Meet Tony Gonzalez

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Tony Gonzalez a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Tony, looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?

My first example of work ethic comes from my parents. They are and continue to be my biggest influences. Both of my parents are Mexican nationals who emigrated here over fifty years ago. My father at best had a second grade education and my mother attended high school here and community college.
They met here in Los Angeles and got married. In the early years they worked blue collared jobs yet even with a limited educational background, they opened a restaurant in Sherman Oaks. They were there seven days a week from early morning until late at night. They never took their eye off the ball and kept striving for success. The store is still there after thirty years.

My parents worked for my sisters and me. They kept striving to put food on the table and clothes on our backs. My parents gave me opportunities they never had and I’m thankful for their sacrifice.

Today, my work ethic comes from my wife and kids. It’s imperative to me that they never yearn for anything and always have what they need. I want to show them the same example my parents showed me, that hard work pays off.

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?

Hi everyone! My name is Tony Gonzalez. I am a boxing and fitness coach. I am the proud owner of Bell2Bell Fitness. I was a competitive amateur boxer and now I’m a coach showcasing the amazing power of the sport. What separates me from others is I know how to tailor to the individual and their specific needs. I use boxing oriented methods and techniques to coach. And we have fun doing it! If someone wants to hit pads and throw fun combinations, we can do that. If someone wants to work on functional training for everyday day life, we can do that too. I use boxing and strength techniques to bring the best out of you and we smile as we do it.

The other aspect that I am incredibly proud of is my work is those afflicted with Parkinson’s Disease. Using skills and techniques I have learned over the years, I help people find some semblance of joy and confidence as they go through their day to day routine. Whether it being able to sit and stand out of a chair, to focusing on their balance to helping get their strength up. It’s something I am incredibly proud of.

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?

I was in boxing gyms much earlier than I was interested in coaching or fitness.
Looking back, one of the qualities that has served me well is the ability to be curious, opened minded and a willingness to change my mind if the facts are compelling.

Early on, I didn’t really understand the body or fitness in general. I only knew what I had done in the gym. I didn’t want to solely be “the boxing guy.” I wanted more and be able to give more value to my clients.

The world is constantly evolving and new science is constantly is being presented. I think it’s important to want to want to learn and constantly be curious. You want to always present the best information to your clients. That being said, I think it’s important that people aspire to earn certifications, do internships and work in a place where they can learn from hands on experience. It’s all so valuable.

Another quality that has served me well is having confidence. Imposter syndrome is real and can really wreck you if you’re not mentally prepared for it. To this day, I still deal with it but I remind myself that I’m changing lives day to day. I’m helping people and making an impact. When someone says to me “I lost my balance but I didn’t fall” or “I dont feel achy anymore” that’s a huge win for me. I know I’m making an impact and it gives me the confidence to keep going.

Finally, a skill that I learned early on in life is being professional. To me, that means being on time, wearing clean clothes and having a plan for the day. I’m human and things do happen, but I strive to always give my best. It’s really easy to get comfortable but I remind myself that people are spending their hard earned money on me. I want to give them the service I would expect for myself.

Tell us what your ideal client would be like?

My ideal client is someone who wants to be a teammate. We’re a team and we should be working together towards the same goal(s) in mind.
I love working with someone who wants to get better, who puts their best foot forward and wants to learn. I love it when people are smiling and are excited to be there with me. Working out should never be a chore and if we’re not having fun, then we need to revisit how we can have fun.

At the end of the day, the session is for you and I want to help you get to where you want to go on your fitness and health journey.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.bell2bellfitness.com/
• Instagram: @bell2bell_fitness
• Yelp: https://yelp.to/tdU4iBLNJE

Image Credits

Taken by me