July 6, 2025 • 25 mins
In this inspiring episode of Que Pasa Boston, host Gabriela Salas sits down with brothers Jeremy and Derek Driscoll, who transformed their shared passion for jujitsu into the thriving Evolution Performance Center. Joined by their performance coach Joe, this dynamic trio reveals the blueprint for turning athletic dreams into entrepreneurial success.
From their championship jujitsu careers to building a state-of-the-art facility that’s revolutionizing fitness in their community, the Driscoll brothers share the raw truth about sibling partnerships, athletic excellence, and the courage to invest in your vision. This conversation offers invaluable insights for anyone considering the leap from athlete to entrepreneur.
Key topics explored include:
• How brotherhood bonds can strengthen business partnerships
• Transitioning from competitive athletics to business ownership
• Building a performance center that serves diverse fitness needs
• The importance of finding the right business partners and coaches
• Overcoming financial challenges when starting a fitness business
• Creating a gym culture that elevates every member’s potential
Joe’s perspective as both friend and performance coach adds crucial depth to understanding how successful businesses require the right combination of passion, expertise, and strategic thinking. Their story demonstrates how athletic discipline translates directly into entrepreneurial success.
Whether you’re a current athlete, aspiring business owner, or someone interested in the intersection of sports and entrepreneurship, this episode delivers practical wisdom and motivation that transcends the gym walls.
#EvolutionPerformanceCenter #JeremyDriscoll #DerekDriscoll #JujitsuChampions #GymOwnership #FitnessEntrepreneurship #SiblingBusiness #PerformanceCoaching #QuePassaBoston #AthleticBusiness #MartialArts #FitnessIndustry #Entrepreneurship #BrotherhoodBusiness #GymStartup #PerformanceTraining #BusinessPartnership #AthletesToEntrepreneurs #FitnessCenter #SportsSuccess
Hermandad y Negocios: La Historia de Éxito del Evolution Performance Center
En este inspirador episodio de Que Pasa Boston, la presentadora Gabriela Salas conversa con los hermanos Jeremy y Derek Driscoll, quienes transformaron su pasión compartida por el jujitsu en el próspero Evolution Performance Center. Acompañados por su entrenador de rendimiento Joe, este trío dinámico revela el plan maestro para convertir sueños atléticos en éxito empresarial.
Desde sus carreras como campeones de jujitsu hasta construir una instalación de última generación que está revolucionando el fitness en su comunidad, los hermanos Driscoll comparten la verdad cruda sobre las asociaciones entre hermanos, la excelencia atlética y el valor de invertir en tu visión. Esta conversación ofrece perspectivas invaluables para cualquiera que esté considerando el salto de atleta a emprendedor.
Temas clave explorados incluyen:
• Cómo los lazos fraternales pueden fortalecer las asociaciones comerciales
• La transición del atletismo competitivo a la propiedad de negocios
• Construir un centro de rendimiento que sirva diversas necesidades de fitness
• La importancia de encontrar los socios comerciales y entrenadores correctos
• Superar desafíos financieros al iniciar un negocio de fitness
• Crear una cultura de gimnasio que eleve el potencial de cada miembro
La perspectiva de Joe como amigo y entrenador de rendimiento añade profundidad crucial para entender cómo los negocios exitosos requieren la combinación correcta de pasión, experiencia y pensamiento estratégico. Su historia demuestra cómo la disciplina atlética se traduce directamente en éxito empresarial.
Ya seas un atleta actual, aspirante a propietario de negocio, o alguien interesado en la intersección del deporte y el emprendimiento, este episodio entrega sabiduría práctica y mo
From their championship jujitsu careers to building a state-of-the-art facility that’s revolutionizing fitness in their community, the Driscoll brothers share the raw truth about sibling partnerships, athletic excellence, and the courage to invest in your vision. This conversation offers invaluable insights for anyone considering the leap from athlete to entrepreneur.
Key topics explored include:
• How brotherhood bonds can strengthen business partnerships
• Transitioning from competitive athletics to business ownership
• Building a performance center that serves diverse fitness needs
• The importance of finding the right business partners and coaches
• Overcoming financial challenges when starting a fitness business
• Creating a gym culture that elevates every member’s potential
Joe’s perspective as both friend and performance coach adds crucial depth to understanding how successful businesses require the right combination of passion, expertise, and strategic thinking. Their story demonstrates how athletic discipline translates directly into entrepreneurial success.
Whether you’re a current athlete, aspiring business owner, or someone interested in the intersection of sports and entrepreneurship, this episode delivers practical wisdom and motivation that transcends the gym walls.
#EvolutionPerformanceCenter #JeremyDriscoll #DerekDriscoll #JujitsuChampions #GymOwnership #FitnessEntrepreneurship #SiblingBusiness #PerformanceCoaching #QuePassaBoston #AthleticBusiness #MartialArts #FitnessIndustry #Entrepreneurship #BrotherhoodBusiness #GymStartup #PerformanceTraining #BusinessPartnership #AthletesToEntrepreneurs #FitnessCenter #SportsSuccess
Hermandad y Negocios: La Historia de Éxito del Evolution Performance Center
En este inspirador episodio de Que Pasa Boston, la presentadora Gabriela Salas conversa con los hermanos Jeremy y Derek Driscoll, quienes transformaron su pasión compartida por el jujitsu en el próspero Evolution Performance Center. Acompañados por su entrenador de rendimiento Joe, este trío dinámico revela el plan maestro para convertir sueños atléticos en éxito empresarial.
Desde sus carreras como campeones de jujitsu hasta construir una instalación de última generación que está revolucionando el fitness en su comunidad, los hermanos Driscoll comparten la verdad cruda sobre las asociaciones entre hermanos, la excelencia atlética y el valor de invertir en tu visión. Esta conversación ofrece perspectivas invaluables para cualquiera que esté considerando el salto de atleta a emprendedor.
Temas clave explorados incluyen:
• Cómo los lazos fraternales pueden fortalecer las asociaciones comerciales
• La transición del atletismo competitivo a la propiedad de negocios
• Construir un centro de rendimiento que sirva diversas necesidades de fitness
• La importancia de encontrar los socios comerciales y entrenadores correctos
• Superar desafíos financieros al iniciar un negocio de fitness
• Crear una cultura de gimnasio que eleve el potencial de cada miembro
La perspectiva de Joe como amigo y entrenador de rendimiento añade profundidad crucial para entender cómo los negocios exitosos requieren la combinación correcta de pasión, experiencia y pensamiento estratégico. Su historia demuestra cómo la disciplina atlética se traduce directamente en éxito empresarial.
Ya seas un atleta actual, aspirante a propietario de negocio, o alguien interesado en la intersección del deporte y el emprendimiento, este episodio entrega sabiduría práctica y mo
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Good morning, Boston, Come Santas, Damaniana. This is amazing because
I have my two bodyguards here and you're gonna hear
why I brought them over to the studio. So I
want to show off Pop Talk is next door, and
then I have Ashley and Sante from the morning show
at Jamin and I have Choco on the other side
at Rumba, and I have to protect myself. So for
(00:22):
that reason, I invited my Evolution Performance Center friends, which
you've seen it on my social media. You've seen how
much I've posted about the GEM and I love it.
I love the coul plunges, I love the martial arts
stuff they do, and I'm sure you will love the
story and how everything came together. So today we're going
to welcome Jeremy and Derek Drisco.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
Have many of those thank you for having Thank you.
