Today we’d like to introduce you to Ethan Widoff
Hi Ethan, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My story begins with that of my cousin, Derek, who was diagnosed with a severe form of childhood epilepsy when he was very young.
Despite the severe health problems that my cousin faced, he was the most loving, kind, and grateful person I have ever known, He inspired me, and so many others, to be a better person.
In his honor, we created Derek’s Dash, a 5K fundraiser that I led from 2009 to 2015 that raised over a quarter of a million dollars for research on Dravet Syndrome – the disease that my cousin suffered from.
That venture led me to my core guiding principle in my life: there is an innate goodness to humans; therefore, if we can give people the platform to do good, they will most often answer the call. I feel like it is my responsibility in life to try to spark that flame for goodness in everything that I do.
In my professional life, I began this work as Director of Jewish Student Life for the University of Colorado from 2019 to 2023 before accepting a position as Director of VBM Denver, a start-up nonprofit designed to use social action to create community in Denver. Through these roles, I attempted to work with community members to teach practices that would improve their educational, spiritual, communal, and social health.
The other side of my story is athletics; I played baseball at Southwestern University after my career at Cherry Creek High School, and then became an Academic All-American for the Colorado College Men’s Rugby Club in 2019. After a short stint in the minor league circuit for the MLR (Major League Rugby), I found a new outlet for my competitive drive and community that I was then missing after leaving organized sport – CrossFit.
I fell in love with the methodology – to become the best all around athlete you can become; and most of all I fell in love with the community – people who were willing to do hard things to make themselves a better version of their current self. I earned my L1 certification from CrossFit, and quickly began developing my skills as a CrossFit athlete and coach.
So, I soon found myself at a cross-roads between the work I was doing in the nonprofit sector and that which I was doing in the CrossFit gym. I began to think that maybe there was a way to infuse the two – a space where we could help people improve a broader, more pluralistic definition of their total health.
And so ONE8 – a community health and wellness collective – was born,
In November of 2023, I left my full-time work to build the ONE8 concept, a space where professional vendors could offer services to promote eight pillars of health and wellness (Physical • Social • Emotional • Intellectual • Spiritual • Financial • Vocational • and finally, Communal Health). Tangibly, a space anchored by a CrossFit gym supplemented by services you might typically see in a health club setting – hot tubs, cold plunges, saunas, nutritionists, physical therapists, etc. – and those less traditional to the health club space – co-working, communal gathering space, coffee, barber/beauty services, mental health professionals, financial advising, philanthropic services, and more.
We hope to be a one-stop-shop for people to grow into happier, healthier versions of themselves, developing better humans for the world around us.
We are aiming to open in the Highlands/LoDo area by the end of 2024!
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Entrepreneurship is filled with doubt, conflict, and insecurity at every turn.
From real estate, personalities you encounter, the permitting process, and many other components of this venture have been troubling at times, but I have tried to stay centered on believing that this concept can change the lives of so many in my community for the better, and so I cannot let the detractions stop us from accomplishing that goal.
We’ve been impressed with ONE8, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
At ONE8, we aim to provide a more professionalized, thoughtful, and organized experience than any other concept out there.
We are the only functional fitness gym in Denver that only employs full-time staff, elevating the level of coaching we are able to offer.
We are the only space in Denver that aims to provide care in the eight pillars of health, as defined by the National Institute of Health.
We aim to be cleaner, more organized, and more modern that the dingy gyms in our space, and more personal, kind, and communal than the corporate concepts in the market.
Finally, everything we do is aimed at making the world a better place around us. The progress we make with our customers in our space will not mean anything if they do not in return go out into the world and put forward the health they have built at ONE8.
What was your favorite childhood memory?
Taking ground balls with my dad, riding our horse with my mom, Wednesday night dinners with my entire extended family, late night basketball games with my high school friends, cheering on the Denver Broncos.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://One8.us
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ethanbwidoff/
