1REBEL ICONS: TIAGO
What were you like before fitness became a part of your life?
Before fitness became my profession, movement was already part of my DNA. I was the kid who couldn’t sit still. Always outdoors. Always playing. Always chasing something. A football, a wave, a challenge. But I didn’t yet understand discipline. I didn’t understand structure. I just had energy.
Before coaching, what were you doing?
Professionally, I was working in the corporate world. Production/Graphic Design… in the gaming industry. It was creative. It was corporate high pressure. It was structured. And in many ways, that shaped the coach I am today. Because I learned about standards. About excellence. About delivering at a high level consistently. But coaching gave me something the corporate world never could: Human impact in real time.
Can you remember a moment when movement started to feel like more than just training?
Yes. It wasn’t one big dramatic moment. It was the first time someone told me: “Your class changed my day.” or “I didn’t think I could do that.” That’s when it shifted. As I read through class feedback or heard people's stories in person, movement stopped being about reps or watts. It became about transformation. About belief. About helping someone see themselves differently. That’s when it became purpose.
What did fitness give you that you didn’t have before?
Clarity. Purpose. And a deep sense of identity. As someone who grew up between Brazil and London, I’ve always lived between cultures and fitness became the language that didn’t need translation. It gave me discipline. It strengthened my faith. It grounded my energy. It allowed me to lead. It gave me a platform to serve.
How do you think where you grew up shaped who you are now?
Brazil gave me soul. London gave me structure. Brazil taught me warmth, rhythm, joy, connection. London taught me resilience, professionalism, precision. So when I coach, you get both. You get intensity. But you also get humanity. You get performance. But you also get celebration. That duality is who I am.
How do you want people to feel when they walk out of your class?
Powerful. Not just physically tired. I want them to feel capable, grounded. Stronger than when they walked in. I want them to celebrate what their body can do. To reconnect with their resilience. And maybe, just maybe…To carry that strength into their world outside the studio.
When do you feel most in your element, inside or outside the studio?
Both. But in different ways. In the studio, I’m leading. Curating energy. Reading the room. Elevating the collective. Outside, especially in the ocean, I’m refining. Resetting. Listening. The studio is where I give. The ocean is where I reconnect. Both are essential.
What keeps you coming back to coach, even on the harder days?
Impact. Knowing that someone rearranged their entire day for that 45min session. Knowing that someone might be walking in carrying stress, doubt, pressure. And I have the privilege of shifting that.
If you had to describe the power of committing to one hour in your own words, what would you say?
One hour is a decision. It’s a declaration that your health matters. That your mindset matters. That you matter. In one hour you can change your chemistry. Change your state. Change your belief. One hour won’t change your life overnight. But commit to it consistently…And it changes everything.