Speaker 1 (00:47):
Yeah, So tell me where did you grow up your brothers?
Who's the oldest?
Speaker 3 (00:55):
I'm the oldest, even though he acts.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
Like, yeah, Dere's older on paper, but I'm mentally I'm the.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
You're the mature one. That's what we were going to say. Okay,
and how was it growing up? Where did you grow up?
How was like your relationship when you were younger.
Speaker 4 (01:10):
Yeah, so we've always been very close where Irish twins
were a year apart. So it was very competitive growing
up because we were into every sport that you could imagine, baseball, football, basketball, especially.
Speaker 3 (01:26):
With our father.
Speaker 4 (01:27):
He's also very into sports and very competitive. He was
a basketball coach, so we had a lot of one
on one sessions in the backyard and just a lot
of competition, but just very close. You know, I always
had a friend wherever we went, best friend, also worst enemy, depending.
Speaker 1 (01:45):
On you're describing my relationship with my sister.
Speaker 4 (01:50):
I mean it was it was awesome, still very close
to this day. Obviously, we still work together, trained together
every day, so yeah, it's nothing's changed in the last Is.
Speaker 1 (02:02):
That the same point of view for you?
Speaker 2 (02:03):
Yeah? Yeah, well, I mean everybody thought that our dad
was our third brother, and so even now today we
still get it from time to time. But yeah, it
was great having basically two brothers, including like if I conclude,
my dad. But it's weird how things worked out where
like Derek said, we were mostly into the traditional sports
like football, baseball, basketball, and to kind of end up
(02:26):
where we did was like a role less traveled.
Speaker 1 (02:29):
They'll say, yeah, but Jeremy, that's not your full time
career because you do something else.
Speaker 3 (02:35):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (02:35):
I mean I like to say that I have two
full time careers. So I'm a firefighter in Manchester, New Hampshire,
and then I have the gym.
Speaker 1 (02:41):
Okay, how is it to be a firefighter?
Speaker 2 (02:43):
It's great, it's you know, it's obviously a very fulfilling job.
You know, get into serve the community and give back. Yeah,
I mean I love it. It allows me also to
be able to have both jobs because I want to
work once every four days. So we work twenty four
hour shifts. Then we get three days off. So in
those three days off, I can be at the gym
the entire time. And then you know that fourth day
(03:05):
I go go back to the firehouse and then so
on and so what cut.
Speaker 1 (03:08):
You into the firehouse?
Speaker 3 (03:09):
Like?
Speaker 2 (03:09):
What was it?
Speaker 1 (03:10):
Oh? I always dreamed to become a firefighter. Is that
how it was?
Speaker 2 (03:14):
Or? Yeah? So when we were training, when we first
opened our gym, we had a couple of firefighters that
came in and they started training with us, and I
was like, I asked them about their schedule and how
they do it, and they're like, yeah, it's a lot.
You know, I can work on the side. I can
do this, I can do that.
Speaker 3 (03:29):
It's great.
Speaker 2 (03:29):
You get great benefits and all this stuff and obviously
the fulfilling part of you know, being able to serve
the community. And I was like, yeah, it sounds like
something I could do, like just to give me like
another job to have and like, you know, just in case,
you know, the gym didn't work out. We didn't know
how things were going to go and when we first started,
so it's like it was a good, you know, stable
job to have just in case, you know, you know,
it was about to start our family and stuff like that.
(03:50):
So I was not on my list of careers when
I was growing up. I thought I was gonna be
in the NBA. That clearly didn't happen.
Speaker 3 (03:59):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (03:59):
It was funny how your.
Speaker 1 (04:00):
Dad, because he could have made it happen.
Speaker 2 (04:02):
Yeah, he needed to be a couple inches taller to
give to me, I think.
Speaker 1 (04:04):
Yeah, and Derek, you never were into any of the
you know, police force or firefighters, any of that.
Speaker 2 (04:13):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (04:13):
So I actually took the fire test three times. That
was a goal as well for me Civil service test,
and you know, scored top rank three times in a row.
But you know, it's it's funny with the civil Service.
Depending on when you take it, you either have a
really good shot of getting on or it.
Speaker 3 (04:32):
Can be really tough.
Speaker 4 (04:33):
So you know, a lot of the preference goes to
the veterans, which is rightfully so.
Speaker 3 (04:39):
So it was tough to get on.
Speaker 4 (04:40):
And then the one year that I actually had a
chance to get on, I missed the test because I
was down in Brazil when my son was being born.
Speaker 1 (04:49):
So oh so it was not meant to be because
you had to be running the gym because that's what
your full time focus is right now, right.
Speaker 3 (04:56):
And it ended up working out very well.
Speaker 4 (04:57):
Jeremy ended up going to New Hampshire to get hired
mass shoes. It's like I said, it's just kind of
tough to get into sometimes depending on where you are
loll where we live and where we've grown up. It's
a high demand job the fire department, so it was
tough to get on there. But you know, things shook
out for the best. I think because Jeremy has the firehouse,
(05:19):
I'm able to be there every day for the gym,
you know, when he's when he's working, how did.
Speaker 1 (05:23):
You guys get into martial arts and jiu jitsu? What's
the difference between one and another? I mean, like I
see karate, jiu jitsu, MMA, UFC, Like it's so freaking confusing.
Speaker 3 (05:35):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (05:35):
Yeah, yeah, there's there's a lot out there, especially with
the Internet and YouTube nowadays, like every you know, you
can access so many things.
Speaker 1 (05:42):
And boxing.
Speaker 2 (05:43):
Yeah yeah, so, I mean jiu jitsu is basically if
you've seen the UFC, it's basically all the groundwork that
people do, all the submissions, all the you know, submission
wrestling i'll call it, you know, all the chokes, all
the joint locks, all that kind of stuff. So every
single UFC fighter does jiu jitsu, you know, depending on
who the guy is when they do stand up with
the striking they do, that could be boxing, that could
(06:04):
be taekwondo, that could be kickboxing, muay Thai, But all
the groundwork that people do, that's all jiu jitsu. Okay,
How we got into it is, you know, basically, my
dad was a huge MMA buff, you know, as we
were growing up, and he would put like the old
like pride. You know, this is before the UFC was
even really around, and you know, we'd watch. We'd watch
(06:25):
those and he'd be like, give me here for a second.
I'd be like, you know, eight years old, he'd be
doing some joint lock on me or choking me or
doing something. And then you know, we eventually just you know,
kind of grew up with it and then never really
did it as kids though, like like took classes or
anything like that. We all just kind of learned, like.
Speaker 1 (06:41):
Topic you started later on.
Speaker 4 (06:42):
Oh yeah, yeah, And when I'm talking competitive, we would
put boxing gloves on and fight each other in the
basement as eight and nine year olds.
Speaker 3 (06:50):
We'd have my father.
Speaker 4 (06:51):
Cornering Jeremy and my uncle cornering me, and we'd basically
imitate all the moves that we saw on the TV
with my dad watching.
Speaker 1 (07:00):
But like the audience cannot see me, but I have
my jaw all the way to the floor because I've
seen you. I've known you guys for years, and I
always thought that that was like your everyday sports since middles.
Speaker 4 (07:12):
We were football, you know, all throughout our childhood basketball
as well, and then you know, in high school we
really we both playing college basketball as well.
Speaker 3 (07:23):
And the martial arts came way after.
Speaker 1 (07:26):
Yeah, and you still became super big champions because I
know that you were down in Brazil competing and everywhere else.
