FITNESS / Profile
Kenny Santucci is a fitness professional and television personality often recognized for his time on MTV’s reality competition show, The Challenge. His hard work and confident spirit have awarded him opportunity and financial abundance, but in return, tested his will to continue moving forward. A top CrossFit coach at CrossFit Solace in New York City representing one of the best fitness brands in the world with a positive voice through social media, Santucci’s current success didn’t come easily to him. He experienced hard times and persevered. We sat down to talk to him about using experience to inspire others to be the best version of themselves.
Does your social media presence portray who you really are? Yes. I just admitted something personal on social media that I kept to myself for a while. For the past 7 to 8 months I was sleeping on friend’s couches and in my car. (At time of interview.) I wouldn’t have guessed that. No one does. I think people need to go through struggles. I grew up in Newark, New Jersey until I was 19. My dad had a business and lost it all when we were younger. I experienced growing up with money and I experienced growing up without it. It showed me a lot. I won and I lost. I saw the good and the bad. There were times when I would come off of a show (The Challenge) and I would have more money then I knew
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BY: LAUREN CAP PHOTOS: TEDDY WOLFF
“There are other things in our universe that support us and show us that there is good in the world and that things will get better. Whether it’s someone or something. When you start to generate good energy, good things will happen.” - KENNY SANTUCCI
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“I consider most gyms a spiritual place. It’s the modern day church for some people. People come here to feel good and I help them feel good.” what to do with it. There were other times when I was dead broke sleeping in my car. It changes you and humbles you a lot. I think a lot of people need to see both sides of it. The world would be a better place if people respected other people who have gone through struggles because they have gone through it themselves. What would you say to someone who is struggling right now? It’s always darkest before dawn. That thought pushed me through. There was a period in my life where I had come off of the show and I lost within a four to five month span: my girlfriend, my job, and the show. It was just this downward spiral. Everything I thought I had was gone.
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