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Yoo – it’s been a minute since my last update, 128 days to be exact.
Since leaving the DevRel life, here’s what I’ve been up to:
Became a certified personal trainer
Got my first paid gig
Hosted 10 fitness side events in Bangkok during DevCon
Accepted an offer to work at a physical therapy clinic
The last few months have been a dream.
I know this is just the beginning, but damn, I’m so proud of where I am today. 4 months ago, this was all just a dream.
I hope you enjoy this update.
Now, let’s start from the beginning.
Getting Certified
I chose to get my certification through the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) because it’s the north star for fitness prescription. Guidelines in other certifications often reference ACSM, and it was also highly regarded by the General Manager at the gym I worked at.
The last time I had to 'study' for an exam like this was seven years ago, when I worked at Vanguard and needed to pass the Series 7 exam to become a certified broker. The ACSM book was over 600 pages, covering topics like anatomy, exercise prescription, formulas for calculating metabolic functions, and psychology models for helping clients reach their goals.
After getting home from Nights and Weekends IRL - RIP, it was go time.
I decided to take the exam in early October, giving myself two months to study. This timeline also left room to retake the test if needed before, hopefully, heading to Bangkok.
Passing was the only thing that mattered, so I uninstalled Telegram and tried to stay offline as much as possible.
The study plan was simple: speedrun the book, then dive into PocketPrep (a study tool) and knock out their 1,000-question bank.
The CPT book came with an app that allowed me to listen while reading along. I sped through most of the book at 1.5x but when I got to anatomy and physiology I bumped it down to 0.75x to really absorb the information.
Once I moved to PocketPrep, studying became fun. Each card linked back to the textbook for reference. If I wasn’t 90% sure of an answer, I’d go back, find the section, and take handwritten notes. I made tons of notecards and even recorded videos on the glenohumeral (shoulder) and ankle joints to reinforce what I learned.
All the studying and sticking to my strict 2 hour daily schedule paid off.
I passed the exam.
It feels like there was a 'me' before October 7th and who I am now. Maybe we’re always changing, but it’s pretty cool when you can point to a specific date and say, yeah, that’s when everything changed.
Being certified meant one thing: I could finally market myself as a trainer.
Level 1, complete.
Getting the First Gig
A huge perk of working as a DevRel is the network you get to be a part of. You often meet the founders of protocols and get on a first-name basis with a lot of cool folks at orgs like ETHGlobal.
ETHGlobal organizes some of the highest-caliber hackathons, both online and IRL. From local cuisine to smoothie carts, they get really creative and immerse themselves in the cities they’re in, offering hackers a unique experience.
While in Brussels, ETHGlobal hosted a few yoga sessions. I remember thinking how cool that was and how maybe it was something I could do for them.
I took note and planted the seed.
When I made the public announcement that I was leaving DevRel, I reached out to my friend, Jacob to see if I could lead a mobility workshop at one of their events. They liked the idea and offered me the chance to do four 30-minute mobility workshops in SF.
I was ecstatic.
It's hard to explain the happiness I felt walking into a room filled with yoga mats. Just a few months earlier, I’d been walking into rooms to give developer workshops—now I was leading mobility sessions for developers at one of the biggest hackathon organizations.
Like, wtf is life rn?
Getting to Bangkok
After the high of passing the exam wore off, the real work was just beginning.
Unlike an exam, where you either pass or fail, doing something with no roadmap makes it hard to define what success even looks like. All I knew was that I wanted to be in Bangkok during DevCon to host fitness side events and I wanted to find sponsors.
The first step to making that happen was putting together a deck.
The Deck
Something Buildspace ingrained into my head is this: your first version will suck, so you might as well ship it, get eyes on it, and make it better.
Instead wasting more time trying to get a pretty deck with our brand colors and images, I created a new Google Slides project and started writing the copy.
I was nervous to share it—not because it was going to a lot of people, but because the few eyes that would see it, mattered a lot more than all the others.
The feedback was straightforward, with links to examples of what they were referencing. Shout out to Cat and Nikki for the actionable feedback.
You’re probably wondering why I care so much about this deck.
Here’s the thing: up to this point, Mensana Fitness has only existed in our minds and through IRL events. The product is the idea, and to sell an idea, you need good visuals and a story—or at least, that’s how it felt to me. I wanted something tangible.
I was pitching: who we are, what problem we’re solving, how we’re solving it, and what you get. In a way, creating this deck felt like building our business model
Once I finally had the copy nailed in, Claudia brought it to life with a design upgrade.
Whales
You know how they say, it’s not about what you know but who you know? Here’s a perfect example of when that’s true.
I hit up just about everyone I was cozy with and asked if their team was interested in fitness side events for Bangkok. For anyone curious or interested, I sent them the deck.
Blake, a new friend I made in my previous role, and I had bonded over cool t-shirt merch ideas in Brussels. He knew what I had pivoted into, so I reached out to see if his team was interested in what I was working on. Not only did he say yes, but he also asked if I’d be interested in hosting a run for them.
Fk yes, are you kidding me?
