By Kenneth Books
Twenty years ago, those who knew Jersey Gambrone would have never expected him to live this long. He spent his days feeding out of garbage cans, sleeping on couches, in his car and in the street. and trying to support his heroin addiction, with no future, no life to look forward to.
Today, 16 years later, Jersey, 40, is the owner of Fuel Bootcamp in Niceville since May 15, his second fitness facility. Newly married to Liza, a teacher at Bluewater Bay Elementary School, and stepfather to two daughters, aged 8 and 11, Jersey has created not only a life, but realized a dream.
Not that it was easy by any means.
“I started at the bottom,” Jersey said, “running two Palm Beach tanning salons.” Later, he spent his time on the road, fixing failing gyms for five and a half years.
“I created a new brand in three weeks,” he said. “This is my second studio in town.”
Jersey decided Niceville needed him and his expertise, despite some misgivings. “I was afraid to be vulnerable,” Jersey said. “I was afraid the town would judge me. But I decided I can’t hide this. There are people who need to know what I went through.”
Jersey blames no one but himself for the years of heroin addiction. “I chose that,” he said. “I came from a good home. I was just the black sheep.”
Despite his addiction, Jersey never lost sight of the love of God. In 2005, sitting in church, he had what he calls “an amazing spiritual experience.” He turned to his mother, who locked him in his room, which he calls a big favor. There, he finally hit rock bottom.
“My spiritual experience at the church… prepared me and planted the seed of change in me,” Jersey writes in his book. “I felt like God was saying, ‘I’m gonna do something with this kid.’” He never used again.
Also helping was his acquisition of a pug dog, who he named “Dioji.” Suddenly, he had something else to care for, to wash, to feed and to give him purpose.
Jersey’s big break came when a man named Roberto saw something in him that would catapult him to success. In 2012, he was assigned a consulting management gig at Powerhouse Gyms in Michigan under the auspices of Roberto, who saw him hustle and display an enviable work ethic. Roberto offered him a deal that changed his life, promising to fund his dream of establishing his first boot camp studio. The caveat? He had to take Roberto’s failing enterprise and make it successful. There he learned, often from his own mistakes, how to run a fitness business. Eventually, Roberto fronted Jersey $55,000 to start his own business.
With an inherent desire to help others live their lives as well as they could, Jersey even authored a book, a modest tome titled “Too Fit to Quit,” telling his story and advising readers how to create solid habits and get fit and alert. “The book was one of my dreams,” Jersey said.
Jersey wrote his book in just two and a half months, basing his work on a book titled “The One-week Author,” and hiring a book coach to help get him through the sometimes arduous process of writing a readable volume. The book, along with rave reviews, is available through Amazon.com for $9.99.
What does the future hold for Jersey? “I’m trying to franchise this, to get more experience in mentoring, coaching and public speaking,” he said.
Today, Jersey has 89 clients, aged 19 to 72. He works four and a half hours per day with his clients. “For the first time in six years, I have no stress,” he said.
The structure of Jersey’s studio is actually that of a boot camp. “I harp on community and family,” he said. “It’s a little boxing and full-body workouts.”
He created his brand, he said, in just three weeks. It includes online fitness programs for women as well as in-person coaching. And the sky is now the limit.
“Fitness saved my life,” Jersey said. “I replaced one addiction with another.”
