Habits and Hustle - Episode 504: Shaun T.: Motivation, Confidence, and the Power of Fun in Fitness

Episode Date: November 21, 2025

How does a college dance teacher end up becoming one of the most recognized names in fitness? In this Fitness Friday episode, Shaun T joins me to share how he went from teaching hip-hop classes at Equinox to creating Hip Hop Abs, Insanity, and inspiring millions of people around the world. We talk about what really keeps people motivated, why fun matters more than fear, and how confidence gets built one rep at a time. Shaun also opens up about his evolution, from being told he’d never hit like a pro to beating Serena Williams in doubles, and how therapy changed his mindset as a high achiever. He shares what it was like to grow through the early days of Beachbody, how Hip Hop Abs was born, and why showing up fully as yourself is what creates real connection. For Shaun, being a gay Black man in the fitness space wasn’t something to hide. It became his strength. Shaun T is a fitness trainer, choreographer, and motivational speaker best known for programs like Insanity, T25, and Hip Hop Abs. He’s also an advocate for mental health, self-belief, and authenticity in and out of the gym. 🎧 Shaun T on Motivation, Confidence, and the Power of Fun in Fitness Tune in: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1SXA4en800 What we discuss: (00:35) How a tennis lesson turned into an obsession  (03:48) Building confidence by showing up, not being perfect (05:19) Why therapy changed how Shaun sees success  (07:57) The story behind Hip Hop Abs and Insanity  (16:35) Representation, authenticity, and owning your story (18:22) Finding motivation through fun instead of fear  Thank you to our sponsor: Therasage: Head over to therasage.com and use code Be Bold for 15% off  Air Doctor: Go to airdoctorpro.com and use promo code HUSTLE for up to $300 off and a 3-year warranty on air purifiers. Magic Mind: Head over to www.magicmind.com/jen and use code Jen at checkout. Momentous: Shop this link and use code Jen for 20% off  Manna Vitality: Visit mannavitality.com and use code JENNIFER20 for 20% off your order  Prolon: Get 30% off sitewide plus a $40 bonus gift when you subscribe to their 5-Day Program! Just visit https://prolonlife.com/JENNIFERCOHEN and use code JENNIFERCOHEN to claim your discount and your bonus gift. Find more from Jen: Website: https://www.jennifercohen.com/ Instagram: @therealjencohen   Books: https://www.jennifercohen.com/books Speaking: https://www.jennifercohen.com/speaking-engagements Find more from Shaun T:  Website: https://www.shauntlife.com/ Instagram: @shaunt X: @shaunt Tiktok: @shaunt Youtube: @shauntfitness

Hi guys, it's Tony Robbins. You're listening to Habits and Hustle. Crush it. Hey, friends, you're listening to Fitness Friday on the Habits and Hustle podcast where myself and my friends share quick and very actionable advice for you becoming your healthiest self. So stay tuned and let me know how you leveled up. Before we dive into today's episode, I first want to thank our sponsor, Therasage. Their trite panel has become my favorite biohacking thing for healing my body. It's a portable red light panel that I simply cannot live without. I literally bring it with me everywhere I go.

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This code will work sitewide. Again, head over to Therasage, T-H-E-R-A-S-A-G-E dot com, and use code B-B-B-Bold for 15% off any of their products. When people find a way to stay motivated, they find a way to stay motivated by having fun and not being overwhelmed or intimidated. And that's why people don't, that's why the people who don't go to the gym, don't go to the gym. Well, I'm not fit enough yet to go to the gym. I'm too big.

For a lot of women, it's, you know, I need to lose weight for a lot of men. It's just like, well, I'm going to be intimidated by the guys with muscle. It's insecurity. You don't feel confident in that way. Do you play tennis? Oh, God. Don't you tell me that. Are we recording?

Oh. So, yes, I played tennis. I started playing tennis a little over 11 years ago. I crashed my husband and his mom and dad's vacation. Two months after I met him to Australia, I had no idea about tennis. I played football, track and field, and basketball. Like, they were my sports. And when I got down there, they were like, oh, we're going to go to the Australian Open.