The other early supporter came from Nader and his team. Nader is the reason I got into web3 (like so many others) in 2021 through his coding videos. No matter his role, he’s always made himself accessible to help others.
He’s also the guy who made g(y)m cool.
Once his support was confirmed, we made the official announcement: Mensana Fitness is coming to Bangkok and we had a sweet lineup of events.
After going public, the DMs for collabs started dripping in.
17 days in Bangkok
We flew in a week before DevCon, giving ourselves time to adjust to new sleep patterns and even enjoy a Michelin-star experience at Kiin Kiin.
We had 10 public events lined up, plus several private sessions.
The public events included a track workout, pilates, F45, mobility workshops, hikes, and gym day passes. The private sessions featured 1:1s and mobility workshops offered exclusively to the Pool Hacker House, the team who was hosting us.
Over the course of the events we met a lot of great people who were really excited about what we were building. It was an amazing feeling being surrounded by people who loved being active as much as I did. It felt like we were really onto something.
Highlights
AggLayer Run Club was probably one of my favorite events we hosted. The location was a track, so I created workouts tailored for three groups: Interns (walkers), Researchers (joggers), and KOLs (sprinters). If you don’t speak web3, these are internal terms for different roles. Most people opted for the sprint workout, which I was psyched about. I had a whistle, a stopwatch, and was truly in my element.
The besttt event (that Mensana didn’t organize, ofc) had to be Superfluid’s day at the wave pool. It brought out some of the most fun, carefree people. You had to be okay with eating shit in front of a crowd—and maybe even a little exposed (I had a nip slip on my first wipeout). When you caught a wave, the dudes would howl and clap—the camaraderie was unreal.
Thursday was one of our busiest days. It started with a jungle hike with Max and his team at GMNetwork, where we spotted unfamiliar fruits and enjoyed a break from the city. The day continued with mobility workshops and pilates, ending with a dinner at my friend Steph’s place. You can learn so much about someone by meeting their friends, and Steph’s didn’t disappoint. We vibed hard.
You know that feeling when a trip finally makes it out of the group chat? That’s what it felt like running the Bangkok Half Marathon at 3am with friends we had just met a few days earlier at one of our events.
Getting the Job
In Million Dollar Weekend, one of the exercises suggests searching online job boards for keywords related to the job you want. The purpose is to explore what services people are already willing to pay for and expand your perspective.
To my surprise, there were more options than just box gyms when I searched for personal trainer roles. Two stood out: one at a living facility for individuals with various physical disabilities and another at a physical therapist's office.
Both jobs seemed like great opportunities to learn, but there was one problem: I wasn’t certified yet and wouldn’t be for a few more weeks.
I decided to apply as an unpaid intern until I was certified. I wrote love letters for each position and anxiously waited.
A few days later, I received one rejection. A few more days passed, and I still hadn’t heard back from the PT clinic. So, I did what anyone in my position would do—I stopped by the clinic.
I waited in the lobby for half an hour before getting a chance to speak with Ben, the owner and head DPT. When I finally got my 30 seconds, I gave my elevator pitch and handed him a copy of my resume and cover letter. We exchanged contact information, and I was on my way.
A few messages back and forth later, I had a confirmed start date to shadow at the clinic.
I started shadowing at the clinic a couple of times a week, staying for a few hours each visit. I helped reset beds and occasionally assisted patients with exercises. After a few weeks, Ben asked me about my future plans, assuming I didn’t want to work for free indefinitely.
I hadn’t given it much thought post-DevCon, as I was knee-deep in planning and had been banking on applying for a job at the gym where I worked in the café. My plan seemed straightforward—but after spending time in the clinic, I really liked the team and found myself open to considering other opportunities.
While at the clinic, I shared some of the videos I’d been creating, like the 18-day challenge. Ben asked if I’d consider doing something similar for the clinic, and he offered to pay me for it. That’s when it hit me: working at a private clinic would give me a lot more control over what I did and how I did it compared to a big-box gym.
We talked more about what a full-time role could look like, especially as he’s looking to expand the wellness side of the business. It all felt so serendipitous—completely off the roadmap I’d imagined, but a step closer to where I want to go.
I start next Monday, Dec. 2.
What’s Next
ETHDenver: We’re already planning a lineup of events, like a pre-conference ice climbing trip, because nothing screams adventure like climbing up a piece of ice. If you’re interested in collaborating or joining, my DMs on X are open.
Coaching: Starting Dec. 2, I’m kicking off my coaching series, The Program. I’ve enlisted three homies who’ve agreed to let me coach them for the next 6 weeks. There will be weekly group calls, check-ins, and a fun incentive to help them crush their goals.
Clinics: Inspired by ACSM guidelines, I’m developing a program for kids aged 12–17 to learn the basics of strength training. Think Strength Training 101, with a focus on building confidence and foundational skills.
As always, thanks so much for reading. I feel incredibly lucky for all the friends around me—seriously, it takes a village, and for that, I’m so grateful. To all the homies who came out to one of our events, retweeted us, or asked about the newsletter—you’re all in my heart.