Meet Stephen Stokes

We recently connected with Stephen Stokes and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Stephen with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?

My family. My work ethic comes from family. The one I was born into and the one I’ve built. Growing up, I watched my mom work night shifts and doubles without complaints or excuses. She did what had to be done to provide for us. She dragged us from Section 8 housing to the suburbs by relentlessly attacking the work that was required. That shaped how I see work.

The example she set became the foundation of how I approach everything of importance to me. It taught me that effort is the one thing I can always control. When I look at my life now, the family I have, the home I’ve built, it all traces back to that mindset.

The only reason I even have my family today is because I applied this approach to playing football. The sport was not something I was naturally good at. I wasn’t the biggest, I wasn’t the fastest, and I wasn’t the strongest. So I made a decision. They will workout, and I will outwork them. Teammates, opponents, even coaches. It did not matter. I decided to outwork everyone. That became my edge.

That mindset took me places I never dreamed of. It allowed me to play in more than ten different countries, to win Super Bowls and MVPs across multiple leagues, and to be recognized in the international Hall of Fame. But more than all that, football is what led me to Europe. It’s where I met my wife and started a family of our own. The opportunities I have now all came from that decision to never be outworked.

Now, as a father and the head of my household, I carry that same mentality into all that I can. I work like my kids are always watching, even when they’re not in the room. I know they’ll pick up my habits through what they see, and the energy they feel. And my work has never been more important than it is now as it is planting the seeds for their future.

That’s how I live my life. Whether it’s family, business, or football, I do the work. I believe the only perfection a human can achieve perfect effort. You can’t coach effort and you cannot fake it.

“Do what is required. Do your best, then do it better. Do the work.”

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

Two8 started as a product-based company, built around one idea: create wearable resistance that makes movement more effective. What began as a tool for athletes quickly turned into something much larger. It became a system for better movement, recovery, and performance for everyone.

What makes it special is that it’s real. It’s not built off one person’s expertise. It’s a comprehensive collection of qualified and certified coaches who are obsessed with helping humans move better. Every detail of the Two8 Bands was designed from real experience in sports, training, and rehabilitation. The goal was never just to sell resistance bands. The goal was to build tools that improve how you move, how you perform, and how you feel doing it.

The results speak for themselves. We’ve helped people walk again after traumatic accidents. We’ve seen stroke survivors use the bands to regain control, strength, and normalcy in their movements. We’ve watched athletes return stronger after injury, and parents rediscover confidence in their bodies. Every success story reinforces that this is more than training. It’s transformation.

Our focus now is expansion. The Two8 ecosystem is growing. The app connects people to training, education, and coaching that help them master movement. We’re building programs for coaches, athletes, and everyday people who want to move with purpose. The Move Better Certification takes years of combined experience and turns it into systems that anyone can apply.

What excites me most is watching people realize their potential. Seeing someone put on the bands, train with intention, and understand their body in a new way is what drives me. We make movement make sense.

The next phase is already in motion. The Two8 app is evolving into a full platform that integrates wearable resistance, recovery, and performance tracking. We’re launching more camps, expanding our coaching network, and building programs for schools, teams, and organizations. The goal is global: make better movement accessible to everyone, anywhere.

If people remember one thing about Two8, I want it to be this. We help people get better results faster, and those results last.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

At Two8, we call it the 3 C’s of Success. It guides every decision we make. Three core skills. The skill of accepting the challenge. The ability to create content. The skill of consistency.

The first skill is accepting the challenge.
It’s the starting point of everything. Accepting the challenge is like sitting down at the chessboard. If you never sit down to play, you become a pawn in someone else’s game. Accepting the challenge means deciding to play your own. It requires humility and courage. You have to admit that you don’t know what you’re doing yet. You have to accept that it will be uncomfortable, that you’ll make mistakes, and that you’ll fail before you improve. But that’s the skill. Showing up anyway. Doing the work, repetition after repetition, until you figure it out. That’s what separates players from pieces.

The second skill is the ability to create content.
Content is the queen of the chessboard. The most powerful piece. She moves in any direction and can cover the board in a single move. Without her, you have all but lost. Content is how we expand our reach. It is not just what you post online. It is everything you produce that helps the people you serve. It is what you deliver in a session, at a camp, or inside a program. It is what you build when you solve real problems for real people. The content is the product because it is how people experience what you do. For us, the bands are one piece, but the workouts, systems, and education that come with them move the mission forward and extend our reach.

The third skill is consistency.
Consistency is the king. The king moves one square at a time, but every move matters. You cannot win without him. Consistency brings everything home. It turns the challenge you accepted and the content you created into results that last. It is not about speed. It is about staying steady. Consistency turns practice into mastery and progress into permanence.

These three skills define the way we operate, coach, and build.
Accept the challenge. Create with purpose. Stay consistent.
That’s how you win the game.

Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?

If we were to add a 4th C of success, it would be collaboration. We’re always open to collaborating with people and organizations who believe movement can change lives. The goal of Two8 has never been to stand alone. It has always been to connect. To build with coaches, schools, teams, therapists, and leaders who care about helping people move and feel better.

We look for partners who bring value, not just volume. People who want to impact lives, who are willing to learn, teach, and grow together. We collaborate with coaches who want to expand their reach, with schools that want to bring better physical education to their students, and with performance centers that want to add wearable resistance to their systems.

The Two8 ecosystem was built for collaboration. The app connects training, education, and rehabilitation. The Move Better Certification equips coaches and organizations to deliver better results. When we partner, we share tools, knowledge, and systems that help people move better, recover faster, and perform longer.

If that sounds like you, reach out. Let’s connect, align, and build something that lasts.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://two8.shop
• Instagram: @two8bands
• Facebook: @two8bands
• Linkedin: @two8bands
• Twitter: @two8bands
• Youtube: @two8bands
• Other: TikTok: @two8bands
  Amazon: Two8 Bands

Image Credits

Major Caldwell