We recently connected with Timothy Russell and have shared our conversation below.

Timothy, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What was it like going from idea to execution? Can you share some of the backstory and some of the major steps or milestones?

I have been a yoga teacher and personal trainer for 2 years and an athlete for life. Health and wellness has always been important to me but within the past year I had the realization that the community is what I am truly passionate about. I have witnessed the rise of wellness events big and small and knew that was a direction I wanted to go. One day I drove by a location near my home and the spark was lit. I thought “That would be a perfect location to host a wellness event, I wonder if they already do that?” From there, the ball started rolling. I reached out to the venue and pitched my idea and within 30 minutes they had responded. From a simple email I created the Moves Wellness Event. It was something I had never done before, no experience, no knowledge of what it really took to create something from nothing but an idea. I spent 2 months learning as I went, researching, trial and error. But with a background in athletics I was taught to work tirelessly and that’s what I did. When event day finally rolled around I could sleep easy the night before knowing that I had done everything I could to prepare for this. I learned so much about communication and relationship building through working with the venue and vendors. The biggest lesson I took away was this: if you are pursuing an idea/business for the right reasons, you shouldn’t feel anger. If you are feeling anger you need to evaluate whether it is the idea that is wrong or the people you are working with.

I learned a great deal about marketing and strategy. I had never ran an email campaign before or worked with vendors who I asked to market to their audiences. I built email templates for them to share with their email lists, I created social media posts and captions for them to use. Learning strategy for what to post when, when should you announce certain things, how can you maintain marketing flow so that your audience doesn’t get burnt out and there is always new information being shared.

I learned about operations, in fact this may be the point I neglected the most. How does your event or business run from the jump. There must be SOPs, standard operating procedures that help your business operate effortlessly. Identifying roles, who is responsible for what. I had friends help with ticket sales and check ins but did not give them clear instructions. How does the venue need to be set up so that your participants flow through it receiving the full experience you are trying to provide?

The largest road blocks I faced were with the venue. I think we both share the blame for this, our communication was poor. I may not have expressed the vision to them clearly and in a way that they could see the full picture and because of that, their interest and investment was low.

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.

My name is Tim Russell, I am 28 years old. A yoga instructor and personal trainer pursuing lifestyle coaching, wellness events, and wellness retreats. I was a lifelong athlete playing American Football through college at the Division III level for Endicott College where I was an All-American Linebacker. After college I was blessed to continue my playing career in Europe playing 2 seasons for the Lazio Marines and 1 season for the Kotka Eagles before suffering a broken arm and lasting nerve damage that ended my playing career.

This injury was grueling and left me without use of my left hand for 1.5 years but it also gave me the greatest blessing. I was forced to face myself beyond the masks that I wore as an athlete and someone living for the validation and expectations of others. Who am I at my core? This is when I found yoga and participated in my 200hour yoga teacher training. The lessons learned through the Yogic Philosophy, meditation, breathwork, and practice allowed me to see myself and find purpose.

2 years and 4 surgeries later, I have full use of my left hand and arm. I went back to Finland to coach American Football for the first time and we won the national championship with the Kuusankoski Cowboys. Through all of my opportunities for travel I have had my worldview shaped by so many different people and cultures. I have built amazing connections with people all over the world. I taught yoga at a studio in Myllykoski, Finland and was invited to be a teacher at a yoga festival there. I am currently running a yoga retreat to Rovaniemi, Finland with my fellow teacher, mentor, and friend, Tia DeVincenzo, in August 2026.

I am now in the midst of developing my own brand. My style of yoga which I affectionately call “Primal Yoga” is a blend of my athletic training experience with my Love for yoga. I personal train my clients, “Primal Strength,” according to the 7 Primal Movements: Squat, Lunge, Hinge, Push, Pull, Twist, and Gait. I run the Moves Wellness Events designed to build the wellness community currently of the Greater Boston Area but with hopes of expanding. I run Primal Lifestyle Coaching to help high-performers break the habits of self-sabotage and build the habits of self-empowerment, following the pillars of intentional living and expanded awareness.

My purpose in this life is to build community and bring people together. I have been recognized as a leader by my peers for as long as I can remember. My particular view is that there is so much manufactured competition amongst wellness businesses right now. Gyms, studios, physical therapists don’t want to work together, they don’t want to advertise or participate in things that may give another business more traffic. Yet, I think we need a reframe. Yes, we are all aiming to help improve the lives of our clients by helping them become healthier and gain autonomy over their lives. But we all share unique offerings that do in fact compliment each other. We are all here serving a common purpose and achieving that purpose through our unique and beautiful methods. That is the purpose of what I am building, to bring all of us together, to share our unique skills, passions, and methods. And to strengthen our wellness community as a whole!

How did you build your audience on social media?

My number 1 piece of advice is to be honest. You may say “Tim, every creator gives that advice, what does it actually mean?”

To me it means everything that I do and create should align with my values, and not just the values I currently live by, but the values that the greatest version of myself embodies. I would never regret sharing an idea that aligns with who I am. It is something I would say in person and defend tooth and nail.

Your audience can tell when you are being performative and trying to get clicks. They should be able to feel your passion through content.

In terms of mindset you should understand that being hung up on what people will think of your content is a waste of time. Social media is designed to keep people engaged and using the platform, so the algorithms do their best to only show people content they think they will like. When you post something the algorithm is trying to find your target audience, and the best way to help it learn is to post and continue posting as much as you’re willing.

These 2 things will help you build your audience and find your people.

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

I think the biggest story that highlights my resilience was my ability to overcome a career ending injury. I snapped my humerus in half and the emergency surgery left my ulnar nerve entrapped. The damage was severe by the time it was released and I was left with a useless left hand. I could not type on a keyboard and the doctors told me there was nothing more they could do, it was a waiting game. That was 1.5 years of no use. 2 surgeries, a third that was experimental, and a 4th to get the metal taken out of my arm. During that time I completed a sprint triathlon and a half marathon.

Because I was not alone in my journey. I am blessed with a loving family who motivates me and isn’t willing to sit back and watch me suffer alone. This only reinforced my belief in community and building a community that has depth.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://primalyoga-int.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/primal.russ/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timothy-russell-07
• Twitter: https://x.com/PrimalRuss
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@PrimalRuss