As some of you saw last night on our social media, to celebrate the 1-year anniversary of Studio 5 I’m launching an email series to share my story: How Carbon Gym came about, my personal fitness journey, my fight career, and eventually venturing into business (with all its ups and downs).

I hope you enjoy Day 1.

I was always an active kid, but once I hit those “trouble-making” years, my drinking and eating habits really took hold of me. I ballooned up to 120kg and was getting bigger by the day.

I’d tried everything: football, weightlifting, fencing, cricket, karate, even breakdancing (yeah, seriously). But nothing was more fun than drinking at the pub with my mates. So that’s what I did.

Then one day, while trying on clothes, I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. That was my aha moment. Something had to change.

At the same time, I was exploring the idea of getting my skydiving licence only to be told I needed to be under 100kg. I was disappointed, but I thought: maybe this is the motivation I need. A goal. Something that wasn’t just about a number on the scale or “looking good naked.”

That’s when Chris Bradford, who had transitioned from karate to Muay Thai, opened his first gym alongside a jiu-jitsu coach called Black Panther. I remember my very first night of training: Jiu-Jitsu first, then Muay Thai. I was instantly hooked.

From that night on, I was training seven days a week. Jiu-Jitsu, Muay Thai, eventually wrestling. I’d even drive to Altona twice a week to train under Sam Parker. My ADHD brain went all in, weight loss became an afterthought. My only focus was becoming the best fighter I could be.

Not long after, I moved in with two well-known karate competitors, Luke Van Kruijsbergen and Laird Johnstone, who are still some of my closest friends today. They’d also transitioned into Muay Thai and were just as obsessed as me.

One day, during class, I was paired with a brown belt named Rich. He mentioned he had a boxing ring for sale… but if I could take it apart and collect it, I could have it. So I loaded up the ute, and by the weekend, we had a gladiator-style warehouse set up at 12 Finchfield Lane, Belmont.

That became our private gym. We’d train after training, and our weekends turned into house parties where people knew to bring their own mouthguards.

Within 12 months, I’d lost 40kg and honestly, it felt effortless. The weight loss wasn’t the goal anymore. It was just a side effect of me loving life.

If I can pass on one piece of advice: Forget about the weight loss. Find something active you love and let the rest take care of itself. It might be martial arts, lifting, walking with your partner, running, or kicking the footy with your kids. If you enjoy it, you’ll want to do it all the time.

Stay tuned for Part 2, where I’ll talk about quitting my IT job, pulling myself together financially, becoming a PT, and eventually… becoming a pimp 😉

👉 Have you ever had your own “mirror moment” like I did? Hit reply and share it with me. I’d love to hear your story.

Johnny, Carbon Gym Geelong

The original Top Tier ring which I still have in storage	Me, after winning my second fight
AJ Brunton and me in our last training session before a fight	The original Top Tier crew with 11-time World Champion Nathan Corbett
Chris, AJ, and me after winning the East Coast, South Pacific, and Australian Titles	Another shot after the title wins

At this time, I had worked in I.T. in one form or another for around 10 years. I started off doing network admin as a school-based trainee before moving into the steel industry, where I did a mix of CNC programming and sales. Eventually, I got poached back into I.T. by a mate (who’s still a member with us today).

But as I kept losing weight, the idea of sitting behind a desk every day really started to grind on me. Corporate life just felt fake.

Every night, I was in the gym with some of the toughest people I had ever met. People who dropped their egos, were willing to be vulnerable, and weren’t afraid to suck at something before they got better. Then the next day, I’d be back in an office where everyone wore a mask, toed the line, and pretended to be someone they weren’t.

I remember vividly sitting in a meeting room in Altona, stuck in yet another pointless meeting. I was staring at my pen, a million miles away, thinking: This is not me. I can’t do this. Meanwhile, the table around me was vomiting word salad that sounded about as authentic as the average LinkedIn post.

The problem was, I needed a plan. But I was buried in debt, forty grand deep, and couldn’t see a way out of the hole I’d dug myself.

That’s when everything changed.

Chris Bradford had left Blank Pantha and gone out on his own. Top Tier Muay Thai was born, sharing a lease with Dan Cherubin at DCJJ in South Geelong (who we are fortunate to be an affiliate with now). Monday, Wednesday, Saturday morning was BJJ. Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday afternoon was Muay Thai.

Remember Rich from part one? The guy who gave me the boxing ring? By then he had moved across to Dan’s as well. One day while rolling, he mentioned he had been driving escorts for one of the local brothels but was about to quit.

I told him it sounded like something I could do. He explained they usually hired by word of mouth, but he would put in a good word.

So on the way home, like any normal person, I rang my mum and said, “I’m thinking about leaving I.T. to become a pimp.” She just laughed and said, “I know the madam. I’ll make a call.” (If you know Trace, you know that was perfectly on-brand.)

Next thing I know, I’m out the back of a brothel on a sunny Monday afternoon, having a job interview. I shook hands with the owner and started that night.

What blew me away was how professional it all was. This wasn’t like the movies, it was a well-oiled machine. And then came the part that hooked me even more: the money.

Keep in mind, this was before Tinder. Even Facebook was barely on the radar. Sex wasn’t as instantly available as it is today, so the industry was booming. I still remember the other drivers telling me I had “missed the glory days.” If that was missing them, I can’t imagine how much money was around before.

On a great weekend, I was allegedly (nice try, ATO) making four grand cash. On a good weekend, around two. Even a terrible one was still a thousand. For someone buried in debt, it was mind-blowing.

It nearly killed me, working I.T. during the day, driving Thursday through Sunday nights on little to no sleep, but in just over 12 months I had paid down $40k in debt, saved another $40k, and bought myself the freedom to quit my job.

That money gave me the chance to study my diploma in fitness during the day and my business diploma two nights a week without financial stress. More importantly, it gave me the freedom to train full-time.

Sometimes opportunity doesn’t show up in a neat little package. Sometimes it sneaks in through the side door… wearing a purple velour suit with leopard-print lining and a massive gold chain.

In part 3, I’ll dive into my time ending with Top Tier, the leap into going out on my own, and the crazy journey of starting Main Event Fitness, my first gym!

I know this part of the story is why most of you are tuning in. So in the meantime, if you’ve got questions, hit reply and ask. I’ll answer the best ones in Part 3.

Just keep in mind, this was a very confidential industry and I’m no rat. Don’t ask me for names, specific stories, or anything that isn’t mine to share.

Johnny, Carbon Gym Geelong