Coss Marte, Former Drug Kingpin Turned Fitness CEO, Talks Transformation

Coss Marte, a former drug kingpin turned fitness CEO, joins host Kelly Scanlon to share his story of transformation from NYC cocaine ringleader to business owner.

Marte, who is the owner of ConBody, came up with the company’s business plan while he was in prison serving time as the head of a multi-million dollar cocaine operation. His doctor tod him that his weight would lead to a heart attack and eventually kill him—probably within five years. Realizing his sentence was seven years, Marte did not want to die in prison. He developed a series of exercises he could do in his prison cell, and he lost 70 pounds in six months. He began sharing his system with other inmates and put together the plan for ConBody, his current company.

ConBody went on to win several major business pitch competitions such as Pitch for Good by TOM’s shoes and the YPO Shark Tank competition with Barbara Corcoran. The company currently has more than 6,000 clients.

Marte trains and hires formerly incarcerated individuals as instructors, mindful of the struggle that former inmates have when they are released.

Marte and ConBody have been featured on hundreds of news shows and major media outlets. He has also shared his story at prisons, conferences and TEDx in the U.S. and Hong Kong.

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