We were lucky to catch up with Devan Dmarcus recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Devan thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. How’s you first get into your field – what was your first job in this field?

I first entered the world of fitness/health & wellness while home on summer break in 2007. At the time I was looking for a job that would allow me to utilize my knowledge as a collegiate athlete. While working out at LA Fitness in order to stay in shape for the upcoming football season I was introduced to a young lady named Stacey Blitsch, who just so happened to be the Assistant Manager of the club. We spoke for a bit and got to know more about each other. She went on to tell me that the club was looking to hire some additional trainers for the summer months. After discussing the requirements for the position, we started the hiring process and I began getting my feet wet in the industry.

Devan , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Believe it or not I left the fitness industry for several years before returning in 2019. Before getting back into the space I was building a career in the entertainment industry and serving as the Co-Director of a Black Male Empowerment initiative called Black Men Smile. At the start of 2019 I was really exhausted and in need of a change of scenery. I began to seriously consider relocating to New York or Los Angeles from Atlanta. While delivering a Keynote Speech at a conference in Los Angeles in February of that same year the opportunity to do so presented itself. Coincidently, Stacey had moved from Atlanta to LA a few years prior and was working at LA Fitness in Playa Vista. I gave her a call, looking to reconnect and catch up while I was on the West Coast. She asked me to meet her at the gym. Long story short, I did, and she ended up helping to get me a job offer as the Fitness Director of her club as well as offered me the 2nd bedroom in her apartment so that I could make the transition from Atlanta.

Over the past 3 1/2 years since my move to Los Angeles I’ve gone from a Fitness Director at LA Fitness, to a trainer at Equinox, to a private trainer in the WeHo/Hollywood area, to the CEO of the Heart Werk, LLC, which is a luxury fitness company that I launched during the middle of the pandemic. The company offers private training, small group training, group classes at Soho Warehouse DTLA, as well as luxury concierge services to our members. I. think what sets us apart is that in addition to providing clients with solutions to their fitness needs, we do a great job at curating high end experiences for our members. We strive to be the connection between art, fitness and luxury wellness. I’m proud to say that we’ve been able to persevere and cultivate our niche in the midst of global chaos. Additionally, I feel that we’re positioned to help usher in a new era of fitness/wellness that centers itself around promoting excellent health as a fun, sexy and attractive lifestyle.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

A lesson that I had to unlearn is the idea of doing it all by myself. Building this business has taught me the importance of having a great team and learning to delegate tasks so that the business is efficient. This process has also shown me the need for quality systems within the infrastructure of your business. If the team and systems are in place early on the company has a greater chance at succeeding through the infant/seed stages.

If you could go back, would you choose the same profession, specialty, etc.?

If I had to go back and choose I would decide on the same profession. This project has allowed me to learn so much about people and even myself. I think with what I’ve learned from building this fitness business I will eventually be able to venture into other sectors of business.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.theheartwerk.com
• Instagram: @devandmarcus