On November 12th, 2023 we got the opportunity to spend a day with Michael Cohn and join him on his extensive training sessions. When it comes to his already extensive experience and decades of working on Marketting Campaigns and Creative Directing with brands his work ethic is revered. This is serious business.
Here's a brief look into the dedication and root of the discipline it takes to develop mental and physical fortitude through work ethic. All photos taken by Luis De La Cruz.
Cohn: At first, I made sure to create time and space daily for physical activity. It wasn’t hard to maintain as I’ve always been a disciplined individual but it came at a loss of social interactions.
Currently, I have found better balance due to a natural progression that allowed me to further focus on myself, inner and outer.
In terms of more tangible physical goals, I’ve grounded and celebrated progressively overloading my body in order to gain muscle.
Briu: Do you have any morning routines or rituals that help you before starting your clients' sessions?
Cohn: The only must have before any day can truly start is coffee. It has a way of centering me as I plan for the day.
Briu: Have you encountered any difficulties with the phases of your training?
Cohn: In my younger formative years, I thought I could do it all: gain strength, muscle and learn multiple martial arts.
I was of course wrong because I didn’t adhere to goals that were complementary and I was not well informed on intentional nutrition. I was overtraining and not properly recovering.
Briu: It has been extremely inspiring to see how resourceful your gym arrangements have been depending on equipment limitations.
Cohn: My intention is to create a community revolving around the many facets of self care, focusing primarily on behavior changes surrounding physical health.
By working individually with people and by creating content series surrounding the topic, I can attract likeminded people and keep paying it forward.
Briu: How do you view purpose?
Cohn: For half of my life, I believe to have lived without thinking specifically about my personal purpose. I’ve always held very specific sentiments when it came to society and how I personally wanted to be treated was reflected in them: leading with kindness and compassion to eradicate fear based hatred and ignorance. As time passed I found myself being more vocal about my beliefs in person and online making me realize, in the darkest of times, that my true purpose was to be of service to others. What initially stopped me was not realizing I could start small by utilizing the tools and skills accumulated throughout my life and marketing career to serve my community and ones in need when the possibility arises, creating a hope filled domino effect
Feel free to listen to his thought process behind recovery and mental health. On the Independent Trainer Podcast.
