Today we’d like to introduce you to Joel Corona.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Growing up I didn’t really have any guidance so it was challenging for me to handle real-life situations. In 2006 I had a child at an early age. Things didn’t really go as planned and I fell into depression, I started drinking and partying more only to become trapped within my own self. I became overweight, felt less attractive and I was not comfortable in my own body. In October 2011 I called my twin brother who is a Certified Personal Trainer to ask him for help. He came to me that same night and we talked and it was a reality check. I challenged myself and he challenged me.
I gave myself 30 days to cut out all my bad habits and get to work on myself. I destroyed that challenge and was able to drop 25lbs in 30 days. The feeling I got from that led me to be hungry for more success. I developed a passion for fitness, a love for self-development and a heart to help people. In 2014 I was giving an opportunity to shadow my twin brother in his gym (The Sweatshop Dallas) during his boot camp class.
Today, not only am I down 80lbs and managed to keep it off, I now help manage his gym and coach boot camp classes. Together we have brought fitness to a community where fitness does not exist.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Life is never a smooth road. Getting in to fitness was a big reality check for me and it showed me a lot of weaknesses, not just with my body but in my personal life as well. I decided to start taking a course to become a Certified Personal Trainer only to find out that learning to study again would become one of my biggest struggles.
School was really tough for me. I left high school at the age of 16 to join a residential military academy for teens who are disengaged from school, which is now called Texas Challenge Academy to get my GED. It didn’t really work out so 7 months later I went back to high school. During that time I was told by a teacher I was nothing but a punk and another teacher told me I would be nothing more than an assembly line worker. Those words really stuck with me. Now today my community reaches out to me for guidance. (How’s that for a guy that graduated at the bottom 10 of his class and was labeled nothing more than a punk).
Being a husband, father, gym manager, fitness coach and working a part time job at night can be really challenging at times, but it’s in those tough times where you separate the boys from the men. I strongly believe in being your own worst enemy. If you think about it, how many times have we told ourselves I CAN’T DO THAT? Well why not? Have you tried? You have to compare yourself with yourself and learn to accept those small wins. My biggest challenge used to be myself and it still is at times.
It definitely gets hard at sometimes. I felt I had to know everything and I put a lot of pressure on myself not realizing this was a marathon not a sprint. Doing that caused me to stress myself out and lead to my body shutting down a few times. It’s not easy trying to meal prep, be a parent/husband, get a work out in, manage a gym and keep positive energy. I always get asked, how do you have so much energy? My answer is I owe myself to live up to my fullest potential.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Joey Fresh Training – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
I am Fitness Coach/Gym Manager at “The Sweatshop Dallas” for the past 3 years. A venture started by my twin brother Joshua Corona in 2013. As a fitness coach, I lead boot-camp classes, help people understand the process of their fitness journey and encourage others to accomplish anything they set their mind too
I’m known for bringing the energy, holding my clients accountable for their decisions, getting my dances moves on, and I can be HARD sometimes. I’m only hard because I expect nothing but the best out of you. I do that because it helps bring the best out in me. Although I may not show it, but I enjoy being challenged.
I wouldn’t say specialize. I would say I FOCUS more on helping people turn their weaknesses in to strengths with fitness ”weight loss”.
Being myself and self-taught has definitely set me apart from others. One thing I learned about fitness is that it’s not just physical, it’s mental and spiritual as well. And physical is the easy part. Like I said growing up I didn’t have any guidance. I really didn’t have anybody to help teach me the pitfalls in life. I made a lot of unhealthy decisions in my life. But I been able to turn those bad experiences into drive that turns into determination, and I’m determined to accomplish the impossible.
Fitness is a growing industry and there is so much to learn from it. I’m going to continue to learn all what I can, so I can bring back to my community.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
There are so many things that I want to learn and get into. One goal of mine going into 2018 is getting to Public Speaking. I plan on reaching out to different high schools and middle schools and sharing my experiences in life with the youth especially act risk kids. A second goal of mine is to further educate myself in nutrition, massage therapy and sports rehabilitation. There are so many things I want to accomplish within myself and my community. This is just the start of it.
Contact Info:
- Address: 218 s. Tyler st
- Website: www.sweatshopdallas.com
- Phone: 469-441-3562
- Email: joel@sweatshopdallas.com
- Instagram: joey_fresh_training
- Facebook: joelcorona17
Image Credit:
Ultra Violet Photography
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