And I remember sitting in the Western Hotel in Melbourne, and I was like, I have no idea what I'm about to watch. I didn't know how to score tennis. They go from 15 to 30 to 40, love, you know, advantage of this and all this stuff. And I remember going to the match and I saw the guys playing. And I was like, this is so fucking like, like I would be a professional tennis player. Like I was talking all kinds of trash. Right. And I got.

And then so for Valentine's Day, 2011, Scott bought me a tennis lesson at the National Tennis Center in Queens, New York. I got the first ball over. I thought I was a shit. And I think I hit every other ball over the curtains and everything. And so I, for the last 11 years, have been, like, obsessed with tennis. That's my, I used, I did use it as my cardio for a while because I just got sick of doing fitness, you know? I totally understand that, yes. So I got sick of doing fitness.

Anyway, from that, Scott told me he gets so mad when I talk. this story, but he was like, you'll never be able to hit like a professional tennis player. And I'm like, do you know who the fuck I am? Like, what do you mean? And I've really, like, I was mad at him for it. I had a grudge for like a few years after him saying that. And so two things happened. One, we met Serena. I got to play against Serena. You know, we played doubles. My team, me and my partner beat Serena. No way. And she was so mad. Like when we were playing, she's so competitive in a good way. She was. was bombing these balls at me.

She was just like, there were a couple of them. I was like, holy shit. Like, if I was playing her one-on-one, she would whoop my ass. But anyway, so I got to play. And then, like, maybe a year and a half ago, I remember Scott saying to me, like, I just want to let you know, I think you can beat me in tennis now. But I'll never admit that in public. Oh, like, well, I feel like anything you do, though, you become good at.

Just from the podcast we did at on your podcast, like, you have a lot of, like, like hidden talents that people either don't know about or you just don't talk about or is that true? Like, are you the kind of person that if you put your mind to it, you can become good, exceptional, I should say, at a lot of things? I think that I am a life's decathlete, meaning, you know, if I went to the Olympics, the only thing I could probably, the only thing I would win a gold medal in, if it were an Olympic sport, would be fitness. Like, if it was like, you have to, like, do a live class. Like, I feel like that's the thing I excel at the most, right?

Like, I would be on this. I would be on a metal stand, you know, first, second, and third, you know, probably gold. But I'm down to lose to really good people. But, um, but so, but for me, it's about the trying. Like, if, if I find that I'm capable of doing something, if my mind tells me, I can do it, I can do it. I can sing. I'm not the best singer in a world, but I can definitely be the lead in a Broadway show,

which I really want to be to Lee in Kinky Boots. It just came out. I'm going to be Lola so fucking bad. But anyway. Can you really sing that well? But I can sing really good. I'm not Mariah Carey or Craig David or, you know, Brian McKnight. And I can definitely, I can sing.

I can dance really well as a professional dancer. You know, so I do a lot of things really, really well. But the secret is if I don't do it well, you're not going to see me doing it. So, I mean, there are things that I'm not really great at, you know. Like what? Maybe one thing that you've tried at, tried, and that you aren't great at. Writing a book was really tough for me because I'm not a good writer. I'm a good, I express really well my voice.

So, like, even when I write posts, you know, Chip will look at my post. Chip is my everything in my business, I should say. The chip will look at my post and be like, yeah, you made some errors. The grammatical errors and, like, just run on. There's sometimes grammatical or, you know, but I'm very, I don't think I'm ADHD because I know my friend Shalene Johnson talks about that all the time, but I'm definitely, I'm just, I'm not good at organizing my life necessarily. That's why I have really good people around me. Yeah. And. But that's a, that's a true statement for a lot of people who are extraordinary at a high level at certain things. Yeah. So that's not that, that's not that unique, right? It's not that. It's not that. abnormal, you should say, but, you know, in therapy, because I'm going to therapy. I know. And my therapist, you know, he calls it a high achiever.

