Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Robert Carter. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Robert, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s jump to the end – what do you want to be remembered for?

I hope my legacy is one of radical compassion paired with real results. Throughout my career—whether in federal service, nonprofit leadership, or coaching—I’ve always aimed to build systems and programs that not only work, but truly serve people, especially those navigating trauma, marginalization, or transition.

I want to be remembered as someone who made space for others—who helped people feel seen, safe, and strong enough to change their lives. Someone who didn’t just do the job, but who cared about the humans behind the policies, the metrics, and the transformations.

Whether it’s a Veteran getting housed, a queer man reclaiming his health, or a team member I mentored into leadership, I want people to say, “Robert made things better. He made me better.”

My legacy won’t be built on titles—it will be built on trust, equity, and the lives I helped elevate.

Robert, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

💬 About Me — Robert Carter, Founder of Munky Fitness

I’m Robert Carter, founder of Munky Fitness—a trauma-informed, queer-affirming online coaching space built for folks who’ve been told their bodies were “wrong,” their motivation was “lacking,” or that fitness had to come with shame. Spoiler: It doesn’t.

My path to this work wasn’t linear. I come from a background in federal service and social impact leadership, where I spent years building systems that served Veterans, survivors, returning citizens, and marginalized communities. I led programs around housing access, workforce development, and behavioral health, and while I’m proud of what I accomplished, I realized something deeper: policies help people survive—but coaching helps people live.

As a queer man navigating trauma, burnout, and ADHD, I was exhausted by traditional wellness spaces. I didn’t see bodies like mine. I didn’t hear voices that sounded like mine. So I became what I couldn’t find: a coach who leads with empathy, strategy, and radical inclusion.

🛠️ What I Do at Munky Fitness

Munky Fitness offers online fitness + nutrition coaching specifically for LGBTQ+ folks—especially queer men and masc-aligned people in their 30s and 40s who feel like they’ve been starting over their whole lives.

I provide:

💪 Customized movement plans (with or without a gym)

🍳 Nutrition support that works with your brain (especially for ADHDers)

🧠 Mindset coaching and accountability, rooted in trauma-informed practice

🌈 A zero-shame space that affirms your identity, body, and goals

Whether it’s dropping fat, building strength, learning to eat again, or simply not feeling like shit every day—I help people build the kind of consistency that sticks.

🔥 What Sets Me Apart

I don’t just train bodies—I coach whole people.

I specialize in habit-building for queer folks who’ve felt excluded from mainstream fitness.

I’ve coached Veterans, survivors, folks with CPTSD and ADHD, and people navigating grief, transitions, and recovery.

I’m not selling six-packs—I’m helping people feel powerful, capable, and safe in their own skin again.

This work is more than reps and macros—it’s about reclaiming the relationship with your body after years of being told to dissociate from it.

🌟 What I’m Most Proud Of

Honestly? It’s not the transformations you can see—it’s the ones you can feel.

When a client tells me they finally wore a tank top in public for the first time.
When someone learns to eat without guilt.
When a queer man tells me he no longer uses fitness as punishment but as a form of care.
That’s the stuff I live for.

💬 Final Word

Munky Fitness is for the misfits, the cycle-breakers, the ones who are tired of shrinking themselves for other people’s comfort. If that’s you? You belong here.

Whether you’re looking to work 1:1 with me or just follow along for honest, affirming content—know that you don’t have to change to be worthy of support. You start from exactly where you are.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

💬 A Time I Had to Pivot: From Federal Leadership to Fitness Liberation

I never expected to leave federal service the way I did.

I had built a strong, meaningful career in the public sector—serving Veterans, building housing programs, developing policy, leading national teams. I wasn’t just “in government”—I was impacting it. My work helped create opportunities for people who had been systemically shut out: returning citizens, homeless Veterans, survivors of trauma. That meant everything to me.

Then one day, like so many others in public service, I received the news: I was being RIFed—cut due to restructuring, not performance. Just like that, years of leadership, data, collaboration, and mission-driven work were put in a folder and filed away. It felt abrupt, surreal, and honestly? Humbling.

But here’s the truth: that forced pivot turned out to be the most liberating moment of my career.

Instead of rushing back into a system where my worth was defined by GS levels and funding cycles, I chose to lean into something deeper—my calling to serve people directly, outside of red tape. I took all the skills I had built—strategic thinking, trauma-informed leadership, program design, behavior change—and I channeled them into Munky Fitness, a coaching business designed for people like me: queer, complex, healing, and ready to grow.

I stopped trying to fit my purpose into someone else’s system—and started building my own.

Now, I work 1:1 with LGBTQ+ clients around the country, helping them take back their bodies, habits, and self-worth—without shame. I’m proud of that. And I wouldn’t have gotten here if life hadn’t pushed me in a direction I never saw coming.

💡 What I Learned:

A pivot doesn’t mean you’ve failed. It means you’re being re-routed.

Identity and purpose can evolve beyond the job title.

Sometimes the system you worked so hard to change ends up pushing you toward something more powerful—freedom.

If you’re navigating a pivot—career, body, mindset—I see you. You’re not lost. You’re just about to evolve.

How’d you think through whether to sell directly on your own site or through a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc.

💬 eCommerce: Where I Sell (and Where I’m Headed)

Right now, I don’t sell through major platforms like Amazon, Etsy, or Cratejoy—I run everything independently through my website, MunkyFitness.com and soon, platforms like Gumroad or Payhip for digital downloads.

That choice was intentional.

I wanted to create a space that felt deeply personal and community-rooted, not commercialized or buried under algorithm-driven storefronts. Munky Fitness is more than a business—it’s a trauma-informed, queer-affirming movement. I needed the buying experience to reflect that. When someone visits my site, I want them to feel like they’ve found a safe, focused space that sees them—not just another product on a marketplace shelf.

That said, I’m actively expanding.

🛠️ What’s Next for Me:

In the coming months, I’m launching a full line of digital products, including:

7-day and 4-week fitness plans

ADHD-friendly meal templates

Queer-centered body image tools

Mini courses and journaling PDFs

Eventually: a low-cost membership program

My goal is to make Munky Fitness widely accessible and scalable, while keeping the brand intimate and values aligned.

I haven’t ruled them out—Etsy in particular could be a future home for niche guides and journals—but I want to build strong foundations first: direct connections, quality products, and a loyal client base that trusts my brand’s values.

If you’re queer, neurodivergent, or just tired of mainstream fitness culture, I want you to know you’re not alone. And soon, there’ll be even more tools to support your journey—wherever you are in the world, and whatever your story looks like.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.munkyfitness.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/munkyfitness

Image Credits

The pictures are of me (before/after) and my logo. I am in the process of working with my one client (3 months) to provide all of his progress pictures with data and will produce a video of his progress soon.