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

Tony, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

Before Levels Training came to life, the path getting here was anything but easy. Just two years prior, I was knee-deep in applying to PT school; juggling part-time work under Stretch Lab, my own training business that was under a different name, and as a PT aide all while finishing up prerequisite classes. Best believe that this routine was consuming me.
Once I finally submitted my last PT application, I expected to feel some sort of relief—but instead, I was completely anxious. Thoughts like “Are my grades good enough?” and “Does my personal statement standout from others?” kept running through my mind.

After a few weeks, the first letter came in the mail and the response was something I wished I hadn’t read: “We regret to inform you…”

My heart sank. Then, the next letter came, and the next, all having the same message. Every single school I applied rejected me. I felt completely devastated because this made me think that all the work I put in those past two years all went to waste.

However, this moment was a huge turning point in my life. I realized that I was spreading myself too thin with doing so much work that was going unnoticed. This is where I took the risk and decided I wanted to take matters into my own hands. What I learned in this moment was that I had a true passion for helping people get out of pain and had this deep love for coaching others into being the best version of themselves. This is what led me to where I am today.

From the start of 2024, I made the biggest decision to transition my focus on running my own personal training business as an LLC. At the beginning stages of this transition, I cut out things that weren’t providing me the tools that I needed to succeed. What that meant was that I chose to leave my part-time PT aide job and completely stopped anything related to PT schools, which allowed me to have more time and energy to focus on my business. In the meantime, I kept my job at Stretch Lab so that I had some cash flow to help with the expenses of the start-up. At this point, everything started to fall right into place.

Tony, 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?

My name is Tony Corong, and I’m a Strength & Conditioning Coach based in Orange County. I primarily work with dancers and athletes who want to improve their athleticism so they can move more freely and perform at their highest level in their sport or craft.

What drew me to focus on this specific group stems from my own background in dance. I had the privilege of performing with several dance teams across Orange County, and I’ve always been fascinated by human movement and how the body works.

As a passionate dancer in my younger years, I faced many of the same challenges dancers continue to struggle with today—such as properly preparing the body through strength and conditioning, eating a balanced diet, optimizing recovery, and cultivating the right mindset. Over time, through both personal experience and formal education, I’ve gathered the tools and knowledge to help modern dancers overcome these challenges.

My lifelong goal is to guide dancers toward healthier, more sustainable lifestyles—both on and off the stage.

I’m proud of what I’ve built: a community rooted in movement, connection, and growth.

Training and knowledge matter of course, but beyond that what do you think matters most in terms of succeeding in your field?

To succeed in this field, I believe that community, collaboration, and connection can truly get you places. Through trials and tribulations, the thing that has always been there are the people that I lean on. Those people will celebrate with amongst your wins and will get you through even the toughest of times. I wouldn’t know what I would do if I didn’t have the people in my corner.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

The most effective strategy on growing my clientele has to be showing up in the places of where dancers gather or pop up in. You can find them in places like dance studios, dance performances, community events, and popular social media platforms (i.e., Instagram, TikTok). More importantly, you need to be able to talk to them 1-on-1 and having a genuine interest in their dance and fitness goals.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://levelstrainingllc.com
• Instagram: @strongbycorong
• Facebook: Levels Training
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthony-corong-38baa8100
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/levels-training-costa-mesa-2?utm_campaign=www_business_share_popup&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=(direct)
• Other: Komi: https://tonycorong.komi.io/?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAadSasLyr_Q5phaZBqmq57gVg8k2iYBcxjxcUBkWAInm1T4xY2tuSDvLhLeKng_aem_yLoPmLvpLaXIGg_t9aqhYQ

Image Credits

Melanie Sabino
Sabine West