Meet Justin Taylor | Parkour Athlete, Cirque Performer, Gym Owner, Doer of Dumb Things

We had the good fortune of connecting with Justin Taylor and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Justin, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
It started as a mixture of desire to do what I already did, but better and on my own terms, and a fear of having to get a “real job” in the world. I had worked in the gymnastics industry as a coach for 12 years. I loved what I did, but I hated the limitations put on what I could teach. I envisioned an environment where everyone could be the teacher, where practitioners of multiple disciplines trained together, sharing knowledge, and teaching what the lesson they had learned to the next generation of kids.

Most importantly, I worked with thousands of kids over the years. I wanted to pass on the lesson i learned from my awesome parents to these kids. I have to share the world with the next generation, so I have the desire to help mold the next generation with great attributes, My team and I decided early on that our mission was to seed the world with as many awesome human as possible. So we teach out kids, through Parkour and acrobatics, abilities like problem solving, overcoming fear, resilience, effort, continuing on the face of difficulty, respect for themselves and the world around them, and taking responsibility for their choices and decision. I want to help these kids in our gym to grow up to become resilient and capable members of society, to have the ability to become the hero of their own life stories.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I found Parkour when I was in college and I was instantly hooked. Here was a system of movement that trained you to overcome challenges, to learn that their is a solution to every problem, so long as you are willing to put in the effort and learn to adapt to the challenge. Its not just a physical system, but a mental systems that trains you to look at obstacles as something you can overcome, that fear is just a temporary feeling designed to help you practice becoming braver. You learn that nothing is impossible, that their is a solution to every challenge.

One of the most famous lines in Parkour is by Georges Herbert, creator of the “Natural Method” and father of modern military obstacle course training. It simply states, “Be strong to be useful”. Parkour is an urban extension of the Natural Method, which has a focus on creating a well rounded, capable and strong person, in mind, body, and spirit. Creating an all around capable person is one of the best things that can come out of the art and philosophy of Parkour. We train kids and adults to not just be physically strong, but mentally strong as well, with a focus on seeing each impediment in your life, physical or otherwise, as a challenge to help you self improve, to become more than you currently are.

The most proud I ever feel is when someone new walks into my gym and sees the plethora of incredibly talented people training and says (I’ve heard it hundreds of times) ,”That is cool, but i could never do that.” Then surprisingly fast, just a couple of months later, they have found themselves capable of doing the skill they once thought impossible for them, and you can see the look in their eyes as they realize, “What else might I be capable of?” Watching people realize that their self imposed limitations are just that, self imposed, and that they have the ability to overcome these within a short period of time, is one of the most rewarding experiences I ever get to participate in.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
In LA, there is only one place to go visit, and that is Santa Monica Muscle Beach. This is the place that all acrobatics, fitness enthusiasts, and people wo love movement all want to go see. Santa Monica Muscle Beach has ropes to climb, the famous swinging rings, calisthenics bars, sand to flip into, and the world famous “Green” where all the acrobats train every Sunday.
Not only do you get to spend time with some of LAs best acrobats, but everyone here is fun, outgoing, and their is no sense of ego. Ego is one of the few things that will get you shunned from this community. Everyone there teaches each other, helps on another, and has fun playing around. Its the best spot to visit.

Past this, we are heading to Orange County to snorkel in Laguna Beach, seeing the kelp forests and the spectacular beaches there.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There are so many people to thank, and i think this his true for everyone. Although you have make the decision to succeed at your goals, most of us are lucky to have a healthy group of fantastic humans who believed in and supported us.

Im very lucky to have phenomenal parents who believed in me and all my goals and dreams from a young age. My mother and father supported all my sports endeavors, came to all my competitions, and have come to so many of my businesses events helping support and help out every single time. When plumbing breaks, my father shows up wrench in hand ready to get down and dirty fixing whatever is broken.

My wife has been my most staunch supporter, showing up to do whatever project is necessary, willing to work 12 hour days doing anything and everything necessary to help me push the company forward. I’ve never met anyone who works as hard, as driven, or as long as her. She’s an absolute beast, in the best ways possible.

My investor Ron, who taught me everything I needed to know to get my business off the ground and flourishing. Ron made me do the hard things, the difficult things, making me face the areas I was weak and confront and learn form them until I was able to overcome them. He’s the man that gave me my first real shot at being my own boss.

I could not have started my first gym, with the insanely small amount of money and knowledge i had, without the support and help of the Orange County Parkour and Acrobatics community. So many people were willing to come out in 2012 and volunteer their time to help me build my first facility and get this dream off the ground. I felt like I had a village of amazing people supporting me along the way.

Website: https://firestormultra.com

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Other: https://www.westcoastparourchampionships.com

Image Credits
All credit to Jeff Dang, Photographer de al Awesome
@Jeffcinema