Because I was just like, you know, one time I was telling him, to your point about the question of like, you're good at a lot of things. I have this thing in my head where if I'm not doing anything, I think I'm lazy. And he said a lot of high achievers have that mindset. And so, yeah, so I mean, you know, there's a lot going on in his brain. most of what comes out now is the messiness and always the real. But before it was just, it was really tough, you know. I wasn't at this level of, like, confidence and belief of myself always.

You know, now being 44 is just a different story. When did it start? Like, what was like, so walk me through this, right? So how did you even become the shanti that we know from insanity and from all the mega programs? Like becoming that, like, were you naturally very, very talented with, like, even talking to a camera? People don't even know how difficult that is to be on cue and to be doing that and to be engaging while also doing the moves. Like, did you audition for it? Like, what was the evolution?

First of all, can I just tell you, I love you. Like, I know we just met, but it's so great talking to you. Like, it's amazing. That is so nice. I feel the same way towards you. It's so true. It's so true. Like, I just, like, you're wonderful.

Oh, you're wonderful too. Thank you. Oh, my first. Grandpa used to say, we're fearfully and wonderfully made. I just wish most people would, like, actually believe that they're wonderful, but that's a whole not a story. That's a whole other podcast, actually. I do like the fact that you asked me, like, how did you become Shanti from what people already

knew? Because most people ask the question, like, how did it happen? Yeah. But I love how you ask, like, the evolution, because we know what we see on TV. Right. And when you see actors and you see people that are, you know, on TV or, you know, somewhat famous if you have. No, but you are in the fitness space.

like there's not, there's like very few names that are household names, right? Very few. You could be a really successful fitness person, but like, there's like a handful. And you are one of those people, like probably my, maybe not my mom because she's 80, but most other people, if you say Shanty, people automatically, oh yeah, insanity, beach body, oh yeah, that guy, hip hop abs. Like, you've been like kind of part of the DNA in the fitness space for so many years that people at some level will know who you are. It's funny you say so many years because somebody said to me the other day,

they were like, yeah, I've been doing your tapes since 2001. And I'm like, no, you haven't because I was still in college. But to answer your question, which is a really good question, I'll tell you a really interesting story. So I used to teach at Equinox in West Hollywood

when I first moved to Los Angeles. Was that your, really? So yeah, I used to teach there and people used to wait like an hour for my class and it was always packed, especially my Saturday class. And it was a dance class. I told 10 classes a week

or 12. And there were all kinds of fitness classes from Bosu to Bosu step to, you know, boot camp, everything. But my most popular class is my hip hop dance class. And so people wait. And so there was a producer that worked at Beach Body that came to my class, two of them with, like, she would always look from outside the window of my class when they came in. Anyway, she got in touch with a trainer who then reached out to me and said, hey, this woman wants to meet you. Her name is Lara Ross, who's one of my great friends to this day. But they had me coming in audition. And I remember the director, Andrea Ambondos, who I love to death.

She said, now I just want to let you know, you have to be yourself when the camera comes on. And she used her hand. She was like, so this is the camera. And you have to, you know, try not to act like anything else. And in my head, I'm like, bitch, no one of the fuck I am. And she and my relationship are very bad. Like, you know. I wish she's very tough, actually.

She's super tough, but I'm literally her faith. Yeah. Well, of course you are. I know that sounds really, but I am. And she's like, she's just wonderful. But, um, so I just remember, I was like, okay. And in my head, I'm like, I've literally taught on every continent almost in different languages, like, you know, this isn't my first rodeo.

