Meet Your Coach An Idea

Written by Brenda Edson

After college, O’Malley drifted from job to job, searching for a path that would allow him to share his passion with others. After a stint as a high school football coach and then as a personal trainer, he took another chance in 1995, and moved to Dallas, Texas, where he became one of the top producing trainers at GoodBody Fitness Clinic. In 1997, he and a partner opened their own gym, Fit Health Clubs, where he created Cruising Planet Fit, an innovative group cycling studio with surround sound stereo and a 15-foot theater screen. Cyclists watched specially-designed videos of treks through mountains and other beautiful places while O’Malley led them through grueling workouts.

The classes were so popular, he started recording them on mini-discs for gym users to use on their own. An idea began to take shape. "The workouts gave me the energy and the ability to be fit and active. They really changed my life.”

After helping build the fitness facilities, O’Malley took a job offer from Sanjiv Sidhu, CEO of i2 Technologies. He signed on to exclusively train Sidhu and his wife for almost a year. During that time, O’Malley bought his first MP3 player and recorded his first workout for his client to take with him on his travels.

“He said to me, you should do this,” O’Malley remembered. “I just knew this technology was going to take off.”

First Came Earthwalker

O’Malley’s first workouts were called Earthwalker, and he hit the ground running with big plans and big dreams. They were the first products of their kind and after extensive research, the testing process began.

We did a lot of beta testing, met with a lot of investors and advertising agents, and had lots of things lined up, he said.

O’Malley asked Cantu and his girlfriend to test those first workouts. The request came at a pivotal point in Cantu’s life. He was out of college, working and still eating as if he were playing football everyday. Severely overweight, Cantu couldn’t seem to find the motivation to go to the gym. The workouts reminded him of football training camp, and he found himself pushing harder and getting fitter.

“I don’t even think Sean knew at the time how much I needed those workouts,” Cantu said. “I truly believe that Sean has given me something I can give to my children. It sounds hokey, but he gave me the gift of life. The workouts gave me the energy and the ability to be fit and active. They really changed my life.”

The workouts gave O’Malley the opportunity to motivate people to be healthier. He’d always disliked cardio and because of the way his body was built, had trouble with any endurance activities. As he trained more clients, he saw how hard it was for people to stick with cardio activities. He couldn’t stand beside them on the treadmill day after day, and they grew bored and ended up quitting. But when he gave his clients his workouts, they finished their cardio exercise, and more importantly, they enjoyed it.

Cantu saw potential in the concept. After all, he knew how much they had helped him.

“I thought, here’s the birth of something that can be huge,” he said.

Then came the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and in what seemed like an instant, O’Malley lost everything as his investors politely and quietly opted out due to the uncertain economy.

“It was just like the whole plan dried up and blew away in the wind,” he said.

Frustrated and in debt, O’Malley packed everything he owned and drove to his sister’s house in Maryland.

“I was very depressed and down on my luck,” he said. “I just felt broken.”

Melton remembers hurting for O’Malley as he struggled through the problems.

“Sean’s never let himself down,” Melton said. “He was let down by other people. But no matter what walls he ran into, no matter how bad it was, he never seemed to give up. Every time something happened, every time he hit a wall, he just figured out a way to pick up the ball and go around.”

The Story Continues