Speaker 4 (07:34):
Like, yeah, it's it's one of those things where we
wish we started early, you know, hindsight, but yeah, we
we had a full life of sports before.
Speaker 1 (07:46):
Do you think that also had something to do with
the you know, achievements that you had on the martial arts.
Speaker 2 (07:51):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (07:52):
I think just growing up always a being super competitive,
but also being coached our whole lives really let us
be able to like open up and really be molded
by our coaches. So I feel like the learning phase
came pretty quickly for us because again we were used
to being coached and used to learning a certain way,
(08:16):
So I think that definitely helped speed the process up.
But yeah, the martial arts definitely came a little later
than most.
Speaker 1 (08:24):
Wow, and how was it to compete at that level? Yeah?
It is start. I'm sorry, let's just go back. Okay,
what's your first competition? What's that like? Is it belt?
Is it like colors? How do you know you're good?
Speaker 4 (08:38):
Our first competition actually came two three months after we
started training. Yeah, yeah, so we you know, we were
playing college basketball. Like I said, my dad during the
summer's like, hey, you know, like before you know, you
guys go back to school. Let's let's try this out.
Just stay in shape during the summer, you know, we're
home on break. I was down in Tennessee at the time,
(08:58):
Germany was going to school local. My dad was just like, yeah,
let's try this out. We never we never got to do.
You guys always used to like it, you know, you
were growing up watching it and messing around the basement.
So we went to a local gym, tried it out,
and we met our coach, Fabiano Trancozo, and you know,
after the first class, we're all hooked.
Speaker 1 (09:18):
You know.
Speaker 3 (09:19):
Uh, my dad actually hurt his knee.
Speaker 4 (09:22):
Oh he tore his meniscus on the first class of
the coach.
Speaker 3 (09:27):
Just a freak accident.
Speaker 4 (09:28):
But the coach was like, oh man, this guy's never
coming back his first trial class and.
Speaker 1 (09:32):
Now he needs surgery and everything.
Speaker 4 (09:33):
Yeah, like, you know, a month later he was back in,
you know with the n eebrace and everything like that.
So uh he dragged us in and yeah, the resk.
The rest kind of snowballed from there.
Speaker 1 (09:46):
How was it for you, Jeremy, the same it was.
Speaker 2 (09:48):
It was humbling. I'll say that. I mean, you know,
just being a an athlete your whole life and you know, uh,
decently big people. Then you know, we we're going there
and we got people much smaller than us, and we're
like like, you know, just looking around like this is
this isn't going to be that hard, like and I
you know, we messed around as kids and stuff like that,
and it's just a it's just a different animal, you know,
(10:11):
doing jiu jitsu, and you know, we got we got
folded up, you know, and but it's humbling. But it
was a good thing because it's like, wow, now that
makes me want to learn it even more. You know,
if we would have went in there and just you know,
beat everybody up and like it was challenging, it wouldn't
have caught our attention quite as much. But it's like,
you know, getting humbled like that. It was. It was.
(10:32):
It was a good thing for us for sure.
Speaker 1 (10:33):
So from that place, you start at what level? What's
the first level? And then how do you go passing
levels or how is it?
Speaker 2 (10:41):
Yeah, so there's like two forms of it. Basically, there's
there's GI and there's no gee. So the GI is
like the uniform that you see people wearing. The no
g's basically just like regular you know, athletic clothing. Traditional
is the gig, right, So the GI has the belt,
so that goes you start at white, so it's white belt,
blue belt, purple belt, brown belt, than black belt. Okay,
(11:03):
so you start at white and it takes generally between
like eight to ten twelve years to get your black belt,
depending on how much you're training. So it takes quite
a while.
Speaker 1 (11:14):
I thought you were going to say twelve months for
a year.
Speaker 2 (11:17):
Yeah. Yeah, that's a difference between like, you know, some
of the traditional martial arts you can kind of like
you know, like you have a eight year old black
belt then you know whatever, you know, concentration they're doing.
But yeah, you have to one you have to be
eighteen years old and you have to be you know,
you don't have to be training for ten years. It's
that's kind of just generally the average. Yeah, some fast
(11:40):
or yeah, some people have gotten it in four or
five years that are just you know, freaks of nature,
but mostly, you know, people between like the eight to
ten twelve year range.
Speaker 1 (11:49):
And what is it like to be that type of athlete?
You have to eat a different way, right.
Speaker 4 (11:54):
Yeah, I mean which we were used to, you know,
being being athletes, like our whole lives. The nutrition obviously,
to be able to train five days a week, two
times a day, you have to be pretty on top
of what you're eating, how you're working out, your lifts, everything,
your sleep. It comes full circle, you know. But again,
that's maybe why it came a little bit easier for
(12:16):
us because we're used.
Speaker 3 (12:17):
To doing all that.
Speaker 4 (12:19):
But yeah, to you know, compete at a higher level,
you have to take it pretty seriously, and there's not
especially back when we started. There wasn't like any money
in it, so you really had to love it to
want to do it and travel and compete.
Speaker 1 (12:34):
And you know, when you say travel, where did you
guys go with this sport?
Speaker 4 (12:41):
So we actually flew out to California a bunch of
times to the World Championships.
Speaker 3 (12:47):
Back again, I'm dating myself.
Speaker 4 (12:49):
Back when we started, I sound like an old guy back.
Speaker 1 (12:52):
And why not, thank you?
Speaker 4 (12:56):
We used to have to fly out to California for
the World Championships. There wasn't tons of tournaments locally, so
you know, maybe once or twice a year there would
be a competition locally, but you had to travel to
really get to the highest levels of competition. So we
used to fly out to Long Beach, California, competed with
the World Championships, and we actually ended up in Brazil
(13:18):
when it was all said and done, training and living
down there for a while and training with one of
the biggest gyms in the world, Novagnal. So yeah, it
took us on a very very big detour from where
we thought we were going to be. Like Jeremy said,
I thought I would end up being a basketball coach
or playing basketball somewhere overseas.
Speaker 1 (13:39):
Well, you ended up in like Brazil at some.
Speaker 2 (13:41):
Point, right, oh yeah, yeah, yeah yeah. So like like
you said, we ended up so our coach here ended
up having to move back to Brazil. And he was like, hey,
anytime you guys want to come down and train, there's
a huge gym right right right down the street from
where I am. You guys can come down. You can
stay with me anytime you notice, let me know. And
we were like, all right, we'll be there the next month.
He was like, you made it happen. Yeah, And so
(14:03):
like we sold our we sold our cars. We had
no money here. We were like twenty one twenty one.
We sold our cars or whatever we had. Our dad
gave us like two hundred bucks. And when we flew
down to Brazil, we were supposed to stay for like
three months, I think, But first you just.
Speaker 3 (14:17):
Bought one way tickets and we're like.
Speaker 2 (14:19):
Okay, yeah, we'll come back. Then we'll come back in
like a few months and we'll figure out out. Yeah,
we'll figure it out. And you know, we didn't speak
poor Geese or anything, and we just got down there and.
Speaker 4 (14:27):
You knew one person and didn't speak the language, and
we went down with the one way ticket.
Speaker 1 (14:30):
So and how long did you guys end up sting.
Speaker 4 (14:34):
The first time, we stayed for a year straight and
then ended up back and forth for like, you know,
come back home for a couple of months, go back
for about three years.
