One dancing sensation turned downtime into a wellness platform with a global footprint.
A few years ago, Isaac Calpito—the founder of Torch’d who danced with Madonna on Live with Kelly and Ryan— eventually showed up with his Gucci fanny pack and hoodie at my New York City home, ready to get me “Torch’d.” I had just given birth to my now almost 3-year-old twin boys, and my workouts with Calpito lifted both my spirits and my derrière. His charisma? Infectious. His workouts? Intense! His authenticity and dedication? Unparalleled, often showing up at 5:45am while my three under 3 slept in cribs.
The years following, I witnessed Calpito blossom from budding workout guru to wellness influencer. His roster of royal regulars now includes many New Yorkers like Gwyneth Paltrow, Jessica Chastain, Kelly Ripa, Aerin Lauder, Shawn Warren, Lizzie and Jonathan Tisch, Nathan Orsman and Vanessa Hudgens, to name a few. What is his secret sauce? Is it the way he makes you lift your leg or run at 12.4 mph on the treadmill? To thine own self be true.
When COVID-19 hit the East Coast, Calpito moved out East, quieted his mind and opened his heart and Instagram feed. Embracing social distancing standards and social media platforms, Calpito leveraged Instagram TV (@isaacboots) to democratize his signature Torch’d workouts for everyone in quarantine. Having had the unsettling childhood experience of not knowing when his next meal would come, Calpito partnered with No Kid Hungry, making Torch’d an 11am Instagram destination and a philanthropic vehicle. Bring the body and the mind will follow—not to mention a global following and charitable donations. Calpito raised $1,000 in his first 20 minutes live; to date, his 11am Torch’d workouts have raised more than $100,000 for children in need and have become a global phenomenon. He has now partnered with Parisian creative influencer Géraldine Boublil (@erinoffduty) to become a French fitness sensation. Only Calpito could make a Parisian put down her Gauloises and petit croissant in exchange for a plank.
Calpito is an Instagram Live example that prosperity and philanthropy can be mutually inclusive, even during a global pandemic. After all, health is wealth on a global scale, in pounds and kilos.
Photography by: Courtesy of Torch'd
