Today we’d like to introduce you to Todd Ristorcelli.
Hi Todd, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I’ve lived in Central Florida since 1982, and I absolutely love it. I moved here with my family from Ormond Beach. I graduated college from UCF in 1996, where I earned a communication degree and skied on their NCWSA water-ski team. Our men’s slalom team was the best in the country, and I have many fond memories of training with my teammates and winning tournaments. It was always a goal of mine to ski professionally so once I graduated college, I was fortunate to find my dream job at WATERSKI magazine, where I eventually became editor and chief and traveled the world competing in events and reporting on the sport that I loved so dearly. During my tenure at the magazine, I learned many skill sets that are still valuable to me now as a virtual fitness and mindset coach. I trained and learned from some excellent coaches and wellness experts, and I was always intrigued with new ways to reach peak performance. During that time, I also became interested in photography and videography. I love the art of storytelling through all media forms, and my friend Dasher and I created two top-selling water-ski documentaries (2006, 2009) that showcased some of the biggest names in the sport skiing in exotic locations. We shot in Italy, France, St. Martin, Mexico, and several states within the U.S. This was long before drones, so we spent many hours flying in helicopters and shooting skiers from overhead. My first time in a helicopter was videoing my friends in Bordeaux, France and it was an absolute blast. A little nerve-wracking at first, but so worth it. The skills I learned from my job as an editor have really helped me market my fitness biz. Creating engaging content with good visuals and a strong narrative allows me to reach and help new people from all over the world. In addition to fitness coaching, I also spend quite a bit of time in the boat coaching skiers who come to train in Orlando. Orlando is known as the water-ski mecca of the world because of its many lakes and year-round warmth. It’s also where the majority of pros live and train.
During my professional water-ski days, I also learned quite a bit about having the right mindset to perform up to my ability. I definitely had times of struggling with performance anxiety and not skiing up to my potential. There were many events where I finished at the bottom of the pack. But giving up was never an option for me. I knew that if I put in the work, it would pay off. Eventually, it did. My best pro slalom finish didn’t happen until I was 35 years old. I placed second at the 2008 MasterCraft Pro Water Ski Championships in Talking Rock, GA, defeating several world and masters champion skiers. A few years after that, another highlight of my career included setting a national tournament record that I still hold to this day.
There have been other ups and downs along the way that have led me to where I’m at now. As a longtime athlete, I’ve had my share of injuries along the way. Multiple knee surgeries, lower lumbar back surgery, bone fractures, severe ankle sprains — you name — I’ve been through it and used the power of a positive mindset combined with the right type of therapy to get through it and come back stronger. I now use that experience to safely guide my clients through a virtual full-body workout that addresses their weaknesses and conditions the body to perform at its highest level. My fitness programs offer a combination of strength training with bodyweight, fitness bands, and free weights. Yoga and deep breathing training are also part of my training protocols, and I enjoy getting people out of their comfort zone and showing them a path to wellness that they never imagined. For example, I’m currently working with a couple of clients who are in their late 50s and early 60s that are doing headstands and developing greater core strength, and they’re on the path to soon do handstands. I’ll be 49 in a couple of months, and I’m still doing handstand training to this day. Ever since I was a kid, I fell in love with being upside down and pushing myself to learn new skills and have more control of the body in motion. It definitely adds a fun factor to a workout. The human body is capable of so much more than we give ourselves credit for, but it’s the mind and consistency of taking action that will allow us to grow and achieve new levels of performance. I’m also big on cold water and sauna therapy. It’s so good from the body and mind and there is plenty of scientific data to back it up.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Oh yeah, in my opinion life without challenges would be boring. Struggle and pain make you appreciate the good times in life on a much higher level. They also give you the option to learn and grow from the experience which can lead you to greater opportunities. Or the opposite is true. Sometimes life’s curveballs can cause you to get stuck in a rut and lose hope. I’ve definitely had my share of struggles.
I already mentioned my injuries. Now, I’ll talk about losing my dream job and going through a divorce shortly after. With the publishing industry continuing its downward spiral during my tenure at WATERSKI magazine, I could see the writing on the wall, but I still loved what I was doing. Since WATERSKI was such a niche brand, our revenue was mostly dependent on advertising and as more boat and ski companies started to do their own digital marketing and creating their own content, we were quickly bleeding money. The magazine was decreasing its number of issues per year to only two. When I started my dream gig in the late 90s, I was producing nine issues per year. Two issues per year and a small revenue stream from our digital offerings wasn’t sustainable. I was offered a severance package or the option of contracting my services. The money was about the same, so I decided to take the severance package and start my own boutique marketing agency. I tagged myself as the “1-Man Digital Marketing Swiss Army Knife.” I felt like the skills sets that I acquired as an editor would help set me up for a successful career on my own.