Speaker 3 (14:43):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (14:43):
Yeah, once you go down to Brazil, it's hard to
I know, right, isn't it.
Speaker 1 (14:47):
And you ended up speaking the language too, Yeah, of.
Speaker 2 (14:49):
Course you'd be surprised what you can learn when you
have to. When you go to the grocery store and
you need to buy something and nobody knows what you're saying.
You'll you'll figure it out. You'll figure the language out.
Speaker 4 (14:59):
Again, this is before Google Translator, Like yeah, everywhere, Like
we had to buy separate SIM cards for our phones
and write down.
Speaker 1 (15:08):
Oh I remember because when I was like doing that
stuff with Narlyn Snowl and your dad and Henry and everybody, Like,
we used to hear all the stories about you guys
in Brazil and it was so cool. So when you
come back, did you already have that idea of starting
up the gym or do you already had the gym
or how did that happen?
Speaker 4 (15:27):
Yeah, it actually always comes back to my dad now
that I think of it.
Speaker 3 (15:31):
So we were still down there.
Speaker 4 (15:34):
We were living with a friend who's also a black belt,
and he actually ended up helping us start the gym.
But my dad called down and he's like, hey, our
old Jim moved a little further away. So the spot
that we were training out of is wide open. And
our coach Fabiano down in Brazil was a part owner
of that gym and he knew the landlord.
Speaker 3 (15:55):
So my dad was like, hey, this is like a perfect.
Speaker 4 (15:57):
Opportunity if you know, we want to you know, open
up a little gym to train while you guys are
here and then you guys keep going back and forth,
compete down there, come back here so I can actually
see my sons every once in a while. And we
ended up just by chance opening up a small little studio.
Speaker 2 (16:15):
Uh.
Speaker 4 (16:16):
My dad kind of facilitated the whole thing. He got
everything set up.
Speaker 2 (16:19):
Yeah, it wasn't really meant to be like a real business,
like a real business, like a real gym. We were
just like, all right, we need a place to train,
so like let's just open our own thing kind of
and like we'll invite a couple guys and we'll you know,
we'll just kind of keep it low key and like whatever.
And then it just kind of started growing because like
we really weren't ready to start our own gym, like
(16:40):
just professionally, Like I knew nothing about business or anything
like that.
Speaker 3 (16:43):
And four years old.
Speaker 2 (16:44):
Yeah, and then and and even like you know, you know, uh,
skill wise, like we could teach, but like you know,
we weren't we even black belt yet. So it was like,
you know, we just went and we we we started
it and we like it. Like I said, a couple
guys came and started to train with us, and then
more and more came. We were like I guess we'll
just do this. I guess that is what we're doing.
Speaker 1 (17:04):
I love it. I love that story because it's something
that you're not prepared, but you took the chance. Yeah,
and a lot of times life comes at you and
most people, I would say that most people will just
like duck down or like avoid it or save it. Yeah,
exactly take the safe route. And you guys went for it.
So that's amazing. And now you are in Tewksbury and
(17:27):
you took over a huge facility. That's not a little
studio anymore.
Speaker 3 (17:31):
Oh it's not.
Speaker 4 (17:32):
We started, you know, our original studio was maybe like
two thousand square feet maybe. You know, we had duct
taped mismatching wrestling mats and it just it was a
small operation that eventually grew to be a little bit
more professional.
Speaker 3 (17:47):
But even so, you were in two thousand square feet
of space.
Speaker 4 (17:51):
And then our friend Joe Healy, who we were doing
our strength conditioning with and some boxing with.
Speaker 1 (17:56):
It's amazing too.
Speaker 4 (17:57):
Yeah, Joe's he's the best. He's, you know, one of
the best strength conditioning coaches around. So he had a
gym in Lowell as well, and you know, we all
went to high school together. We all hang out together.
So we were always for like ten years. One day
we're gonna combine both of our gyms. It's gonna be
the best thing around here. There's nothing like what we have.
(18:18):
We put it together and we would go and look
at spaces and just you know, wouldn't work out or
something happens, and you know, money gets tied up in Somethingly.
Speaker 2 (18:27):
This is for like almost like ten years, like you said,
like like we were like every other, like we're gonna
do it, We're gonna do We're gonna do it.
Speaker 1 (18:33):
So he had that dream for ten years.
Speaker 4 (18:35):
Yeah, and you know, coincidentally, COVID again, this is where
things sometimes just opportunities present themselves. COVID happens, and we
don't know if we're going to have a gym, you know,
in the first few months, we don't know if everybody's
gonna leave, if we're ever gonna be able.
Speaker 3 (18:49):
To open again.
Speaker 4 (18:51):
Joe's Jim ends up shutting down a food pantry, and
Lowell ended up buying the building that he was in.
So you know, we were like, hey, just run us
small little operation out of our already small studio. We'll
put some weights over in the corner and you know,
we can do something over here. So he came over
during COVID and we started talking every day and he
(19:14):
eventually was like.
Speaker 3 (19:16):
Hey, what about this space over here, Golden Gym. We're like, yeah,
how big is it? You know, like five thousand square feet?
It's like thirty thousand square feet? Like okay, okay, do
we want to build up to that? And he's like, no,
I think we should just we should just do it.
Speaker 4 (19:33):
And that's kind of been like the story of the
moral of this whole story is like, all right, let's
roll the dice.
Speaker 1 (19:38):
He said something something very important that I want to
highlight here. You were talking about how the dynamic changed
when you guys were working together in the same space.
And I've this is gonna sound cheesy, but Tony Robins
says it the best way, like the way to make
things happen. It's proximity. Yeah, And that's what if you
(20:01):
think about it, that proximity of like working out every day,
seeing how everybody operates in a daily basis, it's what
got you to think and to move to the next step. Right.
Speaker 4 (20:11):
Yeah, It's one of those things where you know, again,
when we were in separate gyms, we see each other
out or you know, we'd go grab dinner and talk
about it and then you know, yeah, so it.
Speaker 1 (20:20):
Just starts like the momentum starts building and then you
make it happen.
Speaker 4 (20:24):
Then when you're in the same space together, like you said,
it's like, okay, we.
Speaker 3 (20:27):
Really need to make this happen.
Speaker 1 (20:28):
Well, I'm gonna give it to you guys, because people
here that are listening they don't know this. But I
was involved in the whole process when you guys were
taking over and your dad was like, Gabby, I need you,
I need your help.
Speaker 2 (20:43):
He's always there somehow.
Speaker 1 (20:45):
So we went and I like, even with the sign,
I remember, oh my gosh, it's just like thinking about
the colors, if the wall, if how to do this,
Like I have to just say it. The concept is
freaking amazing. It's so cool. It is big, like the space.
You don't feel trapped because you know, there's some gyms
(21:06):
that are like really dark or you just feel like
you're just on top of each other. You don't feel
like that at all. And the fact that you have
all kinds of machines. There were some that I mean,
I've been an athlete also all my life, and I
there were things that I've never seen in my life
that I was, oh my god, this is amazing. And
then you have incorporated the other side that people miss,
(21:27):
which is a recovery process. And that's what got me
even more excited when I was like going there and
learning on how you wanted to do and set up
the spaces. But I'm gonna let you share with me
what was the original thought and then how it turned
out to be the way it is.
Speaker 2 (21:43):
Yeah. So there, like there it was an old gold gym.
We came in, we took over, and you know it
it was a little outdated, and that's right on the Tewksbury, Yeah,
little Tucksbury lower line and it's right there on Main Street.
