Meet Corbin Caldwell | Fitness & Fashion Model/ Strength Coach / Personal Trainer

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

Hi Corbin, where are your from? We’d love to hear about how your background has played a role in who you are today?
I am from a small town in North Louisiana Called West Monroe. Our only claim to fame is that the Show Duck Dynasty is filmed there. The area is Nicknamed the sportsman’s paradise… regardless of the season there are tons of Outdoor activities to take part in. This is where people say grace at the dinner table, go to church on Sundays, say yes ma’am and yes sir to their elders and every takes a little more time to be a little kinder to each other. I call it Southern Hospitality or Southern Charm. The small town vibes are comforting It’s small enough for everyone to know everyone but unfortunately not big enough to create growth for starting creators. Growing up there I always knew I didn’t quite fit the mold. I was an overweight kid with a ton of personality though I was scared to show it… the only thing I had going for me was academics. As I progressed through high school I had multiple friend groups but was never a key player in any of them. As a junior in high school roughly 17 years old I had a moment of introspection where I thought about what I didn’t like about my life… I hated myself…the way that I looked, I had zero self confidence, the people around me were not actually my friends I was just convenient for them, and I was scared of being trapped in my home town. After that moment a fire erupted in me I would not accept my circumstances and merely exist, I knew I had to change. I prioritized diet and exercise and after a rigorous 6months I had dropped 80lbs, I was almost unrecognizable. This was the genesis to being a health and fitness professional and how fitness could totally change your life for the better. I went on to study kinesiology at Louisiana State University and later Coach Athletes at the D1 level for LSU and then university of Florida. I say all of this to say that without the feeling of being an outcast and confined in my home town I would have never had the feeling of wanting to take flight to see the world…

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.

I think what is truly unique about my art is that I stand on the belief that you are truly capable of anything you want to achieve. Everything I create is now centered around this theme… I want people to know they are capable, that they don’t have to accept their circumstances, and they are not alone. I was not born with or handed these opportunities I worked for them and through this I want inspire others that they to can achieve great things as well…

My path has not been easy, getting to where I am today… being from Louisiana support and understanding of my goals were uncommon, there is not a huge fashion presence there and the people are quick to pass judgment when you challenge the cultural norms. I fought through obesity, a broken home, depression, isolation, loss of identity, and self worth. I struggle with with mental health but use it in a way to be more creative, connect with others, and inspire people that what we endure are not shackles but part of who we are…

I have learned along the way… no one will truly support you until you believe in yourself. You must be the hero in your own story and in every story there is a time of testing and a critical moment to prove oneself. When you truly devote yourself to pursue your goals you will face isolation. People will try to pull you away from your goals and when you start to set boundaries you will be met with judgment and resistance. This is the first sign that you are on the right track… in order to make change you must first rid yourself of the things that are delaying you from progress.

Through isolation I found my true self, what I held to be valuable, learned resiliency, and confidence in myself.

I realized emotions are meant to be felt… feel them, learn from them, but do not let them control you. This lesson of delayed gratification and impulse control taught me focus and the power of saying no for the betterment of myself. These principles taught me self worth.

At times of struggle I have always gone back to my core… how can I improve myself physically, emotionally, spiritually… this self introspection has lead to me being able to analyze and bring discipline in other aspects of my life.

What I want people to know about me more than anything In the beginning i was nothing special and by the grace of god and hard work you too can live your dreams…

One of my proudest moments to this day happened this year… I had lost my coaching job in Nov of 2022 and as I picked up the pieces of my life I knew I couldn’t let up and that I did not work this hard for this long to give up now… so in that moment I double down. I ran 30 miles and lifted 6 days a week to try and be the best version of myself and in July of 2023 I was given the opportunity to walk as a Runway Model for Art of Hearts in New York City… I became emotional after that phone call as I sat on the floor of the gym the only thing I could think was Matthew Mcconaughey’s speech “Who is Your Hero” his response was “Me in five years” he said this because the only person he ever wanted to be was himself and in that time he hoped to progress to be someone that he could look up to… I never thought that I would ever be skinny, have self confidence, or could be an inspiration to others… although it took me 7 years in that moment it solidified for me that my work was not for nothing and that I too was capable of obtaining my dreams…

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
My best friend is active like I am so we would start out the day at my day job Equinox Santa Monica where we would get a morning workout and meet some of my coworkers which are some of my best friends here. Next we would get breakfast at Interstellar and then take a walk on the Santa Monica Beach Path. We would stop our walk at Little lunch Coffee in Venice and then enjoy our day walking the century city mall. That night we would catch a bite at Saffy’s and catch a show at the Comedy club.

The next day I would take him to Golds Gym in Venice and then hurry over to catch brunch at Girl and Goat in the arts district. After brunch we would walk off our breakfast by looking at some of different exhibits there. After I would either take him to Runyon or another lookout spot for us to enjoy our daytime hours. That night I would try to squeeze in a reservation to Catch LA for some asian cuisine.

The next day we would start our day at Equinox Studio city where we would prep for the day there with an easy lift, shower and steam then head over to Cafe 27 in Malibu to have breakfast with a view of there Canyon. From there we would hike Point dume and catch sunset at Matador beach.

The next day I would wake up at 2am to drive us to Mammoth Ski resort for a Day of snow boarding, we would spend all day shredding up and down the different slopes and at the end of the day probably hike it back to LA where we would get a late bite at Eazy Street.

On the final day I would take him to Republique’ for breakfast and to stock up on treats to travel home with before his flight out of LAX

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
This is a hard question because there are so many I want to thank it has taken a community including friends, family, coaching mentors, photographers, and many more that I contribute my success to… it is because of these people I work so hard because it is an insult to their support and sacrifice for me to do anything less than my best…

There are a few that deserve extra recognition…First and foremost God has always been my mentor. He has always put me in the right place at the right time. Without his guidance and his blessings of discipline and perseverance I would have never made it through the hard times to be where I am today. William Alexander who I consider to be my first true friend would never let me be a lesser version of myself and always demanded that I be better than who I was yesterday. You my friend are truly special thank you for showing me I was capable. My Grandparents for without them I would’ve feel victim to depression. I moved out of a turbulent home at 17 they took me in housed me fed me and kept me put together long enough for me to find my way again. I love you both more than anything I will never be able to repay your kindness. My dad through the years of finding myself you never doubted me and always supported my dreams. You were always there to provide for me when I needed you… Your on going support has meant everything to me. My Mother… out of all my siblings I am most like you from my looks to my gifts of the arts and creativity… I would not be the person I am today without you. My sisters are my biggest fans and actually it was my younger sister that proposed me to get into modeling to begin with… she said ” if I had the opportunity to not turn it down” she knew I was introverted and might not take the leap if the opportunity arose… Sarah thank you for believing In me more than I believed in myself… My oldest sister Madelyn, you were my hero as child your hard work and determination taught me what it truly took to be successful I will always strive to be more like you… and finally the Ryan, Spires, Sumter, Santiago and Guerriero families thank you for your past and continued support you all have truly made a difference in my life and I will never forget your kindness.

Also a Special Shout to River Chad and Micheal NGO for collaborating with me on this project. I am truly grateful for your contributions, friendship, and support.

Website: https://www.corbincaldwell.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cwcaldwell98?igsh=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

Twitter: https://x.com/officialcorbinc/status/1656278116866707457?s=46&t=Bzy3Z6soh9114dssOQX8gQ

Image Credits
Photographer: River Chad Outfit Sponsor: Michael NGO Hair Stylist: Keeon Cruz