I'm saying that in my head, yeah. And literally that day, I taught about like maybe 15 minutes, like, for them. And I walked out of Beachbody with my contract. that day like there was no like wait there was no like you serious they gave it to you on the spot they walked me to the lawyer's office what did you do in that audition um so funny story is i called all my dancer friends to my house to my house so i was renting a room out of a really good friend of mine's house and so i called them over it was like six of them and i was like hey meet me at my garage at like nine o'clock and they all came to the garage and i pulled the sliding glass

mirrors from my closet in my bedroom and took them downstairs and I put them in the in the garage and I made up a routine of like what we were going to do at this audition and I walked in there and that's what I did. I just taught a dance and they were just really impressed with my cueing. They were just like, wow, like you cue really well. Like for like if I'm doing a move that goes boom, boom, pop, I go go up, down, out, take it down, flip around. Boom, boom. Because, like, my thing is, I want people to know what I'm doing before I do it. But that also, you know, I'm also, also put my personality into it. So exactly. It was exactly what I guess beachbody needed at the time.

Well, you had two things. A group X, like teaching an actual class day in, day out, that many gave you the, it gave you the skill set. So you, that's, you knew what you were doing. Because queuing is super difficult. People don't realize that. And because of the choreography stuff, like, you already, like, you were already a professional. by the time you got to that place. Yeah, I mean, I was a professional dancer. Yeah, like, and, you know. But the cueing, the choreography, like being on beat is a choreor. Oh, yeah, the choreography.

And I had taught, I had taught, you know how they say it takes 10,000 hours to be. I had taught probably, I mean, I started teaching when I was 20, almost 21. And I taught, like, I remember teaching 25, 30 classes a week just in college. Wow. At the time, I left college and then, like, traveled around the world. I mean, I had, I just was all over the place, you know. I'm all about finding sustainable ways to optimize performance, the kind of work that actually moves the needle on how you feel and function.

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no injections, and better metabolic health and energy. Plus, improve skin and even reduce biological age. And here's my favorite part. It's a complete reset in just five days. No willpower, battles, no extreme restrictions, just a structured plan to let your body do what it's designed to do. Repair, renew, and optimize. And right now, Prolon is offering 30% off site wide, plus a $40 bonus gift. When you subscribe to their five-day program, go to prolonlonlife.com slash Jennifer Cohen and use Jennifer Cohen to claim your discount and bonus. That's prolonlife.com slash Jennifer Cohen and use code Jennifer Cohen. Okay, so at that time, it's obviously different when it is now with fitness influencers and all that.

But were you considered a fitness, like, could you have that Equinox class? Were you like a Nike trainer and all those other kind of fitness-influency things before social media at that point? Yeah, it's so funny when people come up to media like, oh my God, you're like a social media influencer. And I'm like, oh my gosh, no, I'm not. Yeah, exactly. I'm not. But, yeah, like fitness back then was very different. And I'm sure, you know, there were all the conventions and, like, people don't even know names like Calvin Wiley, Patrick Godot, Tony Stone, Angie Bunch, Patricia Miranda, rest in peace. You know, there's so many of these incredible people that I learned under that taught queuing that was able to build a class. Every class wasn't experienced. And so from that, then I had to work my way up to be able to teach at one of these conventions. And this and. And, and.

And so I told it those conventions for a while on one day I was, I would teach and I would still take like six classes a day. And one day I was in a back row of a class. I was just like, because I like to support people and I always just like, I'm going to soak up anything that they do. Totally. And I was in the back of the class. And it was a guy from Turkey that was just like, hey, you want to come to Turkey and help me open up a gym and like create, you know, this like fitness programming and personal training. And so he did all this stuff. And it was just like, I went to Istanbul and I, you know, I was like, where am I?

I don't speak this language, but the guys are hot and I'm here for it. That is awesome. You know, it was on my mind in my 20s. 100%. No, she. No, it's amazing. So then who did you come up with hip? Was your first program hip hop abs though?

Yes, my first program was hip hop abs. Did you do it or did they give it to you? How does it work? Like, what's the, like give me the skinny, you know, excuse the pun, on like, what happens inside. So you get the job, then what happens? Yeah. So get the job. And it literally is we go into a boardroom with the producers, with Carl Dykla, who's the CEO. And then we just kind of ideate on what it is that we want to do. At least that's how every experience of mine has been. So they knew that they had just come out with P90X was before Insanity. Yeah. And then the most amazing

Shalene Johnson had just come out with Turbo Jam. I remember that too. Right. So she had come out with Turbo Jam. And so really, so what happened was they were just like, we want, Turbo Jam did so good. It was like rhythmic. It was kind of like, I don't want to say it's like Taibo, but it was like the rhythmic boxing for people who don't really understand it. And then, so they wanted something that was like they felt like movement was really good.

