January | Michael Moscato
Meet Michael, fitness coach, husband, son, philanthropist, and all-around ray of sunshine for many. I first met Michael about 2 years ago, having been introduced by friends of mine who train with him regularly at a private fitness facility here in Montreal.
No bells or whistles, just a simple driven guy with great energy who is determined to motivate you to reach your full potential through consistency and hard work.
His fitness journey officially began in Sept of 2006 when he moved back to Montreal from Calgary, Alberta. He had reached a record weight of close to 280 lbs which was taking a toll on him. He was beginning to feel physically unwell and was tired of living an unhealthy lifestyle.
He made important life changing choices and lost a great amount of weight. In 2012, he obtained certification as a personal trainer and was training people part time in addition to his then, full time job. A year later, he was laid off which gave him the ammunition to take the leap and pursue his passion full time. Now 8 years later, he never looked back. Michael is also a certified Naturopath here in Quebec and has attended many courses both locally and abroad to sharpen his skills as a coach.
Michael wears many hats. At the beginning of Covid, he tried to keep spirits high and created an online platform where he featured many small local companies, interviewing the founders and owners who shared their story which allowed them to gain some much needed visibility. JETELOVE was featured and we are very thankful!
Frank’s Angels.
For the past several years, he has spearheaded a charitable cause called “Frank’s Angels” along with his mother Angela Moscato. Frank’s Angels is named in memory of his beloved late uncle Frank who Michael was extremely close with. It is not for profit and helps collect hundreds of items which are placed in gift boxes and are distributed to women’s shelters across the city. Franks Angels also holds dinners at the Ronald McDonald House at St Justine Children’s hospital. Two to four times a year, they host dinners for the parents and kids staying there during treatment at Christmas, Valentine’s day and Halloween.
Frank’s Angels came about when Michael initially started helping out his friend Trish who started this initiative. Her charity is named Trish’s Elves. Trish later left Montreal and asked Michael to take over. Hundreds of boxes later and numerous volunteers, Frank’s Angel’s continues to grow each year and gain momentum. The team is looking to grow this charity movement and take it to the next level.
His Pride & Joy - Team Empower.
Team Empower was first created as Team M.A.D (Michael,Amanda,Diana) back in 2014, where he convinced two clients, Amanda, and Diana, to train and run a Tough Mudder Obstacle Race. They successfully completed that challenge and the following year, decided to try their luck at Spartan Races. In 2015, the team was renamed in uncle Frank’s honor. The same three musketeers successfully ran 2 Spartans and a Tough Mudder race. At that time, Michael would often dream of turning Team Frank into a fitness movement. Unfortunately, in early Sept 2015, he injured his lower back and was done with obstacle course racing. Fast Forward to Oct of 2016, he was being trained in a new fitness center and eventually worked there. He connected with a then client who kept asking him to take part in Spartan races. Michael told him that if he built a team of at least 8-10 people, he would train them and run with them. One race, one time and that would be it. This time, they were joined by Michael’s now business partner, Coach Tucci.
They decided to run what is referred to as a Trifecta in the Spartan world. That means completing a 5 km race, 10 km race and a 21 km race in the same season. Once that season was over, he/they found their momentum and wanted more. They worked hard and built a community where members from all walks of life and all physical levels joined forces and began to train consistently. Their main goal was to remind women how strong they are. Their training caters to both men and women however, it was fundamentally built to strengthen and enforce women's power. Thus, the name, Team Empower.
Since 2018, Team Empower has ran 1000s of kms and during the pandemic, did everything possible to maintain a sense of normalcy and cohesiveness within the training community.
JETELOVE asked Michael, “What motivates you?”
He says; “ I love to see people do what they so deeply think they cannot do. What they have been told is impossible or not for them. I love to see people achieve the “impossible” and conquer their fears.”
“How has covid impacted your business and personal life?”
“Our industry has been hit hard by this pandemic. Most of my business including Team Empower as well as my personal training business, my charity Franks Angels all got put on pause and still are being affected today. My personal life was hit hard as well. I am a person who loves and appreciates the ability to move around freely, travel when I want to, experience new things. So overall it has been an adjustment. I went through a serious low point at the start of 2021. Mentally, I was having a tough time coping with everything. I just kept trying to remind myself “this too shall pass”. Eventually it did. I got married in late 2021 and things have never been better.
The pandemic is also showing me the things we have taken for granted over our lifetime. We are a privileged society and are so blessed “.
“What advice do you have for those contemplating getting into shape in 2022?”
“START!!!!!! The one thing that grinds my gears is when I hear people constantly stating what they want, and immediately following up it up with 100s of reasons why they could not and why they cannot. That mind frame is the very thing that keeps them from achieving anything that takes more effort than they are willing to give. Things can start slowly and be adjusted as new habits are formed.
There is no magic pill, supplement, or diet. The only secret recipe that works, is consistency. Whatever you are going to try, be consistent and stick with it. Make sure to hire a good health coach to guide you. Start with simple changes that can be made: balanced eating, be active and try to increase your movement and, if possible, hire a health coach that can personalize a program and help you crush your goals”.
For those of you interested in helping out with Frank’s Angels any way you can, please visit Instagram and Facebook @realfranksangels. Anyone wanting to connect with Michael directly you can find him on Instagram @team_empower_mc
Thank you Michael for your authenticity, perseverance and dedication. Keep shining bright. Check him out on Instagram - Here
#ontelove #teamempower #franksangels