Unpack + Rebuild

Hi. My name is KR Jones, and I am a wellness professional with a Bachelor’s Degree in Strength & Conditioning, which is a robust way of saying I can be a gym teacher or train a professional athlete. Naturally, I found myself between both professions, starting as a personal trainer at Equinox in 2013. Four years later, still gainfully employed by one of the largest commercial gym franchises, I found time to start my own business on the side (Under Construction NYC), teach personal training certification courses at American Academy of Personal Training, and eventually become a full-time yogi.

Starting your own business is hard, especially in 2014, pre-pandemic when not a soul in the world cared about wellness as we do currently. I was too early for the party. Initially, I started a November Core Challenge, three exercises a day for all 30 days (videos still on my Instagram). At that moment, I was so frustrated with the politics of Equinox, I had one foot in personal training and one foot in yoga, somehow I found a balance, all pun intended.

Fast forward, present-day you’re reading this blurb about me expanding the UNDNYC brand. The decision to make merch was a combination of me living out my designer dreams and me tangentially realizing, without prompt people won’t just buy recovery products. The idea that consumers will see the quality in the fabrics of clothing and pay a premium price without hesitation, but will not have that same appraisal for products that will help them physically will always be baffling to me.

In November I launched a soft open of UNDNYC to my family and close friends, the love and support was overwhelming. I sold a little less than half of my inventory merch, but to my surprise, not a single person purchased a recovery kit. I intentionally didn’t put any real marketing into selling the recovery products, or any of the products for that matter really, but the kit didn’t move an inch.

I’m a firm believer in wearing your failures. In order to move onto the next level, you must be able to hold space for where you are currently and where you want to be. I’m also a believer in placing the candy in the medicine. When sharing information with others, one must always lead with the enticing while laying down a foundation for the less appealing but necessary. All this said, challenge accepted. I KR Jones, vow to make stretching COOL again. I want people to know more about their bodies and themselves. I want people to know you can relieve pain, you can move better, you can improve your quality of life by taking care of your body.

Talk Soon,

-KR

For weekly inspiration be sure to listen to my OFF THE STRENGTH podcast.

Health Is Wealth.