And it was, like I said, it was just kind
of out like you know, needed different colors and needed
(22:03):
you know with spruce. He just needed new flooring here
and there. But the bones were good. So we came
in and we took over. We wanted to obviously keep
the commercial gym that was there, and so we kind
of just started to trim some of the fat off,
like some of the machines that like weren't used and
stuff like that. So we got rid of those and
(22:24):
then we kind of just tried to make the weight
room as as useful as possible instead of just having
a bunch of random stuff in there, which there kind
of was. And Joe, who we mentioned is the strength
of conditioning coach and who was the third partner of
the gym, that's where he kind of took over, and
you know, he brought in all this special west Side
(22:44):
barber equipment, stuff that like no other gym in the
area has. And so that's I think what you're referring
to is some of the equipment that we have, some
of the machines that we have that like a lot
of people, most gyms don't have. And then that's on
the bottom fous what's it's like three floors, that's the
bottom weight room. Then you come up to the second
floor and there was a cardio deck and we kind
of just tried to make a little bit better, add
(23:05):
a few things to it, take out some things that
didn't really need to be used, and then we added
in another smaller weightroom on that level for you know,
people that maybe just want to do lighter weights things
like that, just machines.
Speaker 1 (23:19):
If you go to the real nice weight room. It's intimidating.
I'm like me, if I want to go in there,
I'm gonna hurt myself.
Speaker 4 (23:27):
Looks like a college weight facility or a professional weight
facility you have. It's right over the lower line right
off of four ninety five, very close to ninety three,
so it's really accessible. We have people coming from you know,
New Hampshire, the Boston area. We have people traveling over
an hour sometimes to come to come to the gym,
which is great. And then the website Evolution Performance Center
(23:51):
dot com and our socials are the same Instagram.
Speaker 1 (23:56):
And we're going to list them.
Speaker 2 (23:57):
You may have seen one of my funny skits.
Speaker 1 (24:01):
They're so into it too.
Speaker 4 (24:03):
Yes, that's actually hilarious because if you haven't noticed on
the talker and jer.
Speaker 1 (24:08):
Shod's the appserve.
Speaker 2 (24:10):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (24:10):
Like, even even in the gym when we're teaching together,
half the time I just go off on rants and
I'm talking and I'm laughing and making jokes and Jeremy's
just all business.
Speaker 1 (24:19):
Well, I know, guys, it's your first anniversary and you
have some promos going on, So we're going to list
everything on our website. Is there a quick way that
you can share what you have for the anniversary promo.
Speaker 4 (24:29):
Yeah, So to celebrate our one year, we wanted to
give as big of a discount to everybody as possible
to come down and try the gym out. So for
our general fitness open weight training that includes the sauna
and things like that, we're doing one year paid in
full memberships for two hundred and ninety nine dollars. So
you get twelve months of training at you know, an
elite facility.
Speaker 3 (24:50):
For two ninety nine.
Speaker 4 (24:51):
That's amazing a great deal and that's going to last
until May thirty.
Speaker 3 (24:55):
First.
Speaker 1 (24:56):
Okay, people, you know it. You have to come check
out Evolution perform Roman Center and my friend's Driscoll Brothers.
Speaker 2 (25:03):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (25:03):
Don't forget to download the iHeart app and plea select
Kipasa Boston as your favorite podcast and we'll see you
next week. Thank you guys for coming, Thanks for having us.
Good morning, Boston, Come Santas, Damaniana. This is amazing because
I have my two bodyguards here and you're gonna hear
why I brought them over to the studio. So I
want to show off Pop Talk is next door, and
then I have Ashley and Sante from the morning show
at Jamin and I have Choco on the other side
at Rumba, and I have to protect myself. So for
(00:22):
that reason, I invited my Evolution Performance Center friends, which
you've seen it on my social media. You've seen how
much I've posted about the GEM and I love it.
I love the coul plunges, I love the martial arts
stuff they do, and I'm sure you will love the
story and how everything came together. So today we're going
to welcome Jeremy and Derek Drisco.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
Have many of those thank you for having Thank you.
Speaker 1 (00:47):
Yeah, So tell me where did you grow up your brothers?
Who's the oldest?
Speaker 3 (00:55):
I'm the oldest, even though he acts.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
Like, yeah, Dere's older on paper, but I'm mentally I'm the.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
You're the mature one. That's what we were going to say. Okay,
and how was it growing up? Where did you grow up?
How was like your relationship when you were younger.
Speaker 4 (01:10):
Yeah, so we've always been very close where Irish twins
were a year apart. So it was very competitive growing
up because we were into every sport that you could imagine, baseball, football, basketball, especially.
Speaker 3 (01:26):
With our father.
Speaker 4 (01:27):
He's also very into sports and very competitive. He was
a basketball coach, so we had a lot of one
on one sessions in the backyard and just a lot
of competition, but just very close. You know, I always
had a friend wherever we went, best friend, also worst enemy, depending.
Speaker 1 (01:45):
On you're describing my relationship with my sister.
Speaker 4 (01:50):
I mean it was it was awesome, still very close
to this day. Obviously, we still work together, trained together
every day, so yeah, it's nothing's changed in the last Is.
Speaker 1 (02:02):
That the same point of view for you?
Speaker 2 (02:03):
Yeah? Yeah, well, I mean everybody thought that our dad
was our third brother, and so even now today we
still get it from time to time. But yeah, it
was great having basically two brothers, including like if I conclude,
my dad. But it's weird how things worked out where
like Derek said, we were mostly into the traditional sports
like football, baseball, basketball, and to kind of end up
(02:26):
where we did was like a role less traveled.
Speaker 1 (02:29):
They'll say, yeah, but Jeremy, that's not your full time
career because you do something else.
Speaker 3 (02:35):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (02:35):
I mean I like to say that I have two
full time careers. So I'm a firefighter in Manchester, New Hampshire,
and then I have the gym.
Speaker 1 (02:41):
Okay, how is it to be a firefighter?
Speaker 2 (02:43):
It's great, it's you know, it's obviously a very fulfilling job.
You know, get into serve the community and give back. Yeah,
I mean I love it. It allows me also to
be able to have both jobs because I want to
work once every four days. So we work twenty four
hour shifts. Then we get three days off. So in
those three days off, I can be at the gym
the entire time. And then you know that fourth day
(03:05):
I go go back to the firehouse and then so
on and so what cut.
Speaker 1 (03:08):
You into the firehouse?
Speaker 3 (03:09):
Like?
Speaker 2 (03:09):
What was it?
Speaker 1 (03:10):
Oh? I always dreamed to become a firefighter. Is that
how it was?
Speaker 2 (03:14):
Or? Yeah? So when we were training, when we first
opened our gym, we had a couple of firefighters that
came in and they started training with us, and I
was like, I asked them about their schedule and how
they do it, and they're like, yeah, it's a lot.
You know, I can work on the side. I can
do this, I can do that.
Speaker 3 (03:29):
It's great.
Speaker 2 (03:29):
You get great benefits and all this stuff and obviously
the fulfilling part of you know, being able to serve
the community. And I was like, yeah, it sounds like
something I could do, like just to give me like
another job to have and like, you know, just in case,
you know, the gym didn't work out. We didn't know
how things were going to go and when we first started,
so it's like it was a good, you know, stable
job to have just in case, you know, you know,
it was about to start our family and stuff like that.
