Today we’d like to introduce you to Jonathan Medeiros.
Jonathan, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
After almost a decade of working in the fitness industry at various facilities as a trainer and fitness manager, I decided it was time to pursue my dream as a business owner. In April 2012 I was able to see that dream come true when the doors at Soul.Train. Finally opened to the public. The road wasn’t an easy one, but it was certainly one worth traveling down in the end.
It was my mission to delivery to the community a place to work out safely, using the latest functional training methods, and have fun doing it. A place where they could couple this type of exercise and complement their training with their favorite types of group classes, such as yoga, Pilates, and dance. And a place where the members and clients are not just another number whom were tricked into signing up through high pressure sales because they, themselves, and their fitness actually matter to us.
Being a lifelong resident of Cambridge, the entire 617 area code is very important to me. Growing up when and where I did shaped me into the man I am today. Therefore, giving back to this community by delivering the best possible fitness service I can, something that can change people’s lives for the better, is the least I can do. I am very proud of what Soul.Train. has become and the people that come here. Nothing is more special to me than knowing how many friendships, relationships, and goals our people have attained through coming here. Soul.Train. truly is and always will be a very special place in the fitness world.
Great, 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?
To say the road was smooth would be a bit of a stretch. When I decided to open Soul.Train. I only knew what I learned about business from the fitness industry. I knew very little to nothing about negotiating leases or city zoning requirements. These were things I needed to learn on the fly and the way some of the logistics worked blew my mind and still do today. I realize every case is different but I was dealt a tough one.
Luckily, I have amazing friends and family to help me and keep me encouraged and had lots of support from longtime time clients (which are also friends). I designed Soul.Train. myself and constructed it along with a few key childhood friends. One of my clients helped finance the project which meant the world to me because it meant that he had that much faith in my success. Could I have done it without these people? Maybe. I certainly had the passion to. But would it mean as much to me if I had? Most likely not.
Soul.Train. A Mind & Body Fitness Studio – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Currently, we are a modestly sized personal training-centric studio that also offers an array of unique and very creative group exercise classes. We do have aspirations to grow and expand someday. The classes are designed and scheduled to help our PT clients complement their training and everyone else to design their own program through choosing their favorites.
I realize that most people lead very busy lifestyles and it can be a grind out there so we don’t offer any memberships that lock you in to lengthy commitments. Instead we offer PT and group exercise packages that can be used at the member’s convenience within a generous amount of time.
I personally, specialize in but am not limited to the use of kettlebells as a training tool and power lifting. Variety is important my other trainers and I are able to tap in to all of the training methods and pride ourselves on being able to help anyone be good at anything, not great at just one thing.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
This a tough one. I’d have to say it’s a toss-up between two very different moments. First – watching one of our members lose 170+ pounds and now compete in Olympic lifting competitions. Second – watching two of our members meet, fall in love and become married to each other. Both are very special to me. There are many others, but these two stand out.
Pricing:
- 10 Classes $120
- 5 Classes $70
- Drop-In Class $16
Contact Info:
- Address: 1180 Broadway Somerville, MA 02144
- Website: www.soultrainfitness.com
- Phone: 6177643345
- Email: Jonathan@soultrainfitness.com
- Instagram: soul.train.fitness
- Facebook: soul.train. A Mind & Body Fitness Studio
- Twitter: @SoulTrainNation
- Yelp: Soul Train
