Alumni Feature

Ronnie Hamilton

’12, creative director and co-founder of Pineapple Online, recently gave back to his alma mater during EC’s annual Wellness Week. His company, WorkWell by Pineapple Online, provided EC faculty and staff a week of customized 15-minute sessions of “Yoga at Your Desk.” As teachers were transitioning from remote learning to full-day, in-person teaching, it was a welcome respite from a typical school day and received rave reviews from participants.

Tell me about your current role? How did you get started?

Pineapple Online is a digital wellness streaming platform directed at giving employees the tools to provide digital access to wellness to their employees, primarily focusing on yoga and meditation. My mother opened a retail yoga studio (Pineapple Life) a few years ago and just before the pandemic we had the opportunity to combine our skillsets (my background in media production began in high school!) to launch a digital platform. It is hard to say no to your mother, so I took the opportunity to build the business with her and Heidi Dickinson.

What does a typical day look like for you?

My typical day begins by checking in on our content pipeline. We have multiple classes either being filmed, going through editing or being streamed/uploaded at the same time. Outside of that, I work closely with colleagues to gauge our audience experience: what are users watching most, how can we improve the overall user experience—and of course, grow our audience.

What is most rewarding about your job?

At the core of our business, we prioritize wellness and self-care. We want clients to feel empowered and proud while challenging themselves to reach new goals—both on and off the mat. What I have found to be the most rewarding for myself has been clarifying my own definition of wellness and self-care. I struggled with addiction and chemical dependency most of my teenage years, and in my sobriety, I have had to challenge myself to fi nd positive sources of inspiration and self-care. It has been the most challenging yet rewarding element of what I do now, striving to consistently practice what we preach and understand that wellness is a journey.

Tell us about your experience with Wellness Week at EC?

Wellness Week at EC was incredible! It was a privilege to give something back to the community that gave me so much during my time there. The feedback we received validated the experience was positive for faculty and staff.

Describe the experience of working in a family business?

There are no two ways about it—working with family is tough. That being said, it’s also rewarding. At our lows, we share the learning experiences and build each other back up. At our highs, it is extraordinary being able to refl ect on that milestone with your mother--the woman who has cared for you and taught you everything since birth. My advice to anyone working with a family member is to assess the foundational strength of the relationship prior to engaging in a professional relationship. If you don’t, you might jeopardize both the personal and professional relationship!

How did your EC experience prepare you for your current role?

When my mother enrolled me at EC back in 2008, you could say we were not a very religious family. I only say that to show that my experience at EC as a student was not altered, less prioritized or compromised due to my different views. Instead, I learned compassion, empathy and how to build a community with others. We all have differences and at Pineapple Online, we offer an experience that will be unique to each client based on their personal views. We create wellness for everybody and every “body.” I cannot say that my views today would be the same without the experiences I had at EC.

Share a memory from your Eastside Catholic school experience?

Truth be told, what I cherish the most from EC is my Destiny experience. I still have a keepsake from the retreat. It’s a reminder of how much love and support I have around me. This reminder is especially important right now with the uncertainty in the world.

What do you like to do in your free time?

Oh man, I always try to create more free time for myself when I can. My signifi cant other is fi nishing up school right now, limiting our free time to the weekends—we spend a lot of time in our backyard. It is so random, but our backyard is a federally conserved wetland, so the amount of wildlife we have right outside our window is pretty mesmerizing.