(03:50):
So I was not on my list of careers when
I was growing up. I thought I was gonna be
in the NBA. That clearly didn't happen.
Speaker 3 (03:59):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (03:59):
It was funny how your.
Speaker 1 (04:00):
Dad, because he could have made it happen.
Speaker 2 (04:02):
Yeah, he needed to be a couple inches taller to
give to me, I think.
Speaker 1 (04:04):
Yeah, and Derek, you never were into any of the
you know, police force or firefighters, any of that.
Speaker 2 (04:13):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (04:13):
So I actually took the fire test three times. That
was a goal as well for me Civil service test,
and you know, scored top rank three times in a row.
But you know, it's it's funny with the civil Service.
Depending on when you take it, you either have a
really good shot of getting on or it.
Speaker 3 (04:32):
Can be really tough.
Speaker 4 (04:33):
So you know, a lot of the preference goes to
the veterans, which is rightfully so.
Speaker 3 (04:39):
So it was tough to get on.
Speaker 4 (04:40):
And then the one year that I actually had a
chance to get on, I missed the test because I
was down in Brazil when my son was being born.
Speaker 1 (04:49):
So oh so it was not meant to be because
you had to be running the gym because that's what
your full time focus is right now, right.
Speaker 3 (04:56):
And it ended up working out very well.
Speaker 4 (04:57):
Jeremy ended up going to New Hampshire to get hired
mass shoes. It's like I said, it's just kind of
tough to get into sometimes depending on where you are
loll where we live and where we've grown up. It's
a high demand job the fire department, so it was
tough to get on there. But you know, things shook
out for the best. I think because Jeremy has the firehouse,
(05:19):
I'm able to be there every day for the gym,
you know, when he's when he's working, how did.
Speaker 1 (05:23):
You guys get into martial arts and jiu jitsu? What's
the difference between one and another? I mean, like I
see karate, jiu jitsu, MMA, UFC, Like it's so freaking confusing.
Speaker 3 (05:35):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (05:35):
Yeah, yeah, there's there's a lot out there, especially with
the Internet and YouTube nowadays, like every you know, you
can access so many things.
Speaker 1 (05:42):
And boxing.
Speaker 2 (05:43):
Yeah yeah, so, I mean jiu jitsu is basically if
you've seen the UFC, it's basically all the groundwork that
people do, all the submissions, all the you know, submission
wrestling i'll call it, you know, all the chokes, all
the joint locks, all that kind of stuff. So every
single UFC fighter does jiu jitsu, you know, depending on
who the guy is when they do stand up with
the striking they do, that could be boxing, that could
(06:04):
be taekwondo, that could be kickboxing, muay Thai, But all
the groundwork that people do, that's all jiu jitsu. Okay,
How we got into it is, you know, basically, my
dad was a huge MMA buff, you know, as we
were growing up, and he would put like the old
like pride. You know, this is before the UFC was
even really around, and you know, we'd watch. We'd watch
(06:25):
those and he'd be like, give me here for a second.
I'd be like, you know, eight years old, he'd be
doing some joint lock on me or choking me or
doing something. And then you know, we eventually just you know,
kind of grew up with it and then never really
did it as kids though, like like took classes or
anything like that. We all just kind of learned, like.
Speaker 1 (06:41):
Topic you started later on.
Speaker 4 (06:42):
Oh yeah, yeah, And when I'm talking competitive, we would
put boxing gloves on and fight each other in the
basement as eight and nine year olds.
Speaker 3 (06:50):
We'd have my father.
Speaker 4 (06:51):
Cornering Jeremy and my uncle cornering me, and we'd basically
imitate all the moves that we saw on the TV
with my dad watching.
Speaker 1 (07:00):
But like the audience cannot see me, but I have
my jaw all the way to the floor because I've
seen you. I've known you guys for years, and I
always thought that that was like your everyday sports since middles.
Speaker 4 (07:12):
We were football, you know, all throughout our childhood basketball
as well, and then you know, in high school we
really we both playing college basketball as well.
Speaker 3 (07:23):
And the martial arts came way after.
Speaker 1 (07:26):
Yeah, and you still became super big champions because I
know that you were down in Brazil competing and everywhere else.
Speaker 4 (07:34):
Like, yeah, it's it's one of those things where we
wish we started early, you know, hindsight, but yeah, we
we had a full life of sports before.
Speaker 1 (07:46):
Do you think that also had something to do with
the you know, achievements that you had on the martial arts.
Speaker 2 (07:51):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (07:52):
I think just growing up always a being super competitive,
but also being coached our whole lives really let us
be able to like open up and really be molded
by our coaches. So I feel like the learning phase
came pretty quickly for us because again we were used
to being coached and used to learning a certain way,
(08:16):
So I think that definitely helped speed the process up.
But yeah, the martial arts definitely came a little later
than most.
Speaker 1 (08:24):
Wow, and how was it to compete at that level? Yeah?
It is start. I'm sorry, let's just go back. Okay,
what's your first competition? What's that like? Is it belt?
Is it like colors? How do you know you're good?
Speaker 4 (08:38):
Our first competition actually came two three months after we
started training. Yeah, yeah, so we you know, we were
playing college basketball. Like I said, my dad during the
summer's like, hey, you know, like before you know, you
guys go back to school. Let's let's try this out.
Just stay in shape during the summer, you know, we're
home on break. I was down in Tennessee at the time,
(08:58):
Germany was going to school local. My dad was just like, yeah,
let's try this out. We never we never got to do.
You guys always used to like it, you know, you
were growing up watching it and messing around the basement.
So we went to a local gym, tried it out,
and we met our coach, Fabiano Trancozo, and you know,
after the first class, we're all hooked.
Speaker 1 (09:18):
You know.
Speaker 3 (09:19):
Uh, my dad actually hurt his knee.
Speaker 4 (09:22):
Oh he tore his meniscus on the first class of
the coach.
Speaker 3 (09:27):
Just a freak accident.
Speaker 4 (09:28):
But the coach was like, oh man, this guy's never
coming back his first trial class and.
Speaker 1 (09:32):
Now he needs surgery and everything.
Speaker 4 (09:33):
Yeah, like, you know, a month later he was back in,
you know with the n eebrace and everything like that.
So uh he dragged us in and yeah, the resk.
The rest kind of snowballed from there.
Speaker 1 (09:46):
How was it for you, Jeremy, the same it was.
Speaker 2 (09:48):
It was humbling. I'll say that. I mean, you know,
just being a an athlete your whole life and you know, uh,
decently big people. Then you know, we we're going there
and we got people much smaller than us, and we're
like like, you know, just looking around like this is
this isn't going to be that hard, like and I
you know, we messed around as kids and stuff like that,
and it's just a it's just a different animal, you know,
(10:11):
doing jiu jitsu, and you know, we got we got
folded up, you know, and but it's humbling. But it
was a good thing because it's like, wow, now that
makes me want to learn it even more. You know,
if we would have went in there and just you know,
beat everybody up and like it was challenging, it wouldn't
have caught our attention quite as much. But it's like,
you know, getting humbled like that. It was. It was.
(10:32):
It was a good thing for us for sure.
Speaker 1 (10:33):
So from that place, you start at what level? What's
the first level? And then how do you go passing
levels or how is it?
