Elite athletes don’t have “a trainer.” They have a team. A nutritionist, a strength coach, a mindset specialist, and a medical lead. At Coya, we believe you deserve the same architecture.
We want to introduce you to one of the key minds behind our method: Kyle Gonzalez.
What is your professional background?
I have been in the industry for well over a decade, helping people optimize health and performance through coaching, teaching, and start-up leadership. I am a former D1 athlete and a full-time health nerd or nut (depending on who you talk to). I’ve been featured in Men’s Health, NBC News, The Washington Post, and Real Simple for my work in the fitness industry, but all that pales in comparison to the hands-on work and learning from clients ranging from professional athletes to high-level executives, elderly clients to youth students, and even Hollywood stars. Currently, I serve as Vice President of Performance and Coaching at Coya, where I get to coach, lead, and work alongside some of the brightest minds in health. I am also the author of The Vitality System and Move, Thrive, and Come Alive, and host of The Vitality System Podcast. My mission is to empower people to have a sense of agency and ownership over their health and wellness and to help them redefine what it means to be healthy on their own terms.
In your specific field, what is the one common piece of ‘popular advice’ that you completely disagree with, and why?
For me, it’s gotta be the all-or-nothing, go hard or go home, push it to the max mentality that people think they need to achieve their health goals. The longer I work in this space, the more convinced I am that there are no shortcuts to sustainable behavior change. There are also no substitutes for the basics. Movement, nutrition, sleep, sunlight, connection, stress management. These boring foundations are the secret. The quick fixes, temporary solutions, and dare I say it “hacks” are just that, temporary. They don’t last, they don’t adapt, they don’t solve the root issues. If you want to meaningfully change your health, you have to commit to improving the basics. The simple, not easy, things are what move the needle and help you sustain. You know what they say: nothing worth having comes easy. Health is no different. So start small, prioritize the foundations, and show up for yourself each day.
We talk a lot about non-negotiables at Coya. What is one non-negotiable in your personal daily routine?
Oh, easy, my non-negotiable is walks. I might be the biggest advocate for walks. Boredom walks, nature walks, morning walks, evening walks, post-meal walks, creativity walks, dog walks, I’m here for all of them. It’s such a keystone habit for me and my family. Most people are spending 90-95% of their time indoors. We’re on screens for large parts of the day, disconnected from nature, sunlight, and sometimes other humans. For me, walks are a way to take a mental, physical, and emotional break, reconnect with myself, and recharge my soul. I do post-meal walks, and I have a dog so I’m typically getting at least 2-3 walks a day, if not more. The health benefits are clear, from blood sugar to stress relief to cardiovascular health to creativity. It’s simple, practical, accessible, and free to us all. So go get outside and go for a walk.
What is a personal health or performance hurdle you’ve had to overcome recently?
Earlier in the year, I moved from the East Coast (Virginia) to the West Coast (California). To say moves throw a wrench in your health plans is an understatement. Add to that a dog, an 18-month-old, and a cross-country road trip, and you really have an adventure. For me, I like to take situations like this as a test of my commitment to health. I never strive for perfection in tough situations like this, but I also don’t give myself too much grace. I try to find ways to keep my habits consistent even if they need to be modified. On this trip, a gym workout might turn into a hotel workout or stretching during stops. Solid nutrition might mean not eating fast food at every stop, but being intentional about where we go and what we eat. Prioritizing sleep means doing my normal sleep routine (hot shower, breathwork, reading) and creating the best environment I can (cool, dark, quiet). Again, it’s all about doing what you can, with what you’ve got, in the situation you’re in. I always say if a habit doesn’t travel, it is truly a habit?
What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever received — not necessarily about health or fitness, but about life — that has stuck with you?
Not sure if this is the best, but this is what comes to mind. Don’t be the best at what you do; be the only. In a world where you can follow anyone and everyone – with access to endless information at your fingertips – I believe the most valuable thing you can be is yourself. Because guess what? Nobody else can be you. All of your experiences, perspectives, and gifts are unique to you, so what’s the point of using them to try and be like someone else. Sure, I have mentors and people I look up to, but I want to be the best coach, partner, father, friend, and human I can be. Sometimes that means blazing my own trail as opposed to following a path that’d already been laid. So be authentic, be genuine, and be uniquely you.
When you aren’t working or coaching, how do you unplug? (AKA what do you do for fun)
Reading, writing, and anything outdoors. I love learning, I love expressing myself through writing, and I love being in nature. On the reading front, I am a non-fiction junky who needs to tip the scales towards more fiction to balance things out. My toxic trait is buying books, which in all fairness isn’t actually toxic (maybe to my wallet). For writing, it’s my way of working out ideas, simplifying thoughts, and communicating information. I write books, I write blogs, I write poetry, I write in my journal. It’s my therapy for sure. As for being outdoors, there is just something unquantifiable about the effect that nature has on us. A nature walk, hiking a mountain, swimming in the ocean, looking at the stars at night. I am always seeking awe-inspiring experiences and places and spaces that connect me back with nature. There is so much beauty on this planet if you are willing to get out and explore. Beyond that, food, exercise, sports, and hanging with the fam are some other things that fill my cup.
Connect with Kyle on LinkedIn and Instagram
You can buy his book the Vitality System (The Ultimate Guide to Living an Active, Healthy, and Happy Life) here, or his latest book Move, Thrive, and Come Alive (125 Science-Backed Strategies to Move More, Feel Better, and Live Fully) here.
You can also follow him on Substack, or subscribe to his podcast, The Vitality System.
