Today we’d like to introduce you to Jesus Ruiz
Hi JESUS, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
This is a great question as the industry changed drastically as a result of the pandemic and the industry has become more accessible as a result. Pre-pandemic I began the transition from corporate health & wellness to a local gym called Grit. The owner, Stephanie, was my coach/mentor at the time and I was laser focused on learning as much as I could from her. I was also working at a food startup called Kokonut, which is now known as Culina. Culina and I eventually parted ways and that same day, I walked into Step’s office to share that I wanted to go all in, to which she was excited about. However, due to gentrification, the complex we operated out of was being sold and the gym could no longer afford the rising costs of rent. I essentially had one month to decide if I was going to work somewhere else or seize the moment and go out on my own. I secured a lease, enrolled into a coaching cohort, recruited one of the other coaches and began my journey into the Austin fitness scene. That was in 2017-2018. Several months later, I found a part time job at another fitness startup, StretchLab and helped to open the flagship location in Westlake. I was beginning a transition up the ladder when in 2019, the pandemic happened, was laid off but was able to continue my online & in person coaching, at least with those who were seeking in person coaching until gyms reopened. I did go back to StretchLab but was eventually recruited out to Spokane, WA for an opportunity to work in a concierge service clinic, where I was able to utilize my skill sets in lifestyle coaching, stretch therapy, operating movement analysis technology to name a few. But due to a personnel fit, my time there only lasted 6 months and a choice had to be made: do I stay in a city/state that was much more restricted than Texas or do I move back in order to continue my journey in the fitness industry? I chose to move back to Austin & took a job at John Newcombe Country Club as a Neufit Rehab Specialist in New Braunfels. There, under the guidance of another friend/mentor, I learned another piece of technology called the Neubie. This remarkable medical device allowed me to help rehab and treat people in a way that I couldn’t on my own and was only limited by my education and creativity as a fitness professional. Eventually, I was recruited away by Tony and East Austin Athletic Club. After two years of commuting I was ready to reintegrate back into Austin as I was craving community and seeking to be more involved in the Austin running scene. Fast forward to Oct. 2022 and East Austin Run club was born along with the next evolution of my career, Prior to the run club, I noticed how my passion for fitness was waning while my interest in running grew daily. I noticed that most running coaches lacked the fitness coaching background that runners were seeking, as well as the lack of men of color and spaces to foster diverse communities. Our first run was a POC social run, complete with a shoe activation, local partners, a run & speaker panel. We decided to continue following the diversity calendar to hosting monthly or quarterly social diversity runs while offering weekly runs where I could coach the importance of a proper warm up and cool down post run. We eventually moved our weekly run out of the gym and into the community & Flitch Coffee. As a result of my social diversity work, brands began taking notice, namely Nike, Lululemon, local reps from Addidas, Saucony and Asics approached us for partnerships. This eventually led to an ambassadorship with Lululemon on South Congress and then currently, as an ambassador for NOBULL . Currently, I’m a running and fitness coach, still at East Austin Athletic Club, building out an online, running and fitness group training club while gearing up for the upcoming 2025 road race season. I still have my online coaching business and have my sights set on a health and wellness retreat in Tuscany, Italy later in 2025. Finally, I’m also leading our Hyrox training club, which is the most recent fitness trend making its way through the US along with fulfilling my duties as a seasonal, head track coach at a Catholic middle school here in town. Needless to say, running has taken central stage in my professional career but it’s also opening up opportunities that I did not foresee!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It’s definitely been one transition to another. Immediate challenges I faced were not fully understanding the business side of the industry, along with understanding how to be an independent contractor in a right to work state. Meaning, gyms can fire you for cause but with that understanding, learning how to stand up for my rights as an IC, learning my self worth as a fitness professional while evolving and staying ahead of the health and wellness trends has been important. Then of course, learning how to build a community around me.
And in full transparency, as I continue to grow a personal brand and my coaching business, learning that being lonely and being alone are two separate things. I actually realized that while living in Spokane but being in a leadership position, both at a gym and a run club, has afforded many opportunities but building close personal friendships is a challenge at times, given the current influencer culture that is pervasive in Austin. There seems to be mixed feelings about this culture but the point being, when you are always in a leadership position, having boundaries is important and for me as a male and as a leader, remaining professional while approachable is important. Dating within my community isn’t a bad thing but learning to keep them mutually exclusive is another. I hope that makes sense!
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My background is in the nonprofit sector. In 2011, one year removed from college, I started a branch of Operation Turkey Austin in San Marcos, TX. The mission is to deliver hot Turkey meals to those in need on Thanksgiving Day. As a sociology minor, volunteerism and giving back to the community was important to me, specifically to the city of San Marcos and Texas State University. Within a one month notice, I was able to fund raise and create an entire operational plan out of Bikini’s Sport bar for our first event in November 2011. That first year we delivered 550 meals and just completed our 13th year of service, where we delivered 1000 meals this past year. Since 2011, we have operated in over 30 states and 50+ cities while feeding around 60,000+ people each year simultaneously throughout the US.
The skill set that was required to essentially project manage this yearly event has proved to be beneficial now in my current capacity as a fitness and running coach. Event organizing has helped tremendously in curating my social diversity runs, maintaining positive relationships with local and national brands, while growing my coaching business. We are in this era of brand ambassadorships and learning how to capitalize on that to continue to build and grow both my fitness business and general community around me has been very satisfying and rewarding.
What were you like growing up?
Sports, sports and more sports to be very honest. From basketball being an outlet to football being a space for me to act out, without organized sports I don’t know what would have become of me. Home life was, for a period, very challenging so tough love, both at home and in athletics, was normal. Outside of that, I was voted Wittiest in my class, loved being around my friends, going to church and just making people laugh. During Summers, we were exposed to manual labor, imagine working out in cotton fields or roofing homes and painting. That was where my actual work ethic was born. I also grew up with 6 other siblings so at times, it was fun and hectic.
Pricing:
- Hybrid Group Running and Fitness Coaching starts at $100 per month
- 1v1 In Person Coaching $90 per session
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coachjesseruiz/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OperationTurkeySanMarcos/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jesus-ruiz-577b86283/
- Other: https://linktr.ee/jesseruiz322013
Image Credits
https://www.instagram.com/ckimcreatives/
https://www.instagram.com/westoncarls/ Weston took all of the black and whites.
