I’m a Colorado boy. Born and raised. I can’t imagine a better place to have grown up! I actually got to live a few houses down from the Garden of the Gods! It was pretty much my backyard! How cool is that?? Being active was a crucial part of my daily life, I mean, I did grow up in the 90s afterall! I was huge into playing baseball, dabbled in soccer, and was always down to play some ultimate frisbee!

Half-way through high school my life forever changed when I got the opportunity to start training and racing with USA Cycling at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. I got my first taste of what it took to train and perform at the highest level of sport. It was because of my coach Clay Worthington and my incredible experience training with USA Cycling that I decided to pursue a degree in Exercise Science at Colorado State University.

Literally from my very first semester I knew I wanted to be part of the strength and conditioning industry for the rest of my life. I wanted to train people. I wanted to coach.

It was the perfect fit for my talents, passions, and gifts.

While I was at Colorado State I was able to race and represent the CSU Cycling team, who at the time happened to be the top ranked team in the country. My favorite memory was taking the silver medal at USA Cycling Collegiate Nationals. We lost the national championship by less than a second! Crazy?? Right?

My senior year I got the unbelievable opportunity to complete my capstone internship at the Western Australian Institute of Sport down under in Perth. My job was working as an assistant coach alongside their junior, national, and olympic level cycling teams. It was amazing. It was truly the greatest learning experience of my life.

Once I returned stateside and graduated, I got my first job as a trainer at good ole’ 24 Hour Fitness in Fort Collins! In just a few short years, I was able to grind my way from a Level 1 Personal Trainer to the rank of Master Trainer. Along the way, I was privileged to be able to help train and coach over 15,000 uniquely awesome humans!

In 2015, I decided to take a HUGE leap and leave 24 Hour Fitness to pursue my dream of opening a gym and running my own training business. That summer, I started training people at random parks, homes, garages or pretty much anywhere I could find as I searched for the perfect location for the gym.

Finally, after months of searching, I found a small space located next to Chipotle ( absolutely clutch) in Parker, Colorado. I signed the lease and opened my gym. Jungle Law: Strength & Movement had turned from a dream into a reality.

Quickly my dream turned into a first world disaster as my good friend and business partner decided to leave the business to pursue his own just weeks before we had our grand

Opening. I was devastated. We had just signed the lease and rent alone was over 5,000 dollars per month. I felt completely hopeless.

So I had two choices.

1) Quit. Just simply give up and beg the landlord to let me off the lease. This would have been the easier choice no one would have blamed me for... Or 2) I could do everything possible to try to keep my gym doors open and dream alive.

With my family's help I built the gym from scratch and opened the doors, scared but hopeful.

In the first month not a single person bought a training session. Not a single person.

Month by month, I fought and built up my clientele, but every time the 1st of month rolled around and rent was due I was knocked down and didn't want to get back up. If I’m being honest I wanted to give up. That's all I wanted. But, and this is a BIG BUTT.... I freakin didn't.

I always woke up the next morning and went back to work. To training my clients and doing what I love.

After my first year, I had actually achieved break-even and was making enough money to pay my bills, but unfortunately it was too late financially and I had to make the difficult decision to close my gym doors.

BUT, that's not where this story ends! Oh no my friends, it's where it begins. Just a few months later I was offered a job as a coach at the Special Warfare Preparatory course in San Antonio, Texas.

I took the job and have never looked back.

Since then, I have continued to work as a contractor alongside the military training the best of the best.

It’s been over 15 years since I started this journey and I’m just getting warmed up!

-Taylor