Speaker 2 (10:41):
Yeah, so there's like two forms of it. Basically, there's
there's GI and there's no gee. So the GI is
like the uniform that you see people wearing. The no
g's basically just like regular you know, athletic clothing. Traditional
is the gig, right, So the GI has the belt,
so that goes you start at white, so it's white belt,
blue belt, purple belt, brown belt, than black belt. Okay,
(11:03):
so you start at white and it takes generally between
like eight to ten twelve years to get your black belt,
depending on how much you're training. So it takes quite
a while.
Speaker 1 (11:14):
I thought you were going to say twelve months for
a year.
Speaker 2 (11:17):
Yeah. Yeah, that's a difference between like, you know, some
of the traditional martial arts you can kind of like
you know, like you have a eight year old black
belt then you know whatever, you know, concentration they're doing.
But yeah, you have to one you have to be
eighteen years old and you have to be you know,
you don't have to be training for ten years. It's
that's kind of just generally the average. Yeah, some fast
(11:40):
or yeah, some people have gotten it in four or
five years that are just you know, freaks of nature,
but mostly, you know, people between like the eight to
ten twelve year range.
Speaker 1 (11:49):
And what is it like to be that type of athlete?
You have to eat a different way, right.
Speaker 4 (11:54):
Yeah, I mean which we were used to, you know,
being being athletes, like our whole lives. The nutrition obviously,
to be able to train five days a week, two
times a day, you have to be pretty on top
of what you're eating, how you're working out, your lifts, everything,
your sleep. It comes full circle, you know. But again,
that's maybe why it came a little bit easier for
(12:16):
us because we're used.
Speaker 3 (12:17):
To doing all that.
Speaker 4 (12:19):
But yeah, to you know, compete at a higher level,
you have to take it pretty seriously, and there's not
especially back when we started. There wasn't like any money
in it, so you really had to love it to
want to do it and travel and compete.
Speaker 1 (12:34):
And you know, when you say travel, where did you
guys go with this sport?
Speaker 4 (12:41):
So we actually flew out to California a bunch of
times to the World Championships.
Speaker 3 (12:47):
Back again, I'm dating myself.
Speaker 4 (12:49):
Back when we started, I sound like an old guy back.
Speaker 1 (12:52):
And why not, thank you?
Speaker 4 (12:56):
We used to have to fly out to California for
the World Championships. There wasn't tons of tournaments locally, so
you know, maybe once or twice a year there would
be a competition locally, but you had to travel to
really get to the highest levels of competition. So we
used to fly out to Long Beach, California, competed with
the World Championships, and we actually ended up in Brazil
(13:18):
when it was all said and done, training and living
down there for a while and training with one of
the biggest gyms in the world, Novagnal. So yeah, it
took us on a very very big detour from where
we thought we were going to be. Like Jeremy said,
I thought I would end up being a basketball coach
or playing basketball somewhere overseas.
Speaker 1 (13:39):
Well, you ended up in like Brazil at some.
Speaker 2 (13:41):
Point, right, oh yeah, yeah, yeah yeah. So like like
you said, we ended up so our coach here ended
up having to move back to Brazil. And he was like, hey,
anytime you guys want to come down and train, there's
a huge gym right right right down the street from
where I am. You guys can come down. You can
stay with me anytime you notice, let me know. And
we were like, all right, we'll be there the next month.
He was like, you made it happen. Yeah, And so
(14:03):
like we sold our we sold our cars. We had
no money here. We were like twenty one twenty one.
We sold our cars or whatever we had. Our dad
gave us like two hundred bucks. And when we flew
down to Brazil, we were supposed to stay for like
three months, I think, But first you just.
Speaker 3 (14:17):
Bought one way tickets and we're like.
Speaker 2 (14:19):
Okay, yeah, we'll come back. Then we'll come back in
like a few months and we'll figure out out. Yeah,
we'll figure it out. And you know, we didn't speak
poor Geese or anything, and we just got down there and.
Speaker 4 (14:27):
You knew one person and didn't speak the language, and
we went down with the one way ticket.
Speaker 1 (14:30):
So and how long did you guys end up sting.
Speaker 4 (14:34):
The first time, we stayed for a year straight and
then ended up back and forth for like, you know,
come back home for a couple of months, go back
for about three years.
Speaker 3 (14:43):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (14:43):
Yeah, once you go down to Brazil, it's hard to
I know, right, isn't it.
Speaker 1 (14:47):
And you ended up speaking the language too, Yeah, of.
Speaker 2 (14:49):
Course you'd be surprised what you can learn when you
have to. When you go to the grocery store and
you need to buy something and nobody knows what you're saying.
You'll you'll figure it out. You'll figure the language out.
Speaker 4 (14:59):
Again, this is before Google Translator, Like yeah, everywhere, Like
we had to buy separate SIM cards for our phones
and write down.
Speaker 1 (15:08):
Oh I remember because when I was like doing that
stuff with Narlyn Snowl and your dad and Henry and everybody, Like,
we used to hear all the stories about you guys
in Brazil and it was so cool. So when you
come back, did you already have that idea of starting
up the gym or do you already had the gym
or how did that happen?
Speaker 4 (15:27):
Yeah, it actually always comes back to my dad now
that I think of it.
Speaker 3 (15:31):
So we were still down there.
Speaker 4 (15:34):
We were living with a friend who's also a black belt,
and he actually ended up helping us start the gym.
But my dad called down and he's like, hey, our
old Jim moved a little further away. So the spot
that we were training out of is wide open. And
our coach Fabiano down in Brazil was a part owner
of that gym and he knew the landlord.
Speaker 3 (15:55):
So my dad was like, hey, this is like a perfect.
Speaker 4 (15:57):
Opportunity if you know, we want to you know, open
up a little gym to train while you guys are
here and then you guys keep going back and forth,
compete down there, come back here so I can actually
see my sons every once in a while. And we
ended up just by chance opening up a small little studio.
Speaker 2 (16:15):
Uh.
Speaker 4 (16:16):
My dad kind of facilitated the whole thing. He got
everything set up.
Speaker 2 (16:19):
Yeah, it wasn't really meant to be like a real business,
like a real business, like a real gym. We were
just like, all right, we need a place to train,
so like let's just open our own thing kind of
and like we'll invite a couple guys and we'll you know,
we'll just kind of keep it low key and like whatever.
And then it just kind of started growing because like
we really weren't ready to start our own gym, like
(16:40):
just professionally, Like I knew nothing about business or anything
like that.
Speaker 3 (16:43):
And four years old.
Speaker 2 (16:44):
Yeah, and then and and even like you know, you know, uh,
skill wise, like we could teach, but like you know,
we weren't we even black belt yet. So it was like,
you know, we just went and we we we started
it and we like it. Like I said, a couple
guys came and started to train with us, and then
more and more came. We were like I guess we'll
just do this. I guess that is what we're doing.
Speaker 1 (17:04):
I love it. I love that story because it's something
that you're not prepared, but you took the chance. Yeah,
and a lot of times life comes at you and
most people, I would say that most people will just
like duck down or like avoid it or save it. Yeah,
exactly take the safe route. And you guys went for it.
So that's amazing. And now you are in Tewksbury and
(17:27):
you took over a huge facility. That's not a little
studio anymore.
Speaker 3 (17:31):
Oh it's not.
Speaker 4 (17:32):
We started, you know, our original studio was maybe like
two thousand square feet maybe. You know, we had duct
taped mismatching wrestling mats and it just it was a
small operation that eventually grew to be a little bit
more professional.
Speaker 3 (17:47):
But even so, you were in two thousand square feet
of space.