So, and I was really popular for dance. Right. And so we're known for. Yeah. But the way we came up with hip-hop abs was, I'm actually going to shout out. these people, these two women, their names are Gillian and T. They had Yoga Booty Ballet. I don't know if you remember that.

Of course they do. Yes. But they had one workout in yoga booty ballet called hip-hop abs. It was just like one little, it was just like where we would do like buns and butt or whatever, buns and thighs. It was hip-hop bass. But anyway, the way we came out with hip-hop as was actually really cool because I was a hip-hop dancer. Yeah. And one day we were just ideating on choreography.

in this room. And so I took off my shirt and, you know, they're like, oh, my gosh, you have, like, really great abs. And I was like, thank you, you know. So I was like, I don't know who said it, but they were like, oh, my gosh, like, what if we focused, like, did an ad program? And so I breathed in and I made my, my belly really big. And I was like, you know, all you got to do is tilt, tuck, and tighten.

And it went from my ass. And they were like, holy shit. And because they were like, what do you do for abs? And I was like, I don't do abs. Like, at that time, I did not get down on the floor. I literally danced. And they were like, well, show us how you move. I was like, well, in hip hop, you know, you got to stay low.

You got to keep your core tight, you know, all this stuff. And so that's how we came up with hip hop abs. It went from like hip hot abs to like hot hip abs. It was like, all these things. Yeah, yeah, yeah. We're like, okay, we have to use this name because hip hop abs is great. So then that's how we came up with hip hop abs. And was everyone shocked at the popularity of the, like, how, how, it became, like, massive.

Yeah, it was a phenomenon at the time. It was huge. I think what was really great about it, it was, you know, it was just like all the ingredients of a great fitness program came into one. And this is going to sound really funny, but you have dance, you have low impact, and you have a gay black man. I know that sounds really, really crazy and I can say it because I'm black. Right, right, right. But, like, you know, I believe people are probably going to roll their eyes at this. But I just believe that gay black men in fitness is like, it's not intimidating.

Because some people can be intimidated by really, you know, super ripped other women. For sure. Or like beefy guys, kind of like I am now. But you're super beefy now. But you worry back then. I wasn't back there. Who's the kid out there? That's my son.

Oh, my God. He's so cute. Thank you. That's good. He's probably like, well, yeah, he's probably like. Well, yeah, he's probably, he's used to... Oh, my God, he has great hair, sorry. Thank you.

I love that. Yeah, he's delicious. So, I don't know what I was looking at him, but... So, what was he saying about your hip-up... You were telling me, not Dylan. No, I was going to say something about the hip-off... Oh, yeah, people, and I don't know if this is, like, politically incorrect also, but the gay teachers always, like,

who are at the clubs are always the most popular. Like, women flock to these classes. Right. And if you're, like, a pretty... girl or, like, it's, it could be intimidating. Yeah. Like, they like the personality that comes with it. I think that if I can, like, if I can just even take sexuality out of it for a second,

I think what happens is, you know, gay people in general, like, we live a life of being suppressed for mostly a quarter or more of our lives. You know, I didn't come out to all of 21. Most people don't come out to their 18, you know, so you have these people who are suppressed for the youngest years of their lives. And so now you take somebody who actually loves fitness, who loves to dance, who wants to be expressive, and you put them in front of a room and it's not, it's not intimidating. And people are having a good ass time. Totally. People do not care about, I don't want to say they don't care about fitness. Yes, people want to lose weight. They want to, but people, when they, when people find a way to stay motivated, they find a way to stay motivated by having fun and not being overwhelmed or intimidated.

