I recently got to chat with Isaac Calpito or better known as Isaac Boots. Isaac has an infectious personality and is quick to share that his path to TORCH’D fame was not traditional but paved by self-belief and the pursuit of fearlessness.
Born and raised in Hawaii, Isaac is a celebrity trainer, choreographer and Broadway dancer with a long list of credits to his name. But when Isaac arrived in New York City all he had was $40 and a dream to dance on the world’s biggest stage. After spending time in an afterschool program, not to mention watching countless hours of Madonna music videos he left for the city “fearlessly naive”. He auditioned everyday, not worrying about whether he had the right headshots or traditional dance training. In doing so, earning credits in Mama Mia! and West Side Story just to name a few. This is definitely one of the biggest takeaways from my conversation with Isaac. So often we wait for the “right” time or to have all the skills. What if we instead, we trusted in our own timing?
All that dancing led to Isaac’s light-bulb moment of creating TORCH’D. Out of necessity to stay in shape and allow his body to perform at optimal levels for performance, he created the first flows that would become the basis for the TORCH’D workout today. This workout is a “vigorous flow of body resistance, dance conditioning and intense targeted repetition to fire up and transform your body.” Isaac’s promise is, “ it will make you feel more fit than ever before.” And trust me…it does.
TORCH’D quickly became a favored workout amongst pop stars and actors alike. Garnering clients like Kelly Ripa, Jessica Chastain, Lisa Rinna and Gwyneth Paltrow while simultaneously traveling and choreographing for Ariana Grande.
When the pandemic hit, Isaac leaned into offering his TORCH’D classes everyday for free on Instagram. Not wanting to accept payment during the pandemic but led by his heart to help, Isaac asked his followers to donate what they could to No Kid Hungry, the charity known for providing millions of meals to kids in need.
While he had originally hoped this would lead to some generous donations towards the charity, he did not expect that his effort would raise over $1Million for No Kid Hungry, thereby making him the single, largest, individual fundraiser in the organization’s history.
Isaac’s story is truly an inspiring one. I hope you reflect on his beginnings and overall message the way I have. I leave you with this question Isaac has asked himself, “What am I great at? And how can that affect real positive change?”
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