Although I was excited about doing my own thing and becoming an entrepreneur, the depression from losing my job and my best friend was quite devastating. I wasn’t mentally well enough to be consistent in my efforts to attain new clients and reach more people with my service offerings. My confidence was lacking, and looking back I guess I still needed time to heal.
I did enjoy working with one client for a couple of years. He ran a water-ski resort in Acapulco, Mexico, called Ski Paradise. It was an amazing place to capture content! The lagoon where we skied was a few hundred yards from the Pacific Ocean. I spent many days skiing, surfing, and capturing footage of pro skiers who were coaching and training there. But I was still in a funk.
I have slowly found my way. Change is challenging. You have to make it a priority. I like the Zig Ziglar quote, “You are what you are and where you are because of what is in your mind.” I had to change my mindset. So, basically over the last couple of years, I have done a lot of “self help” and invested copious amounts of time in learning from great mentors and reading lots of books and taking online courses on self-development. It’s really paid off! I love where I’m at right now, and I’m excited to share what I’ve learned with people from all over the world. Since fitness and wellness is such a huge passion in my life, I transitioned my marketing business into a fitness consultant and coaching business and I greatly enjoy virtual coaching. I still do some marketing work for a few clients with the type of creative projects that interest me, but my main focus is helping people reach new levels of wellness and performance.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Swerve Master-T Fitness?
Fitness has been a lifelong journey for me, and I’m passionate about sharing my expertise and helping clients reach their goals. As a professional athlete for more than 20 years, I enjoyed the great privilege of training and learning from some exceptional coaches and fitness mentors as well as experimenting with my own unique set of training and conditioning programs. The hunger to perform and feel better is within you, you just have to tap into it and realize your potential. I offer a high-end concierge-style fitness program that safely guides clients to where they want to be. I do a combination of live one-on-one virtual coaching sessions, enthusiastically guided customized video workouts, mindset coaching, a weekly text service with diet, fitness hacks, and positive encouragement along the way. I primarily like to work with clients who are hungry for change and are committed to a six-month contract. Due to the fact that I’ve recovered and excelled athletically after multiple surgeries and setbacks, I have the knowledge to safely guide my clients back to optimal health and performance. Over the last few years, I’ve also taken great interest in breathwork and cold-water therapy, and I enjoy sharing this info with my peeps. If people make health their priority and optimize it on multiple levels, the results are extraordinary. It all starts with a positive mindset and being open to change. I really like this saying: “A seed has to totally destroy itself to become a flower.” I’ve been destroyed and I’m a better human because of it.
Age is just a number. I’m really close to 50, and I’m doing more physically than I’ve ever done and I feel great. Never let age hold you back from pursuing your passion or returning back to your active self when you were young.
What makes you happy?
I love helping people. Here’s another Zig Ziglar quote that I absolutely love: You can have everything in life you want if you will just help enough people get what they want. Nothing makes me feel more alive than seeing someone transform their life with my guidance.
I also love raising my two teenage girls. They mean the world to me and I’m excited to watch them grow and learn the important lessons in life. It’s definitely not easy being a parent, but it’s my duty, responsibility, and obligation to be the best dad I possibly can be. I’ve faltered on many occasions, but I hope that I’ve learned from mistakes and I’m a better dad because of it!
Being active makes me happy. I love just about every sport imaginable! Water and snow skiing, tennis, basketball, skateboarding, golf, surfing, biking, yoga…without these pastimes in life, I probably wouldn’t be here. They have gotten me out of depression on many occasions. I also love music. I’ve played guitar (still not the good) for the last 25 years, and it’s a wonderful outlet for creative expression and peace. I wrote a song about skiing a few years back when I released Edged in Water. It’s called “SWERVE WITH ME.” It’s a silly song about skiing and just having fun on the water. I’d like to write more music in the future but just got to make the time for it. I’ve recently been listening to more classical music. It’s such an awesome way to start the day, and I enjoy listening to it during my morning bike rides. I also mix it up with some positive mindest coaching from a guy named Rob Dial. I highly recommend checking him out.
Contact Info:
- Email: swervemastert@gmail.com
- Website: swervemastertfitness.com
- Instagram: swervemastert
- Facebook: swervemastert
- Twitter: toddristorcelli
- Youtube: Swerve Master-T Ristorcelli
Image Credits:
I’m holding a golf club. The photographer’s name is Cy Cyr. The personal photo was taken by Bill Doster.
