ran right back to the entrepreneurial spirit, but I needed to match that spirit with something I was passionate about, and that was fitness.

I was a natural at fitness and martial arts coaching. My wife, Eva Joseph, motivated me to put a monetary value on my passion. I call her my passion protector. Since starting the business almost 20 years ago, it gave me so much satisfaction that I remained a law enforcement officer and found joy in it, knowing I had something of my own to control and grow.

My specialty is Functional Fitness. It is about maximizing your body where you are at in life. Some people want to be well enough to walk up a flight of stairs, and others may wish to become professional athletes. My job is to design a functional training program to meet their goals and an essential and easy-to-follow nutrition plan for success. My program focuses on fat loss, lean muscle development, natural flexibility, mobility, and overall wellness.

I am certified under the National Academy of Sports Medicine, specializing in performance enhancement, corrective exercises, youth and senior populations, nutrition, and mixed martial arts coaching. A healthy vehicle to achieve your goals is the most vital key to success. That vehicle is the human body.

My slogan is, “You Don’t have to Be a Fighter to Feel Like One… So let’s Train!” I train my clients to fight the battle of life and win. With over 30 years of fitness and martial arts experience, I instill the fighter’s mindset in my clients with a war chest of expertise to impart to them. I teach private and small group privates at my studio in Lawndale, which incorporates real boxing, Jiu-Jitsu, and MMA conditioning. What sets me apart from others is my clients get fundamental skills training that they can take home with them, along with improved fitness and wellness.

When I see actors, singers, lawyers, ministers, officers, military, doctors, athletes, and other professionals having success, it feels good to know that I am a part of their success. I was even named co-producer for a stage play that won an NAACP award. It is an honor to be thought of in that light, and I do not take that for granted. Professionalism, Integrity, passion, and compassion are what I give to my clients. It means everything to me. Simply put, go through my program and change your life for the better physically, mentally, and spiritually. I want to light a fire for all in the realm of lifetime fitness.

I had to unlearn being a bleeding heart within my business. I watched my parents help people to a fault with their financial gifts. I loved how they gave ex-cons employment. I also watched my mother get people off drugs, and once cleaned, my dad would give them a job. I thought that was brilliant, and I honor that tradition in my business in many degrees. I think giving people second chances when they are genuinely ready is gold. The downside was when they would use finances to help people in need or provide loans to people who would never pay them back. It almost broke them during the 90s recession along with some bad investments. With their collective brilliance they pulled themselves out, but never recovered all they lost.