And that's why people don't, that's why the people who don't go to the gym, don't go to the gym. Well, I'm not fit enough yet to go to the gym. I'm too big. For a lot of women, it's, you know, I need to lose weight for a lot of men. It's just like, well, I'm going to be intimidated by the guys with muscle. It's insecurity. You don't feel confident in that way. So you have, you know, you have a gay black man or a chip because Chip is a really good gay t-shirts.

Oh, you are too? He's not a gay teacher, but he's a fitness and striker. Oh, are you? Where do you teach? Equinoxio? He used to. I wanted a little pause. You want a little pause right now with the schedule of being.

I mean, he was teaching even while working with us for Transform20 when it had a certification program. But he doesn't know. He's my favorite instructor. But anyway, so not anyway. So just like when you have like a gay guy teaching, it's just not intimidating, especially for like being in public, you're going into a room. And I really believe, like no one talks about. that but i'm like it's very very very true if you go to fitness conventions like the gay guys are

like they have like these really popular super fun classes they also have a cult following yeah they have a cult following because they make it fun i think at the end of day no matter what people want to feel inspired and they want to have fun they don't want to feel like it's like a chore to do it but you said something that was interesting so when you were 21 you came out but what so how old were you when you did insanity what was i was i was i was two thousand 2009, so I was 31. I was, I was, I was, I was born in 1978. So, was that 31?

Almost 31. I was 30. So you were, okay, so I, I remember now, I don't know why. I remember when, when people said to me, oh, Sean Key, Sean T came out. But that was like a ready, this was like back when, like, we were like, this was like in 2005, were you keeping it a secret? It was 2012. I know that sounds crazy.

Do you know what I'm talking? about? I do. And it's really funny because I was never in public. That's the thing. I'm like, have you done hip-hop abs? I'm literally like, I don't got no hair. You know, I'm like, I was never in in my public, in my professional life. I was never in the clock. I came out 21 to everybody. So why did people think that? I'll tell you why. Okay. So one, because you have hip-hop abs where I'm like cutting up and rocking body. They were my first two programs where they were dance programs. You know, I'm having, like, I'm at the motherfucking club. You know, I'm having a good-ass time.

Right. But then insanity comes out, and it is, there's no time in a program where it wasn't live at the time. Like, if insanity was a live class, I would have been acting crazy because I'm like, cool. But, you know, it's a package program where people have to come and have to redo the workouts. So I don't tell jokes. I'm just like, boom, like, we're going to hit. You're in workflow. Right.

And I took on when I, I created. insanity because I wanted people to feel how I felt at the end of a track practice, which is terrible. And so I feel good at the end, but it's terrible. And I'm like, this is, like, I need people to feel this way. So they saw Shanty from insanity, Shanty from T25, Asylum, like these programs that are hardcore. Hardcore.

So then when my husband and I get married and my assistant at the time tweets, oh my gosh, she put something like, I'm so happy to celebrate this love. everyone like the blogs went crazy and I'm like who was in oh right so everyone just assumed that you were they assumed that I was coming out but you were but it was just because it just never gave the opportunity yeah but I'm like thanks girl you know it was fine right it would no and I could I totally remember that and I'm like what I because I wasn't like keeping tabs completely but I do remember that that like in the atmosphere of like a beach body that you came out yeah but it was like just. But can we talk about that for a second? Like, why do people even have to come out?

I know. I mean, listen, that's a whole other thing. Like, I don't remember, I remember thinking, like, I wasn't even thinking if he was in or out or where you were, you know? I'm like, oh, I like his workouts. I wasn't paying attention to that. But I guess because the conversation wasn't what it was today. Like, back then, people were much more, well, people were afraid of cancel culture today for different reasons. Right. But back then, the cancel culture was much more. There's a stigma, I guess, for whatever reason back then about that or people thought there would be. Yeah. And I literally never gave up. I know you. I can tell knowing you now, like that would, I can't even imagine people thinking that. Yeah. It's so funny.