Speaker 4 (17:51):
And then our friend Joe Healy, who we were doing
our strength conditioning with and some boxing with.
Speaker 1 (17:56):
It's amazing too.
Speaker 4 (17:57):
Yeah, Joe's he's the best. He's, you know, one of
the best strength conditioning coaches around. So he had a
gym in Lowell as well, and you know, we all
went to high school together. We all hang out together.
So we were always for like ten years. One day
we're gonna combine both of our gyms. It's gonna be
the best thing around here. There's nothing like what we have.
(18:18):
We put it together and we would go and look
at spaces and just you know, wouldn't work out or
something happens, and you know, money gets tied up in Somethingly.
Speaker 2 (18:27):
This is for like almost like ten years, like you said,
like like we were like every other, like we're gonna
do it, We're gonna do We're gonna do it.
Speaker 1 (18:33):
So he had that dream for ten years.
Speaker 4 (18:35):
Yeah, and you know, coincidentally, COVID again, this is where
things sometimes just opportunities present themselves. COVID happens, and we
don't know if we're going to have a gym, you know,
in the first few months, we don't know if everybody's
gonna leave, if we're ever gonna be able.
Speaker 3 (18:49):
To open again.
Speaker 4 (18:51):
Joe's Jim ends up shutting down a food pantry, and
Lowell ended up buying the building that he was in.
So you know, we were like, hey, just run us
small little operation out of our already small studio. We'll
put some weights over in the corner and you know,
we can do something over here. So he came over
during COVID and we started talking every day and he
(19:14):
eventually was like.
Speaker 3 (19:16):
Hey, what about this space over here, Golden Gym. We're like, yeah,
how big is it? You know, like five thousand square feet?
It's like thirty thousand square feet? Like okay, okay, do
we want to build up to that? And he's like, no,
I think we should just we should just do it.
Speaker 4 (19:33):
And that's kind of been like the story of the
moral of this whole story is like, all right, let's
roll the dice.
Speaker 1 (19:38):
He said something something very important that I want to
highlight here. You were talking about how the dynamic changed
when you guys were working together in the same space.
And I've this is gonna sound cheesy, but Tony Robins
says it the best way, like the way to make
things happen. It's proximity. Yeah, And that's what if you
(20:01):
think about it, that proximity of like working out every day,
seeing how everybody operates in a daily basis, it's what
got you to think and to move to the next step. Right.
Speaker 4 (20:11):
Yeah, It's one of those things where you know, again,
when we were in separate gyms, we see each other
out or you know, we'd go grab dinner and talk
about it and then you know, yeah, so it.
Speaker 1 (20:20):
Just starts like the momentum starts building and then you
make it happen.
Speaker 4 (20:24):
Then when you're in the same space together, like you said,
it's like, okay, we.
Speaker 3 (20:27):
Really need to make this happen.
Speaker 1 (20:28):
Well, I'm gonna give it to you guys, because people
here that are listening they don't know this. But I
was involved in the whole process when you guys were
taking over and your dad was like, Gabby, I need you,
I need your help.
Speaker 2 (20:43):
He's always there somehow.
Speaker 1 (20:45):
So we went and I like, even with the sign,
I remember, oh my gosh, it's just like thinking about
the colors, if the wall, if how to do this,
Like I have to just say it. The concept is
freaking amazing. It's so cool. It is big, like the space.
You don't feel trapped because you know, there's some gyms
(21:06):
that are like really dark or you just feel like
you're just on top of each other. You don't feel
like that at all. And the fact that you have
all kinds of machines. There were some that I mean,
I've been an athlete also all my life, and I
there were things that I've never seen in my life
that I was, oh my god, this is amazing. And
then you have incorporated the other side that people miss,
(21:27):
which is a recovery process. And that's what got me
even more excited when I was like going there and
learning on how you wanted to do and set up
the spaces. But I'm gonna let you share with me
what was the original thought and then how it turned
out to be the way it is.
Speaker 2 (21:43):
Yeah. So there, like there it was an old gold gym.
We came in, we took over, and you know it
it was a little outdated, and that's right on the Tewksbury, Yeah,
little Tucksbury lower line and it's right there on Main Street.
And it was, like I said, it was just kind
of out like you know, needed different colors and needed
(22:03):
you know with spruce. He just needed new flooring here
and there. But the bones were good. So we came
in and we took over. We wanted to obviously keep
the commercial gym that was there, and so we kind
of just started to trim some of the fat off,
like some of the machines that like weren't used and
stuff like that. So we got rid of those and
(22:24):
then we kind of just tried to make the weight
room as as useful as possible instead of just having
a bunch of random stuff in there, which there kind
of was. And Joe, who we mentioned is the strength
of conditioning coach and who was the third partner of
the gym, that's where he kind of took over, and
you know, he brought in all this special west Side
(22:44):
barber equipment, stuff that like no other gym in the
area has. And so that's I think what you're referring
to is some of the equipment that we have, some
of the machines that we have that like a lot
of people, most gyms don't have. And then that's on
the bottom fous what's it's like three floors, that's the
bottom weight room. Then you come up to the second
floor and there was a cardio deck and we kind
of just tried to make a little bit better, add
(23:05):
a few things to it, take out some things that
didn't really need to be used, and then we added
in another smaller weightroom on that level for you know,
people that maybe just want to do lighter weights things
like that, just machines.
Speaker 1 (23:19):
If you go to the real nice weight room. It's intimidating.
I'm like me, if I want to go in there,
I'm gonna hurt myself.
Speaker 4 (23:27):
Looks like a college weight facility or a professional weight
facility you have. It's right over the lower line right
off of four ninety five, very close to ninety three,
so it's really accessible. We have people coming from you know,
New Hampshire, the Boston area. We have people traveling over
an hour sometimes to come to come to the gym,
which is great. And then the website Evolution Performance Center
(23:51):
dot com and our socials are the same Instagram.
Speaker 1 (23:56):
And we're going to list them.
Speaker 2 (23:57):
You may have seen one of my funny skits.
Speaker 1 (24:01):
They're so into it too.
Speaker 4 (24:03):
Yes, that's actually hilarious because if you haven't noticed on
the talker and jer.
Speaker 1 (24:08):
Shod's the appserve.
Speaker 2 (24:10):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (24:10):
Like, even even in the gym when we're teaching together,
half the time I just go off on rants and
I'm talking and I'm laughing and making jokes and Jeremy's
just all business.
Speaker 1 (24:19):
Well, I know, guys, it's your first anniversary and you
have some promos going on, So we're going to list
everything on our website. Is there a quick way that
you can share what you have for the anniversary promo.
Speaker 4 (24:29):
Yeah, So to celebrate our one year, we wanted to
give as big of a discount to everybody as possible
to come down and try the gym out. So for
our general fitness open weight training that includes the sauna
and things like that, we're doing one year paid in
full memberships for two hundred and ninety nine dollars. So
you get twelve months of training at you know, an
elite facility.
Speaker 3 (24:50):
For two ninety nine.
Speaker 4 (24:51):
That's amazing a great deal and that's going to last
until May thirty.
Speaker 3 (24:55):
First.
Speaker 1 (24:56):
Okay, people, you know it. You have to come check
out Evolution perform Roman Center and my friend's Driscoll Brothers.
Speaker 2 (25:03):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (25:03):
Don't forget to download the iHeart app and plea select
Kipasa Boston as your favorite podcast and we'll see you
next week. Thank you guys for coming, Thanks for having us.
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